PPCGeeks - The story of my search for a Pre

I maintain an account of 47 phones/data cards for a goverment agency. I have been waiting for the Pre to come out for months because we wanted to replace some phones, get rid of a couple of Instinks etc. Our local store who is not a direct Sprint store went to order it on Saturday because we are Govt it has to be directly sent to us only to find out she can't order them yet because she is not a "Sprint" store even though that is all she sells.

So Monday my trials began. I contacted Sprint and was advised all I needed to do was go to a Sprint store not an indirect store and I could get the phone they could deal with our account even though it is a Govt account with no problem. So I called the "local" Sprint store which is about 45 minutes away and they said they had 8 in stock. So I drove down by the time I got there they had 2 left. Finally I am getting my Pre.... NOPE

The guy tells me I have to pay full retail price and get reimbursed from my office I said no put it on our bill and we will pay it that is the way we get all of our new phones. He makes a couple of calls says he can't do it. I told him about my early conversation with Sprint and he said well you will have to go to a Sprint Corporate store for that. The nearest Corporate store was an hour to a hour and half away. So now I am aggravated. ](*,)

I spent the ride home trying to get more info from Sprint sales on the phone of where to go and how to deal with it but I kept getting caught in the menus and couldn't get thru to anyone.

So yesterday morning I started again. I called Customer Service explained what happened, she said she would have to have me talk to Enterprise Sales and gave me the number, it was the same number I had just dialed. I told her that and she said she would stay on the phone until I spoke with someone. I spent 20 minutes explaining the situation and asking what store I could go to to get this accomplished. After 20 minutes she says well you can't go to a store and have them bill your account for the phones. I said that isn't true we do it all the time with our local store. So she asks me what is the name of your local store? I tell her and ask why she needs that she says well I am going to call them and see if they can order the phone for you and bill it to your account. I lost it. I asked have you listened to anything I said for the last 20 minutes, they can't get it, I told her never mind I am tired of this and hung up on her. I waited for a few minutes and called back and got the original person I talked to the first day her name was Nina Hasburgh, what a great help. She spent an hour trying to find out why I couldn't order it and have it billed to the account, she called stores and finally found one that would order it and have it sent to me directly and billed to the account. However as everyone is probably aware by now they are all backordered and good luck finding one.

So yesterday a Verizon guy stops by to see if we want to look into switching. What a perfect time to show up. I tell him my tale of the pre. He wants to meet and put together a deal and says we will have the Pre in a few months so if you switch you could get the Pre and not have to go thru all of this. we have a meeting scheduled for next week.

This morning I get a mailing from Sprint all about the Pre and if I want to get it call this number and mention this priority code. So I was say what the heck I'll call and give it one more shot. I call explain why I am calling get transferred around to a hundred different people no one wants to hear the priority code and all they say is you have to go to a store.

Sprint if you read this, this is why people keep leaving Sprint. You can get cell phone coverage from just about anyone but it is customer service that keeps people happy. Cell Phones are like cars they all have good and bad points but in the end they all get you to the same place. I manage an account that averages just under $2000 a month for our cell phone bill. I know we aren't the biggest but you would think that Sprint would want to make us satisfied.](*,)

Thanks for letting me vent.