Sprint Provides AWFUL Service, Could Take A Lesson From AT&T

Via The Consumerist:

(Mike Licht)

Melissa couldn't get any reception around her home on her iPhone, despite living only 20 minutes from downtown Chicago. Zero bars. It wasn't just annoying to always miss calls, it was also damaging her rental business. But thanks to a detailed, and snarky, email to the CEO of AT&T, she was able to get the wireless provider to reset its towers and fix the service around her house.
At first AT&T told her the problem was with her phone. All the problems would disappear once she upgraded from her iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4. She did, and they didn't. Then AT&T tried to tell her that it was her car that was interfering with the signal. But she would step out of her car and there would still be low reception. Since she could drive to her parent's remote lake house and have perfect reception, it really seemed like the problem was localized around her home. (If you have a low vulnerability to motion sickness, you can watch this shaky and blurry Flip cam video of Melissa having zero bars inside her house. The text on the screen, referring to the speed of the text messages, says "They go fast inside. Just can't hear you.)
It wasn't until she sent the following email to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson that she got real action:

“

Dear Randall,
I know I said yesterday I would stop with the emails but today was not a good day for me and the iPhone 4. Also I would like to mention that I spoke with Katria this morning. I would like to say that the phone conversation was very pleasant, funny and very, very helpful. Seriously. I really mean that. She was very very helpful.
So here is what's going on today. Maybe this will help your tech's figure out the problem. Maybe there is actually a problem. I still believe it's New York all over again where you had to stop selling them. The Apple store even said that but no one at AT&T will admit that.
Taken in Munster, IN (25 miles from downtown Chicago). These are taken today and the time is CST. This was while sitting in my car outside. Maybe my car is at fault.
Yep, still in Munster IN in my car. Still won't load. Again, maybe it's my cars fault.
Wow, look it loaded finally. And hey, congrats to my brother on getting that barfly badge on yelp. I told him to add it to his resume. It shows commitment and follow through. BTW he posted that to his Facebook yesterday so really no new news. Still in Munster IN.

Still in Munster IN. Still not updated. Still really proud of my brother. BTW he's 25, I remember being 25. Good times.
Wow, have to be connected to a network, that's shocking! Still in Munster IN.

Now please let me explain that the doctor is really not asking her to sample actual shit. It was pills to make her back feel better. I would never recommend a doctor that makes you sample that. Back in my home town of Whiting IN.
Also had a great call with my lawyer today at 12:29pm again I believe maybe Munster or Highland IN. They couldn't hear me. BTW lawsuit has nothing to do with you. I was injured. I'm not suing. Just want my phone to work. Anyway, again, another important phone call while driving and THEY COULDN'T HEAR ME!
Also Randall, My cousin Amy who is not taking the what we talked about before came over last night and we put our iPhones side by side. She had sent me a text message that never came through. I was unable to take a picture of this. I'm going to suggest to Apple that their next new iPhone model can connect two of them together and some how take a picture. Randall, I suggest if they do make this product you only sell it on the moon. I believe they may have good reception there.
So here we go again. Another day, more lost calls and texts. But I just want you to know I sleep good at night that I upgraded and you got that money and I added internet to my second line and you get that money. I really really really hope you spend it on jet fuel to get around. That would mean a lot to me.
All My Love,
UNSATISFIED AT&T USER
Melissa

”

After she sent this out, AT&T called her to tell her the information in it had helped them diagnose the problem. They were going to reset several towers in her area. Melissa noticed a change. She had more than one bar on her phone and people were able to hear and understand what she said in phone conversations. Amazing! AT&T also credited her $79.99 for her troubles.

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38 Comments

via consumerist.com

Interesting. I'm having a very similar problem with Sprint, and they have been unresponsive, failed to meet commitments to even call me back, and have ignored a score of e mails like this lady sent. I wonder if the people at Sprint even care about customer service. I have the private emails of most of their top execs, including CEO Dan Hesse, but NONE of them have ever written back. Sure doesn't seem like it. And yes, The Consumerist has copies of all my emails and calls. 

SO here's the question: Should I post all the e mails and legally recorded phone calls I've had with Sprint? The call where the dude I'm talking with freaks out when I inform him the call is being recorded and read him the Missouri and FCC laws about recording calls is worth the price of admission alone. Classic corporate meltdown. 

What do YOU think?

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0

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Which Telecoms Store Your Data the Longest? Secret Memo Tells All | Threat Level

The nation’s major mobile-phone providers are keeping a treasure trove of sensitive data on their customers, according to newly-released Justice Department internal memo that for the first time reveals the data retention policies of America’s largest telecoms.

The single-page Department of Justice document, “Retention Periods of Major Cellular Service Providers,” (.pdf) is a guide for law enforcement agencies looking to get information — like customer IP addresses, call logs, text messages and web surfing habits – out of U.S. telecom companies, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.
The document, marked “Law Enforcement Use Only” and dated August 2010, illustrates there are some significant differences in how long carriers retain your data.
Verizon, for example, keeps a list of everyone you’ve exchanged text messages with for the past year, according to the document.  But  T-Mobile stores the same data up to five years. It’s 18 months for Sprint, and seven years for AT&T.
That makes Verizon appear to have the most privacy-friendly policy. Except that Verizon is alone in retaining the actual contents of text messages. It allegedly stores the messages for five days, while T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint don’t store them at all.
The document was unearthed by the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina via a Freedom of Information Act claim. (After the group  gave a copy to Wired.com, we also discovered it in two other places on the internet by searching its title.)
“People who are upset that Facebook is storing all their information should be really concerned that their cell phone is tracking them everywhere they’ve been,” said Catherine Crump, an ACLU staff attorney. “The government has this information because it wants to engage in surveillance.”
The biggest difference in retention surrounds so-called cell-site data. That is information detailing a phone’s movement history via its connections to mobile phone towers while its traveling.
Verizon keeps that data on a one-year rolling basis; T-Mobile for “a year or more;” Sprint up to two years, and AT&T indefinitely, from July 2008.
The document also includes retention policies for Nextel and Virgin Mobile. They have folded into the Sprint network.
The document release comes two months before the Supreme Court hears a case testing the government’s argument that it may use GPS devices to monitor a suspect’s every movement without a warrant. And the disclosure comes a month ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Electronic Privacy Communications Act, an outdated law that the government often invokes against targets to obtain, without a warrant, the data the Justice Department document describes.
“I don’t think there there is anything on this list the government would concede requires a warrant,” said Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “This brings cellular retention practices out of the shadows, so we can have a rational discussion about how the law needs to be changed when it comes to the privacy of our records.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has proposed legislation to alter the Electronic Privacy Communications Act to protect Americans from warrantless intrusions. Debate on the issue is expected to heat up as the anniversary nears, and the Justice Department document likely will take center stage.
Infographics: Michael Cerwonka/Wired.com. Cell tower photo courtesy Locomotive8/Flickr

See Also:

• Google+ vs. Facebook on Privacy: + Ahead On Points — For Now
• Senator Wants Investigation of OnStar’s ‘Brazen’ Privacy Invasion
• Report: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Doesn’t Believe In Privacy
• DuckDuckGo Challenges Google on Privacy (With a Billboard)
• Insurance Company Telematics Trade Perks for Privacy
• Plug-Ins for Privacy: Redirect Remover and Trackerblock

via wired.com

This makes all the Facebook privacy uproar seem like child's play compared to what the Wireless industry is up to. Worth a close look and consideration of who you use as your wireless carrier. Thanks to wired.com for digging this up!

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0