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sprint_sup
Posts: 16
Phone Model:
Samsung Instinct
Service Provider:
Sprint |
 
Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:58 am |
| sprintsucks wrote: | | i would rather do it over the phone is there a way I can contact you at work. Just tell me you first name andhow i can call you at work. thank you |
I understand but there's no way that you can contact me directly. we're an outsource group. my name is amber. if you'd like to you can give me your mobile # and i can call you. or just give me your account # so i can get your mobile # from your account and i'll call you as soon as i can.
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McGirk
Posts: 2412
Phone Model:
AX380 Wave
Service Provider:
Alltel |
Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:45 pm |
| sheapearce wrote: | | McGirk wrote: | | Listen, there are very few people posting answers here to questions about Sprint service, and I happen to be one of them. The story however does get a little old when time after time, you hear of people who walked into the situation with their eyes wide open, and signed on the dotted line. A contract is a legal document, and legally, if they break it, you can get out of it for free, and if you break it, you pay an early termination fee, which technically, is cheaper then them sueing you for fulfillment of the contract, which would be thier right. Is Sprint's customer service a blazing white light in a world of darkness? No it is not, it often times isn't even that good, and if you had read all of my posts here, you would see me attack them for that as well, this thread however, has to do with people attempting to get out of their contract. A few have good reason, most do not, and I respond in kind. |
Frankly, working in law (and working towards my JD), I couldn't disagree with you more. A contract may be a legal document, but it is never necessarily legally binding (see the recent California ruling in regard to ETFs). So far, no one has been able to properly craft an analogy for how ETFs work. Your car analogy fails because ETFs are more than just back-loaded "premium payoffs." Presumably, they exist to offset the subsidizing a provider does at the start of service keep the price of the phone down (and thus make having a cell phone more attractive to more people). HOWEVER there are three fundamental differences between an ETF and car payments (or any other kind of loan payment, for that matter).
1. (and the proposed FCC regulations to change how ETFs work gets to this; and I believe at least ATT and Verizon already work this way) The loan (and thus the LAMP) is geared to the value of the car I buy. I will probably pay way more a month for an escalade than a fit;
2. I can control how large a loan I take out. I wouldn't mind paying an extra hundred dollars for a phone now if it meant I didn't have to pay an ETF (or much of one) if I cancelled my plan early. This flexibility is important in regard to 3.
3. Most importantly (and again, I think the FCC is looking at requiring this change be made to all ETF policies as well): I can refinance a loan to capture a better rate (which I can't do with my cell phone ETF); similarly (though this is not a 1:1 analogy) I should be able to pay a smaller ETF as my plan ages. Even more importantly, if I want to buy a new car, I can simply pass the old one (with the existing debt) onto a willing buyer. The same sort of market doesn't exist for cell phones (which, admittedly, isn't the fault of the provider, but is just another instance where your analogy falls apart).
The ETF, and especially in the case of Sprint, who will not pro-rate, and who charged me 200 even after adverse changes to my plan (I am still arguing about it with them), is a very outmoded way of working things. Frankly, I think most people would be willing to pay the $200 as an extra $16 a month on their bill for the first year, or something, other than the flat 200.
The point is, is that if the ETF is purely to recapture the cost of subsidizing the phone you initially bought and the other small cancellation expenses, then it doesn't make sense. If, however, the ETF is largely in place to discourage people from cancelling their account (after all, if I don't cancel on the day my contract expires - it could be a day away from today- or if I fail to realize my 2 year contract is up and I have unintionally renewed my contract by sticking around on the plan, then I am screwed) then, as Sprint handles it, it is a disturbing policy, to say the least. |
I never claimed that to be an exact representation, I was using it to describe it in terms people would easily understand. Fine, let's use a lease instead of a car loan. With a lease you agree to pay for a certain amount of time, if you break the lease you can be sued for the remaining amount, or if it is in the terms, you may pay some form of penalty for breaking the lease.
I agree with an ETF that reduces as the contract goes on, my first cell phone had such an ETF. Don't forget however that this thread started long before that case in California finished, or before At&t and Verizon went with 'evolving ETF' or even before Cingular was named At&t.
Now I will use you number points so that all understand what I am pointing out.
1. You would pay for an Escalade then a Fit, but the subsidization is the same whether you get an LG LX160 (the ultra cheapo) or the Motorola V9M (one of the top nonSmartphone phones). So you do pay more for the better phones, and you do that up front, you get the same amount taken off of the price of the phone, no matter which one you get, which is also why you have the same ETF no matter which phone you have.
2. The thing is, that I offered a phone with one year less contract for $75 more, and you know what, the one year contract was taken once, in an entire year. There are very few instances in my years of selling cell phones that someone would be willing to pay $150 more for the phone to not have a contract.
3. Actually the same sort of thing is available for cell phones, and the sites that do it have been listed on this site many times.
As for Sprint not pro-rating, I believe they do now, but it is on new contracts, just like Verizon and At&t, because just like them, they just started carrying them.
And to argue with your closing, when this thread started, and when many of the contracts started, none of the companies offered a pro-rated ETF, that is correct, none of them. So where that is concerned, Sprint was competitive. In fact Sprint raised there's because everyone else's was higher. The ETF was in place to counteract the subsidization, but when the major companies charge a large amount, the smaller ones change because the market has decided it could bear it. The next thing, if you do not renew your contract, your phone will continue to work, on a month to month basis, the contract does not automatically renew. As far as I know, it never has.
Your choice, I used my analogies to try and help people understand, and you decided to nit-pick them to no end. Well in most cases, your nit-picking was wrong, and you've been called on it. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, I've been busy.
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Dangeruss
Posts: 1 |
Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:51 am |
| Quote: | | If you're having problem with the coverage in your location, yes, we really can waive the ETF on your account. I can check your account if you can give me your account #. what's gonna happen is that, if you cancel it, you'll be informed by account services that there is an ETF since you're goin out of the contract. that will be billed towards your account. and once you have already cancelled the account, I can go ahead and check it back and waive the ETF for you. but before you do so, I still have to check your account first. |
Sprint Sup,
I'm having the same problem. I've been with Sprint for ten years, but ever since I moved three years ago I can't get any signal in my house. I live in a major suburb of Houston, but I'm showing the weakest signal Sprint has on their map. I have three lines, one of which I wanted to use as a home line. I've been looking around and AT&T shows full coverage in my area. The problem is, I'll have to pay $525.00 to get out of my Sprint deal. Is there anything you can do?
Also, please don't take this as an offense, but I'm a little leery about giving my account out over a forum. What's the best way to do this? I tried to send you a PM, but it wouldn't let me for some reason.
Thanks! 
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cbo24
Posts: 1 |
Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:51 pm |
I'm looking to cancel my service and move to another provider (too many reasons to list here - but main on being that I am moving to a non-coverage area). Will I lose my phone number when i cancel the contract?
Or do I need to have the number transferred before i cancel?
Thanks for the advice!
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kayjop
Posts: 2 |
Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:27 pm |
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After reading 2 years of posts here I am so GLAD I switched to Verizon in 2002. I actually worked for Nextel and was with them when it became Sprint Nextel. And, as am employee of Nextel I was given a phone on my first day of employment. But, I still kept my verizon phone and service b/c having had Sprint in the past I knew about Sprints sucky service and network Once the "Merger of Equals" was finalized and i had since left the company, returning the employer issued phone to the employer, , sprint was kind enough to start sending me bills.
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kayjop
Posts: 2 |
Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:38 pm |
| buggsy wrote: | McGirk, I got to commend you. Fighting the good fight, chivalry for the cellular company!
And in all fairness, I read every word of your posts in this thread, so read all of mine.
Having said that, do that in one of your own threads and don't derail this one into a ethics discussion. It's annoying.
. . . . . .
Seeing as how this thread so far has been about Sprint and given their reputation, I would say your moral arguments have no place here especially when held to the light (or would it be darkness?) of their dirty laundry.
So please, lower your shield of brow beating, your sword of metaphors, your high horse of Better than everyone else, and end your crusade of must set everyone on the internet right by just leaving this thread and not posting back unless you can calm down. I understand your position but understand ours. You are welcome here, but your ardent rectitude views are not. |
I kinda have to agree. It's a bit irritating, even for me, just accidentally hitting this sight and reading your posts. McGirk, you're like the annoying hall monitor that writes detentions for running in the halls. People come here to vent - let them vent. No one like an "I told you so".
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jdhare77
Posts: 1
Phone Model:
LG Rumor
Service Provider:
Sprint |
Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:46 pm |
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We have only had our sprint phones for a few months. The only reason we choose to go through them was because My husbands work uses Nextel and he loves it. Well After 5 months we are realising our mistake! Our phones rarely have any signal at all and we are constantly dropping calls. While we are at home we have to go outside to make or receive calls. We have had very bad experiences contacting Sprint and discussing our problems with them. We want to cancel our service and go through a different service provider but we don't want to pay the ETF's . I have read through the posts on here but I really don't want to commit fraud in order to get out of the contract. Anyone has any other suggestions?
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kaydub1223
Posts: 1 |
Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:10 pm |
| sprint_sup wrote: | | sprintsucks wrote: | | i would rather do it over the phone is there a way I can contact you at work. Just tell me you first name andhow i can call you at work. thank you |
I understand but there's no way that you can contact me directly. we're an outsource group. my name is amber. if you'd like to you can give me your mobile # and i can call you. or just give me your account # so i can get your mobile # from your account and i'll call you as soon as i can. |
helppp me! you work for sprint, ive had terrible coverage and service the entire time ive been on sprint and im just waiting for my service to expire, but please if you could get me out of an early termination fee that would save me so much trouble
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McGirk
Posts: 2412
Phone Model:
AX380 Wave
Service Provider:
Alltel |
Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:34 am |
I do have one question for the last two people, and I am not even in the cell business anymore, but still . . . What did you do with the 30 day trial period? It is there for a reason folks, it is there for your protection. Actually it is more likely that it is there for the carriers protection, by law they only have to give you three days. When it comes to a phone having service there are a few things you need to know, which phones get the best signal, and where the antenna is at in the phone. If you get the best signal phones, and learn to keep your hands away from the antenna, and still have bad service, use that 30 days to your advantage and find something that will work for you. Don't just buy the phone and EXPECT that it will work everywhere, and be perfect for you.
As for the letting them vent, this site is about answers, expect responses, and if you're wrong, expect that to be said as well. I really do come here to help, but you have to admit, many of the issues people have had, have been, or was in their hands to correct, if you don't do it, don't cry and whine now about being wronged. I have said that some of the people here have had legitimate complaints, and I myself do not use Sprint, because as a consumer it is my right, and duty to find what works best for me. It is Sprints job to sell a phone, it is your own job to find out whether that is the right fit. Sprint, as all other companies do, realizes that they will not work right for everyone, that is why they put the 30 day trial period into effect. This country has suddenly gotten the idea that everything is owed to them, do you due diligence. I don't buy anything I have not researched, and I know the policies of the companies I buy from, if everyone would do the same, the complaints here would be much fewer.
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wycheguy
Posts: 2 |
Mon Oct 27, 2008 2:17 am |
Hello All
I am new here and I have my two cents to throw out there. After reading all 11 pages of posts it seems to me that paying the 200 dollars is far worth all of the trouble that is otherwise needed to fight this. One guy spent 6 weeks fighting with the FCC and the BBB? Yes my sprint coverage sucks and yes sprint should either fix it or let me out of it. But we are in a capitalistic society where you have to pay for what you want and companies use it to the extreme. Hell look at gas prices. So yes I will try to get out of it, and I will try using some of the methods listed here, but in the end if no is the only answer I get, then yes I am going to pay the fee. My time is better spent taking care of my honey do list than pulling out my hair and cussing at the phone. My second point of view is, does anyone else think that its ironic that this a sprint bashing web site and sprint is doing the advertisment? I must have clicked through 8 screen flashes of buy the newest phone, or click here for the best service.
Love your show!
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