This is an edited version of the letter i sent to sprint:
Sprint Customer Service,
My name is &, I am a youth pastor. I first became a Sprint customer in 2001.
My service was always hit and miss, but was assured whenever I contacted Sprint that new towers were going to be put up to keep me from dropping as many calls.in 2006 I have the unpleasant experience of dropping a call in the middle of a serious time of counseling a troubled teen. I decided that something had to be done. I went to the Sprint store where they suggested that I get a new phone, but I did not want to be under a contract so I refused. I still dropped one in five calls from my office and my home. Most of my fellow staff have Sprint, and one of them, told me that his plan with Sprint including free roaming. I thought that that was a good option so I called Sprint. I told the representative from Sprint that I would like to add free roaming, that I needed to keep the bill approximately the same, and that I did not want a new phone and would not accept new contract.
After answering a few questions I had free roaming service which worked fairly well at my office and home.
This July our student ministry moved into a building across the street. The building does not have a land line. Whenever I tried to make a call, though, I got a recording that said something like welcome to USA roaming, to enter a credit card number press 1. Apparently crossing the street got me into a roaming zone that was not compatible with Sprint.
One Wednesday night I had some of my youth tell me what kind of signal they had in our new youth building. The student with T-Mobile was the only one with all 4 bars. I then made up my mind to switch from Sprint.
I did so with the peace of mind that I had not signed a contract in years and had the freedom to choose whatever carrier I wanted.
After paying my last bill to Sprint, I received a bill for $247.92. I knew it was a mistake so I called Sprint. I was informed that there was some 'contract' that I broke when I switched to T-mobile. I informed Sprint that the only contract that I signed was back in and I had been persistent that I would not enter another contractthat is why I carried around an outdated phone for so long.
I was told by Sprint that a $50 fee was applied to my bill and since I paid the bill, I had a 2 year contract by default.
I honestly did not remember seeing a $50 credit on my bill. I do remember being very clear with the Sprint representative when I added roaming that I did not want a new contractI only wanted roaming added onto my plan.
I cannot be responsible for a contract that I never signed, agreed to, wanted, was notified of, etc. I think that is a questionable practice to add a $50 credit to my bill, then to expect $250 when I leave Sprint. If the representative from Sprint would have told me that the only way to get an updated plan was to enter into a 2 year agreement, I would have quickly refused.
I have a value in my life that I do not want to owe anyone anything. I accept that I owe you $50 and have since sent that back to you. But I also have a value that I do not want my money to be spent in a way that is unjust. I cannot pay the additional $200 for breaking a 'contract' that I never knew about.
If you would like to discuss this further, I can be reached at my office at &
I will look forward to hearing from you.
I DID HERE FROM THEM. I was told that my contract was "valid" because I did not contest it within 30 days. I informed the representative from Sprint that I did not contest the contract because I did not know about any contract. I asked for some proof—a recording since the issue happened over the phone. I was told that that was not necessary, that my past due bill would be turned over to a collection agency.
I now face the choice between paying the $200 or having my credit ruined by Sprint.
Any advice?
Stu
Fort Worth, Texas
U.S.A.
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