I strongly suggest that if you are looking for a new wireless service provider, you avoid Sprint/Nextel. Why? Well, I'll tell you the experience I have had with them over the past few weeks and you can decide for yourself if you'd like to deal with this organization.
My current wireless provider (SunCom) had serious coverage issues. There were various places I'd go in my hometown where I got no signal at all. There were nearby places where I'd go where others would have service, but I would have no signal. So, when my two-year contract expired, I decided to try a new carrier.

First, I asked carriers about trying their service for a week to try them out and see if I could get coverage in the areas I needed it. No one would allow me to do that, but they would allow me to cancel my service if it did not meet my needs. I talked to the people at a local Sprint/Nextel store, and they seemed to have the best plan and the plans I needed. I like the price and the minutes. So, I went to the local store.

At the local store, the fellow there explained to me the cancellation period. He then told me that they didn't have the selection of phones that were online and that I'd be better off finding a better deal online. So, I went home and visited their internet site.

I found the plan and phones and placed the order. The phones arrived in a few days and everything went downhill from there.

The phones were fine, but they did not have any coverage. I could not get any signal inside my house at all -- I literally had to walk out to the street to get a good signal. "No problem," I thought, I'll just take these back and try another carrier. So, I headed back to the Sprint/Nextel store with the phones and all the original packaging.

When I arrived at the store, the barely-English speaking woman there (she could speak Spanish just fine), explained that they could not take the phones back. She said that they didn't have the ability to do that. Instead, I needed to take them to a "corporate store" where I could return them. Also, she could not cancel my service because, well, she didn't explain why, she just was incapable of doing that. She then gave me directions to the corporate store, 42 miles away.

I didn't have time that day, so 3 days later, I drove the 42 miles to the corporate store. I followed her directions completely. It was pouring rain. I parked and tried to find the store. It turns out the directions were very poor and I had to walk about 3/4 mile in the rain across a bridge to actually GET to the corporate store. When I walked into the store, the girl behind the counter actually physically recoiled when I held up my now soaking-wet box and explained that I wanted to return the phones.

"Oh, no," she exclaimed. "We don't do that here. We can't take those back. They're not in our inventory." I asked her if this was a Sprint/Nextel store. She said that it was. I asked her if it was a "corporate" store. She said that it was. I asked why in the hell she couldn't accept Sprint/Nextel phones. She said that they weren't in her inventory. I asked her why the store 42 miles away told me to return these to this store. She said they didn't know what they were talking about. I explained that they were a Sprint/Nextel store, too.

After dripping on her carpet for about 5 minutes arguing with the grapefruit posing as an employee, I debating dropping the damn phones on the floor for her to return to the mythical Sprint/Nextel company that her Sprint/Nextel store was not a part of. However, I didn't have my camera with me, so I'd have no concrete evidence that I had returned the phone when this gets to small claims court. So I took the damn phones back, walked another 3/4 mile in the rain, then drove 42 miles back home with no canceled service and still with the phones that I did not want.

Now keep in mind, it has now been a number of days in which I have tried to cancel my service. You see, if you go over the 30 days, you have to pay the early termination fee of $200. I'm not paying that fee, and I'm looking forward to it appearing on my credit report so I can begin a big fat lawsuit against Sprint/Nextel. If you know any lawyers who are interested, have them contact me, because I still have these phones.

But wait, there's more!

Upon arriving home, I attempted to do what the person who was in the Sprint/Nextel store (that has no connection with the Sprint/Nextel company) claimed I should do. I tried to return the phones where I got them. I logged into the online Sprint/Nextel store and brought up my account. Of course, there's nowhere online to cancel your account, that would be way too simple.

Next I sent them an email. I absolutely begged and pleaded with them to cancel my account. I explained that I had phones that no person associated with the mythical Sprint/Nextel company would take. I explained that the phones and the service were useless to me because I could not use them in my house. Are you ready for their response?

Mary-Ellen E said: We received your request to cancel service and are sorry that the service did not meet your needs; however at this time we are unable to process your request via e-mail.

For return of equipment, you need to return to point of sale.

And did you catch that last line? I need to return to the point of sale? This, coming from the internet site where I bought the damn phones? So not only is it literally impossible for me to cancel my service, it is now also impossible for me to return my phones to the people I bought it from OR anyone else associated with the alleged Sprint/Nextel company. If Reston, VA wasn't a 7-hour drive away, I'd head to the damn corporate headquarters and duct tape my phones to their front door because no one else will accept the damn things.

But wait, there's MORE!

I replied to the standard email that claimed they could not help me. I explained to them that THEY WERE the point of sale. I asked how I could return my equipment to them. Their response?

We received your request to cancel service and are sorry that the service did not meet your needs; however at this time we are unable to process your request via e-mail.

So once again, my advice to you if you need a wireless phone -- stay far, far away from the company that claims to be Sprint/Nextel.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:02 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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