Develop Bugs

Sprint Career Thread

Seeing as I know many of you work at Sprint, I thought we could have a Q and A thread for people looking to apply our what not.
On another note, I was wondering what the requirements were as far as age and school goes, also what any service reps or phone salesman can expect to make when first starting out? And finally, what are everyones opinions?
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I use to be a lead cell site technician and loved it, started at $18/h at age 20. I miss that job

I wouldn't work for sprint, go work for T-Mobile the commission (plus hourly) is better.....im not even being a smartass that's a serious statement. I got hired at tmo at 19, worked there 4 years while doing undergrad. Your phone bill is 15 bucks a month per line unlimited everything. Won over 300 phones and made about 37k a year; thats alot for a college student. Stopped when I graduated and got hired for the state. I have friends that work for tmo and sprint both managers and reps and they're all in transition to switch to tmo and leave sprint. Im sure location plays a huge role but I'd recommend tmo and this is based on experience and facts from my sprint friends.

XsMagical said:
I use to be a lead cell site technician and loved it, started at $18/h at age 20. I miss that job
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I really am considering applying for a job, I'm more then qualified and usually know more then the employees that are on the job when I'm there. (sold a nexus and evo in 20 minutes today when I was browsing the store) but I'm not sure what the policy is as far as older high school students. I've been pushing off a job for a while because I really don't want too work in some fast food joint. Blehh.
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dirkyd3rk said:
I wouldn't work for sprint, go work for T-Mobile the commission (plus hourly) is better.....im not even being a smartass that's a serious statement. I got hired at tmo at 19, worked there 4 years while doing undergrad. Your phone bill is 15 bucks a month per line unlimited everything. Won over 300 phones and made about 37k a year; thats alot for a college student. Stopped when I graduated and got hired for the state. I have friends that work for tmo and sprint both managers and reps and they're all in transition to switch to tmo and leave sprint. Im sure location plays a huge role but I'd recommend tmo and this is based on experience and facts from my sprint friends.
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Double post, but ya, I happen to live right next to a sprint store and a verizon store is about 2 miles further. tmo is about a 30 minute drive.
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RileyGrant said:
Double post, but ya, I happen to live right next to a sprint store and a verizon store is about 2 miles further. tmo is about a 30 minute drive.
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Ohh nevermind then. I don't know if they would employ a high school student simply because they probably don't get out early enough. Usually those stores operate from about 9am(or 10)-9pm on weekdays and 12-6pm on Sunday. I used to get out of class Monday though Friday at about 1pm and they had me work 2 to 9 or 10pm. Wireless isn't very flexible with high school. I hope you get hired with one because you'll love that job I know I miss wireless.

dirkyd3rk said:
Ohh nevermind then. I don't know if they would employ a high school student simply because they probably don't get out early enough. Usually those stores operate from about 9am(or 10)-9pm on weekdays and 12-6pm on Sunday. I used to get out of class Monday though Friday at about 1pm and they had me work 2 to 9 or 10pm. Wireless isn't very flexible with high school. I hope you get hired with one because you'll love that job I know I miss wireless.
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Thanks for the advice, I think the best option would be to just go down and see what can be done, im friends with several of the people who work in that particular store. Im more then capable of getting myself there and a 3 to 10 pm shift would be no problem whatsoever considering im out by 2.

I work for a Sprint Preferred Retailer. Pay is a bit lower, but we also don't do as much as a corporate location.
I actually like being a tech more than a rep. Sure, I piss off more people, but I generally don't have to interact with as many, since I'm not constantly on the floor.

RileyGrant said:
Thanks for the advice, I think the best option would be to just go down and see what can be done, im friends with several of the people who work in that particular store. Im more then capable of getting myself there and a 3 to 10 pm shift would be no problem whatsoever considering im out by 2.
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Do it man, if you're a natural salesman its promised you will have great potential in retail (wireless). Some people have it some don't; I've watched coworkers in the past simply fail because they couldn't leave their "fingerprint" with customers and build a loyal base. Networking goes a long way in wireless also. If you sold two android phones in the sprint store and you don't even work there then you might be the "chosen" one lol.

dirkyd3rk said:
Do it man, if you're a natural salesman its promised you will have great potential in retail (wireless). Some people have it some don't; I've watched coworkers in the past simply fail because they couldn't leave their "fingerprint" with customers and build a loyal base. Networking goes a long way in wireless also. If you sold two android phones in the sprint store and you don't even work there then you might be the "chosen" one lol.
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Hahaha gracias man. I tend to interact well with informing individuals well in those stores because nothing frustrates me more then seeing someone buy a POS based on an uninformed decision and then a month later be upset with their pick and be talking bad about a service/manufacturer or even Android as whole. Besides my love is Android and its devices and the good thing about sprint is I see it as being the carrier that will continue to stock itself with bleeding edge, top of the line devices. They really are Android pioneers and the fact that they have such good relations with both HTC and Google is a major plus when considering their future.

would a 17 year old high school going to be a senior qualify I was thinking working at radioshack or maybe best buy but sprint wouldn't be bad
evo on cm7

dirkyd3rk said:
I wouldn't work for sprint, go work for T-Mobile the commission (plus hourly) is better.....im not even being a smartass that's a serious statement. I got hired at tmo at 19, worked there 4 years while doing undergrad. Your phone bill is 15 bucks a month per line unlimited everything. Won over 300 phones and made about 37k a year; thats alot for a college student. Stopped when I graduated and got hired for the state. I have friends that work for tmo and sprint both managers and reps and they're all in transition to switch to tmo and leave sprint. Im sure location plays a huge role but I'd recommend tmo and this is based on experience and facts from my sprint friends.
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I've seriously considered working for Sprint or T-Mo as well, but wouldn't it be a fair assumption to think that if (or when) the AT&T acquisition happens, most of the T-Mo employees would be in for some negative changes?
Suffice it to say, AT&T runs their business in a seemingly very different...and not in a good way to neither its customers or employers.
I feel like T-Mo might already be gearing towards shady practices what with them releasing certain phones recently and then raising their prices, and also the new whole 2GB of 3G a month data plan is ludicrous in my opinion.
Would employees also be subject to the same sort of plan as customers, or do they make exceptions?

i think i should chime in here since i worked for T-mobile for 5 years and i am currently working for a sprint certified dealer.
i LOVED T-Mobile when i started there. as someone poster previously it was ideal for a college student. i was clearing $38,000/yr with great benefits, flexible hours, a cheap phone bill for myself and both parents, plus i won tons of free phones. keep in mind that a lot of my pay was commission based and some reps who worked more than i did made a bit less. that sort of thing will always vary i guess. the revenue i brought in every year increased exponentially but my take home pay got less and less. i quit about 4 months ago after realizing that i made $23,00 in the previous 12 months. All while bringing in more and more money for the company! the commission structure seems to change every few months and access to commission information got more and more scarce.
Two days later AT&T announced their purchase of T-Mobile.
Im sure people at different stores and different areas could offer you a totally different story than what i just told you. pay scales range throughout the country based on average cost of living. I would always see a lot of newer employees who totally loved the job. So maybe you would too. I guess my point is T-Mobile was an amazing place to work. Now most of the longer tenured employees in my market have split or are trying to split.
The Sprint position is strictly business sales so its a much different position with a much broader pay scale. It's also a preferred dealer so my wages/responsibilities are dictated by the family that owns the dealership and not some corporate big wig sitting in an office that i will never meet.
just my two cents. youre on the right track though. see if you can talk to any sprint/tmobile employees in your area. im sure they would give you an honest response about their feelings on the job. good luck!

Thanks for the insight. The one thing I don't like is that whenever I've asked about a job for Sprint, for instance, they always just tell me to apply at the website, where you're subjected to a 30+ minute survey, and then you have to submit a resume and whatnot.
While I understand having to do that, it just seems so formal, you know, I wish I could get more personal experience talking to a supervisor/manager or whatnot, so I could be remembered, and then submit a resume, because otherwise, I feel like I'm a name in a big bucket with little chance of being picked.
I've had over 7 years of steady retail experience, I frequently browse and post on the xda and the androidforums.com, and read tech blogs like engadget, arstechnica and others. I know a lot about phones, though specially Android.
It's hard to get something like that across by simply taking a survey and submitting a resume.

Sprint now requires credit card payment for new phones?

Forgive me if this is already a known quantity around here, but I only just found out this evening that orders placed through Sprint for new devices can no longer be billed to your account. Apparently we now have to pay by credit or debit card up front when we want a new device.

dead78 said:
Forgive me if this is already a known quantity around here, but I only just found out this evening that orders placed through Sprint for new devices can no longer be billed to your account. Apparently we now have to pay by credit or debit card up front when we want a new device.
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yup found out a couple of months ...........i believe there should b a couple of threads on it

lballer69 said:
yup found out a couple of months ...........i believe there should b a couple of threads on it
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they're saying it changed it on October 5. yet another way we're taking it in the pants as a result of Sprint getting the iPhone and another reason to never bother ordering a phone from Sprint.

yep blame that on the iphone
apple started this a few years ago, so no cash at all, even in person at the apple stores for iphones, as people were buying them stateside, and selling them overseas for huge markups, since they were not available at the time
gotta love Apple lol

Amd4life said:
yep blame that on the iphone
apple started this a few years ago, so no cash at all, even in person at the apple stores for iphones, as people were buying them stateside, and selling them overseas for huge markups, since they were not available at the time
gotta love Apple lol
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yep, you're 100% right.
man, I was on the fence before about upgrading my Epic...there's no way in hell I'll do it now. when you look at everything that's gone lately, Sprint's shown they're willing to screw over their entire customer base for the sake of luring in new customers with this gimmick Apple crap. now they've got their big sales figures and they can all pat each other on the backs for a job well done.
do the other carriers require up front payment for their devices?

Just so you guys know, sprint is actually the last of all the big 4 carriers to get rid of bill to account for new phones. Its a fight against fraud. Cutting costs is necessary to keep providing the unlimited data plans. Saving money by reducing fraudulent purchases is one of the best ways to do this. There is a reason behind every choice the company makes. It may not always sound like the best when you first hear it but the reasons why typically justify the changes. Sprint tries really hard to provide what other carriers no longer do but there at reasons that other carriers have cut things, and with sprints new high end world phone lineup we are running into the same things.
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lookout4theyeti said:
Just so you guys know, sprint is actually the last of all the big 4 carriers to get rid of bill to account for new phones. Its a fight against fraud. Cutting costs is necessary to keep providing the unlimited data plans. Saving money by reducing fraudulent purchases is one of the best ways to do this. There is a reason behind every choice the company makes. It may not always sound like the best when you first hear it but the reasons why typically justify the changes. Sprint tries really hard to provide what other carriers no longer do but there at reasons that other carriers have cut things, and with sprints new high end world phone lineup we are running into the same things.
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frankly, the "we need to do this to keep unlimited data" excuse has lost its appeal. all I'm seeing is a fledgling company pulling back on service in order to accommodate the iPhone and keep itself in business. as it stands now, I live in an area where my data service is horrendous. calls to Sprint are essentially pointless since I'm given an endless string of excuses as to why I can't download faster than .2 Mbps on 3G and why I can't stay connected to 4G for more than a couple of minutes. I've been with Sprint for over 10 years and I've seen all aspects of quality within the company deteriorate considerably in that time. The simple fact is that they're network couldn't accommodate the demand of all the Android devices on it; I can't even imagine what the surge of new iPhones is going to do to service.
meanwhile, we're told that every courtesy we received is being taken away in order to assure a high level of service. that would be fine except there is no longer a high level of service to maintain. I've actually had Sprint tell me that their changes aren't so bad because they're simply doing what all the other carriers do; therein lies the crux of why having 3.5 carriers dominate a nation of roughly 400 million people isn't good for anyone. a struggling company in that setting has no incentive to do anything but keep its doors open. they've lost the will to differentiate because they no longer have to; their sole concern is to avoid being subsumed by one of their competitors. most investors (myself included) doubt Sprint's ability to sustain itself beyond the next couple of years because they're a poorly managed company who've become notorious for making extremely poor decisions - this recent backpedaling from WiMax is one of the worst.
so yeah, great we get unlimited data. we'll see how well that unlimited data that Sprint's stripped away all incentives for holds up when an already super-saturated capacity is unable to withstand the demand from this gadget they've bet the farm on.

I am usually on the side of the consumer but, this time, I think if you don't have the money to pay for it, why are you upgrading? Wait a month and get it when you have the money. I don't see why it was ever an option to begin with.
The only reason I am still on Sprint is becaue they have the number one best plan for my situation. If I didn't want unlimited data, or the best cutomer service, or the coolest new phones, I would go with MetroPCS. They have the best plan for someone like that. Shop around. Get what is best for you. I'm not preaching. I just want every customer out there to be as happy as can be.

It is probably better this way. When you charge to credit card, they don't add the weird few dollars here and there taxes in the taxes and surcharges sections (this is in addition to the tax they charged on the phone purchase itself) I probably got another $5-$6 in random taxes I had to complain about to get back.

I agree that data speeds on Sprints unlimited plan sucks. I will contest to that. Sprint's network simply is being overwhelmed from all the traffic they get from all the smartphones out there. So Sprint came up with a plan. The plan is going to cost $10b over time I think it was. To come up with the money Sprint has to cut cost and create more revenue. To cut cost Sprint got rid of certain luxuries we were receiving as consumers. To create more revenue Sprint fought to get the Iphone on board (Sprint announce this was their biggest sales day ever). Simple economics. Remember Sprint is a far 3rd behind the top two cash cows we know as AT&T and Verizon. Sprint is not financially stable right now but, making these necessary moves will help us as consumer in the long run. I know you pay now, and, you want it now, but, all we can really do is wait till Sprint finish's with their $10B project in your area.

Seriously? You all look at this as "exploiting the customer"? What they got rid of was effectively an interest free credit card that people were abusing. No, doesn't make any business sense at all, certainly not.
True exploitation would be them deciding to charge interest on your balance.
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buggerritt said:
I am usually on the side of the consumer but, this time, I think if you don't have the money to pay for it, why are you upgrading? Wait a month and get it when you have the money. I don't see why it was ever an option to begin with.
The only reason I am still on Sprint is becaue they have the number one best plan for my situation. If I didn't want unlimited data, or the best cutomer service, or the coolest new phones, I would go with MetroPCS. They have the best plan for someone like that. Shop around. Get what is best for you. I'm not preaching. I just want every customer out there to be as happy as can be.
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Ive been doing bta for years without problems from sprint. The problem was me, with the subject the post is about. Im pretty impulsive at times. More that once ive had financial department calling me wanting money because im past due. I couldnt pay the price of the phone (usually full price because i was in mid contract) and my bill up to date in a month or less. I kept telling myself, after i would get my account completely paid up to date, that i wouldnt do this again and would only get another phone if i had the money in hand to pay for the phone. Sometimes financial emergencies happen that are unforseen and they can really put a person behind for awhile and its a struggle to get caught up. Thats one of my character defects, i admit it (for the first time). Its not sprint's fault for this, its mine for being impulsive and irresponsible when it comes to finances.
I dont know why i felt the need to say this, but it had something to do with the subject and i shared my experience (and foolishness) with you guys.
Shame on me, i know!

I'm right there with you man! I sold a Dell Venue Pro so I could get my Epic Touch and I still have an Atrix on At&t and am looking at over $500 if I leave At&t. All that so I could get a 1/2 inch bigger screen and a slightly faster phone. Oh well at least I got a good one, no Los or any other issues thus far.
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I just paid my Sprint bill the other day. With activation, the phone, and my normal bill, it was $578.06. No more bta? Who cares. If you don't have the money, you probably shouldn't buy the phone anyway.
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Verizon still allows billing to your account. This last carrier nonsense isn't true

heygrl said:
Verizon still allows billing to your account. This last carrier nonsense isn't true
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that's what I thought. quite frankly, this argument that deadbeats have ruined the bta is a bunch of b.s. because that would be a punitive major and not something supposedly introduced to insure a high level of future service. the reason why bta is a solid option is that it means not having to rely on Sprint to refund your money in the event you decide to return a recently purchased phone. what this new move does is allow Sprint access to the customer's money immediately, which is actually a better move from an accounting standpoint since funds collected can be immediately invested. however, my biggest beef with this change of policy is that like all the other changes we've endured in recent weeks, they're all being done to accommodate the iPhone. like many others, I'm not remotely convinced of Sprint's able to even stay in business long enough to see all these supposed service improvements take place, so right now (and for the immediate future) all that's happening is Sprint is pulling back on customer services to pander to the iPhone.

Like another poster said this is to accommodate fraud. I work for another big name phone company and this is a way to keep people from calling in and ordering multiple phones on an account and having them shipped and once you see that these phones were ordered and you did not order them you call sprint and they have to foot that bill. If there is a credit card used it is tied to the person who used it and fraud is dealt with easier through the CC companies because they have more info. The FCC are coming up with all these rules to help us as consumers. It kinda makes it harder but safer. Anyone who knows your information can order on your account and that is scary. We see people on this forum who call in and tell lies all the time. Fruad is no joke. If it makes it safer why not?
Sent from my hand crippling Epic 4g Touch

Thanks for sharing this. I think you hit the nail on the head and I wish more people were willing to look at their own situation objectively and take some personal responsibility.
Sprint is a business, making business decisions. If they need to make changes to stay viable, then they should make them. If I decide at some point I don't like them, I can go somewhere else. It's the beauty of free enterprise and consumer choice.
oscarthegrouch said:
Ive been doing bta for years without problems from sprint. The problem was me, with the subject the post is about. Im pretty impulsive at times. More that once ive had financial department calling me wanting money because im past due. I couldnt pay the price of the phone (usually full price because i was in mid contract) and my bill up to date in a month or less. I kept telling myself, after i would get my account completely paid up to date, that i wouldnt do this again and would only get another phone if i had the money in hand to pay for the phone. Sometimes financial emergencies happen that are unforseen and they can really put a person behind for awhile and its a struggle to get caught up. Thats one of my character defects, i admit it (for the first time). Its not sprint's fault for this, its mine for being impulsive and irresponsible when it comes to finances.
I dont know why i felt the need to say this, but it had something to do with the subject and i shared my experience (and foolishness) with you guys.
Shame on me, i know!
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Who orders from Sprint anyway? There's always some place cheaper to get the phone of you're eligible for an upgrade. Ordering from places like Amazon or Wirefly at the very least saves you tax.
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My local Best Buy is great about returns and will price match any other vendor that has a unit in stock. I've never ordered from Sprint.
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Need Samsung Galaxy S3 Sprint help

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
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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.
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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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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

Sprint Customer Service is about as useful as a football bat!!!

I have just about had it with Sprint's horribly inefficient and poorly capable Customer service representatives. I have been having the issue of no network connectivity.......well excuse me, not no network connectivity, extremely poor connectivity. My speedtest.net speeds are consistantly lower than 10kbps. When I tell this to the customer service people I'm told that the service in my area is showing up green and I should be experiencing the best service that Sprint has to offer. I understand what's going on. I know that it's because of the network visioning upgrades and they're replacing the towers. However, the last thing any customer wants to hear (after paying the $200/month bill (I have multiple lines with Sprint)) is that there's nothing wrong and it's the device's fault. I have been to the store as instructed by the technical support.....nothing's wrong with the phone, it's the network. All I have to say is that Sprint really needs to better train their support staff to not only be more knowledgeable about what's going on but also how to deal with unhappy/unsatisfied customers. I've worked in customer service industries for the majority of my adult life and I know how aggravating it is to deal with unruly customers. But at the end of the day it's their J O B!!!!! If they can't do it then they need to find another line of work.....that's what I did! :victory:
Anyone else have issues with Sprint's customer service?

Sprints cs is actually the best one of the carriers. If you had to deal with Verizon cs, you'd cry.

Ascertion said:
Sprints cs is actually the best one of the carriers. If you had to deal with Verizon cs, you'd cry.
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I will concede to that point. I just recently came from Verizon and their customer service was absolutely unbearable!
The lure of unlimited LTE and the Galaxy SIII was just too much for me to resist so that's why I jumped ship from Big Red. I just wish that I would have been told up front that when they upgrade the network it would result in significant down time. I specifically asked that question when I switched and I was told that I shouldn't experience any hiccup in service.....just the superb service that Sprint customers have come to expect from their service provider........

A football is pretty darn useful in my neck of the woods. Get out more.
Sent from my billion dollar GalaxiPhone S3.

JohnnyEpic said:
A football is pretty darn useful in my neck of the woods. Get out more.
Sent from my billion dollar GalaxiPhone S3.
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HAHA, well I figured that a football bat could serve some purpose......just like customer service.......but only sometimes, on very special occasions, like every other Tuesday but only on leap years! :silly:

Its hit and miss. One out of 3 try's and you get someone who speaks English well enough to understand. But the fact is, who of any company's have good customer service? I had a number to Sprint that got me to someone very nice and smart that spoke clear every time. AAA+ CS. Its was like a back door number. The phone would ring once and there they where. That number doesn't work anymore but it was so nice! 877-775-4886. If anyone has the replacement number to it, PM me please!!

I dunno, I've had to call them 4 times since I started using Sprint just short of 2 years ago. First time was because of an order screw up, which was actually my fault. Wanted to return the stuff. The csv rep sent me to a store, the store told me they didn't take returns and to mail it all back. Called them again, and the rep I talked to said the store was clueless, then overnighted a box to me to mail the returns back. 1 FAIL, 1 WIN.
Then last month I had to activate 2 S3s, each seperately. First rep was awesome, friendly, knew exactly what she was doing. Then I called again that night, and got some middle aged woman who managed to help me without issue.
In comparison, I have to call Comcast countless times because the cable stops working, boxes break down, internet goes AWOL, etc. I once had service reps at my house all day long several days in a row because they couldn't fix an issue with the internet.
My Playstation 3 died from a YLOD (overheating) despite being in the open. Sony rep told me they didn't care, but if I wanted it fixed I could send it to them and pay them to fix it. Nevermind the fact Microsoft has fixed my 360 several times without asking questions. Only issue I had with Microsoft was they once charged my credit card $10 for a subscription I had canceled, and they refused to refund me. Also gotten plenty of freebies from Microsoft.
So by comparison... Sprint is pretty decent imo. But like all customer service, it's the luck of the draw. It's a job. Some people take it seriously, others cringe when they have to answer a call.

i am in VA beach and we are getting the network vision updates now as well as LTE next month (if they dont delay it) and i get ~1.82 mbps (average; also using speedtest.net app) and my fastest was 2.04 mbps
EDIT: of course on 3G and those are my download speeds

jamcar said:
i am in VA beach and we are getting the network vision updates now as well as LTE next month (if they dont delay it) and i get ~1.82 mbps (average; also using speedtest.net app) and my fastest was 2.04 mbps
EDIT: of course on 3G and those are my download speeds
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Just a heads up, be prepared for your service to go straight in the toilet. If you experience ANY issues at all, make sure that you contact Sprint and get them to note that you're having issues. This way you can get your account adjusted appropriately once the complete upgrade is done and the service has been restored.

Football bat. Now that had me laughing on the crapper.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

dennistpm said:
Football bat. Now that had me laughing on the crapper.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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Eli could have used one against the Bucs at the end.

Sprint's getting more money to buy the greatest

http://www.androidcentral.com/sprint-securing-50-billion-funding-2-banks-t-mobile-purchase
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

So they spend $50 billion to buy T-Mobile, then what money are they gonna have to do anything after that? Capitalism at its finest
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

Softbank has DEEP pockets. They're just using the AMERICAN name of Sprint for the transaction. Softbank wants them to expand their US market and become the #2 carrier in the WORLD.

I hope this doesn't happen. T Mobile could lose some of its cool services, should the new company decide to phase them out.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

An article I read not too long ago says the talks are only for buying baseband frequencies off of t-mobile. Basically, I think sprint thinks it will be cheaper to buy already implemented 4g instead of doing it themselves. That is one of the reasons I left sprint. Promised me 4g 3 years ago, and still nothing around here.
Sent from any phone that isn't made by Apple.

50 billion is a whole lot of money!!!
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Good Point here from the article -- Even if it were to secure the huge funding to buy T-Mobile, we have to think such consolidation in the wireless industry would be viewed as detrimental to consumer choice by the FCC and SEC alike. --
Hopefully if it happens they offer some incentives to keep current customers who originally left from Sprint to go to Tmobile in the first place, like myself. If not, its just going to be the same thing as has been going on for years, lots of people havent been to happy with Sprint for awhile now, i mean they arent horrible but TMOBILE for me has been 10x better and ive still got a year left on my contract, so idk. Thanks for the update OP

I used to be with Tmobile years ago before I switched to Sprint. It was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I live in Orlando Florida and their 3G network here is absolutey horrible. Some places it works fine, others it takes 10 minutes to load a simple text only news article. The 4GLTE network is growing but it's spotty and definitely does not penetrate buildings well at all. I've had so many calls with their tech support and have heard countless lies and excuses. I pretty much have just been giving Sprint free money for the past couple years. They don't care. So I took advantage of the ETF program Tmobile has and went back. Now my phone actually works!! I have even convinced 6 other people to do the same and they are all happy with the savings and improved network. It seems that Sprint knows it may be passed up my Tmobile soon and instead of improving their service, they will just buy up their competition. I'm pretty sure it won't go through, at least I pray it won't.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

Sprint can "secure" all the funding in the world, but there's almost no chance in hell this anti-competitive merger will be allowed to happen.

I hope this does not happen. In Florida..Sprint ....well....sucks!
And look what happened to Nextel when Sprint bought them.....:thumbdown:

zmore said:
Sprint can "secure" all the funding in the world, but there's almost no chance in hell this anti-competitive merger will be allowed to happen.
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That's what folks said about the American<>US Airways merger. There are now three network airlines in the U.S. Three wireless providers (VZW, AT&T, T-Mobile<>Sprint) of similar scale will do more for competition in the long run than two massive carriers and two without the resources to continue to invest to remain competitive. Capital investment is a percentage of GOP and neither Sprint or T-Mobile is generating enough profit because of their scale to every compete over the long haul with VZW and AT&T.

As much as I despise Sprint, this makes more sense than the possibly ATT monopoly that could have happened.

sonofshade said:
I used to be with Tmobile years ago before I switched to Sprint. It was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I live in Orlando Florida and their 3G network here is absolutey horrible. Some places it works fine, others it takes 10 minutes to load a simple text only news article. The 4GLTE network is growing but it's spotty and definitely does not penetrate buildings well at all. I've had so many calls with their tech support and have heard countless lies and excuses. I pretty much have just been giving Sprint free money for the past couple years. They don't care. So I took advantage of the ETF program Tmobile has and went back. Now my phone actually works!! I have even convinced 6 other people to do the same and they are all happy with the savings and improved network. It seems that Sprint knows it may be passed up my Tmobile soon and instead of improving their service, they will just buy up their competition. I'm pretty sure it won't go through, at least I pray it won't.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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I live Orlando to and you're absolutely right Sprint service suck. I took the Tmobile offer and jumped and I was completely surprised with the speed I was getting and how far behind Sprint really is.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

T-Mobile really can't catch a break can they? They are finally doing well and Sprint is so threatened. I just don't understand why the weaker struggling carrier is wanting to buy T-Mobile. If any of the T-Mobile executives support this or go through with this, I wish T-Mobile to go under. If T-Mobile stays far away from Sprint, then they will continue to be successful.
If a deal does go through, we can only hope its fails so T-Mobile again gets a nice break up fee.

If it happens it happens. We can only hope they take the good things from each company and mesh them into one.
I do find it odd however that sprint has announced wifi calling as of late. I also left sprint for t mobile. I am impressed big time in the difference, and absolutely love the Wi-Fi calling feature.
However, if the 2 merge, you need to remember that frequencies will be doubled in coverage, not cut back.
Positives and negatives, but myself, I am just hoping T-Mobile gets the bands they want from Verizon, and get bigger and better.
Sent from any phone that isn't made by Apple.