Sprint and Average Customer Perception

[Dkoellerwx]

The airport area in KC must be another weird hole because even within a few miles of the airport coverage was spotty.

 

Not a lot of population near the airport... at least not when the network was expanded in the area. Cell spacing is rather sparse, but you do have 3 fully upgraded towers on/near airport property. 

[RichardXy]

Saying you have Sprint in San Diego is like saying you are on welfare or kick dogs.

[orangeblue]

Saying you have Sprint in San Diego is like saying you are on welfare or kick dogs.

 

Nextel used to be real good in San Diego and I hope Sprint can resolve the issues with Mexico soon

[S4GRU]

Saying you have Sprint in San Diego is like saying you are on welfare or kick dogs.

 

Richard, I know you are not on welfare, nor kick dogs.  I won't let them talk to you that way!  

[WiWavelength]

Saying you have Sprint in San Diego is like saying you are on welfare or kick dogs.

Richard, I know you are not on welfare, nor kick dogs.  I won't let them talk to you that way!  

 

Robert, are you sure about that?  I was going to tell RichardXy that we did not want time at The Forums to keep him away from kicking a few dogs on the way to cash his check.

 

AJ

[P_M_G]

My perception is that I've been loyal for so long that it's nearly impossible to switch. I keep trying. I've been told untruths since the days of the OG EVO and how Wimax was the future (never once got a 4G wimax connection anywhere near me)....then the NV rollout where I've seen zero improvement in reception at my home where I still need to use an Airvana to have useable voice. Areas near me that are supposed to have LTE don't (even though they are mapped on Sensorly as such) and the dead zones in my local area outnumber the good zones probably 3-1 or more.

 

But I can't give up unlimited data. Rarely do I exceed more than 4-5GB combined, but I'm certain that's because my kids can't get a usable data signal at school. I dread switching only to find out that Verizon pumps out killer LTE and they start streaming at lunch and on the way home...I also cringe at the fake price models everyone is clamoring over (including sprint). VZW Edge sounds attractive, until you have to replace all your phones at which point it's at best a wash for 2 years if you want current non-gimped tech (save the "ooh the Kyocera edge" with it's low end spec). Oh yeah, and that VZW charges for visual voicemail (not sure about ATT/TMO) and navigation??

 

I remain holding out hope that NV will finally be completed in the OC, that I can send back my Airvana, get usable LTE in the areas I'm in frequently, and actually enjoy my unlimited data.

[orangeblue]

Long post, since I haven't been very active on the site lately. Work's been a bitch.

 

I would say perception around me in the Chicago suburbs is about average. I hear more people groan about AT&T to be honest. There are a lot more Sprint stores around here and I would say about half of them used to be Nextel storefronts back in the day. From what I have heard Nextel was the best provider in the NW suburbs back in the mid 2000's. Everyone had Nextel and PTT was everywhere. Some still have a similar perception of Nextel before Sprint, like my parents. They're average customers who stuck with it through the merger and are still happy with the service they receive and pay for. But on average, Nextel had a more positive perception in its heyday than Sprint does currently. Aside from the issues this market experienced during the peak of NV deployment, perception is improving but not at levels we would want to see.

 

Now when I was in Orlando, Florida- it was a totally different story. Everyone who had Sprint complained about it. I did too at times. Service was better in Chicago, always was, period. (Ericsson, cough) However I've heard it's gotten a lot better in that market so I'm looking forward to my trip back down for work next month. It will be interesting to see if I can notice anyone's perceptions changing as they are in Chicago.

 

Now what I currently see as unacceptable, even from an average customer perspective, would be coming across places (like downtown Crystal Lake, IL) were I once had great service with Nextel and/or Clearwire WiMax and am now finding terrible signal present day on LTE and even Sprint 3G/1x voice. If Sprint is providing customers who live and work in these areas with new technology (Network Vision) the experience should be no less than what they were receiving from Sprint before. They have the tools and resources to get coverage ubiquitous with that of the decommissioned Nextel and aging Clearwire footprint. In my opinion they are not currently taking advantage of that existing infrastructure from these technologies as much as they could be to convert to NV standards and fill the gaps. I do know there are a hundred or so iDen to NV conversions, and maybe a few dozen WiMax to NV converts. Clear B41 is nice, but it is not everywhere WiMax is. I just think more could be done in many of these areas to provide the same level of service that customers experienced on previous technology. I'm not having this problem currently where I live and work, as 95 percent of the time my service works great. However that 5 percent were service wasn't so great I can often times recall having good WiMax or iDen service at one point in time. I think that's one of the worst killers of a good perception of Sprint in the eyes of average customers.

 

It would have been nice back in the days to have an iDEN/WiMax/CDMA handset but oh well. Sprint had a huge following cross border and you see how Nextel Mexico is suffering from the shutdown of the U.S. iDen network, Sprint should have offered something to keep these customers happy like SouthernLink. I used to love Nextel, going to TJ and using the PTT back to the states.

[derrph]

I saw this on my Instagram feed this morning and thought it was funny.

[Deval]

I saw this on my Instagram feed this morning and thought it was funny.

 

That's the perception that I can't wait for Sprint to change. In my experience, T-Mo has gotten more of the ghetto trash lately, which is great.

[tybo31316]

That's the perception that I can't wait for Sprint to change. In my experience, T-Mo has gotten more of the ghetto trash lately, which is great.

I agree with you. Even most ghetto people I know doesn't use Sprint or any of its prepaid brands. Just MetroPCS and T-Mobile.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Deval]

It's really the mass of public who had bad experiences at one point, and proceed to keep building off of them. That's one of the reasons I left another popular Sprint web board. It used to be run by and full of Sprint users, but has devolved into a cesspool of crap run by users who left Sprint a very long time ago, and refuse to come back. They have no problem preaching to the masses that Sprint killed their sheep, razed their crops, salted the earth, and burnt down their barns.

 

At the end of the day, some folks will never be appeased, and Sprint isn't in the business of that. Rather, they are out to provide the best possible service for everyone. And if that doesn't work for a particular person in a particular location, I'm sorry.

[twospirits]

I saw this on my Instagram feed this morning and thought it was funny.

 

 

That's the perception that I can't wait for Sprint to change. In my experience, T-Mo has gotten more of the ghetto trash lately, which is great.

That image is so wrong on so many levels.

 

Speaking of perception, I noticed that folks coming into a Sprint store will flat out state that their signal is really low (when compared to outside). It would be nice if Sprint can one of their wall monitors showing the speedtests of numerous places around the country of the Sparks network. Customers waiting to be taken care of will see it and visually see the improvements Sprint has made. 

 

TS

[Fraydog]

That image is so wrong on so many levels.

 

Speaking of perception, I noticed that folks coming into a Sprint store will flat out state that their signal is really low (when compared to outside). It would be nice if Sprint can one of their wall monitors showing the speedtests of numerous places around the country of the Sparks network. Customers waiting to be taken care of will see it and visually see the improvements Sprint has made.

 

TS

Wait, Sprint doesn't install signal boosters for in store?

[twospirits]

If it did, it must have been down that day. lol

[Deval]

Wait, Sprint doesn't install signal boosters for in store?

 

Not all stores have repeaters, and some end up going bad.

[orangeblue]

Customer Service remains Sprint's biggest issue.

 

I wanted to add an International Calling feature (unlimited international $15) to my account. Called and was told, Sorry your plan does not qualify for this feature. So I was placed on the $50 iPhone6 plan (plus the feature). Nice, I thought okay if that works fine with me on an Android phone. Next day I get a message, that my plan was updated. Not that I was placed on the correct $60 plan, no I was charged $35 because I am on contract (actually I am not my I bought my phone a long time ago - 30 months). So I called to complain and a Supervisor changed the plan to the $60 Simply Unlimited. So today I get a text message telling me my plan was updated yet again, this time the device charge was $25. Funny, because again I bought the phone and I am no longer on contract.

Now I was switched to a Framily plan until I am able to show that my phone (Evo 4GLTE) is out of contract??! Seriously, all I wanted is just another feature added to my account.

 

I am not sure but it takes one call to Verizon to fix an issue and not three times. If Sprint wants to safe money, close the foreign call centers, move jobs into the U.S. and invest some money in better training. This would get the customers happy and cut down on CSR costs!

[WiWavelength]

I am not sure but it takes one call to Verizon to fix an issue and not three times. If Sprint wants to safe money, close the foreign call centers, move jobs into the U.S. and invest some money in better training. This would get the customers happy and cut down on CSR costs!

 

No, it does not.  Plenty of people could chime in how VZW could not resolve their issues in one, two, or even three calls.  Big Red is not magic, nor is Magenta.

 

Your anecdote shows nothing, so please do not extrapolate -- other than to say that all major wireless operators have some customer service challenges that come with the territory of serving tens of millions of subscribers.

 

AJ

[orangeblue]

No, it does not.  Plenty of people could chime in how VZW could not resolve their issues in one, two, or even three calls.  Big Red is not magic, nor is Magenta.

 

Your anecdote shows nothing, so please do not extrapolate -- other than to say that all major wireless operators have some customer service challenges that come with the territory of serving tens of millions of subscribers.

 

AJ

 

That may be true, but we are talking about perception and how CS handles calls plays a huge issue.

Just consider the red light factor. You always hit the stop light at any intersection although you may pass many green lights too.

 

I personally find it anying to have my call to CS in the Phillipiens because their training lacks in so many ways. How can you sell or service a network you never used? In addition, support American jobs, in America so people in this country have jobs and can support their families.

[travismheim]

 

 

Customer Service remains Sprint's biggest issue.

It sounds pretty bad what you've had to deal with. I've personally had great customer service experiences any time I've had a problem. In fact, I would rate Sprint's customer service far better than any other service provider (for any service) I have used.

 

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[jreuschl]

What problems do people have needing a call to CS?

 

If it is a coverage issue (which is seems is the topic a lot of customer service reps on Twitter respond to), that's a pretty difficult issue to resolve on an individual basis.

[GoBigRed79]

Customer Service remains Sprint's biggest issue.

 

I wanted to add an International Calling feature (unlimited international $15) to my account. Called and was told, Sorry your plan does not qualify for this feature. So I was placed on the $50 iPhone6 plan (plus the feature). Nice, I thought okay if that works fine with me on an Android phone. Next day I get a message, that my plan was updated. Not that I was placed on the correct $60 plan, no I was charged $35 because I am on contract (actually I am not my I bought my phone a long time ago - 30 months). So I called to complain and a Supervisor changed the plan to the $60 Simply Unlimited. So today I get a text message telling me my plan was updated yet again, this time the device charge was $25. Funny, because again I bought the phone and I am no longer on contract.

Now I was switched to a Framily plan until I am able to show that my phone (Evo 4GLTE) is out of contract??! Seriously, all I wanted is just another feature added to my account.

 

I am not sure but it takes one call to Verizon to fix an issue and not three times. If Sprint wants to safe money, close the foreign call centers, move jobs into the U.S. and invest some money in better training. This would get the customers happy and cut down on CSR costs!

I had similar issues recently with my plan.  My wife and I are on Framily and both upgraded to iPhone 6's using the iPhone for life lease.  I felt it worked for us since we upgrade every two years anyway.  We kept our Framily plan since we are in a 10 member group.  A few days after I placed our iPhone orders I noticed online that the $15 framily fee was added to each of our lines.  I did an online chat and they confirmed that we should not be paying that fee we did not have any discounted phones.  A couple of hours after the chat the fee was gone.  48 hrs later I log into my acct and the fee is back again.  Another chat and the fee is removed again.  This time I make sure I have my acct noted regarding the issue.  Fee has not been back since.  It was just frustrating.  

 

I have found that I generally seem to get better results through chat reps vs phone reps.  Just seems like the chat reps are empowered to take care of more issues quickly.  Just my experience.  

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

I had similar issues recently with my plan. My wife and I are on Framily and both upgraded to iPhone 6's using the iPhone for life lease. I felt it worked for us since we upgrade every two years anyway. We kept our Framily plan since we are in a 10 member group. A few days after I placed our iPhone orders I noticed online that the $15 framily fee was added to each of our lines. I did an online chat and they confirmed that we should not be paying that fee we did not have any discounted phones. A couple of hours after the chat the fee was gone. 48 hrs later I log into my acct and the fee is back again. Another chat and the fee is removed again. This time I make sure I have my acct noted regarding the issue. Fee has not been back since. It was just frustrating.

 

I have found that I generally seem to get better results through chat reps vs phone reps. Just seems like the chat reps are empowered to take care of more issues quickly. Just my experience.

How are you on Framily and iPhone for life, at the same time?

[Rocket87]

 

 

How are you on Framily and iPhone for life, at the same time?

Iphone for life is the buying option, its treated just like easy pay. It can go with the 50 unlimited iphone plan, the 60 unlimited plan, my way or family share plans.

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Iphone for life is the buying option, its treated just like easy pay. It can go with the 50 unlimited iphone plan, the 60 unlimited plan, my way or family share plans.

Correct, my question was in regards to Framily. He stated he was on the Framily plan.

[GoBigRed79]

Correct, my question was in regards to Framily. He stated he was on the Framily plan.

 

iPhone for Life is just the lease.  No different then using EasyPay.  Since I was already on Framily they let me keep my plan. Since I am in a 10 member group it made more sense then doing the $50 unlimited plans. 

 

I thought about just moving to the $50 plan due to the risk of losing members but from my research online it appears people are still having success finding people to add if you lose a member or two, so I am going to stick with it for now since employer discount can be used for data on Framily.  My unlimited plan comes to $41.40 a line with discount.