Database Users

Evo Gouging

So, according to this: http://www.androidcentral.com/sprint-evo-4g-pricing-availability-announced -- Sprint's going to charge an extra $10/month for premium data and $30/month for mobile hotspot. Is it worth it? An extra $40/month on top of whatever "Simply" plan you have.
In all fairness, the hotspot fee can probably be avoided once the phone is rooted. . . but still. XDA, what do you think?

Sorry for the double post, but I just saw this: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-do-you-feel-about-evo-4g-pricing
Apparently the premium data, is 4G and is optional. However, if you do happen to live in a 4G area AND you want mobile hotspot, paying $40 more per month seems too much. IMO. For scale, a personal Simply Everything plan is $70/month.

For mobile hotspot just use wifi tether (once we have root). I don't believe that Sprint has the right to tell me how or where I can use the data I purchased from them (furthermore I believe it's a violation of net neutrality, which isn't law yet, but it will be).
As for the $10 premium data - I'm fine with it. My Sprint plan will still cost half as much as what an iPhone user pays. I don't mind Sprint charging extra if only it means less people will sign up for it and keep the network load down.

greymalken said:
Sorry for the double post, but I just saw this: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-do-you-feel-about-evo-4g-pricing
Apparently the premium data, is 4G and is optional. However, if you do happen to live in a 4G area AND you want mobile hotspot, paying $40 more per month seems too much. IMO. For scale, a personal Simply Everything plan is $70/month.
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It's not optional. You WILL pay +$10 every month if you have an Evo activated.
http://jbtaylor.posterous.com/more-detail-on-the-sprint-evo-4g-10month-prem

keatre said:
It's not optional. You WILL pay +$10 every month if you have an Evo activated.
http://jbtaylor.posterous.com/more-detail-on-the-sprint-evo-4g-10month-prem
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Just called, it doesn't cost extra to use 4G

extra
It does cost extra, I currently have a 4g air card and pay the $10 extra fee (this covers 4g for every line) so when the phone come out I won't be paying any more than I am now. As for the $30 fee for the hotspot, I might as well ditch my air card for that, but we will see. There is always wifi teether.

mrono said:
Just called, it doesn't cost extra to use 4G
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That is incorrect. The reps are being flooded with calls at the moment, and no one really has a clue what's going on. Sprint has said it will cost extra, the head PR guy said it will cost extra, ALL blogs/tech sites are reporting it will cost extra. The evidence stacks up against a lonely rep.

This really pisses me off. I blame it on the god damned I-Phone sheep that didn't mind paying 100 a month to AT&T for something I've been getting included in my cell plans for years. Sprint is trying to pull an AT&T, and will probably get away with it.
No WONDER it's only 199- You're (and maybe me) going to be paying them an extra $240 for 4g access. Add in the mobile hotspot (Which I absolutely will not pay for), and that's an extra $960-
It's called back loading, and it's crap.
It's 1's and 0's.... OTA. Same 1's and 0's as I get now. I'm going to use probably the same amount of data as I do now- but have to pay more?
Device specific charge? WTF is up with that? It's a &()@*( phone.

jesus, calm down. it's called sprint wanting to make some money since they've been financially in the ****ter for ages now and viciously undercutting competitors and offering discounts left and right hasn't done much to improve their situation. now that they have a phone people want and the first 4g network, it makes sense that they'd use it to their advantage. besides, even at $80/mo base if you get the 27% discount (which everyone can if they bother to check slickdeals) it's still around $60/month, cheaper than anyone else by a bit

billobob said:
jesus, calm down. it's called sprint wanting to make some money since they've been financially in the ****ter for ages now and viciously undercutting competitors and offering discounts left and right hasn't done much to improve their situation. now that they have a phone people want and the first 4g network, it makes sense that they'd use it to their advantage. besides, even at $80/mo base if you get the 27% discount (which everyone can if they bother to check slickdeals) it's still around $60/month, cheaper than anyone else by a bit
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Whats slick deals?

jscurek said:
This really pisses me off. I blame it on the god damned I-Phone sheep that didn't mind paying 100 a month to AT&T for something I've been getting included in my cell plans for years. Sprint is trying to pull an AT&T, and will probably get away with it.
No WONDER it's only 199- You're (and maybe me) going to be paying them an extra $240 for 4g access. Add in the mobile hotspot (Which I absolutely will not pay for), and that's an extra $960-
It's called back loading, and it's crap.
It's 1's and 0's.... OTA. Same 1's and 0's as I get now. I'm going to use probably the same amount of data as I do now- but have to pay more?
Device specific charge? WTF is up with that? It's a &()@*( phone.
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What bothers me is that i'd rather have it be a fee for using 4G, not the phone in general, considering most of us don't even have access to 4G yet. So they are charging us to use something we can't!

mrono said:
What bothers me is that i'd rather have it be a fee for using 4G, not the phone in general, considering most of us don't even have access to 4G yet. So they are charging us to use something we can't!
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'nother way to look at it is paying $10 to remove the data cap..(btw, I dont agree with or like the fee, just sayin')

mrono said:
What bothers me is that i'd rather have it be a fee for using 4G, not the phone in general, considering most of us don't even have access to 4G yet. So they are charging us to use something we can't!
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+1 on this one. Sucks for us that don't have 4G available.

Perhaps a legitimate reason for the $10/mo EVO fee

Just a thought I had today, but since the $10 fee did seem to come out of no where, but sometime after they said the 4G would be free at CITA, and since they haven't expressly said it was for the 4G data...
Perhaps, they knew the first batch of phones were going to have the screen problem, as well as other problems, but they found out after they had several thousand/hundred thousand made, thus knowing they were going to have to replace a hell of a lot of phones within a month or two and with this so-called "Prem Data Fee" they could regain some of the money for replacing all the early adopters phones.
I don't have the screen problem...yet, but I'm going to be exchanging mine because the speaker is half blown or something in the earpiece.
Any takers on the idea?

Doubt it, but it's definitely an excuse to pad their pockets a bit more, since Sprint has the lowest margins across all post-paid providers.

I was thinking more along the lines of the stupid amount of data we are going to be using on these phones with 4g. on 3g alone i've used 350mb in 3 1/2 days (i love it) Honestly this 3g is really fast, faster than verizon and t-mobile thus far (speed test prove it). I get better signal is area that my verizon phone does, but that might because its a storm 2 ()

Interesting theory, but I think it's a bit far fetched. I truly think the $10 is for unrestricted data usage, which I am thoroughly enjoying.

I for one hope they plan to use the extra money to strengthen and expand the 4G coverage.

It is a little bit far-fetched, but you never know. Last minuet stuff always happens and companies might make drastic measures to compensate themselves.
It was just a thought, especially since they've never actually said the fee was for the data, it's for the phone experience, which directly links it to the phone, if you go by what they say the fee is for.

why is everybody obsessed with this fee
the reason the fee exists is because the market will bear it.
whether that makes you happy or sad is on you

strung said:
the reason the fee exists is because the market will bear it.
whether that makes you happy or sad is on you
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Strung you are boosting the IQ of the forum with answers like these
Lord knows we need all the help we can get since I'm on here bringing us down

Probably the same ideology as to why AT&T ditched the unlimited data plan right before or when the iPhone 4 was announced.
Sprint needs customers and since the EVO is going to be one major source of income and/or data usage...they probably decided to implement a fee for unlimited 3G/4G data usage while keeping the unlimited plan available. When you think of Sprint, you immediately think "SIMPLY UNLIMITED EVERYTHING!"
What I say or think really doesn't matter...the $10 fee is mandatory so there is no use in trying to fight it or be sneaky about trying to get out of paying it.

I am glad I have this fee and no soft cap. I have used 1GB+ in the last 6 days. I get to laugh at ATTs new customers about their 2GB cap hahahaha.

engagedtosmile said:
I am glad I have this fee and no soft cap. I have used 1GB+ in the last 6 days. I get to laugh at ATTs new customers about their 2GB cap hahahaha.
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But why? According to AT&T, a majority of its customers wouldn't even come close to the 2GB cap and do not need unlimited data

I was always under the assumption for the charge that you can hook the evo up to any computer via usb and use it for internet access.

eck0728 said:
I was thinking more along the lines of the stupid amount of data we are going to be using on these phones with 4g. on 3g alone i've used 350mb in 3 1/2 days (i love it)...QUOTE]
That's exactly what Dan Hesse said the fee was for.
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Well, just an update...
The Sprint store said that my speaker was wacko for sure, and when I checked the other two phones we have tonight, both of their screens are raising up. What find strange is, mine got 10x the usage over the last week than the other two did and mine doesn't have the screen problem...yet.
Anyhow, I guess Sprint will be sending us 3 new phones.

i am rooted using wifi tether and i dont feel the least bit bad for it.. they are going to screw me for an extra 10 bucs a month im going to get my monies worth..... take that sprint.

I plan on returning my Evo tomorrow. I don't care how much data you use, they shouldn't offer a unlimited data plan if they don't like you using unlimited data. I have filed a complaint through the FCC and encourage everyone here to do so as well. This is deceptive advertising, and an unlawful fee. The name of the fee is "premium data plan" but other than the 6 people that live in a 4g network, it is a "right to own the Evo fee". You DON'T have to pay it, you SHOULDN'T be paying it. I am never passionate about anything ever, but this one really puts me over the edge. http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.

Thank goodness I don't pay it... well not really. 10$ off from the IO conference.

bigough13 said:
I plan on returning my Evo tomorrow. I don't care how much data you use, they shouldn't offer a unlimited data plan if they don't like you using unlimited data. I have filed a complaint through the FCC and encourage everyone here to do so as well. This is deceptive advertising, and an unlawful fee. The name of the fee is "premium data plan" but other than the 6 people that live in a 4g network, it is a "right to own the Evo fee". You DON'T have to pay it, you SHOULDN'T be paying it. I am never passionate about anything ever, but this one really puts me over the edge. http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.
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Why did you buy a 4g phone if you don't live in a 4g area?

rutter9 said:
Why did you buy a 4g phone if you don't live in a 4g area?
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I got the phone for the hardware, and android. I want to go to T-Mobile for the HD2, but it lacks the 8mp camera, no WiFi tether, and WinMo, yuck. I understand the fee in 4g areas, but they can't justify the fee for any other area. Call/email them, they sound like idiots trying to explain why we're being charged $10. "Rich data experience" (3g network?), "1ghz processor", "YouTube hd", "android operating system" are all the reasons I have gotten. I can provide email proof. The fee is a scam, not premium data.

Premium Data "4g tax" lawsuit starting

I've never been one to complain about our $10/mo "Premium Data" add on, but apparently there is a class action lawsuit starting regarding it. The below is the text of an email that was sent out regarding it (and the page at http://www.bursor.com/press/101203sprint4g.html)
If You Purchased a Sprint EVO 4G or EPIC 4G Cellphone, You May Be Interested in a Class Action Lawsuit
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A class action lawsuit was filed alleging that Sprint customers that purchased the EVO 4G or EPIC 4G cellphones are being charged a $10 monthly “Premium Data Add-On” fee, despite the fact that these customers had already paid for unlimited data usage under their existing Sprint calling plans.
Law Offices of Scott A. Bursor, www.bursor.com, is investigating claims that these charges may be improper.
If you purchased a Sprint EVO 4G or EPIC 4G cellphone, we would like to hear from you so we can investigate whether you incurred this charge, how many customers have been affected, and whether there may be valid legal claims for a refund. Please contact us by responding to this email or by calling us directly at (646) 504-7781.
About Law Offices of Scott A. Bursor
Scott A. Bursor, has represented plaintiffs in class action lawsuits against Sprint and other wireless carriers since 2002. Many of these cases are discussed in detail at www.bursor.com.
Contact:
Scott A. Bursor
Email: [email protected]
www.bursor.com

IMO, The only thing this will do is raise our rates as Sprint has additional costs arguing with this guy.
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True it will increase costs. But I doubt my phone bill will be +$40/mo more after dealing with this guy which is what I'm paying for now due to 3 Evo's and 1 Epic. I totally support +$10/mo for 4g ... if it was optional. I have no need for 4g though and am highly annoyed at paying this tax. All I want is an Android phone with keyboard and the rest of the guys wanted big screens, we've given them hundreds of $'s this year for something we don't use or want.

Old news, but sprint data is cheaper than everyone else anyway.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

thx for the info. calling tomorrow

You are assuming the 10 dollars is for 4G. I've always thought it was for more or less having a next generational phone. Both the evo/epic encourage people to use data in ways none of the other devices do. Because of the specs, everything is faster, web browsing, multtasking, gaming - even if you are on 3G.
Sprint realized that giving an unlimited buffet to a blackberry user is much different than giving an unlimited buffet to someone using these phones.
It would be interesting if sprint ends up having to release some of this data to explain the fee. Those 1tb montly users may come in handy at that time.
Even with the fee, sprint has one of the cheapest and best data plans around.
Trahloc said:
True it will increase costs. But I doubt my phone bill will be +$40/mo more after dealing with this guy which is what I'm paying for now due to 3 Evo's and 1 Epic. I totally support +$10/mo for 4g ... if it was optional. I have no need for 4g though and am highly annoyed at paying this tax. All I want is an Android phone with keyboard and the rest of the guys wanted big screens, we've given them hundreds of $'s this year for something we don't use or want.
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Trahloc said:
True it will increase costs. But I doubt my phone bill will be +$40/mo more after dealing with this guy which is what I'm paying for now due to 3 Evo's and 1 Epic. I totally support +$10/mo for 4g ... if it was optional. I have no need for 4g though and am highly annoyed at paying this tax. All I want is an Android phone with keyboard and the rest of the guys wanted big screens, we've given them hundreds of $'s this year for something we don't use or want.
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That boils down to how much data you use..if they go Tiered data like Verizon they could charge you $10 a month per GB per phone...so if you don't use much data thats fine..
In the end each person will get like 5$ settlement and the lawyer will get millions in his own pocket..If only they had a limitation on how much these lawyers can get in 1 law suite >.>
Cause these law suites are a lawyers "All you can eat"...not to mention they will end up fighting it for like 10 years..

Trahloc said:
True it will increase costs. But I doubt my phone bill will be +$40/mo more after dealing with this guy which is what I'm paying for now due to 3 Evo's and 1 Epic. I totally support +$10/mo for 4g ... if it was optional. I have no need for 4g though and am highly annoyed at paying this tax. All I want is an Android phone with keyboard and the rest of the guys wanted big screens, we've given them hundreds of $'s this year for something we don't use or want.
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I live in New Orleans and I think the closest 4G city is 350 miles away (Houston). I too wanted an Android phone with a keyboard that wasn't abandoned by the manufacturer for support.
I think it's the principal of paying for something Sprint isn't giving me an opportunity to utilize that irritates me the most. However, I didn't want to drop Sprint (due to plan costs) and I really wanted the Epic. So I gave in.
diego1985 said:
Old news, but sprint data is cheaper than everyone else anyway.
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That is the kicker, they are the cheapest--even with the 4G charge.
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They now have the samsung transform.
I still see justification for the fee even without the 4G. they are effectively lumping us into a high data tier. In reality, maybe they should just make it actually tiered.
nikon120 said:
I live in New Orleans and I think the closest 4G city is 350 miles away (Houston). I too wanted an Android phone with a keyboard that wasn't abandoned by the manufacturer for support.
I think it's the principal of paying for something Sprint isn't giving me an opportunity to utilize that irritates me the most. However, I didn't want to drop Sprint (due to plan costs) and I really wanted the Epic. So I gave in.
That is the kicker, they are the cheapest--even with the 4G charge.
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Tiered would be annoying but livable. Make $40/mo something reasonable with X charge per GB and then past some other reasonable point make it unlimited. But a mandatory charge of $10 for a feature I neither want or use just pisses me off. At least metro pcs had the decency to say "that phone isn't allowed on that plan" when we tried snagging their android phone for the folks using that network. Sprint should do that same, you don't want folks using high end phones on the cheap plans don't allow them on, don't create a fake tax.

Trahloc said:
Tiered would be annoying but livable. Make $40/mo something reasonable with X charge per GB and then past some other reasonable point make it unlimited. But a mandatory charge of $10 for a feature I neither want or use just pisses me off. At least metro pcs had the decency to say "that phone isn't allowed on that plan" when we tried snagging their android phone for the folks using that network. Sprint should do that same, you don't want folks using high end phones on the cheap plans don't allow them on, don't create a fake tax.
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You shouldn't have bought the phone then. Every single person who bought this phone or the evo KNEW that there as a $10/month fee but still bought it because they just HAD to have the newest phones. If the fee is really that big of an issue then you wouldn't have bought the phone. When I bought the phone.I too the cost into consideration and decided that the$10 fee was justifiable and even with it I would still be paying less than ANY OTHER CARRIER for the same plan. People need to stop *****ing just to *****
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Sh0wNuF said:
You shouldn't have bought the phone then. Every single person who bought this phone or the evo KNEW that there as a $10/month fee but still bought it because they just HAD to have the newest phones. If the fee is really that big of an issue then you wouldn't have bought the phone. When I bought the phone.I too the cost into consideration and decided that the$10 fee was justifiable and even with it I would still be paying less than ANY OTHER CARRIER for the same plan. People need to stop *****ing just to *****
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I agree with you right there. Before any ever bought the phone the fees were right there.
I say good luck with the lawsuit. 99% sure you will not get what you want out of it regardless if you win or lose.

Let me clarify one thing... I'm not assuming jack. I read the agreement and I know it's not just a 4g charge. My post was purely informative. Hence "4g tax" in quotations.
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This just end cost all of us more. Some of these lawyers need to be reigned in.
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iil said:
They now have the samsung transform.
I still see justification for the fee even without the 4G. they are effectively lumping us into a high data tier. In reality, maybe they should just make it actually tiered.
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There is no justification without 4G. The reason is you've purchased the phone.... You own it and it's capabilities. It's connection to the internet is a separate issue.
Would you pay more for wired internet service because you have a better graphics card and faster CPU in your home PC?
Tiered pricing?? I don't think Sprint wants that because people will then jump to Verizon or T-Mobile. Both of those carriers still offer unlimited data. TMO might slow down your data speed, if you go over 5GB, but it's still all you can eat.
Sprint's justification for the $10 premium fee is to make a few extra bucks and to cover the cost of what they pay to Clearwire. Clearwire charges $5 per WiMax capable phone Sprint has on it's network. So Sprint had a choice.. Pass the charge along or eat it as part of doing business. Personally, being that Sprint advertises unlimited data, and they're not subsidizing their 4G phones like the other carriers are doing with their top end phones (Have you seen what the other Galaxy S variants sell for on TMO, ATT, VzW, etc?), I think they should have just eaten the $5 (What Clearwires charges them) and also renegotiate their contract with Clearwire to only pay them the fee where Clearwire has service.
Here's another thing. Unlike ATT, Sprint has excess capacity on it's existing EVDO network, so it's not really costing Sprint anything to offer unlimited data on it's 3G network. It just doesn't make sense for Sprint to offer tiered data.

crabjoe said:
There is no justification without 4G. The reason is you've purchased the phone.... You own it and it's capabilities. It's connection to the internet is a separate issue.
Would you pay more for wired internet service because you have a better graphics card and faster CPU in your home PC?
Tiered pricing?? I don't think Sprint wants that because people will then jump to Verizon or T-Mobile. Both of those carriers still offer unlimited data. TMO might slow down your data speed, if you go over 5GB, but it's still all you can eat.
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Verizon plans to go tiered Data as well..as for T-mobile not sure yet..but it might end up all of them going Tiered data...such dumb lawsuit is only going to push them towards tiered data... mostly if Verizon and ATT go that route...
In the end the lawyer will be the only winner...these lawsuits last YEARS...
Sprint's justification for the $10 premium fee is to make a few extra bucks and to cover the cost of what they pay to Clearwire. Clearwire charges $5 per WiMax capable phone Sprint has on it's network. So Sprint had a choice.. Pass the charge along or eat it as part of doing business. Personally, being that Sprint advertises unlimited data, and they're not subsidizing their 4G phones like the other carriers are doing with their top end phones (Have you seen what the other Galaxy S variants sell for on TMO, ATT, VzW, etc?), I think they should have just eaten the $5 (What Clearwires charges them) and also renegotiate their contract with Clearwire to only pay them the fee where Clearwire has service.
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Actually if clearwire doesn't have service sprint doesn't pay them and takes money for themselves..thats what clearwire has been complaining about to sprint...
Here's another thing. Unlike ATT, Sprint has excess capacity on it's existing EVDO network, so it's not really costing Sprint anything to offer unlimited data on it's 3G network. It just doesn't make sense for Sprint to offer tiered data.
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The CEO of Sprint said for now he doesn't see a reason to go Tiered data but if the need arises they will..so take that as you will..
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Overall though the TP2 went for 350$ on sprint...now phones are 200$-250$ top tiered..I say that about covers most of the $10 fee

but what you fail to understand is it is called "premium data":
this includes:
free sprint tv
sprint navigation
unlimited roaming
unlimited data (3g or 4g)
sprint is aware that by owning a 4g capable device (ie epic, evo, shift 4g) that this higher end devices have better capabilities and can actually use 3g faster and better than any other device.
they are also aware that through android (did you think about the fact that all 4g capable devices are android only) there are programs that will allow you to have connection to 3g/4g on your computer via wireless tether or wired tether for free. and instead of filtering out these units, placing caps, or throttling data after it hits a certian point...they give a 10$ fee. instead of going like the other wireless giants and tremendously increasing their rates or placing outrageous caps (seriously a 2 gig cap on the iphone plan att?). and it gives you the ability to connect to 4g whenever you go to a place that has 4g.
so is the charge unfair? i think not.
but then again, this is america, where we can ***** and moan about a hot cup of coffee and make a billion in a law suit.
i honestly believe if you dont like the premium data is "unfair" go to att or verison. seriously, ***** and moan about not getting froyo or something that really matters.

diego1985 said:
Old news, but sprint data is cheaper than everyone else anyway.
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+1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=868877&highlight=lawsuit

Sprint played this dumb from the get go, it's their fault. Dan Hesse said there wouldn't be a 4G fee of any kind. Since they did indeed have to charge a 4G fee, they tried to play customers dumb by saying it's a premium data fee because it consumes more data. True, but then why don't phones like Transform, Hero, Pre and other smartphones get the fee, because I don't see them consuming any less data just because they don't have 4G.
But quite frankly, I think anyone who participates in this lawsuit is dumb and should be banned from signing contracts.

iil said:
You are assuming the 10 dollars is for 4G. I've always thought it was for more or less having a next generational phone. Both the evo/epic encourage people to use data in ways none of the other devices do. Because of the specs, everything is faster, web browsing, multtasking, gaming - even if you are on 3G.
Sprint realized that giving an unlimited buffet to a blackberry user is much different than giving an unlimited buffet to someone using these phones.
It would be interesting if sprint ends up having to release some of this data to explain the fee. Those 1tb montly users may come in handy at that time.
Even with the fee, sprint has one of the cheapest and best data plans around.
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I swear something is wrong with you,what specs?Should a gas station charge you more for regular gas if yo driving bmw instead of honda?Should Audi charge you $100 for "awesomness" of the car that you already paid in full for?
Phones get faster every two months,its only right that they get better specs.Yo dont see Vibrant/Fascinate/Captivate charge 10 dollars for their Cpu being able to process data faster?Epic is the same phone as Vibrant.
When I bought my Epic reps said that extra 10 was for a 4G service that was coming in october,but now when I ask them they say "its for Epics awesomoness and fast CPU",so which one is it sprint?
Charging me for fast CPU that I own,lol,sht is beyond ridiculous.
Remember one thing that Pentium 1,2,3,4(with same eathernet card" and beyond all download data at same speed speed and same thing applies for cell phoned.Do Time Warner charge you extra 10 dollars because you have the latest $10000 computer?No.Just to expain this to all you people that dont know no better or falling for sprints bs.

Another one bites the dust

http://androidspin.com/2011/03/01/verizon-tiered-data-plans-this-summer/
Poor people
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people can't really be surprised about this

sigh, I was actually considering switching to verizon, sprint seems to hate detroit.i guess that solidifies sticking with sprint.i don't think I could get by with a 2gb allotment per month considering I average 3gb now. Hopefully sprint realizes their unlimited data is a major aspect they have going for them and don't follow suit.

lmao just another reason to stay with sprint

i use a ton of data on my phone, but only about 50mb on 4g, as im always on wifi. 2gb would be plenty for 99% of users.
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It wont be long before Sprint announces the same thing. Book it. Every advantage they had over the larger carriers is being taken away. From S|P changes, to 10 dollar premium data to all smartphones. They will most certainly follow suit.

Yeah, no big surprise there. Just a matter of time til Sprint does the same, honestly. You guys don't really think Sprint's gonna keep their plans unlimited forever, do you? Too bad we don't have a reasonably priced carrier with good phones that doesn't pull the rug out on ya here in the U.S. As soon as you're happy with a carrier, they change something on you, in order to make more money. Sorry, but they're all businesses, and I have the same level of loyalty to Sprint that they have to me (aka none whatsoever). I've just been kinda pissed since the Sprint bait and switch over their Premier status thing. *End rant. Back to happy old me.

The reason Sprint added the $10 charge is to keep plans unlimited. They are not switching anytime soon.
Sent from my spaceship!

I hope tiered plans come to Sprint SOON! I rather pay for what I plan on using instead of paying for bandwidth I don't use.
PS. My name is HondaCop and I approve this message.

It boggles my mind that people (none in this thread) can complain about the $10 premium data charge. Sprint never charged for data before and now they charge only $10. Would people rather pay $30 a month for 5gb or $10 a month for unlimited? Seems like a no brainer to me.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I can't say one way or the other what Sprint will do or won't do b/c I don't work on the top level of Sprint... but what I can say is that I will be really pissed if they follow suit here with these capitalistic companies... I hate AT&T...never been with any one else except Sprint.... not since... PRIMECo ::head bangs:: but yeah - I have no problem with Sprint so far as they don't change to this crap... I am trying to get my wife to switch to sprint...(she is with AT&T) and they would really be stupid if they make my fight harder...
I mean look at SONY. If I wasnt sort of a non official spokes person for the PS3 - they wouldnt have made 13 sales... I sold 13 friends on the PS3 b/c they couldnt sell me on a XOBX...(I wrote it like that on purpose)... Imagine what sprint will be able to do if they continue to keep unlimited - truely UNLIMITED...

With Sprints data woes as of lately do you honestly think unlimited data is going to last forever? lol...

if we go with LTE... we will lose too...
wimax is what we need to keep on sprint.

brownhornet said:
With Sprints data woes as of lately do you honestly think unlimited data is going to last forever? lol...
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Click to collapse
LOL True dat! At 100-300 kb/s on average for 3G speeds around my area, it sure will take me more than 1 month to max out a theoretical cap of 2GB per month if it comes to that. The most ****ed up part of it is that even on my current speeds and no 4G in my area, I still had to pay that $10 fee since last summer.
PS. My name is HondaCop and I approve this message.

Sportsplayer612 said:
It boggles my mind that people (none in this thread) can complain about the $10 premium data charge. Sprint never charged for data before and now they charge only $10. Would people rather pay $30 a month for 5gb or $10 a month for unlimited? Seems like a no brainer to me.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, a lot of people are pissed because of the fact that Sprint refuses to be straight forward about the fee. At first (unofficially), it was a 4G fee. Then when that started getting bad publicity, they tried convincing people that it wasn't for 4g. It was a premium data fee. Nobody even knew what the hell that meant (including Sprint, I think). But the cat was out of the bag. Kind of hard to change your story then. I have no problem with paying the extra $10, personally, especially since I actually get 4g (even though I've used it about 3 times in almost a year). But I do think it sucks how Sprint went about the whole situation. I'd put money on Sprint following suit and getting rid of unlimited data within a year.

right now i'd rather have 4gb of constant 1-2 Mbps instead of the unlimited 500 kbps i get from sprint.

detusueno said:
right now i'd rather have 4gb of constant 1-2 Mbps instead of the unlimited 500 kbps i get from sprint.
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Click to collapse
True dat. Sprint's current 3G speeds blow. And 4G sucks down battery. Choose the lesser of the two evils.

live2ride96 said:
Actually, a lot of people are pissed because of the fact that Sprint refuses to be straight forward about the fee. At first (unofficially), it was a 4G fee. Then when that started getting bad publicity, they tried convincing people that it wasn't for 4g. It was a premium data fee. Nobody even knew what the hell that meant (including Sprint, I think). But the cat was out of the bag. Kind of hard to change your story then. I have no problem with paying the extra $10, personally, especially since I actually get 4g (even though I've used it about 3 times in almost a year). But I do think it sucks how Sprint went about the whole situation. I'd put money on Sprint following suit and getting rid of unlimited data within a year.
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Click to collapse
They never once said it was a 4G fee, it has and always will be a "premium data fee", however people continue to say that it's a 4G fee because only "4G" phones had it at first.

DirtyShroomz said:
They never once said it was a 4G fee, it has and always will be a "premium data fee", however people continue to say that it's a 4G fee because only "4G" phones had it at first.
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Click to collapse
If only 4G phones had it at first, then it's a 4G fee no matter how much you and Sprint try to sugarcoat it.
PS. My name is HondaCop and I approve this message.

detusueno said:
right now i'd rather have 4gb of constant 1-2 Mbps instead of the unlimited 500 kbps i get from sprint.
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Click to collapse
AMEN!
I'll take a 4GB of consistantly fast data speed over a crappy unlimited 200 kbps (what i'm currently getting from sprint) any day of the week.

canceled sprint after 10 years THUNDERBOLT

Well... I pulled the trigger canceling my family account with FIVE phones, 3 evos and 2 epics. It took me a bloody four hours to restock the thunderbolts with apps but it looks well worth the trouble. Man I really hate leaving sprint after a decade but their bloody network is falling apart. My home is still not on their coverage map for ANYTHING.. we had to roam just to talk and data was useless. The thunderbolt appears a bit brighter than the evo and perhaps a tiny bit snappier... I am able to use my 8x8 voip app on verizon 3g that never worked on sprint...nice benefit. Five phone family plan it looks like will cost $35-$55 MORE each month than Sprint..however.. with Sprint I was paying for service I did not have..not just the 4g but basic voice! The evo was great when visiting Atlanta or Vegas but was still hampered by Sprint's network everywhere in between. Sense is updated a bit on the thunderbolt.. that is cool... and I must have been the only guy using the stock carbon fiber background because it is missing...
Pass on any Thunderbolt specific questions... I am far more loyal to HTC/android than to a carrier.

I hope you enjoy the TBOLTS
I am VERY close to pulling the same trigger.

Just curious, why would you stay with sprint for 10 years if your coverage sucked?

I'm next - will be pulling the trigger in the next day or two. Sprints network is killing me. It's like going into a bar, paying for a beer and getting nothing. Every day....

IMiLL102911 said:
Just curious, why would you stay with sprint for 10 years if your coverage sucked?
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i was just about to ask that same thing, i would've jumped 10 yrs ago haha . Enjoy it though! at least you didn't jump ship for some senseless reason

Good decision but what made you keep it for a decade if their service was horrible?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

wiltok said:
I'm next - will be pulling the trigger in the next day or two. Sprints network is killing me. It's like going into a bar, paying for a beer and getting nothing. Every day....
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Click to collapse
that's the story with Verizon around here, you actually roam on sprint if you have a verizon phone in my apartment.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

I'm so jealous, wish I could do the same
itsKshiue

I returned my gtab yesterday I loved everything about sprint for the almost 30 days I had it but the dial up speeds are a deal breaker I am on tmo now and enjoying real 4g speeds it seems sprint is just ignoring network issues and obviously its making customers jump the ship... very sad
Sent from my Zio using XDA App

Man, if I had put up with them for ten years, I sure as hell would have waited a few more months and gone with one of the dual cores coming out.

IMiLL102911 said:
Just curious, why would you stay with sprint for 10 years if your coverage sucked?
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Click to collapse
excellent question... I used to travel quite a bit and it really was not an issue... we have been in our home 15 years... BEFORE verizon purchased alltel our sprint phones would roam on the alltel tower behind my home and all was made for love... in fact.. it was blazing fast, voice was fine, etc. starting about twelve months ago data started crawling at 5k if at all... it was like 1990! My investigation apart from sprint's lame excuses led me to find that the alltel roaming agreements with sprint were no longer honored by Verizon as they had been in the past... in short, verizon would allow voice and email only as bandwidth is throttled so much that little else can be obtained.. then a few months after data dropped out voice started flaking out... remember.. ALL this is on roam as there is ZERO sprint coverage.. has always been zero sprint coverage at my home... so I guess it was Verizon's purchase of Alltel that killed Sprint for me.. I hope this answers your question... it has be a long and tortuous year as information from Sprint was not actionable.. they even sent me a free router type thing to boost my signal but after it failed to work they admitted even it would not work at my location since zero connectivity to any of their towers could be effected... originally Sprint support had said all I needed was dsl and it would work over that but then said it still had to contact a tower... there are only 4.5 million people in my state so I guess our market is too small for Sprint

I am curious about your plan and pricing. $35 -$55 difference per month is a lot less than I was able to calculate out when I was looking at switching to verizon. Can you share some of the plan details? I may need to revisit.

spaziod said:
Well... I pulled the trigger canceling my family account with FIVE phones, 3 evos and 2 epics. It took me a bloody four hours to restock the thunderbolts with apps but it looks well worth the trouble. Man I really hate leaving sprint after a decade but their bloody network is falling apart. My home is still not on their coverage map for ANYTHING.. we had to roam just to talk and data was useless. The thunderbolt appears a bit brighter than the evo and perhaps a tiny bit snappier... I am able to use my 8x8 voip app on verizon 3g that never worked on sprint...nice benefit. Five phone family plan it looks like will cost $35-$55 MORE each month than Sprint..however.. with Sprint I was paying for service I did not have..not just the 4g but basic voice! The evo was great when visiting Atlanta or Vegas but was still hampered by Sprint's network everywhere in between. Sense is updated a bit on the thunderbolt.. that is cool... and I must have been the only guy using the stock carbon fiber background because it is missing...
Pass on any Thunderbolt specific questions... I am far more loyal to HTC/android than to a carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the TB nation lol. Honestly if the data didnt get atrocious over the past few months I wouldnt have switched but pretty glad I did. I only pay about $20 more a month than I did with Sprint. Still have my sprint line for now though.. thinking I may put a tablet on it.

corynat said:
I am curious about your plan and pricing. $35 -$55 difference per month is a lot less than I was able to calculate out when I was looking at switching to verizon. Can you share some of the plan details? I may need to revisit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a 22% "employee" discount with Sprint but that only applies to the base charge not the $10 4g penality nor the 19.95 or whatever it was for phones 3-5. Verizon is currently giving me 9% discount.. guess it works the same way... I will know for sure once I have the first invoice in 30 days or so..

corynat said:
I am curious about your plan and pricing. $35 -$55 difference per month is a lot less than I was able to calculate out when I was looking at switching to verizon. Can you share some of the plan details? I may need to revisit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant speak for family plans, but for me it was pretty much like this.
Sprint
450 Minutes Everything Data 69.99
Premium Data 10.00
Tep 7.00
Total 86.99 + taxes a month
Free any mobile
I dont talk on the phone much, avg about 100 mins a month even WITH free nights, unlimited mobile etc
Thats with 4G I cant use
Verizon
450 Minutes Talk and Text 59.99
Unlimited Data (LTE Included) 29.99
Tep 6.99
Dont use visual voicemail, never have but its 1.99 on VZW.. ive always used Google Voice
Free calling to VZW customers (about 80% of which most people I talk to have)
Total 96.97 a month plus taxes
So on avg I pay about $10-20 a month more for my VZW line than I do with Sprint. Listening to people on here youd think id be paying $40-50 a month more per line but I dont. Thats why I dont get why people keep harping on the fact of how much more expensive VZW is when its really not even that much of a difference. For $10-20 more a month I get more coverage, faster data and a wider phone selection. It is what it is.

Individual lines sure, our family line with zerizon was 70 more per month.. and that was with one smart phone. We now all have smart phones. Big difference here.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

brownhornet said:
Thats why I dont get why people keep harping on the fact of how much more expensive VZW is when its really not even that much of a difference. For $10-20 more a month I get more coverage, faster data and a wider phone selection. It is what it is.
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Click to collapse
$120-$240 a year is significant. That's more than I pay for a years worth of Comcast internet.

brownhornet said:
I cant speak for family plans, but for me it was pretty much like this.
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Click to collapse
There is a large difference for family plans unfortunately. I thought we were switching last summer till I started comparing numbers. What you have to take into account is that for a family plan VZW charges you the $30 data fee PER PHONE. Sprint charges that $30 data fee once for the entire family plan.
It adds up extremely quick.
And when you're in an area that gets just as good of Spring coverage as Verizon, it's kind of a no brain-er. Shoot, I'm posting off of the 4G wi-fi tether from my phone right now.

brownhornet said:
I cant speak for family plans, but for me it was pretty much like this.
Sprint
450 Minutes Everything Data 69.99
Premium Data 10.00
Tep 7.00
Total 86.99 + taxes a month
Free any mobile
I dont talk on the phone much, avg about 100 mins a month even WITH free nights, unlimited mobile etc
Thats with 4G I cant use
Verizon
450 Minutes Talk and Text 59.99
Unlimited Data (LTE Included) 29.99
Tep 6.99
Dont use visual voicemail, never have but its 1.99 on VZW.. ive always used Google Voice
Free calling to VZW customers (about 80% of which most people I talk to have)
Total 96.97 a month plus taxes
So on avg I pay about $10-20 a month more for my VZW line than I do with Sprint. Listening to people on here youd think id be paying $40-50 a month more per line but I dont. Thats why I dont get why people keep harping on the fact of how much more expensive VZW is when its really not even that much of a difference. For $10-20 more a month I get more coverage, faster data and a wider phone selection. It is what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enjoy your "unlimited" data while it lasts. You know it won't. Expect a premium data fee or 4g fee like the EVO had. Now all Sprint smartphones have it.
Pocket posted...

brownhornet said:
I cant speak for family plans, but for me it was pretty much like this.
Sprint
450 Minutes Everything Data 69.99
Premium Data 10.00
Tep 7.00
Total 86.99 + taxes a month
Free any mobile
I dont talk on the phone much, avg about 100 mins a month even WITH free nights, unlimited mobile etc
Thats with 4G I cant use
Verizon
450 Minutes Talk and Text 59.99
Unlimited Data (LTE Included) 29.99
Tep 6.99
Dont use visual voicemail, never have but its 1.99 on VZW.. ive always used Google Voice
Free calling to VZW customers (about 80% of which most people I talk to have)
Total 96.97 a month plus taxes
So on avg I pay about $10-20 a month more for my VZW line than I do with Sprint. Listening to people on here youd think id be paying $40-50 a month more per line but I dont. Thats why I dont get why people keep harping on the fact of how much more expensive VZW is when its really not even that much of a difference. For $10-20 more a month I get more coverage, faster data and a wider phone selection. It is what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple things you didn't mention:
Sprint's nights and weekends start at 7pm, Verizon is either 9:01 or 9:31 can't remember which
Another value added feature is Sprint navigation. I am aware that you can just use Google navigation but in many cases the Sprint nav is better. With Sprint it's included, with Verizon it's $9.99/month per phone. I realize you can get a Verizon plan that's only slightly more than Sprint but I feel that if you're going to compare, you should compare apples to apples.
I'll be at 10yrs Sept. 1 and I've gotten too used to yearly upgrades that I wouldn't consider going to another company. My question for the OP: Why didn't you just call them up and ask for an Airvanna for free? I have one even though I don't really need it, my service is good.