more Sprint woes...

[Ksyder]

I decided to upgrade my handset last month to a LG Musiq phone for 29.99 and a 2 year contract. Prior to that I was month to month because my previous contract ended in September. After a few days I decided the phone wasn't that great and took it back. They gave me the money back no prob.

However, I look at my bill and its $150 for one month! $75 for "casual data usage" and $20 for the handset upgrade fee for the phone that I already returned. Normally its $50 after taxes, etc. I'm in school so I keep my bills low.

Heres the rub: $.03/KB x 2500 KB = $75 in data charges. This is actually 2.5 MB right? I downloaded a ringer and from what I can tell the data usage associated with downloading a ringer is separate from the cost of the ringer itself. I'd figure that a ringer file is probably close to 2.5 MB anyway, the only other data I used was to unsuccessfully try to log onto my PayPal account, and looked at the Sprint music store on my phone once or twice.

So its $35-40 roughly for one ringer if you don't have a data plan!! LOL I told the CSR I was leaving Sprint if they didn't knock charges down.

She rightly took off the activation fee for the new phone that I don't have anymore and charged me the price for unlimited data usage package, which I think is $15 instead of the $75

I pretended like I was happy about this but I'm pretty pissed. I suppose I'm at fault somewhat but the data usage is deceptive because how do you know how much you are using?

I might have to change providers, but I like Sprint mainly because a few family members have them so I can call them for free. I suppose the fave 5 or something like that could replace the mobile to mobile minutes I now enjoy??

 

[DivideBYZero]

Holy crap. $30 a Mb? EFFING RIP OFF.

 

[boomhower]

However $15 for unlimited is pretty reasonable. if you are going to use it, best pay for it.

 

[iahk]

Not sure what the main gripe is here.

This could be any carrier and the issue would still be the same. Just the pay per use charge would be different. If you do not have a data plan, you will be paying for the amount of usage on top of your premium download. For the most part, you really do not know how much data you used until after you use it.

Although ya, the 3 cent per KB is quite of high, BUT Sprint evens it out by having one of the lowest priced unlimited data plans out there, which is very nice since they have a very well covered 3G network.

I work for a call center for a wireless carrier and we get these calls like clockwork everyday. Just keep in mind a few things if you do want to switch carriers though. Sprint has some of the best prices out there. Not sure what plan you have now, but if you break down one of their simply everthing plans and compare it to a rate plan with features on another carrier, I really don't think you can beat Sprint's price.

 

[Ksyder]

Originally posted by: iahk
Not sure what the main gripe is here.

The main gripe is the $75 charge for a bit of internet usage as well as the activation fee for the phone that was returned. I'm sure if I did not call them they'd gladly charge me that money as well as hold me to the 2 year contract associated with the phone that I returned.

Sprint extended my contract for switching phones a couple years ago and this is not an uncommon occurrence. These companies act with their own best interests in mind, and certainly not mine. Oh yeah, I also downloaded a "free" NFL app for that phone that I had. I'm sure that cost $15 or so in data usage. I guess next time I'll be reading the fine print a little more closely.

All of this being said, I generally like Sprint, and I'm glad that they fixed the problem for me. As the previous posters noted, their rates are reasonable, and I haven't found a similarly priced plan that makes me want to switch. AT&T and Verizon would probably cost more, and I'd think going to T-Mobile would be a downgrade overall in terms of network coverage.

Originally posted by: boomhower
However $15 for unlimited is pretty reasonable. if you are going to use it, best pay for it.

Using the WAP browser was cute for about 5 seconds but no, I won't be using it. It was certainly worth a try though. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get a nice smartphone thats worth getting the data package.

 

[iahk]

Ah, well that initial issue is common with every carrier out there as well. It's more of a representative understanding their training issue more than anything. I can't comment about Sprint's buyer's remorse guidelines, but I've seen this issue happen across all carriers.

And yes, Sprint does extend your contract when you upgrade with their 1 or 2 year commitment pricing. But this is done with every single carrier out there as well. If you want the discounted price, you will have to renew your contract. You can upgrade your phone with their no commitment price as well, but you will be paying the undiscounted price.

And I do agree, you did pay for the data usage to download the free nfl app. The usage of the nfl app is free, but the data usage used by the app is not free. Again, this is not an issue with just Sprint. But you can use this as a learning experience of specific charges you receive with different usage.

If you do not initally plan on getting a data plan, always look to see how much the pay per use charges are. They will be different among different carriers. Keep in mind, even if you do not have a data/message plan on your account, you are defaulted to pay per use data/messaging. If you do not feel comfortable with that, you can ask to have a data/text block applied to your account.

 

[BabaBooey]

This is why sprint is going down the toilet bowl,well one of the reasons.....:laugh:

 

[Ksyder]

And yes, Sprint does extend your contract when you upgrade with their 1 or 2 year commitment pricing. But this is done with every single carrier out there as well. If you want the discounted price, you will have to renew your contract. You can upgrade your phone with their no commitment price as well, but you will be paying the undiscounted price.

Sorry, I was referring to the "mandatory contract extensions" i.e. extending the contract just for making ANY change to an account. This was NOT because I got a new phone. I simply switched to a phone that I already owned, as opposed to getting a new phone and agreeing to a new contract, which is fair. Note that they would not tell you that this is occurring, and was the subject of many lawsuits.

Taken from here

Mandatory contract extensions were one of the top two complaints of survey respondents, tied with high costs for service. More than 60 percent of respondents who made changes to their cell-phone service plan in the past year said they were required to extend their contract as part of the deal. That number might understate the problem because some carriers haven't always been up front with customers about such extensions, according to allegations in recent legal filings.

also:

Problem: Mandatory extensions. In the wake of legal actions, there?s movement on this issue, too, by some carriers. In September, the Minnesota attorney general, Lori Swanson, sued Sprint, saying that the company tacked on contract extensions of up to two years without proper disclosure or consent when customers made changes to their service plans. After that, AT&T and Verizon announced that they would join Alltel and T-Mobile in eliminating contract extensions when customers changed their plan. However, note that switching to some special promotional plans or getting a new ?free? or discounted phone might still trigger a contract extension. ?In some cases, Sprint extended the contract when customers called to complain or to get new batteries or small repairs for the phone,? Swanson says. ?So the allegation is consumer fraud.? Sprint denies the charges, but told Consumer Reports that it too planned to stop requiring contract extensions for plan changes. In our survey, mandatory contract extensions were most frequent among Sprint customers. Carriers,however, still have other ways to lure you back into a contract term with offers of a sexy new phone or other inducement. Verizon, for example, sent direct-mail ads to some customers this year promising one ?free? month of service worth $9.99 if they renewed their contract for another year; the fine print revealed that the supposed freebie put them back on the hook for a $175 early-termination fee.

They did not tell me that they were doing this. The way I found out was when my 2 year anniversary date came up from getting the original Sprint contract and sure enough, they said I still was under contract. Looking at the time difference, I realized that they simply re-started the new 2 year contract at the date I switched to a phone that I already owned.

It goes without saying that this is unethical behavior from the standpoint of the consumer. However, that is just the way they operated and is a fact of life. Legal action against these companies as well as more awareness of these tactics have reduced this type of thing today, I'd think.

 

[boomhower]

Sprint is getting better. The mandatory extensions, overcharges, piss poor customer service, and many other reason they are in this mess to start with. But they have seen the error in there ways and are improving by leaps and bounds. In a recent survey they top the charts in quickness to answer calls and yesterday announced prorated ETF's that are the lowest in the industry, to bad they did not let those already under contract into the deal. I am not defending them by any means, I am only with them because I am on SERO so I will put up with a lot of crap for the price I pay. Plus they are they were the only ones with 3G in the area at the time I signed with them, though verizon has joined them now.

 

[Pepsei]

yeah, they like to rape you if you don't have the unlimited plan