Database Users

TMOUS Customer Care

With all the horror stories, and rumors going around about TMO saying this and TMO saying that ...
And all the stories about how many returns the HD2 has had ..
I thought I would start a thread to share Customer care Triumphs and Horror Stories ...
The info we share may help someone who needs to deal with them in the future ..
-----------------
So Far I have had very good experiences with customer care, the trick is to ask for the smartphone department right off , they seem to actually know what you are asking then ....

It is now Stuck.

I was travelling internationally and wanted my account to be suspended as well as my HD2 to be unlocked.
They did it without any fuss at all! Incredible considering I still have not made the complete payment on the phone! I was hardly with t-mo for 10 days at that time.
And, the CC people were pretty good and (I always use the online chat as I need to call them from out side of the US) they were pretty good on the chat too!
A BIG thumbs up to T-Mobile!

chvvkumar said:
I was travelling internationally and wanted my account to be suspended as well as my HD2 to be unlocked.
They did it without any fuss at all! Incredible considering I still have not made the complete payment on the phone! I was hardly with t-mo for 10 days at that time.
And, the CC people were pretty good and (I always use the online chat as I need to call them from out side of the US) they were pretty good on the chat too!
A BIG thumbs up to T-Mobile!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah overall TMO has pretty good CSR's ...

Never had any issues with TMO CC. I've always got the best deals available to me.

Best advice I can give to anyone dealing with customer care is be nice and never yell at them. And never act like you are entitled to anything. Also customer service reps can not make android appear on your phone no matter what they tell you.

speoples20 said:
Best advice I can give to anyone dealing with customer care is be nice and never yell at them. And never act like you are entitled to anything. Also customer service reps can not make android appear on your phone no matter what they tell you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree...and they have always been great with me and always did what they could even when it comes to back dating services to save me money! Saving money is always a plus!

My first horror story with T-mobile was and maybe still is..... I have 3 lines with t-mobile my moms,gf and mines I always use my moms upgrades since I always buy my moms S60 unlock devices shes loves Geeky stuff as well. So I got the HD2 with my moms upgrade So after 2 months I notice Data services going up so I called Customer Care telling them why my moms plan was up 25.00 bucks? and they told me she was using a HD2 and I said No I have the Hd2 and I used her upgrade. So there was a big drama where they put a new rule that you cant use another upgrade and use it in another line with out paying the data plan. I was lucky and I got them to lowered the data and change it back to were it was at before and return me the money paid for the data. Now the bad part now I cant Use my moms upgrade anymore to get new High end Phones and im shocked that t-mobile will turn down money and 2 year slavery contract away. The bad part for them Im just going to buy unlock devices with t-mobile 3g and lower my data plan to 5.99 or 10.00 bucks which turns out to be cheaper but I think T-mobile its doing bad having this rule and it all started after the big request of HD2s

josemedina1983 said:
My first horror story with T-mobile was and maybe still is..... I have 3 lines with t-mobile my moms,gf and mines I always use my moms upgrades since I always buy my moms S60 unlock devices shes loves Geeky stuff as well. So I got the HD2 with my moms upgrade So after 2 months I notice Data services going up so I called Customer Care telling them why my moms plan was up 25.00 bucks? and they told me she was using a HD2 and I said No I have the Hd2 and I used her upgrade. So there was a big drama where they put a new rule that you cant use another upgrade and use it in another line with out paying the data plan. I was lucky and I got them to lowered the data and change it back to were it was at before and return me the money paid for the data. Now the bad part now I cant Use my moms upgrade anymore to get new High end Phones and im shocked that t-mobile will turn down money and 2 year slavery contract away. The bad part for them Im just going to buy unlock devices with t-mobile 3g and lower my data plan to 5.99 or 10.00 bucks which turns out to be cheaper but I think T-mobile its doing bad having this rule and it all started after the big request of HD2s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird because I just did the same thing 2 months ago, and have had no issues, they did not give me any hassles .....
Could be the rep screwed up and did not want to admit it too ....

watcher64 said:
Weird because I just did the same thing 2 months ago, and have had no issues, they did not give me any hassles .....
Could be the rep screwed up and did not want to admit it too ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish thats what it was because I called 3 times after, asking the same question they all told me that it was true.

This pretty much describes my experience with TMobile...great people!!
they will bend over backwards to help me..been with them for 6 yrs now
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

M_T_M said:
This pretty much describes my experience with TMobile...great people!!
they will bend over backwards to help me..been with them for 6 yrs now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I have been with them since '03 they blow away other companies as far as customer service goes .... for the most part ....

josemedina1983 said:
I wish thats what it was because I called 3 times after, asking the same question they all told me that it was true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a 5 yr. T-Mobile employee. And ya its kinda a tough policy that you fell within. You see when you use your upgrade for any smartphone/data device with a 2 yr. contract, a data plan is required for the length of the contract. (same as at&t, verizon, sprint etc.) So in your case you upgraded on Moms line, so Moms line has the contracted data plan, even though you are using it on your line. (I know, trust me it's a somewhat flawed policy that I'm hoping someday will be changed or a little more lenient) There are a few alternatives, instead of having the required data plan you can opt for the cheaper required messaging plan, or there's also a new required phone first data plan (tmobile web/wap) thats a cheap option for symbian S60. You have to have a required feature, but having lower cost choices hopefully helps.

i used to work for at

sherlockpwnz said:
i used to work for at
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did a a dragon eat you while you were typing?

xxkingpinxx said:
I am a 5 yr. T-Mobile employee. And ya its kinda a tough policy that you fell within. You see when you use your upgrade for any smartphone/data device with a 2 yr. contract, a data plan is required for the length of the contract. (same as at&t, verizon, sprint etc.) So in your case you upgraded on Moms line, so Moms line has the contracted data plan, even though you are using it on your line. (I know, trust me it's a somewhat flawed policy that I'm hoping someday will be changed or a little more lenient) There are a few alternatives, instead of having the required data plan you can opt for the cheaper required messaging plan, or there's also a new required phone first data plan (tmobile web/wap) thats a cheap option for symbian S60. You have to have a required feature, but having lower cost choices hopefully helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand T-mobile Needs to make its money but it doesnt make sence I can go Fully unlock on any device pay 10.00 data on every line rather than 25 and I end up saving more money and contract free and the freedom to leave any time I want (not that I am at the moment) I call it some what bad business since If I was in charge I rather have people lock down in this 2 year plans and be my slaves than pushing this 20 25 data cost that as the phone market keeps growing and growing and data plans keeps getting cheaper you wanna have people lock down on two years especially now that people are been more aware of unlock devices. back in 2003 2006 nobody knew what was a unlock device.

I love T-Mobile CC
T-Mobile CC has never given me any problems. In fact, if you have been one of their customer customers for over 5+ years, they acknowledge your commitment and consequently provide special phone deals and options.

LOL
chvvkumar said:
Did a a dragon eat you while you were typing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^LOL. This was hilarious. At&T must have a spider crawling the internet for the mere mention of the word "AT&T" (especially after the recent CEO email / customer relations catastrophe).

josemedina1983 said:
I understand T-mobile Needs to make its money but it doesnt make sence I can go Fully unlock on any device pay 10.00 data on every line rather than 25 and I end up saving more money and contract free and the freedom to leave any time I want (not that I am at the moment) I call it some what bad business since If I was in charge I rather have people lock down in this 2 year plans and be my slaves than pushing this 20 25 data cost that as the phone market keeps growing and growing and data plans keeps getting cheaper you wanna have people lock down on two years especially now that people are been more aware of unlock devices. back in 2003 2006 nobody knew what was a unlock device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can even switch to their even more plus plans if you're willing to pay unsubsidized prices for a phone... saving you even more per month without the need for a contract.
but as long as you choose to receive subsidized handset pricing, you have to have the data plan attached to the phone, as per the contract requirements, so they eventually make up the phone's discount.
tbh, i really dont understand how people still actively choose a contract plan on tmo instead of their non-contract even more plus plans. yes, you pay more upfront since the devices arent subsidized, but you will end up saving money after 2 years. most likely it's because people cant afford the device at full retail price upfront, but the EM+ plans allow for the device's cost to be split up over 20 months without interest.
basically, tmo offers customers a chance to save real money and without a contract, yet most of them actively choose to NOT save money simply because of the lure of the words "discounted price". personally, i think it's hilarious to see people screw themselves.
and i lurve, lurve, lurve my tmo service. i'm a fanboy of very few things, but t-mobile, especially once they started offering the even more plus plans, made me a fan. i have also never had a problem with their CS. they're always polite and i never have a complaint since my bills are always right.

edited because the n symbol was cutting off my words

Premium Customer & Upgrade Activation Fee & Pre-Ordering

I am a what Sprint calls Premiere Customer and one of the perks for being one is that they waive the Upgrade Activation Fee for you if you order online at Sprint. Here is my question: you cannot order the Epic online at Sprint right now. You can, however, pre-order it online and pick up in store. So is pre-ordering considered as the same as ordering and so I don't pay that Upgrade Activation Fee? I called CS this afternoon, and nobody understand what I was trying to ask them. You guys understand me?

FrankCummings said:
I am a what Sprint calls Premiere Customer and one of the perks for being one is that they waive the Upgrade Activation Fee for you if you order online at Sprint. Here is my question: you cannot order the Epic online at Sprint right now. You can, however, pre-order it online and pick up in store. So is pre-ordering considered as the same as ordering and so I don't pay that Upgrade Activation Fee? I called CS this afternoon, and nobody understand what I was trying to ask them. You guys understand me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The activation fee is waived when you pick up the phone and activate the service automatically at the store no need to call. The computer will know you're a primere member and automatically credit the activation.

That's way cool. Good to know, thx.

ForrelZ said:
The activation fee is waived when you pick up the phone and activate the service automatically at the store no need to call. The computer will know you're a primere member and automatically credit the activation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is completely false. Premier status DOES NOT automatically waive activation/upgrade fee. ALL customers can have upgrade/activation waived if ordered online. Premier status gives you yearly upgrades, "just because" perks, yearly bonus mintes or credit to the account, and a few other things. Premier status DOES NOT entitle you to any fee waiver.

Premier status absolutely does allow you to wave the upgrade fee. I called in and did it last month when i bought the EVO at radioshack. The CS rep cited that my premier status was the reason it was waved.

violinbf said:
Premier status absolutely does allow you to wave the upgrade fee. I called in and did it last month when i bought the EVO at radioshack. The CS rep cited that my premier status was the reason it was waved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, wrong. The reason it was waived was to not run the risk of getting an "issue resolve NO" and losing their job. Premier status DOES NOT qualify you for having upgrade/activation waived, she just said that to make you feel good.
http://premier.sprint.com/?id9=vanity:(removethispart)premiercustomer
As a Sprint Retention Supervisor, take my word for it

Thanks for that man, never knew about the Sprint Premier. I am about to switch from ATT for the new Epic 4g. From what I read once you hit Premier you get new customer pricing on a new phone every 12 months? Is this right?

New phone every 12 months however don't expect to get it for at least a year they say 90 days withan accoun of 69.99 or more but
Sent from my SPH-M900 using Tapatalk

DanteDrac said:
Thanks for that man, never knew about the Sprint Premier. I am about to switch from ATT for the new Epic 4g. From what I read once you hit Premier you get new customer pricing on a new phone every 12 months? Is this right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Premier status is achieved after 10 years of service or an individual plan of $69.99 a month or more as well as family plan of $99.99 a month or more. It takes 3 months for "premier" status to be achieved once you switch to a plan of that price. You can have more than 1 premier line on an account if you have more than 1 family plan of that price or 2 or more individual lines of that price.

DirtyShroomz said:
Correct. Premier status is achieved after 10 years of service or an individual plan of $69.99 a month or more as well as family plan of $99.99 a month or more. It takes 3 months for "premier" status to be achieved once you switch to a plan of that price. You can have more than 1 premier line on an account if you have more than 1 family plan of that price or 2 or more individual lines of that price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, i hit premier status in 2008 after 8 yrs with Sprint, joined in '99/2000 (maybe it's now been changed to 10 yrs). Sent me some thank you envelope in the mail with all the bla bla bla. Been on an ancient $35 plan since 2002 (unl data/unl sms/8pm n/w/*voice command) till now (sucks i can't get any cool phones, stuck on Win Mobile Treo).
*voice command was discontinued by Sprint some years ago.

DirtyShroomz said:
That is completely false. Premier status DOES NOT automatically waive activation/upgrade fee. ALL customers can have upgrade/activation waived if ordered online. Premier status gives you yearly upgrades, "just because" perks, yearly bonus mintes or credit to the account, and a few other things. Premier status DOES NOT entitle you to any fee waiver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I am as confused as when I started out asking the question. So, you are saying that EVERY Joe Blow can get both the upgrade and activation fee waived by either 1) ordering online, or 2) just ask the cs and s/he will do it just b/c s/he is afraid of a bad customer feedback. So my Premiere status has nothing to with it?!?
If this is true, then I must say Sprint is very misleading. According to this when I log in my acc't and click on the link to look at my benefits as a premiere customer:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
It explicitly says:
"To thank you ... We also waive the upgrade fee, and, if you upgrade online, you can forget the shipping and activation fees."
So, how about the free shipping it mentioned there? Does EVERY Joe Blow get free shipping also?

FrankCummings said:
Now I am as confused as when I started out asking the question. So, you are saying that EVERY Joe Blow can get both the upgrade and activation fee waived by either 1) ordering online, or 2) just ask the cs and s/he will do it just b/c s/he is afraid of a bad customer feedback. So my Premiere status has nothing to with it?!?
If this is true, then I must say Sprint is very misleading. According to this when I log in my acc't and click on the link to look at my benefits as a premiere customer:
It explicitly says:
"To thank you ... We also waive the upgrade fee, and, if you upgrade online, you can forget the shipping and activation fees."
So, how about the free shipping it mentioned there? Does EVERY Joe Blow get free shipping also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all actuality, yes, anyone who orders online receives free shipping/activation. Not misleading at all, it states very clearly "if you upgrade online"

DirtyShroomz said:
In all actuality, yes, anyone who orders online receives free shipping/activation. Not misleading at all, it states very clearly "if you upgrade online"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By misleading I mean that Sprint makes it sound like this is one of the benefits/rewards as a Premiere customer when in fact everyone can get the same. That's misleading.
Now, back to my original question. Since I am only pre-ordering online, would it still be considered as ordering online? The CS reps I spoke to yesterday said, "No" b/c I am picking up the phone in store (there is no option to have the phone shipped to you on the pre-order web site), then, I will NOT get the free upgrade and activation. Is it true? (I know you say that, it doesn't matter, if I ask, they will waive the fees anyway, but I just want to know what the "official" rule is.)

FrankCummings said:
By misleading I mean that Sprint makes it sound like this is one of the benefits/rewards as a Premiere customer when in fact everyone can get the same. That's misleading.
Now, back to my original question. Since I am only pre-ordering online, would it still be considered as ordering online? The CS reps I spoke to yesterday said, "No" b/c I am picking up the phone in store (there is no option to have the phone shipped to you on the pre-order web site), then, I will NOT get the free upgrade and activation. Is it true? (I know you say that, it doesn't matter, if I ask, they will waive the fees anyway, but I just want to know what the "official" rule is.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, since you're picking it up at a store the upgrade fee will not automatically be waived.

DirtyShroomz,
My phone is also a work phone and I just find out that, unbeknownst to me, the IT dept at work renewed my 2-yr contract back at the end of July when it expired. So now, when I get the Epic, can Sprint cancel the 2-yr contract I am in now and start a new 2-yr contract again so that I can get the discount still?

I bought my evo from best buy. After getting my first bill I noticed I was charged $18 for activation. I called CS and asked, "if I'm a premiere customer, aren't there activation fees supposed to be waived?" She asked me where I bought my phone and then proceeded to tell me that as of July, policy had changed and that only online orders for premiere customers would have activation fees waived. I had to point out that I bought my phone June 11. After checking, she told mine would be waived, well sort of. According to sprint logic, I am to pay the $18 anyhow, then they will credit me $18 on my next bill.
Sigh........
This is the soundtrack to the rEVOlution.

FrankCummings said:
DirtyShroomz,
My phone is also a work phone and I just find out that, unbeknownst to me, the IT dept at work renewed my 2-yr contract back at the end of July when it expired. So now, when I get the Epic, can Sprint cancel the 2-yr contract I am in now and start a new 2-yr contract again so that I can get the discount still?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your contract will just restart when you purchase the new phone, it will not stack.

jackpearce said:
I bought my evo from best buy. After getting my first bill I noticed I was charged $18 for activation. I called CS and asked, "if I'm a premiere customer, aren't there activation fees supposed to be waived?" She asked me where I bought my phone and then proceeded to tell me that as of July, policy had changed and that only online orders for premiere customers would have activation fees waived. I had to point out that I bought my phone June 11. After checking, she told mine would be waived, well sort of. According to sprint logic, I am to pay the $18 anyhow, then they will credit me $18 on my next bill.
Sigh........
This is the soundtrack to the rEVOlution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is somewhat correct. Upgrade/activation fee's are not waived for anyone unless you order online. Premier status has nothing to do with it.

Hi Guys,
Quick question, i am a Sprint Premier Customer and my 1 year upgrade is coming up in September.
I plan on getting the Epic and have reserved one at a local Sprint store via online reserve site to pick up on the 31st or Sept 1st.
If i go to the store to pickup and upgrade my phone, will i be able to keep my current Everything Plus Referral Plan (Family Plan), with updated 2 year contract date? Or can you only upgrade Everything Plus Referral Plans online or via telesales?
I was not certain if this could be done in-store or not. I asked a Sprint rep in the store... but she didn't even know what EPRP was and kept referring to SERO and that they could not upgrade SERO to SERO for me.
So pretty much, i just want to keep the EPRP plan and extend the contract date with my upgrade in-store.
Thanks!

imdshiznit said:
Hi Guys,
Quick question, i am a Sprint Premier Customer and my 1 year upgrade is coming up in September.
I plan on getting the Epic and have reserved one at a local Sprint store via online reserve site to pick up on the 31st or Sept 1st.
If i go to the store to pickup and upgrade my phone, will i be able to keep my current Everything Plus Referral Plan (Family Plan), with updated 2 year contract date? Or can you only upgrade Everything Plus Referral Plans online or via telesales?
I was not certain if this could be done in-store or not. I asked a Sprint rep in the store... but she didn't even know what EPRP was and kept referring to SERO and that they could not upgrade SERO to SERO for me.
So pretty much, i just want to keep the EPRP plan and extend the contract date with my upgrade in-store.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong on this, but SERO was sprint's old name for the ERPR plan that you have. They changed it and got rid of the good deals that it used to have. I also think you have to wait til october 1st to get the epic 4g on an ERPR/SERO plan which once again are the same thing. Maybe someone else can clarify though, I am just letting you know the info I have picked up.

Well everyone getting the 10.00 fee now

http://htcdev.net/topic/238597-sprint-all-smartphones-to-be-subject-to-10-data-premium/
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Saw that earlier. kinda blows but I kinda expected it. With every carrier changing there data plans why wouldn't sprint?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Bastards,im jumping to tmobile and getting Vibrant 4g,im tired of waiting for 4g to come to Buffalo.

lviv73 said:
Bastards,im jumping to tmobile and getting Vibrant 4g,im tired of waiting for 4g to come to Buffalo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enjoy that contract cancellation fee.

lviv73 said:
Bastards,im jumping to tmobile and getting Vibrant 4g,im tired of waiting for 4g to come to Buffalo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck.

nikon120 said:
Enjoy that contract cancellation fee.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean that one that selling the Epic will more than pay for?

Will this apply to my girls BB with sprint? or is only for new activations?

formula84 said:
Will this apply to my girls BB with sprint? or is only for new activations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't apply to existing lines that already have a smartphone on them, but if you ever want to upgrade that BB (or even swap it out with an old smartphone sitting in your drawer) then you will get hit with the fee.

lviv73 said:
Bastards,im jumping to tmobile and getting Vibrant 4g,im tired of waiting for 4g to come to Buffalo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That'll show em.

Its funny nobody realizes even with the $10 fee, sprint is still the cheapest nationwide service provider... Bang for buck... God forbid they actually try and stay in business
Sent from SPRINTS 4G towers

For those who oddly enough still want to cancel their Sprint contracts, as with any carrier, term changes == ETF free cancellation. Enjoy people! I'll stick with Sprint...they still are the cheapest, they just suck with phone options.

bigray327 said:
That'll show em.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is why I love these places...
Well now we don't hav to hear the "It's for 4g crap so why am I paying bla bla anymore

Couldn't one argue that the Epic was sold under the promise that it would receive Froyo 2.2 soon after release? Couldn't that be considered false advertisement and grounds for contract termination without penalty?

nubsors said:
Couldn't one argue that the Epic was sold under the promise that it would receive Froyo 2.2 soon after release? Couldn't that be considered false advertisement and grounds for contract termination without penalty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you could argue that, but good luck winning that argument. It's a good thing they're still the cheapest around for what they offer.

bah, that article doesnt know anything about Sprint. SERO on the EPIC or EVO is till only $50/month for 500 minutes land line, everything else unlimited. No idea why that articles claims the minium smart phone price tag is now $79 at sprint.
Almost none of their customers are paying that.. heres some options:
1) Sero $50/month
2) hundreds of company discounts, ranging from 10% to 20% = $50-$65/month
3) family plans, per phone price ends up $25 to $60/month
4) EERP $70 + sign up with VP marketing discount, -$10 which is available to the public = $60/month
5) Virgin mobile, owned by sprint, 300 anytime to land line, unlimited everything else $25/month)
6) Boost mobile, owned by sprint (averaging $40 to $60/month)
In summary, Sprints average smart phone user is not paying anywhere close to $79/month, probably closer to $60 and that's for the highest end devices.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

nubsors said:
Couldn't one argue that the Epic was sold under the promise that it would receive Froyo 2.2 soon after release? Couldn't that be considered false advertisement and grounds for contract termination without penalty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with that is that the word soon is very subjective. What we consider to be soon may be different than what Sprint/Sammy considers to be soon.

NEXUS 4G said:
Its funny nobody realizes even with the $10 fee, sprint is still the cheapest nationwide service provider... Bang for buck... God forbid they actually try and stay in business
Sent from SPRINTS 4G towers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't complain sprint been good to me 6yrs with them and i'm not leaving

Only if you activate or buy a new phone with sprint outside of the contract you already signed will you have to pay the $10 fee on top of the regular charge for true Unlimited Data. So if you have 5 phones which are all smart phones and 4 of them are Intercepts, and 1 is a Epic, you will not have to pay the extra $10x4 a month, cause you have already signed a contract stating your conditions. If you are already paying the fee, then nothing will change.

nubsors said:
Couldn't one argue that the Epic was sold under the promise that it would receive Froyo 2.2 soon after release? Couldn't that be considered false advertisement and grounds for contract termination without penalty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... no. Hell I don't even think the phone has ever actually been advertised as "2.2 Coming Soon!" Remember, "the guy at the Sprint store told me that 2.2 would be out in a week!" doesn't count as advertisement and is, in no way, shape, or form legally binding. They could probably never get 2.2 out the door and not have breached any agreements.
My favorite things about this change?
1) Those morons who decided to go after Sprint for that "unjust, completely hidden charge that they never agreed to" that was clearly explained to them 100 times and clearly outlined in the contract that they signed for the phone they could have not chosen might as well just forfeit that little case of theirs.
2) Since we already pay the $10 fee, this in no way affects us.
3) Now I get to watch a bunch of idiots run around saying "WTF? People other than us are getting charged an extra 10 dollars? I'm going to Verizon to pay $20 more a month just to show those evil-doers! To hell with the fact that this in no way affects me!"

just something else for people to ***** about. Sprint is the best bet for techies b/c you have unlimited data. not 2gb cap or whatever else those other companies are offering. Hell im sure everyone has seen tmobile uk now has a 500mb cap...thats super gimp

Is it true about the wireless?

Is it really true that in order to use wifi on the xoom you have to have some kind of plan with verizon?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab

Unless Motorola or Verizon officially say it was a misprint... yeah.

magicdroid said:
Unless Motorola or Verizon officially say it was a misprint... yeah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not true. Best Buy will not sell the device without activating it with month to month data before you leave the store. There isn't a way for VZW or BB to lock out the WiFi if 3G data isn't activated, they just won't sell the device unactivated. You can cancel month to month data at any time, since there's no contract. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding around data plans. Since there's no subsidy on the device (if the leaked BB ad pricing is true) there's no contract.

dwboston said:
It's not true. Best Buy will not sell the device without activating it with month to month data before you leave the store. There isn't a way for VZW or BB to lock out the WiFi if 3G data isn't activated, they just won't sell the device unactivated. You can cancel month to month data at any time, since there's no contract. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding around data plans. Since there's no subsidy on the device (if the leaked BB ad pricing is true) there's no contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really wish that Motorola would actually come out and refute this information, if it is, in fact, misinformation gone viral. I think that Best Buy ad has done a great deal of damage to the potential success of this tablet.

Xevilious said:
I really wish that Motorola would actually come out and refute this information, if it is, in fact, misinformation gone viral. I think that Best Buy ad has done a great deal of damage to the potential success of this tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It makes me think that even if I somehow magically get the money that I may or may not get one... also is anyone else surprised that Verizon of all places is getting such an awesome tablet.

"Confirmed"
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/02/1...1-month-data-package-required-to-unlock-wifi/
Note I still think this isn't the right ad.

So sad!
It's like castrating your horse the morning before the big race.

We’re assuming that you can cancel immediately after and enjoy the device with just WiFi, but you’ll shell out an extra $20 on day 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish someone could confirm this bc if it is true then it might be put back on my Christmas wishlist.

vamp6x6x6x said:
I wish someone could confirm this bc if it is true then it might be put back on my Christmas wishlist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see why this wouldn't be true. Its the same way with the Verizon Galaxy Tab at Best Buy. As I was purchasing mines back in November the Sales rep told me I could cancel the plan as soon as I walked out the store.
Hell, now that I think about it I purchased another Verizon Galaxy Tab for my brother for his Christmas gift (also from Best Buy) and didn't have to activate it.

I say the activation is NOT required. There's a post somewhere in this Xoom forum where a "self claimed" MOTO tester said that they skip activation all the time and have no issues with WiFi.
I personally think that the activation "fine print" is there for the 3G/4G tethering option they are advertising with the Xoom... basically, no activation, no tethering...
You were never required to activate the Galaxy Tab on purchase, but you couldn't bypass the activation without doing a Google search and doing the "Up/Down, Up/Down, ... " method to bypass the activation screen.
I call BS on the activation requirement, but I do think the $799 cost is true... <sigh>

Christmas wishlist? Do you mean Christmas December 2011?
By then, there will be a whole lot more Android Honeycomb devices.
Maybe Android Ice Cream Sandwich!
Wifi only ... and for sure the price will go down a lot.
To be honest, I don't think it is the right time to buy gadget during Christmas, because it is way too close to "CES" on January. Which you will droll on the new product announcement.
vamp6x6x6x said:
I wish someone could confirm this bc if it is true then it might be put back on my Christmas wishlist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Here is my question about the activation. Assuming it's not something on the tablet, and just that they wont let you out of the door without activating it. If you cancel it 20 minutes later when you get home, without using any data.. will you get charged? 2 Year contracts have a grace period IIRC.. why not month to month.

Yay! You can find the cached versions of BestBuy.com's Xoom launch site on Google.
Assuming the price was temporary and it really is $799, I found 2 things interesting.
For one, the main Xoom intro site (found here) says:
Compatible with Wi-Fi networks*
*1 month data activation required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirming a data plan is required.
However, on the actual device page (found here) it doesn't say that, it simply says :
Built-in 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Connect to the Internet without wires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And for a contract/internet it says:
Embedded 3G mobile broadband technology with EVDO Rev A
Keeps you connected. Upgradeable to 4G LTE. (Wireless service contract required; sold separately. Check with carrier for coverage area and availability in your area.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyhow, it likely just neglects mentioning the required plan on the product page, but I'm still holding out hope that it's not required, we'll see though.

If you already have a Verizon Wireless account can you just add it to that?

If I had to put money on the table, I’d bet on what many have explained as Bestbuy simply not selling the device without the customer “also” buying a month of data.
However, if that’s true, then I’ll pose this scenario:
Guy walks into a BestBuy… He has cash in hand for the device (off contract), tax, and activation fee. Walks through the process and finds via the credit check that for some reason, Verizon cannot approve him. What happens next?
Does BestBuy sell him the tablet? Has BestBuy “already” sold him the tablet (depending upon when data plan enrollment takes place in the process)?
Is there some sort of blood pack promise to simply not use WiFi? Self-destruct sequence activated on the 802.11 radio?

setite said:
Here is my question about the activation. Assuming it's not something on the tablet, and just that they wont let you out of the door without activating it. If you cancel it 20 minutes later when you get home, without using any data.. will you get charged? 2 Year contracts have a grace period IIRC.. why not month to month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I canceled my Verizon Galaxy Tab within 24 hours and was refunded the activation fee just fine, however they made me pay a pro-rated $1.03
IIRC, with Verizon you have up to 72 hours to cancel and reclaim your activation fee and beyond that you just pay a pro-rated amount of your usage.
With my Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 on AT&T, I canceled on day 16 of the first 30 days and they gave me back my activation fee and didn't make me pay any pro-rated, they just zero'd it out.
For my Sprint Galaxy Tab I was month to month, but you pay 2 months bills initially, so when you cancel you aren't charged "more", but it doesn't deactivate until the end of the month you already paid for.
Hope that helps.

burningembers said:
I canceled my Verizon Galaxy Tab within 24 hours and was refunded the activation fee just fine, however they made me pay a pro-rated $1.03
IIRC, with Verizon you have up to 72 hours to cancel and reclaim your activation fee and beyond that you just pay a pro-rated amount of your usage.
With my Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 on AT&T, I canceled on day 16 of the first 30 days and they gave me back my activation fee and didn't make me pay any pro-rated, they just zero'd it out.
For my Sprint Galaxy Tab I was month to month, but you pay 2 months bills initially, so when you cancel you aren't charged "more", but it doesn't deactivate until the end of the month you already paid for.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're correct. It's on Verizon's website under their Return Policy
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?textName=RETURN_POLICY&jspName=footer/returnPolicy.jsp said:
You may terminate service for any reason within 14 days of activation. If you purchased a wireless device at a promotional price at the time of activation, you must return it within the device return period to avoid being assessed an Early Termination Fee of $175, or $350 if you purchased an Advanced Device. You will remain responsible for your Activation Fee unless you terminate service within three days of activation. You will also be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date. If you paid a security deposit, it may take between 30 and 60 days to process the return of your security deposit. The charges for any service used on the account before the service termination date may be applied against your security deposit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

burningembers said:
I canceled my Verizon Galaxy Tab within 24 hours and was refunded the activation fee just fine, however they made me pay a pro-rated $1.03
IIRC, with Verizon you have up to 72 hours to cancel and reclaim your activation fee and beyond that you just pay a pro-rated amount of your usage.
With my Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 on AT&T, I canceled on day 16 of the first 30 days and they gave me back my activation fee and didn't make me pay any pro-rated, they just zero'd it out.
For my Sprint Galaxy Tab I was month to month, but you pay 2 months bills initially, so when you cancel you aren't charged "more", but it doesn't deactivate until the end of the month you already paid for.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you an existing customer? As far as I can tell, even existing customers are subjected to the whole credit check process. I asked VZ via online chat last night and they said yes, new line and credit check are required. She hinted that could all be avoided by calling customer care. Also, I tried to start an order for a Galaxy Tab to see how it worked and you can only upgrade or add a new line.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

In the Wirefly unboxing the unit boots up to configuring your account. At that point it says if you do not have cellular access to click and setup your wifi settings. Seems to me that BB is just forcing everyone to get 1month of Verizon service as a policy and not cause of technical limitations.
Plus, since the device is basically a Google Experience device, seems a little "ungoogle" to make you sign up for cellular service. At least from the software side.
Unboxing video - http://goo.gl/P0jSc
Go to 7m03s and see what I'm talking about.

atoy74 said:
In the Wirefly unboxing the unit boots up to configuring your account. At that point it says if you do not have cellular access to click and setup your wifi settings. Seems to me that BB is just forcing everyone to get 1month of Verizon service as a policy and not cause of technical limitations.
Plus, since the device is basically a Google Experience device, seems a little "ungoogle" to make you sign up for cellular service. At least from the software side.
Unboxing video - http://goo.gl/P0jSc
Go to 7m03s and see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it only proves he didn't get his device through normal retail channels Obviously, Verizon is making it a requirement. They are also making it a requirement on the Galaxy Tab.

What do think will happen if I cancel Verizon data plan within 3 days?

The reason I ask is because according the Verizon Return and Service Termination policy, you won't be responsible for the $35 activation and you will only have to pay Verizon for any data usage. Here is that statement from their policy:
You will remain responsible for your Activation Fee unless you terminate service within three days of activation. You will also be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date
I assume if the Xoom makes it out the store that it can go on wifi without anything from verizon.

unknown_owner said:
The reason I ask is because according the Verizon Return and Service Termination policy, you won't be responsible for the $35 activation and you will only have to pay Verizon for any data usage. Here is that statement from their policy:
You will remain responsible for your Activation Fee unless you terminate service within three days of activation. You will also be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date
I assume if the Xoom makes it out the store that it can go on wifi without anything from verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how they can do anything to you. Probably just assuming most people don't know this and will keep it for the month period asked for. I'll be canceling data the same day, so I guess I'll find out for sure than.

Would be nice if word of this can get out to everyone buying the Xoom. Might make Verizon reconsider even doing this.

Agreed. I will have the number to call and cancel programmed into my phone and will start dialed before I even get out of the door to Best Buy. I'm going to look that number up now. We should have the number stickied

setite said:
Agreed. I will have the number to call and cancel programmed into my phone and will start dialed before I even get out of the door to Best Buy. I'm going to look that number up now. We should have the number stickied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this would be a great idea

setite said:
Agreed. I will have the number to call and cancel programmed into my phone and will start dialed before I even get out of the door to Best Buy. I'm going to look that number up now. We should have the number stickied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When we go to pick up our Xoom's, we should be telling people in the store that we are going to cancel the activation that same day. And tell them to tell others they meet to cancel before 3 days. I plan on telling the person selling it to me that I'm going to cancel the data plan as soon as I reach my car.
Here's the link to the VerizonWireless Return Policy. You'll find the quote under Return and Service Termination.
VerizonWireless Return Policy

{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

unknown_owner said:
When we go to pick up our Xoom's, we should be telling people in the store that we are going to cancel the activation that same day. And tell them to tell others they meet to cancel before 3 days. I plan on telling the person selling it to me that I'm going to cancel the data plan as soon as I reach my car.
Here's the link to the VerizonWireless Return Policy. You'll find the quote under Return and Service Termination.
VerizonWireless Return Policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same, I'm gonna turn my WiFi tether on through my phone, make sure all is good than call and cancel.

So if I understand what you say, just go to BB, to pre-order, and the D-Day, 24th, by paying the full order, just call Verizon and cancel the subscription?
But what they ask for activation? does it have an address or phone number U.S.?
I always hesitate to go to Plattsburgh to pre-order ...

Just read some interesting words posted about the activation and data plan and it makes sense to me. Here are the excerpts from the posts:
It's not a contract if there is no way to "breach" the contract. Not only is this "agreement" wholly optional, but there is no commitment to it. You can cancel it THAT DAY and pay nothing. If you cancel within 3 days verizon doesn't even charge the activation fee. at most, you might get a small pro-rated bill that you'll be able to talk yourself out of since you never used the product over their data lines.
The Tab (also a tablet) had a "requirement" you activate it. The netbooks sold by carrier's also "required" activation before you could leave the store with it. Both devices function perfectly without activation. The tab required activation at best buy, it requires it at my store and most others I know, but I have a friend who works at another store that doesn't require it. It's not a software requirement, or a requirement from verizon, it's just good business sense on the part of the stores (if you want to know why, refer to my previous comments in this thread)
Yes, I am assuming, but I'm assuming based on factual history and 2+ years of working in the industry. You (and everyone else) are assuming based off of a SINGLE leaked ad for a product that has no official release date or pricing information yet.
Until we get official information, EVERYONE is speculating. I'm just making my assumptions based off of how things have always been instead of what-ifs that bear no similarity to reality.
...
Ok... Let me say this again:
this is a requirement of BEST BUY, NOT VERIZON.
Ok, that's why verizon doesn't just make the plan optional. The plan IS optional, but to buy one from best buy it's not. That's what I've been trying to say the whole time. That's why the argument of "contract" is bogus.
And you're right, it's only been viable for the past year, and for the past year, every tablet has been treated the EXACT same way. Every android device has been treated the EXACT same way. Best buy documentation also said that activation was required on the Tab when it wasn't. So even if the ad wasn't a fake, it's validity is questionable at best.
The purpose of forums is to speculate, which is why you don't write someone off by say "but you're just assuming" like you did earlier.
I've seen internal docs for every other tablet release. They ALL say "this device does not require activation to work" in one way or another. Internal documents do not exist for this device yet, but there is absolutely no reason a PURE GOOGLE tablet would have a lock like this, and there's no reason Verizon would treat this tablet any differently than any other device in their lineup.
No devices require activation, heck you don't even need to give a phone number. But most stores do because of business reasons, not software or rules.
It makes sense. Motorola set the price at $800. BB needs to make a little profit so they partner with Verizon and say we are going to get you activations and data plan signups, just kick us back some money for every one that we signup.
"Oh, no Verizon, we won't tell them that the Xoom really doesn't need any activation, but the consumer doesn't know that. We can tell them anything and they will believe it. Heck, we won't let them buy one without activating it in our stores", says BB to Verizon.
"You guys (BB and Verizon) are messing with the success of my product by trying to extort money from the customers. Our name is going to dragged in the mud for this", Motorola to BB and Verizon.

unknown_owner said:
Just read some interesting words posted about the activation and data plan and it makes sense to me. Here are the excerpts from the posts:
It's not a contract if there is no way to "breach" the contract. Not only is this "agreement" wholly optional, but there is no commitment to it. You can cancel it THAT DAY and pay nothing. If you cancel within 3 days verizon doesn't even charge the activation fee. at most, you might get a small pro-rated bill that you'll be able to talk yourself out of since you never used the product over their data lines.
The Tab (also a tablet) had a "requirement" you activate it. The netbooks sold by carrier's also "required" activation before you could leave the store with it. Both devices function perfectly without activation. The tab required activation at best buy, it requires it at my store and most others I know, but I have a friend who works at another store that doesn't require it. It's not a software requirement, or a requirement from verizon, it's just good business sense on the part of the stores (if you want to know why, refer to my previous comments in this thread)
Yes, I am assuming, but I'm assuming based on factual history and 2+ years of working in the industry. You (and everyone else) are assuming based off of a SINGLE leaked ad for a product that has no official release date or pricing information yet.
Until we get official information, EVERYONE is speculating. I'm just making my assumptions based off of how things have always been instead of what-ifs that bear no similarity to reality.
...
Ok... Let me say this again:
this is a requirement of BEST BUY, NOT VERIZON.
Ok, that's why verizon doesn't just make the plan optional. The plan IS optional, but to buy one from best buy it's not. That's what I've been trying to say the whole time. That's why the argument of "contract" is bogus.
And you're right, it's only been viable for the past year, and for the past year, every tablet has been treated the EXACT same way. Every android device has been treated the EXACT same way. Best buy documentation also said that activation was required on the Tab when it wasn't. So even if the ad wasn't a fake, it's validity is questionable at best.
The purpose of forums is to speculate, which is why you don't write someone off by say "but you're just assuming" like you did earlier.
I've seen internal docs for every other tablet release. They ALL say "this device does not require activation to work" in one way or another. Internal documents do not exist for this device yet, but there is absolutely no reason a PURE GOOGLE tablet would have a lock like this, and there's no reason Verizon would treat this tablet any differently than any other device in their lineup.
No devices require activation, heck you don't even need to give a phone number. But most stores do because of business reasons, not software or rules.
It makes sense. Motorola set the price at $800. BB needs to make a little profit so they partner with Verizon and say we are going to get you activations and data plan signups, just kick us back some money for every one that we signup.
"Oh, no Verizon, we won't tell them that the Xoom really doesn't need any activation, but the consumer doesn't know that. We can tell them anything and they will believe it. Heck, we won't let them buy one without activating it in our stores", says BB to Verizon.
"You guys (BB and Verizon) are messing with the success of my product by trying to extort money from the customers. Our name is going to dragged in the mud for this", Motorola to BB and Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe everyone forced to activate should contact their local Attorney General. One or two state attorney generals attacked Best Buy over forced bundling with the xbox360, and this is the same situation. Forcing you to buy a plan is illegal as far as I can tell by the "tying" provisions of the anti-trust acts. I think the lie that the wifi is disabled might make the situation for BB even worse.