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Friday July 31, 2009
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 The stellar Palm Pre gave Sprint a desperately needed sales boost, but it wasn't enough to stem the tide of customers leaving the troubled carrier. As eWEEK reports, Sprint lost another 300,000 customers in the second quarter, leaving Sprint with 48.8 million--and another $384 million net loss for the same time period.
On the plus side, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told investors that the Palm Pre was the most successful launch in Sprint's history. He cited the extra training boost to Sprint employees and a possible softened impact from the iPhone 3GS launch on AT&T in June (which hit the market two days after the Pre did), according to the report.
"When there's a new device launched, say the iPhone in particular, you'll see a blip for a period of time, in increased churn," said Hesse in the article.
Hesse also confirmed that Sprint retains an exclusive for the Pre "into 2010," which of course could mean January 2nd.
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July 31, 2009 1:10 PM
Well when you have horrible customer service I really don't care what super new phone you are offering your customer service is still horrible.
July 31, 2009 1:30 PM
When I go to the Sprint Store for service, or call to ask a question about my bill (like why do I never get charged the correct amount that my contract states) I know I am going to lose 4 hours of my life.
Sprint has the worst customer service of any company on the planet...and come August 1, they will have lost 2 more customers as my wife and I go elsewhere.
July 31, 2009 1:57 PM
hey greg ...you saying sprint has the worst customer service out of any carrier is just another personal bias comment.....thats like me saying i left verizon in 2001 bcuz of there lousy customer srvc back in 2001....but u know what we live in a society that nothing is perfect....the fact that ppl expect perfection nowadays is pretty pathetic...i been with sprint since 2002...yeah they HAD terrible customer srvc back then..but the past year majority of ppl are reporting better stories of there customer srvc....and yrs they are still losing customers to ATT....but its becuz of the iphone....everyone wants that phone....once ATT loses that exclusitivy i suspect sprints churn to turnaround....your just another bitter customer thats bent on things that happened in the past .
July 31, 2009 4:23 PM
Here's hoping it's January 2nd, considering Verizon has already all but said they're getting the Pre around the holidays.
Curiouser and curiouser!
August 1, 2009 3:14 AM
Hey verizon Customers i just left verizon this week for the Pre...Tip: Verizon will RAPE this phone, there is simply too many free things that verizon will charge for and the sprint GPS make verizons look stupid. they will not have any apps other then their own (google that). which everyone knows they have none...(not even a twitter app??????). i am literaly paying 65 dollars left a month for more features...the PRE RULES go and get it and leave crappy verizon...you'll thank me
August 3, 2009 9:11 AM
Way to go Sprint!
August 17, 2009 7:49 PM
@brynn: No seriously, Sprint's customer service IS bad. I switched away from them last month because of repeated bill issues that always turned into lengthy, and very frustrating, telephone calls. Their network is also not that great either because I got a prepaid Tracfone which gets way better signal than I ever got on my Sprint phone. Never mind the fact that the Tracfone is much cheaper anyway.
August 27, 2009 11:45 PM
Even people I know that have Sprint, know they have the worst customer service. The thing that keeps even more Sprint customers from leaving is that they have a vast and fast 3G network, which could be getting faster due to less congestion. Internet services and price(somewhat) is keeping Sprint alive.
October 21, 2009 10:02 PM
I have been with Sprint for 9 years on the same plan. I have noticed in the last 2 years that Sprint CS is much more attentive to my needs.
I agree the CS was terrible at one point, and I almost left them a few years ago. But I am convinced that something has changed for the better at Sprint WRT Customer Service over the last few years. They have been treating me like they care lately.
I try not to call Sprint, I contact them via the sprint.com web site and they have been taking care of me by the next day. I don't have to wait on hold, I just email them thru the website.
In 9 yrs I don't think I have had the same bill twice. I figure if the bill is within $10 of my target bill then that is tolerable. So if you want to be with Sprint you can't be too picky about the bill being the same ea mo. Sometimes it goes down, sometimes it goes up, but it is never exactly the same.
Other rules to follow with Sprint. Try not to go into a Sprint Store, and never believe what they tell you in a Sprint Store. Much of the time it will be wrong and a waste of time. Just go through the website and you will be better off. I do go in once in awhile to see what new phones they have and if a Sprint person talks to me I consider it a free Comedy routine.
I never buy phones from a Sprint Store because I don't want to sign a contract, I buy slightly used phones via eBay after making sure the ESN is clear. Sprint has a way to activate a phone for free on their website by entering the ESN number. Sometimes this works, sometimes not, if not then I do have to call them, but they have been better lately.
The only reason I would leave Sprint is if they forced me to change my plan or sign a contract, which they haven't made me do yet.