Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
varaonaid said:
Hello,
We are long time Verizon customers but have had enough of their capricious attitude, the insane recent price hikes and limited data plans. (although we currently have unlimited data). However, my husband's phone was stolen about a month ago and while we're using an old phone for the moment, we need to upgrade it for him. I like Sprint's current business model of unlimited everything (& we plan to sign up for everything data plus from the employees referral to save a bit and get more minutes). We also like the fact that Sprint is a green company and supports more things that we believe in. Yeah, I know that we're giving up the network for a bit until Sprint's Network Vision is completed but I think we can live with that.
Here's my dilemma. There are no Sprint owned stores in our area, just third party stores and only a couple of those so I can't buy through them &get everything data plus... Which is fine because they don't know much at all. I went there to try to see both the Evo 4G LTE side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3...both working. Unfortunately, they didn't have a working model of the S3 but they opened up a package so I could at least hold them next to each other.
My concern most of all is with the radio quality and reception. I have some serious medical issues so being able to call for help is a frequent need. I took my current phone (HTC Rezound), my husband's Motorola DROID X, and the Evo LTE, and did side by side comparisons of the radios. My Rezound came in top at -80 give or take a few both directions, the DX, at -86 also give/take & the Evo LTE at -97 to -103. I then tried to load a webpage on my Rezound and the Evo. I picked yahoo because it has mixed media &was a first thing that popped into my head. My Rezound loaded the desktop version in less than 20 seconds... The Evo was still attempting to load the mobile version after several minutes.
So, do I believe the story that the mall kiosk has terrible Sprint reception? Was the demo Evo LTE one of the bad first batch? I know that there will be a step back in service speed but this was unbearable. I'm hoping that this isn't the normal for Sprint service... I mean it can't be, right? Right no one would use them.
What I'm unable to find out is what the Samsung Galaxy S3 radio is like compared to the Evo LTE in similar circumstances. I can't afford to get one of the phones, not have it work, pay the restocking fee and a second activation fee. With two lines that's over $200 just to switch away from a defective phone. Is there any leeway given for phones that won't hold a signal... Like allowing us to switch to another phone if the first is defective? I know that the base chipset is the same between the two phones but from what I've read the radios themselves can be different based on the manufacturer. So, I don't know what either the HTC Evo LTE or galaxy S3 would be like on any specific phone and it sounds like there are differences in the batches. What do I do or what would you do? I know we're taking a risk switching to carriers but we want to live authentically and put money into companies that are supporting the things we believe in and shaping their company based upon similar values. We will be having to do a transfer of our Vzw account (assumption of liability) once we're settled into Sprint but not until we're positive it works for us. Then we'll give up our Vzw contract so we don't owe an ETF. It also gives my DH the phone upgrade he needs since his was stolen during one of my medical emergencies. Vzw refused to help us at all through the whole process.
But I digress.
What do you think phone wise? Bad reception? Bad Evo LTE? Would you take a chance on the S3 with Samsung's past radio issues... Do you think that they've improved them? Would you take a chance on getting a bad Evo LTE since HTC /Sprint have admitted to a problem there? Since I can't compare them side by side working or compare radio strengths I really need advice!
Thanks so much in advance!
All the best,
Rae
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all varies on your area, you need to find people who live around you and ask there opinion. Some ppl say the HTC radio sucks, others say Sammys sucks. Rumor was without pure fact that Samsung was using a radio like the Motorola phones use. Lots of ppl are reporting positive feedback with the GS3. So it's something you can try, and if the store can't help you avoid a restocking fee, I would call customer service to see if theyd waive it.
However I know Sprint hasnt charged me a restock fee yet or ever, and if you have reception issues at home they will send you a free airwave...
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
juanpow3r said:
I've heard that Sprint 3g is awful in some areas. I get decent enough speeds here and LTE is coming to my area soon so I won't be changing carrier. However, if LTE wasn't coming soon I'd definitely consider jumping ship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is and to be honest, once LTE hits, everyone will be *****ing about battery life. There is not a reason you cant jump on WIFI if avalible. Or use 3g... I have been stuck and still am stuck on 3g, and things load instantly for me... granted I'm not downloading big videos or anything...
But I know her main point was coverage... so she'd really need to stop at a store and talk to people who use the phone outside of the business
I'll let you know. Mostly I want to know that Sprint will stand behind either phone if the radios aren't up to par without the restocking fees and a second activation fee... I can't afford $210 of activation, restocking and another reactivation fee for phones that are defective. I'm not talking about just changing my mind and wanting a different phone but needing to trust that one way or another I'll get two phones with no radio issues.
It's not as simple as just staying with VZW, my husband's phone was stolen during one of my medical emergencies... He's currently using an old phone but it's not working very well. So, we either pony up for a new phone (even if it's via Craigslist) or we get a new provider (who hopefully gives a care bc Vzw certainly didn't!), both get new phones and sell our current ones to cover most of the upfront cost of the new phones. We could wait until Network Vision is completed or moreso but will they still be able to offer unlimited data plan at that point. Since we feel that we want to switch, now feels like a good time to do so. Does that make sense?
No we're not out of contract with Verizon but have people lined up to do an AOL (assumption of liability or contract takeover) so we'd be out of it with no fees. However, we won't complete the AOL until we're sure that Sprint will work for us now.
Does anyone know if the everything data plus (we'd be looking at the 1600min family plan) has free activation? I'd have to order online and it would be via employee referral? Also, do you get any numbers you can pick that are unlimited to those numbers? Verizon had friends and family where you got to pick a handful of numbers that you call the most that don't count against our minutes. My only concern is my in laws as they have a VERY limited cell plan and use their land line almost exclusively. If we could add that one number that would help a ton. I'd read somewhere online that Sprint had something similar but now, of course, can't find it again.
I appreciate all of your help and advice so very much. I hope this explains more why we're considering the switch and why we need good phone reception... At least as good as is currently possible on their network.
BTW, when we informed Vzw about the phone theft we were tracking the phone on Google latitude and the refused to help or advise us as to what to do in any way. Super disappointed with their lack of help. If the customer service had been better, we might have gotten our phone back. I've heard good things about Sprint's customer service.
Any other thoughts or suggestions or advice... Please share! And many thanks to all of you who have shared!
Order directly from Sprint
As a former employee of a 3rd party vendor, if you are worried about the vendors complying with Sprint's 30-day no strings window, order your phones directly from Sprint. If your or your husband's employer have an agreement with sprint that nets their employee's a discount, they might also have an exclusive sales team and pricing. Most corporate discounts waive the activation fee on new lines and Sprint(corporate, not 3rd party) is very good about exchanges. Keep in mind 3rd party vendors can, and do, pretty much whatever they want, if they treat you poorly, email [email protected] and it will garner the attention of Dan Hesse's resolution team. But again if you want to avoid the 3rd party headache, just order online or over the phone. Good luck, and I will check back as I just ordered both, an evo lte and sIII, for my wife and I. I will let you know how signal goes.
Sprint is very giving... ill PM you a number to use when you call them.
Sent from my DynaTAC 8000S ;-) via 5G
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
varaonaid said:
Thanks so much for the new info. I really appreciate it. Please do send along the best number to call Sprint at. That's totally awesome. I just need to make sure that we have good enough reception in our area and that we get good working phones. I'm really glad to hear that they are a "giving" company or maybe best to describe as doing what it takes to satisfy the customer. Vzw seems to be purposely going the opposite way and I'm not impressed. Again, I'd love that phone number to use and would also love to hear your thoughts and impressions of the two phones when you get them! I Please keep the info coming!
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Click to collapse
As of right now i get great signal and battery on my sprint s iii. I support ur cjoicr to switch. As far as customer sipport u eont regret it. If u have bad sifnal call them at any customer service number and request an airrave theyll send one for free. Those give u full signal at home. I believe emergency calls work without signal too so 911 shouldn't be a problem anyway, and airave should fix signal worries. So far this phone has great radio so far as I can tell.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Related
I have 2 HTC Evo's and 2 Samsung Moments.
I want out of Sprint. They tried increasing my bill just 3 months into a 2 year contract. I was a victim of bait and switch.
Sprint says I am good to port out and cancel without ETF.
Please please please help me get my phones working on another provider!
I really don't even care if the internet works as I almost always have access to wireless internet via my phones. However; fully functioning phones would be great too?? I guess it depends on what is "do-able"
I am pretty sure the 4G wont work..... but it doesn't work in my area anyway.
I have been reading for the better part of 2 days....
Some say it can be done, some say you need to pay someone to do it...there is so much conflicting information out there....then I found this place.
Sorry but I just got laid off and paying for help is out of the question. I will however; send MANY positive vibes your way.
You guys seem to really know your stuff.
Thanks in advance for your time.
Sorry for the bother.
TF
Not gunna happen dude sorry.... not unless you have another cdma cell compqny like cricket or metropcs. There are roms in the dev section to do that.
They will not work on verizon that i am aware of or ever heard off and att us cellular and most others are gsm.... evo isnt a dual band phone.
Just go sell them and buy new phones.
And explain what "they increased my bill"is.
I am kind of in the same boat i think.
I signed up for 129 + 10 per evo (wife and i have 1 each)
And every single month my bill just gets higher and higher by a few bucks each month.
I was also told i get a 10% discount because of my employer and i have not seen a dime taken off.
Not only that but i dont even get 3g technically until late at night. After 8am until 8-10pm i only get 50-150kbps.
And frankly i am sick of it. I was lied to about the coverage and the network speeds by the retarded sprint store employees and i cant take it anymore.
The only time i cant really use the data on my phone is on wifi. Otherwise its jearly useless.
v_lestat said:
Not gunna happen dude sorry.... not unless you have another cdma cell compqny like cricket or metropcs. There are roms in the dev section to do that.
They will not work on verizon that i am aware of or ever heard off and att us cellular and most others are gsm.... evo isnt a dual band phone.
Just go sell them and buy new phones.
And explain what "they increased my bill"is.
I am kind of in the same boat i think.
I signed up for 129 + 10 per evo (wife and i have 1 each)
And every single month my bill just gets higher and higher by a few bucks each month.
I was also told i get a 10% discount because of my employer and i have not seen a dime taken off.
Not only that but i dont even get 3g technically until late at night. After 8am until 8-10pm i only get 50-150kbps.
And frankly i am sick of it. I was lied to about the coverage and the network speeds by the retarded sprint store employees and i cant take it anymore.
The only time i cant really use the data on my phone is on wifi. Otherwise its jearly useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response. Really appreciate it.
The thing that REALLY gets me is they were arrogant about it. I spoke with 3 different people from Sprint, with one being corporate, and they all didn't seem to care in the least bit about losing me and my 5-6K over the next couple years??? Bad bad business...Something I will never forget.
It looks like I can have both Metro-Pcs and also Cricket in my area if I want them??
I was reading that in order to get the Sprint phones on Metro, you need to first get a phone(Their Brand) with them, and then add the other phones electronically via their web site??
Didn't read much on Cricket yet.
Also.....I have never flashed a phone before but I can follow directions pretty well...(I'm married)
Which service it better Cricket or Metro? I read that Metro's internet is junk but again that doesn't bother me b/c wireless is pretty readily available.
Thanks
TF
Sorry...here is the low down on them increasing my bill:
I posted this at Hofo too:
I am so disappointed in Sprint. I am cancelling and will never return and also vow to tell everyone that will listen just how underhanded Sprint is.
I was mislead by sales both in store and on the phone with C/S.
In researching phones and service, we kept getting the sales pitch from Store employees and customer service people that "Sprint discounts the ENTIRE bill...not just the first one or two lines." That was a MAJOR selling point in almost every rep we spoke with. Honestly, this is what lead me to pay ETF'S from VZW to come aboard. It also led me to cancel my home phone service, give away my GPS, purchase chargers/skins etc...
I am into Sprint for at least 1K....
Considering we (mostly all) purchased the EVO'S and Samsung 4G's on release dates, we are now 3-4 months into a 2 year contract and Sprint decides to "remind" us that the discounts are no longer valid on lines 3-4.
You can't remind someone about something that was never told to them to begin with. I believe that would be more "informing" than "reminding"??
I have documented this in my series of bills....I was never told....only reminded.
Funny thing is Sprint knew before releasing these 2 phones that they were going to tuck it to their customers.
There is no way that a company of Sprints size could conceive of and implement a policy such as this in a couple months. It had to first be conceived of, second go to legal, third be approved by corporate, employees educated and trained how to handle IRATE customers etc... (Possibly not in this order?). Point being...SPRINT KNEW ABOUT THIS ALL ALONG.
It is not a matter of the 10 or 15 bucks extra a month. I don't want to do business with a company that aggressively sells you on a pricing point, and 3 months into a 2 year contract tries to fleece you for EVEN MORE money. As if the $10.00 premium wasn't enough??
KNOWING full well that people are into them for a lot of money, also knowing it is pretty damned difficult to activate these phones with other providers, and also knowing most people do not look at tiny boxes on page 2 of a bill....They are scum in my book. This was all calculated and down right deceptive....
What good is a contract if one party can make adjustments whenever that want? That is not a contract IMHO...It is a one sided license to steal and SHOULD be illegal. Can I send a letter to my car loan provider and "remind" them that as of next month, I will be paying 10% less? I think not!
Now, I must spend the time researching phones/providers AGAIN....The time and money WASTED on this is absurd....Every time I see a Sprint commercial I cringe...I WAS A BELIEVER...Now I will gop out of my way to stop everyone I know from doing business with these guys.
Let me add that I have no problem with modifying Terms but it needs to be done AFTER the contract is up, not 3 months into a 2 year.
Disgusted....If anyone can tell me how to get 2 EVO's and 2 Samsung Moments going on another provider, I would be forever grateful.
Also...to all of you that say, "Ahhhh it's only 10-15 bucks", You wont be saying that when Sprint implements the pay for data usage plan they are probably working on as I write this.
What they have done would be illegal for 99.9% of the population....Who regulates these guys? Seems like a free for all to me??? They do what they want, make CRAZY money, and pay 5-10% out in legal fees as a result....BAD BAD BAD business.
I'm done...thanks for reading.
you have to talk to Sprint's customer retention department, theyre the ones whose job it is to get stuff done for you. Some people have said they went straight up the chain to the executive in charge of that department and it worked out well for them, just search for his name and number
Hey all,
First off, I love my Epic, and I will be sad to have to switch to a new carrier, but Sprint is too darn expensive, and Cincinnati Bell is offering cellphones (and a bunch of internet and landlines for our company) plus massive minutes and data for a tiny fraction of what only a few of us would pay for our personal Sprint bills... so naturally, we are moving.
Did I mention we can pick ANY phone from Cincinnati Bell's current or upcoming line-up to receive..... for FREE?
The two 4g phones they have right now are the HTC Panache and the Huawei Ascend X .
They also have a Samsung Vibrant available, which I understand is a Galaxy S phone nearly identicle to our Epic, but without the 4g or the keyboard.
Currently, I am leaning towards the HTC, from all the nice things I heard about the company's handsets in general, and moreso because I have heard zip about the Huawei and it seems a bit chinsey. ( I should add here that he gave us about 4 of the Huaweis to play around with for a bit to test out coverage and data speeds. ) The Huawei is a bit awkward to hold, as it is sharp and thin, whereas I am used to the brick of the Epic in my pocket.
What I ask of all of you is this: Do you have any suggestions on which handset I should grab from these guys? (Remember: It's being given to us, FREE) If so, why? In general, I am trying to either get as close to my Epic experience as possible, or to exceed it. I will miss the keyboard, but I am OK with loosing it.
For the record, I am rooted on my epic with CWM3 and running the latest Frozen Syndicate Mod (and LOVING it ), so ease of rooting, stability and availabilities of quality mods are certainly factors. ... I've just never heard ANYTHING about Huawei and there seems to be a bunch of different kind of info out there for the Panache (It's also call the Glacier and mytouch... I think?)
There you have it! Any suggestions would be killer.
NOTE: I do have access to the 4g Huawei right now, if anyone would like pictures or reviews of it, impressions etc, and I also have the chance soon to get my hands on literally any of the other handsets in their inventory to test out (the Panache, it seems is coming out on Friday). Hopefully I will be able to get a hand on that a bit early, and if so, I'll def. post some info. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, let me know, and also if anyone wants me to grab a given phone for a test run to review on here, I'm more than happy to try!
Thanks!
tl;dr: Moving from sprint to cincinnati bell, I currently have a epic, whats the best phone I can get from them?
like keyboards? where are those phones. that htc look like a mytouch slide. does it have one?
Sprint too expensive sorry but your nuts. Ever heard the statement you get what you pay for. If you make the switch I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE BACK. Why would you even consider a local company next to a national company just sounds ridiculous. They have to throw all those extra incentives at you because their service blows.
jbadboy2007 said:
Sprint too expensive sorry but your nuts. Ever heard the statement you get what you pay for. If you make the switch I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE BACK. Why would you even consider a local company next to a national company just sounds ridiculous. They have to throw all those extra incentives at you because their service blows.
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Click to collapse
I would appreciate not being called nuts, first off.
Second: Between myself, my fiance and my mother, we have a 1500 minute shared plan + "unlimited" data and the extra 9.99 / month for my epic 4g data. We average between 325 and 400 per month.
The plan they are offering us gives us 5 4g phones, unlimited data and 3000 minutes, all for under 300 dollars.
In terms of service, I've never been a huge fan of sprint, I rarely have anything more than 2 bars of 3g coverage, and in many places less. Their 4g network in this area is abysmal, also.
In any case, I was asking about which of those phones people thought to be equivalent or superior to my current phone, not about whether I should switch. I have been continually disappointed with sprint service for years, this is just the final nail in the coffin.
jbadboy2007 said:
Sprint too expensive sorry but your nuts. Ever heard the statement you get what you pay for. If you make the switch I GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE BACK. Why would you even consider a local company next to a national company just sounds ridiculous. They have to throw all those extra incentives at you because their service blows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, in taking the loaner phones around they gave us, comparing relative signal strength and speed as I drive around town, the CinBell phone is consistently the dominate force in terms of signal strength, quality and data speed.
austin420 said:
like keyboards? where are those phones. that htc look like a mytouch slide. does it have one?
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Click to collapse
Nah, none of them have the keyboards unfortunately, thats why I'm trying to find the best phone to get given their lineup. Would you go for the HTC over the Huawei?
Get the vibrant. Its a galaxy s and it like the epic with no keyboard. And the vibrant community has a lot of roms including a stable cm7 and miui gingerbread
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
The HTC page you linked states it's already on Gingerbread, the other is still Froyo. You should do your research on how often/if that phone gets upgrades. Basically find out which phone is closest to end-of-life.
To the guy who called him nuts for dropping a national carrier for a local: To each their own man. The OP found something that works for his needs. What's the issue? Roaming charges? It's an assumed cost of doing business when jumping to a local carrier.
blueoxide said:
Hey all,
First off, I love my Epic, and I will be sad to have to switch to a new carrier, but Sprint is too darn expensive, and Cincinnati Bell is offering cellphones (and a bunch of internet and landlines for our company) plus massive minutes and data for a tiny fraction of what only a few of us would pay for our personal Sprint bills... so naturally, we are moving.
Did I mention we can pick ANY phone from Cincinnati Bell's current or upcoming line-up to receive..... for FREE?
The two 4g phones they have right now are the HTC Panache and the Huawei Ascend X .
They also have a Samsung Vibrant available, which I understand is a Galaxy S phone nearly identicle to our Epic, but without the 4g or the keyboard.
Currently, I am leaning towards the HTC, from all the nice things I heard about the company's handsets in general, and moreso because I have heard zip about the Huawei and it seems a bit chinsey. ( I should add here that he gave us about 4 of the Huaweis to play around with for a bit to test out coverage and data speeds. ) The Huawei is a bit awkward to hold, as it is sharp and thin, whereas I am used to the brick of the Epic in my pocket.
What I ask of all of you is this: Do you have any suggestions on which handset I should grab from these guys? (Remember: It's being given to us, FREE) If so, why? In general, I am trying to either get as close to my Epic experience as possible, or to exceed it. I will miss the keyboard, but I am OK with loosing it.
For the record, I am rooted on my epic with CWM3 and running the latest Frozen Syndicate Mod (and LOVING it ), so ease of rooting, stability and availabilities of quality mods are certainly factors. ... I've just never heard ANYTHING about Huawei and there seems to be a bunch of different kind of info out there for the Panache (It's also call the Glacier and mytouch... I think?)
There you have it! Any suggestions would be killer.
NOTE: I do have access to the 4g Huawei right now, if anyone would like pictures or reviews of it, impressions etc, and I also have the chance soon to get my hands on literally any of the other handsets in their inventory to test out (the Panache, it seems is coming out on Friday). Hopefully I will be able to get a hand on that a bit early, and if so, I'll def. post some info. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, let me know, and also if anyone wants me to grab a given phone for a test run to review on here, I'm more than happy to try!
Thanks!
tl;dr: Moving from sprint to cincinnati bell, I currently have a epic, whats the best phone I can get from them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can i have your epic???
blueoxide said:
Nah, none of them have the keyboards unfortunately, thats why I'm trying to find the best phone to get given their lineup. Would you go for the HTC over the Huawei?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the Panache, its the same phone as the Mytouch 4G without the god awful mytouch logo.
I voted for other because nothing was not an option.
I have had a great experience with Sprint and don't plan on leaving when my contract is up.
You shoulda got 3 unlimited everythings for cheaper than your shared plan duh. But if sprint in your area is not as good than that's a different matter. I've been with sprint for 8 years and they are excellent
I suppose I should also mention that along with this we are overhauling all of our business land lines, internet, dedicated internet/phone lines for security and camera etc and cinbell is offering one mega-package for us etc. The plan details are apples to oranges I'd imagine.
Screen size = Huawei (4G)
Hardware = Samsung (no 4G)
Roms = HTC (4G)
Voted "Other" because non of those options are > the Epic all around.
Looked through the phones and I would go with the Panache. It has Gingerbread, more RAM than the Ascend (768MB vs 512MB) and it has 4G, which the Vibrant does not. The Ascend concerns me a bit...it just came out, and it has Froyo on it. Who knows if and when it would get Gingerbread and a few places I see reviews for it refer to it as "low-cost" and "low-end". Not to say it doesn't have a lot of features, but that is how it is referred to (Which on the low-end of the phone market, the phone rates well) If you are getting the phones for free, I would think the HTC would be the winner for you. Cincinnati Bell looks to have good plans and good national coverage... I don't think you will be disappointed. Best of luck to you!
I would really use the loaner you have for awhile.. I myself had cincinnati bell and the signal was horrible all over the west side of town and northern ky.. I have three friends who jumped into cincy bells low rates they advertised.. And really in the end they are still paying more that the sprint bill.. But if you are on a huge corporate deal price will be cheaper.. But those friends are constantly asking me to text so and so or call someone cause they all constantly have signal issues.. So I would def check that the signal is good in the areas you most frequent. just giving some personal experience. But if the signal is there for you jump on that good deal..
Ever consider flashing to a prepaid unlimited plan?
yeah im pretty sure sprint is among the cheapest and has some of the best phones, service, and coverage. only verizon bats spint on the coverage. im am on a family plan with three phones, unlimited everything, 1400 minutes i believe, and 4g for my epic. it totals to about $120 something a month.
my dad on the other hand has verizon. he just bought the new iphone, unlimited everything, and 1400 minutes too. he pays about $75 a month. 4g for verizon is like $20 or $30 (i cant remember). thats outrageous compared to the $10 a month for 4g on sprint.
i really suggest sitting down, working out a budget, working out a reasonable phone plan to work with that budget, compare different phone services, and research phones for each. i think youll find that sprint is among the best and cheapest.
Sent via the Matrix
blueoxide said:
I would appreciate not being called nuts, first off.
Second: Between myself, my fiance and my mother, we have a 1500 minute shared plan + "unlimited" data and the extra 9.99 / month for my epic 4g data. We average between 325 and 400 per month.
The plan they are offering us gives us 5 4g phones, unlimited data and 3000 minutes, all for under 300 dollars.
In terms of service, I've never been a huge fan of sprint, I rarely have anything more than 2 bars of 3g coverage, and in many places less. Their 4g network in this area is abysmal, also.
In any case, I was asking about which of those phones people thought to be equivalent or superior to my current phone, not about whether I should switch. I have been continually disappointed with sprint service for years, this is just the final nail in the coffin.
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i think u r not right about comparing minutes... remember sprint gives unlimited calls to any mobile phones... n plus i have 5 phones n pay under 200 w/ all 4g phones. that includes everything.... not saying that to convince u. but what u said is not right at all about plan... n i love sprint. their C.S is the greatest. peaceee
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my 1500 everything data plan with 3 lines, 2 premium data fees, 2 insurance fees, and an airave, with my meager corperate discount comes to 171.36 per month. i can bundle this with my time warner cable bill for more savings, since they are partners, but i prefer not to have all my eggs in one basket. id hate to get everything cut off at once if i were late. i can do with out cable, or phone. but never both at once!
OK I have to ask.
I have HORRIBLE 3G speeds where I live. I'm lucky to see 20~30kbps on a speed test, inside or out. I try it all over the city, it's the same everywhere. I've tried different modems, Roms, kernels, nothing helps.
Other Sprint users tell me the same thing.
We have 4G here but I'm about a mile too far away from the towers to use it on a daily basis and it seems like everything I do is in the opposite direction as the 4G so I maybe get to use 4G like once or twice a month. 4G rocks, I get 20~25mbit, again 3G sucks. Most of the time it simply does not even work. I get errors about no network connection etc.
So anyway my buddy just got an AT&T Skyrocket (same phone basically) as our Epic Touch and he showed me a speed test on 3G as it was almost 3mbit.
He said he got out of his Sprint by using this thread, flashing the 00001 PRL file, installing ROAM Control and slamming torrents. He said after about 15 days of letting it run non stock, Sprint contacted him saying he had 30 days to find a new carrier, they were canceling his contract.
He claims he was just out, he had to pay his final bill, NO ETF, and his ESN is clean so he was going to sell his Galaxy on eBay.
Is this true or is he BS'ing me?
I'm REALLY sick of Sprint. What is the point of unlimited date if it NEVER [email protected]#[email protected]#
On a side note, I get eh, 700~800kbps when I ROAM to Verizon.
kdoggy said:
OK I have to ask.
I have HORRIBLE 3G speeds where I live. I'm lucky to see 20~30kbps on a speed test, inside or out. I try it all over the city, it's the same everywhere. I've tried different modems, Roms, kernels, nothing helps.
Other Sprint users tell me the same thing.
We have 4G here but I'm about a mile too far away from the towers to use it on a daily basis and it seems like everything I do is in the opposite direction as the 4G so I maybe get to use 4G like once or twice a month. 4G rocks, I get 20~25mbit, again 3G sucks. Most of the time it simply does not even work. I get errors about no network connection etc.
So anyway my buddy just got an AT&T Skyrocket (same phone basically) as our Epic Touch and he showed me a speed test on 3G as it was almost 3mbit.
He said he got out of his Sprint by using this thread, flashing the 00001 PRL file, installing ROAM Control and slamming torrents. He said after about 15 days of letting it run non stock, Sprint contacted him saying he had 30 days to find a new carrier, they were canceling his contract.
He claims he was just out, he had to pay his final bill, NO ETF, and his ESN is clean so he was going to sell his Galaxy on eBay.
Is this true or is he BS'ing me?
I'm REALLY sick of Sprint. What is the point of unlimited date if it NEVER [email protected]#[email protected]#
On a side note, I get eh, 700~800kbps when I ROAM to Verizon.
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Yes you can do that. The will normally let you out ETF free but they are not obligated to.
On a side note, people who do this are driving up prices for the rest of us.
Well, let me start off by respectfully saying that I'm not sure I care about the prices being driven up and let me explain why.
I'm not just some new Sprint customer who showed up and now something else it out I want on another network. I've been a Sprint customer for over 10 years, actually it will be 11 years in June and frankly Sprints service as gone to hell. My biggest complaint is the data.
My Samsung Instinct and my Palm Pre actually worked GREAT! About the time I got my EVO, things started to go down hill.
I complained about my EVO and it's crappy battery life and speed and they actually upgraded me to the Epic Touch when it first came out and it's not any better from a speed stand point. Sprint advertises this "Unlimited" network but I barely get 15~30 Kbps anywhere in a 50 mile area and it's not just me. First off, I work in the technologies department for my local school district. Our work issued phones are Sprint iPhones. We also have some Android stuff and ALL of them suck. Pretty much everyone but myself also has a AT&T iPhone too and the speed difference is unbelievable. What I mean by that is that a few of my co-workers actually have TWO iPhones, Sprint (work phones) and AT&T (personal phones) and EVERY one of them says the same thing, there is no comparison between the two for 3G data, AT&T blows Sprint out of the water.
One of the guys just gt the Skyrocket and I can't get over how much faster the 3G is then Sprint. The LTE is amazing too.
I look this stuff and I wonder what the hell happened to Sprint?
I can see why they are able to keep the unlimited data, its so freaking slow no ones using much! Just annoys me. I feel like its time to move on and like I said, I've been a loyal customer for over 10 years, I almost hate to start over.
If the problem is your whole city/town and not just your house, why not look up the thread about getting a free airrave, and instead of asking for an airrave, ask to be released from your contract, as your phone is just going to roam all the time costing them money anyways. The number in that thread (in e4gt general I think) is account services or whatever their euphemism is for retentions. They may just let you out if you've been such a good customer... you can always come back if the Network Vision pans out in your area... its worth a shot... if that fails, you have no choice but to roam like hell.
I live in a pretty big city and we do have 4G here but unfortunately, that is only downtown which really does me no good.
The 3G is almost non-working as I said. Now I work about 30 miles from where I live which is another decent city, not a big one but a well known one and the 3G issues are the same there too.
As I said, pretty much everyone who works in our technology department has the same opinion of Sprint's 3G, it simply doesn't work as it should. They all prefer their AT&T phones so it's not just me having issues.
I'll have to call them tonight. I get GREAT signal. Almost full bars but the data just won't perform. We were out a couple weeks ago for example, I wanted to look up a phone number and some movie times, we had to fine a Panra Breads and use there Wi-Fi to get anything to load. Dolphin and my stock browser just basically did nothing. I was watching the pages load like I was on 14.4 dial up.
As I said, the phone aspect is fine, should I tell them I'm force roaming to make a point? I really want to tell them how much of an issue this data crap is and WHY I'm forcing my phone to roam and that I intend to keep it on Verizon unless they let me go or fix it, which I know they can't fix it but I don't want that to cause more issues with them.
Thoughts?
Can anyone who works for Sprint weigh in here? This is ridiculous. Again, it's not just me or my phone, it's everyone in my area who I know uses Sprint and we are just some random phone morons who wandered into Best Buy and bought a cool looking phone. We are all technology professionals who use and test mobile devices etc, CCNP's, Apple techs, database engineers etc.
I know my way around a phone, so do the people I work with. We can't all be wrong here.
My friend did this and was not charged the etf. His brother decided to try it as well and was not able to get them to waive the etf. So in my opinion you have a 50/50 chance of having to pay the etf.
JsVerbal said:
My friend did this and was not charged the etf. His brother decided to try it as well and was not able to get them to waive the etf. So in my opinion you have a 50/50 chance of having to pay the etf.
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Sorry to revive an old thread but I'm also attempting to do this for my two lines with Sprint.
So you're saying that they can cancel your service and STILL charge you ETF???
sTr3utr said:
Sorry to revive an old thread but I'm also attempting to do this for my two lines with Sprint.
So you're saying that they can cancel your service and STILL charge you ETF???
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Yes in the newer contracts there is a clause that excessive roaming is in breach of the contract. IIRC, don't quote me on that though, you should check it over yourself to be safe first.
Hmm, interesting. I signed up on December 2011, I don't know if that counts as new. I will check out my contract and report back, might help others
Thanks! :good:
My phone is basically unusable and I am either always roaming or without service (I drop calls constantly and call quality makes the calls indecipherable). I am jumping on to a ATT prepaid service. The question is:
To leave sprint do I:
A) Call, cancel and pay the ETF ($320)
B) Switch PRLs and get kicked off for high data/voice roaming (all while using my GNex)
C) Call, explain I will start purposely data/voice roaming in excess and see if they let me out of my contract?
Normally I am stickler for agreements and upholding my end, but Sprint service has been so bad my E4GT GS2 is basically unusable.
Loki047 said:
My phone is basically unusable and I am either always roaming or without service (I drop calls constantly and call quality makes the calls indecipherable). I am jumping on to a ATT prepaid service. The question is:
To leave sprint do I:
A) Call, cancel and pay the ETF ($320)
B) Switch PRLs and get kicked off for high data/voice roaming (all while using my GNex)
C) Call, explain I will start purposely data/voice roaming in excess and see if they let me out of my contract?
Normally I am stickler for agreements and upholding my end, but Sprint service has been so bad my E4GT GS2 is basically unusable.
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If you decide to pay the ETF, before you do, invest in a cheap non-smart phone and switch to it. This way the ETF you will pay will be decreased.
I know a few people who have been kicked for extensive roaming. 50% still had to pay the ETF because under your contract, sprint is not obligated to waive it.
Surprised to read this as your location shows not even 10 miles away from me - and I have occasional issues but I've found it's usually a tower-specific issue. (At least by being with Sprint you can call and address those - I had to go through my MVNO which took a lot longer.)
I know people are going to possibly disagree but I've found the coverage map to be fairly accurate with the exception of being in a building. All bets are off there, I can't seem to get a decent signal in most buildings, even if I get a full signal + 4G by walking outside! But the signal in Lake County doesn't seem that bad - about the same I get in Northern Cook & DuPage.
First off, have you tried a profile/PRL update to make sure that it's updated? Possibly updating your device? (Maybe there is a hw issue with your E4GT?)
If you're dead set on leaving, consider one thing please. Being aggressive or threatening to a front line employee is probably not going to get you far in my experience. If you know someone that can help you out, that may be another way. I've found that in 90% of the time being upfront and honest with the other party will get the most amicable results.
Doing #2 will at least take 1 month to probably flag so you're out that much. Maybe start there to propose a reduced ETF and negotiate if you find someone willing to do so?
garwynn said:
Surprised to read this as your location shows not even 10 miles away from me - and I have occasional issues but I've found it's usually a tower-specific issue. (At least by being with Sprint you can call and address those - I had to go through my MVNO which took a lot longer.)
I know people are going to possibly disagree but I've found the coverage map to be fairly accurate with the exception of being in a building. All bets are off there, I can't seem to get a decent signal in most buildings, even if I get a full signal + 4G by walking outside! But the signal in Lake County doesn't seem that bad - about the same I get in Northern Cook & DuPage.
First off, have you tried a profile/PRL update to make sure that it's updated? Possibly updating your device? (Maybe there is a hw issue with your E4GT?)
If you're dead set on leaving, consider one thing please. Being aggressive or threatening to a front line employee is probably not going to get you far in my experience. If you know someone that can help you out, that may be another way. I've found that in 90% of the time being upfront and honest with the other party will get the most amicable results.
Doing #2 will at least take 1 month to probably flag so you're out that much. Maybe start there to propose a reduced ETF and negotiate if you find someone willing to do so?
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Well I travel all over chicagoland on a daily basis (my office is in Elmhurst, i have customers downtown, out west and south). I have issues everywhere. I assumed that it was my phone and swapped it out, I am having the same issues. I have updated the PRLs/Profiles routinely. I have called sprint customer service multiple times, been elevated and even have a direct line for a singe person to deal with. Sprint has not been able to correct the issue, they have office discounted rates and credits, which is great, but what I need is working voice and data service. I have no problem paying a premium $150+/month for premium service, right now I am receiving no service. I offered to swap to a different type of phone and pay whatever difference. The only phone available was the photon or an echo. I asked about the nexus and was told I would have to pay full retail. I tried, Sprint didn't.
No reason for me to pay.suffer for Sprint's growing pains.
JSverbal said:
If you decide to pay the ETF, before you do, invest in a cheap non-smart phone and switch to it. This way the ETF you will pay will be decreased.
I know a few people who have been kicked for extensive roaming. 50% still had to pay the ETF because under your contract, sprint is not obligated to waive it.
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Click to collapse
I tried this, it didn't work. Maybe if you've had the phone on that line, and only that line, for long enough it'll work for you but here's what happened to me.
I bought my E4GT on a secondary line but wanted it for my main line. So once I had the phone I swapped it for my main and put some cheap Sanyo flip phone on the number the E4GT was originally bought on.
When I called Sprint to cancel that line I was told they would do it without the ETF but that I had to send the E4GT phone back, which I didn't want to do and I mentioned that the line I wanted to cancel had a flip phone on it but, of course, she has all my records right in front of her and called my bluff.
Garwynn made a good suggestion, and one I ended up using myself. Tell them what's going on (again) and ask them very humbly "what can you do for me?" that's what I did and ended up with an acceptable resolution to my issue.
Just pay your ETF and get out the honest way. Sell your phone (I bought one for $315 recently that will probably cover your ETF depending on when your contract started) and then move on to whomever you choose to go with, just remember all carriers have their issues.
Loki047 said:
Well I travel all over chicagoland on a daily basis (my office is in Elmhurst, i have customers downtown, out west and south). I have issues everywhere. I assumed that it was my phone and swapped it out, I am having the same issues. I have updated the PRLs/Profiles routinely. I have called sprint customer service multiple times, been elevated and even have a direct line for a singe person to deal with. Sprint has not been able to correct the issue, they have office discounted rates and credits, which is great, but what I need is working voice and data service. I have no problem paying a premium $150+/month for premium service, right now I am receiving no service. I offered to swap to a different type of phone and pay whatever difference. The only phone available was the photon or an echo. I asked about the nexus and was told I would have to pay full retail. I tried, Sprint didn't.
No reason for me to pay.suffer for Sprint's growing pains.
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Since I use the wi-fi at work and home I just recently started playing with the 4G and realized it can't lock while I'm driving. I'm wondering if this is part of what you might be noticing. I know there was also a tower problem in Wood Dale because that's the one I reported and it's been corrected now. I could try my device over in some of those trouble spots if near O'Hare and give you something to compare against if it would help.
And out of curiosity, are you going to one of the local offices to talk to someone? There's a corp store on Lake St. in Addison (next to Giordano's) where they've been usually quite happy to talk about things even though I'm on an MVNO. I've found that either that one or at another across from Meijer in Arlington Heights (in the old Arby's) the staff were much easier to work with than other locations.
About your last comment - unfortunately they're going to say that you signed the contract and they're under no obligation to let you out of it. Getting aggressive with them - as I did one time before - actually got every possible charge that they could hit me with done. Just explain it as you have here and a reasonable manager would probably try to help work out a solution to avoid burning the bridge. (Doesn't do their business good either to end on bad terms.)
Wish you the best of luck in getting this resolved.
Esoteric68 said:
I tried this, it didn't work. Maybe if you've had the phone on that line, and only that line, for long enough it'll work for you but here's what happened to me.
I bought my E4GT on a secondary line but wanted it for my main line. So once I had the phone I swapped it for my main and put some cheap Sanyo flip phone on the number the E4GT was originally bought on.
When I called Sprint to cancel that line I was told they would do it without the ETF but that I had to send the E4GT phone back, which I didn't want to do and I mentioned that the line I wanted to cancel had a flip phone on it but, of course, she has all my records right in front of her and called my bluff.
Garwynn made a good suggestion, and one I ended up using myself. Tell them what's going on (again) and ask them very humbly "what can you do for me?" that's what I did and ended up with an acceptable resolution to my issue.
Just pay your ETF and get out the honest way. Sell your phone (I bought one for $315 recently that will probably cover your ETF depending on when your contract started) and then move on to whomever you choose to go with, just remember all carriers have their issues.
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Worked for me. I had an Evo and ran into financial issues so I sold my Evo, activated a flip phone to reduce my monthly bill. A couple weeks later I canceled service and paid reduced(not smart phone) ETF. I agree that the honest road is always best taken.
garwynn said:
Since I use the wi-fi at work and home I just recently started playing with the 4G and realized it can't lock while I'm driving. I'm wondering if this is part of what you might be noticing. I know there was also a tower problem in Wood Dale because that's the one I reported and it's been corrected now. I could try my device over in some of those trouble spots if near O'Hare and give you something to compare against if it would help.
And out of curiosity, are you going to one of the local offices to talk to someone? There's a corp store on Lake St. in Addison (next to Giordano's) where they've been usually quite happy to talk about things even though I'm on an MVNO. I've found that either that one or at another across from Meijer in Arlington Heights (in the old Arby's) the staff were much easier to work with than other locations.
About your last comment - unfortunately they're going to say that you signed the contract and they're under no obligation to let you out of it. Getting aggressive with them - as I did one time before - actually got every possible charge that they could hit me with done. Just explain it as you have here and a reasonable manager would probably try to help work out a solution to avoid burning the bridge. (Doesn't do their business good either to end on bad terms.)
Wish you the best of luck in getting this resolved.
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Im not.mad or aggressive. Just frustrated. haha i dont even bother turning on 4g its just a joke.
I have trouble spots in multiple locations ohare is definitly one of them, i can barely keep a call going on 294
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PRLs to the rescue. I really have no interest in holding up my end of the contract when sprint never held up theirs.
Option b for sure
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JsVerbal said:
If you decide to pay the ETF, before you do, invest in a cheap non-smart phone and switch to it. This way the ETF you will pay will be decreased.
I know a few people who have been kicked for extensive roaming. 50% still had to pay the ETF because under your contract, sprint is not obligated to waive it.
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Click to collapse
lol you do not have to pay an etf if they boot you, your friends got ripped off.
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I would try the Motorola Photon and see if there is a noticeable difference in service. That phone has the best radios (imo) and you should see your signal increase.
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kawaski47 said:
I would try the Motorola Photon and see if there is a noticeable difference in service. That phone has the best radios (imo) and you should see your signal increase.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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I would, but I need my phone basically everyday I already have my GSM Nexus and the T-mobile prepaid service is significantly better than Sprint (my 3g speeds - in my house with basically 0 to 1 bars are 4-5 times faster than sprint), but the great thing is I can make phone calls again and receive them!
Between a refurbished photon and a new GSM Nexus, ill take the nexus. The investment ($450 for the phone, $320 ETF) will pay for its self in 8 months, then the extra money can go towards buying the next Nexus.
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
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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).
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.