Sprint (NYSE: S) once again revived its 30-day money-back guarantee in an effort to convince users that its network is competitive with its bigger competitors.
The carrier said it will refund the cost of the device and service charges to users who aren't satisfied with the company within 30 days of activation. The offer is open to new customers and small businesses who activate a line of service at Sprint's own retail outlets or "preferred" retailers, or through the company's website.
"As I talk with wireless consumers across the country, they tell me over and over that a reliable network is the make-or-break factor in their buying decision," Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a prepared statement. "Sprint's 30-day satisfaction guarantee is giving consumers the opportunity to try us out worry-free…. No gimmicks, it's that simple."
Sprint last offered a 30-day guarantee in June 2014 in response to a T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) campaign that offered users a free seven-day trial of an iPhone. And in 2010 the carrier launched a "Free Guarantee" program that refunded the cost of a device and service to users who weren't satisfied within 30 days, discontinuing the campaign a year later.
Sprint is hoping to reverse course in a highly competitive U.S. mobile market. The company owes $10 billion that will come due by the end of 2020 and must make $2.3 billion in debt payments this year. It eliminated 2,500 jobs in a third round of layoffs in January and continues to trim network expenses.
But aggressive marketing campaigns such as its half-off campaign have helped add subscribers and stabilize revenues. The operator posted a solid quarter to close out 2015, reporting more than 500,000 postpaid net adds and a net loss of $836 million, down substantially from the $2.38 billion loss it saw during the same period a year prior.
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