A family in Framingham, Massachusetts says that after their father died late last month, Sprint refused to allow them to cancel his cell phone, and insisted that they had to continue to pay for the phone plan until the contract was over in September, 2008.
“I wondered how many other people had just agreed [to do this]. You’re tired and exhausted, and the last thing you want to do is fight with the cell phone company,” Tracey Stewart, daughter of the deceased said to Boston’s ABC TV affiliate.
When Stewart’s husband, Bill called Sprint to terminate the plan, they told him that because the contract was not up, he either had to pay the cancellation fee, or keep the service active until the expiration date. Sprint did offer one measly consolation - they offered to reduce the monthly fee by $10.
Sprint has not yet made amends for this gaffe, and the Stewart family is very upset.
“My father was the type of man who you’d expect people to do the right thing,” Mrs. Stewart told ABC.
What’s up with Sprint? We know that cellphone contracts are only in the best interests of the company and not the consumer, but come on - someone died here. If they had just quietly cancelled the plan and offered their condolences, they would have saved themselves the bad publicity and ill will of a couple of (hopefully soon-to-be former) customers.
Think Sprint should let the Stewart family out of the contract? Let them know.
3 comments ↓
Heck no they shouldn’t get out of the contract. Contracts for businesses this size should persist after death of a consumer. It should be passed on from generation to generation to help them in such a competitive market. LONG LIVE BIG BUSINESS!
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AT&T used to require proof of death, such as a death certificate, be faxed. However, about 3 years ago someone realized how morbid this was and now the policy is if a customer calls and says the account holder is deceased, the mobile is canceled and all termination fees waived. the current usage is still billed. We also are required to ask if there is anyone that would like to take over the contract before canceling it. Not sure who would want to take over a dead man’s phone number, but there ya go.
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