You know what’s bullshit?
Companies who give much MUCH better deals to brand-new customers than to longtime established customers. That is bullshit.
Specifically, the cell phone people, running their racket. God how I hate them.
I’ve been with Sprint since 1999. Never paid a day late in those almost-10 years.
So several months ago, I was at the dog park/school running around with Maggie while Sunny sat and gazed at us with contempt. I was wearing a hideous Longhorns sweatshirt, the kind with a big pocket in the front. And of course, my cell phone flew out of that pocket without me knowing it until I got back to my car juuuust as it got dark.
I went back to the play area (a football field) and searched and searched, but didn’t find it. Came home, got Rupert, his cell phone, and a flashlight, and we went back up there and searched some more, with him calling my phone on his so we could hear it ring, which we never did. So we went home and planned to come back in the morning.
Aaaand OF COURSE, it poured rain that night.
Soooo OF COURSE, in the morning when I found the phone laying right there in the middle of the football field exactly where I knew it was and where Rupert and I must have walked right over it ten times, it was dead. Super. I brought it home and took the battery out and let the whole thing dry. Within a day or two, it was working, barely, but it has never been the same. It won’t hold a charge, it changes ring tones on me without my input, it doesn’t tell me when I have voicemail, and it won’t turn off. I have to take the battery out when I get on planes.
Thus, I need a new phone, and I can’t just get it replaced because they apparently WILL KNOW if water has ever even thought about getting anywhere near it. Also, I want to upgrade anyway so I can have a full keyboard. Rupert and I like to text each other.
So I go to the Sprint store the other day to look at new phones. I see a few I like that have all these “rebate” thingies all over the price label that take the price from, say, $250 to $50. I ask the guy how I can get in on that action, and he asks me how far I am into my current contract. I tell him it’s a 2-year contract and I’m a year and a half into it. He tells me, basically, oh…tough shit. You have to pay the full price.
I knew he was going to say that, because companies enjoy fucking over their regular customers while throwing stuff for free at brand-new customers, but it still pissed me off. So I said, and this is not a paraphrase, “You know what? That’s bullshit.”
He laughed and said he’d heard that before. I stared at him grimly and said, “That’s because it’s true. I’ve been giving Sprint money for almost 10 years. Who gives a crap how many months are left on my contract right now, a contract I’ve renewed every 2 years for 10 years? I will RENEW IT AGAIN for another 2 years if you give me that lower price. Pretend I’m a new customer.”
He said he couldn’t. I said I knew he didn’t make the rules but that I wanted it noted: This is bullshit. You are rewarding unproven customers and penalizing proven, paying customers. He said he knew that but it’s the way it is. I said I know it’s the way it is and have I mentioned that “the way it is” is bullshit?
So basically, if I want a new phone now, I have to spend around $200. If I wait six months, I can get the same phone for anywhere from $0 to $49. In the meantime, I’m still paying Sprint $50 a month, on time, like I have for a decade. And they don’t give a CRAP.
I know there are reasons companies do things this way, reasons involving enticing new customers, getting new business, et cetera. But why the total disregard for keeping existing customers? Is it because they don’t have to, because they’ve roped you in with a contract so basically, fuck you if you don’t like the rules?
I am not a businessperson but if I was, I would NOT do things that way. Maybe my business would fail but at least I’d feel good about myself as a human being. That has to count for something.
So I dunno what I’m going to do. Probably suck it up and buy the new phone because I can’t spend the next six months texting Rupert on that piece of crap Razr that I have now. Unless any of you have brilliant ideas of how to get around this. I’m not even going to consider lying and saying it just broke on its own, because they’d probably either bust me on it or I’d just feel like…a liar. And I can’t switch providers because I’m stuck on that contract. ARGH.
Down with oppressive corporate Amerikkka!
Just kidding. Mostly.
I have had this EXACT same conversation with cell phones reps. EXACT. I’ve bluntly announced, “That is total bullshit!” and they just pleasantly nod and agree with me. I hate ‘em.
The reason they keep getting away with it is because ALL of the companies are doing it. If only ONE would break from the pack and actually reward its loyal customer base, all of them would have to do it to keep up with the market.
Oh, and what’s with the $200 penalty for canceling your contract?! That is fucked up right there and I’ll tell you why: they have absolutely NO accountability for good service. If your cell phone company screws you over royally, and you decided to take your business elsewhere because you don’t want to keep putting up with their bullshit, YOU CAN’T!!! They know they’ve got you comin’ and goin’, so they don’t have to bother with petty crap like customer service! There should be a clause in the contract that allows you to cancel if your service sucks, without penalty.
For example: I had Nextel for years. When they merged with Sprint, they plunged into major suckitude. I couldn’t get service in my area (Houston, for god’s sake, not exactly the boonies!!) to save my life and when I did my calls dropped for no reason. I would call and complain repeatedly and they would verify that I had an enormously high rate of dropped calls. BUT, there was nothing they could do about it, and I just had to suffer for another 18 months ’til the end of my contract. “Sorry, chump, you’re outta luck.” I couldn’t even cancel for cause. In a case where the service is proven to be bad, and there is no in-house solution, a customer should be released to find a better choice. Period. They shouldn’t trap you into their sucky service, if they are not willing to do what it takes to ensure that you get what you’ve goddamned already PAID for!
Few things piss me off like cell phone companies. It’s crucial to my business, and bad service is a liability. And because they can’t get their act together, my business suffers?
I finally paid the damn $200 to be released from cell phone hell, and now I’m with T-mobile. But I’m still pissed as all get out.
I wish you’d hurry up and take over the world already, Rachl Lukis. It really needs whippin’ into shape, and it’s not gonna happen on it’s own.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:46 amRachel,
I won’t swear to it, but I’m pretty sure that Sprint uses a card to store all of the information on your phone. You may be able to purchase a new phone at a reasonable price on Ebay and use that for the interm without paying Sprint any more for it.
Just an FYI.
–Jim
April 4th, 2008 at 8:49 amYou’re with Sprint. Well there’s your problem (can’t say that without thinking of Jamie Hyneman). I was with them for a long time, too, and they were always crappy to me. 40 cents a minute for going over your limit, when your plan is already ridiculously expensive? I switched to T-Mobile (bought the phone on Amazon, and after all the rebates, they ended up paying *me* $70 for the phone). They were awesome. I wanted a new phone and called and asked what was the dealio, and they said I could get the discount and rebate as long as I signed up for another year (and I wasn’t done with my contract). The only reason I ever switched away from them was because Frank was on Cingular and got a company discount and we wanted to be on a family plan (tmobile had one, but no company discount). But now that Cingular is owned by the evil AT&T we’re going to switch back to T-Mobile.
Sprint sucks. But they are good to their military employees, so I don’t hate them as a company like I should.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:50 amHow’s this? I wanted to change my coverage one time to include data. Of course if you ever change your coverage you have to start a new contract. But the idiot instead cut out my voice coverage and gave me exclusively data coverage. So I had to borrow someone else’s phone to get my voice coverage working again.
The continued lunacy is they said that because the voice contract that I had before is no longer offered, since they accidentally cancelled it, then I can’t have it back and I must get a contract on new terms. They said they didn’t have the ability to put back the contract I had because their computer wouldn’t let them do it.
The thing is, they offer new deals all the time. You have to call them frequently to learn what’s available or you’ll miss out. You have to promise them another two years, but I’ll bet that you can get out of that if you want.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:54 amThis is why I pay the extra couple of bucks a month for insurance so this kind of thing doesn’t happen. Plus, before I bought their insurance, I used to have several friends who worked for Sprint so they were always hooking me up with deals on phones or accessories. It definitely pays to know people. :o)
April 4th, 2008 at 8:55 amSo far, I’ve had good luck with T-mobile. My only complaint is with their internet service - which I use every day, all day. It’s slooooow. They assured me they were upgrading their internet to broadband speed by last November, and that hasn’t happened.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:57 amI was going to say the same thing as Jim. If you can find an “unlocked” phone on ebay you can just take the SIM card out of your current phone and put it in the new one.
I used to sell cellular service to businesses and we were able to give away the bank if it meant keeping or upgrading a customer.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:59 amHence the reason why they’re able to do this. They offer that hook to new users to get them on a new contract. Sucks, but that’s just the way it is.
At least you’re not with those douchebags at T-Mobile.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:59 amI don’t know…probably not without paying that $200 cancellation fee. I’ve never been able to get out of a contract - even with cause. In fact, one time I was moving out of the country, and they wouldn’t cancel because they said they offered limited cellular service in the country I was moving to. Sure, at $3.50/minute! I couldn’t cancel without paying that pesky $200.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:01 amRachel, have you ever read The Consumerist (consumerist.com)? Great site for consumer advocacy. The list may be a bit old, but look what I found:
80 department phone numbers
and
Phone number directly to CEO
It’s worth a shot to call Retentions and let them know that you’ll be more than willing to go with some other company because Sprint won’t do anything for such a loyal customer. People at the stores and other CCR’s are utterly useless. Retentions is where the real power is at. If you don’t get any satisfaction from there, then by all means, call the CEO’s number. Another route you can try is email… the link to the CEO’s info also contains emails fro 25 other execs who may (or may not) still be there. It doesn’t hurt to email them all!
Good luck!
April 4th, 2008 at 9:02 amCell phones should not have to be sold like used cars. Fortunately, Sprint came around at the end of last year and started prorating their early termination fees, just like everyone else does now. When I left Verizon the second time to go back to T-Mobile, I had two months left on a one year contract, so my early termination fee was $30, not $175. So if you’ve got six months left on a two year contract, that’s about $37.50 to leave your contract, not $150. Depending on what kind of plan you can get with another carrier, that could eat the cost of leaving early within a few months.
If you were on AT&T or T-Mobile, I could just give you one of my old phones, you could swap the SIM card, and everything would work. However, Verizon and Sprint use a completely different technology that doesn’t use SIM cards — they have to change your phone’s serial number in their database.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:05 amTwo things about switching SIM cards… I’ve been told that Sprint doesn’t actually use phones with SIM cards, that’s a GSM phone thing, which Sprint doesn’t use. This may have been corrected by now, but that’s the way it used to be.
Another thing is, make sure that if you CAN swap a SIM card, that you get a phone that is designed to work on Sprint’s network. AT&T and Verizon phones, for example, will not work on Sprint’s network.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:08 amBased on my experience, your sales rep was an idiot. I’ve never had a problem getting a new phone for the “new customer” price, all I had to do was agree to extend my contract from whatever date that was, for another 2 years.
Of course, you realize what corporate Amerikkka wants you to do, right? You’re supposed to be a Sprint customer for 2 years, then a AT&T customer for two years, then a TMobile customer for 2 years, etc. They’re encouraging this silly behavior, so you might as well do what they are asking of you…
April 4th, 2008 at 9:16 amRachel,
April 4th, 2008 at 9:19 amI have a sprint phone too, and that is TOTAL BULLSHIT. My store allowed us to get the phone we needed at the rebated price if we extended the contract RIGHT THEN. They just pushed our end-date back by 24 months. They’re just being bastards down there. You should take Sunny in with you next time you go.
In addition to my agreeance of all the rants here about cell phone scamming behavior by companies, I have one of my own. Maybe I’m just naive, but I don’t get it.
WTF is up with taking minutes (essentially charging) from both the person who makes the call from their cellphone, AND the person who takes the call on theirs? Isn’t that double dipping? It’d be like me sending you a package through USPS, paying them to send it, and then them charging you to pick it up from them - when I already paid them for them to send it to you in the first place. Bloody nora, that practice baffles me!
April 4th, 2008 at 9:29 amI’m confrused.
Rupert’s shipping out in a few weeks–why not use his phone for a while? Surely he’s not taking it to Iraq?
In any event, Bravo! to Rachel and everyone else so far, for NOT saying “there oughta be a law!”
We once had government-mandated fairness in telecom. We called it AT&T. The stunning innovation known as the “Princess Phone,” as well as a surcharge for touch-tone dialing, lasted for Four Decades.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:29 amYou might try just calling Sprint rather than dealing with someone at a store. I did customer service for Qwest Wireless, and the people who work in stores are generally regarded as douche bags or liars.
They really don’t know anything except that they want to make a sale. They’d make a hash of things which some poor slob in the call center had to try to fix for the pissed-off customer.
Find Sprint’s customer service number and plead your case. Maybe you’ll get a live one. Failing that, maybe I could send you my dad’s old Sprint phone when he jumps over to Verizon sometime this month.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:30 amDearRachel,
1. I have Verizon; briefly had Sprint and could not stand them. Change carriers unless Verizon’s coverage is substandard in your area.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:33 am2. Regardless, you do not have to renew the contract unless you get a new phone every 2 years. The old contract will continue at the current rates. That way, if you need to swap phones, you are not locked in to paying the $200.
3. The early termination fee is actually repaying the “price break” you got on your previous phone. (we all know that it costs the company $35 for the phone, but they claim it’s $300 or so). If you keep the service but only change out the phones before the end of the service contract, you do not have to pay a termination fee. For this reason, I always keep my immediate past phone when I do fleet up to a new phone - if the new phone dies, I can bring in the old one and have it activated to continue the service for free.
4. Next time you do renew a contract, the phone guys will always hand you paperwork filled out with a 2 year renewal. Line out the “2″ and write in “1″ and see what they do. Sometimes the salesman will not care or notice and what’s on the paperwork is what’s binding. Also, usually there is a price difference for the shorter contract. You might choose to pay it in the future.
v/r
mike
I have a theory that at least half of the idiocy running rampant in American business is the result of the Death Tax. How So?
The Death Tax basically ensures that, after one generation, most companies will be run by a board of directors, rather than being owned by a dynasty. Therefore everything comes down to the bottom line, and there isn’t anyone to say “Don’t do that. My name is on the building, and what you’re doing makes me look like a jerk.” Think about the difference in Wal-Mart before Sam Walton died, and after.
It can get really bad, too. I recall some years ago when McDonalds was running their usual summer Monopoly game. The $1 million instant win piece was found, and it took several days for somebody to tell the corporate lawyers “Quit saying ‘the pieces are non-transferable, so we aren’t paying out’. It makes us look like swine.”
April 4th, 2008 at 9:35 amOh, how we wish we understood the economies of the cell phone companies…
But part of it I do understand, and that’s the part about subsidized cell phone purchases. It is, in essence, a loan. When you buy your cell phone and re-up your contract every two years, Sprint (and every other carrier) is giving you a discount on the hardware because they know they have you for two years and know that they will be able to recoup the discount they gave you for the hardware in the initial transaction. And they’ll also be able to cover their monthly service costs, too, because that’s all figured in. Yeah, yeah, I know, the real cost of the phone isn’t $200, but there are other costs in there as well as money, I’m guessing, to subsidize the high-end phones of other people.
Let’s say you’re, oh, six months away from being done with your two year contract and you need a new cell phone. The only guarantee that they have at this point is that you’re a customer of theirs for six months. Though you said to the guy, “I’ve been a customer, I’ll always be a customer” (which, by the way, sucks as a negotiating tactic–think about it for a moment) Sprint has no way of guaranteeing that. Your word (sorry, Rachl Lukis) is worth diddly in court. So they also have no way of knowing that they’ll be able to recoup their initial investment in you, which they did by giving you the discount on the hardware.
Hence they won’t do what you want them to do: give you the cell phone at a discount and let you verbally tell them you’ll sign again in six months.
Anyway, this leads to some other interesting points about cell phone contracts. Ever wonder what the early termination fee (ETF) is all about? That’s not to discourage you from quitting their service. They have a contract for that. (In theory, they could take you to court for all of the remaining payments on your contract because you’d be in breech of contract.) No, the ETF’s all about recouping their costs for your initial hardware discount, for their costs for putting you in the system (not free), and for doing what it took to entice you into being their customer (the “free” accessories, for example). That sorta’ makes sense.
What doesn’t make any sense to me, though, is why we’re only just now seeing prorated or discounted ETFs. It seems to me that if I quit the contract one day before it’s done, they’ve recouped all those costs and I should owe then $0.27, and not $200.00. (Actually, in extreme cases like this example, they generally can be talked out of ETFs.) Some carriers will now reduce the ETF gradually as you progress through the contract, which is sensible. (Why AT&T’s is only $5/month, I don’t know…) Perhaps try negotiating the ETF down to $50, which would be fair.
OK, so your next argument is–I can hear it now–well, why can’t I sign a new contract now? I’ll even sign it for 2 years, six months! Hell, I’ll even let you raise my ETF by 25%, too!
That might work for you, but it’s the start of a very slippery slope for the carriers. Imagine the problem this would make for the carriers with the impetuous teenager who has to have the latest phone every two months. If that teen gets six phones in one year, the contract is now (two… carry the one… multiply by pi…) for 12 years and the ETF is for just under $1200. Or something like that. Anyway, it’s a huge number that they’ll never get back from that consumer when the consumer is up to his eyeballs in credit card debt and everything else. So slowing down the cell phone cycle is a good idea, too, from both the impetuous consumers’ viewpoint and the carriers’ viewpoint.
Long story short: grab a used unlocked RAZR or other phone and throw your SIM into it for six months. Try one of the non-carrier-owned cell phone shops and see if they have a recycled, turned-in phone they will let you have for a small fee to make it worth their while. Then go get the best phone, which you’ve had six months to research (I’m sure you, like I, research the crap out of an item before buying it) and salivate over.
Then balance it on the head of one of the K9’s and take a picture so we can all know what the exciting conclusion to this story is.
/Bill
April 4th, 2008 at 9:37 amThis won’t help your current situation, but it may make you happier in 6 months.
I don’t have all of the details on me, but you may want to check out fatwallet.com or slickdeals.net and search for ‘Sprint SERO’ (Sprint Employee Referral Offer). I just came out of my contract in November and signed up on the SERO plan.
In the SERO plan, your phone prices are the same as the new contract prices, no matter where you are in your contract. But, the best part of the deal is the service plan. There is no plan sharing, but my wife and I, with individual plans, still pay less than we did previsouly for our shared plan but now we have WAY more features and minutes.
My Plan:
Unlimited text
Unlimited Sprint mobile to mobile
Unlimited data/internet
Unlimited “Premium Services” (don’t know what that is)
Nights & Weekends @ 7pm
No roaming charges
500 minutes per month
Additional minutes atomatically added in 30 minutes chunks for $5
Monthly plan price — $30 per phone line
I don’t work for or in any cell carrier/phone manufacturing related industry. I’m just pretty pleased with this deal…
April 4th, 2008 at 9:38 amHuh.. That’s not good. As another poster’s already said, Verizon at least lets me extend my contract to the new term and pay the lower price for the phone. Plus, every two years, they give you a credit towards a new phone, which handily covers the simpler phones I prefer. I wonder if you just got a salesman who didn’t really know his stuff.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:38 amRachel, I’m afraid Bill is right.
However, the one point he overlooks is that it sometimes pays any corporation to invest a little bit in customer good will, and to exercise a little discretion. If somebody’s been a good and loyal customer of a company for 10 years, odds are good that they will stay with the company long into the future. Cutting them a special deal can pay off in the long run, on average.
The company can also look at the customer’s history, so as to refuse the keeping-up-with-the-Jonses teenageres getting new phones every 2 months with the Rachl Lukises who need are asking for a break for the first time in 10 years. Not being a government entity, Sprint actually can exercise discretion in such cases.
And of course Sprint does exercise such discretion, but they protect themselves by limiting which of their employees and contractors can exercise that discretion. Rachel, you might have better luck even just calling the 800 number. Threaten to cancel your contract (you don’t have to actually do it, just threaten), and they’ll start taking care of you. I have a friend who can work these things like magic. It’s all in how you talk to them and who you can get on the phone.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:49 amReally, call on the phone. A lot of those stores are, I think, contract outfits not owned by Sprint. They make their money on selling new phones and new plans, not satisfying existing customers. If you get the new phone at $35 instead of $350, the guy you were talking to isn’t going to get nearly as much of a commission now, is he? The people on the phone, on the other hand, are compensated in part based on how many unhappy customers they manage to convince not to cancel their service.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:52 amWe had a similar problem with AT&T a month after buying a $600 phone. I called Customer Service and told them I was going to pay the $200 to cancel the contract then I would go into Verizon. I told them Verizon was going to give me the same phone for free. So, AT&T Fed Exed the phone to me the next day for $20.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:52 amJust pretend you’re leaving them. Works every stinking time. Same thing with credit cards.
It is precisely for these reasons that I have never bought a cell phone. Sometimes it sucks, ’cause it sure would be convenient, but I managed to get by for many years without, and I’m willing to continue to hold out until all this nonsense settles down.
Eventually my kids will want cell phones, I guess, but I’ll just tell them to get a job…
April 4th, 2008 at 10:01 amRachel,
I think someone is screwing with you. I too have suffered with Sprint for about 10 years. However, the last time my phone went bye-bye, I went to my local Radio Shack to see what the best deal I could get on a new phone. They told me that if I signed up for a brand new 2 year contract, I’d get $xx.xx knocked off the price of the new phone. So I did.
Call Sprint customer service and ask to speak to a manager. Someone can fix this for you, if they really want to. Be prepared to have to call back, though. Every call I’ve made to Sprint for service issues has necessitated a second call to have someone fix what the first dullar fucked up. Much like rebooting my computer whenever Windows humps itself to death, I’ve come to accept calling Spring customer service twice every time I have a problem.
Seriously, someone can fix your phone issue if they really want to.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:04 amPatHMV’s got a good point. I overlooked good will. Good will, after all, got me a new Mac. (It’s on the FedEx truck for delivery as we speak! Speak? Whatever.)
Hey, is there any way we can make this thread into a flamewar, just so we can be like those other blogs?
/Bill
April 4th, 2008 at 10:06 amWhy would you renew a contract>?
For my sins, I have Verizon, and when my 2 years ocntract ran I just ignored their sales critters, I continue on the same plan as before month to month. Can you hold onto me now, Verizon?
Amusingly I live in the cell phone “hole”, top of a hill, I can literally see 3 towers from my roof, crappy reception. 20 yards in any direction from my house: 4 bars.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:07 amIf you call customer cancellations you’ll not only get the service you desire, but receive it at the hands of an agent based in the US (the last call center I got was in the Dallas metroplex–so that should blow some air up your Longhorn sweatshirt). I’ve also been a Sprint customer–since ‘98–and everytime I need something, I’m able to turn that longetivity into an asset when I call cancellations. I have no desire to switch, just get new crap periodically. As much as they throw crap at new customers, they don’t want to lose existing–whether your trip to the Spring store affirms that or not.
They’re locked in a format war with their competition. Sprint uses CDMA, Verizon something else, and AT&T/T-Mobile use the global GSM standard. Each is waiting for the other to crap out so they can become the de facto. Hence the emphasis on new subscribers. Of course, Sprint “ain’t doing so hot” recently…
As for the card inside, it’s a SIM card, and you won’t find one in a Sprint phone. Those are in the GSM phones (surprise: ease of use, portability, not being locked into one phone–not part of the Sprint M.O.), think of it like what Jason Bourne does to that agent in Naples after locking him into the interrogation room. He clones the guy’s phone so he can listen in on calls to Langley. You can clone a CDMA phone, but it’s done differently. Plus you have to be a total nerd living in your mom’s basement and have some electronic equipment. Your garden-variety Radio Shack manager probably does this for fun on Friday nights while not dating women.
ONE MORE THING: Why don’t you do a little poll of your fast-approaching 5000 visitors to see who has what mobile service. Arm yourself with your higher-than-mine profile when you get a little flak from Sprint and then enjoy your new Sprint-labeled smartphone FOC? Gud luk!
April 4th, 2008 at 10:09 amWhat about free texting from the internet?
ICQ.com allows free texting to cell phones. So do several cellular companies, you login to their website and can text for free to numbers in their network.
DoubleTapper
April 4th, 2008 at 10:15 amDoubleTapper@gmail.com
DoubleTapper, blogging on Guns Politics Defense from Israel
I say go back in, try one more time, then reduce your plan to the bare minimum and walk away from Sprint forever. Go out and get a new phone and a new plan.
You will pay $150-$200 to sprint over the six months you’ve got left and that’s no joke, but you just CAN’T let them successfully treat you this way - they’re doing it exactly because they think you’re over a barrel.
You’ll have plenty of time to transfer your number, too.
If you re-up with them the terrorists win.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:22 amRachel, I second evvybuns and a few others — call the 800 number and talk to a rep. They have the ability to bend rules and make exceptions in a way that the regular store reps do not. I’m with Cingular (now AT&T) and when my phone died (fell out of my purse, got run over by a car) they agreed to give me an upgrade six months early, no problem. If that doesn’t work, I wholeheartedly support pretending you’re leaving and seeing what happens
One more thing — I worked in telephone customer service for a mutual fund company. If the 800 rep doesn’t help you, politely explain that the situation is unacceptable and that you would like to speak to his/her supervisor or manager. They have to bump you up the chain of command and it’s often worth the company’s while to just give you whatever the hell you want, rather than the complaint making its way up the corporate ranks.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:24 amI have seen the same bullshit in the insurance industry. Here is what I went through with my auto insurance: I have been with the same company for 5 years and all of the sudden they switch the rules for new customers. They start checking their credit (not because of the threat they wont pay their premiums, but because bad credit is “supposedly” a risk of more claims - more BS but I digress). Since they only check new customers, existing customers with good credit (me) get stuck with a base score. So I left and switched back 2 months later. My premium with the same company was now $250 lower every six months. Same risk, different price. No logic. And guess what………I work for this company. Sad.
The lesson is, if your company scores people like this and you have great credit, you can leave and come back for a lower price. Dirty little insurance secret.
This goes back to your experience with Sprint (also my provider): companies are not rewarding the existing customers and obviously don’t give two shits about retention.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:25 amA RAZR may or may not have a SIM, depends on which model it is and how old it is.
They’re usually willing to pro-rate that penalty fee to reflect how far into your current contract you are, and sell you the new phone at the discount on a new 2-yr contract. But the store geeks are usually idiots. Call Spirnt customer service, oh my yes.
A usable unlocked Sprint cell phone with a “clean” serial number can be had on eBay for about what they SHOULD be letting you pay on a pro-rated penalty fee for going with a new discounted phone and new 2-yr contract–$50 or so. You can also get a low-end rehabbed Sprint phone from some online elctronics sellers for about the same price.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:33 amSprint did the same thing to me a the turn of the century…I had been a loyal customer for years and only wanted the new customer deal…I wasn’t even under contract at the time (the “we’ll give you a phone to be a customer” thing had just gotten started). I let them know, both in the store and on the phone, that I would be willing to stay a customer if I could get the same deal as a new customer– contract and all. They refused. I went to cingular, got the same phone for free and a lower monthly plan price and promptly canceled my Sprint service.
They called two days later to offer me the new customer deal…
April 4th, 2008 at 10:36 amI’ve never had this problem because I don’t renew the contracts. I’m on AT&T, and I don’t know if it is just me or if it is their policy, but I renew a contract when I want the deal that comes with teh contract. As for my rate, it stays the same even when the contract runs out — I just go to month-to-month rather than an X-year contract.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:39 amAmen…. I am too an ex-sprint customer. They tried to get me to pay a fucking bill twice, sorry didn’t work.
I got a goodwill credit and no more bother.
bastards…
I will NEVER own another phone, unless it’s pick up and go…
screw contracts…
grrrrrrr.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:51 amBill, what kind of idiot are you to forget about good will when it was delivering a shiny new Mac to your doorstep? Sheesh. What a fucking moron! You shouldn’t be allowed to own a typewriter, much less a computer! What’s the world coming to these days? You’re probably just another fucking Republican toadying up to BushCo. Damn neocon.
(Just trying to help…
April 4th, 2008 at 10:53 amI concur with the advice to get something used from EBay. Just be sure it’s actually a branded Sprint model, else they won’t (or can’t) activate it. Also, make sure the seller has posted the ESN # or will email it to you. If they won’t, they are up to something. Call Sprint with the model # and ESN and ask them to look it up and make sure that there is no outstanding balance from the prior owner (the comment about being “clean” from a prior post).
April 4th, 2008 at 10:56 amFascinating discussion. As someone who wants new customers and ALSO wants to keep her current customers happy it makes NO sense to me to piss off anyone. I heard somewhere that it is easier and cheaper to retain a current / former customer than to find and retain a new one. Hence my newsletter is full of people who have already purchased from me in the past and it’s way easier to send them an e-mail notice with news than it is to find someone willing to spend their money with me. I already know the former is willing.
I’ve been with Verizon for years and years. I can’t even remember how long but I think longer than 10 years. Our plan is pretty expensive - two phones. And I think they’ve been charging me for something I didn’t even want but I’m uber lazy and haven’t fixed it yet. Otherwise I’ve been very happy with my service. I can’t remember my last dropped call. The only thing that sucks is that since hubby’s name is primary on the account I can’t do ANYTHING without his “permission.” Which is ridiculous because I’m the one who makes all the decisions and pays the bills. Sheesh.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:05 amMy family uses Verizon, which according to other commenters sounds like it works a lot like sprint.
When my dear wife’s LG phone crapped out after only 6 months and verizon wouldn’t do anything about it, she just borrowed her brother’s old Motorola (Verizon) phone that he had upgraded a few months earlier. Transfering her number to the new phone took about 2 minutes onlne. She used it for over a year until she was able to upgrade.
Speaking of upgrades. Verizon offered my wife her 2 year upgrade last month. But shopping around online with Verizonwireless we got a better deal with a “weekend special” than we could get using her upgrade at the local Verizon store. The special price was free, the upgrade price locally was $59. The weekend special was so good that we upgraded my daughter’s phone instead of waiting for her upgrade in a month. She got the new phone she wanted for $19. The local store’s upgrade price was $79.
So borrow or e-bay a used Sprint phone from someone and just transfer you number to it for the next 6 months. Check Sprint’s website they have dozens of phones that you can upgrade to for under $50.
We don’t deal with our local verizon store anymore, we do everything online. It’s cheaper and the service is better. If that means we are contributing to the decline of a brick and morter business in our town, then so be it. I don’t think this town will suffer much if the three idiots who work there have to go get their jobs at McDonalds back.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:12 amCasto, your husband should call Verizon and have them add you as someone who can make decisions on the account. We were constantly updating Qwest Wireless accounts with such information.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:28 amThis was mentioned before in the comments, but I know it works.
I am with Alltel and don’t have a contract. ABSOLUTELY will not have a contract.
I upgrade my phone about once a year, by buying it from Ebay, no contract required.
I just went from a TREO 650 to a TREO 700wx.
Bought it from Ebay - $75, no contract, no muss, no fuss.
IANAL, YMMV, Etc.
Regards,
DCP.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:37 amHaha! Precisely!
April 4th, 2008 at 11:53 amI went to eBay for my new phone at a fraction of the price. Just make sure it’s unlocked and Sprint’s format. Then sneer when you take it in for the change over. I did, and it felt goooood.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:56 amI dumped Sprint and got a prepaid phone with absolutely no features from Bell whatever they are now. Cost me a bit up front but I will save hundreds over the course of a year. Good riddance to Sprint. And, like you, I had been a customer for 10 years.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:04 pmRemember French Connection Two? Not the scene where they’ve got Popeye Doyle locked in the fleabag hotel shooting him up with smack. Not that one. But the scene after he escapes from the fleabag hotel and then comes back to it. With the gas can?
Yes, that one.
Then you smile sweetly and say: ” I’m gonna take you right down in that alley there. Right down there. And we’ll start, we’ll start on your throat, right here. Bustin’ everything in it. You like that, uh. Then your belly. I’ll start workin’ on your belly. I’m gonna hit you so fuckin’ hard, that the belly’s gonna break your backbone. ”
Works for me.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:08 pmThat said, I’ve pushed this link to
The Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back
A great site for outing bullshit companies. Perhaps they will feature it. Sometimes this works.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:13 pmI just replaced my wife’s cell phone for pretty much the same reason. Rather than start a new 2 year contract I bought a phone for $40 on craigslist and swapped out the sim card. That way I didn’t have to pay AT&T a dime.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pmI’ve been with AT&T for my DSL since it was Southwestern Bell. Nowadays, I pay $45.00 a month, which, is not bad when you consider DSL was $75 a month when I started with them (2000 or so).
But they are offering DSL for $15.99 now, to new customers. How retarded is that? I’ve been with them for 8 years, and yet I pay $30 more per month than a new customer?
I’d be pissed, except that every year I re-up, I get more bandwidth, and I’m up to 3000 down/1500 up. So I guess it’s all right.
But that brings me to another annoying thing, and that is the minimum wage. Let’s say for the sake of argument…no, let me argue from experience. In 1993 I took a job sacking groceries for a health food store. I will not name it (it’s not the one you know, Rachel). I was paid minimum wage, which I think was 4.35/hour. I spent two years working my way from a bagger to a vitamin clerk, at which point I was earning 5.15/hr. Then, Congress passes a new minimum wage, setting it at 5.15/hr. So now…I spent two years working my ass off, to get to where I was, only to have every new employee at my company who never proved a fucking thing start at the same wage, doing a far less important job? How the hell is that fair?
That is why I’m against the minimum wage. People should have to work their way to the wage they are earning.
My cell is with those cheapo Pocket people, which only really covers San Antonio and the Valley, but, I hardly call out of zone anyway, and it’s a month-to-month thing. No contract. And since I have some deaf friends, the free texting is pretty nice.
Also, Rachel, from me to you: call them and be an absolute BITCH. You have to. Let me tell you what happened with Sprint and my mom when Dad died last September. She called them some time in August (she wanted to keep his phone active so my brother, on funeral leave from Iraq, could use it), to tell them she no longer needed two phones. Their response? “We can deactivate his phone but it’s a $20 charge.” She called bullshit. Why does she have to pay extra money to have one fewer phone? She pitched a holy fit…I don’t know the details, but knowing my mom, it was probably very ugly and likely, people were called names they would not repeat to their children. The upshot is, they canceled her 2nd phone, and lowered her rate. But it so soured her that last month she canceled her service with them altogether, paying the charge to get out of the contract, and went with a pay-as-you-go phone from AT&T. This was a bonus, because she could never get service at the farm anyway with Sprint, but she can with AT&T (because…our neighbor complained to them that he couldn’t get any bars out there, and they pointed the tower at him…lol).
So the upshot is…as soon as you can get out of your contract with Sprint, either go with pay-as-you-go (if you don’t use your cell phone much) or with a non-contract service (if you can), or AT&T (which I have all my services bundled with, which is pretty sweet).
April 4th, 2008 at 12:18 pmAs step #1, I suggest you decide what brand and model phone you want (one that works on Sprint’s network, unless you decide to change carriers). Once you’ve decided on a phone, and if Sprint won’t give you a good deal, including NO contract extension, let us know. Having just read through the comments, I’m sure some of us can help.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:20 pmditto making the phone call. I did something similar with my Razr … fell off my belt into the damned toilet at a motel when I was in a damned hurry to get out of my riding suit. Took the battery out, let it dry, and it mostly worked again … but I really wanted a new phone anyway.Went the Treo off eBay route … if you do something similar … watch out for the “locals” and spend a few more bucks buying from a cell phone repair/sales outfit. I never got the Treo 650 activated (they won’t even tell you that it’s on the lost/stolen list unless you ASK), and I had to do $125 in repairs to get a clean serial number on my Treo 700P.
Anyway … the assholes at the store wanted to charge me $40 to activate my Treo … I did it for free over the phone with a very pleasant tech.
I’ve been with Verizon for 10+ years because I travel a lot … by motorcycle if I can … and they have the best cell tower coverage in North America. They also have the best customer service based on years of Consumers Reports surveys.
So, use the phone to negotiate a better deal, and avoid the store like the plague … you’ll feel much better if you don’t feed them commisions, LOL.
(My brother drives long haul semis out of Alberta, and he and I have talked for sometime about him switching his phone service, since he’s in the US more than Canada. He’s paying almost $400 a month now … by switching to Verizon, he’ll be saving more than $250 a month, and having more minutes, nore features, and a family share plan so our Mom can call him for free. Of course, he talked to some store slime, before he finally smartened up and talked to a phone-based rep and got all the real info. I think they train the store clowns about as much as boot stores train their clerks))
April 4th, 2008 at 12:37 pmI’ll indulge you, Bill. Macs suck. You can’t play Half-Life on them.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:44 pmJust add me to the chorus that is happy with Verizon as a cell carrier: they have their faults, but they are quite good about contracts, pricing and upgrading.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:44 pmDude! Go with prepaid! Good grief, we’re saving over $1000 a year since we switched from a contract. I had Cingular for years before they were bought by AT&T. The contract had expired and gone to month to month billing. I wanted to upgrade the phone and add my dear husband to the plan and get him a phone, and they said “We can’t do that.” WTF? After spending hours on the phone talking to multiple people AND going to the store and talking with more idiots, I told them to forget it.
Went to Target, bought two Tracfones and some airtime cards and we haven’t looked back.
If you’re determined to stay with a company, though, I have the last issue of Consumer Reports that rates all of the phones and plans, and you’re welcome to borrow it if you want.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:54 pmJitterbug.
Tracfone.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:00 pmIn general, it is much easier to retain a customer than it is to get a new one. People typically resist change. Companies need to avoid pissing off customers to keep them, typically. To get new ones, though, they need to persuade them to make a change. This is only smart business.
As a person whose retirement accounts are in mutual funds that own a lot of stock, I hope that the companies I own spend money wher it makes them the most money.
Having said that, it sounds like the salesman you dealt with was a jerk. He should have done something for you (to avoid pissing off you, a current customer). I would suggest switching carriers or going to pre-paid. Don’t reward the company with bad service…
You might try calling or going to a different store… any company might have a bad employee.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:03 pmHEY OTCCONAN AND PAT HMV,
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, FLAMING ME LIKE THAT? YOU MORANS! [sic... I'm such a geek that I can't even intentionally misspell a word!]
ANYWAY, YOU ‘T@RDS ARE… cough… sorry. Can’t continue yelling like that. It’s hurting my throat.
The new Mac showed up a little while ago. I dropped the drive from the old Mac into the new one and it transferred everything flawlessly, leaving me right back where I started from. It was a bit of a shock to see eight CPU load meters across the menubar…
Sorry, Rachl Lukis, I know this is off topic. Ban me. Whatever.
/Bill
April 4th, 2008 at 1:22 pmAs other posters have said, Ebay is a good way to go. I lost my phone and ordered the same one off Ebay for like $35 (of course only to receive the new phone and then promptly find the “lost” one - which I turned around and sold on Ebay).
April 4th, 2008 at 1:38 pmSprint and Nextel phones should both work on the Sprint network.
Hi Rachel. Wireless companies are second only to NYC bus drivers in scum-of-the-earthness. My family lives in an area of Staten Island where cell phone coverage can be spotty. So when our contracts end, we try a new provider to see if they cover better. Last year, we moved from Verizon to Cingular (now ATT). What happened to us is that I mis-read my Verizon contract and had Cingular transfer everything like 2 days early. Yes, totally my fault. I get a bill in the mail for early term fees for our 5 (count ‘em) phones. $800+!! Call Verizon: “Solly cholly. Too bad; so sad.” I know I eff’d up, but it would have served Verizon to let me know that I was making an obviously unintended error. Wouldn’t it have? Frankly, we’ve been through most providers in my area and I think we liked Verizon best. Not better coverage (likely wont see that in my area soon), but better intangibles. However, I vowed at the time never to use Verizon again, if I could avoid it. I am dying to get off cable for my internet and go fiber, but the only service in my area? FIOS. I’d eat shit first. Seriously considering a dish, instead. This foolishness on their part has cost them alot from me and I bad mouth them every chance I get, so maybe alot from others as well. Wankers
April 4th, 2008 at 1:38 pmI’d say go Verizon in six months too, except that may be totally impractical with Rupert being away now.
So assuming you’re keeping you Sprint service, I’d do the following. 1) go to their web site. Cell companies will VERY often have better deals online than in their stores. And these deals will often be extended to existing AND new customers, they’re the same deal. “Price is with 2 year contract”. If not, then I’d do 2) call Sprint and see if you can get someone young, dumb and eager to help on the phone. Be kind, say please, but be firm. Scaring people with a smile on your face can work wonders. They never even knew they were being intimidated until it was way after the fact. And if you don’t succeed at that, then pursue option 3)ask for a supervisor. Continue working your way up the chain, threatening to LEAVE when your contract is up in six short months, until someone with the authority to do so gives you what you want. Tell them how great a deal Verizon is offering, blah blah blah, give them some standard to measure up to.
And if you STILL hit a brick wall, there’s always eBay, Craigslist and Amazon. And bitch your way into free activation. You should at LEAST get that much.
Best of luck to you!
April 4th, 2008 at 2:03 pmCorrecting a few points:
1. Verizon does in fact use CDMA (like Sprint); CDMA utilizes spread-spectrum technology (side-benefit: fewer dropped calls) and happens to be used in the military because of it’s anti-jamming, ranging, and security capabilities (originally created back in WWII). It is actually a superior technology, domestically. When it comes to data access/speed, it’s a tossup as each are actively developing their respective technologies. Currently CDMA has the upper hand on speed, but GSM is coming up fast.
2. Not having a SIM(Subscriber Identity Module) in a CDMA phone has nothing to do with Verizon’s or Sprint’s poor customer service. That is simply the way the technology is currently being deployed. There are, in fact, SIM-like devices available for CDMA called “R-UIM” (Re-Useable Identification Module). They’ve been in China since 2002; maybe someday we’ll have them here. They certainly provide greater flexibility for the user. I like the idea that if your phone goes TU you could go buy a ‘disposable’ at Fred Meyers and slip in your SIM/RUIM and be back in business.
Incidentally, GSM is simply the branded name for a particular type/use of TDMA and operates on 4 separate frequencies. It is also the most used standard internationally. It’s definitely the way to go if you’re traveling overseas a lot or have the need to frequently switch phones. Or if you want to get an iPhone any time in the next 4+ years (read: exclusive AT&T contract).
No I don’t work for any wireless providers; I’m just a geek. This moment of geekery has been brought to you by:
April 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pmWhere geeks feel at home & stuff.
Sorry if someone already gave you this advice, but you have two options:
A. Buy a new phone from Sprint for $250 and stay with them.
B. Pay $200 to get out of your contract, then buy a discounted from from another provider (Verizon is pretty good) for $50.
The net cost is the same to you either way, but option B assures you won’t ever encounter this again. The exact same thing happened to me with Sprint and I chose B. Dumbasses have structured it specifically to encourage people to leave! With Verizon, at least you get a $200 credit every 2 years for a new phone. Plus, insurance is only $5/ month. I have a friend who buys the insurance and then “loses” her phone once or twice a year to keep getting a new phone on the insurance policy.
Good luck!
April 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pmApartment complexes are just as bad. They know that most people would rather pay an extra $25-$50 a month than have to go through the hassle of moving. So, the rent keeps going up on long-time residents even while they are offering “move-in” specials for far less rent.
One place in particular really pissed me off. I’d been living there for 3 1/2 years and my lease was up. So, I went in to sign a new 6 month lease and they wanted to raise my rent by $50 month (from $625 to $675). I wasn’t happy about it and tried to get it down to about $640 or so. They insisted that $675 was the “market value” for my apartment. So, I signed the lease.
The next week I saw a sign at the entrance to the complex advertising a “move-in special” of one month free rent and $600 a month for the first six months.
I went to the office to see about re-negotiating my lease since obviously the “market value” of my apartment was a lot closer to $600 than $675. They basically told me that I signed it and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
The other thing this same place did was cut the office hours way back when they didn’t have any apartments to rent. If the units were full the office hours became something like 9:00-3:00 Mon-Fri. When they had units available they were open in the evenings and on weekends. In some ways it made sense but the biggest issue was if your were expecting a package in the mail. The only place the mailman could leave it was in the office and if you didn’t pick it up in a couplr of days, they’d send it back. I had to take time off of work in order to get my mail a few times.
Needless to say, at the end of the six months I moved out.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:59 pmmust be my honesty shining through … I never even THOUGHT of that. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
April 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pmJim and Judi are right. We just bought our son a phone on eBay after his sprint phone was damaged by water. We were in the same boat; couldn’t buy a new one at the discounted price until August and since he is away at school, he needs a phone now. Buying on eBay worked like a charm.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:56 pmI never got the whole “texting” thing. I know tons of people love it, but I just can’t seem to find a use for it.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:26 pmIt’s hard to read all them comments, but I tried I really did, so sorry if this is repetitive, but…
I agree with Vanderleun about the gas can thing. Only you do it in a way the phone company can understand:
“DO you know who I am? You’ve got the internet right there, right? Open your browser and go to rachellucas.com. Say “Holyshit.” Realize that I’m a top-level blogger. Millions of people hang on my every word. If I don’t get what I want, those millions are going to hear chapter and verse — just like they already have. How much advertising do you think it will cost you to fix that, Bunky? And you know what? You won’t be able to sue me because I will only be telling the truth.”
They’ll burn rubber tryin’ to get to where they can help you get EXACTLY what you want.
Betcha.
M
April 4th, 2008 at 5:51 pmSorry if this is a repeat. Too lazy to read all comments.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:57 pm1. Try a different store. Most stores have independent owners and you can get different deals at different stores. (Personal experience and I now have my own personal sales rep)
2. Check the Sprint web-site and trade your phone in. It is possible to get even better rebates online.
I’ve been with Nexel, now Sprint for 9years and have never had any problems with switching/buying phones or with contracts.
Phone insurance. Do it. It will cover “natural disasters” like your phone falling into a puddle or something, and you pay like, $50 for a brand new phone (granted, it’s a newer version of your current phone, so you’d still get a Razr, or whatever other type they’ve come out with since then).
They can tell it’s gotten water on it because behind the battery area is a little while spot/indicator. It’s got a kind of ink in it that will change the entire spot a certain color (mine’s pink) if it gets wet. I dropped my phone in a toilet and had to deal with this situation once upon a time. I ended up eating the cost for a new phone, but Cingular was “nice” enough to give me a rebate if I wanted to extend my service plan. *rolls eyes*
April 4th, 2008 at 6:11 pmNot that it helps, but signing up with Sprint ten years ago was your first mistake… Yes, I used to have them too, but when that first contract expired, I left and never went back. Best deal I’ve found, and I’ve had for over three years now was getting a Cingular Go-Phone. No contract, no commitment, no nothing. It’s kinda like pre-paid, but it still bills my credit card $42.12 every month, and I get 500 anytime minutes and a thousand night and weekend minutes (texting is deducted from the totals). I don’t use my phone for email or internet, so it works for me.
Since AT&T took over for Cingular, it’s been seamless. No problems whatsoever. And whenever I want a new phone, I can buy an unlocked one on Amazon, insert my SIM card, and it’s business as usual.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:17 pmDear Rachel -
Maybe I can help you out with a complete freebie featuring brand new merchandise (I really don’t want or need it…)
Please check an email I sent to you.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:18 pmHahahaha, Fred stole my thunder. I sent you an email from my business email address about this, I work for a Sprint partner and can probably help you out.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pmHave you tried their website? I have Verizon and can usually get a deal on a new phone well before my contract runs out - on line, too, so I don’t have to deal with retards. My teenager trashed her phone way early and I was able to get same model to hold her over on Craigslist.
Good Luck - and keep up with the doggy pics.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:27 pmYou’ve been a customer since 1999 and have renewed your contract? Why?
April 4th, 2008 at 10:32 pmI’m on Sprint and just keep paying them after my contract expired. I’m waiting to see if we can get a better deal somewhere else.
But we DIDN’T renew.
Went into Circuit City yesterday. Tired of AT&T DSL service; klunky, unreliable, etc. Talked to the college kid about purchasing Broadband Access so I could ditch my hard-wired landline + DSL ($100 a month).
He showed me the $50 one that you get free with 2 year contract and it was kinda cheesy. He showed me the $100 one and the $150 model. I saw one in the showcase that had a dock (for use with a desktop) and then you would take the USB Antenna off the dock to go mobile with your laptop.
I asked “How much?” He replied, “$250.” I asked him if he would take $100 and call it a deal. He said he couldn’t but his manager walked up about that time. I told her what I wanted to do and then asked her to pull up my account. We started 10 years ago with one phone … then added another … then yet another. Never a missed payment, always “new every two” …
I told her, “This is what I want. I want that AirCard Modem for $100 and I will do one year. I’m not going to dicker and I really believe that you want to keep me as your customer.” She smiled, told the college kid to give it to me as I outlined, and then she went one step further. She said, “Give him a $50 rebate coupon to bring his price down to a total of $50!”
I walked out of there with exactly what I wanted, she kept a faithful customer, and everyone won. Now I know that this has nothing to do with your cellphone … but talk to the right people. You can do it, Rachel!
April 4th, 2008 at 11:56 pmRachel, I think I may have a solution for your problem. Take your damaged phone and place it in your right hand and close your fingers around it tightly. Swing the combined phone/fist into the salesmans ignorant face as hard as you can, directing the force of the blow around his lower jaw. This should cause him to fall to the floor. At this point it will be no problem to kick him in the nuts from behind as he crawls for safety. I do this in the Dept. of Motor Vehicles all the time so don’t worry.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:30 amYMMV, but I’d stay away from eBay phones. I’ve gotten burnt twice.
Craigslist gets you a local listing, someone who you can hunt down and let Sunny loose on if they hose you.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:51 ami make it a point to switch carriers every two years
April 5th, 2008 at 8:56 amI have Sprint and was able to replace my phone that I lost in a drunken escapade in Indiana. My phone should have cast $259 and I got it for $80 out the door with a $50 mail-in-rebate. My boyfriend and I have 2 year contracts and about half way through, we’re eligible for so much off a phone, providing that we renew the contract at the time of purchase. I’m surprised that woudn’t have applied to your plan as well.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:55 pmYou know, humans have survived for thousands of years without being constantly available for conversation.
Unless you’re a doctor or a country’s president, throw out your cell phones. You’re not that important. I do own a cell phone and it’s turned on only when my husband and I aren’t home with the children. That’s it. Emergencies only, people. Is that such a tough concept?
You don’t need to shoot the breeze while waiting in line at WalMart, blocking everyone’s way and causing you to ignore and treat the check-out lady like garbage. You don’t need to chat while driving your SUV across the nose of a smaller vehicle. And you don’t need to answer your phone while you’re conversing with a person who actually cares enough to see you when the two of you speak.
There’s a new term for the rude, all-too-common people with cell phones constantly glued to their ears: obliviots. It applies.
I hope the fad dies and soon.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:46 pmWhat is this “cell phone” you speak of?
April 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pmMark Alger, you are brilliant!
Rachel, you could always walk in and say, What’s the best phone for looking at the internet with? Oh, can I try it? And then innocently mosey over to your stats page (or whatever it is that lets you track your pageviews) and then to this post, all with the salesperson looking over your shoulder. Mumbling “to yourself” about how many people read this particular post might be good.
That, dear friend, would be worth the price of admission to see.
You might wish to have a fallback position for your negotiations, though. If they’re outright unwilling to cave, give in to a prorated ETF or something like that.
/Bill
April 5th, 2008 at 8:14 pmRachel:
I left sprint after 12 years. I needed 2 things; a new phone and to upgrade my fair and flexible plan. I was told by Habib AchPhlegm that I was not going to get a smart phone for less than 400 dollars, that was with my rebate (incidentally same phone 70 bucks for new customers),and that fair and flexible was no longer available so i had to stay where i was or change plans entirely to a set of fixed minutes.
Apparently you are notified of these changes by mail in your bill and have 30 days to disagree with them and get out of your contract (the only way out btw). If you do not contact them they assume you accept. I understand there is a mechanism you can make them text msg you with plan changes from something called in their maintenance screen. They are loathe to do this, but have to legally. So you would know it was changing. Txt msg prices, 411 prices etc… all of those changing are grounds to nullify your contract.
I chose the “let me speak to your supervisor method” took about ten minutes of me saying, “No, i want a supervisor. No you cannot help me. No I will not let you finish.” Then I get another guy. Sounds just like Habib. He says something i couldn’t understand and sent me eventually to retention where some little shitbag working where they are suppose to encourage my business got shitty when i said i could buy out of my contract and come back as a new customer cheaper than buying a new phone and i felt that was stupid. I asked for his supervisor. He said he didn’t have one. I said, “Is your name, Mr. Sprint? If not, bitch… you have a supervisor.”
I was called back and eventually got sick of it. Paid 150 which was the fee at the time of my call and went to att. I have had no issues since other than I hate my treo 750 because windows mobile is shit. I want an iphone but will wait for summer. Everytime i have had to call, I have gotten an american, usually in Illinois and once a Cannuck. Very helpful folks.
Good Luck and tell them to bite your ass.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:46 pmIf you can transfer your SIM card to another phone, then buy one cheap on eBay, and then move to another carrier when your contract ends in October.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:46 amI can only speak for myself, but for me a cell phone is actually more cost-effective than a landline.
April 6th, 2008 at 8:18 amEllenlowe:
Whoa there missy!
You do realize that there is a huge area between emergencies and chatting on the phone while standing in line at WalMart? And that not every instance of cell phone usage need be at one of those extremes?
I use my cell phone all the time, only rarely for emergencies but NEVER in any of the situations you described. Never.
I don’t have a land line phone in my house, so for one thing, my cell phone is my ONLY phone.
Rupert can’t just get on the phone and call me whenever he wants, so he texts me when he gets 2 minutes. It’s a great way to say “hi, thinking of you” without making any noise.
With a cell phone, you can talk outdoors. I can talk while walking my dogs, which is nice because sometimes I get bored on those walks. Does that make me an asshole?
Hmph. Anti-cell phone elitism irks me deeply. Not everyone who uses one for non-emergencies is committing some socially offensive crime against manners. Trust me.
April 6th, 2008 at 8:52 am“Is it because they don’t have to, because they’ve roped you in with a contract so basically, fuck you if you don’t like the rules?”
Yes.
April 6th, 2008 at 12:34 pmWe had Nextel/Sprint for two years.
Lies, poor service, endless dropped calls, incompetence - and those are their good points. Never, ever again. With all these companies, I think they mean ‘cell’ in a different way than you might think. As in, ‘you are locked up in one for the duration of your contract - screw you.’
Right now we don’t have cell phones with anyone. You know, it’s kind of nice. Like the good old days - I like it.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:02 pmHmph. Anti-cell phone elitism irks me deeply.
Funny. Pro-cell phone elitism doesn’t irk me, but it certainly is far more common and far less justified.
No one ever thinks they’re being inconsiderate when they’re parked on a cell phone in public, which is why “obliviot” is so fitting. While I’m sure it’s true that some people can adhere to a type of cell phone etiquette, I’ve yet to see anyone who actually does. Three times I’ve been behind someone in line at a gas station where the person has been yakking away on their phone, paid for gas, gotten a receipt, and left without saying a word to the cashier. Twice I’ve said to the cashier, “Well, that was rude,” to which I got the response, “Yeah, that happens all the time,” not, “Pfft, that never happens.” Never once, in any line or situation, have I been near a person yakking who has actually said, “Hey, let me call you back,” and dealt with the world occurring around them. Grocery stores, ball games, traffic, restaurants, mallsmuseumsparkscampsitesetcetcetc… Sure, maybe I don’t see it because people had the good sense to leave the phone in the car. I can’t assess what I don’t see and this opinion is based on what I have observed which, unfortunately, has all been negative.
Regardless, think about your response as well as how put out you are over your malfunctioning phone…doesn’t that tell you something about your attachment to it?
April 7th, 2008 at 2:58 amI can only speak for myself, but for me a cell phone is actually more cost-effective than a landline.
Hi mighty…Considering the poor connections, lack of service in areas, and dropped calls, I would certainly hope it would be. With that being said, though, going with the cheapest option has a certain logic.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:04 amThat’s because you don’t SEE them. They’re graceful about it, and therefore invisible.
A jackhole on a mobile phone does not mean everyone with a mobile phone is a jackhole.
I’ll bet you have, and just didn’t know it. Because he/she wasn’t being a jackhole.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:05 amThis has probably been pointed out a thousand (okay, 93) times already, but here goes anyway:
I’ve been in the same situation recently (sans the losing-my-cell-in-pouring-rain-part) and I did the math: Calling plans are much better when you just buy the phone separately. In the end, you come out way ahead. The money you save easily covers the higher initial cost of the phone.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pmIf you tell me what you want I can use the hubby’s 25% discount to get it for you. I’m also sending the link to him to see if he can get your issue moved up the food chain and get you a positive outcome and a better deal than the 25% discount. Sorry for the crap you had to go thru but thank you for contributing to the hubby’s job security.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:26 pmMy wife went to our carrier and wanted to renew her contract and get a new phone. The guy wouldn’t do it because it was…
FOUR DAYS TOO EARLY!
She left the store and cale the customer service people to complain. Shortly after she informed them that she was going to switch carriers, she got a $50 off certificate for a new phone in the mail. The phone she wanted didn’t cost $50 on a new contraact, so she made sure to get a phone that allowed her to use the entire certificate.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:55 amRuss from Staten Island;
FIOS IS fiber; in fact, it’s the BEST KIND offiber, because it fiber ALL THE WAY to the HOUSE. However, it IS going to be more expensive. But if you can afford it, GRAB it and RUN, do not WALK, to your favorite Web Sites! Be careful not to scorch your sneakers!
April 8th, 2008 at 10:07 amAs far as cell service is concerned, I’m on Cingular/AT&T, and my only complaint is that the State Employee plan I used to get for $10/month jumped up to $30, then disappeared, and now I’m paying $70 - but I have two phones, 550 hours a month for them, free nights and weekends, and an extra 100 hours/month for the State plan, with rollover for the 550. As of now, I’ve got almost 6000 hours saved up.
On the day my AT&T contract expired I cancelled and switched. 2 weeks later I got the early termination charge. Called them and got the usual crap, gave them the option of A. remove charge and say good-bye, B. keep charge on and not get paid. They mentioned credit action, and were told go ahead - I do not use credit for anything and would be happy to dispute any dings for ever. Ultimately, charge dropped. As has been said, they all pretty well suck, it is just a lottery of misery as to when and which one gets you.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:34 pm