Sprint announces Q1 results, sheds 75,000 additional customers

By on Apr 28, 2010 at 2:20 PM
mobile April 28, 2010

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The results for Q1 2010 are in for the #3 wireless carrier in the U.S., and the results are more of the same. Sprint shed 75,000 additional customers and posted operating revenues of $8.1 billion, a $865 million loss. The company’s churn rate was at 2.15%, an improvement from Q1 2009 (2.25%), but slightly up from Q4 2009 (2.09%). Average revenue per user, or ARPU, stayed the same at $55 but was down $1 YoY. Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, had the following to say after the company’s earnings announcement, “…results, including increased net operating revenues and significant year-over-year net post-paid subscriber improvements show we continue to make progress in improving the business.” What’s the consensus? Anyone going to switch over to Sprint for the EVO 4G and help Sprint lower that churn rate?

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  • Joshua

    Waiting on the EVO, then going to switch most likely in October (my parents are getting off Verizon at that time, so no reason to stay on an additional 4 months on my contract. I might think about switching a little earlier, though).

  • artie

    Waiting patiently for the 9650 and toss my 8130, don’t have to switch, I’m with Sprint all the way.

  • VwzGuy29

    dropping their shorts and still loosing customers….interesting.

    • bob

      there is just no excuse for not having a better lineup of phones…

      • PWR_BTM

        No excuse for thinking that loosing = losing.

        As for the phone lineup, they’re pretty dismal at this point but if they add the Nexus to the Evo & their prices, they’ll be looking much more competitive.

        Yes I am aware the Nexus story changes from day to day.

      • MARKA83

        Your correct there, Sprint’s plan pricing is beginning to be felt on the ground level, at least in Verizon stores. I used to never here a customer use Sprint as a counter to get a better deal but now I am hearing it more often. If they get some decent phones they will do much better, that and improving customer service.

  • chellykay88

    I love Sprints cheap rate plans, and they have great handsets to offer! the Evo 4G will be awesome, but I won’t switch to Sprint. At least not for the forseeable future because they still have shitty coverage. Their coverage map is a joke… What good is a sweet ass phone on a cheap rate plan if I can’t use it at my house? Or when I travel? Which is often… I’ll stick with big orange

    • racster

      big orange?

      • PWR_BTM

        “Big orange” has worse coverage than Sprint. If Apple didn’t toss them a lifeline 3 years ago, we’d be having this conversation about ATT having terrible service and worse devices.

        I mean, have you seen the “backflip”???? what a disaster of a phone and an embarassment to android.

        iPhone aside, ATT’s phones are worse than Sprint’s by far.

      • fluidexistence

        Depends on where you’re at–AT&T’s coverage definitely beats Sprint’s in my area; the majority of New England is AT&T and VZ for coverage. (Well, VZ first, AT&T in a somewhat-distant second, Sprint in a stumbling third.)

  • SprintLover

    I love Sprint! They offer interesting and compelling devices and value-conscious pricing plans. Coverage in the So Cal area is great. Can’t imagine leaving Sprint any time soon.

    • betchplz

      Compelling devices like the LG Rumor? Right.. I believe the last interesting device they offered was the Palm Pre and they seriously screwed the pooch on that one. They should go ask Verizon for info on how to push a phone.

  • Amber Lamps

    The vast majority of customers leaving Sprint are old iDen folks leaving Nextel. The Nextel network does a poor job of moving text and a mostly horrible job with data but still does PTT better than anyone else. The EVO will bring a quarter of net adds in the positive to Sprint even as the Nextel flow continues the wrong way.

    • betchplz

      I wonder why the CDMA side lost 300,000+? Oh right.. it’s because of iDEN!!!!!

      • Huh?

        Source?

  • Jordan

    there is a reason they keep loosing customers. Their customer service is absolute crap and their network is down right terrible. Even with a decent line up of phones and low pricing on plans what does it matter if you cant use your service and when you call to inquire why you are treated like dirt. Blows my mind why anyone would choose sprint…

    • cheech

      you know what, i will will deal with the so called crappy customer service who i call maybe twice a year for a problem, but save 30 bucks a month on average compared to the big 2 carriers. hmmm crappy CS save 30 bucks i will take the savings anyday…

      P.S. oh and by the way that crappy CS BS your talking about is so old news, sprint has made huge strides on improving it. go crawl back to your hole troll.

    • Mark

      Right on cheech – Jordan is a looser that doesn’t have a clue. I’ve been on Sprint since the mid 2000′s after switching from Verizon due to crappy service at my house. CS on Sprint sucked big time a few years ago, but now is no problem. In addition to being less on their base plans, almost anyone can get a corporate or employee referral discount with a little net searching and save even more.

      Great service, great handsets, great plan prices. I didn’t get why they continue to have a negative churn until I read Amber’s post. That makes total sense. I hope Sprint can turn it around.

  • Angus

    Sprint’s management is crazy! In my area Sprint coverage is marginal at best. I was a Sprint customer for 10 years. When it was time to renew my contract again 3 years ago, I asked several Sprint customer service reps what Sprint was prepared to do to keep me as a customer. The answer: NOTHING! I asked them to match T-Mobiles rate plan, give a better phone upgrade at no cost, port a landline number over to a new cell phone …. NOTHING!

    SO I switched to T-M with cheaper monthly rates, no charge for porting my lines, no activation fee , 4 free BB 8320s and free T-M @HOME equipment, too. I have been very pleased.

    The T-M GSM equipment is great especially as my family travels extensively to Europe and South America. It is so easy to get a local card and switch out the SIM card for a local line. I’d never go back to Sprint. Thanks Dan Hesse, as you made this all possible.! LOL!

    • cheech

      ive been a Sprint customer for over 10 years and i didn’t get any special treatment. why do you think they would for you. so what if you switched. That’s like saying hey i have been a Honda customer for 10 years my civic is a junker im gonna buy a toyota if you don’t give me a free car. Sorry pal not happening, Honda nor sprint have to be nice to you for being a long time customer. enjoy your mediocre coverage and mediocre 3G

      • betchplz

        This is cellular, and if you’re buying a car and not using another dealer as leverage for a lower price then you’re a moron for just accepting whatever horrible deal they offer. Plain and simple. I bet you go by what payment they can get you into. Laughable..

    • Mark

      Angus – I think you accidently put a “g” in your name.

    • fluidexistence

      That was three years ago. Sprint will pretty much sell you their kid sister or mother to keep a customer these days. Hence the loyalty plans, the cheapest plan around, sweetass phones for which they don’t have the coverage to penetrate the market…

  • Marquel

    Sprintz da shit because if you call to complain bout bad coverage they will give ya nigga ass whatever you want. 50% of this or free that on top of any corporate discounts.

    Admittingly if I had to pay full price with Sprint I’d probably go to T-Mobile or Verizon but as long as Sprint gives me bomb azz pricing for sho I’m down

    • Tyi

      Marquel, I appreciate your diversity in language to speak to a wider audience with the “da’s” “azz”z, “sho’s” etc…that helps my black side better relate to this white people talk.

      But then…your “Admittingly if I had to pay full price with Sprint” caucasian talk makes me want to raise my own language to a higher level as well. Kudos!

      When it all comes down to it, Sprint, like all other carriers, basically meets what’s good for the customer. When you don’t like em, you move on.

  • http://savingfreak.com SavingFreak

    I love sprint because their users are the most informed of the retention plans available. My plan – 4 phones sharing: 1500 mins, free nights 7pm, free roaming, free data, free text, free mobile to mobile, free pick 3, only 10 cents per minute for overage (which never happens), 25% employee discount, and -$10/month loyalty discount. — $72 per month total bill after taxes.

    I just cannot get anyone to match that.

    • NOTSOCoMmonSENSE

      The Incredible ships today. Is it gonna be LTE capable? No. The EVO will ship in 1.5 months with 4g capability built in on an existing WIMAX network. So while your Incredible will look real snazzy, you’ll have plenty of time to look at your device while trying to load content while i’m too busy streaming video at 10Mbs/s. Just Sayin.

      • betchplz

        HAHAHAHA @ 10 meg WiMAX. There is a reason why they say 6.0Mbps is a max, because it’s really not 4G!

      • Sprinter

        Dude, no reliable source says that.

        Currently, 6Mbps is average download speed. Current peak speeds can surpass 10Mbps. I suppose you know that Sprint is just going to sit on their hands and not try to improve those numbers too?

        Sprint is awesome. So suck it, betch.

  • bob

    Verizon has Droid Incredible… Sprint has??????
    EVO sometime this summer? NexusOne sometime..when?
    SPRINT MANAGEMENT IS INCOMPETENT
    FIRE THE IDIOTS!!!!

    • 3 Phones Jugglin

      EVO will be released in June….Which still has a shitload more features than the smaller screened incredible…..

      Oh yea….and Hesse himself stated the Nexus One will be available in May BEFORE the EVO is released. Sprint doesnt change their minds on phone releases….Unlike VZW

  • Brian

    I just switched to Sprint (3 months) and am very happy so far. Got the HTC Hero. Good phone, obviously not the best, but a great touch screen with 3G, Android market and cost $100. Can’t beat that. Plus the 69.99 all everything plan. In this economy thats all I can afford, Im sure millions of people should be doing tyhe same; save $30 or more from AT&T or Verizon. Also, I’m on the internet all day at work anyways, so I probably don’t use it on my phone as most people do, just a little each day. Juts giving my input. Get Sprint, good plans, good phones, won’t bust your budget.

  • biasedboygenius

    There are only 2 reasons you switch to sprint..
    1.) you cant afford at&t or verizon
    2.) you have a 23rd chromosome and you are a rah tard.

    plain and simple…

    • Sprinter

      1) I can afford any carrier I want. If I wanted to I could open 20 different lines all for myself on either AT&T or Verizon. I have plenty of money, but that doesn’t mean I want to waste it on cell phone minutes.

      2) I’m just not an idiot that likes to pay for shit that is more expensive just so investors make more money. I don’t/wouldn’t invest in any telecom company at the moment so my interests are with me.

  • 3 Phones Jugglin

    Ive been with Sprint Since I started High School in 2001. My Moms been with them since 96.

    10+ Year Sprint customers arent going anywhere. And we are the ones that make up 80% Of Sprints 48 Million. We are the ones that made it through the lousy customer service issues of yesteryear. Yet, people that have been with Sprint this long arent those customers that run into the Sprint store everytime they crack their phone and demand a different model cuz they dont like it.

    We’ve always stayed on top of our bill and our usage. People didnt do that then comlained when their bill ballooned and left. As well as taken advantage of INSURANCE and didnt run to At&t just for an Iphone. For The 75,000 people that were tired of Sprint and left theres another 75K thats tired of At&t, Verizon, & Tmobile. And there are STILL people with Nextel Devices.

    Were headed in the right direction…by the end of the year…im Confident the 75K we Lost will turn into 250,000 gained when people realize our lineup and Phone selection.

  • I said it

    Sprint is for broke people who can’t afford good coverage. Shitty coverage and CS. You pay for what you get. Get a job and get Verizon.

    • sal

      Verizon is shitty too. I have them right now and there phones suck ass. They charge you for nickle and dime. Crappy company. I’m switching once EVO 4G comes out. Yes 4G, something that verizon doesnt have.

  • 4real

    I don’t understand why people go off on Sprint’s coverage… Unless you live out in the sticks, coverage is the exact same as any other carrier. Go ahead and pay Verizon’s ridiculous rates… Let them nickel and dime you to death… Maybe if you’re ever driving through Montana you might have better coverage then Sprint’s network…

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