Database Users

evo off contract

i asked this in a thread a while back, but it got passed up.
if you purchased and activated an evo off contract, what was there to gain? it seems like it wouldn't be worth it for the evo, since everyone was supposed to upgrade their plan a mandatory simply everything data plan + premium data. before with other phones, i could see the allure, but now, not so much, unless you found a way to keep your old plan.

i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.

radar5 said:
i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.
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that makes sense. it just seemed like alot of people got it in their heads that they would not be tied down to a contract no matter what, and it didn't seem to be worth it anymore.

radar5 said:
i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.
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Lol i laugh when customers tell me they arent due for an Upgrade. Ive upgraded 4 times this year. But yea there is NO way yo keep your old plan. The Evo is only compatible with the Everything Data Plan and the Simply Everything Plan. No exceptions. Ive tryed everything to get around it. I had to leave me Sero Plan to get the evo

i'm on the everything data plus plan (long story) but that was about all i could do.

I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).

I bought mine from best buy for the $200 dollar two year contract. My old contract expired earlier this year. Now, somehow my account shows that my contract expired 2 1/2 years ago. Not that I'm complaining, but anyone know how that could have happened? I double checked with the upgrade checker on best buys website, it shows the same thing.

TheBiles said:
I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).
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expiration dates don't change if you are not receiving anything (subsidized phone on the same line, 75/150 off your bill.)
i should have wrote "mandatory". it looks like you lucked out. what plan do you have?

akastixx said:
expiration dates don't change if you are not receiving anything (subsidized phone on the same line, 75/150 off your bill.)
i should have wrote "mandatory". it looks like you lucked out. what plan do you have?
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How did I luck out? I didn't renew my contract because I bought it off contract. Anyone else could do the same thing. No one forces you to use an upgrade.

with google voice account... seems like sprint could turn your phone off and you could still have a phone...lol

I buy all my phones outright. I would have bought my Evo if I didn't get one free from Google. Only phone I ever got on-contract was my 1st gen iPhone. At this point I go through 2 phones a year so off contract is way cheaper for me.

TheBiles said:
How did I luck out? I didn't renew my contract because I bought it off contract. Anyone else could do the same thing. No one forces you to use an upgrade.
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i thought everyone had to change their plan to one of the new ones regardless if they activated an evo on their account. if my last statement is correct (barring rulebending/sweetalking/retentions/ etc. or the oct. 1st sero rumor), then you are lucky to have your same plan (+$10).
StevenCCCP said:
I buy all my phones outright. I would have bought my Evo if I didn't get one free from Google. Only phone I ever got on-contract was my 1st gen iPhone. At this point I go through 2 phones a year so off contract is way cheaper for me.
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i used to get mine off contract, but with having to get the new plan, i just didn't see a reason. once again, your situation is somewhat different than the norm since you got the i/o phone, and since you switch phones so often, it would make sense as your phones retain most of their resale value. i guess my question goes out more to the people who are eligible for a full upgrade.
thanks for the replies

The additional $10 fee doesn't change or extend your plan. It just adds $10/month, the same way insurance adds $7/month.
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.

TheBiles said:
The additional $10 fee doesn't change or extend your plan. It just adds $10/month, the same way insurance adds $7/month.
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True, with OTHER PHONES. If you (or anyone else) were able to get by without having to change plans, cool, they just didn't write the terms that way for THIS PHONE.
"If you’re already a Sprint customer but have a different plan, you’ll have to change plans when you activate your device. Also, once you change your plan, you will not be able to change back to your old plan if we no longer sell it, even if you go back to your old phone."
Nothing in their verbage says you have to extend your contract of enter one if you pay full price or get it from another party, but the terms for the evo state that if you use the phone on sprint, you have to change your plan. will people be able to get away without having to? of course, but I already mentioned that in my last post.

TheBiles said:
I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).
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I thought Sprint was not selling them off-contract?

akastixx said:
True, with OTHER PHONES. If you (or anyone else) were able to get by without having to change plans, cool, they just didn't write the terms that way for THIS PHONE.
"If you’re already a Sprint customer but have a different plan, you’ll have to change plans when you activate your device. Also, once you change your plan, you will not be able to change back to your old plan if we no longer sell it, even if you go back to your old phone."
Nothing in their verbage says you have to extend your contract of enter one if you pay full price or get it from another party, but the terms for the evo state that if you use the phone on sprint, you have to change your plan. will people be able to get away without having to? of course, but I already mentioned that in my last post.
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I'm pretty sure that is for people on those ancient SERO plans that give them unlimited data for like $40. I already had an unlimited everything plan, so I just needed the $10 fee.
gmanvbva said:
I thought Sprint was not selling them off-contract?
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I got mine from Google I/O, but my local stores were selling them for the $450 MSRP.

goodelyfe said:
with google voice account... seems like sprint could turn your phone off and you could still have a phone...lol
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I am pretty sure that would only work where you have a WiFi signal, and you may be limited to no MMS, since MMS can't be sent/received over WiFI.
NOW, If you were to let sprint turn you off, and start an account with CLEAR for their WiFi and used your Google Voice number, I THINK you would have phone and Data Anywhere there is a Clear signal....

dj_jelly said:
Lol i laugh when customers tell me they arent due for an Upgrade. Ive upgraded 4 times this year. But yea there is NO way yo keep your old plan. The Evo is only compatible with the Everything Data Plan and the Simply Everything Plan. No exceptions. Ive tryed everything to get around it. I had to leave me Sero Plan to get the evo
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I'm confused...how did you get 4 upgrades in a year? I would love 4 upgrades a year. I could get another evo or epic for someone else on my plan.

beandogg said:
I'm confused...how did you get 4 upgrades in a year? I would love 4 upgrades a year. I could get another evo or epic for someone else on my plan.
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He's apparently an employee. Just do what I do: Keep your phone in very good condition and sell it when you get another one. I sold my ancient Hero for $300 when the EVO came out, which is more than the rebates.

thenewguy821 said:
I am pretty sure that would only work where you have a WiFi signal, and you may be limited to no MMS, since MMS can't be sent/received over WiFI.
NOW, If you were to let sprint turn you off, and start an account with CLEAR for their WiFi and used your Google Voice number, I THINK you would have phone and Data Anywhere there is a Clear signal....
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thanks captain obvious.... i didnt write that cuz its an understood, right? besides, wifi is just about everywhere. meh @ MMS when you have email accounts. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice and venture other avenues to do what you like

no fascinate for me for a while

vzw will only upgrade my primary line until end of november.
why would i buy one now, and then one later?
family plan lines do not qualify for early upgrades as they only pay 9.99 a month for access, the rest of the cost is credited to the main line.
meh, maybe by then i will want something else, oh well

Do you have any other lines on your plan that are eligible for upgrade?
My Fascinate is on my primary line, which isn't up for New Every Two for six more months. I have another line that had an available upgrade that I used to get it. It was really easy.

Zennmaster said:
Do you have any other lines on your plan that are eligible for upgrade?
My Fascinate is on my primary line, which isn't up for New Every Two for six more months. I have another line that had an available upgrade that I used to get it. It was really easy.
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oh i can get 1 for the primary line, its elgible, but my secondary line isnt.
im not gonna spend 199 now then 199 again later, not with a bogo
and the whole reason im upgrading is to get the wife a smartphone.
basically vzw doesnt want my money for 2 more months, go figure

I was in the same situation as you with only one upgrade available on a family plan. I decided to add a line to get the BOGO phone for my wife. We needed to add a line later anyway for our son, so it was a little early, but I think it was worth it to get the free phone.

xliderider said:
I was in the same situation as you with only one upgrade available on a family plan. I decided to add a line to get the BOGO phone for my wife. We needed to add a line later anyway for our son, so it was a little early, but I think it was worth it to get the free phone.
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i have no reason to add a line, heck im thinking about ditching my landline i dont use. no kids, sooooo no new phone needed.
meh maybe by then the galaxy s2 will be out

mdram-omnia said:
meh maybe by then the galaxy s2 will be out
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Even if it does come out, you know Verizon is almost always last to the dance right? Unless it's a Verizon only exclusive phone, which the Galaxy S2 won't be. Verizon always takes so long validating and testing the phones and adding their bloatware to the phone that every other carrier has had the phone for months before Verizon releases their version.
OTH, I hear that there will be a Verizon version of the HTC Evo coming in December.

xliderider said:
Even if it does come out, you know Verizon is almost always last to the dance right? Unless it's a Verizon only exclusive phone, which the Galaxy S2 won't be. Verizon always takes so long validating and testing the phones and adding their bloatware to the phone that every other carrier has had the phone for months before Verizon releases their version.
OTH, I hear that there will be a Verizon version of the HTC Evo coming in December.
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buzzkill

**Confirmed** Verizon giving me an early upgrade?

So I went on My Verizon account a few minutes ago to pay my bill and this is what it says next to the picture of my phone:
"Eligible for a Discount!"
"You ARE eligible to upgrade with discounted pricing. If you upgrade on or after 5/18/12 you are eligible to receive an additional loyalty discount."
And I clicked that and went to the page that shows available phones and pricing and it's showing 2-yr contract prices e.g. iPhone4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. I thought it was an error and I clicked the Droid Charge and followed through up to payment and the total for the phone was 249.99 plus tax and activation. Obviously I didn't follow through because if I were to get a new phone it would be the Nexus Prime =D.
Last time I went to checked out phones it said I was not currently eligible for an upgrade and showed off-contract pricing. Is anyone else's account showing this? It has thrown me off a little bit.
Update 10/8:
Went to talk to a rep today and the main line on a contract gets to upgrade after 12 months. The pricing is based on a new 2-year commitment plus $20. Early upgrades can only be done at Verizon retail stores and online. Nexus Prime, here I come.

I saw the early upgrade as well.

I am not receiving the same treatment

Zacisblack said:
So I went on My Verizon account a few minutes ago to pay my bill and this is what it says next to the picture of my phone:
"Eligible for a Discount!"
"You ARE eligible to upgrade with discounted pricing. If you upgrade on or after 5/18/12 you are eligible to receive an additional loyalty discount."
And I clicked that and went to the page that shows available phones and pricing and it's showing 2-yr contract prices e.g. iPhone4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. I thought it was an error and I clicked the Droid Charge and followed through up to payment and the total for the phone was 249.99 plus tax and activation. Obviously I didn't follow through because if I were to get a new phone it would be the Nexus Prime =D.
Last time I went to checked out phones it said I was not currently eligible for an upgrade and showed off-contract pricing. Is anyone else's account showing this? It has thrown me off a little bit.
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my mom's line says the same thing. they'll let you upgrade and renew your contract but the phone will be at 2 year price with no additional discount for upgrading on or after your upgrade date.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App

interesting, subscribed

I got an email from the with the early upgrade. I guess they want to add an additional 2 years to our contract. If you keep upgrading every chance you get, pretty soon, you've going to be locked into a 4 year contract making it almost impossible to leave.

johnnyplaid said:
I got an email from the with the early upgrade. I guess they want to add an additional 2 years to our contract. If you keep upgrading every chance you get, pretty soon, you've going to be locked into a 4 year contract making it almost impossible to leave.
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How can they do that? By signing a new 2-year agreement the old agreement is invalid. That means that your contract expires 2 years after you sign the new agreement but not the 2 years plus the extra time left on the current contract.

The main line can actually upgrade once a year. But I at lower discounted price that 18 mths.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium

Nemeth27 said:
The main line can actually upgrade once a year. But I at lower discounted price that 18 mths.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
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The prices is it showing me are prices I would pay at 18 months e.g. iPhone 4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. These are fully discounted prices not partially discounted. Also, I thought Verizon did away with annual upgrades even for the main line?

Verizon did get rid of annual upgrades, but only earlier this year. If you signed a contract before they took the annual upgrade away then you are still grandfathered in.

Zacisblack said:
How can they do that? By signing a new 2-year agreement the old agreement is invalid. That means that your contract expires 2 years after you sign the new agreement but not the 2 years plus the extra time left on the current contract.
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Because they are some shiesty bastards lol. I called enough times and complained about my droid eris being laggy and not having enough ram to run the system let alone any added apps. I told them the only way to get it to run right is to flash a new rom, but that would void my warranty. Agent said he would let me chose any new device for free other than the thunderbolt(which was just released at the time)... So I had them send me a new fascinate and got to keep my eris, don't ask me how or why but they did it. About a week later when I went to log on my vzw account to pay bill I seen my contract was extended one year(on top of the 2yr I agreed to on the eris 6mo prior) without even telling me!! I didnt get too upset because they sent me a brand new fassy for free. My point is: Vzw wireless policy depends on the region of the country your call got directed to... I have been told so many different policies on what they can and cant do, you would think your talking to a completely different company. Vzw is the like the damn weather man, the forecast changes everyday!!!

Signing a new contract does not necessarily void a previous one unless it explicitly states so. Ever notice you sign a two year contract but they let you upgrade after 18 months.

2 reasons..1. they want as many people to update prior to the new 4th quarter phones come out. that way people will have used their upgrade discounts and pay a higher price for the latest phone.
2. they want to jack the revenues for the 4th quarter where vast majority of pure profit is made (think black friday).
Samsung Fascinate :: MIUI 1.9.23 :: JT V5 kernel

By signing a new contact chances are you will no longer get the unlimited 4g, but fall in to there new tiered data plan. Be very cautious when upgrading your phone if you have unlimited now.
Sent from the tip of my ThunderStick on a bolt of lightning...

ThunderStick said:
By signing a new contact chances are you will no longer get the unlimited 4g, but fall in to there new tiered data plan. Be very cautious when upgrading your phone if you have unlimited now.
Sent from the tip of my ThunderStick on a bolt of lightning...
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This is false...if you upgrade from 3g smartphone to 4g smartphone you keep unlimited data long as you had it before the tired plans went into effect. I called about it and went on the website to check. It would let me upgrade to lte and keep the same unlimited data just had to pay retail since im under contract right now.

droidstyle said:
This is false...if you upgrade from 3g smartphone to 4g smartphone you keep unlimited data long as you had it before the tired plans went into effect. I called about it and went on the website to check. It would let me upgrade to lte and keep the same unlimited data just had to pay retail since im under contract right now.
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Phew I was wondering, glad they are not as ****ty as described. No early for me, just checked.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium

joe$007 said:
Phew I was wondering, glad they are not as ****ty as described. No early for me, just checked.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
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Yea like I said I went through the entire process up to payment. It offered me the $30 2GB plan and my old Unlimited $29.99 plan. Obviously I would choose the latter. Only if this evasive Nexus Prime gets launched soon...

called vzn last week about the missed calls and not getting text or pic messaging and the tech i talked to said the problem is known and that vzn was allowing early upgrades plus an extra $50 off if you have a fascinate. told her that was nice but i shouldnt have to pay for a new phone since mine was less than a year old. still waiting for the second tech to call me back. not sure what they are going to offer as a replacement phone yet but it had better be good.

If you have the unlimited data plan, make sure they do not rope you in on their new data plans. When my Fascinate got replaced, the reps at the VZW store also changed my data plan as well. I was furious when I found that out, and they refused to fix it.
Called the VZW customer support, I explained the whole ordeal and they fixed my data plan back to unlimited. Just be cautious when you try to upgrade, make sure you'll get that unlimited data plan (disregard this post if you entered Verizon with the new data plans )

Moving on, thanks to all!

Hello everyone,
After the worst customer experience EVER with T-mobile...I am moving on from my beloved Vibrant. Here is what happened... I paid retail for my phone using the "Equipment Instalment Plan" and entered into the non-contract plans. At that time I was told that once you enter these type of plans you cannot go back to contract plans or get phones at the discounted price unless I start over with a whole new account only to find out that in Oct 2011 I was placed onto a contracted plan which I never authorized. In most cases it wouldn't have been a big deal, but was because my some dropped my phone on my cement driveway and cracked the screen, so after finding out that it would cost $130 for the insurance replacement (I mean really, after paying all the insurance it still costs that MUCH!!! Insurance on other carriers replaces phones for way less and even free on Verizon) and just replacing the screen isn't that much different.
Anyway, I was told I could not upgrade unless I paid retail. But, T-mobile changed the way that works. When I first started the "EIP" plan, you would pay the full retail value of a phone in payments split up over 21 months which would be added to your monthly phone bill and all you would pay upfront was the first monthly instalment, but now they make you pay 1/3 of the retail value of the phone upfront and the rest over 21 months. Which to me defeats the purpose because that is basically what you pay for a phone on a 2 year contract and then of course you don't have to pay any more toward the phone after that.
So now we go back to the problem of being on the contract I never agreed to. The rep said they knew that you couldn't get back onto a contracted plan after going to EIP plans, but somehow I was able to and they couldn't reverse it. The rep said I could file a dispute by email because no one could take care of it over the phone. So, I filed my dispute and never heard back. I was really busy with work and family and basically put this whole issue on the back burner for a few months but checked back with T-mobile at the beginning of June and was told they never got my dispute. I saved my email I sent and informed them that I have confirmation they received it...still, was told I had to filed my complaint all over again. So I did and had to wait 10 days for a response which OF COURSE was declined.
I called T-mobile back (I should add that this whole time I have been very friendly with everyone I spoke to and never once got loud or disrespectful) and explained everything going on and explained that my only intention was one of two things, either pay retail on the EIP plan like I originally should have....just that it should be done in the same manner as my vibrant which was my payment upfront be only the first of 21months, or give me the upgrade price since I was put on a contract without my consent and never used an upgrade on my account. Keep in mind that at this point it has been over two years since I got my Vibrant. I was told no and no. My only option was to pay 1/3 retail and the rest over 21 months or buy a phone somewhere else.
My intention was never to leave....in fact, I was only promising that would be there for another two years, T-mobile would not be losing out on anything except keeping a customer longer and I have been with them for 6 years already. But at this point I told them either give me an upgrade or I will take my business elsewhere. The rep said they didn't want to lose my business and that they would either put me on my previous non-contract plan or they would give me the upgrade price on a new phone. So I put aside the fact that it took over 6 months for them to give in, I agree to just go with the upgrade price and stay on contract. I asked the rep if I could go to a store to complete my purchase and they said yes. So I go to the store and the rep at the store said I was misinformed on the phone and could not get the upgrade price. My only option is to pay retail.
Now I'm back to my original spot...I can only pay retail, like I did with my vibrant and be on a contract I didn't agree to and obviously didn't want in the first place, the rep I spoke to the first time couldn't figure out how I got onto contract, but couldn't reverse it and even agreed that my situation didn't make sense. I know I could get a phone on craigslist or something, but I wanted something new and an upgrade, but now it's all about the principle of the business ethics T-mobile is using with me. So as a last resort, I go to the forums on T-mobile website and post my problem there. I get several responses saying I should contact a forum this specific forum moderator (name withheld, I don't want to get into trouble) because she is known for fixing issues like mine. So I did...AND NO RESPONSE, I sent another private message and again no response and this went on for 2 weeks.
So I hit my last straw...I'm moving on. My wife and I each are getting SGS II's free and will be on a cheaper plan then we had with T-mobile by going with Sprint. I have never used Sprint, it could turn out that I don't like their service areas compared to T-mobile in my area or their network seems sluggish but either way, T-mobile again lost another long time customer.
If you actually read through all that then thank you for listening to my complaint. I didn't even list every detail about the situation and some of the events just make it even more ridiculous.
I loved the phone, but that is only because of the developers on this site. I mean that literally. So special thanks to all the devs out there...they certainly deserve every thanks they get and then some.
FaultException-thanks for your fast and detailed responses and work with CM9.
jrongi1-thanks
Cyanogen-thanks
serendipityguy-thanks for your kernel bible
bay_wolf-loved your toolbox (haha, that sounds bad)
Fishman0919-thanks for reviving bionix
Sombionix-thanks for bionix
Romanbb-Thanks for work (loved them all)
krarvind-thanks for Slim ICS (used that for while)
sixstringsg-thanks for Glitch (My fav kernel)
Jellette-thanks for all the choices (hope life is well and live long and strong)
So many more I can't think of off the top of my head so thanks to everyone and I wish you all the best.

Wow.. seems like everything really went against you throughout the process. Instead, I wouldnt even waste time and would have began by threatening to cancel my (nonexistant) contract through the cancellation department since they have more power than your average rep.
But what is done is done, and I would do the same if I encountered that.
You might not like sprint and their mess going on over there with slow network and sketchy plan with wimax and lte. In other words, you might be miserable with their speeds, regardless of unlimited plans. Good luck. I'm looking to upgrade this vibrant to the s3 soon enough too. Served me well and still holds up against most low and mid range phones, but my GPS is just..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda app-developers app

I know I may not care for the speeds and all, but 90% of the time I am connected to wifi anyway so it really isn't that big of a deal and there are a few people I know around here on sprint that get good data speeds. I am in MN, so it's not like the network would get as overloaded as if I were in LA or NY. Plus I got the phone for free, and it's a good phone...but only time will tell. I will miss the trusty Vib, but I am going to use it as a music player I think...cracked screen shouldn't matter to much using it for that.

What's happened to T-Mobile's customer Service?
One of the thing that used to separate T-Mobile from other carriers was their customer service. Their one year wooing by AT&T seems to have completely screwed this once great attribute. I too am seriously dumping T-Mobile and switching to Sprint. I have a friend with 3 lines. He (and I) always buy our phones retail/Craigslist and go with No Contract plans. At the time he was using the pre-paid plan while I was on the Even More Plus plan. Both no contract plans. After getting the Galaxy Nexus, he decided to switch over to the 5GB EMP plan, but now they don't have that plan anymore. In fact, they have no non-contract plans at all anymore. I'm pretty sure, T-Mobile's going to lose 3 more customers in a couple of months. Oh well.

os2baba said:
One of the thing that used to separate T-Mobile from other carriers was their customer service. Their one year wooing by AT&T seems to have completely screwed this once great attribute. I too am seriously dumping T-Mobile and switching to Sprint. I have a friend with 3 lines. He (and I) always buy our phones retail/Craigslist and go with No Contract plans. At the time he was using the pre-paid plan while I was on the Even More Plus plan. Both no contract plans. After getting the Galaxy Nexus, he decided to switch over to the 5GB EMP plan, but now they don't have that plan anymore. In fact, they have no non-contract plans at all anymore. I'm pretty sure, T-Mobile's going to lose 3 more customers in a couple of months. Oh well.
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Look at their Monthly 4G plans. They are very in-expensive and contract free. (You can just buy a SIM and pop it into any unlocked/t-mo phone)

Sprint doing early upgrade program?

Att,verizon, and t mobile all making it possible to upgrade every 6 months or with verizon I believe its a year, any one herd of any news of sprint doing this? I would love that, because phones do need a upgrade every 3-6 months, I would definitely be willing to pay an extra 10 or 15$ to be able to do this
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

I just wish Sprint would bring back their BTA (bill to account) option. I don't mind paying full price for a phone if I have a month or two in which to pay it and with the BTA feature, if I scheduled a purchase just right (day after a new billing cycle started) I had two billing periods before it was due.
I'm not sure Sprint will go down the early upgrade road since they've taken the unprecedented step of offering the unlimited data forever plans but time will tell.

being a former sprint rep, they do have an early upgrade program but it's a little bit different. So basically your upgrade or discounted pricing is in exchange for 2 year contract. Phones normally MSRP from 450-650 for the smartphones. So what sprint does occasionally and it's based purely on the account, as well as payment history, tenure, and other factors (from what I've been told), they have an upgrade now offer. Instead of having to pay the full MSRP on the device, you would have an upgrade now amount that could range from 50 bucks to 275. The way that the program works is that you would pay that upgrade now amount and by doing so it would get you to your upgrade pricing. It is NOT buying out your contract. Simply means you are upgrade eligible. So say you have a 50 dollar upgrade now and you wanted to get the GS4 which retails at 249.99 before the 50.00 mail in rebate (which would bring it to 199.99), you would basically be paying the 249.99 for the device, and then an additional 50 bucks which is your upgrade now offer bringing the OTD price to 299.99 before tax, but you still get the 50 dollar mail in rebate. Another thing about the program, I would not be an MOD EDIT to the rep about this program too, because company policy says that this is supposed to be a one time offer, and if you do not accept it, we are "technically" supposed to click a little box that says decline offer, and then you just have to wait til your normal upgrade time. At least in my store we don't normally do that, unless the customer is irate or gets escalated, we leave it on there for the customer. Also, sometimes the upgrade now ill drop as it gets closer to your 20-month upgrade date, but sometimes it will not. Also, at least in corporate stores, we have to do everything in the same transaction, so you cannot pay the 50 bucks, then run to best buy and get the phone for cheaper. People have gotten fired for that, and our DM highly emphasizes this. Another thing you can do is cross upgrade, which means using someone elses upgrade, so if you have someone on the same account and want to use their upgrade if you know they don't plan on upgrading for a while, or even someone on a different account, then you can use their upgrades. one thing to note though when cross-upgrading, you WILL lose your mail in rebate. Hope that helps!
---------- Post added at 08:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
And you can BTA still, however you can only do accessories on consumer accounts. If you have a business, you can BTA devices and accessories. So if you have a Tax ID or self employed, by all means, GET A BUSINESS ACCOUNT! lol

Esoteric68 said:
I just wish Sprint would bring back their BTA (bill to account) option. I don't mind paying full price for a phone if I have a month or two in which to pay it and with the BTA feature, if I scheduled a purchase just right (day after a new billing cycle started) I had two billing periods before it was due.
I'm not sure Sprint will go down the early upgrade road since they've taken the unprecedented step of offering the unlimited data forever plans but time will tell.
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I just use the best buy credit card works just as good, no intrest if paid in 18 months
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mista_k said:
being a former sprint rep, they do have an early upgrade program but it's a little bit different. So basically your upgrade or discounted pricing is in exchange for 2 year contract. Phones normally MSRP from 450-650 for the smartphones. So what sprint does occasionally and it's based purely on the account, as well as payment history, tenure, and other factors (from what I've been told), they have an upgrade now offer. Instead of having to pay the full MSRP on the device, you would have an upgrade now amount that could range from 50 bucks to 275. The way that the program works is that you would pay that upgrade now amount and by doing so it would get you to your upgrade pricing. It is NOT buying out your contract. Simply means you are upgrade eligible. So say you have a 50 dollar upgrade now and you wanted to get the GS4 which retails at 249.99 before the 50.00 mail in rebate (which would bring it to 199.99), you would basically be paying the 249.99 for the device, and then an additional 50 bucks which is your upgrade now offer bringing the OTD price to 299.99 before tax, but you still get the 50 dollar mail in rebate. Another thing about the program, I would not be an asshole to the rep about this program too, because company policy says that this is supposed to be a one time offer, and if you do not accept it, we are "technically" supposed to click a little box that says decline offer, and then you just have to wait til your normal upgrade time. At least in my store we don't normally do that, unless the customer is irate or gets escalated, we leave it on there for the customer. Also, sometimes the upgrade now ill drop as it gets closer to your 20-month upgrade date, but sometimes it will not. Also, at least in corporate stores, we have to do everything in the same transaction, so you cannot pay the 50 bucks, then run to best buy and get the phone for cheaper. People have gotten fired for that, and our DM highly emphasizes this. Another thing you can do is cross upgrade, which means using someone elses upgrade, so if you have someone on the same account and want to use their upgrade if you know they don't plan on upgrading for a while, or even someone on a different account, then you can use their upgrades. one thing to note though when cross-upgrading, you WILL lose your mail in rebate. Hope that helps!
---------- Post added at 08:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
And you can BTA still, however you can only do accessories on consumer accounts. If you have a business, you can BTA devices and accessories. So if you have a Tax ID or self employed, by all means, GET A BUSINESS ACCOUNT! lol
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I knew about paying the fee but with t mobile I like it cause you just pay 10$ extra, and your able to just simply exchange your phone for a new one
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Kinda/sorta related to this is something we learned a few weeks ago: Sprint apparently offers the ability to "gift" an upgrade... I'm not sure I got the explanation exactly right, but basically it looks like if you're eligible for an upgrade, but someone else on your account isn't, you can give them your upgrade at any time.
In addition, we learned another nifty "trick"... if you have multiple lines on your account with different contract dates, you can, if the dates work out, in a sense upgrade both phones each year! Here's how it works...
This year, my wife and I had SGS3's, my two kids had some old Nexus'... we went in to the local Sprint store and upgraded my kids' phones to the SGS4, since they were eligible... but my wife and I were not for another year... we couldn't very well have our kids having better phones then us of course, so at the same time we had them swap our SGS3's with their new SGS4's... just literally change the lines on all four phones. Me and the wife got the SGS4's, the kids the SGS3's. As it turns out, the kids were SUPPOSED to have had the SGS4's for 30 days before they did the swap, that's apparently the rule, 30 days before you can do a line swap... but they let it go this time anyway since we had previously been told we could do the swap the same day but the waiting period wasn't mentioned.
Eh, whatever, the bottom line is that every year we can go in and effectively upgrade ALL FOUR phones... the kids will always get the hand-me-down's and be a cycle behind the latest models, but hell, an SGS3 is nothing to balk at today, and they'll be very happy with the SGS4's next year. If your contract dates are far enough apart like ours then you can do this too (if one person doesn't mind being one generation behind too). It's not illegal or against the rules at all

fzammetti said:
Kinda/sorta related to this is something we learned a few weeks ago: Sprint apparently offers the ability to "gift" an upgrade... I'm not sure I got the explanation exactly right, but basically it looks like if you're eligible for an upgrade, but someone else on your account isn't, you can give them your upgrade at any time.
In addition, we learned another nifty "trick"... if you have multiple lines on your account with different contract dates, you can, if the dates work out, in a sense upgrade both phones each year! Here's how it works...
This year, my wife and I had SGS3's, my two kids had some old Nexus'... we went in to the local Sprint store and upgraded my kids' phones to the SGS4, since they were eligible... but my wife and I were not for another year... we couldn't very well have our kids having better phones then us of course, so at the same time we had them swap our SGS3's with their new SGS4's... just literally change the lines on all four phones. Me and the wife got the SGS4's, the kids the SGS3's. As it turns out, the kids were SUPPOSED to have had the SGS4's for 30 days before they did the swap, that's apparently the rule, 30 days before you can do a line swap... but they let it go this time anyway since we had previously been told we could do the swap the same day but the waiting period wasn't mentioned.
Eh, whatever, the bottom line is that every year we can go in and effectively upgrade ALL FOUR phones... the kids will always get the hand-me-down's and be a cycle behind the latest models, but hell, an SGS3 is nothing to balk at today, and they'll be very happy with the SGS4's next year. If your contract dates are far enough apart like ours then you can do this too (if one person doesn't mind being one generation behind too). It's not illegal or against the rules at all
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That's funny. I got my SGS4 by adding a new line to my account and swapped the SGS4 on the new line with my SGS3 on my current line the night I got the phone. It's the only time I've done it so I don't know if the dude just didn't care or didn't know. Also...much like you, By the time the next Galaxy comes out either my line or my 2nd line will have an upgrade I'll be able to use. It's a nice system.
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To be elligible for the mail in rebate the purchase must remain on the line for which it was purchased on for 30 days..flip flopping them voids elligibity
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So you pay an additional $10 a month and they allow you to swap your phone for a new one? I didn't know you could do that. Guess is like paying io front for a new phone

cesardrgn said:
So you pay an additional $10 a month and they allow you to swap your phone for a new one? I didn't know you could do that. Guess is like paying io front for a new phone
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Yea but its cheaper. . Maybe in 2 years ill be jumping ship to T-mobile I just don't know since t mobiles signal seems iffy.. with sprint I get signal everywhere just slow(under 1mb/s) 3g data speed
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jrollercoasters said:
Yea but its cheaper. . Maybe in 2 years ill be jumping ship to T-mobile I just don't know since t mobiles signal seems iffy.. with sprint I get signal everywhere just slow(under 1mb/s) 3g data speed
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i did the early upgrade last year and they billed me the 150$ it cost to do the early upgrade.. so i only had to come to the store with the 200$ plus tax for the phone.. then i just tried to do one again they said i could.. but they stopped billing the $$$ its costs to upgrade.. they said it was 200 to early upgrade but they said they stopped billing that u have to come to the store with the money when u buy the phone.. so i said screw that! so i needed 250$ for the s4 plus 200$ to do the early upgrade.. i just ended up starting a new line to get the s4.. i should have just waited cause they put my other line in sesonal standby for 6 months.. but i dont have anyone to take over that over line when the 6 months is up.. so im screwed pretty much ill have to do a ETA which will be 350!! wish there was something i could do since im still keeping my s4 line.. 350$ is a bad hit.. will they give me time to pay the 350$ off.. cause i cant pay it at once.. ill could pay extra on my bill every month till its paid off tho.. if they let me

P.Mobile said:
i did the early upgrade last year and they billed me the 150$ it cost to do the early upgrade.. so i only had to come to the store with the 200$ plus tax for the phone.. then i just tried to do one again they said i could.. but they stopped billing the $$$ its costs to upgrade.. they said it was 200 to early upgrade but they said they stopped billing that u have to come to the store with the money when u buy the phone.. so i said screw that! so i needed 250$ for the s4 plus 200$ to do the early upgrade.. i just ended up starting a new line to get the s4.. i should have just waited cause they put my other line in sesonal standby for 6 months.. but i dont have anyone to take over that over line when the 6 months is up.. so im screwed pretty much ill have to do a ETA which will be 350!! wish there was something i could do since im still keeping my s4 line.. 350$ is a bad hit.. will they give me time to pay the 350$ off.. cause i cant pay it at once.. ill could pay extra on my bill every month till its paid off tho.. if they let me
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I would just call customer service and see what they can do, surprisingly sprint has really good customer service
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