These guys make the Mafia look like choir boys. I used to use Nextel as my cellular service provider and never had any problems except for lack of signal coverage in some areas. Once Sprint bought Nextel some friends of mine switched to Sprint and so (after cringing) I switched as well to take advantage of the free calling between Sprint customers.

So what puts them at the top of the list at BigRipOffs.com? For starters there's the hidden $36 activation charges. I was told in the Sprint Store that they were having a promotion and that the activation fees had been waived. The contract I signed even has a line drawn thru the box for the activation fee. Yet, on my first months bill there is a charge of $72 for two phones activation (I bought a phone for my wife too). Then there's the $70/month "Fair & Flexible Plan with Night Minutes". When you look at the invoice they give you at the "Sprint Store" it says $70/month (same on their web site), but they bill you at a rate of $95/month.

Also I purchased the Sprint cellular service and 2 new phones on June 22, 2005, at the same time I purchased some accessories (Bluetooth headset, etc.) which they billed to my charge card at that time. Today it is July 27, 2005 and I still have yet to receive my additionally purchased items. On top of that I called the Canyon Springs Spint Store (where I bought the phone) to see why my order hadn't been fulfilled yet, the customer service rep informed me that I would have to come down to the store to make my inquiry as he was too busy to help me over the phone. When you go to the store (I've been back 5 times in the last three months) there is always atleast a 30-minute wait. And if you try another route like actually calling Sprint customer service and complaining, they disavow all responsibility for what goes on in THEIR STORES and aren't willing to provide you with any assistance in resolving the issue. I've never experienced a more frustrating experience in corporate America than when dealing with this bunch of assholes.

And here's the final incredulous event: This morning, Wednesday, July 27, 2005 I get an 8 A.M. call from Sprint saying that I owe them $260. "For WHAT?" I asked, "I haven't even received a bill yet." The on phone sales rep of course had no clue. "Let me look it up" she says. 20 minutes later I got tired of waiting for a response and hung up the phone. A few minutes later I grab my cell phone to make a call and my service has been turned off. Remember I've only had this phone/service for a total of 35 days and had used maybe 20 or 30 minutes of calling time (I'm paying for 800 minutes/month). Even though I haven't received a bill yet I was able to view my invoice on the Sprint web site, where I quickly recognized that even though my account information online list my correct mailing address their invoice was being mailed to an address I haven't lived at in three years. How the hell they got that address we'll never know.

Obviously Sprint is run by a bunch of crooks posing as idiots (or perhaps they're both). Here is Sprint's tool-free number: 1-800-480-4727. Do like I did and set up your computer's phone modem to dial it every minute between the hours of midnight and 6 A.M., or during regular business hours if you have an extra phone line.

Sony music CDs Pose Computer Security Risks! Sony's Digital Rights Management (DRM) software known as "eXtended Copy Protection" (XCP) and licensed from British company First4Internet.com was designed to limit a CD purchaser's ability to play and copy the CD wherever and whenever they want. As it turns out it additionally installs undisclosed files onto your computer that put it a risk to viruses. See these sites for more detailed information: SysInternals & The Register.