Sprint automatically started charging me for text messages and data after 2 years of it being included in my plan. I have called them 34 times over the past 8 months since i found out. they only show records of 3 calls since I made them from land lines and I have my phone bill as proof. they show no record of *2 calls, nor do they show on your sprint bill (convenient for sprint). all calls last 1hr30min. then they disconnect me. I have made it through twice to find out that i have been charge $151 EXTRA every month for a year. I have been complaining & they tell me they will fix it and the next month, the same thing happens. AND they never issue the credit.

I've only been a Sprint/Nextel customer for two months now (Nov & Dec. 2007)... I am a huge NASCAR fan and support companies that sponsor anything that has to do with NASCAR, so naturally when I was shopping for a cell phone provider my choice was SPRINT/NEXTEL. All I can say is Sprint/Nextel service is totally unreliable and customer service is a JOKE. Three times in the last ten days I can't even use my new cell phone here at home. I canceled my land line phone since I never used it so my Sprint/Nextel phone is all I have. It seems that every few days I have NO antenna bars at my house where I normally have all five (I live within the city limits in a town of 90,000+)... I complained via email to Sprint's customer service since I couldn't call them on one of those particular days I didn't have service. They replied two days later and told me there wasn't a problem in my area but if it happened again to call *2 to report the problem... HELLO?! I CAN'T CALL *2 IF I DON'T HAVE ANY ANTENNA BARS! (morons)... I was really outraged when the problem occurred again a few days later. My wife had an accident while driving in the snow and was desperately trying to get a hold of me on my phone, but guess what, SHE COULDN'T! The phone kept dropping the call as soon as I answered it. I would have all 5 antenna bars, then none, all 5, then none... I reported this to Sprint/Nextel as well. Two days later I got another email telling me the problem was probably with my phone. The next time it happened I took the SIM card out of the supposedly defective phone and put it in an older phone I had used with T-Mobile in previous years with never a problem... and guess what? It did the same thing! I proved to myself the problem was with Sprint/Nextel's crappy network, not my phone. That very same day my boss was trying to reach me to let me know when and where our luncheon was to be, but the phone kept dropping the call as soon as I answered it. I finally was able to get a short text through to her and get a reply 30 minutes later. By then I was going to be late for the luncheon. It was very embarrassing especially since it was my boss trying to reach me. When I reported this incident to Sprint's customer service they said if the problem happens again to put my Sprint/Nextel phone on "roaming" and I should get service...(I tried and it didn't)... Why should I have to put my phone on roaming WHEN I'M AT HOME?! I am canceling my Sprint/Nextel contract, paying the $200 early cancellation fee, and dumping the crappiest cell phone company I've ever experienced... If you're considering Sprint/Nextel as your cell phone provider - DON'T!

Sprint/Nextel has degenerated to a third-world quality phone service. It's gone down the drain since the merger in 2005. Avoid them at all costs!

Watch this humorous video that includes an actual voice mail greeting by a frustrated Sprint/Nextel customer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUN8N9BQ97c

At the end of Sept or beginning of Oct 2006, I found my service had been restricted - I wasn't able to make outgoing calls nor was I able to check my voice mail. Due to financial difficulties, I was not able to pay my bill (~$276) when I intended to. When I was able to pay my bill, I contacted "customer service" (CS) to find an authorized payment center. Believe it or not, THEY DID NOT KNOW! They suggested I go to WalMart and get a money gram (at a cost, of course). So, upon arriving at WalMart, I shut my phone off as suggested in order to get service restored. When service was restored, I checked my voice mail. Lo and behold, there was a message from Sprint/Nextel letting me know they would offer assistance in getting my service restored anywhere from $300 to 15% off my bill. I called the number they gave me (866-766-5035) along with a reference number. So I called and was on hold for 10 minutes. A message came on saying I could call a different number (866-954-7644) at a later time. I called the 2nd number about an hour later and was put on hold for 40 minutes (thankfully I was reading a book and had my headset). My call went back into queue 4 times. I finally hung up and called the 1st number back. After being on hold for another 10 minutes, a message came on and told me, 'due to technical difficulties, please try your call another time'. They never took my call because I had already paid my bill. I called the 1st number Thurs, Oct 5 and was told since I had already paid my bill, there was nothing they could do for me. After bitching, the guy said he could give me a 5% credit (a whopping $13!).

So, my service had been restricted and I can't check my voice mails. Sprint/Nextel thought it would be cute to leave me an unobtainable message knowing full well I wouldn't be able to take advantage of their 'sympathetic' offer. Why didn't they make this offer when I had spoken to CS the first time (about an hour before I paid my bill)?

So I sent a complaint on Thurs Oct 5 via their online website. I received an email (julziexo@yahoo) saying they would make every effort to address my complaint in 24-48 hours. If I didn't hear back from them within 48 hours, I was to reply to the email and they would let me know the status. The following Wed Oct 11 (6 days later), I replied to the email (along with the tracking number - NT20061005_0000003838). Today is Mon Oct 16. Do you think I have been contacted by Sprint/Nextel in any way? They definately should change their motto (their current motto is, "Where customers come first"). What a scam.

Also, when I signed the contract, I purchased an additional phone and service for my 14 year old daughter. Our numbers differ by 1 number, with mine sequentially coming first with my number being the 'admin'. Somehow, someway, my daughters number was changed to the 'admin'. Upon contacting Sprint/Nextel to change this, they said they have NO way of doing this. Huh?

Had I known Nextel would merge with Sprint, I would have NEVER signed the contract. Isn't that called 'bait and switch'? My service has been extremely shitty since the merge including dropped calls (which I didn't have with Nextel) and delayed voice mails (up to 4 hours).

I'm not looking for a 'free ride'; I realize it is my responsibility to pay my bills. Being a single parent, financial difficulties do arise and the only contact with my daughter is via phone. I figured it would cost just as much to have a land line as cell phones so I cancelled our land line. I can't wait for my contract to expire!

Oh, I just want to say I don't blame the employees who work as customer service reps, I blame the higher ups for the crappy policies they put in place and the standards set for jacking customers around. I'm sure the President and other bigshots are living a life of luxury and really don't care how their pockets get lined. I feel sorry for the employees who feel they have no choice but to work for such a shitty company.

Julie

Grand Blanc MI