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Get Out of Sprint Free
hyades1 writes in to let us know that Sprint has extended to Jan. 31 the time in which subscribers can switch carriers without paying an early termination fee. "Last month we learned that Sprint was increasing its administrative fee to $0.75, giving customers until January 1 of this year to back out without a penalty. It seems that $0.75 wasn't going to cut it as Sprint has raised its fee yet again, this time to $0.99. Customers now have through January 31 to sever ties sans-ETF, so if you missed the boat last month you're in luck. Though some customer care reps apparently aren't yet aware of the change, we did confirm it with Sprint so keep trying and as always, contacting them via chat seems to go a bit more smoothly than calling them up."
If so, I expect to see a story about how T-Mobile customers can get MyFaves for free, since that's also something people on mobile phone forums are talking about.
why would you have to extend? Just buy a replacement phone at full price. Personally, I don't find it worth it to save $100 or so by committing to spend 24 x $90/month.
Seems as though the only people I know who actively choose Sprint choose it because Sprint is the only viable option where they live. The GSM carriers' coverage really starts to suffer in the big, wide-open spaces of the Midwest.
Breakfast served all day!
Do any of you know of a way to escape contract with Alltel without paying the early termination fee? I'm sick of the 5-7 day delay in getting my voicemail messages! ):
Claim they're breaking the contract by not providing you with service. You're paying them to deliver messages in a timely manner, not take messages like shithead roommates.
Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
File an online petition with the FCC claiming the service doesn't work as advertised and they will let you go.
why would you have to extend? Just buy a replacement phone at full price. Personally, I don't find it worth it to save $100 or so by committing to spend 24 x $90/month.
Unless of course you were going to spend 24x90 anyway. Its not like you get a reduced rate if you buy the equipment outright, so you might as well take the subsidies.
Seems to me, that since they are breaching the contract, you can terminate at any time. What's with the time limit? Once they increase the fee, all contracts with Sprint are, by law, NULL AND VOID.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Or buy a cheap replacement phone off Ebay and then wait until your contract is up.
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Alltell is being bought out by Verizon, so perhaps that will resolve your problem (and if they're changing fees, it may give you an excuse to bounce). However I've had Verizon's cellular service for over a decade now and have never had the VM issues you describe, so it may be worth just waiting it out. I'd recommend checking howardforums.com as it's one of the best cellular forums on the net.
Sadly, PS/2 was yet another victim of USB, which doesn't care what you plug into it, the electrical slut.
Thank you for that information!
I found the FCC's Electronic Consumer Complaint site and I guess we will see how it goes.
Again, thank you (at least now there is some hope) (!)
Censorship is obscene. Patriotism is bigotry. Faith is a vice. Slashdot 2.0 sucks.
You're with T-mobile. They're a GSM carrier. Just buy a new phone on Ebay. There's a great selection of GSM phones. Also, (and I'm not sure if this works any more), but you used to be able to buy a cheap, prepaid GSM phone, and then just put your postpaid SIM in there. Cheap, easy way to get a replacement.
The same thing happen about a year ago with international messaging rate hike. I called to cancel my plan but the rep. tried to argue that it doesn't constitute a "material change" to the contract. Seriously? Anyways, after threatening to call the California Public Utilities Commission failed, I actually called the California PUC. The PUC rep. told me that before I file a complaint, I should speak to their executive accounts customer service people so he transferred me over to their number. Some Sprint person picked up and was about to redirect me to retentions again but I told him very clearly that I've been forwarded by the PUC and am about to file a complaint. At that point, he actually forwarded me to their executive accounts people. I spoke to the lady and laid out my argument by reading the back of my bill, which contains the terms, along with the notice of the rate change. She put me on hold for a few minutes to check some stuff over and agreed with me. She even went so far as to put my account on hold and save my number so it can be ported to a new carrier. I switched to Virgin, who ironically is on the Sprint network, but having no contracts is awesome.
Hope that helps anyone trying to leave Sprint. Don't let the retention rep scare you. If you have something like a PUC backing you up, use it! Know your rights.
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Does anyone know if I can use this to end my 2 year agreement but continue my Sprint service? I don't plan on switching carriers, but I would like to be able to sign a new agreement for an upgrade in a few months when the Pre comes out.
The major carriers pre-empted the legislation by switching to prorated ETFs. For example, my last Verizon contract had a $175 ETF, which decreased by $5 for each month you're in the contract. Still a considerable hit even if you're only a few months from the end. Just enough to keep congress at bay, I guess.
They must be using Verizon Math.
But it does add up. That's 99 cents per month, or $12 per year, which granted isn't much. But when you add an "FCC" fee, "communications" fee, "we got sued by somebody and are passing the legal expenses onto our customers" fee, and the "just for the heck of it because we can" fee every month, you can be looking at a pretty hefty bill.
No, never. If you keep signing 2 year contracts we'll never have competitive rates because you keep giving up your biggest bargaining chip. When you are monthly, you can cancel at any point for bad service and they lose market share while their competitor gains market share. You can use this to negotiate down your monthly rate on a monthly basis rather than every 2 years.
I canceled my contract with Sprint through the chat option on the website (which only appears during business hours), and you have until the end of the billing cycle in which you canceled to port your number to a different carrier. I'm on T-Mobile now with the same number I had on Sprint.
When using phone, you are talking, and so all your voice undertones are being served to the other side, and vice-versa.
That will make things harder to untangle, as they get more personal, some times too personal...
Chat doesn't have that issue, with the plus side of the reliability of information conveyed in that way... ;)
Why get a replacement at all?
Just scrap the GSM phone.
When you are around the computer use voip... if not, well, people can send you an email!
And, use the free time you just got with all those useless calls to get a nice warm cup of *whatever*, and relax...
Do any of you know of a way to escape contract with Alltel without paying the early termination fee? I'm sick of the 5-7 day delay in getting my voicemail messages! ):
Claim they're breaking the contract by not providing you with service. You're paying them to deliver messages in a timely manner, not take messages like shithead roommates.
Look for fee increases. Most carriers increase some sort of fee every couple of months. You then have a window where they're legally required to let you out of your contract.
"I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
I think you are missing the point of "pay-as-you-go" service.
Nope. These days, even if you've exhausted your contract and have gone monthly, they don't care about retention. At least, AT&T doesn't.
Sprint will, or at least they used to. Last time around I got them to take a percentage off the top of the bill every month.
this is my sig
And, use the free time you just got with all those useless calls to get a nice warm cup of *whatever*, and relax...
Well, I've got to admit, you've got a point. If I didn't get all those 'useless' calls, I sure would have a lot of free time. Hooray for one-size-fits-all solutions.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
There should be a law requiring providers to advertise the exact amount you will be billed every month. No giving you rate A, then charging you rate A + Taxes B.
I'll meet you halfway: taxes should still be separated out--because I want to know how much the government is taking from me--but all fees and such ought to be rolled into the total price. That includes things like the "Line Number Portability Fee," which the government allows the carriers to collect, but does not mandate (and the revenue goes to the carrier, not the government).
On the other hand, sales tax, the Universal Service Fee, etc. all go to the government. It's important that we be able to see just how much tax is being assessed if we're to keep control of our government.
"Make it ten--I am only a poor corrupt official."
--Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), Casablanca
Not that I want to admit this, but I'm working for Sprint (temporarily) as a corporate rep. The ETF are most definitely prorated, starting at $200 and going to a minimum of $50.
Just to let everyone know, you can also port your number without ETF within Sprint (ie: Sprint -> Boost Mobile). Boost Mobile doesn't have contracts... *hint* *hint*
- John
Why get a replacement at all?
Just scrap the GSM phone.
When you are around the computer use voip... if not, well, people can send you an email!
And, use the free time you just got with all those useless calls to get a nice warm cup of *whatever*, and relax...
This message was brought to you by Starbucks ??
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Why get a replacement at all?
Just scrap the GSM phone.
When you are around the computer use voip... if not, well, people can send you an email!
And, use the free time you just got with all those useless calls to get a nice warm cup of *whatever*, and relax...
What glue sniffer marked this as informative? Pop quiz hot shot, your car breaks down, and you need to call a tow truck, and your cat 5 cable ran out several miles away. Though you do have a point in that scenario there certainly will be plenty of free time.
I laughed at the weak who considered themselves good because they lacked claws.