Consumers Take Action!

I think that there should be a consumer agreement. A way for the consumers to protect ourselves in case a company drops the ball after we have signed a multi-year service agreement.

A bought a $499 Sprint camera phone because I wanted to be able to do some picture blogging, but I have only been able to actually post a handful because “There is a problem with the network, please retry later”. It seems that if it is not the right time of day, it is cloudy, the phone is not pointed to the right constellation, or if I do not press the keys just so, the message will never be sent.

That is not the only issue. The other issue is that I have still to receive my $150 rebate check from Sprint. According to them the paperwork was never received (the paperwork was sent). I bought a phone and signed up for a 2 year agreement. It seems that after three months of paid service they would just send me a check, after all they know where I live – I have no problem receiving their bills. It is not like a bought an item at the grocery store and I need to fill out the paperwork to tell them where I live. A bought a phone, I signed up for a 2 year agreement, I have paid my bills, where is my money??

I have been a Sprint customer for almost 7 years!!! I have paid over $100 a month for the past 7 years and the have a problem sending me $150!!!! That is just BAD customer service. When I called to inquire about my check I was told that no, I would be receiving one. After I complained I was told that there was nothing they could do. I have tried escalating the issue, but I have not heard back from anyone. At this point in time I do not care who gives me my $150. Do I need the money? No, but it is the principle – a company can not advertise and promise something that they do not plan on fulfilling.

This is not the only issue I have had with a company. At first we were overpaying our DSL company. SBC had upgraded their service and we were still paying the old rates (a lot of money for slow speed), after we signed up for a new and improved service (a lot of money for super high speed) and had the service for about a minute, we noticed that it was going off and on. We kept calling and calling SBC, but it was always our issue. Finally, we were told that our wiring could not support super high speed and that there was nothing they could do.

Keeping up with these companies, looking closely at the bills, calling when something is wrong, and filling out paperwork takes time. A lot of us barely have the time to keep up with our families much less the phone bill. I think that is exactly what these companies want – to take advantage of us, to take our money when we are not looking. There has to be a way for the consumers to protect themselves, a basic agreement that every company needs to comply with if they want to provide service, it needs to be a two way street.