First.

Posted by: anon at September 2, 2005 09:14 AM

Yikes! That is going to be really hard to get resolved since the sprint people aren't going to be that helpful to a non customer, and I think that it really is out of cingular's control.

Something somewhat related happened to me, if anyone knows how to solve it, I'd love advice.

I was a cellular one customer. When cellular one was purchased by ATT Wireless they could no longer offer me service where I lived (calling plan changed.) I talked to a rep and they terminated the contract without charging an early termination agreement since it wasn't my fault that they would not offer me service anymore. I then signed up with Comcast Cellular and continued on with my life. Then Comcast Cellular was purchased by ATT wireless, and I begin getting charged an early termination charge for the earlier account. I explain the situation and they say different company, no record of that... bla bla bla. Finally ATT wireless is purchased by Cingular.

Now I'm a cingular customer and have had service for 4 years or so, but every year or so a collection agency contacts me about the early termination amount. I send in my dispute letters to the agency and to the credit beureaus and I think everything is taken care of, only to be contacted by a new agency in 9 months or so.

I talk to Cingular who is listed as the account that I owe the ballance on and they say that they show my account paid in full and a customer in good standing, and I can't go back and dispute it with the original people since they are no longer in business.

This has been going on for 5 years, and is affecting my credit rating.

Posted by: Joshua Wood at September 2, 2005 10:06 AM

SprintPCS is just broken in every way. I used them for a couple weeks, and all the calls were crystal-clear...when I could find service.

This seems to be a problem with the phone number switchover, though I'm not sure why it would only affect certain area codes. Perhaps the other people calling you have very fat fingers and are unable to press just one button at a time. I'm pretty sure the number (235834769) 3454345-6786732753230 isn't valid.

"Dude you got a 28-digit phone number goin on here buddy..."

-Dane Cook

Posted by: Manni at September 2, 2005 10:09 AM

Rather than driving yourself crazy just have the phone number changed.

Posted by: Dennis Marks at September 2, 2005 10:34 AM

Okay, maybe I'm just a little crankier than usual this week, but I'd hardly call an inability to receive phone calls from a small percentage of the population "a horror story." Yeah, it's obviously a screw-up on the part of the phone companies (likely SprintPCS), definitely broken, but Jason, if this is the worst horror you have to deal with in this life, you're a very lucky man.

I think Dennis has the best advice: change your phone number -- problem solved.

Posted by: E.T. at September 2, 2005 11:33 AM

Choose Sprite, not Sprint!

Posted by: Bob at September 2, 2005 03:30 PM

Joshua:

In 7 years and 180 days from the time it was reported as a negative on your credit, it will come off. You have two and half years to go. I imagine that will be how long it would take for anyone to finally listen to you and help resolve it as well.

Posted by: Faolan at September 2, 2005 11:35 PM

Sprint just offends me anyway. I think most cell carriers are fust plain annoying. Verizon seems to be nice, though

Posted by: Sido at September 3, 2005 12:25 AM

You see, this is why I have Verizon.

Posted by: nick'd at September 4, 2005 09:34 AM

if sprint is so bad then they shouldn't have any customers

Posted by: 5twtuwruyr5 at September 6, 2005 10:19 PM

I think the linked page is broken. Has the writer ever heard of left margins?

Posted by: kwinse at September 10, 2005 12:39 AM