Sprint (S) has taken to the airwaves to try to keep customers and get old customers back. The marketing effort ignores that fact that Sprint has, by some measurements, the worst customer service of any large company in the US. Not just phone company. Any company.

Sprint does have a nifty new Apple (AAPL) iPhone knock-off called the Samsung Instinct. It is selling well and should bring in a few new customers. But, that is the extent of it.

As The New York Times points out, Sprint’s two larger competitors, AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless "are recruiting Sprint customers who have grown tired of years of inattentive customer service and a lackluster array of cellphones." TV commercials are not going to help that.

Sprint could take the millions of dollars it is spending on useless advertising and put that money into customer service. It could offer customers with real complaints a free month of service or a free phone. It could do something that might really matter to a subscriber thinking of leaving Sprint.

The ad campaign should simply say "Come Back, We Love You", and we are willing to give you something of value to rejoin use as a customer.

Of course, that would be too obvious.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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