Why U.S.V.I. Sprint Customers Shouldn't Pay Their Bills

couple paying bills

It’s been weeks since Hurricanes Irma and Maria tore through the U.S. Virgin Islands and up to now Sprint has yet to restore communication on island for their customers.

If you’re a USVI resident there’s no secret that most companies are focused on assisting and restoring Puerto Rico whereas the same companies who operate in the USVI pay us dust.

What’s baffling to me is how Sprint still expects residents to pay their bills in full (minus overage fees and charges) for the months of September and October.

When I tell you that devil is a lie….that devil is a damn lie!!

There’s no way any company should expect full payment when they’ve failed to provide the service you signed up for. I get it. Not 1 but 2 category 5 hurricanes ripped through the USVI in less than 2 weeks’ time but what Sprint failed to was spring into action and treat us as a priority. Guess what? We won’t be treated like a priority if we remain silent. You have to make your voices heard via phone, email, Sprint’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any other channels available. When speaking to reps over the phone, don’t take no or a partial credit (unless that’s what you want) for an answer. Ask to speak with their supervisors. If those supervisors are unable to assist, ask to speak to their supervisors and so forth and so forth. Everyone in a company has to answer to somebody. I don’t care if you have to send postal mail to the president of Sprint, DO IT! Let them know the way they handled the USVI post-Hurricanes Irma and Maria was unacceptable. Threaten to close your account and never look back!

What’s most unfortunate about the USVI is the lack of competition amongst cellular providers. For instance, if T-mobile and Verizon Wireless opened their doors in the USVI and provided amazing service, Sprint and AT&T would have no choice but to step it up as well. Unfortunately, their competitors are not on the national level so you get what you get. Do you know how many times I’ve had issues with Sprint and the manager at the Sprint store in St. Croix? Apparently, he creates his own rules and can’t nobody tell him how to run his store (I don’t think he’s relayed that to Sprint corporate though) so I’ve had to go over his head and have my issues rectified directly by Sprint corporate many times.

If you have family members in the USVI who are Sprint customers, get their account information, call Sprint, and demand the entire month’s bill waived. This also goes for AT&T customers. Call them and have them waive your bill for the month of September. If Halloween comes around and you’re still without adequate service, call back and request another credit for your entire bill for October.

I can’t even tell y’all the last time I’ve spoken to my mother. Guess which company provides her cellular service -_____-

If their customer service reps still act like they don’t know what’s going on in the USVI, tell them to refer to their Hurricane Irma and Maria press release.

“…Sprint will proactively credit monthly recurring service charges for a total of two months (extended from one month previously announced) for all Sprint customers in Puerto Rico and the USVI. Credits will automatically appear over the next two billing cycles in the amount of the customer’s service plan, including tax. Credits do not include equipment fees or other optional add-ons. Customers should continue to pay the amount indicated on their bill, but be assured that the credits will be applied in future cycles.“

Make sure they credit your optional add-ons and equipment fees as well because there would be no need for them if you weren’t a Sprint customer.

As a community, we have to do it on our own because nobody else is going to do it for us. Ask the companies who have made millions off of USVI residents over the past couple years what they’ve done for the community post-Hurricanes Irma and Maria (other than collect their coins). Plaza (East and West), K-Mart, Pueblo, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, Home Depot, Foot Locker, First Bank, Office Max, Payless, Rainbow, and the list goes on. Have any of them opened their doors and provided free food and supplies to…ummm…I don’t know…maybe the 1st 100 residents who lined up at their doors? Any of them donated clothes DIRECTLY to residents? Any of them offered any substantial discounts to their customers?

Rosa Parks did not sit for this. Martin Luther King did not go to jail for this. Malcolm X did not die for this. Queen Mary and dem did not fire bun for this. Not for our people to sit back and be taken advantage of.