The cell phone industry is very competitive right now, so how long will it take for one of these companies to figure out that customers prefer services which do not try to defraud them at every turn? I guess mandatory two year contracts with punitive cancelation fees limit customer choice enough that they figure they don't have to worry about customer satisfaction. They design their billing structure to make fraud seem as if it just can't be helped. It's ridiculous.
I'm supposed to believe that Sprint, this multibillion dollar company, that somehow manages it own finances and internal procurement and billing processes just fine, keeps overcharging me "by accident" because this phone bill thing is just too complicated to understand? Sprint, the same company that has been offering long distance service for decades? First, they charged me a $150 plus tax cancellation fee for combining two phones onto one plan, after the folks at the store had assured me there would be no such charge. (After all the phone I was adding was no longer under a contract anyway). Sure enough, there was the charge, $168 tax included. Another half hour at the SprintPCS store to straighten it out that I will never get back. Don't even think of calling their customer service unless you enjoy being told you "don't understand."
So then, I sign up for a $45 a month 500 anytime minute plan (not the $50 a month 700 minute plan). Sure enough, the first bill shows up as $50 for 500 minutes, plus $55 in overage charges because you can not monitor you minutes the first month, and I had gone over. I go in and tell them they should either give me $5 back for the rate, or $55 back for the extra minutes. They say I'll need to contact customer service at the 800 number, but if I would like to upgrade to the 700 minute plan for the $50 I'm already paying, they can do so right in the store. I decide to do this, then they try to convince me that unless I can come into the store on the exact day my billing cycle ends, I should pay the increased rate for this month, but not receive any extra minutes until next month. They actually tried to convince me I should give up the extra minutes for the first month because it "will be less complicated." In other words, by trying to get the minutes I'm paying for, I am just asking for problems! Almost forgot, you can not monitor your minutes the month you change plans, either.
I am really looking forward to my conversation with customer service about that $5, too. I wonder how long it takes them this time to tell me, "I'm sorry sir, but you must not understand what I'm saying. There is no mistake on your bill."
Posted by Mike at December 4, 2003 06:07 PM | TrackBack