Are Sprint stores my only option?

I posted this in the SPH-I500 forum at pdaphonehome.com, but realized
it probably is better answered by the likes of O/Siris here.

I'm a fairly longtime Sprint user with excellent credit history and
nice bill rate. In other words, I'm not one of the customer's they're
trying to "ditch."

My contract has expired.

My StarTAC is nearly dead (ear-speaker doesn't work sometimes, and I
have to use headset). And I want a Palm/phone combo.

I called customer service months ago to chat, and was told that in my
case, wanting a new phone with a rebate applied towards it to sign a
new contract, my only option was to go to a Sprint store (and not one
of the limited service Express stores).

Then, I settled in for the wait for the i500 to be released, after I
went to the store and decided against the i330 or Treo 300 (also
checked out the Kyo 7135 at Verizon after it was released... too big;
data plans still too expensive).

Pardon my lengthy post, but here's (finally) the question. Is waiting
for the i500 to show up in the Sprint stores and going to the Sprint
store really my only option?

Or could I, in theory, work with the retention people at customer
service (presuming such people still exist... there have been hints at
reduction in retention activity)? Could those people simply give me a
"credit" or coupon towards a phone? And then I could just order the
phone from the Sprint website.

Thanks in advance for any info!

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› See More: Are Sprint stores my only option?

Robert Oliver <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I posted this in the SPH-I500 forum at pdaphonehome.com, but realized
> it probably is better answered by the likes of O/Siris here.
>
> I'm a fairly longtime Sprint user with excellent credit history and
> nice bill rate. In other words, I'm not one of the customer's they're
> trying to "ditch."
>
> My contract has expired.
>
> My StarTAC is nearly dead (ear-speaker doesn't work sometimes, and I
> have to use headset). And I want a Palm/phone combo.
>
> I called customer service months ago to chat, and was told that in my
> case, wanting a new phone with a rebate applied towards it to sign a
> new contract, my only option was to go to a Sprint store (and not one
> of the limited service Express stores).
>
> Then, I settled in for the wait for the i500 to be released, after I
> went to the store and decided against the i330 or Treo 300 (also
> checked out the Kyo 7135 at Verizon after it was released... too big;
> data plans still too expensive).
>
> Pardon my lengthy post, but here's (finally) the question. Is waiting
> for the i500 to show up in the Sprint stores and going to the Sprint
> store really my only option?
>
> Or could I, in theory, work with the retention people at customer
> service (presuming such people still exist... there have been hints at
> reduction in retention activity)? Could those people simply give me a
> "credit" or coupon towards a phone? And then I could just order the
> phone from the Sprint website.
>
> Thanks in advance for any info!

My daughter's boy friend fought with Sprint the entire time he had his phone
service with them. Service in my town with Sprint was very poor, no service
most the time, poor signal the other times. When he finally got to the end
of his contract agreement he told them shut his phone off. He did not sign a
new contract with them and now they keep sending him bills for a service
that he canceled. They told him he renewed. And they keep tacking on late
charges to the monthly bills they send him. The store he got the phone plan
from is backing him up but Sprint still will not leave him alone. They have
no documentation to prove that he signed a new agreement but they still
won't let him be and keep sending him bills. I think Sprint service is very
poor,,,I'd like to say what I really think, very poor doesn't even come
close!