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Amanda UnBoomed

Friday, June 03, 2005

My Sprint Story

Check out the video to get an overview. For specifics click this link. Didn’t want to post every last detail here and clutter things up.

WARNING: This video is a total rant.


Cue the violins (music: Beethoven, Romance for Violin):

posted by Amanda @ 11:28 AM  

24 Comments:

  • At 12:54 PM, Blogger Erin said…

    That's horrible! There must be some way around this. The thing with these things is, by the time you get it all worked out, you've spent hours doing it... at which point you should also be compensated for it. Hope you get it worked out without too much more hassle.

     

  • At 1:49 PM, Blogger Ted said…

    If I were you I'd have the new charge reversed and have the credit card number changed. Of course, that would be a hassle if you have a lot of automatic payments set up. But it may be worth it.
    I love your work here and on Rocketboom. Carry on!

     

  • At 2:06 PM, Blogger Zadi said…

    how frustrating. This happened to us with our health insurance.

    We reported them with the Better Business Bureau then wrote a letter/emailed/and called informing the company we reported them to the Bureau with a detailed list of all of our inquiries (times/dates/etc). It took some time - but we were refunded all of our money.

    Also, with that guy on Craigslist, maybe you can report your story to the admin at the site, maybe they can make sure it doesn't happen to someone else.

    I hope this gets resolved. That's mucho dinero...

     

  • At 2:57 PM, Blogger Devin said…

    Short and sweet: Best rant I've ever seen.

     

  • At 2:58 AM, Blogger Michael Meiser said…

    Amanda, While I'm saddened by your story, I feel the need to play devil's advocate here.

    Just because you didn't comit the crime doesn't mean you're completely off the hook. I'm not sure of the specifics but I believe you can still be held accountable for purchasing stollen goods. In fact by your own account you suspected something was up. Of course you did talk talk directly to a sprint representative who enabled your phone... so well, i guess they should have alerted you to this fact and indeed bare some part of the responsibility. Needless to say none of us, not even corporations who pride themselves on it are perfect. You were both gamed. It's what happens after that that you should kick sprints buttocks for.

    That said I hope you do follow it up and let us know. Sprint is obviously actively avoiding any responsibility and in the meantime they're knowingly perpetuating the problem (which you should point out to them) because this guy is out there finding the next victim.

    And btw, I use sprint and I should probably have dumped them a long time ago. I too find their service tactics to be dispicable. I was once on a trip and bought several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from them when their new highspeed wireless data plan came out, and within an hour of my leaving the store on a friday evening on my way to go meet friends for drinks my phone was shut off.

    The reason? My credit card took more time to process than their servers took in calculating my account balance. So since it was in the negative by a couple hundred dollars (if only temporarily) their system shut off my service leaving me to find a payphone to call my friends whom I was to meet. Needless to say it was a great thank you for my buying a Sprint Vision Data plan and several hundred dollars worth of merchandise.

    BTW, It took me three hours and several drinks before it was turned back on and several days latter I returned the merchandise and cancelled the data account after having it well pointed out to me that having one account with such a company was already way more responsibility than they could handle.

    I'm still wondering why I haven't moved to another carrier as I sit here with a $270 phone that's worth less than $100 and wonder where my $150 rebate is for which I had to sign a two year contract. But I must digress, because the litany of bs goes on and on, following me around like a dark cloud on otherwise sunny days. :)

    OH, and also don't go after craigs list. You'll just push the guy underground and he'll find another channel better he's out in the open. That is unless you have other means of tracking him down. But don't count on that cell phone working for long. He's a con artist, and con artists keep moving. Shame on Sprint for not jumping at the chance.

    Peace,

    -Mike of mmeiser.com/blog

     

  • At 8:59 PM, Blogger Carl Weaver said…

    Amanda,

    I am so sorry to hear about this. Sprint doesn't care about pissing off one customer. They think they are like the power company or something, delivering a monopolized essential service. Realistically, people will still be lining up to get screwed by them. I have vowed not to use their services again after having been smacked around by their customer disservice department too many times.

    The really sad part is that psychologists have determined that bad press on the small scale can actually increase a company's business. Eventually the bad stuff gets filtered out of the brain and the name sticks. So they win if you don't complain publicly, but they also win when you do.

    It's good to spread the word, though. Sorry to be a downer. Too bad we don't have the technology to have our own cell phone tower in the back yard or something.

    Keep your chin up!

     

  • At 8:28 AM, Blogger Adam Donaghey said…

    Yeah, according to Sprint PCS they don't even, like, have a fax number. A phone company without a fax number! This is the world we live in, folks. So, that's why I got rid of my Sprint phone, and went with Nextel!...who...merged. With. Sprint. Good-ee.

     

  • At 7:01 AM, Blogger Duane Kuss said…

    Amanda...

    While watching this piece, it finally hit me why I love ROCKETBOOM so much... and it's YOU!

    You are so... so down to earth real and lovable!

    I'm sorry about your phone and yes, life certainly has it moments of unexplainable frustration...
    but today... put a smile on your face... for all the people in the world that you put a smile on their faces, with your wonderful Rocketboom performances.

    "PROST!" ( A German Toast ... To You!)

    DU

     

  • At 5:48 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

    Well, perfect as anytime, interesting and well made and presented.

    Smile on your problems and life will be better you will never know who can fall in love watching you smiling.

    For the moment I smile about your feet ;-) are they a giant ones hihihihi

     

  • At 6:43 PM, Blogger supersecretdancesociety said…

    I am impressed by the humor and articulate-ness (a word? I hope...) of your video...nice. You make Sprint look like total a-holes, which must be satisfying. I'm grateful that you got your money back, or else I would probably be writing a much longer rant against cell phone issues. But I will restrain. However, to everyone who reads this, KNOW THIS:
    phone companies have a code that comes up next to your name when you call and it determines how long they keep you on hold for and how much they try and help you with your problem. So never EVER get pissed off, even when you are on hold (because they are always listening, for real!), because you will get flagged as a jerk no matter how awful they have been to you. I know this. And I always love the companies. And then I stick sharp sharp pins into my corporate voodo doll collection.
    This is a long enough comment.
    But I really enjoy your vlog. Thanks!.

     

  • At 10:03 PM, Blogger Ed Yang said…

    2 things you can do:

    File complaint to BBB and FCC using their website. Write a letter to sprint’s CEO, telling him that you did so, and see what their response is.

    If this does not work…..

    Get together all the evidence you have, and take them to the small claim court in your town. Since the dispute is less then 1000 dollars, you can use this court and does not need a lawyer.
    More then likely they will settle this. It is too expensive for them to send a lawyer and fight with you.

     

  • At 10:06 PM, Blogger Ed Yang said…

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

     

  • At 11:58 AM, Blogger shokk said…

    The moral of the story is... don't do autopay! Because at least you would then have only paid once for the phone and let Sprint cancel their terrible service. Then go look for some nice freebie deals on Amazon.

     

  • At 5:45 AM, Blogger Tiffany said…

    I totally feel your pain - though *thankfully* not quite the pricetag you had to pay! I went with SprintPCS (Pilfering Customers Stealthily?) a couple years ago and o.my.gosh. I thought I had trouble with Verizon! It was absolutely nothing compared to Sprint!!! First off, I was promised a $100 rebate on my phone, and free activation (which actually I found out later was a "repayment" of my activation fee) which I never received. The phone I got was discontinued almost immediately after I bought it (probably because it became so hot when using it, it practically burned your fingers - yet curiously, I didn't hear anything about recalls...) and after a couple months of having it web-enabled, that completely stopped working. I *of course* had to continue paying for it, because even though I contacted them repeatedly (by email - I'd dealt with the people already by phone, and besides the fact that I know no one I spoke to was actually *in* the US, they had no idea what I was talking about) and it was never resolved. So not only did I pay for a service I wasn't getting, I also lost all the purchases I had made and had yet to download before the phone's web-access crashed!

    Then somehow my bill got all screwed up, and they shut my service off for a long time - finally got that cleared up, but when my account expired and I tried to cancel it, all they wanted to do was get me to stay with them. *Yeah right!!!* I asked for a manager to tell him of my complaints about discrepancies (I never received any emails from them btw - do they even check their emails? Ever??) and I got one manager who was a complete jerk. I asked for his supervisor - and was told he was the "highest" manager I could speak with. To "talk" to someone else, I'd have to write an *actual* letter outlining my complaints, and then wait weeks for a reply. Since I was just so sick of them... I just said forget it, cancelled... and swore I would never do business with SprintPCS again. In fact, I decided to completely stay away from cell phones. Even though it would've made my life a *whole* lot easier with my husband going in and out to sea, I was not ready to deal with any more crap. Ever. What I don't understand, is why their home-phone landline service can be so good (never had a problem with them, ever!!) and their cell phone service so bad. Grrrr!

    Oh, and I finally broke down and bought a new cell - with Cingular. Let's hope they have a better track record than Sprint. (thank you for allowing this rant of mine on your rant post! :) I've been looking for someone to commiserate with. You have helped me come to grips with my angst, and now I can finally let go. :)

     

  • At 2:49 PM, Blogger Alex said…

    I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with your cell phone. I've had pretty good service with Verizon. Cingular is good too. They have the "Rollover Minutes Thingy" going on right? Anyway, take it easy and I look forward to seeing more of your montage vingette video documentaries!!!

    VOTE FOR AMANDA!!!!

     

  • At 3:50 PM, Blogger Debbie Cakes said…

    Ugh, those sons of bitches...

     

  • At 4:11 AM, Blogger ThatDude said…

    The thing that is crappy about this is that they can pretty much put a nice black mark on your credit history if you refuse to pay this. I would speak with a lawyer before any real damage is done.

     

  • At 2:39 PM, Blogger D' Wizard said…

    I hope this will be sufficient satisfaction for you. That is all you are likely to get. I wouldn't continue with Sprint, I would tell them why, and I'd tell them you intend to talk bad about them for a very long time. I hope you come from a very large family and work in a company large enough that they can't afford to lose their business. I also hope you can find a satisfactory alternative.

     

  • At 6:21 PM, Blogger PorchDrunk said…

    I'll bet Isaac works for Sprint - I mean, they probably make good money defrauding people and Isaac probably gets his cut. Buy another phone from him, only this time when you meet break his kneecaps :)

     

  • At 12:09 PM, Blogger Paul said…

    If Issac has done something that is illegal, don't go to Sprint, go to the police.

    If you think Sprint has 'stolen' your money, get a lawyer.

    Did you read the small print on the Sprint contract that you invariably signed?

     

  • At 1:29 AM, Blogger Mike Daisey said…

    I have to say that while you sound very sympathetic, and it's an unfortunate situation, you bought stolen goods. Fenced goods. That means that when the person to whom the goods originally belong (Sprint) finds out you have them, they are entitled to the phone itself, or you need to buy it from them.

    That's a clear and long-established rule of law, and even if Sprint acts like a jerk, they are 100% correct.

    You yourself ADMIT as much in your video, as you bashfully relate buying this phone on the cheap, in cash, from some dude. Caveat emptor, Amanda.

    If you are so certain that Victor ripped you off (and let's be clear--it's VICTOR who ripped you off, not Sprint) then report him to the police with all the information you have and get your money back.

    Or see if your media status can convince Sprint to reimburse you...but have no illusions that you're entitled to keep fenced goods. You might get them to give it to you, but you certainly don't "deserve" it.

    Sorry you had to buy your phone twice. Better luck making wise shopping decisions in the future.

     

  • At 1:20 PM, Blogger Amanda said…

    It's strange to me that people leave these LONGGGGGGG comments giving me lots of advice... or telling me I won't get my money back without bothering to read the follow up post (directly above this one) where I clearly state that the issue was resolved and that SPRINT (not Isaac) gave me my money back.

     

  • At 4:51 PM, Blogger RT said…

    I hate to sound like William Tregoe from Airplane! ("they knew what they were getting into, they bought the tickets, I say let'em crash") but that's what you get when you buy hot merchandise. Still, it was a well-formed argument.

     

  • At 11:48 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

    Like many thousands of individuals that I have read about via the internet, I too have had my major headaches with Sprint PCS. Mostly billing and account issues after being with the company for six years. Not comfortable with the lack of ability to ever send anything to sprint via registered mail as all addresses are PO Boxes. I did some research and as of Nov. 2006 can share some information with other individuals having problems with Sprint PCS: World Headquarters phycial address:
    Sprint World Headquarters, 6200 Sprint Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas 66251; Chairman of the board: Gary D. Forsee. Send certified mail to his attention at the World Headquarters. He probably won't reply, but at least you will have physical proof of Sprint's receipt of your communications if sent via certified mail. Good Luck

     

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