Sprint PCS customer "service".

The BBQ Pit
1

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame the people who work at sprint in their call factories. I don’t blame them one bit, and every time I’ve gotten an actual person on the phone, I get wonderful service.

I never can seem to get to that person, though.

I just got a text message telling me that I need to pay my bill or have my service cut off. I forgot to pay the bill. My fault.

So, I go online. I type in my phone number and password. This number and password do not match. OH YEAH! All caps. Do it again. This number and password do not match. Please call Sprint PCS Customer Service at blah blah. I do so. I try and pay my bill. After shouting “PAYMENT” into the phone for five minutes, the auto system finally understands. (I try saying it slower, faster, louder, with the emphasis on the ment, rather than the pay but nothing seems to work). I get to the payment menu, and I can’t understand anything she’s saying, everything is broken up. She starts speaking Spanish. I hang up to try again.

I get through the horror that is described above. After my payment, I’d like to go back to the main menu and change my internet password for the sixth time (this has happened before, donchaknow). Nope, the system hangs up on me.

So I call again. I get through the system by shouting “PASSCODE” at the phone seven times, and then “INTERNET” eight or nine, all the time varying my loudness and inflection. I get the “we’re sending you to a customer service rep right now”… and then the system goes into it’s hold music. The music stops after a few seconds and I think “ALL RIGHT!” Then the system hangs up on me. This has happened every time I’ve tried to get to customer service. I always fall for it, though.

After calling and going through this again, I get Nathan. Nathan is a nice boy who fixes my password up lickety split and then tries to sell me more PCS products. In my brain I’m thinking “no, I’d like to cancel my account, but that will cost me a shitload of money, so you can fuck off” but I say “no thanks. Yes, I give your (meaning Nathan’s) customer service a 10.”

Then I want to kick something breakable.

2

There should be a link somewhere to have your password text-messaged to your phone. I’ve had to do that before.

Never had a problem getting through to someone myself. I dial *2 for customer care, then when the automated menu picks up just press 0 and you will be transferred directly to a live representative.

3

Ah, cell phones, so like real phones. Ah, Sprint PCS customer “service”, so like Verizon customer “service.”

I think it must be phone companies in general. I honestly think that they had a board meeting where the CEO started off by saying “Alright, people, we need to come up with a system that makes it nearly impossible for people to give us money. Ideas?”

4

Ahhhh, Sprint. I, too, do not blame their CSRs, but will not purchase anything more than necessary due to their crappy customer service. For instance, every couple months or so they have a bogus charge on my bill. It takes several cycles for it to be credited, and meanwhile I have to pay the charge or else they will charge me a nonrefundable $4 late fee, even if the charges are bogus.

But thats not why they have crappy customer service. During these 2 or so months during which you are waiting to get credit, you cannot call their CSR to check on the status of a credit, for instance if the other company claims to have submitted a credit but Sprint hasn’t received it. Why? Because Sprint CSRs do not have access to the bill accounting information! WTF??? They don’t know if I’ve been credited with a credit? What’s the use in calling?

Oh, and they also have the gall to ask me if I am interested in more Sprint products at the end of a call. My answer “I only have your dialtone service because you’re the only one available in my area. I buy the least amount of Sprint products as possible. I don’t like Sprint.”

And before anyone claims that I didnt really have the testicular fortitude to say that, I really have said those words to a Sprint representative.

5

Are you talking about Sprint Local service or Sprint PCS? I have both and I’ve found a measurable amount of difference in service. I’ve had problems galore with my local (and l/d ) service through Sprint, but I’ve had nothing but pleasant experiences with Sprint PCS, which is what the OP was complaining about.

6

Sprint Local. Their service is so bad that I refuse to pay money to benefit any company associated with them.

7

I had my password text messaged to me. I tried it. I got the same stupid error message and got locked out of the system.

8

I agree with you. I’ve had only 2 bad encounters with Spring PCS representatives…over a 5 year period. I can’t say that about any other utility bill I’ve ever had! I have found most of their reps to be helpful, and if they couldn’t be, they found someone who could.

Filmgeek, I’ve also had no problems with the customer service menu at *2. If the system misunderstands me more than once, it automatically reroutes me to a representative. ALSO, if I say representative when the computer asks “how can I assist you” it says “Ok, let me get someone to help you” and transfers me to a real live person…

~J

9

We have an IVRU where I work (people alawys thay that “that lady” or “that mechanical man” can’t understand them. I always tell them that silence reaches reps fastest, since it usually does.

It kills me though, when I hear someone that can barely speak English without sounding like a mountain hillbilly say “Uuuuh Kayyynt BUhlee tha thaaaang koooooden rekkkanyyyyz muuuh voyyce”. Although sometimes the most perfect ennunciators sometimes can’t get through.

10

After 20 years I finally am leaving Sprint

Im in Long island ny… I still dont hace 4g service

For years, if I had an unresolved problem I called a special cancellation dept.
they nust did away with that

When I call, the person will not give their name. Its nust “joy” or “john” etc. No last name. No employee #. So I have no documentation of who I spoke to if thwy screw up.

Any company (other than Sprint) gives you a name, etc of who you spoke to.

I dont like the new policies.
im done!!!

11

^If you’re posting from your phone, Sprint’s autocorrect sucks as well.

12

And to think, you’d already been a loyal customer for ten years when this thread started!

13

Sprint is really easy to deal with on-line. You have to find a way to remember that password, it makes life so much easier. Companies will not improve their customer service phone lines because they do not want you to use them.

(The only decent phone based customer service I am aware of is, oddly, Charles Schwab - banks, phone, credit card, mortgage, utilities - phone-based / human interface customer service from all these companies to whom I send money on a regular basis is just terrible, but Charles Schwab is fine - fast, efficient, effective, minimal up-selling.)

14

I found the Sprint rep to be very helpful and nice when I was canceling service to go with another company, not lobbying me to stay with Sprint and making sure that everything was documented so the process would go smoothly.

Of course that was a guy in person at the Sprint store and not on the phone.

15

I had Sprint for two years, and found that their service (voice and 3G, not the dude on the phone) was horrible, their policies were extremely anti-customer, and I left as soon as my contract was up. If I was still in a contract today, I’d definitely let T-Mobile pay the early termination fee for me.

16

I garee.

17

Count me in the “had Sprint, will avoid like the plague in the future due to incompetent customer service” crowd.

18

If you do “Star 3” on your Sprint mobile, you are automatically connected to their free bill pay