Sprint customer service does good

[M A V I C]

About six years ago I signed up with Sprint so I could tether my laptop to my phone to get online. Then they came out with "Vision" which supplied their 3G content. The original Vision plan was $10/mo and provided unlimited data, unlimited text messages & picture mail. I heard they were raising the rates for this to $15/mo so I quickly switched to the plan and have been using it at $10/mo for four years.

My phone started acting up and had to get a new one. Waiting for the iPhone would have been ideal, but I needed a phone. The rebates available for signing a new contract were worth the savings. One catch was I had to upgrade to Power Vision. $5/mo more and I'd get EVDO speeds, so I went for it. PV does not included tethering but I had found some workarounds.

Come to find out, they didn't just upgrade me. The switched my plan completely to Power Vision. They probably didn't know that my original Vision plan included text messaging and picture mail, so when they didn't see it as extras on my account they didn't ask me if I still wanted it.

For nearly a month I sent text message and went to send a picture mail when it asked me to add PM to my account. Wha? So I did some research and found out if I wanted the features I had before I was going to have to pay an additional $20/mo. That's my plan + $15 + $20. A total of $35/mo for data.

ATT wants $40/mo and that includes tethering via EDGE. That's worth another $5/mo for me. So I contacted the person who upgraded my plan, there was nothing she could do, but she gave me some phone numbers to try.

I Googled and found some details where people were successful getting their original Vision plan grandfathered to a PV phone. The first number I tried was the "backdoor" to customer service. It rings and a real, live, human answers the call. No prompts, no transferring the call. They can't do anything for me but suggest I try "Customer Retention" (which is what my second # was for.)

I spoke with them and explained my situation. I pointed out that at that price, I'd rather switch to ATT and get the iPhone when it comes out. (And I was honest, not just trying to work a deal.) The rep does some research and says she can "take care of it." I replied "no offense to you, and not to doubt you, but I've been told that before and it doesn't always mean what I think it means." She laughed and told me what she had planned. She signed me up for special deals to get, for example unlimited Text Messaging, for $8/mo. Only thing is, my bill will be $13/mo higher ($28 total [plus voice plan]) and she can't issue me a $13/mo credit.

Yep, she can only issue credits as a multiple of $5 So now I've got PV, unlimited text, picture mail (which my phone doesn't even support but it's the principle of the thing...) for $13/mo.

[polychrome]

Glad things worked out for you! The credits may expire after a year or the life of your contract, so keep an eye on your bill when the time comes. Sprint customer service can be bad at times, but I never found them as bad as the reputation that precedes them. Good that you spoke to the Retentions Dept. or Accounts Services, as they're officially called, because they usually are the ones to talk to if you're angling for a better deal or if regular CS can't resolve a problem. Lately I've been using Sprint's eCare, which is via emails, but Retentions is the way to go when all else fails. Sprint is tops when it comes to giving free perks or upgrades to old customers. I've been with Sprint for 9 yrs and I'm happy with the nice upgrades I get. I divide my time between California and Alaska, and coverage is good in the parts of Alaska I'm in, even if it is mostly free roaming. Better than Verizon and Cingular in my experience. Be nice if Sprint gets the iPhone eventually, but they may be as stubborn as Verizon.

The forums at sprintusers.com is the place to go for hints and news on the latest perks. Very helpful members there and some work for Sprint.

[M A V I C]

Yeah, one credit ends after a year but they put a note on my account stating to renew it after that time, but I should call anyway.

I posted at sprintusers years ago, but lately it seems like there's mostly a bunch of people asking questions and no one giving good answers.