Not happy with Sprint...

So, I've had Sprint for over 3 years now and have not had any major problems with service at all...until now.

About 2 weeks ago, the signal quality in our home absolutely plummeted. I used to be able to sit at my desk and make/receive phone calls, but now the service seems extremely spotty at best and non-exisistent at worst. Bottom line is I cannot use my cell-phone for reliable service any longer from my home. I went to the local Sprint store and they told me that they had turned a local tower near my home off for an "update" and, consequently, all of the users in my area were now being pulled up to the tower about 6-7 miles north of us, which is why the signal quality was so poor. OK, fine, when is it going to be fixed and what can you do for me in the meantime. Sorry, sir, we have NO IDEA when your local tower will be back up and there's really nothing we can do for you. I've been in that store before and didn't expect much, so I left and called customer service and explained the issue to them. Nice guy, wanted to help, but, again, isn't able to tell me when the tower will be back up. He suggested I switch the "roaming" option on my phone to include all cell towers, not just Sprint. OK, that sounds logical. Only one problem...I would be charged for roaming. But, wait! He can "upgrade" me to a plan that includes roaming for just a few dollars more. Uhhh...I really don't think I should have to pay that. By the way, IF I decide to do this, I would need to sign a new 2-year contract. Well, now I KNOW I'm not gonna do it.

I don't understand why I should have to 1)upgrade to a more expensive plan and 2)sign a new contract when it was SPRINT who made changes that affected my service. I might be fine if someone could tell me when my local tower will be back up and running, but noone seems to have a clue when that might happen (my wife thinks that it will NEVER happen, and Sprint is simply trying to save money). My problem is that I use my cell-phone for business, and I work that business from my home at least 3 days a week. I do not have--nor do I want--a landline.

At this point, I'm thinking this should be something I can cancel our contract over and change to another carrier. Thoughts/suggestions/help???!!

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You shouldn't have to sign a new contract to get a new plan. I know other carriers don't make you do this, and I've never tried with my Sprint phone. What is your current plan? According to Sprint.com, all individual fair & flex plans include free roaming.

If you're really upset with them and considering a change, I can help you choose a provider that suits you best. Just tell me where you live (city or state, I won't stalk you) and we can come up with something.

I just left Sprint for Verizon, and dropped calls have decreased. I had a good phone with Sprint but I would drop calls more often than with my new Verizon service. Anyway, I was a 5 year customer of Sprint and when I called to cancel they didn't try to keep my business. But a week later when my other line was out of contract I called to cancel and they then tried to keep my business by offering me an extra 10% off per month of my calling plan. I would have taken that if they had offered it the first time but by then I was with Verizon and happy with the service I was getting so I declined.

I wonder what makes a company decide to keep a customer or let them cancel without trying very hard to keep them? Anyone Know? You would think with 5 years and an excellent pay history they would have tried harder the first time.

Originally Posted by Nags

I just left Sprint for Verizon, and dropped calls have decreased. I had a good phone with Sprint but I would drop calls more often than with my new Verizon service. Anyway, I was a 5 year customer of Sprint and when I called to cancel they didn't try to keep my business. But a week later when my other line was out of contract I called to cancel and they then tried to keep my business by offering me an extra 10% off per month of my calling plan. I would have taken that if they had offered it the first time but by then I was with Verizon and happy with the service I was getting so I declined.

I wonder what makes a company decide to keep a customer or let them cancel without trying very hard to keep them? Anyone Know? You would think with 5 years and an excellent pay history they would have tried harder the first time.

Maybe the first person you talked to just didn't care that day. And I think a carrier's service can vary greatly depending on location. I've found Sprint and T-Mobile to be better here in Colorado than Cingular or Verizon and I've actually had less dropped calls on Sprint than Verizon. But once again, service, in my opinion, is dependent on geography (not just physical features), the phones, and whether or not you have a tower that works well nearby.

Originally Posted by char777

Maybe the first person you talked to just didn't care that day. And I think a carrier's service can vary greatly depending on location. I've found Sprint and T-Mobile to be better here in Colorado than Cingular or Verizon and I've actually had less dropped calls on Sprint than Verizon. But once again, service, in my opinion, is dependent on geography (not just physical features), the phones, and whether or not you have a tower that works well nearby.

Yeah, I know and agree. It's just that I live in an area where all the major players in the industry have a good presence and I travel all over the area, just had better luck with Verizon than Sprint (though Sprint is good here). as far as customer retention goes I wonder if there is anyone who can speak to customer profitability and how it relates to retention, if at all.