Self-Service Cellular from Sprint
Written: May 14 '03 (Updated May 15 '03)
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Pros: Good phone selection, competitive rates, improved customer service
Cons: Occasional "dropped" or "phantom" calls, customer service is still not stellar
The Bottom Line: Not perfect, but not terrible.
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| mashimaru's Full Review: Sprint Mobile Phone Service in Los Angeles |
{I've been a Sprint PCS customer since November 2000. Although I originally signed up for service in New Orleans, Louisiana, I have commuted between New Orleans in Los Angeles during the last 2 years and had my Sprint bill sent to a California address for over a year.)
I decided to upgrade to cellular service because I was paying nearly $50 for local phone service (including caller-ID, call-waiting, and all that good stuff) and about $40-50 for long distance calls. On top of that, I had a cell phone already, a brick-sized hand-me-down Nokia, in case of emergencies (so I could use it as a weapon – just kidding). I was paying about $15-20 a month for about 10 minutes/month from Cingular, and almost never used it.
A cell phone could give me all that (long distance, caller-ID, call-waiting, three-way calling, voice mail), plus mobility for about 1/2 the price, so it made economic sense. I especially like the Nationwide Long Distance, which was very handy during my traveling back-and-forth between Louisiana and California.
After browsing a few cellular stores in my neighborhood, I picked Sprint for a very frivolous reason – I liked their phones. I thought about staying with Cingular, but when I went to their stores, they didn’t have much selection except that one basic model Nokia. Nokia phones are quite nice, but I don’t like their interface, and I decided that I preferred a flip-phone. And Sprint had a bunch of cute flip phones with fun ring tones.
I've also heard that Sprint PCS is the cheapest among the wireless providers – but a quick check on Amazon.com indicates that T-Mobile is $5 cheaper for at least some of their plans, as of the date of this review. I haven’t done an extensive price check, because each company changes their plans often and offers new promotions all the time. But it's seems that most of the major companies now offer pretty competitive rates.
Sound:
PCS sound is excellent as long as you’re both talking. But while voices sound crystal-clear – even if you’re in the car, the other person will think you’re on a land-line in your living room – anything but voices sounds horrible. If you hold the phone up to the stereo, the other person will just hear MWHA MWAH BLEEP BLEEP. One time I was booting up my computer while using my cell phone, and when the Windows boot-up music came on, the person I was talking to asked me if I had just loudly farted into the phone.
It’s something about PCS, which is a different technology from what other companies use. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s an entirely different cellular network. This is also why your Sprint PCS phone will not be compatible with any other cell phone service. (I don’t know how cross-compatible most other phones/services are, but I do know that my giant vintage Nokia was used with at least three different providers.)
Anyway, if you plan on primarily using the phone for talking, PCS sounds great. However, if you plan on using your cell phone for other things on a regular basis – like playing music for someone else to hear – the PCS won’t work well for that.
Reception:
I haven't had any serious problems with reception. Sometimes while driving long distances, I would get shaky service here and there in remote areas - but it doesn't last - I just try the call a minute later and then it works fine. I've also had no trouble "roaming" with my dual-band phones.
Occasionally, I've had "dropped" calls, and also "phantom" calls where my phone rings but nobody is there. Usually it's someone who called me before and couldn't get through - but now their call is getting through weeks later. This has also happened with voice mail messages. It's annoying and weird, but it only happens about once or twice a year, so I don't think it's too bad.
I've also generally not experienced any difference in reception from using the phone in New Orleans and in Los Angeles.
Is the PCS network superior? I don't know. I do know that when I lived in an apartment, my husband's Nextel phone did not work ONLY in our apartment. But when he switched to Sprint, he had no more problems. And I've had two friends (using Cingular) who had the same problems - they couldn't get reception in their own apartments. But when they switched to Sprint, the problem was solved.
Plan:
Generally, there are Anytime minutes, and there are Night & Weekend minutes, which are during 9pm – 7am and weekends. How many Night & Weekend minutes you use is pretty immaterial, since they give you thousands of Night & Weekend minutes in every plan, and most people are unlikely to exceed it, unless they are nocturnal. So staying within your cell phone plan is all about how much Anytime minutes you use.
• My initial plan gave me 250 Anytime minutes for $34.99 a month. (I used it with the Touchpoint 1100.)
• I eventually upgraded a plan that gave me 350 Anytime minutes for $39.99. (I used it with the LG 5200.)
• Currently I have the PCS Vision plan which gives me $100 for 2000 Anytime minutes that I share with another person. (So theoretically I can use about 1000 minutes for $50.)
Of course there is tax and stuff to consider, and I still maintained a no-frills land-line for fax/data use. In any case, since I’ve got my cell phone, I’ve spent about $70-90 per month on all my phone use, whereas I was spending over $120 per month before. So I definitely saved money by getting a cell phone.
However, when you go over your limit, that’s when you really get screwed - the perils of cellular service. I think Sprint uniformly charges about $0.40/min. for every minute beyond your allotted minutes. Ouch! And I’ve exceeded my plan about two times every year. While I still saved money overall, it still sucks to open your mail and go, “WHAT THE *$%#!”
To avoid the dreaded WHAT THE *$%#! moment, it’s essential that you keep track of your minutes – how much you’ve used so far, and how much you have left. With Sprint, you can call a voice-automated service on your phone to check this, or you can log into www.sprintpcs.com on a regular basis. The numbers aren’t minute-by-minute accurate, but they are updated quite often, and you will get a very good idea about the status of your account. (NOTE: calling the voice-automated service to check your minutes counts towards your Anytime minute usage now. It didn't in the past. Lame.)
If you find that you are regularly going over your minutes, you should change your plan, naturally. And since plans are getting updated all the time, you may get an even better deal. However, keep in mind that changing your plan will probably require you to sign up for at least another year and extend your commitment to Sprint – if you cancel your contract early, you will be charged a hefty penalty. And be aware that sometimes the terms for the plans change, too – for example, when I first upgraded my plan, I discovered that Night & Weekend minutes now began at 9pm instead of 8pm, so I had to remember to wait until 9pm on weekdays for my marathon gab-fests.
Another little snafu I experienced when upgrading my plan was that even though I was already a customer, they still charged me an activation fee (approx $35), so I had to call customer service and complain about it. They removed the charge, but it was still annoying.
www.sprintpcs.com:
I like this site. I can log in to pay my bill, look at my past invoices, check my minutes, and even change my plan or activate new phones. I like having some control over my account, and it minimizes having to deal with Customer Service.
Customer Service:
Sprint customer service is really not great. Basically, if you call them, be prepared to be on hold for a while. They have voice-activated menus that prompt you to say what your problem is – but of course, they never have the exact right menu for what you really want to say. So you’ll just be on hold waiting for a “specialist.” And it will be a while because that’s where all the other callers will be directed to.
However, I must say that during my 2+ years of being a Sprint customer, the customer service on the phone has noticeably improved. I no longer have to wait 20-30 minutes, and the people I’ve talked to have been actually helpful and knowledgeable.
Also, the staff in the Sprint PCS stores seems to have improved – they seem less under-staffed and less frazzled. However, be aware that when you’re signing up for service, they are not necessarily forthcoming when you're trying to figure out the most economical plan for your needs. For example, family members can save with a sharing plan or by purchasing unlimited PCS-to-PCS minutes. But the employees at Sprint PCS won’t necessarily give you that information. I don’t think it’s because they are withholding and trying to squeeze you for all your money. I think it’s because they just don't take the time to figure out how you're most likely going to use your cell phone.
All in all, despite the noticeable improvements, customer service is not a strong point for Sprint. Their website and their whole approach seems to be designed for a kind of do-it-yourself cellular experience. In fact, since you can shop for a plan and phone and even activate your phone online, it's possible that you may never have to speak to a customer service rep. (That's probably the way Sprint likes it!)
My suggestion, therefore, is to spend a little time researching what’s available and figuring out your needs to get the best plan for yourself, and not to rely on the Sprint staff to give you the best deal.
A Horror Story – WHAT THE *$%#! times Nine:
A friend of mine got Sprint PCS, and one day opened her bill for $900.00! She under-estimated her phone usage and got the cheapest plan. She was also under the impression that Night & Weekend minutes applied if it was 9pm in any time zone, not just hers. And she thought local calls were free. Poor thing.
Okay, so this isn’t about how terrible and incompetent Sprint PCS is. But just a cautionary tale for all cell phone users - understanding the plan, anticipating your usage, and keeping track of it is important to avoid the WHAT THE *$%#! moment. This may also be important to remember if you want to get a cell phone for your kids or something.
PCS Vision:
I just got this recently, and haven’t explored all the various uses. However, I can send and receive e-mail, surf the web, and do other neat little things. So I’m pretty excited about it so far, especially since I used my cell phone only for talking and text messaging in the past. And I can take pictures with my phone, too, so that’s fun.
I don't know how useful all this fun stuff is yet, but after I explore it some more, I will update this section of the review.
Tips:
Sometimes, Sprint PCS reps will offer to waive the activation fee for a new customer, if the customer seems hesitant and they really want to make the sale. And sometimes it's an individual store promotion - for example, only Circuit City will offer it one week, but Best Buy will offer it the next week. I don't know how often they do this, but I've been offered it. In any case, if you’re purchasing a new plan, it doesn't hurt to ask.
Also, if an existing customer has referred a new customer, Sprint PCS will give you a referral credit on your bill – $20 for the referrer, and $10 for the new customer. Be sure to exercise this option if you have other friends who use Sprint PCS.
As I mentioned before, sometimes cell phones don't work well if you live in an apartment. I guess it's because more people live in a smaller space and the signals get crossed? Anyway, there is no guarantee that you will get reception where you need it. So be aware that Sprint has a 14-day return policy, during which time you can both cancel your service and return your phone with no penalties. So make sure to save your receipt, and give your phone a test run.
Conclusion:
All in all, Sprint PCS is OKAY. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible. I have recommended Sprint PCS to my friends, usually because they were complaining about their current service, and they were satisfied with the change. I have also bought Sprint PCS phones and service for family members, and there were no problems. I’ve been a Sprint PCS customer for over two years, and I’m likely to stay one for a while – mostly because I’m used to them and I don’t want to change my phone number.
So there you have it – not a very enthusiastic thumbs-up, but a thumbs-up nonetheless.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50
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Epinions.com ID:
mashimaru
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 116
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"Heavy is the head that eats the crayons!"
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