Radio Shack and EPRP

[rrob13]

Hi everyone--

Is there a way to upgrade to the Evo at Radio Shack on an EPRP plan? I tried unsuccessfully to do this last night. The RS employee was very helpful and spent quite a while bouncing around talking to different Sprint reps trying to get the upgrade through for me. Finally a telesales rep told him (and then told me) that the only way I could upgrade in store would be to switch to a normal plan. She said I would lose my EPRP plan and could "never, ever" get it back.

Is this true? I've read mixed reports on the web. Some people have been able to upgrade in store by having ESN's manually entered into their account profiles, but others have been told the same thing Sprint told me.

I switched from a SERO plan to EPRP in June 2009 when purchasing my Palm Pre at a Sprint store. The Sprint store rep initially said I couldn't upgrade in store, but then he made a phone call and was able to get it done.

Can anyone shed any insight? I'd really like to upgrade at Radio Shack if possible.

Rob

 

[error4o4]

Quick answer: No.

Long:

It sadly can never happen at a Radioshack.

Our systems when attempting to ring through the POS look and verify your plan with what phone you are getting.

If plans do not match up, you pay full price.

In your case, you have a 30$ a month plan that is below the 79.99$ requirement for the phone in question.

No matter what is done in store it cannot happen without the store being punished by a very large charge-back from sprint.

Sucks, but thats how it is.

 

[rrob13]

It sadly can never happen at a Radioshack ... No matter what is done in store it cannot happen without the store being punished by a very large charge-back from sprint.

That is a shame. I thought that chargeback might be a risk, and I don't want to inflict that on the business. That's not cool.

In your case, you have a 30$ a month plan that is below the 79.99$ requirement for the phone in question.

I don't think this will change your answer, but I wish I were still on a $30 per month plan. I am on an EPRP plan that works out to $54.99 per month. I gave up my $30 per month SERO plan when I upgraded to a Palm Pre back in 2009.

Does anyone know whether I can upgrade to an Evo at a Sprint store and still keep an EPRP plan? I'd rather upgrade this weekend, even if it means paying $199 instead of $149, rather than waiting for a shipment next week.

Rob

 

[error4o4]

I know the EPRP plans are able to accept Evo ESN's....

as for how you can buy a EVO with subsidized pricing on the other hand.. not so sure bro.

best of luck to you

 

[rrob13]

I know the EPRP plans are able to accept Evo ESN's....

as for how you can buy a EVO with subsidized pricing on the other hand.. not so sure bro.

best of luck to you

Thanks. I appreciate your help. I talked to Sprint via online chat last night, and they told me that I can at least upgrade in person at a local Sprint corporate store. That will mean paying $200 instead of $149 and dealing with the mail-in rebate, but I can live with that.

I'd have loved to upgrade at Radio Shack for the lower price and instant rebate, but I don't want to try anything that might get a retailer stuck with a chargeback. I want a good deal, but I'm not willing to punish someone to get it.

Rob

 

[rrob13]

Great news: I upgraded today to an Evo at Radio Shack for $149.99 even though I am on an EPRP plan. I needed to go to Radio Shack anyway to buy something entirely unrelated, so I decided to give it one more shot before going to a Sprint store to upgrade.

I told the store manager that I wanted to upgrade, and she started the process. When she couldn't see my information in Sprint's SNAP system, she asked if I was a Sprint employee. I told her that I wasn't and that I expected that I might have trouble upgrading from Radio Shack. I explained that I was on an EPRP plan and that she might have to activate a new phone manually for me. It didn't hurt that she had previously worked in both a Sprint store and for a Sprint call center, but she made the call and reported my new Evo's ESN manually. I was up and running in minutes with my existing EPRP plan and with no activation fee.

This manager provided outstanding service, and I am extremely happy to have been able to upgrade at Radio Shack for a lower price ($149.99) and with instant (rather than mail-in) rebates.

Thanks, Shack! You rock.

Rob