[MikeOD]

11 months ago, I was up for an upgrade on my old Samsung flip phone, so I went to the sprint store, and got an HTC touch pro. I changed my plan to everything data, as I didn't think I'd need 450 minutes then, and since then they've changed it so the 450 minute limit is ONLY to land lines...so the plan got even more attractive.

Over the course of 11 months, I had the touch pro replaced 2 times on warranty due to issues with either the screen flickering off when sliding the phone open, or the keyboard ceasing to function.

2 weeks ago, the third touch pro's keyboard began to get intermittent, so I called Sprint, and asked them what my options were. They immediately said "we will send you a new touch pro right away"...I pointed out to them, that while I have the TEP ("total equipment protection"? I guess) plan, that the phone itself should be covered by a 1 year manufacturers warranty...and that this would be my 4th phone, in less than one year...I also pointed out to them that every phone came back looking essentially new, as I'm careful to never drop them, and never put them in my pocket with my keys or anything else that could hard them.

The agent sent me to "advanced tech support" where I explained the problem again, and the woman on the phone was very nice. She offered me a list of other devices that they would send me instead to replace the touch pro. That list included the Palm Pre, HTC Snap, HTC Hero, and a few other phones.

I pointed out to her that less than a year ago, I spent $300 for the phone, and it was at that time, the most expensive you could buy from Sprint, and that every phone she had just listed to me, was less than half of that price, so none of them would be acceptable to me.

She offered me another Touch Pro, and I said "no, I'd like you to find out if I can have it replaced with a Touch Pro 2". She came back on the line after a minute or 2 and said "my boss has approved it, if we charge you what would have been the difference in price, which is $50"...so I was ok with that, I don't want a free lunch...I just want what I paid for.

So the TP2 came in the mail, with no envelope to return the old phone...the previous replacements had come with that. So worried that I might be charged the full price of the phone (over $600) if I didn't send an old phone back, I called tech support.

The woman I spoke with was very rude, and after putting me on hold for about a half an hour, she informed me that I did need to send the phone back, but that she was unable to mail me a return package to do that, so she was going to credit my account $7 for me to pay for a postage due envelope at the post office...

So a week went by...I couldn't get out of work in time to get to the post office, and last night, I decided I was sick of the hassle, so I called sprint back.

After speaking to 4 different people (because instead of transferring, people would hang up, or accidentally send me back to the main menu) I hung up and called back and said "hi, put a supervisor on the phone right now"...I got a supervisor and said "hi, before we get started, let me make this clear, you will not put me on hold, and you will not transfer me...you are the 5th person I've talked to in the past hour because of incompetence of the others, and I will not stand for it, you are going to solve my entire problem and that is that".

So he said "I'm sorry, please tell me what the problem is"...I explained the entire situation, including how I was ok with being charged $50 for the replacement, but that it was not suppossed to count against my upgrade, and that I was credited $7 I don't want, so I wanted them to take that back, and all I really wanted...was a padded envelope so I could send them back their old phone.

He kept me on the line while he looked at my account, and he said "wow, nobody can read, right here, at the very front, it explains how this replacement was to work, and how you were to be told you did not need to send the old phone back"...then he apologized a few times.

So I said "you've got to be kidding me...I just drove 60 miles, while talking to 5 different people, 4 of whom are clearly useless...just to find out I didn't need to be on the phone at all...and that I waited on hold for a half an hour last week with someone also for entirely no reason...and I pointed out that if I did that to any of my customers at work, the boss would tell me to get my ass out the door and never come back.

He apologized again, then he said "know what, this is ridiculous...I'm sorry, I'm going to credit your account the $50 fee as well, you don't need to send anything back, you don't need to worry about paying for the replacement...I hope you'll stay with Sprint"...so I thanked him, told him to have a nice day, he told me the same...and I hung up.

So...apparently it pays to deal with the idiots first...just keep arguing and then when you're ready to go bananas...demand to talk to a supervisor, explain how absolutely ridiculous the entire situation is...and avoid losing your cool, but make sure they understand how angry/frustrated you've become...and they actually do take the extra few steps to make you a happy customer.