And the exodus continues....

As a satisfied Sprint customer, what should I expect the future to hold? If Sprint is bought out, will I be able to keep my decent plan that I am completely satisfied with? Or will my service die a la Amp'd?

75 cents a minute? Was he roaming on 3rd party networks(Does sprint even do this in the digital age)? I can understand sprint not being able to credit you money that has to be paid by them to a 3rd party. But if you were on sprints network the whole time, there is no reason why they can't just bill you the normal monthly fee because the minutes were no more expensive than that.

i hate people like this kid, dude u went into the military your not a god, no one forced you into the military, you willfully joined because you thought you would enjoy it

dont throw it in peoples faces like that, you were protecting your own freedoms too

(please dont tell me otherwise thats garbage, no1 just joins up for the hell of it especially with all the war going on, you must enjoy the military)

@rasbill: That seems like an argument for another time and place.

The real issue is Sprint's customer service, and how dealing with them it is akin to going up to a brick wall and pounding out the Star Spangled Banner with one's head.

Just get them to pay the bill like they offered, then turn around and shut it off for military leave w/o Early Termination Fee

Did he call sprint and have his phone turned back on, or did he just get back in the states and figure that turning the phone on and using it constituted with him un-suspending it? something dosent add up here.

I also notice these two seperate portions of his letter that dont match up:

"The second representative gave me 1/2 off the disputed amount and suggested I talk to their collections department to set up payment (I am a very low ranking member of the Navy, E-3, and therefore, don't make much money). "

vs.

"This is when I knew things would be ugly. It is not the matter of the money so much as a supervisor, the supervisor's supervisor, said the words, "I don't care," to a customer who has not only been with their company for nearly 4 years, but a Patriot, who signed a contract for 4 years to defend America and his right to say, "I don't care." I want to send a message, "I DO CARE," and even if my case is not brought to justice, I want to warn others, especially Hero's who have served much longer than myself, that Sprint does not care and to stay clear."

This looks like a combo sprint/user error to me. I wonder if this hero finds people who work in service industries to be heros as well, since he fights for our rights, and we work every day to give him something to fight for and maintain.

i think it's time for an eecb of sprint about it. and DO alert the media--our local abc news makes bigger waves for consumers than I would expect, being a dinky news station in WI. look into your local atations--san diego should have alot more power.

Doesn't surpirse me a bit. see also www.sprint-really-sucks.com

i don't like it when i see other members of the military throwing that around like it's supposed to help in situations like this. i'm a higher rank than this guy (e-6) and i'm still deployed, actually in a country where people are trying to kill me daily. not to knock the navy, but seriously, how are you a hero? i've known heroes, and none of them called themself a hero. they just did their job and didn't expect anything in return. i'm on my second deployment, and i don't even bring that up to CSRs unless it's part of the conversation. not to say it's a bad idea, sometimes the CSR will waive a fee or discount a price, but i don't throw my status as a veteran around. it makes the military look bad, and gives people like rasbill a reason to talk bad about people like me, who do love my job and joined BEFORE the wars.

I feel your pain. I recently signed up for a pay as you go plan with Alltel. When I called Sprint to cancel my contract, I was informed for the first time, that the cost was not $200.00 but $200.00 per line. I share minutes with my husband. If you go into any Sprint/Nextel store and ask what the cancellation fee is, they will tell you $200.00. It's on their contract but they mislead their customers verbally. I plan on filing a complaint with my Attorney General's office...Consumer Protection. I'm hoping someone will have enough on them to start a class action suit. Good luck with your problem and thank you for defending our country.

C'mon Ryan, I'm in the military too, and have been subjected to repeated extended deployments. Sure, it's a bit of a hassle sometimes, keeping things like this straight, but you really shouldn't try to use your own ignorance of Sprint's policies as an excuse, I don't think. YOU signed the contract. It's YOUR responsibility as a subscriber to know what's in it.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, they say.

thank you looney82 as i do appreciate what you are doing for me, and am glad you understand my position

and i agree with cyberscribe 100%

but sprint sucks still, have we found a cell company that doesnt suck?

@rasbill:
And posts like this remind me of the kid who said "I don't care." Most people don't join the military because they think they'll "enjoy it." If you believe that, you have one skewed perception of the world and the people in it. People in the military join it to protect fifty states, five territories, and the district of Columbia. Then again, If you think we do it "for fun" or "for the hell of it", I wouldn't expect you to get it anyways.

I think you meant, "less sucky" than the rest? (because they all suck to some degree, some more than others)

Wow. I'm glad that people who are in the military, who do all the right things to take care of these types of things before hand, STILL get screwed over.

Sprint outsources their call centers and customer service. When will companies wake up and realize that you can't create company loyalty in outsource call centers. It just doesn't happen.

Wow. You can stop throwing your chosen job in everyone's face. We get it. You think everyone should fellate you because you chose to sign up for the military.

I agree with looney82. Real heroes (Thats how you pluralize the word, by the way) do not call themselves heroes. You are squandering the good will that people feel towards service members. You and McCain.

You should have called them. Yes, I agree that they should fix that situation and credit you for the overage. I feel that they should do this out of respect for you as a PERSON and as a CUSTOMER. You don't get super-special treatment for your job, but you should get at least baseline respect as a human.

@Osagasu: I've known multiple people who joined the military because they wanted to have a few new experiences and/or wanted to go play with guns and/or wanted to go kill people in the middle east(Really.)

You failed to say whether you're in the military or not. Clarify that point, if you would.

that's out of line. Sprint should just eat the bill, then have the guy switch over to a nation wide plan.

He should make sure to keep pointing out that he's an america patriot and a real american hero ... to a CSR who is very possibly not even american. "You can't do this to me! I'm an american!"

...whatever.

irrelevant angle to the story.

hmmmmm, it sounds to me like he didn't follow through and should have called them when he got back from deployment. That being said, Sprint should just refund the difference (unless for some reason it really cost them a lot more for him to use the minutes) and tell him to make sure to call them in the future when he returns from deployment.

As much as I sympathize with his plight against sprint, don't bring the "I'm a patriot" thing into it. America's Army is not the glorious group it once was and service in a time when we are invading countries without cause is not something that should instantly gain someone ten points of respect.

Happy Memorial Day, you juvenile military-haters. I hate this war, but I fully support our troops. Ask someone with a brain and a heart to explain this holiday to you, then come back here and apologize.

The problem? The "Kabul"stone streets he was walking weren't black and white, and his flack jacket wasn't a trenchcoat...

To all the people giving the OP crap for throwing down the Hero/Patriot card...maybe he's proud of what he does, as he should be...and like it or not, he IS putting himself in harms way...it's like he works at Toys 'R Us where the biggest danger is Nerf fire. I think most of you are really desensitized to the harshness of war (FWIW, I'm in no way involved in our nation's defenses...and would probably shit myself in a haunted house, so I respect the bravery of those who are out there).

Also, the fact that he was serving abroad is VERY relevant to this case, since that is why he suspended his service. It's not like he's some businessman who wanted to get out of paying his bill during the time he was overseas banging a Thai hooker... Sprint should have, un-prompted, gone above and beyond for him. Hell, even the airlines give perks such as lounge access to armed forces members...

@LUV2CattleCall:

*it's NOT like he works at Toys 'R Us

@SMSDHubbard: The reasons I usually hear are "I wanted some adventure" or "My dad was military" or the ever-popular "I wanted to figure out who I was."

@looney82:

this guy knows.

@Me: They're juvenile, yet you're the one stooping to name calling.

I see. I see.

This is the beat-the-customer service I encountered way too often when I was a Sprint customer. Regardless of who this customer was, the service described here was mean and stupid. As for using the military angle, I think this guy got really po'd at the customer service, as well as Sprint's total lack of accountability, and he started throwing out whatever arguments he thought might get him a fair result. Sounds like the military angle didn't work, and it played out as sort of a red herring. But I wouldn't hold it against him that he tried, and I certainly respect him and everybody else in the military over there--living away from home and family for months or years, among people who hate you and want to kill you, dealing 24/7 with military job politics, wearing heavy clothing and gear in 100+ heat. The job conditions aren't so great. It's not exactly a climate controlled cubicle that comes with an assigned parking place.

I'm a 4 year (current) member of the military, and one of my biggest pet peeves is when someone throws around the "military" card. Yes, you can be proud of your job, but don't throw around the dribble of "I'm protecting your freedomz!11!" to someone working in Bangledesh. No one's freedoms are being protected in Iraq.

Like someone else mentioned, those throwing around the military card every chance they get are taking advantage of the good will of the American public.

Some of these customers need to learn how to summarize and put things into lists. This particular individual is one of them.

"to a customer who has not only been with their company for nearly 4 years, but a Patriot, who signed a contract for 4 years to defend America and his right to say, "I don't care.""

Seaman Ryan,

Pushing paper and sending e-mail does not make you a patriot. Thank you for defending my freedom by typing up naval correspondence in front of a computer.

Sincerely,

YN2

annnddddd the inter military flame war starts again! Hey, here's one! Why do navy guys have their name printed on the back of their pants? So the marine knows who he's nailing!

Sprint was rude and they shouldn't be rude to ANYONE. You have a right to demand they explain what happened, why it happened, and how it can be remedied. Just like anyone else.

However, throwing around the whole "I made a career choice that takes me away from my family so {quiet sobbing} I could protect y-y-your f-f-f-freedoms . . . " bit won't get you anywhere.

@ SMSDHubbard at 04:38 PM -- dude, I'd like permission to quote you the next time someone starts the whole "but I'm military!" argument with me. Your first paragraph was excellent!

Correct me if I am mistaken, but I get the feeling that the $500 charges are for all the minutes he used after he came back to the States. Since he never called Sprint to re-activate his account that was on hold, he was using on a minute-by-minute basis since he didn't have an active service plan. True, Sprint should have warned him, but he should also be aware of policies and contracts that he signs.

Sprint hates America. But they love illegal wiretapping for pay.

@SomeoneElseNotMe: Bro, I really hope that you cop that attitude while drinking at a bar filled with servicemen. No, servicewomen, so they can school you.

Onouris belched: "They're juvenile, yet you're the one stooping to name calling. I see. I see."

Aren't you special... ed.

I hate when people bring up "I protected my country and I deserve to be treated like a hero" when they argue this stuff. Sprint is either right or wrong. They should refund you the difference, but your military service record is irrelevant.

Just a reminder- nobody made you sign up. You volunteered.

i think most of you guys missed his argument completely, he was sent out to sea and he knew about it before hand so he did everything he should have and then some, and even included a date when he would return, and then sprint screwed him over. that's the whole point of his letter is that he did the right thing and spring screwed up and he wants redemption. and about what he did at sea? it's irrelevant. he might have been behind a computer but that computer might have been controlling a UAV that destroyed many terrorists and helped keep them from injuring innocent people, or maybe he was indeed sending emails, that doesn't mean his job is any less important. without computer databases the whole armed force would be at a major disadvantage, and you might be dead if it weren't for this man doing his job. maybe you should stop and think before criticizing someone you know nothing about. however, i completely agree that he did overstate the fact that he is in the military, but that does not mean you need to jump down his throat for a simple mistake. why don't you go give up 4 years of your life for something bigger than your mouth for a change and then come back once you've seen the other side.

also he never called himself a hero, merely other people who have been in the service longer than him heroes, as they should be called. so once again rtfa before you speak please

@Trai_Dep: Hey, that's a good way to further the stereotype that the US military members are a bunch of knuckle-draggers with violent tendencies.

Hell, I'd keep away from any bar full of military folks anyway. The music probably sucks there.

@rasbill: Hey moron, before you call someone out for serving their country maybe you should do a little research. It's obvious you've never served so until then shut your ignorant mouth. Being deployed is mostly not fun, nor easy, and having lived through this and worse I totally agree with Ryan.

The fact is that the law is on his side [usmilitary.about.com] and those pricks at Sprint should know better. See there are any number of shady companies that prey specifically upon servicemembers. So much so that congress decided to do something about it. Members of the military have special protections against this kind of idiocy, for just this reason.

So before you go spouting off at the mouth, on Memorial Day weekend no less, take a minute and count your blessings.

Why does the fact that someone's in the military always come up? You don't deserve any better customer service than anyone else.

Wow, I never knew so many readers here hated America and/or the military.

Sprint's trying to take advantage of an enlistee and y'all are more concerned with illegal wars and invasions.

@loueloui: You made a choice to join the military. Ryan made a choice. Lose the entitlement.

to a customer who has not only been with their company for nearly 4 years, but a Patriot, who signed a contract for 4 years to defend America and his right to say, "I don't care."

Ryan: ditch the military bs, except where it's directly related to the contract. If you treat the CS people like equals they just might help you out. People tend to react poorly to a superiority complex. Which you clearly have. It can be a symptom of PTSD, so you might want to talk to someone about it.

most of you don't get it...some get it halfway or three-quarters of the way...

think about this in a different way...if the OP was a regular joe-schmo (and not a self-proclaimed "hero") and wanted to suspend service temporarily, he could do so without terminating his contract and thus, not incurring an ETF. Sprint doesn't give you $75 or $150 towards the cost of a new phone so they can lose money and therefore they charge you a nonimal dollar amount during your "hibernation" period.

IT IS THE OP'S RESPONSIBILITY, to call Sprint and change his plan when he returns. Sprint doesn't care that you sent a letter requesting service to be restored at a certain date. For all they know, you could be dead (or on extended leave). Then, they have a greater issue when the bill comes around. This is a business, people. The fact that Sprint would credit him ONE f'in cent is ludicrous.

The "supervisor" that said he doesn't care is absolutely in the right. If he really said "I don't care", then he needs to be more professional and polite as a higher ranking member of this organization.

Just my 2 cents worth...

@Allie928: do you realize that EACH LINE OF SERVICE is one contract and thus, the ETF applies to each contract? don't was your time.. the AG is gonna laugh in your face

3 cents now...

@loueloui: No holiday makes a man immune from having his bullshit called. And this rant to Sprint stunk of it.

wow. it's amazing how many opinions you can get out of one private (or whatever the navy calls them) writing a stupid email to the consumerist. i can tell just from reading some of the comments that some of you haven't ever had a serious conversation with a soldier. or at least not a soldier who has deployed. most of us signed up because we didn't know what else to do. not because we're stupid or anything like that, but because that was the option that gave us direction. i have a squad of 12 guys under me now, and 10 of them have told me at least once during this deployment that if they hadn't of joined the army, they'd be flipping burgers or worse. and not a single one of my soldiers wants praise for signing up and coming over here. the fact that their job is to close with and destroy the enemy doesn't transfer back to the civilian world. it's not supposed to. anyone who is in the military can tell you, it's our own world. we have our own way of talking, our own haircuts, and our own way of life. sure it's nice to have someone who doesn't understand any of that say "thanks" every once in a while, but none of my guys expect it. we know why we do what we do, and that's enough for all of us.

one thing i learned being in the military... always have a plan; expect the unexpected... also, being in the military does not make you anything special... everything thats presented to you is a courtesy... as for this kid... this kids a nut job... yea knowing sprint sucks is another thing... but for him to make sure everything is taken cared off before he left, he did a very poor job at that... honestly, good luck to him getting his dilemma resolved...