FYI: Sprint "Skims the Cream" from Its Customers' Bread

"Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely to
complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious fees
and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.

I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a credit
to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.

Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
(you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers screen
your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done it
several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If you
can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you. Oh, maybe
they'll deign to do so at 3AM... but not right now- they have more important
customers than YOU.

Fine, "so what" you say? Wouldn't you be extra attentive to your high
rollers? To an extent, yes. But should you get bumped for a flight you
paid for months in advance just because they overbooked first class atthe
lastminute? I don't think so. It's just good to know how you're REALLY
being treated. Just pass the info on and do with it what you will. Just
thought you might like to know that they do in fact spit on some folks'
hamburgers in the back grill there, metaphorically speaking of course.

Remember:If the line's busy, and you can't get through- maybe it really IS
YOU. Too bad they spend all that marketing money on black trench-coat man
trying to dupe the uninitiated into believing that all your services work
when and where you are instead of building more towers or hiring more
customer service reps. Forward it on.

---

› See More: FYI: Sprint "Skims the Cream" from Its Customers' Bread

I don't know what planet you are from, but you must have really pissed SPCS
off for them to 'not' answer your phone. Every time I've called CS since
1998, they have answered-even thru a 'Clare' request (and I'm no
'high-roller').

Chris
Please respond in the newsgroup

"AJK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely
to
> complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious
fees
> and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
>
> I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
> Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a
credit
> to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
> that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.
>
> Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
> experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
> (you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
> likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers
screen
> your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
> keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
> subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done
it
> several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If
you
> can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you. Oh, maybe
> they'll deign to do so at 3AM... but not right now- they have more
important
> customers than YOU.
>
> Fine, "so what" you say? Wouldn't you be extra attentive to your high
> rollers? To an extent, yes. But should you get bumped for a flight you
> paid for months in advance just because they overbooked first class atthe
> lastminute? I don't think so. It's just good to know how you're REALLY
> being treated. Just pass the info on and do with it what you will. Just
> thought you might like to know that they do in fact spit on some folks'
> hamburgers in the back grill there, metaphorically speaking of course.
>
> Remember:If the line's busy, and you can't get through- maybe it really IS
> YOU. Too bad they spend all that marketing money on black trench-coat man
> trying to dupe the uninitiated into believing that all your services work
> when and where you are instead of building more towers or hiring more
> customer service reps. Forward it on.
>
>
>

"AJK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely
to
> complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious
fees
> and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
>
> I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
> Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a
credit
> to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
> that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.

As Chris mentioned, I have never had a problem getting through, or getting a
busy signal. There might a longer wait time during the holidays, but in more
times than I can count, I get through to a c.s. rep within 2 minutes or
less. My bill ranges around $130.

Also, how does a computer on the receiving end (you calling SPCS on a
landline or your cell phone), connect to a computer, then recognize the
caller, and then change the call to a busy signal?

Bob

Uh, I'm on a juicy business account ($200 a month juicy??) and I still
experience long wait times.


"AJK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely
to
> complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious
fees
> and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
>
> I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
> Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a
credit
> to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
> that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.
>
> Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
> experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
> (you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
> likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers
screen
> your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
> keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
> subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done
it
> several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If
you
> can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you. Oh, maybe
> they'll deign to do so at 3AM... but not right now- they have more
important
> customers than YOU.
>
> Fine, "so what" you say? Wouldn't you be extra attentive to your high
> rollers? To an extent, yes. But should you get bumped for a flight you
> paid for months in advance just because they overbooked first class atthe
> lastminute? I don't think so. It's just good to know how you're REALLY
> being treated. Just pass the info on and do with it what you will. Just
> thought you might like to know that they do in fact spit on some folks'
> hamburgers in the back grill there, metaphorically speaking of course.
>
> Remember:If the line's busy, and you can't get through- maybe it really IS
> YOU. Too bad they spend all that marketing money on black trench-coat man
> trying to dupe the uninitiated into believing that all your services work
> when and where you are instead of building more towers or hiring more
> customer service reps. Forward it on.
>
>
>

Bob Smith wrote:
> As Chris mentioned, I have never had a problem getting through, or getting a
> busy signal. There might a longer wait time during the holidays, but in more
> times than I can count, I get through to a c.s. rep within 2 minutes or
> less. My bill ranges around $130.

$130 is way more than average.

> Also, how does a computer on the receiving end (you calling SPCS on a
> landline or your cell phone), connect to a computer, then recognize the
> caller, and then change the call to a busy signal?

It doesn't change to a busy signal, but it can switch you to a much longer
queue. I can hear a lot of clicks in the background while waiting to be
switched to the CS queue. Never gave it much thought, but it's quite
feasible to have different queues for different classes of customers.


--
John Richards

"John Richards" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bob Smith wrote:
> > As Chris mentioned, I have never had a problem getting through, or
getting a
> > busy signal. There might a longer wait time during the holidays, but in
more
> > times than I can count, I get through to a c.s. rep within 2 minutes or
> > less. My bill ranges around $130.
>
> $130 is way more than average.

Oh, I don't know about that. I have no clue what the range of customers are
in terms of who has what plans and how much each account pays on a monthly
basis. Do you?
>
> > Also, how does a computer on the receiving end (you calling SPCS on a
> > landline or your cell phone), connect to a computer, then recognize the
> > caller, and then change the call to a busy signal?
>
> It doesn't change to a busy signal, but it can switch you to a much longer
> queue. I can hear a lot of clicks in the background while waiting to be
> switched to the CS queue. Never gave it much thought, but it's quite
> feasible to have different queues for different classes of customers.

I snipped out half of the OP's post, but here the quote I was replying to
.... "Try it- I've done it
several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If you
can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you."

Now, I ask again ... how can one get a busy signal if the call has gone
through, then punch in your ten digit number, and then get a busy signal ...

Bob

AJK wrote:
>
> "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely to
> complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious fees
> and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
>
> <snip>

Ah, a Wharton Business School student.

Does your "Skimming the Cream" theory, as applied to Sprint, stem from fact,
or a recent lecture that you "feel" applies to sprint?

Larry

"Bob Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Oh, I don't know about that. I have no clue what the range of customers
are
> in terms of who has what plans and how much each account pays on a monthly
> basis. Do you?

Yes, Sprint publicly boasts that its average monthly charge per subscriber
is about $60. A $130/mo customer is indeed a prize.

> Now, I ask again ... how can one get a busy signal if the call has gone
> through, then punch in your ten digit number, and then get a busy signal
....

A rather common occurrence with various companies. The queue is full, and
so the customer gets routed (by the company's PBX) to an (artificial?) busy
signal, indicating that the customer may as well hang up because he will not
even be put into the queue at all. Actually, it's more common for the PBX
to simply drop the call entirely in that case; a busy signal is relatively
polite.

Chris Russell wrote:
> I don't know what planet you are from, but you must have really pissed SPCS
> off for them to 'not' answer your phone.

He's prolly from Uranus.....

>
> Now, I ask again ... how can one get a busy signal if the call has gone
> through, then punch in your ten digit number, and then get a busy signal ...
>

Very easily. It's happened to me many times. The computer is transferring
your call either to Claire or Customer Care. Should they decide to
transfer you instead to a perpetually-busy number (ie, 804-798-9969) or
even a recording of a busy signal, what's to stop them?

Steve

"Lawrence G. Mayka" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:hfpKb.21171$P%[email protected]...
> "Bob Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Oh, I don't know about that. I have no clue what the range of customers
> are
> > in terms of who has what plans and how much each account pays on a
monthly
> > basis. Do you?
>
> Yes, Sprint publicly boasts that its average monthly charge per subscriber
> is about $60. A $130/mo customer is indeed a prize.
>
> > Now, I ask again ... how can one get a busy signal if the call has gone
> > through, then punch in your ten digit number, and then get a busy signal
> ...
>
> A rather common occurrence with various companies. The queue is full, and
> so the customer gets routed (by the company's PBX) to an (artificial?)
busy
> signal, indicating that the customer may as well hang up because he will
not
> even be put into the queue at all. Actually, it's more common for the PBX
> to simply drop the call entirely in that case; a busy signal is relatively
> polite.

Thanks for the follow up Lawrence. I don't believe though that's what the OP
was talking about though. I've called into numbers where a voice prompt came
in, listing the extensions of who to speak to, dialing that extension, and
getting a busy signal as that dept was totally busy. It's a bit different
than what the OP discussed.

Bob

AJK wrote:

> Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
> experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
> (you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
> likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers screen
> your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
> keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
> subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done it
> several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number.

Funny that. I'm on a grandfathered, non-business $30-a-month plan with
300 minutes of use, and definitely not a "high roller" and I can get
through just fine.

There ARE factors which determine which part of CS you get transferred
to, but I doubt how much you pay per month is one of them. Right now,
having ReadyLink will get you transferred to Tier 2 very quickly but
only because Tier 1 couldn't ReadyLink their way out of a wet paper bag
at the moment. Having an account in an affiliate coverage region can
also get you to a different call center than most. And business account
customers - regardless of how much they pay, be it $30 or $3,000 a month
- will be transferred to call centers handling business accounts.

Beyond that, I think you're reading too much into the supposed favoritism.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

Dude - quite a post. Whatever you're smoking, I'd reccomend that you cut
back, or better yet, quit altogether. If you can't, maybe you need a better
source.

You're sounding a tad paranoid...



On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 14:08:00 -0800, AJK wrote
(in message <[email protected]>):

> "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely to
> complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious fees
> and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
>
> I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
> Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a credit
> to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
> that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.
>
> Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
> experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
> (you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
> likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers screen
> your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
> keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
> subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done it
> several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If you
> can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you. Oh, maybe
> they'll deign to do so at 3AM... but not right now- they have more important
> customers than YOU.
>
> Fine, "so what" you say? Wouldn't you be extra attentive to your high
> rollers? To an extent, yes. But should you get bumped for a flight you
> paid for months in advance just because they overbooked first class atthe
> lastminute? I don't think so. It's just good to know how you're REALLY
> being treated. Just pass the info on and do with it what you will. Just
> thought you might like to know that they do in fact spit on some folks'
> hamburgers in the back grill there, metaphorically speaking of course.
>
> Remember:If the line's busy, and you can't get through- maybe it really IS
> YOU. Too bad they spend all that marketing money on black trench-coat man
> trying to dupe the uninitiated into believing that all your services work
> when and where you are instead of building more towers or hiring more
> customer service reps. Forward it on.
>
>
>

In article <[email protected]>,
David <[email protected]> wrote:

> Dude - quite a post. Whatever you're smoking, I'd reccomend that you cut
> back, or better yet, quit altogether. If you can't, maybe you need a better
> source.
>
> You're sounding a tad paranoid...

I think he's hit the mark, and you can't handle the truth.


>
>
>
> On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 14:08:00 -0800, AJK wrote
> (in message <[email protected]>):
>
> > "Skimming the Cream" is a "lovely" McKinsey-esque corporate dictum where
> > companies in essence pay more attention to customers who are less likely to
> > complain when they are being nickled and dimed to death by the company-
> > i.e., a Sprint user who's employer pays for the bill as oppossed to a
> > soccer mom on a tight budget who keeps getting slapped with mysterious fees
> > and fails to get her promised rebates, etc.
> >
> > I admit it: I'm a demanding customer- but I am just so sick and tired of
> > Sprint promising something and then failing to deliver on it: like a credit
> > to an account, or a replacement for a lemon phone, or "pin-drop" service
> > that sounds more like rush-hour in the New York subway.
> >
> > Anyway, if you're prone to hold Sprint to it's word, try this little
> > experiment: if you're having trouble getting through to customer "service"
> > (you are always required to key in your ten digit phone number now) it's
> > likely not your imagination that you're being dissed. Their computers screen
> > your number and make a decision on whether or not to answer your call. Try
> > keying in the number of a friend on a juicey business accounnt or a newly
> > subscribed customer and you'll ring right on through! Try it- I've done it
> > several times now when I only get a busy signal using my own number. If you
> > can't get through, it's because they don't want to talk to you. Oh, maybe
> > they'll deign to do so at 3AM... but not right now- they have more important
> > customers than YOU.
> >
> > Fine, "so what" you say? Wouldn't you be extra attentive to your high
> > rollers? To an extent, yes. But should you get bumped for a flight you
> > paid for months in advance just because they overbooked first class atthe
> > lastminute? I don't think so. It's just good to know how you're REALLY
> > being treated. Just pass the info on and do with it what you will. Just
> > thought you might like to know that they do in fact spit on some folks'
> > hamburgers in the back grill there, metaphorically speaking of course.
> >
> > Remember:If the line's busy, and you can't get through- maybe it really IS
> > YOU. Too bad they spend all that marketing money on black trench-coat man
> > trying to dupe the uninitiated into believing that all your services work
> > when and where you are instead of building more towers or hiring more
> > customer service reps. Forward it on.
> >

"HK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> David <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Dude - quite a post. Whatever you're smoking, I'd reccomend that you
cut
> > back, or better yet, quit altogether. If you can't, maybe you need a
better
> > source.
> >
> > You're sounding a tad paranoid...
>
> I think he's hit the mark, and you can't handle the truth.


Phil? Is that you?