how to clean out sprint phone before lease return

Sprint customers be warned: It's not easy return your leased phone.

My initial bill for a phone I was attempting to return.

It seems Sprint is advising its consumers that leased phones have to be returned . Unfortunately what it is isn't telling its consumers is how to actually do it, which can cost them hundreds in unnecessary charges.

When I signed up for Sprint more than two years ago, I was excited to not have to be locked into a two-year contract.

Sprint wasn't alone in ending the subsidized two-year contract. What replaced them though is a confusing set of options.

At the time though, I thought what a novel idea to lease a phone. It seemed like a cheaper, easier option. Oh, the naivete.

Be warned potential Sprint customers, returning a phone is a complicated process which can take months. Even if you return a phone, you could be charged for both the phone and additional fees.

If you return a phone within the 14-day trial period of signing up, you're charged a restocking fee and possibly other costs. Here's one person's story and another example.

Even if you've been a good Sprint customer for years, it doesn't mean returning a phone at the end of a lease is any easier.

You have a 30-day time frame to return it and they don't make it easy. For example, this customer ended up paying for the phone as the store wouldn't allow them to return it.

Even if you can figure out how to return a leased phone, they still bill you for it. That's right for the phone you've returned. It takes them several months to process a phone return and in the mean time they want you to pay for the phone you no longer have.

This is where I am at. I have been struggling to return my phone since Jan. 31 and I am yet to see a conclusion.

For chumps like me who signed up for a leased Sprint phone, here are some tips for actually (well at least attempting) to return your phone.

Trust me, no matter how often you call customer service or visit a store, there's a ton of surprises. This should hopefully save you some pain.

TIPS FOR RETURNING LEASED PHONES

One of the ways to return a phone is to call customer service and request a return kit. Straight forward, right? Time for the first tip …

If you have an iPhone, you have to wipe it before they'll even send you a return package.

No one told me this on my first few calls to Sprint customer service. They do have a pre-recorded message that says you have to wipe it before you RETURN IT, but they neglected to mention that you actually have to do it before you even REQUEST A RETURN.

If you don't wipe it before the request goes through their system, they won't send the return kit to you at all.

And of course, there's no way for you to know a return package isn't coming unless you call customer service again.

So initially, after my first calls to Sprint, I waited the prescribed time to receive the actual kit, which was about two weeks. (If you're keeping track, that's about half the time you have to return a phone.)

Finally, I figured out it probably wasn't coming and I tried calling again.

If you miss this step, they won't send you a return package at all.

Once I called again, I figured out my first mistake. Per the new representatives suggestion, I wiped my phone.

But wait, there was still an issue. It seems that because I had a previous request in the system my new request for a return package may not go through the system.

Considering there's wait time to get a return kit, I probably would have run out 30-day window waiting for a new kit anyway.

It seems the return package is flimsy, even if you get it.

To this day, I still wonder how the whole return package works. But it seems even if you get it, you may have some concerns about the packaging to return your phone.

Don't have personal experience on this front, but check out this link.

If you're not mailing it in, you have to go to a Sprint CORPORATE store.

After getting burned on the return package front, I decided I'd just return the phone myself to a store.

But you can't return a phone to just any Sprint store, it has to an official corporate store. Many of the places that look official are really just dealers.

The only way to know for sure if a store is corporate, is to ask the store or — if you'd rather not visit every store in your area — use the Sprint store locator on their site.

And of course, the locator doesn't even label corporate stores. You just have to look for a full-service location (which you can't even filter for on the site) and then call the store to confirm.

Once I finally found a corporate store and visited it, the return process was pretty painless. That is until I checked my mail.

I returned my phone on Feb. 15. This is what I received this week, a month later.

Even after you've returned the phone, you'll get a bill for the cost of buying it.

In multiple times contacting Sprint, I was told that I wouldn't have to pay the $200 charge (plus taxes and fees) for buying the phone I returned. That I could just ignore the charge.

Unfortunately, no one mentioned that I would continually be billed for it until they actually got my returned phone and inspected it.

And that takes awhile, in my latest call to Sprint, I was told …

It takes two to three billing cycles to know if you actually owe any money on the returned, leased phone.

In the mean time you will keep getting bills that say you have an overdue balance for the entire cost of the phone you're already returned.

I asked if this would affect my credit, and they assured me it wouldn't. We shall see.

If I had just paid the fee, plus the initial cost and my two-years of monthly payments, I'd be paying more for the phone than it's original cost. Add in the fact I've returned it, and I'm handing over hundreds to Sprint.

No one wants to pay for crooked, corporate charges. But here are things to consider:

a) Even if you didn't read it or none of the representatives said it, you could be on the hook for hidden corporate charges.

b) Not paying could mean late charges.

c) If you're billed, you technically owe them money.

d) This could also affect your credit.

e) To refute charges you can file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission or binding arbitration.

I'm still refusing to pay the bill for now as I returned the phone, and I don't trust the company at this point actually refund the money. If this drags on, I may be forced to for my credit's sake, while I dispute it. (Any legal / financial advice on this front appreciated.)

Regardless, it seems I'm not the only one to have had to wait for Sprint's return process, nevertheless had a complaint with the company.

If you're entering a Sprint contract, be aware you'll most likely have to pay for the phone.

As for those already locked in with Sprint, I'm hoping this article has helped. Customer service has been of little help and I found few resources online.

And guess what I just got in my inbox to wrap this up:

Another bill for my returned phone. This time an email. Less than a week since my last paper bill and only a day after I called customer service.

UPDATE March 23, 2017: Here's what's happened since writing this article, plus additional tips.

After writing this article, I tweeted the link. After a direct message conversation with customer service, they called to follow-up.

TIP: If you shame Sprint on Facebook, Twitter or another public platform, customer service will usually follow-up immediately.

It ends up the store hadn't started the process to return the phone. The representative credited me the amount of the phone and said it would take three to five business day to process.

But then, guess what?

Yep, another bill.

I called again. It seems I was credited the amount the phone amount. But there was still a balance … A late fee for not paying for the phone I already returned.

Once I pointed out the source of the remaining balance, the representative also credited me the late-fee amount.

TIP: When settling any charges, be sure to check the amounts and make sure there are no hidden fees.

I asked for email confirmation about the credits. The representative couldn't do that, but they could give me an interaction tracking number.

TIP: Every time you call Sprint you can get an interaction tracking number. You should record this along with the date of your call.

Each call is recorded, so this can be used to track down your conversations.

Considering how long this whole process has taken (THREE MONTHS), I can tell you it's worth writing down each interaction with Sprint as it can be a long process and you're never quite sure when they'll throw you another curve ball.

So for now, hypothetically settled. Doubting it, but will keep you posted.