Sprint to the back of the pack

I just got a notification from Sprint, my mobile carrier for many years, that an important feature I use, Voice Command, will be discontinued as of July 1. For those of you who don’t know that that feature is, you can maintain a list of names and phone number online at Sprint. When you want to make a call, you touch *Talk and then say, for example, “Call Mike at home.” The system then dials Mike at his home number. I can update the list of names and numbers at will on my computer.

In announcing they were discontinuing the service, they offered two pieces of advice. First, you can download your list of names and number and save them on your own computer. Second, if you want to use voice dialing, you have to upgrade to a phone that has that feature. That’s the rub.

Upgrading means (a) paying something for a new phone, typically about $50, and (b) extending your contract with Sprint for two years. So, for something they are doing, I get penalized not only by the loss of a service, but also financially.

In vain, I called Sprint Customer Service. The elapsed time on the call was over 41 minutes, during which I was on hold one time for 12 minutes. I carefully explained my point that I should not be penalized for something that Sprint is doing to me. And I had to do this with each person I talked to (there were three by the time I was done). To cut to the chase, no one offered me anything … want to upgrade? Here’s the cost and there’s a two-year contract to do it. No deals. Nothing. Nada. I do hope my conversation was one of those that was recorded as I told the last person I appreciated her time with me on the phone, but clearly Sprint was not going to do what seems equitable for its customers in my position.

Seems to me that this is not a way for Sprint to catch up with its competitors. I’m exploring other options.

P.S., I emailed Sprint with my concerns. Here is their reply:

Thank you for contacting Sprint.

I would first like to apologize for any inconvenience that you may have encountered. Unfortunately, this service is not offered to customers migrated to our new billing system, due to system limitations. Thank you again for contacting Sprint. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
Jameszetta L.
Sprint

So, a service is dumped due to software that doesn’t know how to bill for it? Whadda company!

P.P.S, After four more email exchanges with the same customer service representative where I kept repeating my major points and asked for a specific phone at no upgrade charge and no contract extension, they agreed on the specific phone, but I will have to extend my contract to two years from now. I bet there are many people like me who are miffed about this whole debacle and want some equity from Sprint. Let's hear it for those who write software, too, and the snafus they sometimes create.

Letter to the Editor

Fifty years ago, on January 10, 1958, a letter to the editor I wrote appeared in The News at St. Louis Country Day School. Hmmm. Do you think I thought I was being treated unfairly? Guess so. Cannot remember why, though.