Update: Third Largest U.S. Wireless Carrier Sprint Downsizes

saltwn · #1 (**permalink**) 01-18-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

January 18, 2008, 4:35 am

Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News Writer

Reston, VA (AHN) - Sprint Next Corporation will fire 4,000 employees and shut down stores as it lost recently 683,000 subscribers. Because of subscription cancellations and non-renewals which totaled 1.2 million clients in 2007, the third largest wireless carrier in the U.S. will close one-fifths of its retail outlets.

It is the sharpest drop in customer subscription for the Virginia-based company in five years. The recent 683,000 client loss is almost double the 350,000 projection by the Stanford Group.

Michael Nelson of Stanford Group told Bloomberg, "They've dug themselves a much deeper hole to climb out of." But Nelson advised stockholders to hang on their shares, although "It's going to take the company longer than previously anticipated to get back on track."

Following the staff and store reduction announcement on Thursday, Sprint's shares dropped by $1.92 to $9.65 as of 9:42 a.m. at the New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Since July 2002, Sprint's share prices had been tumbling down by as much as 17 percent.

By cutting down its workforce by 6.7 percent, Sprint is expected to save up to $800 million a year. The company has yet to decide if it will retain its Reston office which has a 4,500 staff. Sprint's bigger manpower complement is at its Kansas unit where it keeps 13,000 employees.

The employment cuts will take place by the first half of the year, applying across the firm, including managers. Aside from firing workers, Sprint will close 125 company-owned outlets and severe business ties with 4,000 resellers.
Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved

I tell guys all the time when they start griping about their X's. "Hey, you don't have anything on me, man. Sprint PCS is my ex wife. Yeah, I just gave her more and more money and I never got any satisfaction."

Typical of a company that treats their customers like sheep dip to make that first adjustment by cutting employees.
How about an internal investigation to figure out WHY all those customers sought greener pastures?
Just a thought.

foundit66 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-18-2008, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

I tell guys all the time when they start griping about their X's. "Hey, you don't have anything on me, man. Sprint PCS is my ex wife. Yeah, I just gave her more and more money and I never got any satisfaction."

Typical of a company that treats their customers like sheep dip to make that first adjustment by cutting employees.
How about an internal investigation to figure out WHY all those customers sought greener pastures?
Just a thought.

Haha. You've got a "Sprint" issue too?

I moved and needed to get my phones changed over for the new area code / phone number.
They stepped me through the procedure, and then my phone stopped working.
Turns out that one of their system "upgrades" introduced new security measures which were incompatible with my phones system, and they never upgraded the phones software to accomodate it. NO upgrades available.
They couldn't even give me my OLD number back...

I asked them why they told me they could change the phone if it wouldn't work, and the customer reps just didn't get it.
One lied to me and told me that I could get a replacement phone at the store free of charge. I showed up and found out it was just a credit towards a new phone, and I would still have to shell out $$$ for their mistake. (The credit wasn't enough to pay for even their cheapest phone.)

Another told me that she would help me cancel without fees, and instead massive fees were tacked on.

I spent many hours in Sprint stores, many hours driving back and forth to "better" Sprint stores with more capability which supposedly could fix the problem, re-explaining the problem over and over again to customer reps on the phone who told me to do the exact same thing...

I was so pissed I rode out the remaining two months of the contract with one of the "numbers" having no cell phone.
And then when I went to cancel, those %@$# still had the gall to lie to me on the phone and claim that I had extended my service contract and couldn't cancel without fees.

I went online to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I found out they had a whole separate section for cell phone complaints. Must need it because of volume...

highway80west · #3 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 01:18 AM

Oh wow!! No wonder I still go with Verizon Wireless. They must be laughing the butts off.

saltwn · #4 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foundit66

Haha. You've got a "Sprint" issue too?

I moved and needed to get my phones changed over for the new area code / phone number.
They stepped me through the procedure, and then my phone stopped working.
Turns out that one of their system "upgrades" introduced new security measures which were incompatible with my phones system, and they never upgraded the phones software to accomodate it. NO upgrades available.
They couldn't even give me my OLD number back...

I asked them why they told me they could change the phone if it wouldn't work, and the customer reps just didn't get it.
One lied to me and told me that I could get a replacement phone at the store free of charge. I showed up and found out it was just a credit towards a new phone, and I would still have to shell out $$$ for their mistake. (The credit wasn't enough to pay for even their cheapest phone.)

Another told me that she would help me cancel without fees, and instead massive fees were tacked on.

I spent many hours in Sprint stores, many hours driving back and forth to "better" Sprint stores with more capability which supposedly could fix the problem, re-explaining the problem over and over again to customer reps on the phone who told me to do the exact same thing...

I was so pissed I rode out the remaining two months of the contract with one of the "numbers" having no cell phone.
And then when I went to cancel, those %@$# still had the gall to lie to me on the phone and claim that I had extended my service contract and couldn't cancel without fees.

I went online to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I found out they had a whole separate section for cell phone complaints. Must need it because of volume...

I hear ya, man. I feel your pain. I got similar horror stories.

SPRINT PCS

saltwn · #5 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highway80west

Oh wow!! No wonder I still go with Verizon Wireless. They must be laughing the butts off.

Where do you think all those customers went? Verizon and Alltell and some just plain stopped in their tracks and said- Know what? I don't need a cell phone. It's a catchy little electronic fad. -So they went back to the land line!

cnredd · #6 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

Where do you think all those customers went? Verizon and Alltell and some just plain stopped in their tracks and said- Know what? I don't need a cell phone. It's a catchy little electronic fad. -So they went back to the land line!

I just got my first cell phone last week from my sister...

It's a Tracfone, so I just prepay for use...

I've used it once(Last Sunday night)...To call my sister and let her know it works...

Yagmi · #7 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

I just got my first cell phone last week from my sister...

It's a Tracfone, so I just prepay for use...

I've used it once(Last Sunday night)...To call my sister and let her know it works...

I carry 2 cell phones... One is my work phone, which I am required to answer 24/7. I can not use it for personal use, so I have my own personal phone for my use. I haven't had a land line in 8 years.. and I don't miss it....

Nextel dropped the NASCAR sponsorship last year and I wonder if that was something that killed their user base as well... It was teh NASCAR Nextel Cup, now it is just the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

fxashun · #8 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highway80west

Oh wow!! No wonder I still go with Verizon Wireless. They must be laughing the butts off.

I've been with Sprint Cingular and Verizon. For customer service, I agree with you, Verizon is the best so far. I've renewed with them twice.

highway80west · #9 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxashun

I've been with Sprint Cingular and Verizon. For customer service, I agree with you, Verizon is the best so far. I've renewed with them twice.

I got a new cellphone from VZW. I had to go through their customer service rep. to get the phone I wanted. Yep. Verizon is the best. I've been with them for over 10 years now.

saltwn · #10 (**permalink**) 01-19-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yagmi

I carry 2 cell phones... One is my work phone, which I am required to answer 24/7. I can not use it for personal use, so I have my own personal phone for my use. I haven't had a land line in 8 years.. and I don't miss it....

Nextel dropped the NASCAR sponsorship last year and I wonder if that was something that killed their user base as well... It was teh NASCAR Nextel Cup, now it is just the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Sprint and Nextel merged. Made a lot of Nextel customers mad.
I'd say more but I'm fixin' ta lose my Internet for awhile.

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