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Sprint Evos phone shortages hit consumersAug 05, 2010 (Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Sprint Evos phone is supposed to be incredible, with a wonderful screen, fun apps and the first 4G phone widely available -- a true rival to the Apple iPhone. Only, that "widely available" part isn't working out well. Sprint officials are confirming major shortages and distribution breakdowns -- some so bad that customers are waiting two months or more for a phone. To be sure, some shortages crop up with lots of new phones, Droids, iPhones, etc. But in this case, there's another problem. Sprint officials point the finger squarely at the manufacturer, HTC, which is experiencing major manufacturing problems -- mainly a shortage of specialty parts from other vendors. HTC can't assemble the phones, so Sprint can't sell them. Keep in mind, however, the shortage isn't uniform, or even predictable. Some Sprint retailers are keeping waiting lists of 150 people or more. Other store managers say to just call at 10 a.m. when shipments arrive. But those shipments may have just a few phones that are gone in an hour. Other retailers, like BestBuy, provided a phone to customers within a couple days. Crystal Davis, a spokeswoman for Sprint, said they don't presently have any forecasts when more phones could arrive. Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919. To see more of the Tampa Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tampatrib.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |