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oops!
They shouldn't make the phone # the default for logging on!
1 replies
oops!
They shouldn't make the phone # the default for logging on!
Campbell should call the Sprint Consumerist hotline. God knows I have and got what I wanted! They were charging me $75/mo for internet when I already had the damn $15 powervision!!! I wasn't using Slingbox or anything similar, just watching NFL network on lunch breaks.
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That is INCREDIBLE. I'm never going with Sprint now. See, just the publicity for something like this will cost them potential revenue.
Notice I don't say \"customers\"; obviously they don't care about PEOPLE.
@HogwartsAlum: I've dealt with both Sprint and AT&T, and I can easily say that while I've heard horror stories about Sprint, the only significant problem I've ever had with them was a data-entry error when completely changing my plan, and I've always been able to get any issues resolved quickly.
AT&T, on the other hand, is a customer-service nightmare, and some of the \"customers\" I have first-hand experience representing have 5-digit monthly Internet bills.
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Woah.. I wouldn't have thought of this happening when you change a phone number.. but it will be in my head if I need to change a number in the future.
I hate that phone numbers are reused so quickly, I understand that there are only so many numbers to go around, but it's a pain in the ass to get calls that aren't for me. I get calls all the time for the person who used to have my phone number, debt collectors and all kinds of home services because she was an interior decorator. \"Hello, we would like to asess the soil in your yard free of charge, would that be ok with you?\" \"This is an apartment.\" \"Oh. I'm sorry *click*\" More recently, someone randomly called offering heating and cooling services and they wanted to \"speak with the homeowner\".
I wish there was a better way, but there isn't, unless someone comes up with more digits besides 0-9. And that would be a temporary fix anyway.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: About a year ago I got Comcast VOIP account (have since gotten rid of it). The previous owner(s) of the number had:
- Debt problems (many)
- A concerned mother looking for her child
- A con with many school problems
- Some Spanish-speaking friends
And much more.
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@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: This is why I gave up having a landline in the Philadelphia area. After having four numbers in all, for three different house, I just gave up. The wrong numbers were constantly calling. One person who left a threatening message on my voice mail scared me so badly that I had the number changed on the spot, even thought it was clear the message wasn't for me. Another deadbeat kept giving out my number as his even AFTER it became my number, so I not only had debt collectors pestering me trying to settle old debts, I had people he'd defrauded just the week before trying to track him down.
Really, they should make the numbers be dead for at least two or three months before reassigning them.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: I hate the debt collector ones! They say, \"Are you the spouse?\" After telling them no wrong number for seven times, I got vicious with them!
@bloggerX: My husband answered when a debt collecter called one time and he said, \"This is not their phone number.\" and then they questioned him on how long we've had this number! Crazyness.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: @Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: I had the same issue with the deadbeat that had my cell number before me.
I handle the situation very nicely. I know who they are calling for and explain that the number is mine and I have no idea who the individual is and to please remove my number from the file. I have to do that for each collector and the calls have gotten to maybe once or twice in a 6 month period.
Ironically enough I even got a call from my new employer, at the time looking to collect the debt from that guy as well.
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@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: Hubby got one the other day, after he told him twice that it was the wrong number, the collector tried to convince him that it had to be our neighbor and would he just run over and knock on their door to get them on the phone!!!
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@katia802: I have an Eastern Time cell phone number and have lived in a pacific time zone for 2+ years. I get wrong numbers at 5 in the morning. I've been trying to keep one number, consistently, for my family's sake. And when I changed companies to combine with my husband, I was able to keep my number, so I'm glad stuff like this was able to be avoided.
@Kimaroo - Fortified with Kittydus Purrularis: Yeah! They would say, \"Are you covering for the person?\" And then I start cursing at them like a maniac and they STILL call back! After three weeks they've stopped calling me. I kinda miss cussing them out now.
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@bloggerX: I kicked out my ex-boyfriend (we'd lived together over ten years) and he is still giving people my phone number as his own. I usually just say, \"He can't be reached at this number anymore,\" and most callers say \"Oh, OK, thanks.\"
The other day, some obnoxious moron called about one of the ex's debts. He wouldn't accept my standard line. He accused me of \"covering\" for my ex. He said his wife wouldn't have any problem giving out a number if it was for legitimate business. Finally I blew up at him and said, \"OK, Mister, if your wife got sick of you for being a lowlife without a real job, and kicked your butt out on the street without much caring what happened to you, what could she say to convince your creditors to stop harassing her?\" And I hung up as he was still going, \"Uh.... uh....\"
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Your solutions, while sensible, will never fly at Sprint. I worked for them for two years and they don't have a fucking clue what good customer service is about.
I had been under the impression though, that if you change a number, there was a \"Freeze\" on it of 90 days before it could be reassigned. Either that's changed, was untrue to begin with or somebody at Sprint totally messed up.
@dragonfire81: I don't know if that's a legal requirement, or if anybody does 90 days -- after all, phone numbers are a resource and cost money. That said, I'm pretty sure a cooldown period of 30 days is accepted practice in less bozonic quarters.
@kexline: 30 days is standard practice... I don't know of any legal requirements or definitions that specifically state a predetermined time though.
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@NikkiSweet: I was going to say there should be a law requiring 30 days before the number is reassigned. Immediate re-assignation is bad for both customers: the one who got the number likely gets a lot of calls looking for the previous person, and the one who changed it risks them being a creep who misleads those callers.
I'll go one step further and say the old number should play a recording informing callers of the new number.
Sprint once assigned my number (which I had for 3 years before that, and have since moved to ATT) to someone else, then they called and said I got their customer's number and that I had to give it up. I pretty much told them it's my number, I'm keeping it, and they should just go and fix their mistake with the new customer. Not those exact words, but I wasn't cursing either. :)
I don't understand how he knew he was breached and what info was compromised.
@jimv2000: The article says that he noticed someone else messing with his personal webpage that Sprint provided with his service.
This should also be reported to the security office associated with his (former?) military unit. If Campbell doesn't have the number, he can get in touch with a local FBI office and they'll help. While the odds of the new account holder being malicious are slim, it IS still a potential opportunity for an unknown quantity to have a leg up in phishing them.
Sprint took the state AG seriously enough when I had problems with them, but it really should be reported anyway and it can't hurt to let the MP's light a fire under 'em too.
Regarding the re-use of numbers, considering the popularity of cell phones it's really not easy for companies to just sit on numbers any longer. Not enough of em out there anymore!
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So I don't really get what the big deal is about all this. Yes, Sprint did a bad. But how much information did the new line-holder really have access to? At most, probably a name and address.
I really don't see how the OP being a member of the military/having military personnel telephone numbers on his account factors in, either. It sounds more like something thrown in to generate outrage.
I'm not big on \"blame the OP\" but it sounds like when the problem was brought to their attention they corrected it, apologized and offered a courtesy phone discount, regardless of whether you may or may not have been already entitled. What exactly do you want them to do? If you're that outraged and concerned about your privacy, switch carriers.
Back when we were still with Sprint, they changed the name on my account and my address three different times. I caught it because I check my accounts online and I'd been having issues with Sprint overbilling me. They could never give me an explanation as to why they changed my name and my address. Needless to say, we don't have Sprint as our carrier anymore.
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This is unusual. I can't speak for the US and Sprint for certain, but in Canada your number is put in holding for 6 months after its been deassigned after a MIN change or cancellation of account.
How was this one reassigned so quickly?
@Scazza: Not just how, but why? Sprint has been said to be loosing customers left and right. They should have had plenty of disused number to pick from rather than needed to immediately recycle this one.
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This right here is a PRIME example of why I despise Sprint with a passion. As a customer, you are treated like crap and the \"oh well\" attitude. As an authorized vendor, you're treated like someone trying to perform international scams for terrorists and repeatedly told you are lying to them(this isn't a joke either).
And Sprint wonders why the continue to hemorrhage customers.
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I am surprised that Sprint still has US users. Their inept customer service is legendary.
My Sprint contract is up in December. I like the service coverage and I want a Pre badly, but I am leaving the day my contract ends, and it's purely because of the insane customer practices at that company.
They of course bill my phone to a credit card. If they reassign my number, does someone get access to that info too? That's NUTS. No sane company just willy-nilly shares information like that. Attorneys General have freaked out for smaller breaches of security. Geez.
Ok Sprint is wrong. However:
1. Who tries and resolves a problem this complex via chat log?? Would you have a meeting about another finacial issue via chat window? No.
2. The OP is yelling via chat. Sure, I would be upset also but we all know yelling at a customer service reps gets you nothing but a brick wall... doing it via chat gets you canned responses.
judging from the responses on here my guess is that hardly anyone actually read the chat transcript. I will confess that I drew a conclusion, and had an opinion and read all the way through the comments before I actually read the transcript. The OP was a complete jerk. The chat transcript clearly says that there was a malfunction that did not reset the online system properly. This allowed the OP to see information of the new cust's account. The OP data wasn't even breached.
The service rep apologized many times and was very respectful to the customer. They corrected the issue with tech support and was willing to assist the customer with whatever he needed going forward.
I personally am glad to see all these jerkish type people leaving Sprint. Now they can go have their bad attitudes and jerk-like ways projected at other companies because I personally love my Sprint service.
Also, for the record, Sprint is the ONLY carrier who's customer satisfaction has consistently gone up on the ACSI ratings for the last 8 quarters in a row.
I've dealt with all four of the large cellphone providers and Sprint is by far the worst. I've thankfully never had a security breach this drastic, but the customer service has been far below the standards of T-Mobile/Verizon/AT&T, no to mention having perhaps the worst network of them all.
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I had something similar to me happen when I signed up for Comcast's phone service. When I logged in for the first time, it still showed me the past 3 months of *all* phone activity for the line .... even though I wasn't the customer.
Almost the exact same thing (but in reverse) just happened to my husband. We decided to get a family plan (we had separate accounts) on my account, so he paid the fee to end his contract. He chose not to keep his number and got a new one. A few months later we get a bill from a collection agency requesting payment on a Sprint account. We call Sprint and apparently whoever his old number was given to hadn't been paying their bill but for some reason my husbands name was somewhere still attached to the account. He was able to log in to his old account with his username and password and see all the information of the current account holder: name, address, etc. Yet when we called Sprint whatever screen they were looking at still had my husbands name. We ended up taking a screenshot showing the new account holders name and sent it to Sprint and the collection agency. Never heard back from either one, but the debt no longer shows on my husbands credit.
Just wait till you need to get your phone warranty replaced. They will ship you a phone still attached to someones account, and make you wait 24-48 hrs before you can activate it!
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How it happened is obvious; cell companies use your phone number as your username. If somebody else was assigned the new phone number but the account wasn't transferred over (as was the case), the new owner of that number would see the old account.
@guspaz: As a longtime Sprint customer, I can verify that Sprint doesn't use phone numbers as either your account number or your login for their website. They used to use it for at least the website login, but that changed two or three years ago. This incident happened this year, so that wouldn't have been the cause.
So, no. How it happened isn't obvious in the least.
@guspaz: Landline companies do that. Cell companies don't. It's much more likely that you'll take your cell account with you when you leave town, and has been for many, many years.