Yes the title is harsh, but I'm angry. The only thing that irritates me the most is BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. As a marketing consultant I get paid to tell small businesses how to market to customers so that they will want to come back. I honestly don't understand why when a business becomes a large corporation they somehow forget where they came from. Let me explain why I'm so angry.
I have been a loyal Sprint customer since 1999, that is correct, I said 1999. I have two cell phones one for Sacramento and the other for Atlanta. The Sacramento phone is dying. It won't hold a charge, you make one phone call and the battery is dead. So, instead of buying a new battery I decided to give Sprint a call and ask for a deal, a new phone free of charge, yes I said free of charge, remember I said 1999, that's nine years. Nine years of me paying over $100.00 per month for service. In that time span I have purchased four phones all costing somewhere in the $200.00 price range.
Ok, so I go to the Sprint web site and pick out the new phone that I want a Moto by Motorola. I then call Sprint and tell them what I want. Now out of all the nine years of being a loyal Sprint customer, I have never asked them for anything, but good service. Well you would thought I asked for a $1,000 dollar phone and 6 months of free service. Because they treated me like any customer off the street, by offering me the same exact deal they give to new customers. I expressed that I was a loyal nine year customer, that didn't deserve to be treated as such, that didn't matter to the Customer Retention Department Rep.
She said that she could not give me a $397.00 dollar phone for free. What!!! I have paid Sprint over $100,000 since 1999 and they can't give me a $397.00 phone. Then she told me she could give me a discount and I would then have to pay $49.99 to get the phone. What the hell is this madness! I have been a loyal customer for nine years, I pay my bill every month, and you want to quibble with me over $397.00 then $49.99. I can't believe Sprint wants to lose a loyal customer over $49.99. Is it just me or is this the craziest thing as a business owner you have ever heard?
I told her no I don't want to pay anything for a new phone I want it free of charge. She said no she could not and would not approve that type of deal. That was it, I was done. This is the Customer Retention Department basically telling me to go screw myself, nine years service or not, Sprint was not going to do all they could do to keep me as a happy satisfied customer. So I asked her when was my contracts scheduled to end on both phones. I got a weak sorry to see you go speech, then she told me when both contracts ended.
This is what I plan to do, the 916.548.6328 ends on 11/08 and 404.931.4695 ends on 12/09. I plan to cancel service on the 916-Sacramento phone when the contract ends, then pay the $150.00 early termination fee for the 404-Atlanta. I will then take both phone numbers with me and give my business to Verizon.
This part is directed at Sprint, Inc.
Today you lost a loyal nine year customer, all because you have not trained your employees how to practice GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. The Customer Retention Rep I spoke to said her name was Melanie at extension #4475. I will be terminating my service with you beginning 11/30/08. I'll be taking my business to your competitor Verizon.
If for some reason you would like me to give you another nine years then I, MISS LOYAL CUSTOMER am telling you that this is what you have to do to keep me. I hope this sad but true BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE NIGHTMARE serves as a guideline of how not to treat customers who stay with your company for nine or even more years of service. Don't be another corporation that finds out the hard way that your CUSTOMER, NOT YOUR COMPANY, IS THE ONE WITH THE POWER. The power to take their business elsewhere.
1. Give the Moto by Motorola free of any and all charges.
2. Give me free activation.
3. Give me two months free service for both phones.
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