6 tips given by one of their former employees

Mar 9, 2007 15:59 GMT  ·  By

The Verizon customers where the first to find out how they can get the best deals their carrier hid from them. The next ones were the Cingular users which also got some tips on how they can get the most out of their present, or future, contract with the American mobile operator.

I was almost sure Sprint's turn will come but, to see it happen this fast, it was a real surprise. The same guys that brought you the inside story told by two former employees of the above mentioned carriers, also managed to pull it off once again.

The ex-Sprint worker wrote down six helpful tips for everyone to use in case they want a little bit more than Sprint is prepared to give. As in the case of the previous two stories, I'm sure many of you will find these confessions quite helpful so don't forget to head over here and say a big thanks to the guys that convinced the three people to offer everyone a piece of their knowledge.

Let's start the countdown by saying you can join a plan referral named SERO, a plan that will bring you a number of advantages you never knew about: "Get on the SERO plan! Sprint Employee Referral Offer. It's a nice little plan designed specifically for friends and family of Sprint employees. They require that you have an email address of a Sprint employee, but that's simple to get. Remember that business card the sales rep gave you, or should have given you if they're were good. Take that name and use it, [email protected]. To see the plans themselves or sign up, go to www.sprint.com/sero ($50/1250 minutes/7pm nights/unlimited vision)".

You can also get a new phone in case you've lost yours or dropped in a lake or something. Buy yourself a broken phone, activate it and go over a Sprint store and tell them about the ESRP benefits. They will repair the handset on the spot or even replace it: "Phone doesn't work? Water damage? What are you to do! Buy a phone on ebay, it doesn't have to work so long as it hasn't been flagged as lost or stolen. Get the phone activated and take it into the store. They'll fix or replace it usually on the spot because you have ESRP. Now keep in mind, if you do this excessive times, we'll refuse to service you (the system counts how many times you've had a phone replaced/serviced)."

Get a big discount when you buy a new phone taking advantage of the reps' desperation for commissions on activations: "Reps will always discount phones, they don't make commission on the price of the phone, they make it on everything else. They're also desperate for activations (best time to go activate is near the end of the month when they're truly desperate). Add a few accessories or get that 2nd line, just return them later, you still get the awesome deal on the phone."

If you want to cancel your Sprint contract without any hassles you can tell them you moved into an area with no coverage and they will be obligated by the regulations to cancel your contract without any termination fee: "Want to cancel but are stuck in a contract and don't care about keeping your number? Change your billing to e-billing (to avoid a paper statement), call customer care and have them change your address to an address not covered by the network (go on the website, find a hole, do a Google Earth search and find an address around there). Then say, "oh my, well if you can't provide service to me there, I'll have to cancel."

If you didn't know, then you have to know now that Retention Specialists have power: "Cancel everything that's not required in your contract. There's a retention offer waiting for you. Example: "there are retention offers for things such as text messaging (unlimited for $10 I believe), plans, services, etc. Just ask!"

Get a discount on your monthly bill by telling Sprint you work for a big company because they will not ask you for any proof: "Get a discount because you work for the man! Are you an employee of a major organization? Tell Sprint you work for them then! You'll get anywhere from 7-28% off of your monthly bill. Tip, Chase bank employees get the highest discount (I believe it was 28%). Even if you don't work there, they don't ask for proof that you do."

Those are the things you didn't know about Sprint and, although proceeding the way some of the above "hints" tell you to might get you into trouble, at least you know what your mobile carrier failed to tell you when you signed that 2 year contract some time ago.