Sprint Finally, Finally Deploys ESN Swapping Online

[Andy]

Sprint
Written by Christopher Price
Sunday, 14 October 2007
For years, we have chronicled Sprint's total failure to let users easily change phones. Despite not having SIM cards, despite turning down USIM cards, and adding complexity with PowerSource phones... Sprint has disabled ESN swaps since the rollout of Vision data services.

After years of consumer complaints, Sprint decided to address the change with the migration of the Ensemble billing system. The unified billing system finally integrates all Sprint and Nextel customers onto one account management system. That is infrastructure Sprint has needed to allow for online phone changes. Competitor Verizon Wireless avoided such issues, and has consistently allowed for online phone changes since before the turn of the century.

However finally, Sprint is rolling out online handset changes for Sprint PCS customers. After logging into My Sprint account management, you will be given the option to change active handsets. Your account must have already been migrated to the Ensemble billing system for this to take effect. If you have not yet been migrated, your account will be by the end of the year, and you can call customer service to find out if, and when your account will be migrated to Sprint's unified billing system.

Phone News - Sprint Finally, Finally Deploys ESN Swapping Online

[Andy]

IF Sprint can manage this system to be reliable and hopefully free of charge, this is one step to most definitely enhance customer satisfaction. What I simply don't understand with Sprint is why some important things regarding customer satisfaction takes years and years to do. Verizon, which has different billing systems in different areas, has been doing this for years and years, I don't get why Sprint has not been able to accomplish this until now...it's sad.

[RJB]

Good to hear

[Yankees368]

I can't even use this system yet because my account is not on ensemble. Too bad.

[RJB]

Yeah I think they still have a ways to go before everyone can use this

[larry]

WOW! This is awesome! It's the little things like this that will make people happy. Hopefully they get rid of the $18 ESN swap fee as well!

[RJB]

Originally Posted by larry

WOW! This is awesome! It's the little things like this that will make people happy. Hopefully they get rid of the $18 ESN swap fee as well!

Yeah it will be $28 dollars now

[Andy]

Originally Posted by larry

WOW! This is awesome! It's the little things like this that will make people happy. Hopefully they get rid of the $18 ESN swap fee as well!

For a lot of people, it is too late to make them happy. Sprint has taken too long to improve on some small, but important things!!!

[RJB]

Originally Posted by larry

WOW! This is awesome! It's the little things like this that will make people happy. Hopefully they get rid of the $18 ESN swap fee as well!

Larry how long do you think it will be before you get on the new billing system

[larry]

Originally Posted by Andy

For a lot of people, it is too late to make them happy. Sprint has taken too long to improve on some small, but important things!!!

It's never too late. IMO. Better late than never and I hope people can look to the future with a positive attitude rather than a sour grapes about the past mentality.

[larry]

Originally Posted by RJB

Larry how long do you think it will be before you get on the new billing system

To be honest I haven't paid any attention to the new billing system. I have no idea which one I'm even on.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by larry

It's never too late. IMO. Better late than never and I hope people can look to the future with a positive attitude rather than a sour grapes about the past mentality.

Bad business strategies and decisions have driven many companies into the ground, so I disagree with the "never too late." I simply don't understand a lot of decisions Sprint has made in the past (which is sad, because the company could be/could have been doing a lot better). Disappointed/pissed off customers are very, very hard to get back and gain trust in, sour attitude or not.

[larry]

Well Andy you can't just give up and say we made mistakes in the past and now we're going to give up and go out of business. Instead you work towards getting customers back and coming up with a new strategy to do it. Sprint's not going to be going downhill forever. Eventually they will be back adding 500K to 700K subs a quarter. Sprint had an extremly bad reputation when they first started service in 1996-97 but by around 2000-2002 they were leading the industry in subs for over 3 years in a row.

[RJB]

Originally Posted by larry

To be honest I haven't paid any attention to the new billing system. I have no idea which one I'm even on.

If you get online and if there is an option to change then you are on the new one if not then you are on the old one.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by larry

Well Andy you can't just give up and say we made mistakes in the past and now we're going to give up and go out of business. Instead you work towards getting customers back and coming up with a new strategy to do it. Sprint's not going to be going downhill forever. Eventually they will be back adding 500K to 700K subs a quarter. Sprint had an extremly bad reputation when they first started service in 1996-97 but by around 2000-2002 they were leading the industry in subs for over 3 years in a row.

I didn't say that... And allowing people to swap phones online is merely a "new strategy"...
I understand that you work to improve and learn from mistakes, that's pretty common sense, BUT what I will repeat myself: What I don't understand is why it takes Sprint such a long time to improve on important things, things that are somewhat causes of Sprint's bad reputation and causes of high churn. They are focusing too much on some things, but completely neglecting other things that are often more important and should be fixed more imminently. I mean customers have complained for years that they couldn't switch phones (and not everyone keeps their same phones for their whole 2 years, they want to swap between phones) and Sprint has not bothered to implement a system, whereas other carriers have had systems for years.

I know you don't agree with this, Larry, and we don't have to agree. I don't mean to criticize and take the focus away from this great improvement, but what I'm saying is that Sprint needs to get on the ball and make these improvements faster.

[RJB]

Originally Posted by larry

Well Andy you can't just give up and say we made mistakes in the past and now we're going to give up and go out of business. Instead you work towards getting customers back and coming up with a new strategy to do it. Sprint's not going to be going downhill forever. Eventually they will be back adding 500K to 700K subs a quarter. Sprint had an extremly bad reputation when they first started service in 1996-97 but by around 2000-2002 they were leading the industry in subs for over 3 years in a row.

You know maybe having gary forcee go out the door is a good thing. Some people might not think so but having a good ceo is a major thing that can make or break a company. Just like a captain guiding a ship without him there is chaos. Sure he was the one who was the to combine nextel and sprint big deal nextel is a dead weight for sprint if you ask me. So who knows what is in the future.

[RJB]

Originally Posted by Andy

I know you don't agree with this, Larry, and we don't have to agree. I don't mean to criticize and take the focus away from this great improvement, but what I'm saying is that Sprint needs to get on the ball and make these improvements faster.

Agree to disagree

[larry]

Originally Posted by RJB

You know maybe having gary forcee go out the door is a good thing. Some people might not think so but having a good ceo is a major thing that can make or break a company. Just like a captain guiding a ship without him there is chaos. Sure he was the one who was the to combine nextel and sprint big deal nextel is a dead weight for sprint if you ask me. So who knows what is in the future.

Yes absolutely it was time for a change at the top. Most of us agree with that. But I disagree that Nextel is dead weight for Sprint. Nextel had a hell of a lot of towers that allowed Sprint to greatly improve on the CDMA side. Without the Nextel merger this wouldn't be happening. However the IDEN side of things did lead to the downfall. But us happy CDMA users are the big winners from the Nextel deal.

[larry]

The lack of online ESN swaps along with the activation fee is probably one of the top 2 biggest pet peeves of Sprint customers. The other would be the phone upgrade policy. Maybe they'll re-work that as well so that it's more favorable to the customer.