Develop Bugs

[Q] Get out of your contract without an ETF?

Ok guys, so I saw somewhere around here, a while back I think that Sprint changed some of it's fine print in the contract...Soooo, no one flame me or anything, but does anyone have any info on this? Thinking of jumping ship to verizon. I have 4 lines right now and pay around $176 a month and all the lines are still under contract for a while. I'm not set on going to verizon, but would just like to get some ideas....Thanks for any input....yes...I'm thinking about getting the iphone
edit: I think I found something...This was just on my latest bill, I did some research and any change to the previous contract is a breach and you have 30 days to get out of your contract. Now, you can get out of your contract and still keep your service, just not be tied down to a fricken contract! Here is what was on my last bill:
Directory Assistance 411 Increase
Effective 3/1/11, the domestic Directory Assistance 411 base charge will increase to $1.99 per call.
Please let me know if I am wrong, but when I worked for Verizon this is the way it was for them too.

good thread, im interested in switching away from sprint too.
my service is horrible.
i dont get calls and my texts dont always come thru

DonRSD said:
good thread, im interested in switching away from sprint too.
my service is horrible.
i dont get calls and my texts dont always come thru
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Thanks, I'm sure a few people are interested in getting out...Have you called Sprint about it yet? Sometimes they're really helpful to me and sometimes they straight up lie to my face and say they gave me a $50 credit and I'll call back a few days later to see where it is and they have "no idea" and then wont give it to me...I guess I was a little let down after this ****ty ass "announcement" they made tonight...I've been with 'em for 8 years and really don't want to switch, but it's starting to look like that.

Nothing will get you out of the ETF right now, Sprint has been really careful with their changes lately. The Premium Data fee, Sprint Premier, 411 charges - none of those are a change to your current contract. The only way out is if you roam too much and they kick you off the network.
DonRSD said:
good thread, im interested in switching away from sprint too.
my service is horrible.
i dont get calls and my texts dont always come thru
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Click to collapse
Same here, some days I can't reach my wife if she's at home because the phone won't ring and my texts won't go through for a while. I tried to talk to Sprint about an Airave but they argued with me and said I'm in an "excellent coverage area" and told me no, even after contacting Executive Services. That was the last straw for me.

Change your PRL to a VZW PRL and start hitting them HARD for data. According to the terms of service, they can give you the boot for anything over 300 megs per month or more than 50% of all data as roaming data. If you're rooted on all the phones, do them all at the same time and then Sprint will want you all dead.

ZachPA said:
Change your PRL to a VZW PRL and start hitting them HARD for data. According to the terms of service, they can give you the boot for anything over 300 megs per month or more than 50% of all data as roaming data. If you're rooted on all the phones, do them all at the same time and then Sprint will want you all dead.
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LOL sprint will put a hit out on you
Sent from my Evo while i should be working

I was doing some reading on and i read that if sprint can't cover you in a place they don't offer service you can complain and they will waive the ETF, for example tell them you are being relocated to somewhere overseas where they don't offer any type of service, if they can't accomadte you they will let you out, i haven't tried this soooo i can't confirm

datajosh said:
Nothing will get you out of the ETF right now, Sprint has been really careful with their changes lately. The Premium Data fee, Sprint Premier, 411 charges - none of those are a change to your current contract. The only way out is if you roam too much and they kick you off the network.
Same here, some days I can't reach my wife if she's at home because the phone won't ring and my texts won't go through for a while. I tried to talk to Sprint about an Airave but they argued with me and said I'm in an "excellent coverage area" and told me no, even after contacting Executive Services. That was the last straw for me.
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I called and got an Airave for free. What you have to do is set up a consistent series of calls with them. It took me three calls but I got it. Then again, I had a legitimate issue.
Essentially, call every time there is an issue. Write down the time it happens, what happened, and where you were. Call sprint and tell them what the issue is. They may transfer to you an "advanced" tech department. Or, they may tell you to come in to the store to have your phone checked out.
As we all know, it most likely isn't your phone because it is happening on multiple lines. Decline going to a store. Insist on speaking to the advanced tech department. Tell them your problem and they will do something on their end. Wait until that "resolves" (which usually it doesn't because the coverage is strong in that area). Then call back again and complain. Try to get transferred to retentions and see if you can get one.

yep
They would not let me out of the ETF but I was able to get a free airave myself. w00t! But I would still like to cancel and switch to BOOST mobile.

AirRave is on its way!

All I did was call customer service, complained that my 4G speed was worse than my 3G speed (it really is most of the time!) and after a few transfers and no arguments, my AirRave should arrive this Wednesday.
So those who have tried to get one of these boxes before, you might try the 4G vs 3G argument like I did and I had no problems getting one!

AiRave does NOTHING for 4G-WiMax. Period. Besides, if you have broadband at home, the best connection speed you're going to get is limited to your broadband speed, so you might as well just use Wi-Fi.

It is mainly for call quality but will raise your 3G speeds but will do nothing for your 4G
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Lol, I just sent mine back. Just about the only thing worse than dealing with crappy Sprint service is using the Airave. GPS would cut out overnight most of the time (yes I had the antenna next to the window, whereas my phone would pick up a GPS signal even away from the windows), and when it worked, the voice quality was terrible with constant stuttering. I hope you have better luck with your device than I did.

sputnik767 said:
Lol, I just sent mine back. Just about the only thing worse than dealing with crappy Sprint service is using the Airave. GPS would cut out overnight most of the time (yes I had the antenna next to the window, whereas my phone would pick up a GPS signal even away from the windows), and when it worked, the voice quality was terrible with constant stuttering. I hope you have better luck with your device than I did.
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I had your luck with the airave when I had to use one a few years back, although it helped a little (I had no signal despite being a half mile from a tower) with calls it was more a pain in the butt to deal with, especially whenever the power went out and I had to get it up and running again.
And I must've done something wrong because no matter what I said I couldn't get them to send one for free lol I even had to drive down the road from my house to call them and request one, told the guy "I'm sitting in the parking lot of the mall down the road because I can't call you from home", he was like "wow that's bad". Uh, duh.
Also it seems like I paid $4.99 a month (on top of the $99 I paid for the device) and that only covered two lines on my five line account, I would've had to pay more to have it cover the other numbers. I hope they've improved the service since then.

iSaint said:
It is mainly for call quality but will raise your 3G speeds but will do nothing for your 4G
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Yes, I know that it has nothing to do with 4G, I just like sticking it to Sprint and getting free stuff from them!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I got mine for free and it worked like a cgarm minus a few sms issues but didnt last long for me.. even used it to upgrade to the sgs2 last year when it came out.. signed a 2yr contract on it.. however dont have wifi right now so they sent a letter to return it or be charged for it.. so i called and they cancelled the line and sent for a return kit all not costing anything.. now im eligible for a third line and since itd be new can get a new phone at discounted price and we needed a third line anyways win win situation and then some!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Esoteric68 said:
I had your luck with the airave when I had to use one a few years back, although it helped a little (I had no signal despite being a half mile from a tower) with calls it was more a pain in the butt to deal with, especially whenever the power went out and I had to get it up and running again.
And I must've done something wrong because no matter what I said I couldn't get them to send one for free lol I even had to drive down the road from my house to call them and request one, told the guy "I'm sitting in the parking lot of the mall down the road because I can't call you from home", he was like "wow that's bad". Uh, duh.
Also it seems like I paid $4.99 a month (on top of the $99 I paid for the device) and that only covered two lines on my five line account, I would've had to pay more to have it cover the other numbers. I hope they've improved the service since then.
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I got mine for free. Everything was an they even said so over the phone. I've had no problems. **** don't even have the GPS antenna near a window. The only bad thing I've experienced is if i'm talking in my house an go to leave. I get disconnected. Better then having to stand next to a window or move around the house.

Esoteric68 said:
I had your luck with the airave when I had to use one a few years back, although it helped a little (I had no signal despite being a half mile from a tower) with calls it was more a pain in the butt to deal with, especially whenever the power went out and I had to get it up and running again.
And I must've done something wrong because no matter what I said I couldn't get them to send one for free lol I even had to drive down the road from my house to call them and request one, told the guy "I'm sitting in the parking lot of the mall down the road because I can't call you from home", he was like "wow that's bad". Uh, duh.
Also it seems like I paid $4.99 a month (on top of the $99 I paid for the device) and that only covered two lines on my five line account, I would've had to pay more to have it cover the other numbers. I hope they've improved the service since then.
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wow, youve been getting ripped, i had the old samsung airave when i called to complain about the service at my home, they fedexed me one for free overnight and charged me $4.99 every month but with a $4.99 credit every month as long as i kept that service on my plan. i noticed when torrenting i had ****ty ****ty call quality, the original samsung device also did not help evdo speeds with my then smartphone, it was a PITA so i unplugged it about a year ago and its been sitting in my closet until about a month ago when i decided to call sprint again, i told them it hadnt been powering up and if i could exchange it, they sent me out a new model called the airvana and i shipped the old one back, it was a bit of a hassle to get the new one activated but i guess that was because i just called *2 from my sprint line, i let it sit a few hours as they said and it never worked, so i call the 866 number on the instructions like i should have in the first place and they got it all set up and it was active within the 1st hour of placing that call...since then i've upgraded my time warner cable to verizon fios 25/25, call quality is great and it was horrible before. also my 3g at home sucked ass, it felt like the worst 1x signal so i always have to use wifi, however with the new airvana i tested the 3g speeds it puts out and its not bad, much better than the ****ty cell towers 3g to my house, i prefer the high speed of wifi when i'm home though so i'll continue to use 802.11g/n when i can, i guess the 3g is good for when sprint guests come over so i wont have to give them my wpa2 password

t0mmyr said:
wow, youve been getting ripped, i had the old samsung airave when i called to complain about the service at my home, they fedexed me one for free overnight and charged me $4.99 every month but with a $4.99 credit every month as long as i kept that service on my plan. i noticed when torrenting i had ****ty ****ty call quality, the original samsung device also did not help evdo speeds with my then smartphone, it was a PITA so i unplugged it about a year ago and its been sitting in my closet until about a month ago when i decided to call sprint again, i told them it hadnt been powering up and if i could exchange it, they sent me out a new model called the airvana and i shipped the old one back, it was a bit of a hassle to get the new one activated but i guess that was because i just called *2 from my sprint line, i let it sit a few hours as they said and it never worked, so i call the 866 number on the instructions like i should have in the first place and they got it all set up and it was active within the 1st hour of placing that call...since then i've upgraded my time warner cable to verizon fios 25/25, call quality is great and it was horrible before. also my 3g at home sucked ass, it felt like the worst 1x signal so i always have to use wifi, however with the new airvana i tested the 3g speeds it puts out and its not bad, much better than the ****ty cell towers 3g to my house, i prefer the high speed of wifi when i'm home though so i'll continue to use 802.11g/n when i can, i guess the 3g is good for when sprint guests come over so i wont have to give them my wpa2 password
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lol I only used it for a year and disconnected the thing over two years ago. I now live in a good signal area and recently donated my device to Sprint, along with an old, old blackberry for recycling.

FYI, the AirRave is NOT completely free. Since it counts as another line, you pay additional fees. In my case it was ~$3 per month. It was a nightmare to get them to refund it.

Mattheyu said:
FYI, the AirRave is NOT completely free. Since it counts as another line, you pay additional fees. In my case it was ~$3 per month. It was a nightmare to get them to refund it.
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Actually, if they give it to you as a service promotion, it's completely free as is the unit itself.
However, the unit is on LOAN, they want it back if/when you terminate sprint service or they will charge you for it.
Mine is 100% free, no charge, nada. So, you can get it free.

Compusmurf said:
Actually, if they give it to you as a service promotion, it's completely free as is the unit itself.
However, the unit is on LOAN, they want it back if/when you terminate sprint service or they will charge you for it. I was told it was automatic because on their end, it is an additional phone line.
Mine is 100% free, no charge, nada. So, you can get it free.
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I guarantee that if you look at the breakdown of Sprint Surcharges at the end of your bill, it increased when they added the AirRave. I was told it was automatic since on their end, it appears as a second line, which means the fees for a second line.
On mine, it was:
Administrative fee - $1.50 for one line to $3.00 with the AirRave)
Regulatory charge - $0.40 to $0.80
State Cost Recovery Fee - $0.30 - $0.60
Slightly higher taxes
Also on the bill: "Sprint Surcharges are rates we choose to collect from you..."
That means Sprint is NOT required to collect those by law or regulation. Since they are, it is a fee/charge.

I am in an area with horrible reception so bad that without the air rave my phone would be useless that thing helped me a LOT I went from always roaming to always full bars! Only problem is it seems to make my wifi a bit slower but nothing enough to complain about.

Mattheyu said:
I guarantee that if you look at the breakdown of Sprint Surcharges at the end of your bill, it increased when they added the AirRave. I was told it was automatic since on their end, it appears as a second line, which means the fees for a second line.
On mine, it was:
Administrative fee - $1.50 for one line to $3.00 with the AirRave)
Regulatory charge - $0.40 to $0.80
State Cost Recovery Fee - $0.30 - $0.60
Slightly higher taxes
Also on the bill: "Sprint Surcharges are rates we choose to collect from you..."
That means Sprint is NOT required to collect those by law or regulation. Since they are, it is a fee/charge.
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****, you're right, for the past 2 years I've been paying about $2-$3 in taxes for this 3rd line of crap they were supposed to be providing at no charge
heres mine:
Federal-Univ Serv Assess Non-LD ............................................................. $1.89
California State-PUC User Fee .................................................................... $0.08
Administrative Charge ................................................................................ $4.50
Regulatory Charge ...................................................................................... $1.20
$7.67

The thing that blows me away is that you have to spend hundreds of dollars on a carrier like sprint, then on top of it have to go through this kinda of BS to even get a signal in your home so you can receive calls etc....something wrong with this picture.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Duce HD2 said:
The thing that blows me away is that you have to spend hundreds of dollars on a carrier like sprint, then on top of it have to go through this kinda of BS to even get a signal in your home so you can receive calls etc....something wrong with this picture.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
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You do realize there are other carriers besides sprint right?
My general cell phone rule of thumb, never get a carrier just because of a phone.
It burns when I Tapatalk...

Love my airvana. Had the issue where the phone would think it failed to send a text and it would send like twenty but they fixed it a few months back.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

jklong03 said:
Yes, I know that it has nothing to do with 4G, I just like sticking it to Sprint and getting free stuff from them!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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It's nothing special. Sprint gives away free Airaves like they can't get rid of them fast enough. Just tell them your signal has degraded and they'll usually hook you up with no questions asked. Problem is, a lot of us have them for legit reasons. My signal here was great for years and years, then one day it dropped like a rock, was lucky to get more than 1 bar. It's been that way ever since.

My T-Mobile story

I've had T-Mobile & a GS3 for 30 days. Works great in the city. This last weekend I went to my wife's family's house to do some hunting and spend time at their cabin. We go there a couple times a month... which I would consider to be quite often. T-mobile was basically nonfunctional. Couldn't even send a text. Phone didn't say "No Signal"... but nothing would even work, network wise. According to the coverage map, it should work. So today on my lunch I speak with a woman over T-mobile support chat. She sounded pretty optimistic that they would take care of me, but I had to call in.
I got home from work and called in... the lady understood my issues and got me over to retention. The lady in retention wanted to know where it was I was struggling with service... so she looked it up on her end. She looked it over using words like "sketchy" and "I can see it probably wouldn't work indoors" and "well, Sir, it's a cell phone... it's not going to work everywhere." She was almost snippy with me... despite the fact I was 100% calm and overly polite. She would give me no leeway since I was outside the 14 day return policy. She only offered paying full term fees or transferring to a family member. CDMA providers in the area have pretty good service. I simply want to return everything and jump over to CDMA. No hard feelings!
Does anyone have any advice or know someone with a little clout within T-mobile? This is going to be a rough two years if not....

I think if it's such an issue pay the 250 termination fee and move on. Research should have been done prior to signing up or test signal issues within the 14 days you had. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

fatboy547 said:
I think if it's such an issue pay the 250 termination fee and move on. Research should have been done prior to signing up or test signal issues within the 14 days you had. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
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I hear ya. As mentioned I did check the maps. In reality what is a person supposed to do? Take a car tour of everywhere they might go within their 14 day "trial period"?

There are two biweekly periods in a month you said you go there a few times a month which is at least 3....
Does the place have internet? Wifi calling is awesome. Every single carrier map shows my house having service but it doesn't. Only wifi calling can work here.
I'd try calling again. If a supervisor refuses, then get the unlock code and sell your phone to someone with ATT. You'll probably make money.

To be honest there is nothing you can do. For starters that's not your home address so T mobile does not care because that's not your address on your bill, secondly and very sad to say say you're out of your 14 days even if that was your home address T Mobile would not let you out of a contract without paying the ETF. That's one ****ty thing about T Mobile they are notorious for things like that, once you're outta your 14 day trial if you have no service at your house the only way to get out of the contract is pay your ETF.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

How much did you pay for the phone? If it was 199, see if you can sell it for like 500. Use 250 towards termination fee and the rest towards a new phone on cdma.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

sipple31 said:
I've had T-Mobile & a GS3 for 30 days. Works great in the city. This last weekend I went to my wife's family's house to do some hunting and spend time at their cabin. We go there a couple times a month... which I would consider to be quite often. T-mobile was basically nonfunctional. Couldn't even send a text. Phone didn't say "No Signal"... but nothing would even work, network wise. According to the coverage map, it should work. So today on my lunch I speak with a woman over T-mobile support chat. She sounded pretty optimistic that they would take care of me, but I had to call in.
I got home from work and called in... the lady understood my issues and got me over to retention. The lady in retention wanted to know where it was I was struggling with service... so she looked it up on her end. She looked it over using words like "sketchy" and "I can see it probably wouldn't work indoors" and "well, Sir, it's a cell phone... it's not going to work everywhere." She was almost snippy with me... despite the fact I was 100% calm and overly polite. She would give me no leeway since I was outside the 14 day return policy. She only offered paying full term fees or transferring to a family member. CDMA providers in the area have pretty good service. I simply want to return everything and jump over to CDMA. No hard feelings!
Does anyone have any advice or know someone with a little clout within T-mobile? This is going to be a rough two years if not....
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Click to collapse
I'm actually in the same situation. I hate there coverage but love the speeds and plans. I was looking for a pay as you use it SIM card to use whilst in no coverage areas.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

jaytxvo said:
How much did you pay for the phone? If it was 199, see if you can sell it for like 500. Use 250 towards termination fee and the rest towards a new phone on cdma.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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Not a bad idea......... may look into this.
elesbb said:
I'm actually in the same situation. I hate there coverage but love the speeds and plans. I was looking for a pay as you use it SIM card to use whilst in no coverage areas.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
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Yeah... the Wi-Fi calling is nice if there's good Wi-Fi around. I spend a lot of time in the outdoors, though.

The only other option which might not help for your situation is that they can provide indoor cell phone repeaters. If you ask nicely I think they might even comp one for you. That would help if you were having trouble in the cabin, but not outside but I don't think that's the case from some of the comments you made. On the other hand, a cell phone repeater with remote antenna mounted on the roof might be just enough to bridge the gap at least while you're in the cabin itself.
And when you're outside - shouldn't you be communing with nature?

flarbear said:
The only other option which might not help for your situation is that they can provide indoor cell phone repeaters. If you ask nicely I think they might even comp one for you. That would help if you were having trouble in the cabin, but not outside but I don't think that's the case from some of the comments you made. On the other hand, a cell phone repeater with remote antenna mounted on the roof might be just enough to bridge the gap at least while you're in the cabin itself.
And when you're outside - shouldn't you be communing with nature?
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Funny you say this! We actually just put in a Wilson repeater system at the cabin. Works excellent when your inside... but that isn't very often! Even then the CDMA rocks the GSM.
When we're hunting we use cell phones as a primary mode of communication. The Wisconsin DNR makes two way radios illegal while hunting... but you can text or make phone calls legally. Kind-of a dumb rule this day and age, right? :silly:

That's the stupidest rule I've heard of lol. I wonder if you can use wifi calling while tethered to a friends phone. You should use the buddy system anyways
Maybe you can build a pringle can antenna?

Before you go paying EFT.. try posting on a cell swapper site and see if someone will take your plan, maybe even pay something for your phone.

papabear said:
Before you go paying EFT.. try posting on a cell swapper site and see if someone will take your plan, maybe even pay something for your phone.
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Didn't know these kind of sites existed... thanks!

One of the bad things about T-Mobile is their spotty coverage. In a big city its great and so-so in a smaller city. You get out in the boonies and is very hit or miss, mostly miss....
Sorry man.
Sent from a galaxy far away!

JesseMT4G said:
One of the bad things about T-Mobile is their spotty coverage. In a big city its great and so-so in a smaller city. You get out in the boonies and is very hit or miss, mostly miss....
Sorry man.
Sent from a galaxy far away!
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My thoughts exactly. And I definitely spend time in the boonies.
Anyhow... my phone sold on Craigslist for $400. Had a ton of interest. $200 to ETF and $200 towards what I paid for the phone. All in all i'm only out $50 and the service for the month. Ordering Verizon today. I definitely don't like their new plan structure... but in my case you just have to go with what works best in your next of the woods. Looked at Sprint because of their better plans... but they are like the roaming Nazis. If you go over 300 meg of data or a certain fraction of your plan's minutes on someone else's network they will drop your a$$. Happened to my brother. One day they just called and said were turning off your service tomorrow. You roam too much... get a different carrier.
Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll be around... just in a different section of the forums. Still going to get a GS3! :good:

This happened to me with Verizon a few years back. About a month into service problems started to occur. Even the sales reps verified the issues. I called corporate every 5 or so days to report dropped calls and no data signal issues. After about 6 months of swapping phones they offered to let me go without an ETF.

sipple31 said:
My thoughts exactly. And I definitely spend time in the boonies.
Anyhow... my phone sold on Craigslist for $400. Had a ton of interest. $200 to ETF and $200 towards what I paid for the phone. All in all i'm only out $50 and the service for the month. Ordering Verizon today. I definitely don't like their new plan structure... but in my case you just have to go with what works best in your next of the woods. Looked at Sprint because of their better plans... but they are like the roaming Nazis. If you go over 300 meg of data or a certain fraction of your plan's minutes on someone else's network they will drop your a$$. Happened to my brother. One day they just called and said were turning off your service tomorrow. You roam too much... get a different carrier.
Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll be around... just in a different section of the forums. Still going to get a GS3! :good:
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Did not realize they still did that crap. Almost a decade ago, if you roamed 50% or more they dropped you, and made you pay eft.

papabear said:
Did not realize they still did that crap. Almost a decade ago, if you roamed 50% or more they dropped you, and made you pay eft.
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Every carrier still does this. You might not have to pay the ETF but they will drop you.
Sent from my SGH-T999

joshnichols189 said:
Every carrier still does this. You might not have to pay the ETF but they will drop you.
Sent from my SGH-T999
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yeah I don't doubt that! This is the sole reason I didn't get sprint. 300 meg?! That's nothing in today's world. A good carrier needs to be a little bit lenient on the roaming business in order to provide adequate coverage.

Sorry to say but the cabin sound like its in the middle of nowhere. Any mountains around, that will make it worse? My gf parents live in the "boonies" and neither of us get a signal (she has Verizon, I have Tmo).

[Q] Deactivate the S3, Activate a Basic phone, Change Plans.

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,
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.

[Q] Cancel Sprint - Offset ETF by transferring a basic phone onto account

After being together for the holidays with everyone for a week and travelling all over the place together while watching what other peoples results for coverage and speed tests were on other carriers and other smartphones, I am leaving Sprint.
I've had sprint since 2007 starting with a Palm Treo 700wx. I went from that, to a 750wx, to a Palm Treo Pro, to a temporary hiatus with a Windows Phone 7 on T-Mobile for a month, then back to Sprint with a HTC Evo Shift 4G and to my current phone; the SGS2/Epic 4G Touch.
I'll admit, I have loved playing with the previous two android phones I've had and loading tons of different ROMs, radios, PRL's, etc. I've found sweet spots and balance in them for my needs but..
My problem is, Sprints serivce has become extremely lacking while other providers move full steam ahead in their data coverage and speed offerings. Comparing just my brothers (ATT iPhone 5) and my GF's (VZW SGS3) phones to mine while they have been with me when we are travelling both around home and away on vacations has left me with a really bad taste in my mouth.
The SGS3 stays on 4G 95% of the time, the battery life is incredible, the speed tests are always returning 18-35Mbps downstream speeds wherever we go, and there are no times where the phone appears to have data coverage, but the network is unresponsive.
The ATT iPhone5 would slightly rival my 4G test results at times (when I actually have 4G coverage that is! :laugh, but 90% of the time it returned consistent 5-18Mbps downstream tests and was locked to 4G 90% of the time when I checked the phone wherever we went.
I travel all the time and I just can't deal with Sprint anymore. Their network, mostly the data aspect of it, is unbearable. Sprints implementation of WiMAX is a joke.
TLDR. So finally, here is my question:
I have 15 months left on my current contract. I have been looking for a way out without the full $350 ETF for the past couple weeks.
I saw this thread, and someone had suggested doing what I planned on doing after reviewing the ETF policies for Sprint: They purchased a basic phone, replaced their smartphone with the basic phone, and cancelled a few weeks later. They claimed it successfully offset their ETF to the lower ETF price of a basic plan.
I have a personal plan with my single line on it.
My plan is the simply unlimited plan.
I have a LG Remarq sitting here with a clean ESN.
I plan on replacing my Epic 4G Touch with the Remarq, changing my plan to a basic $30/mo plan, use it for a week or two, and then call in to cancel service, paying the lower ETF associated with basic phones.
Has anyone else done this with success?
Thanks in advance!

This is a great idea. I will try it out
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I believe the etf is associated with the phone you purchased when you signed the contract, not the phone you are currently using. If you signed a contract without purchasing a subsidized phone you aren't supposed to have an etf. The etf comes from a phone subsidy and is actually prorated (Sprint isnt always forthcoming about this and something charges the full etf unless you bring it up).
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

kingsway8605 said:
I believe the etf is associated with the phone you purchased when you signed the contract, not the phone you are currently using. If you signed a contract without purchasing a subsidized phone you aren't supposed to have an etf. The etf comes from a phone subsidy and is actually prorated (Sprint isnt always forthcoming about this and something charges the full etf unless you bring it up).
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, this is the part I am worried about.
I figured it might not work as I had hoped since the reason my contract was renewed in May 2012 was due to the upgrade to the Epic 4G touch.
If it isn't going to work, I'll just sell off the Epic 4G Touch to recoupe some of the ETF..
Can't always have it all!

I would like to just say that you complaint about "sprints implementation" is wrong. Wimax is Clearwire implementation and sprint is/was using it for 4g but are abandoning it in favor of FDD-LTE / TDD-LTE (800/1900 & 2500 mhz).
They (clearwire) deployed it wrong and ran out of money in their deployment by trying to go for the blanket coverage which is practically undoable since they were using 2.5ghz/2.6ghz BRS/EBS spectrum which is highly inferior to ATT and Verizons sub ghz (700/850) spectrum.
Furthermore, your account says you live in Miami, FL which is an active Network Vision deployment area which means they're upgrading the backhaul from their crappy T1 (low data speed.. that problem) to fiber / microwave / aav etc and installing "their" implementation of 4g which is LTE-Rel 9 equipment on 1900mhz frequency at every cell site.
Just wanted to inform you on some things before you think sprint has no future and that Vz and ATT will be forever superior. Saturation of Verizons LTE network is coming along with somewhere around 50% of data usage being LTE. This is noticeable nowadays literally everywhere as Verizons 4g LTE speeds are quickly decreasing from the >20 mbps you see from speedtests all the time to somewhere in the 4-10mbps range during peak hours and average. They may have great coverage but what they lack is density because their great coverage comes from a blanket type approach where one tower in a cluster has LTE activated so that it covers other towers around it. This ensures a faster rollout and larger coverage area in a short time frame but will falter under heavy loads. ATT will face this problem as well since they are undertaking the same type of rollout as Verizon.
This is the reason why Verizon and ATT is attempting to quickly utilize AWS spectrum for LTE to relieve the high data demand on their towers. Sprint does not have this problem with LTE 1900 on every tower, LTE 800 (deployment begins when iDen is shut down and 800mhz freq is refarmed), and LTE on the 2.5ghz BRS (Clearwire) for heavy loads in high demand areas such as cities and metros.
Anyways. Good luck in where you go and maybe check back with Sprint later when their NV program is mostly complete nationwide at the end of 2013/ early 2014.

Are you in the retentions department or something?
Who has been the primary shareholder and has had control of Clearwire for the past few years?
Regardless of that, why does it matter who implemented it? My complaint is about the network they are utilizing and making available to their customers. I could care less about the details.
I don't really think any other network is forever superior over another.
In fact, I never even mentioned anything about that..
I'm just noting what I have seen in my Sprint usage over the past 5-6 years ALL throughout the east coast. I used to love Sprint, but with how much I rely on a good data connection now, I can't deal with them.
My Christmas vacation was spent in Dallas. And guess what? Sprint was even worse there than when I am at home in the unobstructed, pancake state of Florida. Everytime I take trips up to Boston and New York for work, my battery drains much more quickly. Not to mention, my coverage is terrible. I've tried all of the radios for this phone. I did the same with the Evo Shift.. same terrible data coverage.
I've moved several times over the past 7 years all throughout the east coast and everywhere I have gone, my service has never been better than it has been here. Voice coverage has always been great for the most part.
My purchase point is a reliable, dependable data connection at this point.
Maybe when Sprint can satisfy my needs and lower their prices a bit I'll come back.. I'n the meantime I will be heading over to VZW for their $80/mo unlimited + 2GB data plan since I never go over 1.5GB anyways. Sure beats the $130 I'm paying now.

element1966 said:
Are you in the retentions department or something?
Who has been the primary shareholder and has had control of Clearwire for the past few years?
Regardless of that, why does it matter who implemented it? My complaint is about the network they are utilizing and making available to their customers. I could care less about the details.
I don't really think any other network is forever superior over another.
In fact, I never even mentioned anything about that..
I'm just noting what I have seen in my Sprint usage over the past 5-6 years ALL throughout the east coast. I used to love Sprint, but with how much I rely on a good data connection now, I can't deal with them.
My Christmas vacation was spent in Dallas. And guess what? Sprint was even worse there than when I am at home in the unobstructed, pancake state of Florida. Everytime I take trips up to Boston and New York for work, my battery drains much more quickly. Not to mention, my coverage is terrible. I've tried all of the radios for this phone. I did the same with the Evo Shift.. same terrible data coverage.
I've moved several times over the past 7 years all throughout the east coast and everywhere I have gone, my service has never been better than it has been here. Voice coverage has always been great for the most part.
My purchase point is a reliable, dependable data connection at this point.
Maybe when Sprint can satisfy my needs and lower their prices a bit I'll come back.. I'n the meantime I will be heading over to VZW for their $80/mo unlimited + 2GB data plan since I never go over 1.5GB anyways. Sure beats the $130 I'm paying now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I'm not in the retention department nor am I affiliated with sprint. I am someone who went beyond and educated myself in what sprint is doing in the present, past, and future because of the sad state of their current legacy network and data speeds.
To answer your questions.
1. Sprint, although they own a majority share of a little bit over 50% of Clearwire, does not control them. They can surely veto things that they don't like but Clearwire is an independent entity with their own goals and aspirations. They've been "rebellious" in the past and bumped heads with sprints multiple times and is one of the reasons why SoftBank/New Sprint is buying them out. Make sure they don't get any fancy ideas.
Also. You mention the past experiences and how you're unsatisfied with it and that's exactly what I'm saying that Sprint is changing with their Network Vision project by updating their legacy backhaul to modern fiber / mw/ aav.
By the way. I wished you luck in your purchase and never told you to stay with sprint. Every persons need is different but it is always nice to inform people on things.
www.s4gru.com is where I get my information from and good luck with Verizon.

As someone who travels a bit, I am in the same boat. I'm pretty locked in by my family account, though. Sprint's data network is awful right now. I sure hope it gets better.

The one common thing that occurs often with Sprint that I hate the most when I am travelling is when the phone shows locked to 3G and the upload/dowload arrows are lighting up while you are trying to use google maps, the browser, or update your e-mails, and NOTHING happens!
I could be sitting at an intersection trying to figure out where I am on gmaps with 3G or 4G coverage indicated and nothing happening. I'll search for a location, it will act like it has gone through and the "Searching for ...." bubble that grays out the screen will dissappear but nothing else will happen. I'll sit there and restart the phone like a dummy at wits end and the same thing will happen afterwords. I just don't have the time to play these games anymore. I've tried all the radios, roms, prls, you name it. And I have spent plenty of time determining which radios work best for me in the SGS2. But that begs the question; why should I waste my limited free time trying to improve the reliability of my phone on a unreliable network? I've got better ways to spend my time than in constant frustration.
This has happened with my phones on sprint since the Palm Treos through all 3 of the androids I've had. No way can you point fingers at poorly designed radios in the phones. I've done everything I can to deal with the possibility of actual phone issues.. it's not the fault of the phones and I give up.
I'm sure there are plenty of places where sprint is great.. but everywhere I have been along the east coast and to TX recently, it hasn't been reliable enough for me in comparison to other major providers. I am up north and all through the east coast 10-20 times a year. And when I'm not away for work, my daily travels to customers and such can include any destination from central Florida down to the keys. It just never meets my needs wherever I typically go.
I refuse to stick around and twirl my thumbs in anticipation but I hope Sprints new rollout is a game changer for people in my situation.

Sprint just booted me
I called ther customer service enough and told them how far they could shove my account up their A S S that eventually an executive service agent called and told me my account was being canceled with no ETF's. I had to be a pretty big A S S to them, but their customer service was the worst I've ever dealt with.

firemanwill28 said:
I called ther customer service enough and told them how far they could shove my account up their A S S that eventually an executive service agent called and told me my account was being canceled with no ETF's. I had to be a pretty big A S S to them, but their customer service was the worst I've ever dealt with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sound like a real winner. When I have to deal with people like you at work I go out of my way to find a reason to deny their claims. Just cuz you want to feel entitled to something doesn't mean you are, you should have just sucked it up and paid your ETF instead of crying til you got out free. Customers like you are the whole reason sprint posts losses every quarter and cant afford to build their network out fast enough to keep you pissants happy. :thumbdown:
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2

firemanwill28 said:
I called ther customer service enough and told them how far they could shove my account up their A S S that eventually an executive service agent called and told me my account was being canceled with no ETF's. I had to be a pretty big A S S to them, but their customer service was the worst I've ever dealt with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure.
I already know what I had to go through with the BBB and T-Mobile when I dropped their service after a month and tried to get out without having to pay all sorts of fees. I didn't even have cell service in my condo in the center of downtown Miami when I was living there!
I'd rather not get my blood pressure up again and just easily port my number over without delays.

-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
You sound like a real winner. When I have to deal with people like you at work I go out of my way to find a reason to deny their claims. Just cuz you want to feel entitled to something doesn't mean you are, you should have just sucked it up and paid your ETF instead of crying til you got out free. Customers like you are the whole reason sprint posts losses every quarter and cant afford to build their network out fast enough to keep you pissants happy. :thumbdown:
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you stick up for Sprint, who probably pays you less than $20/hr to do their slave work and subjects you to putting up with angry customers all day?
What were you expecting when you started a call center job? An enjoyable career?
Just remember, it's not YOUR fault or problem that an angry customer calls in to ANY cell provider. If you signed the employment contract to handle their customers BS in exchange for money, then that is an unfortunate part of the job, right?
I don't think any of the customers that call in angry are personally angry at you.

element1966 said:
So you stick up for Sprint, who probably pays you less than $20/hr to do their slave work and subjects you to putting up with angry customers all day?
What were you expecting when you started a call center job? An enjoyable career?
Just remember, it's not YOUR fault or problem that an angry customer calls in to ANY cell provider. If you signed the employment contract to handle their customers BS in exchange for money, then that is an unfortunate part of the job, right?
I don't think any of the customers that call in angry are personally angry at you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont work for sprint genius. And I make way more than $20/hr at my job
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2

Nothing good will come out of a thread asking about how to get out of the ETF. It is there to help keep subsidized phone prices low and helps all of us. You breaking contract without paying an ETF hurts us.
Also these discussions are not proper for a development site.