Most “happy ending” stories we post involve customer service reps who do a little more than what the script provides. But this story is slightly different, in that the customer still managed to get good customer service, even while dealing with people who didn’t seem to know what was going on.

Consumerist reader Bill’s phone finally went kaput last Friday and even though his contract doesn’t come up for renewal until September, he’d heard hushed whispers that Sprint was running some a program where they were buying out contracts early in order to retain customers. So he decided to inquire.

Writes Bill:

Yesterday I initiated a chat, where I was told that they were running a promotion that would allow me to upgrade early, but that she had no details and I had to go to the store. So at lunch I went to a local Sprint store, where I was met with confusion. There was no promotion in the system and no note on my account to let me upgrade early.

I told the associate that I could provide documentation from Sprint chat logs promising me an upgrade, and he said that he is not surprised, Sprint chat seems to make bogus promises quite often. I clearly wasn’t happy, and the associate put me on the line with Sprint Customer Care. He actually pushed the button for the retentions department, and said, “This is the department you want.”

They came on, and I explained my situation, my shitty EVO, my experience with the chat rep, etc… the guy instantly said that Sprint would buy out my remaining contract and let me renew today. He said the cost is usually 45-100 dollars, but since I was so close to my renewal period he would do it for 45. He said he’d call when the buyout went through.

Even with the promise of a call-back, Bill says he was skeptical. So when dinner time rolled around and he hadn’t heard back from Sprint, he went online to check his account.

“It showed that I am qualified for a new phone as of 4/1/2012… success!” he writes. “It took an unhelpful chat rep, a retention associate who promised to call and never did, and a confused/frustrated, yet helpful associate, but I got the early upgrade.”

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