Watchdog wants tough message sent to Sprint

WATCHDOG WANTS TOUGH MESSAGE SENT TO SPRINT
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James S. Granelli james.granelli@latimes.com]
Cellphone companies are notorious for socking customers with hefty fees if they want to get out of their contracts early. Now, some people believe Sprint Nextel Corp. ought to get a taste of its own medicine. Sprint's decision to dismiss 1,100 customers for complaining too much prompted Mindy Bockstein, chairwoman of New York's Consumer Protection Board, to ask the company Wednesday to pay $200 in termination fees to each of the customers. "If someone adheres to a contract and pays for service that carries a termination fee for quitting, it should be a two-way street," she said. The Utility Reform Network, a San Francisco consumer advocacy group, said Sprint should look at its policies to see what might be generating such calls. "We are concerned any time customers are getting a message from their phone company that having questions is not acceptable," said Bob Finkelstein, the group's executive director. "We would agree that customers shouldn't make nuisances of themselves," he said. "On the other hand, the high price of cellphone plans includes customer service."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-sprint12jul12,1,721292.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)