Well after 8 years with sprint my contract is up, [3g] speeds are down, and I'm leaving for the following reasons
1. Service went downhill QUICKLY!
I used to get decent mobile speeds, very seldom had a dropped call, call clarity was excellent. Now none of that. Speeds are super slow - just a week ago, on 3G it took FIVE MINUTES to load facebook and about a minute and a half to load XDA developers on TAPATALK! Then I've been experiencing a lot of dropped calls. Sometimes I won't even be on the phone longer than 1 minute and my call will drop. I've told people this would happen when the iphone came to sprint - lo and behold, I was absolutely right. I have a few friends who are also upset with sprint for changing up on them, but they're still under contract.
2. Charging miscellaneous fees I never agreed to/changing amounts
I signed up for TEP, had it as long as I've been with them (or as long as it was offered, never can be too safe) and it was 7 bucks a month, now it's 8. Then there was the "spending limit fee" which wasn't charged when I signed my last contract, but now they're hitting me for 5 bucks extra per month, then the regulatory charges, taxes, and all that other stuff. Let's put it like this - how can my bill come to 82 dollars and some change per month when my plan is 79.99, plus 7 dollars (well 8) for TEP minus a 25% discount from an old employer?If anything, it should be less than 79.99!
3. Blatant LIES
We were told "4G wouldn't be an extra charge!" By Dan Hesse, but when it came out all 4G phones were subject to the 10 dollar "premium data fee" um, WTF is premium data when you already have unlimited? They hit us with some crab about "the premium data is the lobster and shrimp at the buffet" So since they were exposed about their blatant lie (I wouldn't have had a problem with a 10 dollar 4G fee AT ALL!) they then suddenly changed it to ANY smartphone - 3G or 4G is subject to the fee.
4. Bait and Switch
When I signed up for my EVO and extended my contract I specifically asked if I would be able to upgrade next year, I was informed that YES, I am a sprint premier customer and I will in fact be able to upgrade at the retail price a year later. Next year (last year) rolls around, I wanted the EVO 3D, but they CHANGED the premier customer program. NOW I had to be a customer with a 90 dollar base plan OR have been there for 10 years. April 1st, 2011 is when they changed it and the phone didn't release until June, 24th. So now I'm cheated out of my upgrade and I was expecting to be able to upgrade to the next best thing - but that was shot down. I took it, let it go. Wasn't happy - never will be, but I let it go.
5. 4G
While it's very fast, it's also very spotty. If i'm in my bedroom, I get 4g. If I go to the bathroom (which is on the other side of the room) no 4g.
If I go in the kitchen, i get it by the fridge and the stove, but NOT by the sink and the dishwasher. I can be on one side of the street and get 2 bars of 4g, cross the street and it reverts to 3g. Some places just have ZERO 4g. It's too unpredictable and it BARELY ever works indoors.
I will say, all isn't bad about sprint. I love the following
1. any mobile any time - great idea, more carriers should follow suit
2. UNLIMITED 3g/4g data - the other carriers are going in the WRONG DIRECTION with this! The 4G is plenty fast, I average around 3-4MB down, 1.1 up, and I've gotten as much down as 13Mbps down still with 1.2 up.
3. Cheapest plans available
I've began using wifi more and more (at work, at mcdonalds, at the chinese restaurant, at home) and last month since I've been doing that, I've cut my data usage to UNDER A GIG! For a reference point, my data at one point was over 20 gigs a month. So that is HUGE to me.
My wife and I have discussed this and we are going with a family plan with T-mobile. A relative let us borrow their t-mobile smartphone and we went everywhere with it, it was FAST, no dropped calls, coverage was much improved, so we're going to t-mobile and getting a family plan with 2 lines for 129.99
Sprint, it's been a GREAT ride except at the end, but it's time to pick up the Galaxy S III on T-mobile!
Get your LTE up and I WILL be back next year if things don't work out!
1. Service went downhill QUICKLY!
I used to get decent mobile speeds, very seldom had a dropped call, call clarity was excellent. Now none of that. Speeds are super slow - just a week ago, on 3G it took FIVE MINUTES to load facebook and about a minute and a half to load XDA developers on TAPATALK! Then I've been experiencing a lot of dropped calls. Sometimes I won't even be on the phone longer than 1 minute and my call will drop. I've told people this would happen when the iphone came to sprint - lo and behold, I was absolutely right. I have a few friends who are also upset with sprint for changing up on them, but they're still under contract.
2. Charging miscellaneous fees I never agreed to/changing amounts
I signed up for TEP, had it as long as I've been with them (or as long as it was offered, never can be too safe) and it was 7 bucks a month, now it's 8. Then there was the "spending limit fee" which wasn't charged when I signed my last contract, but now they're hitting me for 5 bucks extra per month, then the regulatory charges, taxes, and all that other stuff. Let's put it like this - how can my bill come to 82 dollars and some change per month when my plan is 79.99, plus 7 dollars (well 8) for TEP minus a 25% discount from an old employer?If anything, it should be less than 79.99!
3. Blatant LIES
We were told "4G wouldn't be an extra charge!" By Dan Hesse, but when it came out all 4G phones were subject to the 10 dollar "premium data fee" um, WTF is premium data when you already have unlimited? They hit us with some crab about "the premium data is the lobster and shrimp at the buffet" So since they were exposed about their blatant lie (I wouldn't have had a problem with a 10 dollar 4G fee AT ALL!) they then suddenly changed it to ANY smartphone - 3G or 4G is subject to the fee.
4. Bait and Switch
When I signed up for my EVO and extended my contract I specifically asked if I would be able to upgrade next year, I was informed that YES, I am a sprint premier customer and I will in fact be able to upgrade at the retail price a year later. Next year (last year) rolls around, I wanted the EVO 3D, but they CHANGED the premier customer program. NOW I had to be a customer with a 90 dollar base plan OR have been there for 10 years. April 1st, 2011 is when they changed it and the phone didn't release until June, 24th. So now I'm cheated out of my upgrade and I was expecting to be able to upgrade to the next best thing - but that was shot down. I took it, let it go. Wasn't happy - never will be, but I let it go.
5. 4G
While it's very fast, it's also very spotty. If i'm in my bedroom, I get 4g. If I go to the bathroom (which is on the other side of the room) no 4g.
If I go in the kitchen, i get it by the fridge and the stove, but NOT by the sink and the dishwasher. I can be on one side of the street and get 2 bars of 4g, cross the street and it reverts to 3g. Some places just have ZERO 4g. It's too unpredictable and it BARELY ever works indoors.
I will say, all isn't bad about sprint. I love the following
1. any mobile any time - great idea, more carriers should follow suit
2. UNLIMITED 3g/4g data - the other carriers are going in the WRONG DIRECTION with this! The 4G is plenty fast, I average around 3-4MB down, 1.1 up, and I've gotten as much down as 13Mbps down still with 1.2 up.
3. Cheapest plans available
I've began using wifi more and more (at work, at mcdonalds, at the chinese restaurant, at home) and last month since I've been doing that, I've cut my data usage to UNDER A GIG! For a reference point, my data at one point was over 20 gigs a month. So that is HUGE to me.
My wife and I have discussed this and we are going with a family plan with T-mobile. A relative let us borrow their t-mobile smartphone and we went everywhere with it, it was FAST, no dropped calls, coverage was much improved, so we're going to t-mobile and getting a family plan with 2 lines for 129.99
Sprint, it's been a GREAT ride except at the end, but it's time to pick up the Galaxy S III on T-mobile!
Get your LTE up and I WILL be back next year if things don't work out!
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