Cell Companies Charging Service Fees for CSR Calls

Sprint PCS has begun charging some customers up to $3 per call when they phone the company to discuss billing questions or other service matters. The growing trend is seen as a ploy by wireless carriers to offset falling stock prices, thinning profit margins and slowing sales by grabbing more revenue from customers.

Sprint only charges members of its ClearPay Plan, a special program for customers considered credit risks. Sprint spokesman Dan Wilinsky says callers are prompted to go to the Sprint Web site to obtain customer service, where there is no cost. “We offer regular PCS voice service and data service to people who otherwise couldn’t afford it,” he says. “We manage our expenses when it comes to ClearPay.”

Wireless carriers recently have also extended peak-time hours, which are rated higher than other times. Sprint also plans to deduct airtime whenever customers use their cell phones to check phone usage.

Other carriers, such as AT&T Wireless, raised the cost of calling directory assistance from 99 cents to $1.25. AT&T also will start charging for calls that last longer than 30 seconds, instead of not charging for calls that lasted less than a minute.