Sprint used a bait and switch tactic to get me to resign a 2 year contract.
A few weeks ago I looked into buying new phones for my sprint plan. Ill be honest I have never been thrilled with the service with Sprint. The phones worked most of the time, but when you have a problem that isnt related to selling you a new line they tend to give you the run around. I needed to decide if I wanted to renew my account.
The problem all started with the fact that Best Buy (an indirect agent) was offering the Palm pre for $200 with no mail in rebate, and the Sprint required you to pay $300 per phone with a $100 mail in rebate. Last time I bought a phone with sprint I never saw my rebate check. Because of this I didnt want to deal with the pay now get your discount later game.
I asked in the store about getting them to match this price. The manager pointed out that he couldn't discount anything beyond the store offers. He then recommended I call customer care and ask for a retention credit.
I made the call, over and over because I couldn't seem to find anyone that spoke English well enough to understand. After I finally found one I was told I would be issued a $170 credit and I was transferred to the sales department to order my phones and finalize the deal. During the next part suddenly the $170 credit turned to a $70 credit.
I fought this and escalated this issue to Shola Akinode in their "executive services" department. She seemed empathetic and understanding of what had occurred. I explained the entire situation and she told me that she couldn't match the $170 but she would talk to a manager and see what she could accomplish.
When she came back she offered a $75 credit per line for the renewal. That was an acceptable compromise. She tells me that she will issue the credit once the contract was renewed. I told her that that was good and I would go and buy the phones and call her back. She said wonderful gave me her contact info, a case number, and her direct line. This was a good solution for what I was looking for to stay with Sprint. I thought that maybe my perception of Sprint was changing.
The trouble starts when I called her back to get my credit. Suddenly I am not eligible for this credit because I went and bought a phone and renewed at the local sprint store. She says that she clearly told me that I would have to renew with her and would not have been able to purchase a phone because I would not have been able to combine the offers. This made absolutely no sense because if she had told me that in the beginning I would never have renewed the contract. I did exactly what we agreed on. Go to the Sprint store buy my phones then call her back for my credit. Her manager called me the following week. He was very polite and empathetic but made it clear that the offers could not be combined and sense her notes say thats what she told me that was what he was going with. I gave him the full explanation and he suddenly seemed to notice that perhaps the notes didnt tell all. He promised to call me with a resolution within 24 hours. He did call but asked me to wait another 24 hours. Now almost a week later no attempt has been made to even tell me Im out of luck.
Now I have two phones that I can take back to the store and take a $35 "restocking fee" each or just piss and moan and move on with my two year contract. Either way Sprint has me. Friends avoid this company at all costs. If you want to buy something they are always there but when you have a problem good luck...
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