Database Users

[Q] Device Insurance

There will be 3 Epics in my household come 8/31. I am wondering if we could get away with purchasing insurance for just one of the Epics, and have it cover all 3.
Do they record the serial number of the phone and tie it to each insurance policy? What about any other info that could tie a specific phone to the policy rather than just the phone model?
If not, I don't see how we couldn't have 1 policy cover all 3 phones. Thanks

quasi13 said:
There will be 3 Epics in my household come 8/31. I am wondering if we could get away with purchasing insurance for just one of the Epics, and have it cover all 3.
Do they record the serial number of the phone and tie it to each insurance policy? What about any other info that could tie a specific phone to the policy rather than just the phone model?
If not, I don't see how we couldn't have 1 policy cover all 3 phones. Thanks
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Each phone is tied to a line. If Sprint was a GSM network then maybe you could go sim card swaps and maybe get away with it. However since each phone on CDMA networks is stuck to a phone number and thus a line, I am pretty sure they can tell which phone is being replaced.
e.g. if i have 3 phones with numbers 000-000-0000, 111-111-1111 and 222-222-2222, and phone 111-111-1111 breaks but only 000-000-0000 is insured, and I bring in 111-111-1111 to replace it as 000-000-0000 which is insured, any new phone they send me would be activated as 000-000-0000 in other words they'd see that they are activating a phone for a number already in use. I hope this idea makes some sense.

This will not work at all. If you DO decide to swap the phones around, you can't put in a claim or repair until the device has been active on that line for 30 days.

ben7337 said:
Each phone is tied to a line. If Sprint was a GSM network then maybe you could go sim card swaps and maybe get away with it. However since each phone on CDMA networks is stuck to a phone number and thus a line, I am pretty sure they can tell which phone is being replaced.
e.g. if i have 3 phones with numbers 000-000-0000, 111-111-1111 and 222-222-2222, and phone 111-111-1111 breaks but only 000-000-0000 is insured, and I bring in 111-111-1111 to replace it as 000-000-0000 which is insured, any new phone they send me would be activated as 000-000-0000 in other words they'd see that they are activating a phone for a number already in use. I hope this idea makes some sense.
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Yes - that makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply and good info!
So at $7 per month and a $100 deductible, it would take 57 months to total the $500 off-contract price of the Epic.
If we got the insurance for all 3 phones, it'd be 1/3 the amount of time; 19 months to total $500 between us. The insurance still seems appealing (at least until used Epics start showing up on Ebay for ~$200).
If we wait until day 29 to add the Equipment Replacement Program, is accidental damage, theft, etc. covered for the first 4 weeks after the phone is purchased? (Does that 30-day satisfaction policy cover this?)
Thanks!

I was told by a sprint rep that the deductible for the Epic would be $150 - and you only get one replacement. Then they drop your insurance.

Actually... there is actually a loophole to have all your phones covered with only 1 insurance on your lines but I won't write it on here (sorry guys) and nothing is covered with the first 30 day policy except a return/exchange. Damage, theft, etc must be done thru insurance not thru the 30 day policy.

DirtyShroomz said:
Actually... there is actually a loophole to have all your phones covered with only 1 insurance on your lines but I won't write it on here (sorry guys) and nothing is covered with the first 30 day policy except a return/exchange. Damage, theft, etc must be done thru insurance not thru the 30 day policy.
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Sorry to bother u bro, when u get a chance can u pm me about this?
Sent from my SPH-M910 using XDA App

quasi13 said:
There will be 3 Epics in my household come 8/31. I am wondering if we could get away with purchasing insurance for just one of the Epics, and have it cover all 3.
Do they record the serial number of the phone and tie it to each insurance policy? What about any other info that could tie a specific phone to the policy rather than just the phone model?
If not, I don't see how we couldn't have 1 policy cover all 3 phones. Thanks
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Get the best buy insurance instead of the sprint insurance and you can do this. The best buy salesman actually suggested it to me when my wife and I bought the same phone. We are on a family plan and he just added one insurance policy. He said if either breaks just bring it in and we get a new one. Pretty sweet deal in my opinion.

Kcarpenter said:
I was told by a sprint rep that the deductible for the Epic would be $150 - and you only get one replacement. Then they drop your insurance.
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You were told the wrong info. That rep was a moron.

richse said:
Get the best buy insurance instead of the sprint insurance and you can do this. The best buy salesman actually suggested it to me when my wife and I bought the same phone. We are on a family plan and he just added one insurance policy. He said if either breaks just bring it in and we get a new one. Pretty sweet deal in my opinion.
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I assume I'd have to buy the phone from them, too? I have a hard time giving BB my business, so, if that's the case, I'll have to pass.

Lots of odd information in here. Sprint's insurance is tied to a particular phone number, it has nothing to do with the phone, they cover whatever phone is on that number. There is a way to scam their system, but I won't be posting it. Best Buy lied to you. They lie to sell PSP. Their insurance is garbage, it used to be worth messing with back in the days of the Treo 600, but they changed it. I ended up causing such a scene over the change I got a Treo 650 for free. Sprints TEP is good because it covers manufacturer's defects too. I know you have a 1 year warranty, but that always take WEEKS to get settled. If your phone messes up with Sprint and is isn't physical, lost, or water the almost always replace it in store. If the phone can still make and receive calls they usually order a new one for you. I have gotten upgraded MANY times due to a phone being faulty. $7 is a lot of money over the course of a 1 or 2 year contract, especially considering there is still a $100 deductible if it is physical,lost or water. Given my history with phones and the fact that it covers manufacturer's defects and random issues for free, I always keep the insurance. If I was using a free or cheap phone I would pass though.

Just one additional thought OP, what you're describing is insurance fraud, sorry to say. it may not be huge insurance fraud but its fraud nonetheless.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

ls3mach said:
Lots of odd information in here. Sprint's insurance is tied to a particular phone number, it has nothing to do with the phone, they cover whatever phone is on that number. There is a way to scam their system, but I won't be posting it. Best Buy lied to you. They lie to sell PSP. Their insurance is garbage, it used to be worth messing with back in the days of the Treo 600, but they changed it. I ended up causing such a scene over the change I got a Treo 650 for free. Sprints TEP is good because it covers manufacturer's defects too. I know you have a 1 year warranty, but that always take WEEKS to get settled. If your phone messes up with Sprint and is isn't physical, lost, or water the almost always replace it in store. If the phone can still make and receive calls they usually order a new one for you. I have gotten upgraded MANY times due to a phone being faulty. $7 is a lot of money over the course of a 1 or 2 year contract, especially considering there is still a $100 deductible if it is physical,lost or water. Given my history with phones and the fact that it covers manufacturer's defects and random issues for free, I always keep the insurance. If I was using a free or cheap phone I would pass though.
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The best buy insurance gets me a new phone even if I drop it off a building or in a pool. Sounds good to me! Tell me why its bad?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

richse said:
The best buy insurance gets me a new phone even if I drop it off a building or in a pool. Sounds good to me! Tell me why its bad?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
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Have you ever used the Best Buy insurance? It didn't work anything like what I was told or how you described when it actually came time to collect. My Sprint insurance netted me upgrades MULTIPLE times over as we have 15 or so lines. PPC6700>Mogul, Mogul>TP1, TP1>TP2, MotoQ>Intrepid. I have also gotten my phone replaced for something small every time I go to sell them so I can sell either a brand new one or a like new refurbished unit. I have actually made money on every upgrade I have done since my Treo650. I will never use BestBuy or their PSP again. I have bought them on about 10 items, in my life, only 1 time has it worked out for me. Even then it was not what I was promised and they basically just sent my item back to the manufacturer and foot the repair bill. That was after I had to speak with about 10 people finally ending up with a store GM. You can do what you want, but for my money I will stick with what has been working in my benefit since 2004. I will however buy my phones through Bestbuy or Radioshack to avoid the MIR.

I cannot even believe this discussion is real. The PSP for the Epic is $170, I believe that is before taxes are added. That works out to be the same price, save the deductible, and Sprint does in-store swap outs and repairs. They also overnight your phone for free if you do have to file an actual claim. I am on a Premier account so I wouldn't even get the full value of my $170 PSP, even if it wasn't garbage.

May I ask where you guys got the information that the deductible for the Epic is 150+?

A Square Trade warranty might work for you. I don't know if they would take a serial number down for a cell phone or not, but they do require a receipt so having three phones my set off a flag for them. There quote is $144.00 and a $50 deductible applies to some claims. They do have 30% off coupon regularly which would bring it to $100 and you have 30 days from product purchase to buy their warranty.

foolforfood said:
Just one additional thought OP, what you're describing is insurance fraud, sorry to say. it may not be huge insurance fraud but its fraud nonetheless.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
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I was aware that it might be fraud before I posted, but it really depends fine print. I would expect this type of thing would be so obvious that they'd cover it in the fine print.
I gotta run though - I need to move my car to the driveway, fill up my pillow case with golf balls, and wait for the storms to roll in!

foolforfood said:
Just one additional thought OP, what you're describing is insurance fraud, sorry to say. it may not be huge insurance fraud but its fraud nonetheless.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
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Wow. lol - He probably make you drive in the right lane and god forbid you speed.
quasi13 said:
I was aware that it might be fraud before I posted, but it really depends fine print. I would expect this type of thing would be so obvious that they'd cover it in the fine print.
I gotta run though - I need to move my car to the driveway, fill up my pillow case with golf balls, and wait for the storms to roll in!
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That's funny right there!

35% off Square Trade Coupon here http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2194239 Not sure if you can buy in advance but liek I said, these coupons come up every couple weeks.

Good news for Sprint insurance holders and non-holders

http://www.talkandroid.com/19013-sp...idForums+(Android+News,+Rumours,+and+Updates)
What will people complain about next when it comes to Sprint?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Holy ****. Sprint, why are you guys so nice?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

this really is a brilliant strategy

I have a smashed spare EVO (both LCD and Glass is cracked), so according to this I could take it to the Sprint store and get it repaired for $35 WITHOUT insurance? Hmmm... sounds way too good to be true. If it is, I wonder if that still applies if I got the phone via bestbuy.
Edit: Now that I think about it, aren't there TWO different insurance options. I'm guessing you need the the lower one (non-TEP) for this to apply at all.

Wonder if this applies to missing rsa keys, for 4g.
I would think that would fall under software upgrades. Hopefully it does, so i can get 4g back

I currently have insurance on my TP2, but now I'm thinking about removing it for the new phone. NOT having it actually sounds MORE cost-effective, unless serious/water damage occurs.

Phatmans law: Once you cancel the insurance comes the time you need it most.

Oh so sweet

I can confirm this. Im a technician at a corporate store. and we started this the 23rd.
Its quite amazing. But to note, we only repair phones at no charge with TEP or w/o if its 3 parts or less.

Probably trying to head off a class action lawsuit from the reboot issue.

I rarely see the value in TEP. $7/month doesn't sound like a lot of money, but it comes to $84 a year. When my wife lost her Moto Q9c a couple of years ago, I bought her a different Q9c on Craigslist for $75. TEP would have required me to pay a $100 deductible on top of the $7 monthly fee that I would have been paying all along.
My biggest fear with the Evo is breaking the glass or LCD. Now that Sprint offers to replace it for $35, that fear is all but gone. Don't forget that most phones come with a 1 year warranty and Sprint repair centers will do their best to repair warranty issues in the store (they replaced my Touch Pro keyboard for free). If you're a Premier Sprint customer, you're also eligible for annual upgrades. In a year, I expect Sprint will have a fancier dual-core phone available at which point my Evo will become Craigslist or eBay fodder to fund the cost of my upgrade.
TEP might make sense if you're accident prone, absent-minded, or abusive, but for me, well, I'm still taking my chances (knocks on wood).

phatmanxxl said:
Phatmans law: Once you cancel the insurance comes the time you need it most.
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I had tep for months on my touch. I canceled it on a Thursday, Friday morning it locked and wouldn't power up. The only good side is I got my evo as a result
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DirtyShroomz said:
http://www.talkandroid.com/19013-sp...idForums+(Android+News,+Rumours,+and+Updates)
What will people complain about next when it comes to Sprint?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Great news sprint is just getting better and better

I don't see what all the hype is about because it's the same rip off deal TEP subscribers had to begin with. No matter what's wrong with your phone the crappy Sprint tech's will find a way to say it's water damage or it's user damage to make you pay that $100 insurance charge. Sprint insurance/repair centers are the biggest rip offs around. Now if they said for the people that pay them $7/mo you get no hassle phone exchanges and when the cheaply made usb ports break, you don't force insurance down our throats when you can either fix i or replace the phone for free. ok, off my soap box now but I still don't see any changes worth even announcing

It doesnt count for extreme physical damage, like a shattered/spiderwebbed LCD, or liquid damage, thats what Asurion is for.

nxtech3 said:
It doesnt count for extreme physical damage, like a shattered/spiderwebbed LCD, or liquid damage, thats what Asurion is for.
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What about a broken camera lens cover? Think they'd cover that?

nxtech3 said:
It doesnt count for extreme physical damage, like a shattered/spiderwebbed LCD, or liquid damage, thats what Asurion is for.
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So what's the difference between cracked lcd and shattered one?

samrozzi said:
I can confirm this. Im a technician at a corporate store. and we started this the 23rd.
Its quite amazing. But to note, we only repair phones at no charge with TEP or w/o if its 3 parts or less.
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so do they repair 4g issue?

samrozzi said:
I can confirm this. Im a technician at a corporate store. and we started this the 23rd.
Its quite amazing. But to note, we only repair phones at no charge with TEP or w/o if its 3 parts or less.
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Do is cover the repair of shattered/broken LCDs? Or is the other poster correct in saying that it doesn't include excessive damage?

Zomfgawad a carrier actually treating their customers like people instead of stock numbers?!?!? THE NERVE!

[Q] Sprint Contract Cancellation

Anybody here had any dealings with Sprint Early Termination? I wonder if there is some sort of lemon clause or something. I'm on my 4th EVO in 4 months. Screen, USB, Volume Rocker, USB. They have replaced it under warranty each time, no charge. I guess i have a pretty good argument. This is a business phone/account so down time is money. Even if its only a couple hours each issue. Well you can bet that i'll give it a try. Hopefully the Nexus S will give me the nudge i need to call and raise hell. My 4th New EVO will be here Tuesday. At least i'll have a new phone to sell.. That's if you can keep the phone when you early terminate. Can you? I wonder if you can keep it if they let you out early... Like my situation. Hmmm Anybody had any dealings with either scenario? Thanks in advance!
ps. Please dont turn this thread in to an EVO is a great phone, why would you want to cancel thread. I know its a great phone.. When it works. I really want to get back to t-mobile. I had absolutely no issues with them in the past...Years of service. They are cheaper and their 4g is available in my area. Sprint is not, and has no plans to be any time soon. Thanks so much.

When I was on my Fourth Evo in three months, I called and told them that their customer service sucked and that T-Mobile customer service was way better. Told them that I was seriously rethinking my choices in switching to Sprint. After about 30 minutes of putting down the customer service rep's supervisor, they transfered me to someone higher up who told me that they would cancel my service.
That wasn't my objective, my objective was getting a credit because I was traveling about 30 miles to the store where I purchased my phone to get replacements. That was a 45 minute trip each way, plus waiting in the store for an average of 45 minutes. That's 2 hours and 15 minutes with no compensation. In the end, I ended getting a 100 dollar credit and was put on a employers discount plan.

I sometimes wonder whether there's some kind of check box or something in our account information that tells customer service who won't take any crap. They used to kick me around, but they've treated me like a VIP ever since I reported Sprint to the Better Business Bureau and the States Attorneys General of both California (where I live) and Kansas (where Sprint does).
This dates back to when the Treo 600 was Sprint's flagship phone. I bought one when they were brand new and exactly a year and a week later it quit connecting to the network. Sprint told me that they couldn't fix a phone that was out of warranty (even for a fee) and I'd have to send it to Palm. Palm insisted (correctly) that they were under contractual obligation which prevented them from fixing Sprint phones and I'd have to take it to Sprint. Neither company would budge so I was stuck with a broken phone which was still one of Sprints flagship products.
Now I didn't think it was right that an expensive device like a year-old Treo 600 could be considered disposable, so I complained to the organizations I mentioned above and it wasn't long before I was contacted by a representative from Sprint's "Executive & Regulatory Services" who was eager to help me. Too bad it was before Verizon coined the phrase 'cause I would have loved to ask them "Can you hear me now?"
Anyway, I got a new Treo 650 (when they were still vaporware), a generous credit, and a guarantee that Sprint had addressed the "misunderstanding" and it wouldn't happen to other customers. And like I said, I've been treated like a VIP when I call Sprint ever since.
Apparently they don't forget who they can kick around and who they can't.
Pete

PGRtoo said:
I sometimes wonder whether there's some kind of check box or something in our account information that tells customer service who won't take any crap. They used to kick me around, but they've treated me like a VIP ever since I reported Sprint to the Better Business Bureau and the States Attorneys General of both California (where I live) and Kansas (where Sprint does).
This dates back to when the Treo 600 was Sprint's flagship phone. I bought one when they were brand new and exactly a year and a week later it quit connecting to the network. Sprint told me that they couldn't fix a phone that was out of warranty (even for a fee) and I'd have to send it to Palm. Palm insisted (correctly) that they were under contractual obligation which prevented them from fixing Sprint phones and I'd have to take it to Sprint. Neither company would budge so I was stuck with a broken phone which was still one of Sprints flagship products.
Now I didn't think it was right that an expensive device like a year-old Treo 600 could be considered disposable, so I complained to the organizations I mentioned above and it wasn't long before I was contacted by a representative from Sprint's "Executive & Regulatory Services" who was eager to help me. Too bad it was before Verizon coined the phrase 'cause I would have loved to ask them "Can you hear me now?"
Anyway, I got a new Treo 650 (when they were still vaporware), a generous credit, and a guarantee that Sprint had addressed the "misunderstanding" and it wouldn't happen to other customers. And like I said, I've been treated like a VIP when I call Sprint ever since.
Apparently they don't forget who they can kick around and who they can't.
Pete
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It's not cause you reported them to the BBB but because Sprint made a fundamental change in their business operations once CEO Dan Hesse was brought on board. The very first thing he did was overhaul the customer service departments. Sprint from 2006 is not the Sprint of today.
I think it's only fair to give them credit.

I had went through 5 hero's (dust under screen, buttons,ect) When I got my 5th with speaker problems they told me that I had to buy a new phone because they only give out 5 replacements max. After 1 week of calling over and over talking to a mess of different people and complaining they bumped my upgrade eligibility up by 8 months and now sitting with my EVO. Thank you sprint.

As long as your contract is settled if they want you to pay the ETF or not, you can keep the Evo. If you owe anything it'd be black listed and wouldn't be able to be used on sprint's network.
Even if you pay the ETF you can probably still come out ahead selling the Evo on ebay.
nugzo said:
Anybody here had any dealings with Sprint Early Termination? I wonder if there is some sort of lemon clause or something. I'm on my 4th EVO in 4 months. Screen, USB, Volume Rocker, USB. They have replaced it under warranty each time, no charge. I guess i have a pretty good argument. This is a business phone/account so down time is money. Even if its only a couple hours each issue. Well you can bet that i'll give it a try. Hopefully the Nexus S will give me the nudge i need to call and raise hell. My 4th New EVO will be here Tuesday. At least i'll have a new phone to sell.. That's if you can keep the phone when you early terminate. Can you? I wonder if you can keep it if they let you out early... Like my situation. Hmmm Anybody had any dealings with either scenario? Thanks in advance!
ps. Please dont turn this thread in to an EVO is a great phone, why would you want to cancel thread. I know its a great phone.. When it works. I really want to get back to t-mobile. I had absolutely no issues with them in the past...Years of service. They are cheaper and their 4g is available in my area. Sprint is not, and has no plans to be any time soon. Thanks so much.
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atoy74 said:
It's not cause you reported them to the BBB but because Sprint made a fundamental change in their business operations once CEO Dan Hesse was brought on board. The very first thing he did was overhaul the customer service departments. Sprint from 2006 is not the Sprint of today.
I think it's only fair to give them credit.
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Fair enough.
But the event I described came to it's conclusion in October of 2004.
Pete

The car business are not the only companies with an official lemon law however, it also covers RVs, Boats and wheelchairs, so I think your EVO might not make the cut. I have had two cars at my dealership bought back.
Consumer protection legislation typically labels vehicles as "lemons" if the same problem recurs despite multiple repair attempts (such as three times in a row over a short period, where previous attempts have not fixed the problem) or where defects have caused a new vehicle to be out of service for a prolonged period (typically thirty days or longer) for repairs{/I]
So even if their was one for the EVO, it would most likely not apply to your situation.
That being said, I have had 3 EVOs replaced for the Screen separating, I find it quite nice that sprint keeps repairing phones, because realistically it cost them for every phone they give away for free because of it being defective. As for T-mo being cheaper, I highly doubt it.
What I see here is someone who does not have 4G in their area and wants to go back to T-mo for HSPA. Thats called "Buyers Remorse" and BBB and Sprint both frown on that.
For the record, I sat in a Union meeting with 5 of my coworkers, 4 on T-mo Galaxy S, 1 on Verizon Droid and me on Sprint. We all did speed test. They got between 0.5Mbps and 1.5Mbps while I was getting 4.5Mbps. Don't believe the hype.
If 4G hasn't gotten to you yet, you have my sympathy because I understand paying $10 extra on your plan (regardless of what it is for) can be frustrating, but Plan for Plan unless your getting some special discount, Sprint is the cheapest unlimited Phone/Text/Data plan.

I don't see how your problem is related to Sprint and the service they provide. You contracted with Sprint to provide you with a cell phone service, which they have provided. Your problem is with the build quality of your HTC phone.
I doubt they would terminate your contract without a fee unless the problem was related to Sprint's service. They have provided you with free replacements and I believe at best you could get a different phone from them, but they have not failed in their contract obligations in any way.

nukedukem said:
I don't see how your problem is related to Sprint and the service they provide. You contracted with Sprint to provide you with a cell phone service, which they have provided. Your problem is with the build quality of your HTC phone.
I doubt they would terminate your contract without a fee unless the problem was related to Sprint's service. They have provided you with free replacements and I believe at best you could get a different phone from them, but they have not failed in their contract obligations in any way.
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As a former mobile CSR, I'm going to have to agree with this post. How is it that you guys are having so many problems with your phones anyway? I buy smartphones on Craigslist and I have a drawer-full of them. OP is having more problems with just the EVO than I've had with any phone at any time combined. (This includes two EVOs and one Epic.)
If your wireless provider has replaced your mobile phone multiple times without charge, you probably should be thankful.
And to answer your questions OP, there's no such thing as a lemon clause. If you cancel, you keep the phone unless you're in your carrier's 'buyer's remorse' period - which you are not.

The only time Ive seen it happen it had to with rreception or billing issues
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nukedukem said:
I don't see how your problem is related to Sprint and the service they provide. You contracted with Sprint to provide you with a cell phone service, which they have provided. Your problem is with the build quality of your HTC phone.
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Can't say about yours, but my Evo says Sprint in the upper right corner and it doesn't go away when I turn off the phone.
Please note that I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm just making a couple observations.
Pete

I like turtles
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nukedukem said:
I don't see how your problem is related to Sprint and the service they provide. You contracted with Sprint to provide you with a cell phone service, which they have provided. Your problem is with the build quality of your HTC phone.
I doubt they would terminate your contract without a fee unless the problem was related to Sprint's service. They have provided you with free replacements and I believe at best you could get a different phone from them, but they have not failed in their contract obligations in any way.
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illogic6 said:
As a former mobile CSR, I'm going to have to agree with this post. How is it that you guys are having so many problems with your phones anyway? I buy smartphones on Craigslist and I have a drawer-full of them. OP is having more problems with just the EVO than I've had with any phone at any time combined. (This includes two EVOs and one Epic.)
If your wireless provider has replaced your mobile phone multiple times without charge, you probably should be thankful.
And to answer your questions OP, there's no such thing as a lemon clause. If you cancel, you keep the phone unless you're in your carrier's 'buyer's remorse' period - which you are not.
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So if i buy an accord from a dealership, and have problems, i would have to take it up with honda japan to get my issue resolved? The dealership is not responsible for taking care of my problems? Why, because their duty was to sell me the car, and that is done, so no more obligation to me? Wow, you guys are a bright pair. lol. That is the most ridiculous thing i've heard in a while....toddlers included.
Oh and i've had about 20 different phones in my life and this is the very first one i've ever had replaced.
thefredelement said:
As long as your contract is settled if they want you to pay the ETF or not, you can keep the Evo. If you owe anything it'd be black listed and wouldn't be able to be used on sprint's network.
Even if you pay the ETF you can probably still come out ahead selling the Evo on ebay.
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Say Sprint says... Sorry Mr. Nugzo that you have had so many problems with the EVO we sold you. We will waive the ETF for you and wish you luck with your next carrier. I wonder if they would require the phone to be returned, i did already pay $200 that went towards the phone. I wouldn't mind giving the phone up if they refunded the $200 as well. After all they have already agreed that their merchandise has caused my problems. Of course they didn't do it on purpose, but that is irrelevant. I guess i'm kinda asking this in the wrong place. Majority of the people reading this are current sprint customers, so they havent been presented with this exact scenario, just looking for similar scenarios i guess. Anyway i'll have the answer soon enough. When i get it, i'll let every one know how it went down. Thanks everyone for contributing.

The United States is the only country where a SERVICE PROVIDER also sells the phone for customer convenience. I wonder how you all would feel if they stopped all this and you had to buy your phones from the MAKER directly. No more calling Sprint because you don't like a phone HTC built, not Sprint. No problems with TMo right? I forgot, they have different phone makers /sarcasm
I also have never had nor needed a replacement with any phone I've ever owned. I wonder what some of you guys are really doing to your devices.
By the way you will not have your ETF waived because of phone replacements, especially when your brand new working phone you're waiting for is... well, working. How many months do you have left on your contract?
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nugzo said:
So if i buy an accord from a dealership, and have problems, i would have to take it up with honda japan to get my issue resolved? The dealership is not responsible for taking care of my problems? Why, because their duty was to sell me the car, and that is done, so no more obligation to me? Wow, you guys are a bright pair. lol. That is the most ridiculous thing i've heard in a while....toddlers included.
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There's no need to be a douche bag. You asked a question and we answered it for you. Even if you don't completely understand the nature of the business, you don't need to insult those that do.

DirtyShroomz said:
The United States is the only country where a SERVICE PROVIDER also sells the phone for customer convenience. I wonder how you all would feel if they stopped all this and you had to buy your phones from the MAKER directly. No more calling Sprint because you don't like a phone HTC built, not Sprint. No problems with TMo right? I forgot, they have different phone makers /sarcasm
I also have never had nor needed a replacement with any phone I've ever owned. I wonder what some of you guys are really doing to your devices.
By the way you will not have your ETF waived because of phone replacements, especially when your brand new working phone you're waiting for is... well, working. How many months do you have left on your contract?
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I disagree. Sprint sold me the phone, thet are responsible for it. This is a business account, not a personal account, so everytime my phone is down i am potentially losing money.. Most of the time big business like sprint will do the right thing in a situation like this. Oh and i got this email the other day, after he called and woke me up at 7:00am lol Asked for me email.
"My name is Andre ****** Sprint business account manager and I wanted to make sure you were aware of some of the advantages and perks you are privy to for having a business account with Sprint Nextel."
Maybe i will just contact him about it and see what he says. If its like Time Warners business Reps, they arent worth having.

nugzo said:
I disagree. Sprint sold me the phone, thet are responsible for it. This is a business account, not a personal account, so everytime my phone is down i am potentially losing money.. Most of the time big business like sprint will do the right thing in a situation like this. Oh and i got this email the other day, after he called and woke me up at 7:00am lol Asked for me email.
"My name is Andre ****** Sprint business account manager and I wanted to make sure you were aware of some of the advantages and perks you are privy to for having a business account with Sprint Nextel."
Maybe i will just contact him about it and see what he says. If its like Time Warners business Reps, they arent worth having.
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This kind of mindset is bad for everyone. Sprint didn't build the phone, HTC did, you need to learn and realize that. Sprint sells you the ability to use the phone HTC made; make calls, browse the web, send texts, etc. If you don't like your phone don't buy an HTC product, but Sprint replacing your phone is them keeping up with the contract. You think HTC phones on TMo or ATT or Verizon are somehow made better? No, it's the same company making them.
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DirtyShroomz said:
This kind of mindset is bad for everyone. Sprint didn't build the phone, HTC did, you need to learn and realize that. Sprint sells you the ability to use the phone HTC made; make calls, browse the web, send texts, etc. If you don't like your phone don't buy an HTC product, but Sprint replacing your phone is them keeping up with the contract. You think HTC phones on TMo or ATT or Verizon are somehow made better? No, it's the same company making them.
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This type of mindset is bad for everyone? lol ok. I think your ignorance is bad for everyone. Sprint sold me the phone, not HTC. You honestly think sprint should not warranty the item they sold me? I never said a thing about any phone being made better on a different carrier. I did say though that i've had over 20 phones in my life and this is honestly the first i've ever had to replace. I haven't done anything any different with this phone than i have with the others. i paid sprint $200 bucks plus signed a contract for a phone and service. You cant use the service without the phone right? Why in the world would you think they aren't responsible? Sprint is making a profit selling phones as well as selling service. I am not having problems with the service they sold me, but i am with the phone THEY sold me. Again, HTC didn't sell me the phone. Sprint warrantied the phone for 1 year, so they are responsible for it, plain and simple. Thats why they replaced it with every issue i had. They never referred me to HTC to handle it, and they wont, not while its under their (sprint) warranty.

nugzo said:
i never said a thing about any phone being made better on a different carrier. I did say though that i've had over 20 phones in my life and this is honestly the first i've ever had to replace. I haven't done anything any different with this phone than i have with the others. i paid sprint $200 bucks plus signed a contract for a phone and service. You cant use the service without the phone right? Why in the world would you think they aren't responsible? Sprint is making a profit selling phones as well as selling service. I am not having problems with the service they sold me, but i am with the phone THEY sold me. HTC didn't sell me the phone. Sprint warrantied the phone for 1 year, so they are responsible for it, plain and simple. Thats why they replaced it with every issue i had. They never referred me to HTC to handle it, and they wont, not while its under their (sprint) warranty.
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The phone's one year warranty isn't from Sprint, it's from HTC. Sprint is simply choosing, in your case, to deal with the manufacturer's warranty themselves so that you do not have to. This is contrary to the information that I have. I work at a retail store that sells Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile phones. In the event that a customer walks in and requires service as covered by the manufacturer's warranty for a Sprint phone I have been instructed to refer the customer directly to the manufacturer and not to Sprint. For T-Mobile and AT&T I have specific AT&T and T-Mobile phone numbers to give to the customer since AT&T and T-Mobile do handle manufacturer's warranty replacements for their customers.
If Sprint is still willing to handle manufacturer warranty replacements/repairs for you, then by all means I encourage you to continue to take advantage of that! I have no experience with manufacturer warranty replacements with Sprint (EVO is my first Sprint phone) but I can say from experience that AT&T always handled those replacements much faster than the manufacturer of the phone would have (typically with overnight delivery of the replacement phone BEFORE I sent the defective one back). I'm simply clarifying the case here and, potentially, warning you that Sprint may have changed their policy regarding the service of phones under the manufacturer's warranty since this information I've been given from my work only came out a few weeks ago.

[Q] can I upgrade soon after getting a replacement phone?

I just got a replacement phone because my evo was broken. Now I want to upgrade and offer my evo to a friend on his plan.
Can i do this?
thank you!

gapoochi said:
I just got a replacement phone because my evo was broken. Now I want to upgrade and offer my evo to a friend on his plan.
Can i do this?
thank you!
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Why not?
I mean, if you've used your upgrade and don't have one available, then you'll have to pay full price.
But, getting a replacement device does NOT use your upgrade.

The only issue with this is that it isn't really a deal for your friend. Sure he might get a phone. but he isn't saving anything. Sprint are full of liars. if you change your plan. they tack on another year or two onto their contract. They won't tell you about this. The friend WILL be forced to change his low cost plan. However, I think this action is illegal. But since they are so big, no one ever challenges them in court.

runcool said:
The only issue with this is that it isn't really a deal for your friend. Sure he might get a phone. but he isn't saving anything. Sprint are full of liars. if you change your plan. they tack on another year or two onto their contract. They won't tell you about this. The friend WILL be forced to change his low cost plan. However, I think this action is illegal. But since they are so big, no one ever challenges them in court.
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What in the hell are you talking about?!?

runcool said:
The only issue with this is that it isn't really a deal for your friend. Sure he might get a phone. but he isn't saving anything. Sprint are full of liars. if you change your plan. they tack on another year or two onto their contract. They won't tell you about this. The friend WILL be forced to change his low cost plan. However, I think this action is illegal. But since they are so big, no one ever challenges them in court.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally work for Sprint and can promise you we do NOT extend your contract for just changing your plan. The only reasons a contract would be extended are if you use your upgrade to get a new phone, or take a save offer like a percentage discount or credit. Now if the friend has a super old plan, yes, the plan will need to be updated, but the contract will not be extended because of it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

That contradicts what the sprint customer service told me. I was going to buy the EVO 3D on ebay because I'm not up for an upgrade yet. I was told that when I go to upgrade to any phone that has not been on my plan before, the date on my contract would be renewed for 2 yrs even though I didn't get the phone through sprint.

danerd said:
That contradicts what the sprint customer service told me. I was going to buy the EVO 3D on ebay because I'm not up for an upgrade yet. I was told that when I go to upgrade to any phone that has not been on my plan before, the date on my contract would be renewed for 2 yrs even though I didn't get the phone through sprint.
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That is absolutely false.
You have to sign, whether it be digitally or what-have-you, to agree to a new contract.
The only time the plan would have to be modified is if you don't have data on your plan and you move to a smart phone but even then it wouldn't renew your contract.

mattykinsx said:
That is absolutely false.
You have to sign, whether it be digitally or what-have-you, to agree to a new contract.
The only time the plan would have to be modified is if you don't have data on your plan and you move to a smart phone but even then it wouldn't renew your contract.
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Pretty much... And as a Sprint rep myself, I tell people all the time (whether I'm supposed to or not) to check out eBay if they aren't eligible for upgrade. The only problem with that is you've gotta be careful because some of the phones sold on there are flagged as lost/stolen or fraud.
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b0rkb0rk said:
Pretty much... And as a Sprint rep myself, I tell people all the time (whether I'm supposed to or not) to check out eBay if they aren't eligible for upgrade. The only problem with that is you've gotta be careful because some of the phones sold on there are flagged as lost/stolen or fraud.
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Yeah that is a danger but its safer than Craigslist where it is likely flagged lost/stolen/fraud AND you might get shot.
(Happened in my area like five months ago, kid was trying to sell a phone for $40, its a piece of green paper with a number on it folks ...smh)

Somebody named Joseph Pachen? (could not understand his name?). from Sprint customer service told me that it would be $549 to get an HTC EVO 3D. So I said I would get it on ebay & he said that I'd still be screwed over because they would make me renew for 2 yrs EVEN though I had not gotten it through Sprint or the upgrade plan. He said if I put on a new phone that was not already on my account that it would renew my 2 yr contract. I already have an EVO with the $10 data plan so I should not have to change my plan. If it's not true that is great. But how can I be sure since it appears the policy being told is different when I call customer service. Is it in writing somewhere? That is the frustrating thing about this. This rep, Joseph, said he made sure to tell people that because people were not aware of this Sprint policy.

You see. My point just got proven. Sprint Reps are liars and tell customers that they will in fact increase their contract. that's what 3 reps threatened me with. lol. I find it to be illegal. It maybe against so called sprints company policy or whatever. but the reps do it. Actually.. I'd bet that they are told to say these things. haha.
BTW! WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CHANGING OUR PLAN. THEY ARE DOING IT when we change phones! They are purposely screwing us and getting away with it.

danerd said:
Somebody named Joseph Pachen? (could not understand his name?). from Sprint customer service told me that it would be $549 to get an HTC EVO 3D. So I said I would get it on ebay & he said that I'd still be screwed over because they would make me renew for 2 yrs EVEN though I had not gotten it through Sprint or the upgrade plan. He said if I put on a new phone that was not already on my account that it would renew my 2 yr contract. I already have an EVO with the $10 data plan so I should not have to change my plan. If it's not true that is great. But how can I be sure since it appears the policy being told is different when I call customer service. Is it in writing somewhere? That is the frustrating thing about this. This rep, Joseph, said he made sure to tell people that because people were not aware of this Sprint policy.
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I'll see if I can't dig up something that contradicts that, because to be honest with you (and I'm not trying to sound like a total ass because I don't doubt for a second that you were told that) but I do that SAME job for 40 hours a week for the last 3 years, and NEVER has a contract been extended for activating a phone that WASN'T purchased from us. I have no idea where he pulled THAT information out of.
Again, I'm not doubting you were told that information. But I swap phones pretty much ALL DAY LONG and the only time a contract gets updated is when a purchase for one is made for a NEW device, not just a standard swap.

runcool said:
You see. My point just got proven. Sprint Reps are liars and tell customers that they will in fact increase their contract. that's what 3 reps threatened me with. lol. I find it to be illegal. It maybe against so called sprints company policy or whatever. but the reps do it. Actually.. I'd bet that they are told to say these things. haha.
BTW! WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CHANGING OUR PLAN. THEY ARE DOING IT when we change phones! They are purposely screwing us and getting away with it.
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You don't get it.
There's a difference between being liars and being misinformed, although the result can be the same.
Did you go to a corporate store or an "authorized retailer"?
I find the best thing to do if I want the most accurate information is to talk to a corporate manager or talk to a manager via *2.
Its just like the Sprint girl that was showing the Evo 3d to one of those reviewer websites and didn't even know what screen resolution was
Misinformed.

runcool said:
You see. My point just got proven. Sprint Reps are liars and tell customers that they will in fact increase their contract. that's what 3 reps threatened me with. lol. I find it to be illegal. It maybe against so called sprints company policy or whatever. but the reps do it. Actually.. I'd bet that they are told to say these things. haha.
BTW! WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CHANGING OUR PLAN. THEY ARE DOING IT when we change phones! They are purposely screwing us and getting away with it.
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't speak for other reps, but I can assure you we aren't "told to say those things" to "purposely screw" you. Please don't stereotype.

I work as an ISC tech and I lie all the time. Actually nothing I say (or leak) is true. I'm the most untrustworthy source of info in these forums.
Seriously now. This doesn't fall under my Sprint S&R thread so I'll just leave it here. Swapping a phone DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR CONTRACT OR UPGRADE ELIGIBILITY STATUS. All it takes is a device swap on the line in question and provisioning the new device. That's it, nothing else, no hoops or magic tricks. If anybody tells you otherwise they are WRONG.

runcool said:
The only issue with this is that it isn't really a deal for your friend. Sure he might get a phone. but he isn't saving anything. Sprint are full of liars. if you change your plan. they tack on another year or two onto their contract. They won't tell you about this. The friend WILL be forced to change his low cost plan. However, I think this action is illegal. But since they are so big, no one ever challenges them in court.
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Click to collapse
Cocaine a hell of a drug. That being said, everything you just said is false.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

danerd said:
Somebody named Joseph Pachen? (could not understand his name?). from Sprint customer service told me that it would be $549 to get an HTC EVO 3D. So I said I would get it on ebay & he said that I'd still be screwed over because they would make me renew for 2 yrs EVEN though I had not gotten it through Sprint or the upgrade plan. He said if I put on a new phone that was not already on my account that it would renew my 2 yr contract. I already have an EVO with the $10 data plan so I should not have to change my plan. If it's not true that is great. But how can I be sure since it appears the policy being told is different when I call customer service. Is it in writing somewhere? That is the frustrating thing about this. This rep, Joseph, said he made sure to tell people that because people were not aware of this Sprint policy.
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Click to collapse
Joseph is an idiot. Are you sure you weren't roaming and called Verizon? You can activate your own phone on Sprint.com, you'll see no contract extension, upgrade change or plan change if you're already on a smartphone qualifying plan.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

Please delete..... Dumb app

Sprint Total Equipment Protection open enrollment - Enrollment now closed

Just got this email from Sprint.. if you didn't get TEP on your phone when you bought it you can enroll now for $8/month until September 30th.
http://sprint.m.delivery.net/w/webV...nbWFpbC5jb20_&si=&mv=T&bv=H&oc=H&sc=&k=1getdp
http://tepenroll.com/

Good deal, thanks for sharing . I already have it on all my phones. But for those who don't, TEP is something you definately want on your phone. Total Equipment Protection is never a bad thing .

Yep, enrolled as soon as I got the email.

I buy my phones off Craigslist and eBay, been off contract since 2009, but still put TEP on the phones since Sprint doesn't care. My Evo Shift from Craigslist was faulty and died after a week and Sprint gave me a brand new one a couple days later thanks to TEP.

And that folks is why you put TEP on your phones
MikShifted on XDA Premium APP
TEAM MiK
Mik ROMs Since 3/13/11

Kujila said:
I buy my phones off Craigslist and eBay, been off contract since 2009, but still put TEP on the phones since Sprint doesn't care. My Evo Shift from Craigslist was faulty and died after a week and Sprint gave me a brand new one a couple days later thanks to TEP.
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Nice.. but did it come with Android 2.2?

Do they charge like $100 for a deductible? That's what happen to me with Tmoblie years ago so I never thought to get the plan.
And this covers anything that happens like if I drop it then fall on it going down the stairs?

saiyandide said:
Do they charge like $100 for a deductible? That's what happen to me with Tmoblie years ago so I never thought to get the plan.
And this covers anything that happens like if I drop it then fall on it going down the stairs?
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They charge $100 of if it's lost, stolen, water damage, or broken by the user. Any software or hardware related problems are fixed/replaced with no charge.
Sent from Gingerbread Speedy 4G

crap
crump84 said:
They charge $100 of if it's lost, stolen, water damage, or broken by the user. Any software or hardware related problems are fixed/replaced with no charge.
Sent from Gingerbread Speedy 4G
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i have it got it when i got the phone. didn't kknow they charged u 100 if lost. stolen etc.
not a good deal really.

2 years on contract, at $8/month is $192. Add to this the $100 deductible and you are now at $292. A refurbished Evo Shift (as Sprint would give you) can be found on ebay for $250. Thus a loss of one phone in the two year contract would result in a loss of $42. Now the argument that could be made in favor of the insurance plan is that you can lose many phones over the two years.
Suppose that the life of each phone is exponentially distributed with a mean of x years (for some real valued, positive x). Thus the number of phones broken in a time interval of length T follows a Poisson distribution with parameter T/x, and so, the probability of breaking k phones in 2 years is
[e^(-2/x)]*[(2/x)^k]/k!
which implies that the expected value of the plan is
[e^(-2/x)]*[Sum_{k=0}^infinity[(250*k-292)*(2/x)^k/k!]
=(500/x)-292
Thus, to break even over two years, one would need to, on average, break a phone every 1.71 years (or roughly 1.18 phones broken per 2-year contract). Note that you must consistently do this with each contract. For example, if you broke 2 phones per year for the first two contracts, but then did not break any phones for the next three contracts, this would still equate to a loss of $418.
So, for the majority of people out there, this is nothing but a waste of money. For the few people out there breaking phones constantly, this makes sense, but those of you who do not constantly break phones, and chose to get this insurance, are supporting these people.

Remember, folks: Sprint wouldn't be offering this plan at all if they weren't going to make money off of it. Unless you regularly do risky things with your phone, this is a losing wager.

^^ That gives me encouragement to stay in school.

minneyar said:
Remember, folks: Sprint wouldn't be offering this plan at all if they weren't going to make money off of it. Unless you regularly do risky things with your phone, this is a losing wager.
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Yes money is the bottom line. Also, for the most part your right. Except right up until that time when you do need it . Then it's not a bad thing to have. My buddy had four phones replaced under TEP. For the most part ( all except one time ) it was his fault.

I would definitely say I've got my moneys worth with tep. I'm on my 3rd Shift, 1 had software issues and one dropped in the lake. I've also had to take mine into Sprint to get my speaker fixed, which was free because I have the protection plan.

i broke my shift's volume rocker. took to it sprint, they asked me to pay $30 because i didn't have TEP...and voila..i got (supposedly) a brand new shift two days latter.
i consider that win.
this is probably true with most phones that you didn't dunk into a lake, or drop it from 2 story building. had i had TEP, i would have paid $0 up front...felt good for 8 seconds, then realize i'm paying 50% of the value of the device over two years, when the probability of me breaking it is less (consdering i'm not a spaz) than 5%.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

minneyar said:
Remember, folks: Sprint wouldn't be offering this plan at all if they weren't going to make money off of it. Unless you regularly do risky things with your phone, this is a losing wager.
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Click to collapse
I think I'm about to take my phone in for the GPS, so no I don't think I'm losing money on this.

Keep in mind that if your phone is less than a year old, it's still covered by the one-year manufacturer warranty. Sprint will still try to charge you to replace something that's under warranty, but if you complain enough, you can get them to waive their fee.
Still, it's true that for certain (un)lucky people, buying the TEP will pay off in the end. If it paid off for you, congratulations! Too bad you didn't save your luck for the casino. Most people who buy the TEP will be losing money.

minneyar said:
Keep in mind that if your phone is less than a year old, it's still covered by the one-year manufacturer warranty. Sprint will still try to charge you to replace something that's under warranty, but if you complain enough, you can get them to waive their fee.
Still, it's true that for certain (un)lucky people, buying the TEP will pay off in the end. If it paid off for you, congratulations! Too bad you didn't save your luck for the casino. Most people who buy the TEP will be losing money.
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Never had a problem with Sprint, when it comes to replacing something under warranty. I've only come across an issue when the device is past warranty. But I guess with more phones / people on your plan you increase the odds of an issue. But again, I've always been very glad I have TEP. Guess I'm one of the unlucky / lucky ones
MikShifted on XDA Premium APP
TEAM MiK
Mik ROMs Since 3/13/11

It's only $8 a month. The question is will I get a 2.2 shift.. ugh.

Depends, I've heard most people get an already upgraded Shift ( to 2.3 already installed ) if it's mailed to you. Just tell them you would instead like to pick it up at a local store. Then do not make an appointment, just a ticket they can look up. Walk in don't call ahead, your going to have to wait. But it might be worth it. Tell them your there to pick up a replacement Shift. Then inform them you don't want it upgraded to 2.3 . If they ask, just tell them you don't like it. From what I've heard and seen if you go in to get a replacement. They upgrade it for you automatically. Just tell them not to.