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So I had to go out of town for 3 weeks due to medical emergency and while their I had to call Sprint to ***** about my ****ty signal and dropped calls constantly because of lack of service. I talked to the rep for about an hour trying various things. Updating my prl, profile, discussed the no sprint tower availability and that the coverage was in the fair to poor category. Not once did she mention that I was using my 1500 minutes talking to my wife (also on sprint) for the many many hours we spent on the phone. Their were times we were on the phone for 3 hours discussing not only her own medical issues but those of my 2 siblings. So we just get back from another trip to come home to an $850 phone bill to find out for the first time that when you roam EVEN if you are talking to someone on your own plan with a sprint phone, you will use up your 1500 monthly minutes. This has never been discussed or explained to us and when purchasing my Evo back in October of last year and signing up for a $170 a month phone bill, she assured us that it was anytime mobile to mobile and unlimited sprint to sprint phone calls. Even while roaming according to the sales *****. .. err person. They have offered to cut the charges in half but I told them to stick it and were bailing but honestly, I would have to ditch my 2 year contract and my wife would have to go take her Photon back that she just got. .. In the end.. I don't even want to deal with all this hassle but find it absurd that not one person would call us and say hey.. I know you've been a customer for 5 years and all and your bill has never reached this level but you may want to look at changing your plan.. No.. they let the already struggling American's **** themselves and just keep charging them up the ass till they make a house payment for their phone bill.. I'm very sorry for my language but I am furious and am just trying to check my options here.. I ended up telling the guy half was not good enough and that we will be closing our account. You'd think that in today's economy they would be nice enough to give their customers a headsup but I guess if it's going to their pocketbook why bother.. Thanks for any tips or solutions that I could use to try and remedy this. We just honestly don't have $400 to just dish out for our normally $170 bill. Times are tight as is to have to deal with this. Not to mention we just got back from another trip that cost us almost as much if not more. ..
Ask to speak to retentions. They r the ones that will truly help u out. U don't have to give a reason to the car on the phone why u want to speak to the retentions dept either. If that retentions person is unhelpful hang up and call again and start process again. Eventually Ull find someone who actually cares and wants to help. There are crappy people in every company as well as people who truly care about their jobs and the people they help. Also in retentions ask to speak to a manager. They usually have even more authority to override the bill.
If u have to call back Ull most likely end up in an entire different place cause there are multiple calling centers.
That's what I was telling my wife. I'll just try again tomorrow and hope for the best.. Thanks for giving me hope! I do know that I was able to reach 2 people to replace my defective evo's without even having to pay the insurance on them so I know they can do this.. or the right person can do this.. Thanks again for your positive outlook!
Forgive me if this is already a known quantity around here, but I only just found out this evening that orders placed through Sprint for new devices can no longer be billed to your account. Apparently we now have to pay by credit or debit card up front when we want a new device.
dead78 said:
Forgive me if this is already a known quantity around here, but I only just found out this evening that orders placed through Sprint for new devices can no longer be billed to your account. Apparently we now have to pay by credit or debit card up front when we want a new device.
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yup found out a couple of months ...........i believe there should b a couple of threads on it
lballer69 said:
yup found out a couple of months ...........i believe there should b a couple of threads on it
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they're saying it changed it on October 5. yet another way we're taking it in the pants as a result of Sprint getting the iPhone and another reason to never bother ordering a phone from Sprint.
yep blame that on the iphone
apple started this a few years ago, so no cash at all, even in person at the apple stores for iphones, as people were buying them stateside, and selling them overseas for huge markups, since they were not available at the time
gotta love Apple lol
Amd4life said:
yep blame that on the iphone
apple started this a few years ago, so no cash at all, even in person at the apple stores for iphones, as people were buying them stateside, and selling them overseas for huge markups, since they were not available at the time
gotta love Apple lol
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yep, you're 100% right.
man, I was on the fence before about upgrading my Epic...there's no way in hell I'll do it now. when you look at everything that's gone lately, Sprint's shown they're willing to screw over their entire customer base for the sake of luring in new customers with this gimmick Apple crap. now they've got their big sales figures and they can all pat each other on the backs for a job well done.
do the other carriers require up front payment for their devices?
Just so you guys know, sprint is actually the last of all the big 4 carriers to get rid of bill to account for new phones. Its a fight against fraud. Cutting costs is necessary to keep providing the unlimited data plans. Saving money by reducing fraudulent purchases is one of the best ways to do this. There is a reason behind every choice the company makes. It may not always sound like the best when you first hear it but the reasons why typically justify the changes. Sprint tries really hard to provide what other carriers no longer do but there at reasons that other carriers have cut things, and with sprints new high end world phone lineup we are running into the same things.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
lookout4theyeti said:
Just so you guys know, sprint is actually the last of all the big 4 carriers to get rid of bill to account for new phones. Its a fight against fraud. Cutting costs is necessary to keep providing the unlimited data plans. Saving money by reducing fraudulent purchases is one of the best ways to do this. There is a reason behind every choice the company makes. It may not always sound like the best when you first hear it but the reasons why typically justify the changes. Sprint tries really hard to provide what other carriers no longer do but there at reasons that other carriers have cut things, and with sprints new high end world phone lineup we are running into the same things.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
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frankly, the "we need to do this to keep unlimited data" excuse has lost its appeal. all I'm seeing is a fledgling company pulling back on service in order to accommodate the iPhone and keep itself in business. as it stands now, I live in an area where my data service is horrendous. calls to Sprint are essentially pointless since I'm given an endless string of excuses as to why I can't download faster than .2 Mbps on 3G and why I can't stay connected to 4G for more than a couple of minutes. I've been with Sprint for over 10 years and I've seen all aspects of quality within the company deteriorate considerably in that time. The simple fact is that they're network couldn't accommodate the demand of all the Android devices on it; I can't even imagine what the surge of new iPhones is going to do to service.
meanwhile, we're told that every courtesy we received is being taken away in order to assure a high level of service. that would be fine except there is no longer a high level of service to maintain. I've actually had Sprint tell me that their changes aren't so bad because they're simply doing what all the other carriers do; therein lies the crux of why having 3.5 carriers dominate a nation of roughly 400 million people isn't good for anyone. a struggling company in that setting has no incentive to do anything but keep its doors open. they've lost the will to differentiate because they no longer have to; their sole concern is to avoid being subsumed by one of their competitors. most investors (myself included) doubt Sprint's ability to sustain itself beyond the next couple of years because they're a poorly managed company who've become notorious for making extremely poor decisions - this recent backpedaling from WiMax is one of the worst.
so yeah, great we get unlimited data. we'll see how well that unlimited data that Sprint's stripped away all incentives for holds up when an already super-saturated capacity is unable to withstand the demand from this gadget they've bet the farm on.
I am usually on the side of the consumer but, this time, I think if you don't have the money to pay for it, why are you upgrading? Wait a month and get it when you have the money. I don't see why it was ever an option to begin with.
The only reason I am still on Sprint is becaue they have the number one best plan for my situation. If I didn't want unlimited data, or the best cutomer service, or the coolest new phones, I would go with MetroPCS. They have the best plan for someone like that. Shop around. Get what is best for you. I'm not preaching. I just want every customer out there to be as happy as can be.
It is probably better this way. When you charge to credit card, they don't add the weird few dollars here and there taxes in the taxes and surcharges sections (this is in addition to the tax they charged on the phone purchase itself) I probably got another $5-$6 in random taxes I had to complain about to get back.
I agree that data speeds on Sprints unlimited plan sucks. I will contest to that. Sprint's network simply is being overwhelmed from all the traffic they get from all the smartphones out there. So Sprint came up with a plan. The plan is going to cost $10b over time I think it was. To come up with the money Sprint has to cut cost and create more revenue. To cut cost Sprint got rid of certain luxuries we were receiving as consumers. To create more revenue Sprint fought to get the Iphone on board (Sprint announce this was their biggest sales day ever). Simple economics. Remember Sprint is a far 3rd behind the top two cash cows we know as AT&T and Verizon. Sprint is not financially stable right now but, making these necessary moves will help us as consumer in the long run. I know you pay now, and, you want it now, but, all we can really do is wait till Sprint finish's with their $10B project in your area.
Seriously? You all look at this as "exploiting the customer"? What they got rid of was effectively an interest free credit card that people were abusing. No, doesn't make any business sense at all, certainly not.
True exploitation would be them deciding to charge interest on your balance.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
buggerritt said:
I am usually on the side of the consumer but, this time, I think if you don't have the money to pay for it, why are you upgrading? Wait a month and get it when you have the money. I don't see why it was ever an option to begin with.
The only reason I am still on Sprint is becaue they have the number one best plan for my situation. If I didn't want unlimited data, or the best cutomer service, or the coolest new phones, I would go with MetroPCS. They have the best plan for someone like that. Shop around. Get what is best for you. I'm not preaching. I just want every customer out there to be as happy as can be.
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Ive been doing bta for years without problems from sprint. The problem was me, with the subject the post is about. Im pretty impulsive at times. More that once ive had financial department calling me wanting money because im past due. I couldnt pay the price of the phone (usually full price because i was in mid contract) and my bill up to date in a month or less. I kept telling myself, after i would get my account completely paid up to date, that i wouldnt do this again and would only get another phone if i had the money in hand to pay for the phone. Sometimes financial emergencies happen that are unforseen and they can really put a person behind for awhile and its a struggle to get caught up. Thats one of my character defects, i admit it (for the first time). Its not sprint's fault for this, its mine for being impulsive and irresponsible when it comes to finances.
I dont know why i felt the need to say this, but it had something to do with the subject and i shared my experience (and foolishness) with you guys.
Shame on me, i know!
I'm right there with you man! I sold a Dell Venue Pro so I could get my Epic Touch and I still have an Atrix on At&t and am looking at over $500 if I leave At&t. All that so I could get a 1/2 inch bigger screen and a slightly faster phone. Oh well at least I got a good one, no Los or any other issues thus far.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I just paid my Sprint bill the other day. With activation, the phone, and my normal bill, it was $578.06. No more bta? Who cares. If you don't have the money, you probably shouldn't buy the phone anyway.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
Verizon still allows billing to your account. This last carrier nonsense isn't true
heygrl said:
Verizon still allows billing to your account. This last carrier nonsense isn't true
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that's what I thought. quite frankly, this argument that deadbeats have ruined the bta is a bunch of b.s. because that would be a punitive major and not something supposedly introduced to insure a high level of future service. the reason why bta is a solid option is that it means not having to rely on Sprint to refund your money in the event you decide to return a recently purchased phone. what this new move does is allow Sprint access to the customer's money immediately, which is actually a better move from an accounting standpoint since funds collected can be immediately invested. however, my biggest beef with this change of policy is that like all the other changes we've endured in recent weeks, they're all being done to accommodate the iPhone. like many others, I'm not remotely convinced of Sprint's able to even stay in business long enough to see all these supposed service improvements take place, so right now (and for the immediate future) all that's happening is Sprint is pulling back on customer services to pander to the iPhone.
Like another poster said this is to accommodate fraud. I work for another big name phone company and this is a way to keep people from calling in and ordering multiple phones on an account and having them shipped and once you see that these phones were ordered and you did not order them you call sprint and they have to foot that bill. If there is a credit card used it is tied to the person who used it and fraud is dealt with easier through the CC companies because they have more info. The FCC are coming up with all these rules to help us as consumers. It kinda makes it harder but safer. Anyone who knows your information can order on your account and that is scary. We see people on this forum who call in and tell lies all the time. Fruad is no joke. If it makes it safer why not?
Sent from my hand crippling Epic 4g Touch
Thanks for sharing this. I think you hit the nail on the head and I wish more people were willing to look at their own situation objectively and take some personal responsibility.
Sprint is a business, making business decisions. If they need to make changes to stay viable, then they should make them. If I decide at some point I don't like them, I can go somewhere else. It's the beauty of free enterprise and consumer choice.
oscarthegrouch said:
Ive been doing bta for years without problems from sprint. The problem was me, with the subject the post is about. Im pretty impulsive at times. More that once ive had financial department calling me wanting money because im past due. I couldnt pay the price of the phone (usually full price because i was in mid contract) and my bill up to date in a month or less. I kept telling myself, after i would get my account completely paid up to date, that i wouldnt do this again and would only get another phone if i had the money in hand to pay for the phone. Sometimes financial emergencies happen that are unforseen and they can really put a person behind for awhile and its a struggle to get caught up. Thats one of my character defects, i admit it (for the first time). Its not sprint's fault for this, its mine for being impulsive and irresponsible when it comes to finances.
I dont know why i felt the need to say this, but it had something to do with the subject and i shared my experience (and foolishness) with you guys.
Shame on me, i know!
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Who orders from Sprint anyway? There's always some place cheaper to get the phone of you're eligible for an upgrade. Ordering from places like Amazon or Wirefly at the very least saves you tax.
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My local Best Buy is great about returns and will price match any other vendor that has a unit in stock. I've never ordered from Sprint.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I have the S3 on the $89.99 Plan.
I want change the plan to the lowest priced plan available.
I see the only option I have with the S3 is the $79.99 plan, which is not much of a price difference.
Can I:
- Activate a Basic device I have (Motorola or Sanyo Katana,) which would then deactivate the S3.
- Change my plan from the $89.99 plan to the $29.99 Plan?
- Use the Basic device on the lower priced plan until I decide what Carrier to Port to.
Until I figure out what to do regarding changing Carriers, I want to give sprint as little money as possible, until I port.
I'll probably have to pay the $350 ETF, unless the BBB and/or the FCC decides otherwise.
Thanks.
What a Shister!
I'd bet against you but good luck.
daryllh said:
What a Shister!
I'd bet against you but good luck.
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Without going into too much detail, I've not been able to complete 90% of my calls for the past 2 months without them Fading, and where the other party cannot hear me clearly.
I'm on my 3rd S3 and the issues remain.
I've contacted Sprint multiple times, and have multiple tickets on record.
Sprint has been giving me the run around for 2 months since the issue began when I renewed my contract, continuing my almost 14 year affiliation with Sprint.
I cannot continue service any longer due to not being able to complete calls without issues.
Sprint has been unable to resolve these issues, and refuses to waive the ETF.
So I've written to the BBB and FCC, and hopefully they can intervene.
This is the reason for my inquiry in this thread.
Perhaps you may get a better understanding for why I'm asking, and maybe go throw your names around to someone else,
Sorry man. I effed up. I read it as you trying to get S3 to work with $30 plan. My apoliogies.
That being said, you should be able to do that if you didn't go through wirefly where they can charge you for cancelling smartphone data.
Biker1 said:
Without going into too much detail, I've not been able to complete 90% of my calls for the past 2 months without them Fading, and where the other party cannot hear me clearly.
I'm on my 3rd S3 and the issues remain.
I've contacted Sprint multiple times, and have multiple tickets on record.
Sprint has been giving me the run around for 2 months since the issue began when I renewed my contract, continuing my almost 14 year affiliation with Sprint.
I cannot continue service any longer due to not being able to complete calls without issues.
Sprint has been unable to resolve these issues, and refuses to waive the ETF.
So I've written to the BBB and FCC, and hopefully they can intervene.
This is the reason for my inquiry in this thread.
Perhaps you may get a better understanding for why I'm asking, and maybe go throw your names around to someone else,
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daryllh said:
Sorry man. I effed up. I read it as you trying to get S3 to work with $30 plan. My apoliogies.
That being said, you should be able to do that if you didn't go through wirefly where they can charge you for cancelling smartphone data.
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No sweat
I edited the op for clarification.
I hope you realize that the BBB can't do anything at all. They're a non-profit business rating firm, not an enforcer.
Can't hurt.
Going to send one off to the FTC, in addition to the PUC. Enough is enough already.
What ever it takes, that's what it will be.
Tired of paying my hard earned money and not receiving services.
I'm not even talking about Data, I'm talking about making a call.
Almost 14 years as a Sprint customer, and now I need to call 3-4 times on average to complete a conversation that should only take 1 phone call.
Over 2 months and counting.
Whatever it takes.
If Sprint had to face their customers face to face they wouldn't be pulling this crap like they do over the phone.
My calls have faded calling Sprint attempting to resolve these issues.
All I get is the Sprint Endless Circle of Non Resolution.
Sorry to hear about your issues.
We'll send out an engineer to check the Towers.
We'll call you within 48 hours.
The Towers are fine.
Must be your device.
Go to the store to have it checked out.
Your device is fine.
Oh, your device is fine.
We'll open up another trouble ticket.
We'll send out the engineers........
And on and on and on.......
Hours and Hours and Hours of Wasted Time.....
One moron in account services asked if I live near a body of water.
She said that can cause the issues I'm having, although Sprint doesn't know why the body of water causes these issues, but they do.
Are you crapping me??
You can't make this crap up boys & girls........
You can do this and once you switch to the other phone, your plan should automatically change. I have done this not to long ago. I had a sg3, bought a basic flip phone and had sprint activate the basic flip phone through the online chat. Took about 5 minutes. Once I had the phone activated, my extra $10 for premium data went away. It is possible and easy to do.
P.s. good luck with your case with sprint, I hope you can get out without paying that insane etf !!! Keep us updated if you can
Thanks.
Appreciate the support.
I'll definitely keep you updated.
I was posting in another thread started by someone else, about customers who are fed up with Sprint, but I started this thread great to avoid clutter.
I actually posted more updates in that thread about Sprint account services, and their attempt to run circles around me, which is what prompted me to contact the BBB and FCC.
I'll also submit to FTC, PUC.
Maybe even have an attorney write a letter on my behalf.
The sad part is that Sprint pays its employees to dish out the crap, so they get paid to bs us.
Guys like me, and girls, have to spend many hours and days trying to resolve these issues, Without being compensated for the much time it takes to attempt to do so.
That is why paying the ETF is usually the cheaper way to go.
Less wasted time and less aggravation.
It's just that you hate to let Sprint get away with getting paid for services that you aren't receiving.
It's Horrendous.
Not being able to complete a call without issue is extremely frustrating, especially here in NYC, one of the Largest, if not the largest market in the country.
Customers thinking of renewing or porting over to sprint should Not be Fooled by the Unlimited Data Ploy. Not only will you have extremely slow data in many cases, you may have Calling issues which is of more importance to most customers.
Even though you have 14 days to try the service and terminated the contract if you decide to, it's really 13 days, and usually if you're having issues, it'll be a few days until you realize the issues aren't an anomaly, but the norm.
You'll end up notifying Sprint, and then the BS will begin to ensure they keep you past the 14 days.
They will tell you that it's the Towers, and that they'll check it out for you quickly, and call you back.
Then a couple of more days will pass.
Then they'll tell you that you can get a replacement device, as that is likely the issue.
You'll go to the store, and order a replacement.
More days will pass.
You'll get your replacement device, and maybe for a day or so you'll think the issues have resolved, only to realize they have Not, and that you're past you're 14 day trial period, and that You're Crap Outta Luck.
If you leave, you'll have to pay $350 to do so.
Buyer Beware never rang so true.
Customer Service has reverted back to the bad old days of yesteryear.
I know all too well being with Sprint for so many years almost 14.
Too long........
I had a Better Idea...............
I just Ported over to VERIZON!
Had Best Buy Mobile handle the Port.
Saved $50 on my Blue S3 32GB
Seamless.
Sprint got some racket go'in on, and I'm Happy Not to be part of it Anymore......
....After 14 years...........
What a pleasure it is to be able to Complete a Call After over 2 Months!!
Btw, LTE, Yes, LTE is 11 Mbps DL, 17 Mbps UL
That's only 1 SpeedTest, and that's good enough for me.
No more 250 Kbps crap.
But the Important thing is that I can Complete a Call, and that's worth Dumping sprint...................GOLD!!
Biker1 said:
I had a Better Idea...............
I just Ported over to VERIZON!
Had Best Buy Mobile handle the Port.
Saved $50 on my Blue S3 32GB
Seamless.
Sprint got some racket go'in on, and I'm Happy Not to be part of it Anymore......
....After 14 years...........
What a pleasure it is to be able to Complete a Call After over 2 Months!!
Btw, LTE, Yes, LTE is 11 Mbps DL, 17 Mbps UL
That's only 1 SpeedTest, and that's good enough for me.
No more 250 Kbps crap.
But the Important thing is that I can Complete a Call, and that's worth Dumping sprint...................GOLD!!
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So u got out of contract? Im on my 2nd gs3 cannot send SMS half the time or call I want out asap!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Frustratez said:
So u got out of contract? Im on my 2nd gs3 cannot send SMS half the time or call I want out asap!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
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No.
I didn't get a final bill yet, but I'll be paying the ETF once I get the bill.
Account No Services wouldn't waive the ETF or reduce it.
I'll await a response from the BBB, FCC, etc.
I couldn't take 1 more day of non services from Sprint.
Not being able to complete a call without issue for over 2 months was Horrendous.
Sprint is Atrocious.
I hope many others decide to pay their ETF's and/or fight them, rather than stay with non services from sprint.
Sprint just Lost out on $2200 from me is how I see it.
I don't know why the FCC, FTC, Congress hasn't gone after Hesse and his Merry Thieves....
Can I sell my S3 now, or do I have to wait until I receive my final bill?
I already Ported.
Pretty sure you can sell it now..just call sprint and check the esn if you're concerned.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
cheaper plan.....
Biker1 said:
I have the S3 on the $89.99 Plan.
I want change the plan to the lowest priced plan available.
I see the only option I have with the S3 is the $79.99 plan, which is not much of a price difference.
Can I:
- Activate a Basic device I have (Motorola or Sanyo Katana,) which would then deactivate the S3.
- Change my plan from the $89.99 plan to the $29.99 Plan?
- Use the Basic device on the lower priced plan until I decide what Carrier to Port to.
Until I figure out what to do regarding changing Carriers, I want to give sprint as little money as possible, until I port.
I'll probably have to pay the $350 ETF, unless the BBB and/or the FCC decides otherwise.
Thanks.
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Sounds like its time for a flash update...instead of flashing for the baddest Rom, flash for another carrier and enjoy ur freedom witout contracts..................
cslough said:
Sounds like its time for a flash update...instead of flashing for the baddest Rom, flash for another carrier and enjoy ur freedom witout contracts..................
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I'm still within the 14 day of my new contract with Verizon.
Which Carrier would you suggest to Flash to, with Everything working?
And I don't want anything affiliated with Sprint.
T-Mobile affiliates appear to be hit and miss, with a lot of miss.
At this point in time, Verizon appears to have the best coverage.
If you aren't getting phone service, you MUST send them a letter, and request a written response.
Stop using the phone to try and get this fixed.
Make SURE you always put "I am not receiving the service I am paying for" in every correspondence.
After you have a few letters from Sprint saying they do see your calls dropping, demand to be let go without ETF. If they don't, port out, and don't pay the ETF.
When they send you to collections, tell them you are sending your letters to the 3 collection agencies showing that they admitted to not providing service.
It's a tiny bill, and most credit agencies don't even look at small cellphone bills as a negative due to such poor service from all carriers.
I hear you about the emails.. I haven't written any correspondence since the issues began.. I have a few trouble tickets.. Usually I do email companies so I have written confirmation of issues, but in this case, I didn't, which is an oversight.
I was already told by account services they won't waive the etf, which is why I Ported a few days ago..
I will write an email also, as it's never too late to do so.
I have the issues logged into the Notes on my account. Sprint also said that even though my calls are Fading out, of which the reps experiences while I was speaking with them on multiple occasions, the calls don't show as dropping..
As for not paying the etf, I will exhaust all avenues of complaints to sprint, etc. Before I pay them.
Thanks for your advice.
First off, I'm not writing this to draw attention or comments. It's a rant to get it off my chest and nothing more.
I've been a very loyal T-Mobile customer for 8 or more years. I signed up when they were still transitioning from the Voicestream moniker. Now, having said that, I'll continue by saying that I've maintained the exact (almost) same plan with them since the day I signed up. I pay $20/month for voice, $10/month for texts, and $10/month for unlimited web. Now, this plan was cheap even when I signed up. There was a promotion running, and I was sick of Cingular, so I jumped over to T-Mobile. I got a shiny new RAZR or whatever bar phone Motorola was selling at the time.
Along with that plan and device combo, I also was treated to a free T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot add-on for my account. This allowed me access to T-Mobile's handful of WiFi Hotspots scattered around the US. Most of them were in airports or New York/LA coffee shops. It was free, so who was I to complain? Now, I didn't realize until later, but this WiFi Hotspot feature also included a line in the description about "Internet sharing," since "tethering" wasn't a thing yet. Out of curiosity, I did some research, and figured out the basics. I had to download some Motorola software, and connect it via a special USB cable to my laptop, and I'd have blazing fast EDGE data anywhere I went. Boy was I excited!
This actually led to my first smartphone purchase, where, shortly thereafter, I found XDA. So, we're somewhere around 2006 or so now. I kept on "Internet sharing" for a while, moderately. My university didn't have WiFi set up yet, so it was handy to pull up stuff during class. Facebook was just becoming a thing around that time, and had just been rolled out to my college. (Yea, back then they required a .edu email and actual enrollment in college... Ah, the good ol' days.) Anyway, I've never been a big data user, nor big on tethering. Even now, I use less than 3GB of data per month. I'm normally around WiFi networks, so most of my data use is streaming music while I drive around.
Fast forward to last year. I got a review device in of a Samsung Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile. My Sammy rep forgot to throw the SIM card in the box for this review unit, so I decided to go ahead and test it out with my personal SIM. I went about my day and continued using it all day and into the next. Sometime before noon, I went to the S2 and tried to pull up some television specs for a customer, but found that I was redirected to some weird page about not having a data plan. Obviously that wasn't the case as I had been using data on it just that morning, and had been using data on my HD2 with Android for a long while before that.
I got on the phone with T-Mo only to find out that they changed APNs and my old one could not be used on newer devices. The rep said she would fix the problem, as I told her that I was only using a review device, so I didn't want to change plans or anything. She said that the plan would not be changed, but I would still lack data service on the S2 with my old plan. I asked her if my hotspot add on was still on the plan, and she confirmed it. Ok, so minor inconvenience, but it was my own fault for being impatient with the review unit.
Skip ahead to a later date when I actually decide to update to the S2. I call again after losing data just like before. The nice man on the phone mentions that nothing will change other than the APN settings on their end. I again inquire about my hotspot add-on, to which he confirms is still there.
I later found out that the change he made was to move me to another plan at the same price. Still at $10/month, I had a newer data plan with the 5GB data cap. I still wasn’t using much data, so I didn't care. It was, to me, the same thing I had before.
Skip ahead to a month back, when I got a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. There is an option with this tablet to open it up and install your own miniPCI wireless card for mobile data depending upon which service provider you use. I thought it might be cool to make use of that, and I had heard about T-Mobile's new unlimited data plan, so I called them up to see what I could do. As it turns out, I could add the tablet to my account for $10 extra a month for its own 5GB allotment of data. The unlimited data plan for me was $20 a month. Now, my logic here was that I always have my phone with me, so let's just upgrade to the unlimited plan and skip the tablet plan altogether. Apparently, the unlimited data plan cannot be paired with a tethering plan of any kind. Ok, fair enough, I'll call back for the tablet plan as soon as my card comes in. I made sure to ask about my tethering add-on again to make certain that my account was reverted to the exact state it was in before the call, just as I always do.
Skip ahead to my Note 2 purchase. I decided to go through T-Mobile on a monthly installment plan. This evidently requires a 2 year contract extension, but does not change any features on your account, since I'm paying the full price for it, but in monthly installments. I confirmed with the sales rep that my plan would remain unchanged and that my tethering add-on would carry over. She confirmed that nothing on my account would change, since I'm purchasing the device outright. Ok, cool, then let's do it.
Somewhere in there, I also added a military discount and was randomly given some sort of "loyalty discount" that I can't recall the origin of. My monthly bill is under $30 a month for essentially unlimited everything. Anyway, for the military discount, I also made certain to verify the tethering thing and that no account options would change. It was assured to me that this was the case.
So, I'm sure anyone who is still reading this long, drawn out mess is aware of where it is going. I've been happily using my Note 2 for a month now with no problems. I've been tethering off and on since I got it. I hit an all-time high of 3.3GB of data this last billing cycle, still well under my cap. I used the tethering feature just this past weekend to download a few files to my laptop. Now, three days later, I try to use the tethering option, and I get a message pop up saying I have to add a tethering option to my account in order to use that feature. I thought it might be the custom ROM, but I figured, what the hell, let me call T-Mobile and make sure before I clog up the thread.
The first person I spoke to was the worst Customer Service rep I've ever dealt with in my long history with T-Mobile. I felt like she was reading from a set of flash cards. She was not letting me explain my situation, and kept repeating the "T-Mobile offers its customers a $15 tethering add on option for users who wish to use their phone to connect tablets and computers!" I eventually ended up hanging up on her out of frustration. I called back and explained my story to a much more understanding rep, who informed me of a recent change in T-Mobile's system.
What?!
Yup. My "WiFi Hotspot" add-on, which has been on my account for years now, has magically vanished. The only way forward was to pay an extra $15 for the tethering add-on or pay $15 extra to be "upgraded" to the 5GB plan that includes tethering. Why did this occur, you may be wondering?
Exact quote: "The Note 2 and other high end smartphones are not compatible with the grandfathered hotspot plans, so those features are dropped when you add them."
Not compatible? That makes no sense other than for you guys to charge more money for a service I'm already paying for. My main concern with this is that I'm on a limited data plan. I'm capped at 5GB per month of 3G/4G data. Beyond that it's crippled 2G speeds. I say crippled not to indicate that 2G speed is slower, but because it actually is crippled. My normal EDGE speed with T-Mobile in my area is around 300Kbps or so. A buddy of mine who went over his limit and was throttled was sent back to the dark ages at around 50Kbps or so. Slow enough that most everything data-related is completely unusable. So, not to quibble over the fact that I still technically have an unlimited data plan, we're going to just call a spade a spade here and admit that it's a 5GB cap.
That being said, who the upside down **** gives two ****s how I use MY ALLOTMENT of data per month. I'd understand if it were an actual unlimited plan that had this issue, but I am paying for 5GB of data per month from T-Mobile. They have ZERO right to tell me where the hell I use that. It honestly makes zero sense no matter how you slice it.
After explaining all this to the woman, she then relented that it was the Note 2 which killed my add on ( as I mentioned prematurely above). Yup, the device which the sales rep had no problem telling me would not affect my plan, affected my plan. I then stressed to her that I always check to make certain of how my plan changes, and for her to go back and listen to the conversation, since everyone records my conversation for "quality control." The woman who sold me the phone lied to me to my face. The rep I was speaking with hesitated, as she did not want to admit fault, but simply said that the rep may not have known or been informed of the possible change.
"Are you kidding me? That's even worse. If I were to commit a crime, and I didn't know it was a crime, I'd still go to jail for it. The fact is that she should have known, and lied to me."
After a brief pause, she acknowledged that she wouldn't like to be in my position either and asked me to hold on while she researched what she could do for me. After waiting a while, she offered me the new data plan with tethering and an additional discount of $15 per month for the next six months. She said that that this was the most she could do for me, but I could probably complain again in six months and get another discount.
Right now, I'm still pissed that it had to come to this. Some people will claim that the contracts always had a line about not using the phones for tethering or some such nonsense, but my original T-Mobile contract, which I signed on the dotted line, said nothing of the sort, since it wasn't even a thing at the time. I've never subsidized a phone through T-Mobile since that time, and have never signed another contract. I've extended my service agreement with them once, but without having to sign, initial, or agree to anything but to keep paying my bill on time every month.
Now, without any warning, and with complete disrespect to me, a T-Mobile employee has willingly or unwilling lied to my face in order to sell me a new device. I am still in disbelief.
I've been a customer myself for many years, and have converted at least 12 people to T-Mobile through my own praising over the years. No more. I'm not happy about the end result, but I also have little choice, as there are not any better options anywhere else. Sprint is nice, but their 3G data is slower than my T-Mobile 2G data. Verizon is way too expensive for what they offer. My T-Mobile plan would be $135 on Verizon using a comparable plan. Finally, AT&T is... well, I don't even need to finish that thought, do I?
Anyway, that's my rant. Again, if you read it all the way through, I'm not looking for comments or attention or anything. I just needed to get it off my chest is all. Thanks for reading.
I'm sorry, could you repeat that? ... so you're saying you're happy? LOL ... Hopefully you can get your discount extended in 6 months.
I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.
I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.
tsnstuff said:
I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.
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Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
Asquared said:
I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.
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Oh, I plan to call again about it.It's a shame that this is the "best they could do" for one of their reps lying to my face. That's what I'm most upset about. I shouldn't have to call them four times to get a resolution...
I feel you man.
all the telco's lie to your face.
its ridiculous.
i've been in the same shoes as you. i always make sure NOTHING on my plan changes.
its stupid.
my contract is up in less than a month and i'm seriously looking into other avenues of services unless T-mobile
makes it worth my while to stay with them. Now that they are getting rid of classic plans, that exit looks more enticing.
cajunflavoredbob said:
Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
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And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.
Amount of times the rep has said something that I knew to be wrong and they kept trying to pass it off as legit. "Can I get that in writing please?" "ah, I'd have to check... oh, you WERE right after all"
yeah...
I had the same issue at one point. I was using a MT4G at the time and needed an upgrade since the wifes 3G slide broke. We ended up getting a MT4G Slide (wife) and I grabbed the Amaze since i was a die hard HTC fan. After dealing with customer reps for 3 days straight in regards to color of the phone, tethering being turned off, flat out being lied to several times including the rep that fixed everything (pay attention and being nice helps) they ended up giving me two phones for FREE, lowering my bill by 60 bucks a month. Granted i no longer had the wifi but a quick root would fix that.
Sometimes dealing with the right person can get you things as long as your nice and you pay attention. Im going on 10 years with Tmo! I do say when you get the right person they make you feel special or make things as right as they can.
tsnstuff said:
And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.
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A contract doesn't magically degrade over time. A contract is a ConTract. In your case it would be like signing up under the condition that you would get to upgrade every 2 years, and then all of a sudden, your second year comes up, but then you're told that you can no longer upgrade ever.
I said entitled because that's what it is, like it or not. Early upgrades are at the carrier*S discretion, not yours. You wanted an early upgrade and got indignant when they initially didn't allow it. That's what sparked my response. All I wanted was to get my situation off my chest. I did not want this to become a frivolous *****-fest about t-mobile or any carrier.
Here comes the wahmbulance.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
I don't mean to brag but wait until I post my wall of text about what happened with my upgrade a month ago. I have NEVER EVER EVER imagined it would end up like what I am going to post over the weekend. Be prepared ladies and gents, this will blow your mind as to how HORRIBLE T-mobile is.
Tmobile sucks
Sprint sucks
Att sucks
Straight talk sucks
Ect ect.
Expect crappyness and u wont he disapointed
As for the op, theirs a time limit to contest changes written into most cell contracts if ur past the time your contract has magicly degraded, if not, contact carrier and bbb and if no luck theyd prolly just offer contract droppage at no fee, idk. I hate contracts, I stick to prepay, it sucks too. But atleast if I have problims its nothin a new 10 dolla sim wont fix, new sim, new account, clean slate. Considering im up to about 65gb this month that matters to me.
Sent from my SGH-T889
I'm currently with Sprint and would love to switch to Tmobile. That being said has anyone ever had Tmobile help pay or credit when switching to Tmobile?
i know i've read someone claiming that in the past but i cant' find the story via search. My closest corporate store is about 40min away so not sure its worth trying or not.
knives of ice said:
I'm currently with Sprint and would love to switch to Tmobile. That being said has anyone ever had Tmobile help pay or credit when switching to Tmobile?
i know i've read someone claiming that in the past but i cant' find the story via search. My closest corporate store is about 40min away so not sure its worth trying or not.
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I'd be jealous if you actually manage to do so. I know I've seen some ancient posts on slickdeals where some folks have managed to do this albeit with a lot of negotiating. I was in the same boat as you. I ended up paying the ETF. I was already paying sprint for providing me with essentially nothing, it didn't make sense to wait out another year. I made the switch and couldn't be happier.
I had some success with this - but I didn't do all that much for it so it may be one of those right time/right place/right person asked scenarios. I was checking out a T-Mobile store and was chatting up the employee, and mentioned that I'd love to switch but it'll be a long time before I could afford it due to ETFs. I asked if they ever do anything about things like that, and was then put into contact with a T-Mobile rep that handles business accounts among other things (more of a corporate guy I would expect). He had me figure out what my ETFs were, and then said he'd put a same-value credit on my account if I switched. He mailed me a tester phone to try out even, which was nice. I ended up keeping that tester phone for my wife, and per his instructions went into the T-Mobile store I went to originally and got set up. I called him afterwards and he put the credit on my account. I couldn't believe it to be honest (it was a few hundred bucks - came from Verizon), but I was rather happy with the outcome. I still had to pay the ETFs out-of-pocket of course, but in exchange I didn't have a phone bill for a few months
Albaholic said:
I'd be jealous if you actually manage to do so. I know I've seen some ancient posts on slickdeals where some folks have managed to do this albeit with a lot of negotiating. I was in the same boat as you. I ended up paying the ETF. I was already paying sprint for providing me with essentially nothing, it didn't make sense to wait out another year. I made the switch and couldn't be happier.
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Best thing you can do....
#1. Call T-Mobile and tell them you wanna switch carriers but don't sound set on them, mention verizon and att.
#2. If you have no problem paying $70+ a month, sell your current phone and head to costco or wirefly for a new line and a discounted device.
#3. If you want a cheaper monthly and can pay for a device upfront, ask t-mobile for a migration incentive, ask for a supervisor and if they don't satisfy ask for their supervisor.
T mobile has ran promotions for this in the past.
Not gonna happen though. Now that t mobile is all no contact they are not going to pay to get you out of your contact when there is no guarantee you will even stay with them because your not in a contract
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
clninja said:
T mobile has ran promotions for this in the past.
Not gonna happen though. Now that t mobile is all no contact they are not going to pay to get you out of your contact when there is no guarantee you will even stay with them because your not in a contract
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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good point. it totally forgot about their switch to no contracts
Just tried to see if they would provide any credit. The answer was no. They simply can't do it. Was looking to transfer 4 lines. Will have to wait when my ETF is over or Sprint terms change.
I got out
What I'm about to offer is good as a last resort, it worked for me, but i'm not a lawyer, and I'm only sharing this for those of you who are desp, and really want out of Sprint.
The only way I could find to get out without paying the ETF is to call sprint and tell them you are moving out of the country for a job relocation or something. They will ask you to prove it with an apartment lease, or utility bill, etc. The utility bill is hard to prove, but you shouldn't have a problem creating a lease agreement with a family member who lives abroad, etc.
In my case, I used an apartment of a friend, and made it all legit, and they let me out without paying ETF.
Sprint sucks.
Just do what I did with sprint, roam until they kick you out without ETF. Some people see this as cheating your way out but believe me after dozens of calls and complains about horrible service at home they didn't do nothing to help me. Just broken promises of service improvements, towers upgrades, etc. Before I hadsSprint I was with Verizon for 10 years and I never remember calling them because I had service issues.
So Sprint doesn't rape you with ETF fees anymore, when they kick you for roaming too much? That is a good thing. I know that they used to make people pay the fees even though they kicked their customer.