Develop Bugs

Sprint sucks, so a few questions

Just a few questions about Sprint.
Now, here is my question:
This phone well is nice.
Anyway, if I go to Sprint, do I HAVE to have a 2 year contract with them? They suck hard, reception in my area is balls(Though good at my house, bad at places where I go, it has at&T like service)
This phone also has the potential to become SEVERELY outdated in 2 years. (Mainly because being tide down to a 2 year contract is stupid, although my Iphone 3g doesn't feel too old even though it's been 2 years)
Not to mention snapdragons at 45nm are coming out at the end of this year.
So what is your input? Do I have to have a 2 year contract?
Also I plan on rooting this phone once the guy at grack releases the exploit.
I hope someone makes a stock Android available for this phone with Froyo.

Your only way out is to sell it to me. I'd be happy to take the phone off your hands and solve all of your problems
Seriously... PM me

Well lets just go through these one at a time...
1) You have a 30 day money back guarantee... USE IT! Take it everywhere you usually go, if the coverage is sub-par, take it back.
2) You do not have to start a 2 year contract - you can go month to month, but the do not offer subsidies on the phones if you do this. The retail cost on the Evo is $449.
3) If you sign a 2 year agreement, after 6 months of paying on time, you become a Premier Member which allows you to update your device at the 2 year price every year - with the addition of another year on your contract - it takes the 1 year and adds 1 more to it every time you do it.
4) The TV out features appear to be VERY limited at this point - videos and gallery only at launch. I'm sure the kind people here will have it rooted and figure out a way to get more through the TV, but for now, that's what we have.
Overall, I switched from Verizon to Sprint in Feburary and couldn't be happier. My service is just as good. Customer service has been wonderful and my bill is half what it was on Verizon.
All I can do is stress that 30 day trial period. Make sure you take the phone everywhere that you go - and then some!

zcarman said:
2) You do not have to start a 2 year contract - you can go month to month, but the do not offer subsidies on the phones if you do this.
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I hope you did your research OR you have personally gotten month-by-month with Sprint.
Many people on other forums have reported calling Sprint and asking for month-by-month or 1-year contracts. My girlfriend being one of them. However, Sprint has told everyone that all plans must come with a 2-year contract. It seems that Sprint does things differently than T-mobile.
If you are not just speaking hypothetically, we would love to hear more about this "month to month" plan that you mention.

Where are you at with bad Sprint reception, mine just roams on other networks, I always have signal and I live in a small town in the south. As for the iPhone 4g, I thought it had the same internals as the iPad.

pingpongboss said:
I hope you did your research OR you have personally gotten month-by-month with Sprint.
Many people on other forums have reported calling Sprint and asking for month-by-month or 1-year contracts. My girlfriend being one of them. However, Sprint has told everyone that all plans must come with a 2-year contract. It seems that Sprint does things differently than T-mobile.
If you are not just speaking hypothetically, we would love to hear more about this "month to month" plan that you mention.
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I believe the plan they're referring to isn't really a plan.. but if you've already served your 2 year contract, and remain with sprint, then it becomes month-to-month on whatever plan you had before.

jigglywiggly said:
This phone also has the potential to become SEVERELY outdated in 2 years, the iphone 4g has a lot of speculation.
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Click to collapse
So the EVO will be "SEVERELY outdated in 2 years", but the iphone has a lot of speculation?
lol what do you think that iphone will be like in 2 years? That's right, Apple will have released 2 more models after it.
That point is moot, both phones will be outdated in 2 years. Hell, both of them will be outdated by December of this year. They're phones, that's the nature of the beast.

pingpongboss said:
I hope you did your research OR you have personally gotten month-by-month with Sprint.
Many people on other forums have reported calling Sprint and asking for month-by-month or 1-year contracts. My girlfriend being one of them. However, Sprint has told everyone that all plans must come with a 2-year contract. It seems that Sprint does things differently than T-mobile.
If you are not just speaking hypothetically, we would love to hear more about this "month to month" plan that you mention.
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Click to collapse
As would I. I'm seriously considering paying the ETF on my AT&T contract. But there is ZERO chance I would ever be locked to Sprint for a year let alone two...

iphone = LOL please
yea if you enjoy a closed off OS

I have been with sprint for over 10years and really they have been one of the better for me..... I also had at&t and tmo through this same time and hated both of them more than sprint.....
AT&T are crooks and tmo just stinks, iphone is cool if your a fanboy but really it is quite bland to me.
I have had many phones with sprint and the only way I ever have a new commitment is if I get the phone at a discounted price.......I bought my hero from and individual and it did not reset my commitment, but that doesnt mean they do not require a commitment on the Google IO phones. They shouldnt imo, because they did not subsidize it, althought this could be required for a new customer.
i have never seen the contract be associated with the plan just the device and number.
One more point: The etf with sprint is still one of the lower as I have not heard they have raised it like ATT and tmo, so in all fairness even if you terminate early you should easily recomp that by selling the EVO if you dont like the service.
I too hate ETF but its a small cost considering monthy recurring charges on a smartphone, even though sprint is about half of the other guys. I have 4 lines all smartphones with sprint and I pay just over what my iphone bill was with AT&T so this imo opinion that is worth a lot!

jigglywiggly said:
This phone also has the potential to become SEVERELY outdated in 2 years, the iphone 4g has a lot of speculation.
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Click to collapse
Pppplease.. This phone has the most features than any phone to date, not to mention what we already know form iPhone HD leak. I say this phone will be kicking ass for more than 2 yrs!
The solve your worries, just sell the phone, and get whatever phone is out for your carrier, that you think has the best coverage in your area..

I never understood why people bash Sprint so much. I never have problems with dropped calls or lack of signal. It seems reliable to me. The biggest problem with Sprint for me has always been their selection of phones doesn't match the other carriers, and the Evo should change that.

Guy says he can't get a signal in whatever cave he lives in so "Sprint Sucks" please go to AT&T. Bye...
I'm actually surprised that the first few posters were as kind as they were.

If you have the phone already just use it month to month, the 2 year contract is only for the discounts on a new phone.

myth_mn said:
If you have the phone already just use it month to month, the 2 year contract is only for the discounts on a new phone.
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We've heard that but I for one cannot find any printed data from Sprint that says I can bring in my phone and start a month to month deal with them. Would you have any information or a link to such?
Thanks

iPhone... ewww. Even if it does come to sprint, I won't be hopping on that bandwagon anytime soon, or ever.

misticjeff said:
We've heard that but I for one cannot find any printed data from Sprint that says I can bring in my phone and start a month to month deal with them. Would you have any information or a link to such?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
When you add a line, upgrade, or purchase new service you have to option to purchase the phone at a discounted price but with a contract. If you have a phone already, or buy it without the discount a contract is not required.
I've moved back to Sprint in the pass using an old phone without any contracts.

Does ANYONE keep their same phones for the entire two-year contract period? Phones from two years ago are ancient. The longest I've had a phone since my Treo is like 8 months with my Centro and a year with my BlackBerry Curve 8330.

TheBiles said:
Does ANYONE keep their same phones for the entire two-year contract period? Phones from two years ago are ancient. The longest I've had a phone since my Treo is like 8 months with my Centro and a year with my BlackBerry Curve 8330.
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OFF TOPIC
You mean does anyone ON HERE keep their phones for 2 years. Several people at my job still carry razors. DOH!!!
Funny thing is..they get better signals in our lab area than any other phone.
ON TOPIC:
I got nothin...

myth_mn said:
When you add a line, upgrade, or purchase new service you have to option to purchase the phone at a discounted price but with a contract. If you have a phone already, or buy it without the discount a contract is not required.
I've moved back to Sprint in the pass using an old phone without any contracts.
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Click to collapse
This goes against everything I've read in other forums:
http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1647582
And several Sprint CSR's have said a new customer needs to sign up with a 2 year contract.

Adding a line to Plan

this may be a little of topic but i have question. i just recently purchased a Nexus s 4g for my sister (fifth teens coming up) i have my main line with my ET4G a second one with a EVO and now i want a third one for the nexus . for some reason sprint is making me sign ANOTHER 2 year contract even though im providing the handset myself. iv googled it and it seems like its a hit or miss sort of thing. anybody ever been in this situation? is there a way to get around having to sign a 2 year contract since i am not going to get another handset at a discounted price? any help much appreciated.

if you provide the equipment you do NOT have to sign a 2 yr.
If they try to make you then tell them they are incorrect. The 2 year contract is to gain the discount to purchase the phone.

frostrunner said:
if you provide the equipment you do NOT have to sign a 2 yr.
If they try to make you then tell them they are incorrect. The 2 year contract is to gain the discount to purchase the phone.
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Click to collapse
Not if you're adding a new line. Getting another phone on an existing line wont affect your contract if you pay full price for it, or you already owned it. But if you're adding a line, you have to sign a contract for that new line.
Sent from my rooted GameBoy Color

hduenas1989 said:
Not if you're adding a new line. Getting another phone on an existing line wont affect your contract if you pay full price for it, or you already owned it. But if you're adding a line, you have to sign a contract for that new line.
Sent from my rooted GameBoy Color
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That's right. Might aswell get her a new phone or another phone e4gt and sell it.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

AFAIK, the only carrier in the US (besides the little guys like MetroPCS, maybe,) that allows you to bring a phone and avoid a contract altogether is T-Mobile.

Mu5ic92 said:
this may be a little of topic but i have question. i just recently purchased a Nexus s 4g for my sister (fifth teens coming up) i have my main line with my ET4G a second one with a EVO and now i want a third one for the nexus . for some reason sprint is making me sign ANOTHER 2 year contract even though im providing the handset myself. iv googled it and it seems like its a hit or miss sort of thing. anybody ever been in this situation? is there a way to get around having to sign a 2 year contract since i am not going to get another handset at a discounted price? any help much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this last year by adding a line for my wife in my plan. I had a extra evo available at the time so I used that phone. I signed a two year agreement but kept my rebate for later use.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

frostrunner said:
if you provide the equipment you do NOT have to sign a 2 yr.
If they try to make you then tell them they are incorrect. The 2 year contract is to gain the discount to purchase the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only in California. but everywhere else, yes, you have to sign the 2 year service agreement. but, you still have eligibility from that day forward, so you can get a phone at a discounted rate. think of it like this: when you add a new discount to your account (employer/organization discount), you sign a new contract without affect eligibility. same goes for $50-100 service credits offered to customers who are 2-4 months from contract end but are not interested in a new phone. eligibility and contract terms are actually 2 separate time-lines. the only reason you sign the contract for a new phone is to guarantee sprint you're going to stay with them, in turn subsidizing the heavy discounting they gave you. (i work in a sprint store )

Even if you sign a contract will there be a ETF if you quit? I thought your etf decreases over time as sprint makes their money back from the subsidy. If they don't have to subsidize you're phone what does that mean? Anyone here know the answer?
On my Epic mobile phone.

kc_exactly said:
Even if you sign a contract will there be a ETF if you quit? I thought your etf decreases over time as sprint makes their money back from the subsidy. If they don't have to subsidize you're phone what does that mean? Anyone here know the answer?
On my Epic mobile phone.
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Etf still applies. That's just part of the terms, sprint wants you to stay with em. It is prorated though. For feature phones, it goes down by $10/month after 5 months til a minimum of $50. Smartphones prorate by $20/month after 5 months until thy reach $100
This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds.

The etf should be only 200 even though it is an advanced device, since you aren't receiving a discount on an advanced device. If you have a discount on your line the etf starts at 200 anyway.
There have been reports of people activating the evo view tablet month to month with a few callbacks to customer care. Just a matter of getting the right person on the phone. In the store I don't think the software allows us to bypass it.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

$30 upgrade fee

My contract is up on May 15th, and now Verizon is charging $30 bucks to upgrade!! WTF??? I'm looking to change to ATT (HTC ONE X) or prepaid as I am not going to give these fookers anymore money. I'm so tired of corporate greed. They say this because it is to "provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect." ???? Really? whenever I go into my local verizon store, they ask me about new phones and my newest roms. I'm so pissed right now at them.

As far as I can remember Verizon has always charged a 30 dollar fee..... they waived my last upgrade fee though because the lady messed up.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk

Just read an article that said this is a new fee and starts on April 22. Apparently, in addition to data limits, this is a new fact of life. Sad. Might be time to shop around again though.

If only they knew how right they are with the "provide customers with a level of service and support they have come to expect from Verizon"... Over the years big red has become so greedy, I actually do expect a level of fees and charges that make absolutely no sense. I think the $30 this time might be for the Vaseline... Lol.
Sent from my ADR6350

Yeah man the least they can do is spit on it before they bend you over. What about best buy or amazon do will they incorporate the $30 fee?

is there a prepaid service in PA that anyone uses and has had good luck with? I have a t-mobile phone and the DINC2, so not sure if I can use either one with a prepaid service.

disconnecktie said:
As far as I can remember Verizon has always charged a 30 dollar fee..... they waived my last upgrade fee though because the lady messed up.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
this fee is new and starting april 22nd. Maybe your thinking of the early upgrade fee?

Hmm... I may start looking around next time my contract is up.

I don't what the fee was but they were going to charge me $30 when I upgraded. She waived it though because somewhere along the way she messed up and almost charged me over $300 for this phone when iit was supposed to be free.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk

disconnecktie said:
I don't what the fee was but they were going to charge me $30 when I upgraded. She waived it though because somewhere along the way she messed up and almost charged me over $300 for this phone when iit was supposed to be free.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
D*mn, so much for "providing better service"
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App

Call customer service and see if they can waive it. The Verizon stores are unable/unwilling to do anything for people. Smart phones have turned cellphones back into a "luxury" item again.

ericsdeadinside said:
Call customer service and see if they can waive it. The Verizon stores are unable/unwilling to do anything for people. Smart phones have turned cellphones back into a "luxury" item again.
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I usually have pretty good luck when calling customer service, and emailing them, but all I keep hearing from them is "blah blah blah". I emailed the director of customer service and the East Coast Regional manager, both have yet to get back to me. They keep saying how everyone else does it, they are 6 dollars cheaper, they have smartphone workshops, and it helps them with serving the customer better. The only thing they are serving is lining their pockets! I WILL go to ATT and get the ONE X, if they keep this up! My company waives the activation fee, so I don't have to pay that either. Greedy Bastards!

Guys as a few of you know I work for Verizon in sales. The $30 fee being added to upgrades is new. The other fees that you are referring to. The 30 being waived for early upgrades it's a fee that is done in stores to cover cost. alot of stores don't do this fee.
Just for reference. Verizon it's the last of the big 4 carriers to implement this upgrade fee. I don't agree with it at all but changing carriers will only led to the same thing. It is like comparing a Apple to an apple wearing a orange costume.
Still it looks like this is going to bite big red in the ass. Sales will be affected. Verizon will feel the blow financially.
Sent from my VivoW using xda premium

I never go to the stores to do anything. I deal with customer service exclusively because it is the only way I am ever able to get anything done. I doubt ill leave Verizon anytime soon. I still have unlimited data and I intend to keep it as long as I possibly can. I may pay out the ass but nobody else offers it that's worth a crap in my area. The customer service with Verizon isn't half bad anyway.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk

disconnecktie said:
I never go to the stores to do anything. I deal with customer service exclusively because it is the only way I am ever able to get anything done. I doubt ill leave Verizon anytime soon. I still have unlimited data and I intend to keep it as long as I possibly can. I may pay out the ass but nobody else offers it that's worth a crap in my area. The customer service with Verizon isn't half bad anyway.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk
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I have the unlimited data as well, but as most everyone knows, we "elite" customers get throttled (often!) because they offered to grandfather our plans and we took it. When I got my phone, music and netflix streamed without a hiccup, now because I'm not a "tiered" customer, I get throttled (and labeled as an "excessive use" customer).
The point; you either get it from one end or the other, either way they're going to stick it to their customers because we all want smartphones and they know they can plug us along the way for it. Atleast here, we can work together to screw them back!
Sent from my ADR6350

Wait, is this to upgrade at any time? Or just early upgrade?
I dont think I have been ever charged to upgrade anything, but I have been charged to activate lines in the past (30 bucks)
I know they charge early upgrade fee, which is fine to me I guess as I dont really upgrade often.

http://gizmodo.com/5901023/no-more-free-phone-upgrades-verizons-30-fee-starts-april-22nd
No More Free Phone Upgrades: Verizon’s $30 Fee Starts April 22nd
On April 22nd, Verizon will begin charging a $30 upgrade fee when existing customers buy a new phone on a new contract. It's the sad end of the free upgrade era.

FYI: if you look on eBay you can find new phones for the same price as buying one on contract. I was looking at Galaxy Nexus phones a month ago and you can find the CDMA version easily for 250-300 or right now the Rezounds are going for 150-200.
Does it suck to pay $30 for an upgrade? Yeah it does but I probably wont shift to a new carrier because I'm on a loyalty plan, getting an employee discount AND have my unlimited data grandfathered. I'll deal with paying the $30 every two years.

zax10 said:
Guys as a few of you know I work for Verizon in sales. The $30 fee being added to upgrades is new. The other fees that you are referring to. The 30 being waived for early upgrades it's a fee that is done in stores to cover cost. alot of stores don't do this fee.
Just for reference. Verizon it's the last of the big 4 carriers to implement this upgrade fee. I don't agree with it at all but changing carriers will only led to the same thing. It is like comparing a Apple to an apple wearing a orange costume.
Still it looks like this is going to bite big red in the ass. Sales will be affected. Verizon will feel the blow financially.
Sent from my VivoW using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly whoever decided to implement this bs in Verizon can go fxxx and sxxx a dxxx period
Just because other carriers are doing it you don't have to follow their asses.
Verizon with slowest updates not to mention wtf bloats& ****ty 3g&4g in the area it's designated&not many phones to choose from&well i can go more but I'll stop there
Sent from my Incredible 2

xHoLyx said:
Honestly whoever decided to implement this bs in Verizon can go fxxx and sxxx a dxxx period
Just because other carriers are doing it you don't have to follow their asses.
Verizon with slowest updates not to mention wtf bloats& ****ty 3g&4g in the area it's designated&not many phones to choose from&well i can go more but I'll stop there
Sent from my Incredible 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing about the upgrade fee is that some of the other carriers are talking about not even letting people upgrade.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk

Verizon cutting off Unlimited Data plans.

I know this doesn't directly relate to the Galaxy Nexus, but personally this is the only reason I have my Nexus on Verizon. So if you are in the same boat as me give this a read:
http://cnet.co/Jel0xa

Had to happen eventually.

This. Is why I told my friends to switch to the double data promo a couple months ago. I am Jack's total lack of surprise.

I would just like to take this moment to say this to all the people who said I was wrong about this ever happening:
IN YO' FACE!

Well I guess we need to wait for the exact info but there is some speculation that even someone on your family account changing phones could cause anyone on the same account to lose unlimited. My wife just recently downgraded from Android to iPhone (has had 2 HTC phones which both would not shut off the screen when she had it next to her face and she doesn't like the screen size of the LTE phones) who I guess now has a 3G unlimited plan down from a 4G plan she had when she was using my old Thunderbolt. While she doesn't use that much data and being forced into a tiered plan when she upgrades in 2 years won't be a big deal but I want to keep my unlimited even if it means buying phones off contract. The only thing that might make it ok is the $60 I pay now between both phones for data can be used for like a 10 or 20 gig bucket.

I will be pissed if they don't offer us AT LEAST the double data promo.

Character Zero said:
Well I guess we need to wait for the exact info but there is some speculation that even someone on your family account changing phones could cause anyone on the same account to lose unlimited. My wife just recently downgraded from Android to iPhone (has had 2 HTC phones which both would not shut off the screen when she had it next to her face and she doesn't like the screen size of the LTE phones) who I guess now has a 3G unlimited plan down from a 4G plan she had when she was using my old Thunderbolt. While she doesn't use that much data and being forced into a tiered plan when she upgrades in 2 years won't be a big deal but I want to keep my unlimited even if it means buying phones off contract. The only thing that might make it ok is the $60 I pay now between both phones for data can be used for like a 10 or 20 gig bucket.
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Click to collapse
I think thats exactly the opposite of how its going to work, if you have a contract with them, you can make them honor it. If you do not have a contract with them, your screwed. Right now I am paying $50 for 10GB, if the "data share" thing comes through, I imagine they would charge you $10/each additional phone on your plan, you would be looking at around $60/10GB IF they are still offering the double data! That's a BIG if, you better call them right now. Normally $50 gets you 5GB.

It is what it is, these wireless companies are all the same. Personally I'm tired of the misinformation, online petitions and broken promises. When my contract is up and they try to move me or my 3G wife to another plan I'll let my wallet do the talking and go to the company that offers the best overall value.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

lrs421 said:
It is what it is, these wireless companies are all the same. Personally I'm tired of the misinformation, online petitions and broken promises. When my contract is up and they try to move me or my 3G wife to another plan I'll let my wallet do the talking and go to the company that offers the best overall value.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem for me is VZW is the only carrier to actually have reception in my area, and everybody knows it, so they can charge whatever they want. I have a choice of paying VZW a super premium and always being able to use the device I am paying for, or paying a competitor and not having service.

adrynalyne said:
I would just like to take this moment to say this to all the people who said I was wrong about this ever happening:
IN YO' FACE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People were in denial if they thought they'd never have to get rid of unlimited on VZW.

martonikaj said:
People were in denial if they thought they'd never have to get rid of unlimited on VZW.
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Click to collapse
Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

martonikaj said:
People were in denial if they thought they'd never have to get rid of unlimited on VZW.
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Click to collapse
I'm just shocked they won't let us use it through the rest of our contract. Giving people only a few months using it and making them switch mid contract is beyond awful.

Looking for advice
So now I need some advice. According to these reports, specifically on techcrunch, "Shammo makes it sound like only customers who upgrade after the change takes place will have to pick a new data plan (for better or worse), and with any luck they’ll leave the lucky souls who have already locked their old data plans alone for now."
I bought a Gnex on verizon a few weeks after it came out. I'm currently on a family plan and I'm the only one who has a smartphone on the plan (3 total phones, mine's one of the "added" lines). Currently I'm on a "month to month" I guess is what it's called. My particular line's contract expired at the beginning of this month and I am currently just paying my same charges with unlimited data, but not bound into the 2 year agreement as far as I'm aware.
What I want to know is how to handle it from here on out, if there's a way to even handle it well. I would like to renew my contract and be able to keep my grandfathered unlimited data through this garbage, which means I need to act immediately before they put this crap into effect, assuming it won't go retro active. So with that being said, can I just simply call and get my contract renewed for 2 years and that be that? Is there even a way to do that? I just don't want to blow whatever extra time I have on my grandfathered unlimited data.
I realize that all the information isn't there, but how would you guys handle this if you were in my position? I don't want to screw myself, I use 8-12 gb of data a month so this is sort of important.

TeeRom said:
I'm just shocked they won't let us use it through the rest of our contract. Giving people only a few months using it and making them switch mid contract is beyond awful.
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Click to collapse
Welcome to corporate greed in America. Where carriers love to rip you off and lock you down for two years.
Of course this was bound to happen.

chlehqls said:
Welcome to corporate greed in America. Where carriers love to rip you off and lock you down for two years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe we should move to Canada, where the greed is much less.
Oh wait, they have 3 year contracts

lblacklol said:
So now I need some advice. According to these reports, specifically on techcrunch, "Shammo makes it sound like only customers who upgrade after the change takes place will have to pick a new data plan (for better or worse), and with any luck they’ll leave the lucky souls who have already locked their old data plans alone for now."
I bought a Gnex on verizon a few weeks after it came out. I'm currently on a family plan and I'm the only one who has a smartphone on the plan (3 total phones, mine's one of the "added" lines). Currently I'm on a "month to month" I guess is what it's called. My particular line's contract expired at the beginning of this month and I am currently just paying my same charges with unlimited data, but not bound into the 2 year agreement as far as I'm aware.
What I want to know is how to handle it from here on out, if there's a way to even handle it well. I would like to renew my contract and be able to keep my grandfathered unlimited data through this garbage, which means I need to act immediately before they put this crap into effect, assuming it won't go retro active. So with that being said, can I just simply call and get my contract renewed for 2 years and that be that? Is there even a way to do that? I just don't want to blow whatever extra time I have on my grandfathered unlimited data.
I realize that all the information isn't there, but how would you guys handle this if you were in my position? I don't want to screw myself, I use 8-12 gb of data a month so this is sort of important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading through all these sites and Shamu or shammon quotes sounds like people with 3g upgrading to 4g phones will be forced into the shared data plans. But hell either way were all screwed.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Boycott data plans is the only solution to change.
...of the people, by the people, for the people...

@rbiter said:
Boycott data plans is the only solution to change.
...of the people, by the people, for the people...
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Click to collapse
Jitterbug, HERE I COME!

switching to tmobile $30/mo prepaid plan and using voip? perhaps.
we'll see how all this stuff turns out. if you didnt see this was coming, you were blind.
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adrynalyne said:
Jitterbug, HERE I COME!
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i always knew you were special and needed help with the buttons on your phone!

chlehqls said:
Welcome to corporate greed in America. Where carriers love to rip you off and lock you down for two years.
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Don't give them your money then?

Contract Buy-out. How does it work?

I am probably moving from sprint to T-mobile on saturday, and thus from the m7 to the m8. Sprint's been a jerk to my mom (her phone, LG optimus G hasn't worked since 4g rolled out, something about it being incompatible with the network or some such non-sense) so we're switching and having them buy out our contract. Does anyone have experience with this program? Is it pretty straight forward?

TriBeard said:
I am probably moving from sprint to T-mobile on saturday, and thus from the m7 to the m8. Sprint's been a jerk to my mom (her phone, LG optimus G hasn't worked since 4g rolled out, something about it being incompatible with the network or some such non-sense) so we're switching and having them buy out our contract. Does anyone have experience with this program? Is it pretty straight forward?
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You might wanna post this at the Sprint forum.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I just figured that since the people here were t-mobile, some might have gone through the process already and would know about it first hand.

Well I was actually a sprint customer I went through the process. It wasn't call a contract buyout. what I actually pay was for months remaining at $10 a month... And that was your termination fee.. Also another way to approach it I'm not sure if T Mobile still offer that but they're paying the termination fee if you switch from different carrier.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

shook187 said:
Well I was actually a sprint customer I went through the process. It wasn't call a contract buyout. what I actually pay was for months remaining at $10 a month... And that was your termination fee.. Also another way to approach it I'm not sure if T Mobile still offer that but they're paying the termination fee if you switch from different carrier.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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That's what I meant by "contract buyout". Sorry if that was confusing. I talked to someone from t-mobile through the chat, and we would get a credit for our phones, and up to 350 per line for ETF fees, which would cover everything. From my understanding, you just give t-mobile your last bill that shows all the fees and whatnot, and they mail you a visa gift card thing with the money on it to pay the fees. That's the part of the process that I was curious about.

TriBeard said:
That's what I meant by "contract buyout". Sorry if that was confusing. I talked to someone from t-mobile through the chat, and we would get a credit for our phones, and up to 350 per line for ETF fees, which would cover everything. From my understanding, you just give t-mobile your last bill that shows all the fees and whatnot, and they mail you a visa gift card thing with the money on it to pay the fees. That's the part of the process that I was curious about.
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I just switched 4 lines over to tmobile from sprint and couldnt be happier. Just did it this past weekend so i havent had the etfs show up on my bill yet but i will let you know when it goes through. From what i was told you are spot on. trade in your sprint phone and they pay your etf and get you trade in value of your phone off a new one from tmobile. i was told its best to pay the etfs when they show up so it doesnt become past due while you are waiting for the tmobile gift card to come through so it doesnt effect your credit.

boxdgm said:
I just switched 4 lines over to tmobile from sprint and couldnt be happier. Just did it this past weekend so i havent had the etfs show up on my bill yet but i will let you know when it goes through. From what i was told you are spot on. trade in your sprint phone and they pay your etf and get you trade in value of your phone off a new one from tmobile. i was told its best to pay the etfs when they show up so it doesnt become past due while you are waiting for the tmobile gift card to come through so it doesnt effect your credit.
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I don't really have 1300 dollars or so that I can spare, so I guess I'll just have to hope it comes quick and they don't ding me too bad. I'm just excited for a new phone and (hopefully) more reliable service. T-mobile claims to have LTE around me, and pretty decent HSPA where that is lacking, so hopefully it's better than sprint, where we just recently got spotty LTE

I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile last week. As I understand it, you just get your new service with T-Mobile and they handle porting over your number and ending your service with Sprint. Once that's done, you just have to wait for the bill that has your early termination fee, then take it to the T-Mobile store and they'll reimburse you that amount in the form of a Visa gift card and it's supposed to take 4-6 weeks to receive it. I'm hoping I can time it well enough where I can get the reimbursement before paying the bill to Sprint. If not, I'll just eat the cost until I get the money back from T-Mobile.
Note that they'll only reimburse you up to $650. This should cover anyone on a single plan, but can't speak for those on large family plans.
I can definitely say it's worth the money and time to switch. The service I've gotten with T-Mobile is excellent, and where it isn't (note, I haven't personally encountered poor signal on T-Mobile yet), WiFi calling on the M8 works great.

In order for them to pay off your ETF (Up to $350) you have to port over your phone number and give them your old device. The $650 you hear about is the maximum you can get for switching ($350 for ETF and $300 for device) They also do a credit check and that will determine if you need to pay a deposit for your new phone. If you have good enough credit then all you pay is the taxes on your new device. The cost of the device is then split up across 24 months on your bill.
The $10 a month thing someone mentioned earlier is the JUMP program and isn't a requirement to be switched over to them. It's basically a protection and upgrade program rolled into one which isn't very bad. More info on it here: http://www.t-mobile.com/phone-upgrade.html

nsuviolin2005 said:
I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile last week. As I understand it, you just get your new service with T-Mobile and they handle porting over your number and ending your service with Sprint. Once that's done, you just have to wait for the bill that has your early termination fee, then take it to the T-Mobile store and they'll reimburse you that amount in the form of a Visa gift card and it's supposed to take 4-6 weeks to receive it. I'm hoping I can time it well enough where I can get the reimbursement before paying the bill to Sprint. If not, I'll just eat the cost until I get the money back from T-Mobile.
Note that they'll only reimburse you up to $650. This should cover anyone on a single plan, but can't speak for those on large family plans.
I can definitely say it's worth the money and time to switch. The service I've gotten with T-Mobile is excellent, and where it isn't (note, I haven't personally encountered poor signal on T-Mobile yet), WiFi calling on the M8 works great.
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tkoreaper said:
In order for them to pay off your ETF (Up to $350) you have to port over your phone number and give them your old device. The $650 you hear about is the maximum you can get for switching ($350 for ETF and $300 for device) They also do a credit check and that will determine if you need to pay a deposit for your new phone. If you have good enough credit then all you pay is the taxes on your new device. The cost of the device is then split up across 24 months on your bill.
The $10 a month thing someone mentioned earlier is the JUMP program and isn't a requirement to be switched over to them. It's basically a protection and upgrade program rolled into one which isn't very bad. More info on it here: http://www.t-mobile.com/phone-upgrade.html
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My understanding was that it was up to 650 per line. I know I'll get 85 for each of my phones (One m7's), so it'll be more like 430 or so per line. But my ETF with sprint is 1300ish, which would fall under the 350/line that they offer. Or at least that's what they led me to believe over chat.
Also, I have 4 lines on my sprint account and have been in good standing with them so I don't imagine that the credit check would be a problem, and it's a family plan so if I can't do it we can try my mom, or my grampa until someone can.

TriBeard said:
My understanding was that it was up to 650 per line. I know I'll get 85 for each of my phones (One m7's), so it'll be more like 430 or so per line. But my ETF with sprint is 1300ish, which would fall under the 350/line that they offer. Or at least that's what they led me to believe over chat.
Also, I have 4 lines on my sprint account and have been in good standing with them so I don't imagine that the credit check would be a problem, and it's a family plan so if I can't do it we can try my mom, or my grampa until someone can.
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The max they'll cover for an ETF is $350, it says so on their website. the $650 total is for the ETF and the amount they can give you for a device. In your case it would be $435 per line ($350 ETF and $85 for your device) You ETF with Sprint is pretty outrageous, is that just for your single line or is a total for all lines on your account?

tkoreaper said:
The max they'll cover for an ETF is $350, it says so on their website. the $650 total is for the ETF and the amount they can give you for a device. In your case it would be $435 per line ($350 ETF and $85 for your device) You ETF with Sprint is pretty outrageous, is that just for your single line or is a total for all lines on your account?
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There are 4 lines on the account, and the oldest one in terms of an upgrade is from last july. When we were in the sprint store, we were working with a lady and the supervisor and when we brought up leaving for t-mobile or something since they weren't willing to do a whole lot of anything other than tell us to wait for a software patch, she said that we had "about 1300" in ETF fees. Did we really want to pay that instead of just deal with it for a while? I brought up the t-mobile buyout stuff, and that got her real quiet real fast. The way she said it really bothered me though. Just the smug implied "we've got you by the wallet for another year and half. deal with it"

yeah, the MAX that Sprint charges for a cancellation fee is 350 PER LINE. I know, as I just went through all of this recently.
Tmobile pays up to 350 per line for your cancellation fee. You have to give them ANY Sprint Network phone to qualify for this program, but it does NOT have to be the current Sprint phone you have.
What I did was go on ebay and bought a 20 dollar cheapo phone that was on Tmobiles list of "Acceptable" trade in phones, and used that one to get them to pay my Cancellation Fee. they gave me 10 bucks for the phone.
Then, I sold my Sprint HTC One Max for $385.00 to someone, so I made out big time on that deal; remember, once you cancel your Sprint account, you then OWN the Sprint Phone, so if you can sell it on Ebay or somewhere and make MORE than what Tmobile will give you for it, you can make a nice chunk of change.
Also, when you get your FINAL bill from sprint, its much faster to scan it/take a picture of it, and upload it on the T-mobile site directly to them; if you take it to the store, and they send it in, it might add a few days/weeks to your approval and reciept of the MasterCard Gift card.
Mine took 4 weeks and one day to come to me after I scanned it in and uploaded it to them.
If you bring it to the store, and go that route, it takes 6-8 weeks.

wase4711 said:
yeah, the MAX that Sprint charges for a cancellation fee is 350 PER LINE. I know, as I just went through all of this recently.
Tmobile pays up to 350 per line for your cancellation fee. You have to give them ANY Sprint Network phone to qualify for this program, but it does NOT have to be the current Sprint phone you have.
What I did was go on ebay and bought a 20 dollar cheapo phone that was on Tmobiles list of "Acceptable" trade in phones, and used that one to get them to pay my Cancellation Fee. they gave me 10 bucks for the phone.
Then, I sold my Sprint HTC One Max for $385.00 to someone, so I made out big time on that deal; remember, once you cancel your Sprint account, you then OWN the Sprint Phone, so if you can sell it on Ebay or somewhere and make MORE than what Tmobile will give you for it, you can make a nice chunk of change.
Also, when you get your FINAL bill from sprint, its much faster to scan it/take a picture of it, and upload it on the T-mobile site directly to them; if you take it to the store, and they send it in, it might add a few days/weeks to your approval and reciept of the MasterCard Gift card.
Mine took 4 weeks and one day to come to me after I scanned it in and uploaded it to them.
If you bring it to the store, and go that route, it takes 6-8 weeks.
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That's the kind of information that I was looking for. Thanks a lot for that. My sister has an old galaxy s2 that I could take in, keep my htc one, and then try and sell that on craigslist/ebay. Cool.

TriBeard said:
That's the kind of information that I was looking for. Thanks a lot for that. My sister has an old galaxy s2 that I could take in, keep my htc one, and then try and sell that on craigslist/ebay. Cool.
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you can call the tmobile store and ask them how much any phone might be worth, or, I think their website gives an approximate amount you would get on a trade in.
Obviously, you always get more selling a phone on ebay/Craiglist than you ever would on a trade in, but some folks dont want to bother selling them, and just trade it in and are done with it..
BTW, my wife and son traded their M7's in, and got 100 bucks each for them; when we bought them from Sprint, we only paid 49, so even trading them in we made a little $$ :good:

TriBeard said:
There are 4 lines on the account, and the oldest one in terms of an upgrade is from last july. When we were in the sprint store, we were working with a lady and the supervisor and when we brought up leaving for t-mobile or something since they weren't willing to do a whole lot of anything other than tell us to wait for a software patch, she said that we had "about 1300" in ETF fees. Did we really want to pay that instead of just deal with it for a while? I brought up the t-mobile buyout stuff, and that got her real quiet real fast. The way she said it really bothered me though. Just the smug implied "we've got you by the wallet for another year and half. deal with it"
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So if you were to cancel your whole account you'd get $1400 (350 x 4) alone just for the ETFs. It's $350 per line, not account.
I just traded my Nexus 5 in for the M8 today and they gave me $135. I cold have sold it to a company that buys them for $200, but oh well. I probably could have gotten a little more even if I cut out the middle man, but Nexus devices are already cheap enough as it is.

Well if they wanted to give me 120 or so I'd be tempted to just go ahead and trade them in. Just when I spoke with whoever it was on the online chat for t-mobile, they only were offering 85, which is significantly low that I would take the time and effort to sell one myself if I could.

Lol. Has anyone traded in a rooted device to t mobile? Just wondering if they check before I go through the hassle of unrooting 2 devices. I know somebody has. Lol.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app

if its for a "jump" then dont bother, as long as it starts, thats all they care about.
as a matter of fact, I have also returned/replaced under warranty with them phones that were rooted, and once again, they didnt care one bit; I didnt tell them they were rooted, and they didnt ask, but there was no problem getting a replacement..

I work for tmobile. When you want your contract paid for you can pretty much trade in any phone in. It doesn't have to even turn on. Obviously if it doesn't then you won't get and trade in value but tmobile will still pay your efts as long as you do trade in a phone, buy a new phone and port in your number. They pay up to 5 lines per account.