Sprint pay incentives aim to slow cancellations

Trying to contain one of its biggest problems, Sprint set performance incentives for company officers for the rest of 2008.

The story "Sprint pay incentives aim to slow cancellations" published March 26, 2008 at 11:57 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from Reuters expires after 30 days.

[igl00lgi]

SO...

Now customers will have to call three times to cancel instead of just once. What's new? I have become very familiar with this, somewhat government santioned, type of treatment from large corporations.

[basraw]

might be able..

might be able to get some discounts on your plan

[bobcode]

They got no iPhone.

Too bad since AT&T did that thing with the NSA.

[Mercury23]

Samsung Instinct

Check it out... looking just as peachy as the iPhone and then some.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9905123-1.html

[hc2008]

Service Is Too Expensive

One issue that is hurting Sprint/Nextel is the fact that if you have less than perfect credit, your getting shafted.

When I signed up with Nextel about 5 years ago, I fortunately brought my own phone, but had less than perfect credit.

With a less than perfect credit score; I had to pay $125 for a deposit, was charged an extra $15 per month and I couldn't buy insurance on the phone (even if I opted for a new phone when joining).

I ended up paying a whopping $75 a month for 400 minutes and basic voice mail, no texting, no rollover minutes, just the basics.

I'm with AT&T now (I bought an iPhone then later swapped to a Nokia). Where I get 400 min + rollover + texting + web access all for about $58 a month (and the people working customer service don't sound like they are in India).

Call it Karma or what you wish, but Sprint/Nextel get what they deserve for shafting people that might be a little down on their credit score.

[freemarket--2008]

Not for me...

Paying $10/month (plus tax) for 240 mins. I use my landline for long calls anyways since I don't want to fry my brain with RF. Yeah, I know it's not proven unsafe, but why risk it.

[nmcphers]

They have the best plans now

That was 5 years ago. This is now. Things change. I pay $39.99 for 450 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited picture mail, unlimited text. When does your night begin? 9p.m.? Mine begins at 7. No extra charge for that either.

And their Unlimited $99 a month plan beats EVERYONE. It includes everything. Not just talk.

[psychosmurf]

Not To Mention The Service Sucks . . .

I had Sprint five years ago as well and got the same shaft you did PLUS I had so many dropped calls I felt I was talking from 1952.

My Mom still has Sprint and they still suck with the dropped calls. I tested her service when I was home just last week and from her FRONT YARD her cell phone dropped the signal four times. I talked to San Francisco for over an hour with no problems. Not scientific by any stretch of the imagination but it does shore up my experience with Sprint. And no matter how 'valuable' their plans are, if you can't talk it isn't worth it.

I hate AT&T (loved Cingular but got shafted during the merger when I wound up back with AT&T), but they are still leaps and bounds beyond Sprint in terms of call clarity and service stability.

[joej25]

there is a reason...

key words here... 5 years ago

there are still deposits, but none of that other stuff other than a spending limit

there are good reasons for this... typically people with bad credit have bad credit cause they dont pay bills... why would a company want to "give" a customer service with the thought they may not pay their bills... the person getting shafted when its over is the company itself...

id turn away 10 people with bad credit for 1 person with good credit any day... in the end... its the best for business

[rbkirk]

Counter to Service is too expensive

Sprint changed its method of dealing with poor credit customers...now they MIGHT charge you an up front deposit...which you can get back in a year if you pay your bill on time.

Also, I find they are the cheapest provider if you need national coverage. I pay just over $100 a month with their new unlimited everything plan. Unlimited minutes, text msgs, and data.

[ReVeLaTeD]

I don't understand.

Why is it so hard for certain carriers to realize that the reason for churn is due to internal problems that must be fixed? Now they turn it into a pressure sales model instead of just fixing the major malfunctions in the process?

In Sprint's case it's absolutely (1) their monthly plan value-for-money, (2) limited phone selection and (3) poor customer service. So why not just fix the plan structure (sure Mr. CEO, it means you'll have to do without that extra million this year), better and more competitive phones, and get people who know how to offer customer service, and empower them to be able to do so?

Am I missing something here?

[ReVeLaTeD]

And another thing...

This is the same thing as me having a kid who continually vandalizes the same building, so instead of disciplining my child, I call the police and tell them to arrest him/her every time they happen to see it.

[pu2006]

The article is talking about bonuses for executives

This isn't about awarding employees in the save department, it's about rewarding the officers (even more than previously planned) if the company achieves certain goals related to churn.

Perhaps you will see changes to the points you mentioned. But it's Sprint, so more likely, perhaps not.

[jamesreb]

Now that explains it...

My brother just got out of a messy relationship with Sprint. For a year and a half they kept messing up the bill, kept changing the terms of their contract (which they can't, it's a contract), and other classic Sprint bloopers.

They FINALLY let him out this month and he switched as soon as he could. Won't use Sprint ever again.

[crusadex]

down down baby

Sprint is losing customers because they keep screwing them.
They need to fire everyone.Hire people with extensive ethics
training and change their name.Even then i wouldn't go back or
suggest them to anyone.Ha ha i actually and gleeful if they are
losing people after the 2 years of hell i had with them.
CSR's will make you or break you,looks like it's breaking them!

[yellow--2008]

Not the worse

some of you people need to stop exaggerating your stories. Sprint is NOT the best, but it's also not the worse.

The reality is, Verizon is the most expensive. The night and weekend minutes still start at 9pm while Sprint's start at 7pm.

In my area, T-Mobile has the worse connections (my roommate has -T-mobile and he can only get a signal standing at the window). I can use Sprint anywhere. So the signal all depends on where U live.

I rarely get a dropped call but when I do, i just call customer care, tell the answering service DROPPED CALL and i get a credit for 2 minutes instantly.

A coupe of years ago i wanted 2 cancel Sprint to move to Verizon and not only did they offer me a great deal on a new phone, but they gave me a great new plan..700 anytime mins, unlimited night/ weekend, unlimited txt TO ANYONE and internet for $45 a month. Now I'm glad I didn't switch.

[david__B]

Pathetic customer service...

Sprint has THE WORST ordering, customer service and billing system of ANY company period.

Of the three people at work that ordered SPRINT recently 2 where TRIPPLE BILLED for phones. One person STOPPED payment through thier credit card after I spent 3 months trying to get $400 sprint STOLE From my debit card by double billing me.

I spent over 8 hours on the phone to straighten this out.

For all my trouble, what did I get from SPRINT after GIVING them a FREE LOAN for 3 months? A $25 credit.

This is why SPRINT is losing customers. They have forgotten they are a CUSTOMER SERVICE company, not a Phone company. The best clearest phone calls mean absolutly ZERO when you screw around with people's money and make it NEAR IMPOSSIBLE to fix the problem in a timely manor.

[Pixelslave]

Sprint is a LIAR

Want to share a horrible story with Sprint. Last Dec, I called to cancel my Sprint account. I had two lines. The lady I talked to tell me that one of my line will be charged an early termination fee if I cancelled before May 08, but another line will be fine. She then offered to give me a 20% discount for my next 5 months bill. I took her words in faith -- I was so naive. I didn't pay attention to my bill until last month. They NEVER gave me that 20% discount. Enough is enough, I told myself, so I called to cancel my account, fully aware that I will be charged an early termination fee for ONE of my line. Surprise! My last bill came. I was charged for both lines early termination fee. When I called them today, they said they only thing showed up in their system log is that I was "educated about the ETF". Not a word about the discount, nor the fact that I was told that only one line would incur an early termination fee. DO NOT USE SPRINT EVEN if they promise they would pay you because you can't trust their words.

[rbkirk]

Counter to Sprint is a LIAR

For ANY company...not just Sprint...when getting verbal promises over the phone, I have them document the promises in the account comments section of their screen (which they always have for every account, regardless of company...) and then I have them read back to me EXACTLY what they have typed in. This is the bare minimum we all must do now with ANY company if you are not recording the call yourself.

I would not throw Sprint under the bus for this. Just about every company with relatively low wage account reps have this issue. That includes the other cell companies, cable, satellite...any of them

[JCPayne]

Yeah sprint I should have thought of that......

If a customer tells you:
"I'm sick of the service, I want to cut my losses and leave---" you'll now turn around and tell them "You don't really mean that! Thanks for calling Sprint"...

HA! That's sure to put you at the top of customer ratings now... Don't you think???? Where does Sprint find these people??????

Geeez. It now sounds like canceling a Sprint account will be more difficult than succesfully canceling an AOL account......

[JCPayne]

Wasn't Earthlink's Helio planning to buy Sprint?.

And turn it into a worthwhile company?????

[shane4jc]

There MAY be hope...

I work for Sprint. (Actually, I worked for Nextel and Sprint bought that company.) Since then, Sprint failed miserably in a lot of areas. Customers had a lot of reason not to like it. I haven't been a big fan of my employer.

They recently got rid of the old CEO and brought in a new guy. So far, I'm cautiously optimistic. He seems to understand the problems better than the guy he replaced. There is a real difference. I'm not saying everything will instantly be fixed, but I do see reason to wait and see. There may be some hope for a turnaround...

[jscott418]

Spending too much on NASCAR

I am not sure what they expected from sponsoring NASCAR but
they did not get it!! I think providing better service would have
done them better. Seems companies like Ford,GM Sprint an Nextel
have spent millions trying to convince us they are better. Then just
putting money into a better product??

[driven01]

Actually that was NEXTEL

Nextel took out the sponsorship contract with NASCAR. Sprint
inherited it with the Nextel buyout ... but your point is well
taken.

That's the problem with most domestic companies right now
(and quite a few foreign companies too) ... customer service ...
or lack thereof.

Ford makes decent cars. So does Chrysler. But: I wouldn't buy
one so long as I have to deal with their after-the-sale non-
service department. Honda treats me with respect even AFTER I
buy the car. Their cars are no better (generally) but the service is
king.

Same thing with Apple and Dell. Apple still takes care of you
after the sale ... Dell essentially tells you to **** off.

A good indicator: When a company outsources their customer
desk indicates what priority they place on customer support.
Your customer service folks are the face of your company, so
why not put your BEST people on it instead of outsourcing it to
god-knows who that lives god-knows where.

[commercebob]

bonus for reps no deal fo customer

not a good sign if you ask me. Shows they are not putting service and the customer first. Get the sales staff to do your dirty work and get your payday off enforcement of contracts.

[miasmom1028]

how is it not?

Giving people incentives to help save customer's to me. It someone gives you money to help keep a customer. I would be sweet as pie to help my customer change their decision on staying or going. Every service provider gives their employee "sales bonus" How do I know this? I have family that work for Us Celluar and T-Mobile. They get sales bonus every month.

[rbkirk]

How to "fix" dropped calls with Sprint

If your Mom's phone keeps dropping calls...first issue...how old is the phone? The reason...most all sprint phones, especially the older ones, need a PRL (Preferred Roaming List) upgrade, a "software" fix...

For some phones, they can do this over the air...

In many cases, barring a misaligned tower (which has happened for me), or a signal "lobe" that is weak, or subject to interference, just making sure you have either a new phone, or at least one with current firmware does help tremendously for avoiding dropped calls.

It is a shame Sprint does not have their customers come in more often to have their phones flashed...I guess they figure its likely they will just wear out their phone every year to two years anyway, so the problem takes care of itself.

Older folks (like my parents) tend to keep their equipment for too long, however.

[allen_a]

i disagree, only a network upgrade will fix that

I keep hearing sprint fanboys saying this. But the fact of the matter is, even with the latest equipment, sprint drops calls. I signed up for sprint after being fed this line of BS 4 years ago (salesman made the exact argument you just did). After the 2 year contract was up and after dropping probably %90 of all calls I had, I got rid of sprint forever.

The fix for sprint is to figure out why their network sucks so bad and fix that. Because until they make their network hold calls as well as verizon, they are going to continue to lose customers.

[jachamp]

Making calls with phones great/dealing with CSR's not

Sprint's biggest problem is that it is mired in bureaucracy. It has too many rules and their CSR's are too afraid to think for themselves to help the customer.

They have idiotic policies and the CSR's defend them rather than find ways around them.

I have read on a consumer web site about Sprint CSR's posing as supervisors.

Sprint, if you read this...try this on for size...spend that "bonus" money on your customers. Quit making us have to surf through IVR systems that lead you to a cranky CSR that would rather you just accept things the way that they are and get off of his phone.

Review your policies and dump about half of them. Oh..and here's another novel notion...sell a phone and plan that is just a phone and a plan.

I don't need a camera, mp3 player, telegraph, EKG, or anything else on my phone. I need it to place and receive calls.

Quit IM'img my phone with your marketing messages and quit trying to get my to buy some rap ring tone. I have no interest in that and never will.

I guess that's why you are losing so many customers and no amount of executive bonus is going to change that.

[RainCaster]

Hang ups during cancellation

Now I know why my phonecalls keep getting mysteriously disconnected from the CSR when I try to cancel my service. I will never use Sprint again- for anything.

[rk2469]

4 Sports

jscott418

The reason they sponsor NASCAR is, those who have no ideas on
marketing....

Because NASCAR is part of the four major marketable media venue.
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- NASCAR

If you cover these four area, you have covered almost 100% marketing
coverage.

Sure, Sprint can put their ads on Lycra Fashion Magazine or Metro Tofu
Monthly for some of your likings but these aren't major marketing
avenue.

Sprint needs NASCAR or something. They have decided to latch on to
NASCAR. Would you prefer them to sponsor on NBA? By the way, Sprint
is a major sponsor of all sports venues. Sprint has broad ad coverages.

[miasmom1028]

I don't understand everyone's problem

I've had Sprint for years. When I graduated from high school back in 1999. Sprint was my first wireless provider. I never had a billing problem, dropped calls, or issues with reps when I talked to them on the phone. I had them for 7 years before I cancelled service to go to Verizon because all my friends went to Verizon and I wanted to save money because I got to talk to them for free. When I went to Verizon I had all sort of problems. First they didn't activate our phones correctly. Then put us on the wrong price plan (we wanted the family plan 1400 they put us on 700) which resulted in huge overages. Then we added unlimited family text that wasn't added because for some reason. So here we go again more overages (about 600 worth). And what it gets with me is that there was no notes on their system there were never any notes stating that this is what it was supposed to be. After 4 months of service with Verizon. My husband and I decided that it was better to cancel with them eat the 200 etf on both lines and go back to Sprint.
I didn't realize how spoiled I was with Sprint until I went to Verizon. Everytime I spoke to a rep with Sprint (which wasn't that often) they were always nice to me. I rarely had a dropped call with Sprint. And I lived in the middle of no where. When I had Verizon I had many dropped calls when I was near a tower! And when I did have service the voice was horrible.
People that seem to complain alot are one of these. 1) Can't pay their bill on time then have to blame someone other then themselfs. 2) Go over their mintues because they refuse to up their price plan then have overages and now we are back to number 1. 3) Wants the service provider to give them a free phone without extending their contract. And Sprint isn't the only one that does it. If you want a phone for free or dirt cheap every 6 months. They aren't going to give you a $300 phone for free without extending their contact. Sprint is upfront with it other service providers aren't.

So stop being babies and complaining about this!