Sprint has a new website up called My Cell Style that asks you a few questions and then tells you what kind of mobile phone personality you have. I took the quiz and answered the questions honestly.
What does your cell phone say about you? According to a new website launched this week, if you’re sporting a Moto Q, you may be, uh-oh!, a
“Technosexual.” But don’t come out of the gadget-geek closet just yet, maybe your phone is designed for a rugged and in-no-way-sexually-ambiguous “Trail Blazer.” Whichever way your cell phone swings, check out www.mycellstyle.com to test your phone’s personality (sponsored by Sprint).
I am not offended that Sprint says I am a Technosexual (just like the guy in the video above). No. But I AM offended that they say the perfect phones for me are the Treo 755p, the HTC Mogul and the…wait for it…Motorola Q, which is quite possibly the worst cell phone ever created. Sprint then tried to sell me one of those ghastly phones. I guess I should just be thankful I wasn’t deemed “Runway Ready.”
Sprint doesn’t sell the iPhone, of course, so they couldn’t be honest and recommend the perfect phone for me. And they also don’t sell the phone I’d be using if the iPhone didn’t exist, the Helio Ocean.
I’m not a fan of Sprint. They fire customers who complain too much. And they have the dubious distinction of supplying me with the only phone I have ever thrown out of a moving vehicle (in 1999) because of poor call quality. Even today, it is the only mobile operator which has no coverage at my house.
In the interest of full disclosure, I participate in the Sprint Ambassador program where they send me a new phone once or twice a year to test out. I’ve never written about those phones, though. My guess is they won’t be sending too many more.
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I wish iPhone was not restricted to ATT… it would make our lives so much, should I say freer.
i hate sprint they are lame
Actual Full Disclosure:
I am now running not one, but two huge banner ads for one of Sprints biggest rivals, AT&T (which also happens to provide exclusive service for the iPhone I just endorsed). kthxbye.
Randy - good catch I guess, although I hadn’t noticed the ads. And Sprint has bought a lot of ads on this site in the past, too. Let me also be clear that I think AT&T sucks, too, and I only tolerate them because for now I have no choice but to use them with my iPhone. I ditched them a year ago for poor customers service and went with Verizon. I switched back because I had to. But no matter how many ads AT&T buys here, I think they blow.
Doesn’t Helio run on Sprint’s network? And isn’t the Helio Ocean very similar to the HTC Mogul?
Instead of paying $100+ plus per month for the Att iphone (with unlimited night minutes and txt messages) I am happy with the Mogul at $30 per month with unlimited data + txt messages under the sprint sero program.
Every carrier has problems with coverage in different areas, there just isn’t a perfect carrier. I have been through att, cigngular, new att, verizon and sprint and for me sprint works the best.
In the end it is the service and the network, not the phones which tip the balance for me. Verizon has by far the most reach.
Sprint sucks, AT&T sucks. Only Verizon is good.
Remember the movie Resident Evil? All the employees that were underground in the ‘Hive’. That’s what I think of when I think of Sprint.
I hate them… I HATE them… again, knowing the full meaning of the word, I really HATE SPRINT.
They sign people up over and over again with 2 year contracts without their permission. They’ve cursed at me and my family members. They are dishonest and are constantly charging things to peoples bills without permission. They do not honor warranty’s or insurance. They tell you ‘you agreed’ to things you never even heard of. Everyone I know I warn.
Once, I was treated so badly by customer service and by the Sprint store I told them I would print out flyers and stand outside their store warning people and handing out flyers. I stand in stores while waiting service talking to people contemplating which phone they’re going to purchase with their new plan. I’ve even told Sprint it’s in their best interest to let me go as a customer since I’ve turned numerous people away from them.
I have waged war with them. They are my number one most hated company. Just ask my friends if you don’t believe me
For Business phones and service that doesn’t suck, us Nextel, unless of course you HAVE all the fluffy stuff.
I have hated Sprint for years. I had been a customer for several years until they lost my business after a horrid display of poor customer service and business ethic. They sent me a $900 phone bill, of which I agreed to about $450. They wouldn’t budge an inch on the $450 they had miscalculated. I made approximately 100 phone calls over the course of about 40 days, attempting each time to explain simple math to the customer service idiots who could barely speak proper English as it was. Having lost my grip on “the principal of the matter”, I finally gave in and paid, switching to Verizon (who has also been sliding downhill for a few years).
No love lost over sprint huh
Regardless of who sucks, seeing this headline almost made me fall out of my chair laughing.
I love Sprint, I’ve had them for six years now, never a coverage issue, except in tunnels (damn tunnels). But the iPhone would be nice.
Although it is good now, trust me the customer service is terrible! I wanted to return a phone and I didn’t have the box, the box is a freaking $50! I am ready to switch right now. They suck at customer service!
After 10 years with Sprint I recently jumped as quickly as I could off of what has become an exceptionally poor company - bad service and horrible support = no customers!
They have a promotion site on Collegehumor kinda like this - http://www.collegehumor.com/backtoschoolandbroke
I live in S.F. and have tried Sprint, Cingular (when it was just Cingular) and Verizon. They are all atrocious - I can’t use them for business calls and I can’t stand talking to people when they’re on their mobiles, either. Sprint was actually the best, then Verizon, then Cingular. It is really impossible to make blanket statements, though, as each provider’s coverage varies dramatically by location, and in big cities often block by block. To me it’s crazy that after all these years mobile phones in the U.S. are not reliable enough for business applications, at least in my opinion. I actually believe the voice quality on every network is worse than it was 10 years ago because of all the traffic they try to squeeze on their networks with spotty coverage. I think they have just trained a lot of people to think it’s normal to only understand 80% of a conversation or have to say “what” every 30 seconds.
In the end, T-Mobile will conquer all. They may not have 3G (yet) but they are best in customer service!
If you’re a T-Mobile customer that enjoys your service, check out T-MobileSignal.com - T-Mobile Cell Phone Forum
That quiz makes OK Cupid look like the SAT.
That’s because they’re based in Kansas City.
Kansas City’s rednecks, bible nuts, homosexuals, and Sprint. Just to name a few.
What’s your problem with the Motorola Q? I use it and have had very few problems and am wondering why you dislike it so much. It is certainly better than any Windows Treo.
I have to agree. I have tried them all by now, and Sprint was the bottom of the barrel.
Mike - What’s up w/the TechCrunch forums? I can’t seem to access them, they are erroring out. Am I the only one w/this problem?
Sprint is the only company I will NEVER do business with again, even if they offered free iPhones and and monthly back rubs from Gisele.
Funny, I am apparently a Technosexual too, and I hate both the Q and the Treo line.
Not news, but snarky! That’s good … now if you could combine more snark with actual tech news, you’d have the the formula down
I try not to give my money to the Church of Scientology. So Sky Dayton’s Helio is not an alternative for me. (I haven’t gone to see John Travolta in Hairspray either….)
Mobile services are hopelessly primitive in the US, which is well on its way to falling behind developing countries in broadband, access to health care, and life expectancy. The gorgeous iPhone and the crappy AT&T mobile service: only in America. The UK iPhone later this year should be much better.
Mike,
Have you seen Sprint’s blog?
http://www.buzzaboutwireless.com/
Mike,
Seriously did you honestly think their little quiz was open to models they don’t sell?
If you wanted to just bitch about Sprint, you could have done that without posting a quasi-review of their unclever, why do big companies and their overpaid agencies continue to come up with dumbass marketing - ploy.
Frankly I think this is more worthy of a negative post on someone’s marketing blog than on a techcrunch. Sprint’s shitty service aside, I can’t stand all of the old-school agencies trying to be all Web 2.0 when it’s obvious they still don’t get it and NEVER will.
Oooo, let’s get a web site up with interactive content to show we’re on the same level as our consumers….That’s sure to bring customers in by the boatloads…..What a bunch of stupid f’ers.
Ironic though that a communications company has no clue on how to actually communicate with their (potential) customers.
Best. Techcrunch story title. Ever.
Oh my god, best TC post ever. LOL.
Yeah, Sprint reception sucks - even in New York City. Dropped them a few years back and never looked back.
Did the Verizon pr department start paying people to post they’re the best? They’re by far the worst, followed closely by Sprint. T-Mobile isn’t that bad, but they don’t have the domestic coverage AT&T has. AT&T works best in my areas, and everywhere I’ve traveled (both in the US and abroad).
Actually, all US telcos suck.
I’ve got to say that I’ve been with Sprint for about seven years, and although I agree that their phones suck and their customer service can be infuriating, I’ve had great coverage, and I’m pretty much in love with EVDO (except for their pricing and usage restrictions–Come on Sprint, I’d love to get rid of my DSL).
I’m also really looking forward to seeing what happens with their mobile WiMax (XOHM).
On a side note. I recently managed to get in on the Mint closed Beta and it is absolutely fantastic! It’s everything Quicken and Money should have been and more. Definitely a winner.
That quiz is a joke. It’s so half assed you can tell which phone each answer corresponds to. What a clueless and feeble attempt at being hip. That boardroom must be full of geriatric motherf*****s.
Ehh, they all suck in their own way.
Verizon just suck less than the rest.
Mogul with a Sero plan from sprint>iphone on att. I know the iphone interface is great, and the features are as well, but Id rather be able to get evdo and run any programs that are out there for WM.
Certainly sprint is a pain in the ass, not only on coverage but also in charges. the Iphone is not that good niether, well it would be but without ATT
We just got a Mogul and I must say I think it’s a great little phone! It has wifi, QWERTY, decent camera with flash, and very important for us, it has a decent JVM in the Esmertec JVM Sprint bundles with the phone. So you have Windows Mobile 6 if you happen to like that and a very solid Midlet manager to go with it.
1. I use a Moto Q. It’s not the best phone, but with Sprint’s free after rebate offer and unlimited date usage, it is one that I have fallen in love with and coped with the shortcomings.
2. Sprint doesn’t just fire customers willy-nilly. They fire customers that are calling in too frequently to abuse their services. Notation: http://consumerist.com/consume.....277026.php
But I guess fact checking is too much.
3. I hate T-mobile because they don’t give me coverage at home. I hate AT&T because they don’t give me coverage at school. I hate Verizon because they don’t give me coverage at work. But hey, wait, AT&T was the one that’s helping the government WIRETAPPING ME WITHOUT A WARRANT.
4. The Cell Style website does look stupid, but hey, wait… MAYBE IT’S MEANT TO TARGET KIDS AND TEENS. Are you secretly really a 16 year old girl on MySpace? For reference here’s a similar website meant to sell insurance to teens: http://www.tonikhealth.com
That is all.
Yes, but they are deploying WiMax nationwide and they don’t have EVDO restrictions like Verizon.
Cellphone service provider I think they suck, but mobile broadband provider they rock! Well we’ll see about how create WiMax is…hopefully it’s awesome!
Those Sprint customers they “fired” were trying to scam the company for free coverage from service credits. Great job, as usual, of doing your homework Arrington.
Sprint is a nightmare and I will never use their service again… ever.
Many years ago I had a problem with invalid calls on my phone and instead of handling my complaints as a customer service issue, my account was passed to a collection agency. When I called Sprint to find out what was going on, I was told that despite my proof that the billing statement had errors on it, there was absolutely nothing that anyone could do about it. Neither that person or anyone else I called would agree to escalate my call to a supervisor or manager. You could say, in short, that I really hate Sprint and try to steer everyone I know to another carrier.
Sprint’s decision to fire customers is completely in line with my experience and it’s no surprise. In Sprint’s eyes, being their customer is a privilege and you’re expected to be to accept whatever asinine policy the company decides to invoke against its customers at any given time.
I don’t know about other carriers, but in 4 plus years as a T-Mobile customer, I’ve never had the kinds of problems that I encountered with Sprint. In fact, the attitude of everyone I’ve had contact with at T-Mobile is entirely different- and for the better. I suspect that Sprint is simply much worse than everyone else.
I love the picture! And the best is that You can Party Like A Rock Star!!!
WTF.
yeah, i have to agree with some of the posts here, whether or not this is accurate (and oh by the way, i fucking hate sprint too for too many reasons to list) or even fair, the post is hilarious. thanks for brightening up a day infested by lice-like potential investors…
are you the real, real FSJ?
Okay, so aside from the claim that sprint sucks. Can we all atleast agree that the website IS in fact stupid? I just went there, answer two questions and my stupidity alarm caused my brain to shut down. I woke up in Thailand and I was being sold into white slavery. Why Sprint?! Why?!
I’ll stick with Verizon Wireless for now.
Are they serious with the “Technosexual” guy picture?
At least the got the picture right. Funny bit ruined by the moronic linking to your own out of date notes blog. Billy and Alaska are correct - the complainers were scammers - correct the post.
Agree with Noah (32), all U.S. telcos suck.
The foam-at-the-mouth hatred most of us have for the whole lot of them, with their 2 year prison sentences, LOUSY customer service (including the robot voiced maze of torture you must navigate when connecting to customer ’service’) … there’s no doubt in my mind that the company that offers the exact opposite of what’s offered now: month by month contract, great customer service, great coverage, and compatability with ANY PHONE you want to use (Gphone anyone) … that company will mint money.
This is the only industry I can think of that has found a way to make money and enrage customers at the same time. I’m convinced they laugh about it.
You are quite the emotional type, huh?
Most people confuse “coverage” with “service.” If you think VZ loves you, I got a bridge to sell you. Let’s not get so emotional over such silly things. If you are happy with your service, great, but try to keep the hate down and the vitriolic rhetoric down…very distasteful.
Thanks