Rant against Sprint PCS

Member

If anyone here works there, oh well. My THIRD Sprint phone died last night. Another 3 - 5 days with no phone. Not to mention the constant dropped call, network busy, network unavailable..etc. I had EIGHT missed calls on Sunday in less than an hour!!! Sometimes don't get messages for up to a day...I am locked into a contract for a year and a half longer or I would drop them. DON'T get a Sprint phone, whatever you do!!!!

Adjunct

i dropped them like a bad habit
their service sucked so bad i was on major highways and it would drop off

inconsistent is what i say
stop with the bells and whistles and give me a phone that works!!

Queenie

Okey-dokey. You da boss. Wanna hammer?

Member

Member

I have had Sprint PCS for about 4 years. I have never had a problem. The phones are not made by sprint, though. What kind of phones did you get? I have had two Samsungs and been very happy with them. My first one went after about 2 years of abuse.

I only pay $24.99 a month (its called the all nighter plan, I really only use it off peak, most of the time). I get 70 minutes peak and 500 off peak. I never go over my minutes.

Member

Kristin I sent you some info abut calls being dropped in your area of Ohio and found out a few more things.

http://www.wirelessadvisor.com/waforums/messageview.cfm?catid=4&threadid=4841

Here's a sample:

I've been surprised by the number of dropped calls, usually when I'm at home where the signal stregth is poor.

Can dropped calls be a problem with any service provider? Or is the poor signal strength the reason for the dropped calls?

Dropped calls can and will happen with any provider. Wireless service is not designed to cover residential areas as well as it does highways and shopping areas.

Another big factor in the dropped call sector is the number of people that are on the tower when you are calling. I'm sure you are aware that the bars of service on your phone is a poor way to determine if your phone will hold a call. I live in a residential area where I get 1 bar on my phone, but rarely miss calls and never drop them unless I am in the shower Smile

However if you get into an area like a university, the dropped call frequency will increase just because of the number of people that are there and saturating the tower.

Usually, when a tower is too congested what happens is that it won't give your cellphone a new channel to make the handoff from the tower you are getting away from. Eventually, the signal from the first tower becomes too weak and then you start asking "can you hear me now?" more than often, until all the sudden you are talking to the air. Right after that you see your phone jump from zero bars to full 4 bars in a split second. I hate when that happens.

That is true for users who don't move the whole day. For instance, when you spend the whole day at home, your phone will be on the same tower all the time. Turning on/off the phone may help there. However, if you go to work or school, you'll be handing off to different towers as you move, therefore this automatically takes care of the registration for you on a daily basis and it wouldn't make any difference if you turn your phone on/off. In addition, TDMA phones (don't know about CDMA), send a packet to renew their registration just about every 5 minutes so the tower database is constantly updated. Therefore, you can be home all the time and tower registration renewal is taken care of for you.

Now, this doesn't mean that everything is red roses and life is perfect and the phone will always ring. Even though the phone is registered as active with the tower an incoming call may fail due to other factors: the phone may not respond in time to the tower's request to "ring", the tower's request may not be heard by the phone for X number of reasons, maybe you were making a call at the same time or just hanged up a call and someone tried to call you at the same time. Sometimes due to atmospheric conditions, interference, trees moving, you name it, the phone can send the response to the request to "ring" back to the tower but the tower may receive it with errors (remember this is digital info) and think that the phone is out of range and order the switch to go to voicemail. There are many other reasons why a phone may not ring when it is supposed to but I don't want to make this post longer than what it is.

Hope this helps.

Adjunct

Member

Oh here's a place to go as well.

http://sprintpcs-sucks.org/howsprintpcsscrewedothers/howsprintpcsscrewedothers.html

http://www.epinions.com/content_56655580804

Sprint Mobile Phone Service in Columbus

I have had Sprint now for almost a year, and I am counting down the days until my contract is up, so I will be able to switch phone companys. My service has been horrible. About 1 out of every 3 calls I make gets dropped; and the ones that are not dropped are very choppy and unclear. The prices generally are pretty good, but they do get you on a lot of charges your first month. The coverage has been horrible. I honostly now don't rely on my cell phone at all because I cant trust it. Sprint is not a good company in my opinion, and I would not reccomend it to anyone that is looking for a cellular phone in the Columbus, OH area.

Recommended
No

Pros
Good commercials.

Cons
Bad service, drop calls, garble, not clear, false advertising.

The Bottom Line
Shop somewhere else and don't believe any salesman. First rule: If their lips are moving, they are not telling the truth.

Full Review

I am waiting for my contract to expire with Sprint PCS, so I can switch service. Most of the times when using the Sprint PCS network, I get drop calls or I will hear an echo of my voice. On these occasions the phone is worthless. I have called customer service and get the same story. Sprint PCS does not guaranteed service within a building. The next time, I plan on trying a service and really testing the reception before buying. Sprint PCS does not practice truth in advertising. I am going to assume that all cellular companies practice the same. The next time, I plan on testing the service before buying. It's too bad that the FTC and FCC does not stop Sprint PCS. Their advertising is FALSE.

Member

K, find out just how long Sprint PCS has been in your area...I'm willing to guess that it's probably within 3-4 years? The problem with Sprint is that they primarily focus on major highways and intersections...so if you don't live near one, you're risking spotty coverage. Also, Sprint PCS is a dual mode phone (meaning it works on 1900 mega Digital/ and 800 mega Analog) Some providers offer a Tri-mode phone...where your phone will work on their digital network...their roaming partners digital network and lastly, their roaming partners analog network.

I've told this to a bunch of people here looking for cell advise, but try to find a provider who's been around the longest in your area. They will by far, have the best local network (unfortunately, their plans may not be as aggressive).

Sorry to hear about all of your problems...being locked in a contract is never good!

joel

Adjunct

what he is saying K is that see him for a great deal Wink

The Pinball

Member

Thanks guys. Monk - I also had the Samsung. Little flippy silver jobby (supposedly latest and greatest).

Keith, I go the links, thanks, unfortunately, it does't change my problem.

Joe - I will definitely opt for the 60 day thing then.

Joel - I know they've been here at least 4 years, not sure if any longer. I think I may go to Nextel next.

Member

Thanks guys. Monk - I also had the Samsung. Little flippy silver jobby (supposedly latest and greatest).

Keith, I go the links, thanks, unfortunately, it does't change my problem.

Joe - I will definitely opt for the 60 day thing then.

Joel - I know they've been here at least 4 years, not sure if any longer. I think I may go to Nextel next.

Member

Nextel is an awesome product! BUT, make sure you get a lot of 'word of mouths' on the network before you go that route. Also, their phones primarily work on their network and no one else's. So if you ever go to less populated areas your phone won't work...period...not even to dial 911!

Member

Rant against Sprint PCS

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