An Open Letter to Sprint CEO Gary Forsee
On Saturday I posted a rambling diary documenting my dealings with Sprint Customer Care. My latest bill includes $630 in fraudulent charges and the 108-year-old telcom company is unable and unwilling to help. Their answers – “We’ll give you a $150 credit” and “We won’t charge you for the accessories you were told were free” and “We’ll make you eligible for a mail-in rebate” – have only heightened my anger.
I was going to give up. But after my post, I received some great comments and emails from people urging me to fight on. Like Roger Clemens, I’m retiring from retirement. My first order of business is an open letter to Sprint CEO Gary Forsee.
Dear Mr. Forsee,
I read that Sprint is searching for a new advertising agency. Yearly estimates of your ad spending hover around $1.2 billion. That’s a lot of money.
And if you continue to treat customers the way you do, all that money’s a waste.
Last week, I received a bill with $630 in fraudulent equipment charges (complete details here). I spent six hours speaking with a variety of unhelpful customer care reps. I was driven more and more insane. “Sir, there’s nothing we can do.” The last person asked if I was “100% satisfied.” No percent of me is satisfied.
My tenure as a Sprint customer has been rocky. My first three bills were printed in Spanish. When I called to request bills in a language I spoke, I was told there was “nothing we can do.” That’s a running theme in my dealings with your company.
There is most definitely something you can do.
I want a line item on my next bill with a negative sign propped beside $630. No “we’ll make you eligible for a mail-in rebate” nonsense, or “service credits.” Stop being cute. Just fix it. And not because I wrote a letter and posted it on a widely read website*. Fix it because you were 100% wrong in the first place and it’s your job.
If this is the end of the story – if you’re unwilling to help – then your new ad agency will have to work long and hard to resuscitate your reputation. I don’t think $1.2 billion covers it.
I know of nowhere else to turn. Make this right.
Sincerely,
Jason English
jasonenglish1 (at) gmail (.) com
*I don’t mean this one. I’ve also been documenting the drama on YesButNoButYes.