I first discussed Sprint Nextel (S) here on December 6, 2010, at a price of $4.17, and shares did push above $4.70 this winter before retreating on the market's recent pullback. I still like the shares at this stage, though.

However, keep in mind that Sprint is a high-risk stock, not suitable for low-risk or moderate-risk investors. Don't consider Sprint if you can't tolerate a more than 50% to 70% loss or seeing your entire investment wiped out -- it could happen.

Continue reading Sprint Nextel: Incremental Progress

Sprint Nextel: Incremental Progress originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) has taken a huge amount of heat in recent years for having some of the most inefficient customer service in any industry. In fact, there are many who have concluded that Sprint Nextel has had trouble retaining customers because of its customer service levels -- not so much about its prices and product selections.

When CEO Dan Hesse took the reigns over a year ago, he quickly initiated a series of marketing campaigns and redid pricing on much of Sprint Nextel's calling plan lineup. Ever seen those black and white television commercials? Oddly, they seem to be effective. Almost anything in black and white garners attention from the television viewer. Back to customer service -- Hesse also made a few statements stating that customer service would be back on track. It seems to be just that.

Pali Capital, a customer service measurement firm, ranked the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. at the top of its list for customer care. Sprint Nextel was able to answer 89% of calls to its customer service line in an average of 30 seconds, according to the measurement survey. By comparison, the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. -- AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) -- answered its customer service lines within 30 seconds only 43% of the time.

Though this is not exactly a measurement of customer service quality, it seems the long waits to speak to a Sprint Nextel customer service rep are gone. Perhaps there are not too many customers needing help these days? From looking at all the customers Sprint Nextel has lost recently, there may be an inkling of truth there. Still, it's the third-largest wireless company in the U.S. with more than 50 million customers.

Sprint Nextel's customer service improves, according to survey originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most of the time, I read the news because I want to be informed about the world. Looking through articles, I spend my time on the ones that affect my world, give me an idea about what to expect in the future, and generally make everything clearer. Once in a while, though, I read the news for the sweet taste of revenge.

Looking through the paper today, I noticed that Sprint seems to be in big trouble. Yesterday, their stock dropped more than 9% after they announced a loss of over $29 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007. While this loss was largely tied to Sprint's disastrous merger with Nextel, a fair bit can also be chalked up to Sprint's abysmal customer service.

I have a lot of experience with Sprint's customer service. When I first got a cell phone, almost ten years ago, my provider was a small regional company. While I could only call from a very constrained area, I was generally impressed with the level of customer care that my provider offered. Most of the time, my phone calls were answered by a person, not a machine, and the company was very nice about crediting my account in cases of incorrect billing. Unfortunately, I was only with them for a few months before they were bought out by Sprint.

Continue reading Sprint takes a dive... finally!

Sprint takes a dive... finally! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nothing can kill your business, though, like not focusing on the customer. The only strategic advantage any company has when operating in a commodity environment is service. Yes, marketing folks can trumpet wireless handsets, data speeds, coverage areas and more. But at the end of the day, how you treat customers is paramount -- and Sprint's reputation is less than stellar.

Continue reading Sprint's sloppy reputation for customer service needs repair

Sprint's sloppy reputation for customer service needs repair originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, it's interesting to see that Sprint receives such a bad rap these days. In my experience over a few years, the company's products, service and support are top-notch. I cannot say that about my experience with T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) or Cingular, now AT&T (NYSE: T). Dropped calls with those providers were normal, and the value was just not there for what Sprint supplies. Things may have changed since 2005, of course.

Continue reading Why isn't Sprint racking up more customers?

Why isn't Sprint racking up more customers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sprint Nextel dropped soldiers for excessive wireless roaming originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sprint Nextel hanging up on some customers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sprint Nextel merger looks a little rocky originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.