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It hasn’t been pretty for Sprint lately. They forced the ouster of CEO Gary Forsee, lost over a quarter million subscribers in the third quarter (with more losses to come), have had to deal with network problems that could cause a shutdown in June, and are rumored to be cutting thousands of jobs. So, in another seemingly cost-cutting effort, they’ve announced the cessation of their Ambassador program.

The program had a clear point: To get the newest Sprint phones into the hands of “influencers.” Or, as Malcom Gladwell would call them, mavens. The mavens then send the message to the masses, and Sprint — so long as their devices are up to snuff — benefits from the positive pubicity.

As you can see, Sprint has plenty of problems right now, and garnering favorable reviews for their handsets shouldn’t be priority No. 1. Customer service should be near the top of that list, as should the integrity of their network. After those problems are fixed, and Sprint stops hemorrhaging customers, maybe then they can get back into the business of handing out their phones for review.

Us, we were never involved in the program. But we life free stuff, so we consider this a disappointment. But if it helps Sprint get back on track, well, who are we to complain?

[Tech Crunch]

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