Complaint Review: Sprint PCS - Nationwide

I worked for a not for profit organization that recently had to close its doors an file for bankruptcy due to issues with funding from state and federal sources (another story involving The No Child Left Behind joke). At any rate, I suggested that the 30 or so cell phones that the company purchased directly from Sprint be donated to local shelthers or other not for profit groups. The executive director thought that was a great idea, but also opted to give the phones to ex-employees if they wanted them, so this left us with about 20 phones.

I called around and found 4 groups that were happy to take the phones. I called Sprint to get instructions on how to erase all the information on the Sanyo flip phones and sent them out soon after.

About a week later, I got a call from that executive director asking me to meet her. At lunch, I discovered that she had received calls and letters from all the receivers of the phones telling her that when they tried to establish service on the phones, they were told by Sprint that the phones were stolen. I called Sprint.

Customer service immediately switched me to the Fraud department which verified the SIM numbers of all 20 of the phones and confirmed that according to their system the phones were reported lost and/or stolen. So I aksed the most obivious question...by whom? No one on our end had even reported the phones. I was told of course that she didn't know and once more the phone could never be used again in this status. So a second call went out, this time to the executive offices of Sprint.

Here I was told that the lost/stolen status was placed by the finance department and was most likely due to the $765.01 bill the organization hadn't paid, and perhaps if the organization or its principals would pay the bill the restricts on the phones would be lifted. I advised the agent that the bill she referred to was now a part of a bankruptcy proceeding that Sprint has been well aware of for months. She had no comment other than there was nothing she could do regarding the status of the phones at this point. I advised her that each and each one of those phones had been paid for, in fact, the phones were free upgrades since the organization had had the service and phones for over 5 years. Again nothing. I decided to contact the employees who accepted the phones hoping to head off more phone calls. Oddly enough though all of those phones had been switched to personal accounts and operating fine. Only the donated phones were effected.

I detailed my conversation and reported it to the director who decided to contact the organization's attorney. She further sent letter to the receipants of the phones explaining the situation and personnally offered a cash donation.

Now in the hands of attorneys, the last I heard of the matter Sprint wanted some kind of assurance that the phones were actually being donated, not used personally. But why should it matter how the phones are used - the phones are paid for and belong to the organization, not Sprint. It just burns me up to think that now on top of everything else, a thousand or so dollars must now be used to get Sprint to release phones that they don't even owe. Further, I wonder about people who fall into a similar circumstance and don't have an attorney or can't afford one.

I'm not sure if the organization has complied with Sprint's request and personally, I won't. The terms of the contract with Sprint doesn't mention anything regarding the actions they have decided to take in this matter. Further, I wonder if Sprint has violated some law by holding these SIM numbers (phones) hostage. At any rate, yesterday I cancelled my service with Sprint. In a letter I addressed to their president I simply stated that its was a company I simply didn't want to do busineess with any longer. Afterwards, I checked the status of my phone's SIM and donated it to the U.S. Army.

Ky

Woodridge, Illinois
U.S.A.