Sprint PCS user review

Pros: Active customer service upgrade, outstanding network coverage, new CEO, 4G service in the works, Simply Everything Plan

Cons: Length of time to get rebate, small selection of phones

Summary: I recently began an intense 12 week training course with Sprint and in the process have learned quite a bit. To give my customers the best service possible I have spent hours researching other carriers--on my own time, mind you--and have found most of them lacking. Verizon, for one, does not have service in my area, and I live in a highly populated area. I have never had a dropped call with Sprint and the network has been consistent wherever I travel.

Dan Hesse took over as Sprint's CEO not too long ago and immediately began a complete overhaul of Sprint's customer service. A new program is being implemented within Sprint's call centers that will create a uniformity rarely seen within a company. No longer will you call and ask for help only to be denied by one rep and approved by another. That alone will change the way people view Sprint's customer service, but much more is being done as well. Verizon claims to have the best network but in reality Sprint has spent decades laying the best network possible--it's the customer service that was always lacking, and now they're making strides in catching up with others such as Verizon. Also, 4G is coming, and coming soon. Parts of the east coast already have it, and it will undoubtedly spread like wildfire once testing is complete.

The Simply Everything plan is what takes the cake. No carrier can compare to this. For $99.99/month you receive unlimited data, unlimited SMS, unlimited voice--unlimited everything. Each additional line is $89.99. Though this sounds like a lot of money, shop around. No carrier offers an everything plan like this. Usually you will pay a set fee for a set amount of minutes, then an additional fee for added features like unlimited text, unlimited data. The Everything plan with Sprint is all-inclusive, and you simply will not find a better deal.

There are cons, of course. I've found that mail in rebates take 21 days from the date of receipt before they will begin being processed. You're looking at a total of 10-12 weeks before you'll receive a check. This can be frustrating, and what's worse is when you have conflicting information within Sprint as to how long it takes to process a rebate. Again, they are making active steps toward eliminating conflicting information, and this is one area where you'll see a huge change in customer service quality in the future.

Also, the phone selection is limited. On the other hand, I do believe Sprint has picked the cream of the crop for their phone selection. You have the HTC Touch Pro & Touch Diamond, a few different Blackberrys, all of which are great (I have the Curve and have had the LG Lotus and the Diamond), and will have the Palm Pre and Instinct S30 before long.

Are there more cons? Surely. What I've noticed, however, is that Sprint has good customer service with the goal of becoming excellent within the next year. The phones are quality, the network excellent, the tech support knowledgeable. From an