Getting out of a Sprint Wireless Contract

Wireless contracts are a difficult agreement to get out of, but not impossible.  It is important to understand why they have these contracts and what your ultimate motivation is.  It is also important to understand where your ethical line is as well.  We wouldn’t condone unethical tactics as a practical point, but as a theoretical one it is important to understand all of the possibilities.

Sprints Motivation, why do cell phone carriers have contracts?  The phones we purchase for $99 or even for free cost way more than we pay.  They companies recoup the actual costs of the phones through our monthly bills.  That is why without a contract the phones typically cost $150-$250 more than with the contract.

Ethical line, where is yours? Over the next couple of days we are going to spell out a couple of ways to get out of a Sprint wireless contract.  One of these is blatantly dishonest and the other is more in the gray zone ethically.  Ultimately your ethical decision is a personal one, but it should not be taken lightly.  First we are going to cover the more unethical of the two.

Under FCC regulations a cell phone carrier has to let you out of the contract if you do not get coverage at your billing address.  I personally fit into this category.  I have had Sprint for years,(I actually have always had great experiences with them.)  I live in the Seattle Metropolitan area, well within their coverage areas.  A new six story development was built right next door to my townhome.  As soon as the building reached a level higher than my home we lost reception.  Since I like sprint I negotiated a solution where I received better service and stayed in my contract.  I’ll post about this later.  I was able to threaten breaking the contract to get what I wanted.

OK so if a person wanted to take advantage of this FCC regulation, they would have to “prove” that they didn’t get coverage at their billing address.  By going to the web and checking out what the Sprint coverage area is like around where you live, you can find the holes in their service areas.  Here comes the unethical part:  Then call customer service and let them know that you will be moving into that area and that at the specific location you are moving to you doesn’t get service.  Be prepared with an address of your new home, they will ask.

This method isn’t limited to Sprint my wife has successfully used this method to get out of a Verizon wireless contract.  The same principles apply here

The first Customer Service Rep. you talk to wont be able to cancel your contract.  In fact they will tell you that it is beyond their ability to do that and their right.  I have always loved using this next line with customer service reps.  “Can I speak with someone who can make this decision?” When said politely you are immediately transferred to a dispute resolution representative.  Now is when your negotiation skills with really come into play.

Dispute Resolution Representatives are trained to walk a fine line between keeping you a happy customer and saving the company money.  First satisfy the happy customer part.  Tell them that you have always loved Sprint, it is just too bad that they don’t have service where you are going to live.  Now that you are a happy customer it is easier for them to let go of their other role, saving the company money.

Remember, Dispute Resolution Representatives are paid on commission.  You go they don’t make any money,  You go Really Mad, they get bad marks on their performance.  It is going to be a losing situation for them and they are going to put up a little fight.  Just hold your ground and be polite, you goal is to avoid them becoming stuck on their issue.  Politely reinforce your issue, that there isn’t service where you are going to live and that it is going to be a hardship on you to pay for two services.

If you hold this line you should be good, it may take more than one call to get your Sprint wireless contract canceled.  Remember this is the more unethical of the two methods we are going to talk about.  Stay tuned for another option that is a bit more ethically palatable.