Pin drop? More like dropped calls!
Written: Feb 12 '02 (Updated Jul 17 '02)
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Pros: Nationwide long distance & coverage, price, automatic payment
Cons: Unreliable service in some areas, poor customer service
The Bottom Line: Superior to other providers in many ways, most importantly in pricing and coverage. However, horrible reception in certain areas/buildings (e.g., facing the East River) and terrible customer service.
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| nyceric's Full Review: Sprint Mobile Phone Service in New York |
I've been a Sprint PCS customer for about three years now and primarily use my phone (a Motorola Startac) in the New York City area. My current plan costs $39.99 per month and includes 350 peak minutes and 2150 off-peak minutes to anywhere in the U.S. Below I will outline some major strengths and weaknesses of this mobile phone service provider.
STRENGTHS
--Nationwide long distance & coverage: When Sprint PCS first entered the mobile phone market about 7-8 years ago, coverage for this ‘from-the-ground-up’ provider was limited to major cities only. Coverage now is very comprehensive domestically, with digital service available in all major cities and suburbs. I’ve been very pleased to find service with good reception during trips to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Buffalo. Minutes included in Sprint PCS “Free and Clear” plans include long distance to anywhere in the U.S. as long as you are calling from any Sprint PCS digital calling area (any major city). Some other companies include long distance only if calling from one’s home service area. When driving through rural areas, my phone switches to ‘analog roam’ and reception is okay but there is an additional charge. For example, I had decent reception on a call to New York while driving in rural Arizona but was charged $0.69 per call and $0.50 per minute.
--Included features: Included in my calling plan are caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, and voicemail. These are great features for keeping in touch with friends during a night out or, as needed, screening calls.
--Price: Sprint PCS pricing plans are less expensive than any other provider that I have come across, especially given the included long distance across the U.S. and features.
$29.99 for 200 peak minutes and 1800 off-peak minutes
$39.99 for 350 peak minutes and 3650 off-peak minutes
$49.99 for 500 peak minutes and 4500 off-peak minutes
$74.99 for 1000 peak minutes and 6500 off-peak minutes
In addition to these reasonable pricing plans, Sprint PCS also offers 12 cents per minute calls to Canada for $3 per month.
--Off-peak minutes: As noted above, each plan includes plenty of off-peak minutes (I’ve never used up all of my off-peak minutes). Unfortunately, the Sprint PCS definition of ‘off-peak’ is limited to between 9 PM and 7 AM Monday to Friday and all weekend.
--Website: The Sprint PCS website (www.sprintpcs.com) is well designed and provides a bounty of up-to-date account information, including minutes used and remaining, plan options (e.g., wireless web, voice activated calling). The website also allows one to check up on coverage before traveling and to browse the new phones that are available.
--Automatic payment: Since signing up online for Sprint’s automatic payment feature last year, I have not had to worry about sending checks or late fees because the bill is automatically charged to a credit card on the due date. Very convenient! I still receive a detailed bill in the mail each month.
WEAKNESSES
--Dropped calls & Missed calls: Living in midtown Manhattan for the past two years, I consistently had great reception and rarely experienced dropped calls. After moving into an apartment that faces the East River, however, my reception (while in my apartment) ranges from perfectly clear to horrible, with loud static and dropped calls. This poor reception occurs suddenly and without warning, even when my phone indicates full signal strength. The tale does not end there, however. My phone often does not even ring when I’m in my apartment. In these instances (which occur multiple times per week), my voicemail will usually beep within minutes after the caller has left a message. On one occasion, my phone did not ring and my voicemail did not indicate a new message until over 3 hours after the caller had left a message! After many frustrating attempts to contact customer service (more on customer service below), I was told that they cannot guarantee service within buildings and that I might get better reception with a new phone. I was already considering buying a new phone so I may do that in the near future (and hope that my reception gets better) but I will also ask around to see if other providers provide better reception in my particular building.
--Peak minutes: As indicated above, Sprint PCS defines ‘peak hours’ (rather liberally) as between 7 AM and 9 PM Monday to Friday. Because of this, I often go slightly over my allotted peak minutes (350 per month) and have to pay $0.40 per minute over.
--Customer service: Over the years, each of my attempts to contact customer service has ended in utter frustration. I have never waited less than 30 minutes on the phone to speak to a company representative. Service at the various centers around Manhattan (for example the one near Bryant Park) is no better and I waited in line there for over 30 minutes. The Sprint PCS representatives that I have dealt with have nearly all had negative attitudes and some have been outright rude. The one time that I e-mailed customer service, they responded within a few days but provided entirely unhelpful information. I have always known that telephone companies have horrible customer service (ironically, especially over the phone) but Sprint PCS has really set the standard in truly miserable customer service.
--Limited mobile phone selection: Sprint PCS currently offers a selection of about 12-13 different phones, including some from Sanyo, Samsung, Kyocera, as well as Sprint’s own line of phones. Notably absent from this lineup are the ever-popular Nokia phones (which were last available for Sprint PCS about two years ago). Available phones range from about $100 to about $500 (for the Samsung SPH-I300, which is a PDA/phone combo).
OVERALL
Sprint PCS is superior to other providers in many ways, most importantly in pricing and coverage. However, I strongly caution anyone whose apartment faces the East River about dropped calls and poor reception. I recommend this provider for those who do not have apartment facing the East River, do not use their mobile phones much between 7 AM and 9 PM on weekdays, and do not want to ever speak to a company representative. For those who are still convinced that Sprint PCS is the best option for them, definitely check with the Sprint PCS website and local stores (e.g., Circuit City) for rebates and/or promotions for new customers.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.99
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Epinions.com ID:
nyceric
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Location: New York City
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
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