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Well, I just switched my plan over to prepaid 100 minutes a month and unlimited text/data for $30/mo. I thought I would mention how I did it in case people were curious. Actually this is not the way I did it, but the way I should have done it. T-mobile reps don't seem to have a very good flowchart for figuring this one out, unfortunately.
Starting Point: In a contract on an unlimited plan.
1. Order a $2 prepaid simcard from t-mobile.com. Buying this sim card is the only way to be eligible for the "Wal*Mart Deal."
2. Once you have it, call up and explain that you have purchased a prepaid simcard online and that you want to cancel your contract and switch over to prepaid.
3. Once this is done, immediately call back (do not pay anything yet) and when you talk to someone tell them you have the sim card and that you want to activate the $30/mo plan with unlimited data. They should be able to get your sim card number from you and based on that, switch you over.
Note: You may experience some disruption in service doing this. However, in my case I am saving around $65/mo. from the previous plan, and I am using GrooveIP with Google Voice to make up the difference. This app is free with Wi-Fi calling, and costs $5 to enable 4G calling via a google voice number.
Alternatively, you can transfer your number to Google Voice for a fee of $20, and set everything up that way. If you do this, once the number transfers all you have to do is do a web activation with the new sim card on your phone. However, from what I can tell there are some downsides to using google voice now:
1. Your [Phone] button will dial out on the "wrong" number, as opposed to GrooveIP dialing out on the "wrong" number.
2. Your [Message] button will send texts from the "wrong" number as well, so you will have to send texts through Google Voice and will need data to do so.
For me, I do mostly texting, so keeping my number with the phone made sense. It is too bad this isn't more seamless. Maybe one day the carriers will pull their head out of their butts and stop trying to segment our service in stupid ways e.g., voice/text/data. Probably not.
I am a bit curious if anyone else has gone to this plan, or if anyone else uses the GV/GrooveIP combo in creative ways. GrooveIP seems to work pretty well here, although I do notice a bit of a lag in conversation.
tablador said:
Well, I just switched my plan over to prepaid 100 minutes a month and unlimited text/data for $30/mo. I thought I would mention how I did it in case people were curious. Actually this is not the way I did it, but the way I should have done it. T-mobile reps don't seem to have a very good flowchart for figuring this one out, unfortunately.
Starting Point: In a contract on an unlimited plan.
1. Order a $2 prepaid simcard from t-mobile.com. Buying this sim card is the only way to be eligible for the "Wal*Mart Deal."
2. Once you have it, call up and explain that you have purchased a prepaid simcard online and that you want to cancel your contract and switch over to prepaid.
3. Once this is done, immediately call back (do not pay anything yet) and when you talk to someone tell them you have the sim card and that you want to activate the $30/mo plan with unlimited data. They should be able to get your sim card number from you and based on that, switch you over.
Note: You may experience some disruption in service doing this. However, in my case I am saving around $65/mo. from the previous plan, and I am using GrooveIP with Google Voice to make up the difference. This app is free with Wi-Fi calling, and costs $5 to enable 4G calling via a google voice number.
Alternatively, you can transfer your number to Google Voice for a fee of $20, and set everything up that way. If you do this, once the number transfers all you have to do is do a web activation with the new sim card on your phone. However, from what I can tell there are some downsides to using google voice now:
1. Your [Phone] button will dial out on the "wrong" number, as opposed to GrooveIP dialing out on the "wrong" number.
2. Your [Message] button will send texts from the "wrong" number as well, so you will have to send texts through Google Voice and will need data to do so.
For me, I do mostly texting, so keeping my number with the phone made sense. It is too bad this isn't more seamless. Maybe one day the carriers will pull their head out of their butts and stop trying to segment our service in stupid ways e.g., voice/text/data. Probably not.
I am a bit curious if anyone else has gone to this plan, or if anyone else uses the GV/GrooveIP combo in creative ways. GrooveIP seems to work pretty well here, although I do notice a bit of a lag in conversation.
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Click to collapse
I started my Walmart deal a different way...
Went and bought a g2x off Craigslist. Went to Walmart bought their cheapest prepaid phone ($30) then took it to the counter where the wireless rep (not the associate) asked how I wanted it setup. I pulled out the g2x and said I wanted that $30 unlimited data / 100min deal, he said good idea and did it all for me. Few days later I ported my number from sprint to T-Mobile, took about 5 hours.
I then setup a google voice with a new number and use my phone number on my phone and GV and groove IP with the google number. I use it way less for texting then my actual phone, so I chose not to port it to google. I use groove IP on wifi and 4g, does passable on 4g for quick calls or automated like pharmacy or something like that.
So that was about 6 months ago, going fine. Traded the g2x for a t989 and now I have water mic lol. I use groove IP at home and I only use minutes on incoming calls or if I can't get a decent 4g connection for groove IP.
Oh there's a 5 gig cap for 4g. I never broke 2 gb so far.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
Thanks for the rundown.
Where does the ETF figure into this? I'm planning to do this too soon, but I'm expecting to pay T-Mo $200 to do it.
rosemachinegun said:
Thanks for the rundown.
Where does the ETF figure into this? I'm planning to do this too soon, but I'm expecting to pay T-Mo $200 to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is ETF? Yeah I paid the $200 because I had almost 2 years left on my contract. But at a savings of $65/mo that paid off pretty fast. I tried to find a sim card at walmart and the cheapest phone they had was in the $140 range. Much better for me at least to get the sim card online.
This is much easier coming from another carrier. Then you can do what pio did basically and just web-activate the sim (or get a phone at walmart if you need to get a GSM phone). Once activated you just call tmobile and transfer the number. Doing it within T-mobile is harder because (1) there is a wall between the contract and prepaid business (2) the prepaid customer service is poor, and (3) you have to jump through some hoops to be eligible for the promo.
Here's the sim card link, which can be found if you know where to look, or just search for "sim card": http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit
Also, a bit off topic but just noticed that Virgin USA is apparently getting an iPhone and has an HTC EVO option as well. Not bad for their plans, which start at $35/mo with unlimited data. I ruled this out because I already had a GSM phone I liked. And because I think tmobile has a better network (could be wrong about this).
tablador said:
What is ETF? Yeah I paid the $200 because I had almost 2 years left on my contract. But at a savings of $65/mo that paid off pretty fast. I tried to find a sim card at walmart and the cheapest phone they had was in the $140 range. Much better for me at least to get the sim card online.
This is much easier coming from another carrier.
Here's the sim card link, which can be found if you know where to look, or just search for "sim card": http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Early Termination Fee
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
pio_masaki said:
Early Termination Fee
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Click to collapse
Oh yeah. Duh.
I have 5 lines on my account that would be $1000 in ETF lol
Btw where did you find they offer unlimited data?
shankar10 said:
I have 5 lines on my account that would be $1000 in ETF lol
Btw where did you find they offer unlimited data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The plan is a Walmart exclusive prepaid plan. $30 you get unlimited data with 5gb 4g Iimit, unlimited text 100 minutes. Have to be done at walmart or at least through them.
Just saw the addition a few posts back, yes its a lot easier to switch from another carrier. I had to pay a pro rated $90 ETF to sprint when I ported the number it cancelled my service with them. I just got a phone off Craigslist then bought a cheapy prepaid phone at Walmart to get the sim, I was getting stuff from T-Mobile getting just a sim and they wanted me to buy a new phone, and only a limited few for pre paid. I saved about $350 in sprint service cancelling when I did and changing over. Plus sprint changed to LTE which made my evo worthless and I only got some 3g and mostly edge data where I normally go everyday. Now I pay a third for service and get 4g in most locations. I wouldn't have switched if sprint had EVER gave me 4g in my state considering I paid for it every month, then switched to LTE and left every wimax phone owner having to buy a new phone. /rant
Tapatalked from my A100 - Flex Reaper RF1.
pio_masaki said:
The plan is a Walmart exclusive prepaid plan. $30 you get unlimited data with 5gb 4g Iimit, unlimited text 100 minutes. Have to be done at walmart or at least through them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or on the tmobile website.
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
tablador said:
Or on the tmobile website.
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I tried they didn't give me the option for the Walmart plan, I guess they added it or you have to be a current client. I had to get it done at Walmart.
Tapatalked from my A100 - Flex Reaper RF1.
pio_masaki said:
When I tried they didn't give me the option for the Walmart plan, I guess they added it or you have to be a current client. I had to get it done at Walmart.
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Click to collapse
Strange, for me it was difficult to get, but the key was that I had to either have bought a phone from wal mart or bought the prepaid activation kit from the website. I am pretty certain it should work, because in part of my drama of switching over, they told me to activate my new sim card via the web and I was able to select the plan, even though it wasn't tied to my other account at that point. (Turns out this was the WRONG thing to do, as I discovered after I had done it, and they had to go switch credits around between the accounts to fix it.)
tablador said:
Strange, for me it was difficult to get, but the key was that I had to either have bought a phone from wal mart or bought the prepaid activation kit from the website. I am pretty certain it should work, because in part of my drama of switching over, they told me to activate my new sim card via the web and I was able to select the plan, even though it wasn't tied to my other account at that point. (Turns out this was the WRONG thing to do, as I discovered after I had done it, and they had to go switch credits around between the accounts to fix it.)
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Click to collapse
Well like I said I did it months ago, they probably just didn't have it up at the time. Point is, it is now so go rock that website lol not every wireless rep is as cool as mine was.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
I ported my number to Google voice. Paid the $20 fee and use Talkatone. Started with Groove IP but lagged even on wifi. Talkatone voice quality is impressive; the only con is the dialer integration.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
I use grooveIP as well and the only major downside is that I now have 2 different numbers. I have never heard of porting my number to GV, but to make it clear, porting my number to GV will make it so I have to text using data? But Does this mean I don't have to use grooveIP for making calls?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
Laazyboy said:
I use grooveIP as well and the only major downside is that I now have 2 different numbers. I have never heard of porting my number to GV, but to make it clear, porting my number to GV will make it so I have to text using data? But Does this mean I don't have to use grooveIP for making calls?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree talkatone is a one of kind.. tried groove IP but have few issues..as for porting your number.. Google is willing to port your number if you want to use your carrier given number as your Google voice number.. it is possible for a fee of $20 and in return cancel your contract..so carrier may charge you on that am not sure...yes in order to use anything Google be it voice for calls or text or Gmail you need a source of data connection either wifi or mobile data connection to be able to use Google effectively..yes you need an app like groove IP or talkatone in conjunction with Google voice to make calls...its not complicated as stated..
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
I've been on this plan for a couple of months and have tried out both talkatone and groove ip. When I make calls from those apps, I am not charged any minutes. But whenever someone calls my Google voice number, I am charged minutes. Does anybody now why?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks given for bringing talkatone to my attention, it does seem better then groove ip so far.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
T-Mobile $30 Plan in Houston, TX
I've just finished my first month of the T-Mobile $30 plan and I am very happy. I am in the northwest part of Houston and I get great data speeds (generally 3Mbit-15Mbit download speeds). At my work location, I've gotten up to 17Mbit download. (see attached) I expect to be using 80-200 minutes per month, so I should always save $30-$40 per month compared to my old Sprint plan (Sprint data reliability for me was terrible.)
Here is what I'm using:
Samsung Galaxy S2 T989
ROM: DARKSIDE.UCLE2_BETA06_TDJ
Radio: Tmo_SGH-T989_VK1_ICS_Radio_MOD
I've been using the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan with groove IP & Google voice for about 4 months now. I ported my number to Google voice & there is an option to have your native dialer to use that number on out going calls. All texts are handled through the Google voice app (witch doesn't handle mms) so that's a bummer.
But here is a tip, there is an app called auto ap in the play store that automatically puts your phone in air plane mode & starts groove ip whenever you connect to a wifi network. So in my case when ever I'm home or at work all my incoming calls are free. It also really helps my battery life.
jcrip said:
I've been using the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan with groove IP & Google voice for about 4 months now. I ported my number to Google voice & there is an option to have your native dialer to use that number on out going calls. All texts are handled through the Google voice app (witch doesn't handle mms) so that's a bummer.
But here is a tip, there is an app called auto ap in the play store that automatically puts your phone in air plane mode & starts groove ip whenever you connect to a wifi network. So in my case when ever I'm home or at work all my incoming calls are free. It also really helps my battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice tip.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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..................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Does anyone have any experience with Ting? I am thinking about switching since my contract is up on 3 and soon up on the other 3 phones on my account and it would be about $170 per month cheaper.
Bump
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda app-developers app
Ting is using Sprint's towers (I'm sure at a lower priority than contract subscribers (done via a PRL)). If you've been happy with Sprint's non-roaming service and you are happy with your phone, it might be worth it. They are not going to allow bad ESN phones, so you'll have to cleanly break w/Sprint (no past due bills etc), and I don't believe they allow roaming. They've also said you may/may not be able to send/receive MMS using your old Sprint phone, but luckily there are sites like this that can help more than the carrier is willing/able to.
People that are unsure of their financial futures are afraid to be under a contract, which is understandable. That's why there are so many contract-free options out there that used to be taboo. More and more of these MVNOs are now letting you use your existing phone, which saves both parties money.
Quite frankly, in my opinion, it all comes down to data consumption. The growing trend is more and more people are using their phones as their primary source of internet access, either native data from the carrier or via WiFi. Ting does not offer unlimited data, so it may or may not be a good option for you. Virgin & Boost do offer unlimited data, but they do throttle.
http://phandroid.com/2013/03/20/sprint-mvno-phones/
Good
I have been on Ting for a couple months now, with my Epic 4g (on Slim Rom, with NS4G modem), and very happy.
The way their pricing works, you get a significant discount for having multiple lines with them. For reference, this is all the phones that work for sure with Ting:
https://ting.com/blog/bring-a-sprint-device-to-ting-you-know-you-wanna/
I use my phone a reasonable amount, and attached is a screenshot of how they bill. ($28/mo for how much I used this month).
I use google voice to do all texting, so I pay zero for texting.
In short, I like that if I use my phone "normal", I pay $28, but if need to used it more for one month, pay more, then back to $28.
4g service has worked fine for me with Ting.
One note, to save on cell minutes, I got a OBI Talk 100 google voice adapter, to have a free house line for longer conversations.
This link will give a $25 discount for either service or device purchase for Ting.
https://zd6rs41lh12.ting.com/
I just switched yesterday, and brought my girlfriend over today. Looks like we'll be paying about 30-40 bucks per month, total, which is absolutely stellar when compared to the $150 we were paying before.
The Google Voice integration that Sprint has was automatically voided a few hours after my phone was activated on Ting, which sucks, but I just grabbed a new GV number and have my Ting voicemail forward to that number (so I can keep their visual voice mail and web access). SMS, on the other hand, can't come from Google Voice, unless I want to tell everyone I have two different numbers. The other option, of course, is to port my current cell number to Google Voice and request a different cell number from Ting. Then solely use Google Voice with GrooveIP, but I'm not entirely sure I want to mess with that currently. Also, MMS wouldn't work using Google Voice, but then again, I can't get it to work at all right now with CM10.1... And I've done the sd card boot to stock fc09 to make the necessary changes, but I digress.
As UPdownLoAD stated, it's all down to data consumption, really. Since the two main places we use data (our home and our respective workplaces) are well covered with WiFi, there's not much reason for us to worry. I'm excited though; we've really needed to cut our bills down, and the cell bill was definitely the most glaring problem.
I've been on it for about a week and have my Google voice number to the few people who I text with the most. So far so good. Once out am confident about Ting I intend to start moving my family over too
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda app-developers app
I have a fun question. Me and my wife have decided that $160 a month and mediocre data speeds aren't worth it anymore, so we're thinking about making the jump to AT&T which seems to have pretty good coverage and speed here in Tampa Bay. I'm out of contract, she still has a year left, but we'll be breaking hers since it'll cost us like a month of service, which we'll get right back. Her parents are on an AT&T family plan and can add us on for like $20 bucks or something insignificant like that. Even with an upgrade in the data limits, it'll still save us like $100 a month.
Now that i've wasted your time with background, here's my question. I want to port my number, but my Sprint acct is in my name and they told me the name has to match the AT&T account (under her dad's name) in order for it to go thru. And in order for me to change the Sprint acct, he would essentially have to have a COFR done (which requires a credit check, which I'm not even going to ask him to do).
Does anyone have a creative idea on how to get my number over to AT&T? Perhaps porting it to some MVNO like Ting and then getting the account changed over to one of their names? Do MVNO's run credit checks? Is a name change simple? Can you port from an MVNO to another carrier without issue? Are these all stupid questions?
Help.
Could you port to google voice then over to AT&T?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I thought about that, but since it's tied to gmail, do I have to go and change all my account info? I wonder if Google will even allow that... Also wonder how easy it is to port a number FROM Google
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
According to google voice help page...you can port out your g voice number for $3
I'm currently in the process of porting to boost. I've been researching this nonstop for the better part of a week.