Develop Bugs

[Q] Please help me.

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.
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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

Sprint bill is over $800 this month for roaming

So I had to go out of town for 3 weeks due to medical emergency and while their I had to call Sprint to ***** about my ****ty signal and dropped calls constantly because of lack of service. I talked to the rep for about an hour trying various things. Updating my prl, profile, discussed the no sprint tower availability and that the coverage was in the fair to poor category. Not once did she mention that I was using my 1500 minutes talking to my wife (also on sprint) for the many many hours we spent on the phone. Their were times we were on the phone for 3 hours discussing not only her own medical issues but those of my 2 siblings. So we just get back from another trip to come home to an $850 phone bill to find out for the first time that when you roam EVEN if you are talking to someone on your own plan with a sprint phone, you will use up your 1500 monthly minutes. This has never been discussed or explained to us and when purchasing my Evo back in October of last year and signing up for a $170 a month phone bill, she assured us that it was anytime mobile to mobile and unlimited sprint to sprint phone calls. Even while roaming according to the sales *****. .. err person. They have offered to cut the charges in half but I told them to stick it and were bailing but honestly, I would have to ditch my 2 year contract and my wife would have to go take her Photon back that she just got. .. In the end.. I don't even want to deal with all this hassle but find it absurd that not one person would call us and say hey.. I know you've been a customer for 5 years and all and your bill has never reached this level but you may want to look at changing your plan.. No.. they let the already struggling American's **** themselves and just keep charging them up the ass till they make a house payment for their phone bill.. I'm very sorry for my language but I am furious and am just trying to check my options here.. I ended up telling the guy half was not good enough and that we will be closing our account. You'd think that in today's economy they would be nice enough to give their customers a headsup but I guess if it's going to their pocketbook why bother.. Thanks for any tips or solutions that I could use to try and remedy this. We just honestly don't have $400 to just dish out for our normally $170 bill. Times are tight as is to have to deal with this. Not to mention we just got back from another trip that cost us almost as much if not more. ..

Ask to speak to retentions. They r the ones that will truly help u out. U don't have to give a reason to the car on the phone why u want to speak to the retentions dept either. If that retentions person is unhelpful hang up and call again and start process again. Eventually Ull find someone who actually cares and wants to help. There are crappy people in every company as well as people who truly care about their jobs and the people they help. Also in retentions ask to speak to a manager. They usually have even more authority to override the bill.
If u have to call back Ull most likely end up in an entire different place cause there are multiple calling centers.

That's what I was telling my wife. I'll just try again tomorrow and hope for the best.. Thanks for giving me hope! I do know that I was able to reach 2 people to replace my defective evo's without even having to pay the insurance on them so I know they can do this.. or the right person can do this.. Thanks again for your positive outlook!

How to Leave Sprint

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

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
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol you do not have to pay an etf if they boot you, your friends got ripped off.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

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

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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Click to collapse
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.

General Rant about T-Mobile and tethering

First off, I'm not writing this to draw attention or comments. It's a rant to get it off my chest and nothing more.
I've been a very loyal T-Mobile customer for 8 or more years. I signed up when they were still transitioning from the Voicestream moniker. Now, having said that, I'll continue by saying that I've maintained the exact (almost) same plan with them since the day I signed up. I pay $20/month for voice, $10/month for texts, and $10/month for unlimited web. Now, this plan was cheap even when I signed up. There was a promotion running, and I was sick of Cingular, so I jumped over to T-Mobile. I got a shiny new RAZR or whatever bar phone Motorola was selling at the time.
Along with that plan and device combo, I also was treated to a free T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot add-on for my account. This allowed me access to T-Mobile's handful of WiFi Hotspots scattered around the US. Most of them were in airports or New York/LA coffee shops. It was free, so who was I to complain? Now, I didn't realize until later, but this WiFi Hotspot feature also included a line in the description about "Internet sharing," since "tethering" wasn't a thing yet. Out of curiosity, I did some research, and figured out the basics. I had to download some Motorola software, and connect it via a special USB cable to my laptop, and I'd have blazing fast EDGE data anywhere I went. Boy was I excited!
This actually led to my first smartphone purchase, where, shortly thereafter, I found XDA. So, we're somewhere around 2006 or so now. I kept on "Internet sharing" for a while, moderately. My university didn't have WiFi set up yet, so it was handy to pull up stuff during class. Facebook was just becoming a thing around that time, and had just been rolled out to my college. (Yea, back then they required a .edu email and actual enrollment in college... Ah, the good ol' days.) Anyway, I've never been a big data user, nor big on tethering. Even now, I use less than 3GB of data per month. I'm normally around WiFi networks, so most of my data use is streaming music while I drive around.
Fast forward to last year. I got a review device in of a Samsung Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile. My Sammy rep forgot to throw the SIM card in the box for this review unit, so I decided to go ahead and test it out with my personal SIM. I went about my day and continued using it all day and into the next. Sometime before noon, I went to the S2 and tried to pull up some television specs for a customer, but found that I was redirected to some weird page about not having a data plan. Obviously that wasn't the case as I had been using data on it just that morning, and had been using data on my HD2 with Android for a long while before that.
I got on the phone with T-Mo only to find out that they changed APNs and my old one could not be used on newer devices. The rep said she would fix the problem, as I told her that I was only using a review device, so I didn't want to change plans or anything. She said that the plan would not be changed, but I would still lack data service on the S2 with my old plan. I asked her if my hotspot add on was still on the plan, and she confirmed it. Ok, so minor inconvenience, but it was my own fault for being impatient with the review unit.
Skip ahead to a later date when I actually decide to update to the S2. I call again after losing data just like before. The nice man on the phone mentions that nothing will change other than the APN settings on their end. I again inquire about my hotspot add-on, to which he confirms is still there.
I later found out that the change he made was to move me to another plan at the same price. Still at $10/month, I had a newer data plan with the 5GB data cap. I still wasn’t using much data, so I didn't care. It was, to me, the same thing I had before.
Skip ahead to a month back, when I got a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. There is an option with this tablet to open it up and install your own miniPCI wireless card for mobile data depending upon which service provider you use. I thought it might be cool to make use of that, and I had heard about T-Mobile's new unlimited data plan, so I called them up to see what I could do. As it turns out, I could add the tablet to my account for $10 extra a month for its own 5GB allotment of data. The unlimited data plan for me was $20 a month. Now, my logic here was that I always have my phone with me, so let's just upgrade to the unlimited plan and skip the tablet plan altogether. Apparently, the unlimited data plan cannot be paired with a tethering plan of any kind. Ok, fair enough, I'll call back for the tablet plan as soon as my card comes in. I made sure to ask about my tethering add-on again to make certain that my account was reverted to the exact state it was in before the call, just as I always do.
Skip ahead to my Note 2 purchase. I decided to go through T-Mobile on a monthly installment plan. This evidently requires a 2 year contract extension, but does not change any features on your account, since I'm paying the full price for it, but in monthly installments. I confirmed with the sales rep that my plan would remain unchanged and that my tethering add-on would carry over. She confirmed that nothing on my account would change, since I'm purchasing the device outright. Ok, cool, then let's do it.
Somewhere in there, I also added a military discount and was randomly given some sort of "loyalty discount" that I can't recall the origin of. My monthly bill is under $30 a month for essentially unlimited everything. Anyway, for the military discount, I also made certain to verify the tethering thing and that no account options would change. It was assured to me that this was the case.
So, I'm sure anyone who is still reading this long, drawn out mess is aware of where it is going. I've been happily using my Note 2 for a month now with no problems. I've been tethering off and on since I got it. I hit an all-time high of 3.3GB of data this last billing cycle, still well under my cap. I used the tethering feature just this past weekend to download a few files to my laptop. Now, three days later, I try to use the tethering option, and I get a message pop up saying I have to add a tethering option to my account in order to use that feature. I thought it might be the custom ROM, but I figured, what the hell, let me call T-Mobile and make sure before I clog up the thread.
The first person I spoke to was the worst Customer Service rep I've ever dealt with in my long history with T-Mobile. I felt like she was reading from a set of flash cards. She was not letting me explain my situation, and kept repeating the "T-Mobile offers its customers a $15 tethering add on option for users who wish to use their phone to connect tablets and computers!" I eventually ended up hanging up on her out of frustration. I called back and explained my story to a much more understanding rep, who informed me of a recent change in T-Mobile's system.
What?!
Yup. My "WiFi Hotspot" add-on, which has been on my account for years now, has magically vanished. The only way forward was to pay an extra $15 for the tethering add-on or pay $15 extra to be "upgraded" to the 5GB plan that includes tethering. Why did this occur, you may be wondering?
Exact quote: "The Note 2 and other high end smartphones are not compatible with the grandfathered hotspot plans, so those features are dropped when you add them."
Not compatible? That makes no sense other than for you guys to charge more money for a service I'm already paying for. My main concern with this is that I'm on a limited data plan. I'm capped at 5GB per month of 3G/4G data. Beyond that it's crippled 2G speeds. I say crippled not to indicate that 2G speed is slower, but because it actually is crippled. My normal EDGE speed with T-Mobile in my area is around 300Kbps or so. A buddy of mine who went over his limit and was throttled was sent back to the dark ages at around 50Kbps or so. Slow enough that most everything data-related is completely unusable. So, not to quibble over the fact that I still technically have an unlimited data plan, we're going to just call a spade a spade here and admit that it's a 5GB cap.
That being said, who the upside down **** gives two ****s how I use MY ALLOTMENT of data per month. I'd understand if it were an actual unlimited plan that had this issue, but I am paying for 5GB of data per month from T-Mobile. They have ZERO right to tell me where the hell I use that. It honestly makes zero sense no matter how you slice it.
After explaining all this to the woman, she then relented that it was the Note 2 which killed my add on ( as I mentioned prematurely above). Yup, the device which the sales rep had no problem telling me would not affect my plan, affected my plan. I then stressed to her that I always check to make certain of how my plan changes, and for her to go back and listen to the conversation, since everyone records my conversation for "quality control." The woman who sold me the phone lied to me to my face. The rep I was speaking with hesitated, as she did not want to admit fault, but simply said that the rep may not have known or been informed of the possible change.
"Are you kidding me? That's even worse. If I were to commit a crime, and I didn't know it was a crime, I'd still go to jail for it. The fact is that she should have known, and lied to me."
After a brief pause, she acknowledged that she wouldn't like to be in my position either and asked me to hold on while she researched what she could do for me. After waiting a while, she offered me the new data plan with tethering and an additional discount of $15 per month for the next six months. She said that that this was the most she could do for me, but I could probably complain again in six months and get another discount.
Right now, I'm still pissed that it had to come to this. Some people will claim that the contracts always had a line about not using the phones for tethering or some such nonsense, but my original T-Mobile contract, which I signed on the dotted line, said nothing of the sort, since it wasn't even a thing at the time. I've never subsidized a phone through T-Mobile since that time, and have never signed another contract. I've extended my service agreement with them once, but without having to sign, initial, or agree to anything but to keep paying my bill on time every month.
Now, without any warning, and with complete disrespect to me, a T-Mobile employee has willingly or unwilling lied to my face in order to sell me a new device. I am still in disbelief.
I've been a customer myself for many years, and have converted at least 12 people to T-Mobile through my own praising over the years. No more. I'm not happy about the end result, but I also have little choice, as there are not any better options anywhere else. Sprint is nice, but their 3G data is slower than my T-Mobile 2G data. Verizon is way too expensive for what they offer. My T-Mobile plan would be $135 on Verizon using a comparable plan. Finally, AT&T is... well, I don't even need to finish that thought, do I?
Anyway, that's my rant. Again, if you read it all the way through, I'm not looking for comments or attention or anything. I just needed to get it off my chest is all. Thanks for reading.

I'm sorry, could you repeat that? ... so you're saying you're happy? LOL ... Hopefully you can get your discount extended in 6 months.

I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.

I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.

tsnstuff said:
I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.
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Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
Asquared said:
I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.
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Oh, I plan to call again about it.It's a shame that this is the "best they could do" for one of their reps lying to my face. That's what I'm most upset about. I shouldn't have to call them four times to get a resolution...

I feel you man.
all the telco's lie to your face.
its ridiculous.
i've been in the same shoes as you. i always make sure NOTHING on my plan changes.
its stupid.
my contract is up in less than a month and i'm seriously looking into other avenues of services unless T-mobile
makes it worth my while to stay with them. Now that they are getting rid of classic plans, that exit looks more enticing.

cajunflavoredbob said:
Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
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And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.

Amount of times the rep has said something that I knew to be wrong and they kept trying to pass it off as legit. "Can I get that in writing please?" "ah, I'd have to check... oh, you WERE right after all"
yeah...

I had the same issue at one point. I was using a MT4G at the time and needed an upgrade since the wifes 3G slide broke. We ended up getting a MT4G Slide (wife) and I grabbed the Amaze since i was a die hard HTC fan. After dealing with customer reps for 3 days straight in regards to color of the phone, tethering being turned off, flat out being lied to several times including the rep that fixed everything (pay attention and being nice helps) they ended up giving me two phones for FREE, lowering my bill by 60 bucks a month. Granted i no longer had the wifi but a quick root would fix that.
Sometimes dealing with the right person can get you things as long as your nice and you pay attention. Im going on 10 years with Tmo! I do say when you get the right person they make you feel special or make things as right as they can.

tsnstuff said:
And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.
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A contract doesn't magically degrade over time. A contract is a ConTract. In your case it would be like signing up under the condition that you would get to upgrade every 2 years, and then all of a sudden, your second year comes up, but then you're told that you can no longer upgrade ever.
I said entitled because that's what it is, like it or not. Early upgrades are at the carrier*S discretion, not yours. You wanted an early upgrade and got indignant when they initially didn't allow it. That's what sparked my response. All I wanted was to get my situation off my chest. I did not want this to become a frivolous *****-fest about t-mobile or any carrier.

Here comes the wahmbulance.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I don't mean to brag but wait until I post my wall of text about what happened with my upgrade a month ago. I have NEVER EVER EVER imagined it would end up like what I am going to post over the weekend. Be prepared ladies and gents, this will blow your mind as to how HORRIBLE T-mobile is.

Tmobile sucks
Sprint sucks
Att sucks
Straight talk sucks
Ect ect.
Expect crappyness and u wont he disapointed
As for the op, theirs a time limit to contest changes written into most cell contracts if ur past the time your contract has magicly degraded, if not, contact carrier and bbb and if no luck theyd prolly just offer contract droppage at no fee, idk. I hate contracts, I stick to prepay, it sucks too. But atleast if I have problims its nothin a new 10 dolla sim wont fix, new sim, new account, clean slate. Considering im up to about 65gb this month that matters to me.
Sent from my SGH-T889

anyone every have success having Tmobile pay/credit for ETF carrier fees to switch?

I'm currently with Sprint and would love to switch to Tmobile. That being said has anyone ever had Tmobile help pay or credit when switching to Tmobile?
i know i've read someone claiming that in the past but i cant' find the story via search. My closest corporate store is about 40min away so not sure its worth trying or not.

knives of ice said:
I'm currently with Sprint and would love to switch to Tmobile. That being said has anyone ever had Tmobile help pay or credit when switching to Tmobile?
i know i've read someone claiming that in the past but i cant' find the story via search. My closest corporate store is about 40min away so not sure its worth trying or not.
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I'd be jealous if you actually manage to do so. I know I've seen some ancient posts on slickdeals where some folks have managed to do this albeit with a lot of negotiating. I was in the same boat as you. I ended up paying the ETF. I was already paying sprint for providing me with essentially nothing, it didn't make sense to wait out another year. I made the switch and couldn't be happier.

I had some success with this - but I didn't do all that much for it so it may be one of those right time/right place/right person asked scenarios. I was checking out a T-Mobile store and was chatting up the employee, and mentioned that I'd love to switch but it'll be a long time before I could afford it due to ETFs. I asked if they ever do anything about things like that, and was then put into contact with a T-Mobile rep that handles business accounts among other things (more of a corporate guy I would expect). He had me figure out what my ETFs were, and then said he'd put a same-value credit on my account if I switched. He mailed me a tester phone to try out even, which was nice. I ended up keeping that tester phone for my wife, and per his instructions went into the T-Mobile store I went to originally and got set up. I called him afterwards and he put the credit on my account. I couldn't believe it to be honest (it was a few hundred bucks - came from Verizon), but I was rather happy with the outcome. I still had to pay the ETFs out-of-pocket of course, but in exchange I didn't have a phone bill for a few months

Albaholic said:
I'd be jealous if you actually manage to do so. I know I've seen some ancient posts on slickdeals where some folks have managed to do this albeit with a lot of negotiating. I was in the same boat as you. I ended up paying the ETF. I was already paying sprint for providing me with essentially nothing, it didn't make sense to wait out another year. I made the switch and couldn't be happier.
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Best thing you can do....
#1. Call T-Mobile and tell them you wanna switch carriers but don't sound set on them, mention verizon and att.
#2. If you have no problem paying $70+ a month, sell your current phone and head to costco or wirefly for a new line and a discounted device.
#3. If you want a cheaper monthly and can pay for a device upfront, ask t-mobile for a migration incentive, ask for a supervisor and if they don't satisfy ask for their supervisor.

T mobile has ran promotions for this in the past.
Not gonna happen though. Now that t mobile is all no contact they are not going to pay to get you out of your contact when there is no guarantee you will even stay with them because your not in a contract
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

clninja said:
T mobile has ran promotions for this in the past.
Not gonna happen though. Now that t mobile is all no contact they are not going to pay to get you out of your contact when there is no guarantee you will even stay with them because your not in a contract
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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good point. it totally forgot about their switch to no contracts

Just tried to see if they would provide any credit. The answer was no. They simply can't do it. Was looking to transfer 4 lines. Will have to wait when my ETF is over or Sprint terms change.

I got out
What I'm about to offer is good as a last resort, it worked for me, but i'm not a lawyer, and I'm only sharing this for those of you who are desp, and really want out of Sprint.
The only way I could find to get out without paying the ETF is to call sprint and tell them you are moving out of the country for a job relocation or something. They will ask you to prove it with an apartment lease, or utility bill, etc. The utility bill is hard to prove, but you shouldn't have a problem creating a lease agreement with a family member who lives abroad, etc.
In my case, I used an apartment of a friend, and made it all legit, and they let me out without paying ETF.

Sprint sucks.
Just do what I did with sprint, roam until they kick you out without ETF. Some people see this as cheating your way out but believe me after dozens of calls and complains about horrible service at home they didn't do nothing to help me. Just broken promises of service improvements, towers upgrades, etc. Before I hadsSprint I was with Verizon for 10 years and I never remember calling them because I had service issues.

So Sprint doesn't rape you with ETF fees anymore, when they kick you for roaming too much? That is a good thing. I know that they used to make people pay the fees even though they kicked their customer.