Sprint posts 4th Quarter results, another 1.3 million subscribers gone 50
Well, it couldn’t all be good news in these turbulent times. Sprint/Nextel has posted their fourth quarter earnings, and the news isn’t fantastic. They’ve lost another 1.3 million subscribers and a net loss of $1.6 billion for the quarter. There is a silver lining to all this though; these numbers are actually better than what investors were expecting, and Sprint’s stock rose 24 percent to $3.45 a share (as of this writing). There is also a fair amount of optimism regarding the upcoming Pre release, and that it may be the EpiPen to Sprint’s customer allergy.
The big thing here, is that Sprint needs to narrow down WHY they’re losing so many customers. Is it lack of phones? Bad customer service? Bad network? All of the above? What do you all think? Any Sprint users out there, what are your experiences recently? As a Sprint user myself, I can say that the service has had its ups and downs, but lately things seem to have been improving with quality of service and customer focus.
50 Comments
I have done my best not to deal with Sprint very much so I can barely comment on their current status. We keep our Treos for years and tend to know more about them than Sprint personnel, so I rarely have to deal with Sprint personnel. We're very Treo-focused so we don't know much about Sprint's phone selection, either (or I don't, anyway).
I can tell you that, in the past, their customer service really WAS horrendous - over the phone, anyway. Even the simplest things took too long and were too darn difficult. Follow-through was pretty bad, as well.
Not sure if that helps, but that's my perspective, at the moment.
Switched from Alltel to Sprint in August of 2006 to get a 700P and I've been happy with both their CS and cellular coverage.
Reputaton - They are still know for having terrible cusotmer service, despite the fact it has improved.
Lack of the it phone-
Pre may be that phone, but in the meantime Apple and At&T are taking customer left and right.
I've been a sprint customer for like 12 years. My 1st plan cost more than I pay now and had so few minutes it wasn't even funny. Now I get tons of extra features and pay less. Plus I was never picky in the past and even recently now that I'm more picky, they haven't not had a phone to meet my needs and wants. Customer service has always been excellent. Granted not every rep is, the key is early identify the bad ones and ask to talk to another rep or service level. I've also very rarely had signal issues. And found in those rare cases they, through a process of elimination found the causes and resolved the issue. I don't follow all the latest devices, could it be a continue flow to other carriers for the latest fad device that is exclusive with another carrier? I'd put money on that as a possible cause for some. But it is hard to put it down to just a few things. Unless they get everyone that has left to honestly say why they left, I doubt anyone can really narrow down specific. I simply don't see any reason to leave so I personally don't see why others could leave. Why leave to pay more with another carrier for the same stuff you get with sprint. Obviously there is some reasons that elude me otherwise people wouldn't leave.
It's funny how perceptions are relative. I left Verizon mainly because they were always 6 months behind on getting smart phones (but also because of their ridiculous prices and policy of locking out features).
It has always seemed to me that Sprint is one of the first to get the new smart phones (especially Palm devices). I went to AT&T for the BB Curve and the roll-over minutes, but I am seriously considering moving to Sprint for the Pre.
"The Network" is Verizon FUD IMHO. If anything, I get better reception with AT&T in the places I travel (WA, IL, MT, CA). If Sprint's coverage maps and policy of free roaming are any indication, I'll be happy with their reception also.