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Hi Guys, I am wondering if I have the unlimited Data package for the vogue for $7 a month. And I were to swap out the phone and change the ESN on the account would I get in trouble for that? I was told that if I were to upgrade my phone I would have to change the data portion of my plan. The Pro is a Data phone and the vogue is not. (That did not make sense to me). Would my plan even work with the phone or would I have to upgrade to an unlimited plan for around $40? Also would I just be able to change my ESN via "phone codes" or would I have to call it in to them?
i couldnt confirm that for you cuz... pretty risky though.. i would think they go by tha ESN to tell what phone you have, like GSM and IMEI... bells winmo's all seem to dail #777 to access data .. (my 6800 and touch do) and tha touch is just as much a data phone, just bells conspiracy to get us all hooked on smartphones, then get us from $5 unlimited data to $40 or whatever on an upgrade..lol kinda like tha first hit of crack is allway free lmmfao...
sorry.....
let us kno if you have any luck, or what your data charges top at.. herd they can take your right to use there service or a mobile device all together away.. it is illegal isn't it? lol
4real goodluck tho
Yeah I kinda figured that. I think I will probably just upgrade my package to the new phone with the more expensive plan. I don't feel like getting in trouble or having my contract canceled. Thanks for the quick reply.
lol.. depending on ur current voice plan there smartphone plan that include voice&data are fairly good value..
did want to hear if that works tho.. lol
No, you can't ESN swap from Vogue to TouchPro. Touch Pro uses not only the ESN, but IMEI as well.
was at Bell earlier today and was thinking about upgrading to the Touch Pro from the Vogue, and the sales rep said that I would get to keep my current plan. But I was not eligible for a hardware upgrade yet so will do that later
masalma said:
was at Bell earlier today and was thinking about upgrading to the Touch Pro from the Vogue, and the sales rep said that I would get to keep my current plan. But I was not eligible for a hardware upgrade yet so will do that later
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You should call *611 because I too asked my rep at the store and he told me something very similar to what you were told. But when I called customer Service to inquire in more detail, I was told that I could not keep the same plan. Well I could but the Data portion would be considered pay-per-use. So unlimited is limited to the Vogue (Well at least the $7 package)
thats just bells stupid customer service.. bell store rep told me i needed to get a data an on tha Touch.. then it was $25 for 4MB's witch i laughed in his face!!!! on tha phone a rep told me i needed to keep my old $5 msn emaik//IM option or would be charged using tha preinstalled app on tha touch, i allso laughed and call derectly back to remove it.. countless other missinformation etc.. i hate bell rep.. if it wasnt for there Truly unlimited data and superior voice and data quality // speed even in tha country i would have left long ago
I still fail to understand how they come up with prices for data plans for different phone. It doesn't matter if you are using WM phone, Blackberry, wireless card, or just a simple phone. They all use the same data stream. Why would the data plan on the Touch Pro ve more than on the Touch? This makes absolutely no sense & exactly the reason I refuse to purchase a data plan in the first place. With Verizon you have to have a data plan with the Touch Pro & that is why I am stuck with using the Touch.
Carries should base their data plans based on usage & adjust accordingly. At least give you the option to purchase limited data plans.
i just got back from the att store in Lexington ky off richmond rd and the rudest jerk would not sell me the tilt 2 unless i got a data plan, even if i paid full price! What the heck! I hate freakin att, it took all I had not to pop this blond haired dude just for how rude he was to me and my wife. I told him I'll just get it off ebay and he said they would detect it and automatically add data plan.
My wife is eligible for early upgrade and she has an iphone w/ data plan
Shouldn't I be able to get her to get the tilt 2. They will de-activate her iphone, then when she gets home put my old sim in tilt 2 and have her re-activate her phone. Is this possible or no. Please help
I don't want to pay for a stupid 30 a month data plan data plan, i only want the wifi use.
ATT is much more proactive about checking IMEI's now than they used to be. As a result, upon placing your sim in the Tilt 2, you will very likely receive a text message informing you that if you do not add a smartphone data plan to your phone, one will be added for you.
One possible, and I stress POSSIBLE, way around this is to use an unlocked TP2 from another carrier, or the int'l unbranded version. It won't have 3G, but it may not get flagged as a smartphone because most carriers only have their own phones in the IMEI database that they use to check for this sort of thing. So while they would detect the Tilt2 and charge you for a monthly data plan, they might not detect an unlocked branded version from VZW or Tmobile or the unbranded international version as a smartphone.
I'm sorry the dude was rude, and I'm not super fond of ATT (or other carriers for that matter) either, but based on my experience and that of some other users I know, I believe his information is accurate. We used to be able to get away with a lot more than we can now.
Best way to go without paying for data these days is prepaid (though prepaid plans like VZW's which include for example, unlimited data, don't allow smartphones for fear of abuse. I haven't heard of ATT's prepaid rejecting smartphones because their prepaid data packages are per mb--no danger of abuse).
fortunz said:
One possible, and I stress POSSIBLE, way around this is to use an unlocked TP2 from another carrier, or the int'l unbranded version. It won't have 3G, but it may not get flagged as a smartphone because most carriers only have their own phones in the IMEI database that they use to check for this sort of thing. So while they would detect the Tilt2 and charge you for a monthly data plan, they might not detect an unlocked branded version from VZW or Tmobile or the unbranded international version as a smartphone.
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That sounds good in theory, and would work out pretty well for OP since he isn't concerned about 3G capabilities.
When you log into your AT&T wireless account, AT&T attempts to detect your phone and displays it on screen for you. When I was using unlocked phones on their network (i900 Omnia for a year and most recently for 3 days, T-MO's Touch Pro 2), it never detected/displayed my phone.
I just logged into my account now to check if it detected my new AT&T branded Tilt 2, and indeed it did.
Not to spam OP, but if you're interested in a T-Mo Touch Pro 2, I have one listed in the Marketplace. Good luck!
Thanks for your sympathy
Thanks for your sim-pathy (sympathy), It is good to know I'm not the only one angry about this.
It would sure be nice to have a 3.5 jack with an unlocked verizon or sprint version, but I'm just not sure how not having 3g band would effect my signal. Years ago I remember having sprint service and it was horrible where I live.
You are wondering how it would affect your carrier edge data signal? I thought you only wanted to use wifi?
If you are worried about how it would affect your regular GSM phone signal, I can't imagine that would be problem. I believe the GSM chip is the same in all versions, and would expect similar performance from all TP2s that have it.
To date, I haven't yet heard of an unlocked Sprint version working on US GSM carriers (possibly due to some software protections they added in). Unlocked VZWs have been proven to work on ATT. If you want the 3.5mm jack, maybe VZW or Telus would be your best bet.
thanks for the tip
I did not know unlocked sprint versions would not work on US gsm, thanks for the tip. I'm going to start searching the threads for people who have got the unlocked Verizon's to work before I buy.
I was not for sure if the 3g just carried data, thanks for clearing that up. If that is all it adds I won't miss it because, "i really only use wifi".
or maybe just hold out for the hd2.....don't know if I can stand using my backup Motorola phone much longer *my htc trinity drowned ......
There is an alternative
You may try to purchase a phone from T-mobile and they won't limit you to having a data plan especially if you pay full price. I've seen many do it, and many succeed. Good Luck
lol, get the phone with the data plan. go home, call at&t and tell them you've changed your mind and dont want the data plan. have your old phone's imei around and tell them your going to use your old phone. done. i've done it multiple times. no use arguing with those idiots at the store; most of us here know more about phones than they do
xda kindness
If only our mobile devices companies were all staffed by the nice and informative people of xda the universe would be a better place.
omaralt said:
lol, get the phone with the data plan. go home, call at&t and tell them you've changed your mind and dont want the data plan. have your old phone's imei around and tell them your going to use your old phone. done. i've done it multiple times. no use arguing with those idiots at the store; most of us here know more about phones than they do
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Lots of us have, but you should note that not all the old tricks work anymore. IMEI checking occurs much more often now, not just when you call in.
Are you looking to just not have a data plan period for her phone? The Smartphone/PDA data and iPhone data are the same price.
fortunz said:
As a result, upon placing your sim in the Tilt 2, you will very likely receive a text message informing you that if you do not add a smartphone data plan to your phone, one will be added for you
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I've been running for about a week now on my old SIM w/ MediaNet and have not received any such message.
RacerX10 said:
I've been running for about a week now on my old SIM w/ MediaNet and have not received any such message.
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I hope it keeps working for you.
I don't understand how he was being rude at all. If he can't sell it to you without those conditions then it certainly isn't his fault. I work at RadioShack and the system we use will not allow us to sell smartphones without adding data either. Not sure how this applies to phones bought outright but all sellers do things a little different. Don't be upset at the associate, be upset at att and the rest of the carriers who also require this.
Actually, according to the rep I had, it seems more along the lines of the phones official launch being today that is the issue from the store side. Since its so new they're not, at least the regular associate isn't, allowed to sell the phone sans contract.
Needless to say my shackles are back on
Considering the amount that shipped out to some stores if his store was any indicator it wouldn't surprise me. How do you only send 3, with one to be set for display purposes?
RE: att rep
I never blamed this guy for the rules this att rep he had to follow, that is not what ticked me off. This had nothing to do with what ticked me off
From the second I walked into this store he was the most sarcastic punk ever, and took it personal that I was trying to get this great htc phone without a data plan. He treated me like I was trying to steal it. I was very polite and I doubt he even knew that I was the least bit upset.
Just got back from an At&t store myself. Rep said the same thing and was also a jerk. I couldn't purchase the phone by itself. I'm not due for an upgrade yet so I was trying to buy the phone full price.
The rep was asking me why I wanted the phone. He said its horrible, it useless, he had a Fuze and gave it away because of how bad it was. He uses a BB and iPhone (BIG SURPRISE). He said I was probably the only person asking for the phone the whole day and thats why they didn't have a display model, because no one wants this phone. He said "Why do you want a windows phone, its windows!!!! Haha, c'mon!"
I was screaming inside. If the jackass had any technology knowledge he would understand why I wanted the phone. The possibilities are endless. I'm running TomTom, Wifi access point, internet sharing, mp3 trimmer, push e-mail, Skyfire, DirecTV NFL Superfan Streaming, registry edits, etc. I know a BB and iPhone can also do some of these things but they CAN'T DO ALL.
gtdRR said:
Just got back from an At&t store myself. Rep said the same thing and was also a jerk. I couldn't purchase the phone by itself. I'm not due for an upgrade yet so I was trying to buy the phone full price.
The rep was asking me why I wanted the phone. He said its horrible, it useless, he had a Fuze and gave it away because of how bad it was. He uses a BB and iPhone (BIG SURPRISE). He said I was probably the only person asking for the phone the whole day and thats why they didn't have a display model, because no one wants this phone. He said "Why do you want a windows phone, its windows!!!! Haha, c'mon!"
I was screaming inside. If the jackass had any technology knowledge he would understand why I wanted the phone. The possibilities are endless. I'm running TomTom, Wifi access point, internet sharing, mp3 trimmer, push e-mail, Skyfire, DirecTV NFL Superfan Streaming, registry edits, etc. I know a BB and iPhone can also do some of these things but they CAN'T DO ALL.
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Most of the people in the stores are just typical sales people. They have bad attitudes, and think they know everything because of their "training". Just remember that they are trying to make their commission off of you. Every time I call customer service I make a point to complain about the sales people in the stores. Once, I went in to a store and asked for a new SIM card, and the jerk didn't want to give me one because I was not buying something. I asked for a manager, and she was a b***h about it too and told me that the SIM cards cost them a lot of money. She told me to go to the RadioShack down the road and get one (and they wanted to charge me $25 for one). I just stopped going to the stores all together. If I need a new SIM card, I call customer service and request one to be shipped to me. My advise.... Stay away from the stores!!!!
If they are so into earning their commissions one would think they would want to sell a $549 phone at full price, no?
I work for Best Buy Mobile and indeed AT&T does automatically add the data plan once the IMEI for smartphones is detected in their database but this does not mean you can't buy the phone outright.. that's where the guy was wrong. I don't know if he would get a lesser commission if he sells without an activation or whatnot.
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
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Thats fine and dandy. But what happens when ATT decides to make changes. Add hidden fees, completely eliminate the unlimited data? Sure they will keep some of the features that Tmobile has, but nothing stays the same.
if they do keep the unlimited data, it will be a hell of a lot higher of a price per month then what we pay now.
This merger is bad news and is very very bad.
atquick said:
Thats fine and dandy. But what happens when ATT decides to make changes. Add hidden fees, completely eliminate the unlimited data? Sure they will keep some of the features that Tmobile has, but nothing stays the same.
if they do keep the unlimited data, it will be a hell of a lot higher of a price per month then what we pay now.
This merger is bad news and is very very bad.
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They better honor our current bill or I will cancel my contract because the reason I went to t-mobile is to leave at&t
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
My No contract Even More+ plan will be gone, and I'll have to pay almost double what I do now just to keep my service. They're going to honor current contracts but when they end its GG.
AT&T is going to ruin what made T-Mobile good.
I wouldn't have as much issue with AT&T if they weren't so ridiculous and expensive. They have data caps and their network is SO SLOW with all the iPhone users. Its absolutely ridiculous. I don't wanna be gimped from an awesome carrier just because AT&T can't build their own towers out.
It sucks, for sure.. att customers are the only ones to benefit since they stole our 4G. The plus side is that we won't see any changes for atleast a year..
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
The buyout is not a good thing at all. Less competition is never good. T-Mobile was Google's go-to network. The innovate Android phones always went to T-Mobile first.
One of the worst things about this whole deal is that T-Mobile phones will have to be replaced eventually. AT&T will be restructuring the whole network to use it's own 3G/4G frequencies, which T-Mobile phones aren't capable of using. So you'd be stuck on edge. It's supposed to take several years before the switch over is complete, so hopefully by then my G2 will be long outdated, since I just bought it a couple months ago at full price because I'm on a no-contract plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
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How you figure? A phone is a phone, and nobody has EVER (except CDMA) forced you to buy your phone from your carrier.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
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Ah, NO. The reason is that since tmobile will no longer exist, they won't lose any customers by raising prices since there is no longer any competition to run to. No, CDMA carriers are not competition.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
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How does that affect anything? You're still using your phone, there's no competition, so they can charge you whatever they want.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
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That depends on what they intend to do with things. Maybe they'll transfer all of tmobile's customers over to att towers and use tmobile towers to implement LTE. If that happens, you aren't going to have any better coverage.
If history has taught us a lesson... Look at the case of Cingular being bought up by AT&T. Cingular was all about a huge variety of phones, great plans, and awesome reps (in store and on the support line) that made them great. When AT&T had swallowed them up, the integration took about 1-2 years where they were called "Cingular by AT&T" while keeping some of their nuances and then post integration they became AT&T with all the bad that AT&T brings.
To the original poster saying that there could be more Android devices from this deal... There is also no guarantee to that, because if he has forgotten... AT&T was the LAST provider to adopt Android phones and only did so because their iPhone honeymoon exclusive was over. Even then, if they do offer more Android devices... They could lock them down forcing users to side-load apps as see with Android phones like the Xperia X10 or Samsung Captivate. Also, they could end up capping future 4G devices as seen with the HTC Inspire.
As another poster in this thread said... LESS competition is BAD for the consumer and MORE competition is BETTER for the consumer.
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
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it's truly saddening to me that the majority of people here are more concerned with cell towers and glorified walkie talkies than the underlying economic and (yes, I'm going there) societal impact of an acquisition of this magnitude.
dhilberg said:
The buyout is not a good thing at all. Less competition is never good. T-Mobile was Google's go-to network. The innovate Android phones always went to T-Mobile first.
One of the worst things about this whole deal is that T-Mobile phones will have to be replaced eventually. AT&T will be restructuring the whole network to use it's own 3G/4G frequencies, which T-Mobile phones aren't capable of using. So you'd be stuck on edge. It's supposed to take several years before the switch over is complete, so hopefully by then my G2 will be long outdated, since I just bought it a couple months ago at full price because I'm on a no-contract plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones
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I went into my local T-Mobile store and asked several questions about our phones working on At&t network and was told that At&t and T-Mobile are in the works of offering a universal sim card that will allow our phones (At&t/T-Mobile) to work on each others network. We'll see!
I'm a current AT&T customer and I can't say I disagree with much of the discussion here.
It's impossible to say how things will change a few years down the road, but one thing is definitely true:
Less Competition is NEVER good for the consumer. In the end we (ATT and T-Mobile customers) WILL pay more for service.
Let's see if the feds do their job and shoot down this acquisition...
1.Immediaely, yes. Long run, no.
2.Why do they have to make them happy? What alternative will we have? Verizon will be the only other somewhat decent option, and their incredibly overpriced and don't use GSM so we'd have to buy a new phone.
3. True, our 'family' will be growing, causing us to possibly use less minutes.... I don't use the amount given in the smallest family plan though.
4. Actual 4g network rather than fake 4g network is good, more towers are good, etc.... good point.
Things not concidered:
1. monopoly on GSM (monopolies are generally not good)
2. prices will eventually go up. you'll be grandfathered but things change, especially if you have no real competition.
3. at&t diferentiates tethering (this is where you will probably lose your grandfathered unlimited data).
4. economy hinderance: loss of jobs, no longer an 'affordable' choice for cell service, less providers means less money for phone anufactorers (minimal impact there for people).
5. Good bye, customer service....
I don't see how they are going to raise the prices of unlimited plan if you already have one...hence everyone that had an unlimited data plan with att before they changed pricing was grandfathered with no price change. I'm not happy about att buying tmo but the one thing I'm sure of is if you already have the plan they won't change it. When you want to change your cell plan is when you will lose it
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Our contracts with this whole thing
I could be wrong, and I only skim the contracts, but haven't t-mobile customers signed contracts to be on T-mobile? If ATT absorbs their customer base and T-mobile no longer exists, do our contracts still remain?
KingAndroid said:
I could be wrong, and I only skim the contracts, but haven't t-mobile customers signed contracts to be on T-mobile? If ATT absorbs their customer base and T-mobile no longer exists, do our contracts still remain?
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the T-Mobile website merger Q&A states that they will keep everyone's contracted price. But I'm sure as soon as your contract ends, you're gonna be forced.
And I'm sure that once they required you to switch to an AT&T phone from a T-mobile phone because of the frequency switch, they'll make you end your contract and sign a new AT&T one anyways, so there goes that.
Years ago I worked for Verizon. On most days I would come across people that had been merged into Verizon from some other company. I remember one case where a customer had an unlimited voice plan for something like $30 a month. Now this was back before any one had an unlimited voice plan. When I looked into it the customer had been merged in about 2 or more years before and never been on a contract. Now from what I remember a company can not change your plan unless you consent. About the only way they can get you is if you do something like sign a new contract. Now they will try to trick you into changing from the grandfathered plan. So they can not kill or change our unlimited data plans.
I was with Cingular when they were bought out. I kept my Cingular contract right up until they came out with the Iphone and i was out of contract the whole time.
Now it will be interesting to see what becomes of Tmobile's prepay contract service.
AT&T buying out T-Mobile is BAD. Remember, it hasn't happened yet, and there's no way the DOJ will approve it anyway.
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
varaonaid said:
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
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It all varies on your area, you need to find people who live around you and ask there opinion. Some ppl say the HTC radio sucks, others say Sammys sucks. Rumor was without pure fact that Samsung was using a radio like the Motorola phones use. Lots of ppl are reporting positive feedback with the GS3. So it's something you can try, and if the store can't help you avoid a restocking fee, I would call customer service to see if theyd waive it.
However I know Sprint hasnt charged me a restock fee yet or ever, and if you have reception issues at home they will send you a free airwave...
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
juanpow3r said:
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
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The thing is and to be honest, once LTE hits, everyone will be *****ing about battery life. There is not a reason you cant jump on WIFI if avalible. Or use 3g... I have been stuck and still am stuck on 3g, and things load instantly for me... granted I'm not downloading big videos or anything...
But I know her main point was coverage... so she'd really need to stop at a store and talk to people who use the phone outside of the business
I'll let you know. Mostly I want to know that Sprint will stand behind either phone if the radios aren't up to par without the restocking fees and a second activation fee... I can't afford $210 of activation, restocking and another reactivation fee for phones that are defective. I'm not talking about just changing my mind and wanting a different phone but needing to trust that one way or another I'll get two phones with no radio issues.
It's not as simple as just staying with VZW, my husband's phone was stolen during one of my medical emergencies... He's currently using an old phone but it's not working very well. So, we either pony up for a new phone (even if it's via Craigslist) or we get a new provider (who hopefully gives a care bc Vzw certainly didn't!), both get new phones and sell our current ones to cover most of the upfront cost of the new phones. We could wait until Network Vision is completed or moreso but will they still be able to offer unlimited data plan at that point. Since we feel that we want to switch, now feels like a good time to do so. Does that make sense?
No we're not out of contract with Verizon but have people lined up to do an AOL (assumption of liability or contract takeover) so we'd be out of it with no fees. However, we won't complete the AOL until we're sure that Sprint will work for us now.
Does anyone know if the everything data plus (we'd be looking at the 1600min family plan) has free activation? I'd have to order online and it would be via employee referral? Also, do you get any numbers you can pick that are unlimited to those numbers? Verizon had friends and family where you got to pick a handful of numbers that you call the most that don't count against our minutes. My only concern is my in laws as they have a VERY limited cell plan and use their land line almost exclusively. If we could add that one number that would help a ton. I'd read somewhere online that Sprint had something similar but now, of course, can't find it again.
I appreciate all of your help and advice so very much. I hope this explains more why we're considering the switch and why we need good phone reception... At least as good as is currently possible on their network.
BTW, when we informed Vzw about the phone theft we were tracking the phone on Google latitude and the refused to help or advise us as to what to do in any way. Super disappointed with their lack of help. If the customer service had been better, we might have gotten our phone back. I've heard good things about Sprint's customer service.
Any other thoughts or suggestions or advice... Please share! And many thanks to all of you who have shared!
Order directly from Sprint
As a former employee of a 3rd party vendor, if you are worried about the vendors complying with Sprint's 30-day no strings window, order your phones directly from Sprint. If your or your husband's employer have an agreement with sprint that nets their employee's a discount, they might also have an exclusive sales team and pricing. Most corporate discounts waive the activation fee on new lines and Sprint(corporate, not 3rd party) is very good about exchanges. Keep in mind 3rd party vendors can, and do, pretty much whatever they want, if they treat you poorly, email [email protected] and it will garner the attention of Dan Hesse's resolution team. But again if you want to avoid the 3rd party headache, just order online or over the phone. Good luck, and I will check back as I just ordered both, an evo lte and sIII, for my wife and I. I will let you know how signal goes.
Sprint is very giving... ill PM you a number to use when you call them.
Sent from my DynaTAC 8000S ;-) via 5G
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
varaonaid said:
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
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As of right now i get great signal and battery on my sprint s iii. I support ur cjoicr to switch. As far as customer sipport u eont regret it. If u have bad sifnal call them at any customer service number and request an airrave theyll send one for free. Those give u full signal at home. I believe emergency calls work without signal too so 911 shouldn't be a problem anyway, and airave should fix signal worries. So far this phone has great radio so far as I can tell.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
I renewed my Sprint contract back in 11/12 and got 2 LGOGs and 1 S3. When I renewed with Sprint, I was told the new phones didn't use WiMax anymore and that they were LTE. Although LTE wasn't out in my area (San Francisco), it should hit the area in a few months. I happily signed up because I've had nothing but good experiences with Sprint in the past. Almost immediately I noticed that the 3G on this new network was super slow, I'm talking speed tests of 0.02 - 0.20 mbps slow. I just sat on it and used WiFi where I could waiting for the 4G LTE signal. As 2013 flew by and many contacts to Sprint, I was told LTE would be in by the end of 2013. Well, its 2014 and I still don't have LTE nor do I even have 3G speeds that I can use on any of my phones. No one at sprint customer service seems to want to help me.
Does anyone know of a way to get Sprint to do the right thing and kill my ETF so that I can make the choice to move to a carrier that I can use? I've given them over a year to get their stuff together but they continue to sell a network that doesn't exist. I don't even care if I have to send them my old phone. But before people say "sell your phones to pay for the ETF." Unfortunately my current financial situation doesn't allow me to outright pay for new phones on top of paying for my ETF while I wait to see if I can sell the old phones.
At this point, I'm just tired of being mad....I'm just looking for some help.
No, but check this out.
http://www.slashgear.com/t-mobile-reportedly-plans-to-pay-early-termination-fees-for-new-subscribers-20309639/
Supposedly, T-Mobile will be launching this program Jan 15th.
davefroo said:
No, but check this out.
http://www.slashgear.com/t-mobile-reportedly-plans-to-pay-early-termination-fees-for-new-subscribers-20309639/
Supposedly, T-Mobile will be launching this program Jan 15th.
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Whoa... That is huge. I've secretly been wanting to move to T-Mo for a lot of reasons, this may do it for me.
Thanks for the tip, I guess I'll just have to borrow some money along with using this T-Mobile promotion and bite the bullet on this on and pay off the ETF, hopefully make a few bucks off selling my old phones. Sucks to see how Sprint has just gotten worse and worse yet they won't take any accountability.
Force Roam all day for a few months. They'll terminate your contract.
oohaylima said:
Force Roam all day for a few months. They'll terminate your contract.
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Roaming is free..... Well for me. So I guess it is for everyone
Sent from my LG-LS970
hoy128 said:
Thanks for the tip, I guess I'll just have to borrow some money along with using this T-Mobile promotion and bite the bullet on this on and pay off the ETF, hopefully make a few bucks off selling my old phones. Sucks to see how Sprint has just gotten worse and worse yet they won't take any accountability.
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Yeah, I only use Sprint because of the unlimited data on my plan(it's super cheap) and because rooting doesnt technically void the warranty. 3G is fine here in Pittsburgh, 4G/LTE is hit or miss. It's here, just not close to my house. Take a 10 minute drive - the signal is strong and download speeds are fast. However there are huge pockets where there is no service.
Their customer service has gotten worse in the last few years in my experience as well. It used to be different, now they really don't seem to care about much....