$10 extra charge mandatory?

[Nate#AC]

I wonder if this is part of the reason for them flip-flopping on their Nexus One promise? If this "premium data plan" was specific to the EVO, the obvious alternative for customers who don't want to pay it is Nexus One. Now, we have no high-end choice and are forced to cough up the $10 / month.

For those of you saying that we're getting overly bent out of shape for a lousy $10 / month: Consider that principles mean a lot to some people. Dan mislead us by saying that 4G wouldn't cost anything extra. Sure, they are covering their butts a bit by saying that it's not related to 4G, but that is just a silly technicality. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't like lies and deception. Even if it amounts to just $10 / month. Even if it's still cheaper than competing carriers.

I wish they would just stop with the silly games, and start charging for different tiers of bandwidth usage. Get rid of the fake "unlimited data" and call it 5 GB. Charge more for a truly unlimited plan, and make it optional across the board for all phones. Charge for actual data usage, not projected/expected data usage based on the model of phone you have.

 

[Complex Pants]

One thing that seems to be missing from this discussion is this:



So they are not just charging $10 extra a month for 4G, they are charging the $10 extra because they expect this phone to be a data hog, regardless of which network you are connecting to.

I just checked my plan on the sprint website, and it says on my current Everything Data family plan that I have unlimited amounts of data. Unlimited. I am already paying for unlimited use. So, I don't see how their argument that it will be a data hog is valid. Even if I tether, I don't see the issue, I have already paid for unlimited use.

$10 a month is just a premium for 4G use that they are applying to everyone for no apparent reason.

 

[bcaprara]

I don't think it's right to charge the extra $10 if your area doesn't even have 4G yet. I live in Detroit, MI, and there is not even official talks about Detroit having it at a certain time, but whatever it is the best phone out there.

 

[Complex Pants]

i wish they would just stop with the silly games, and start charging for different tiers of bandwidth usage. Get rid of the fake "unlimited data" and call it 5 gb. Charge more for a truly unlimited plan, and make it optional across the board for all phones. Charge for actual data usage, not projected/expected data usage based on the model of phone you have.

+100000000

 

[stukuz]

There goes the financial reason for staying with Sprint.

So all us good folks who wanted to avoid the Verizon data surcharge and just knew that a good competitor/company like Sprint would eventually upgrade the existing Android phones to 2.1 or start selling at lease 1 modern phone got it.

A newer higher spec phone, without the qwerty option that we may have been waiting for, at a new higher price. So why did I decide not to switch to Vzn and get a choice of phones?

Oh well, I can still get some sport tv options - wrestling? or nascar? or was it tv shows? or something else none phone related?

Hmmm suddenly the N1 or the Incredible are looking better ...

 

[fry8]

Everyone that have a problem with the $10 add-on should call and write Sprint an email complaning about the extra chargeand hopefully if enough ppl do that maybe we cn get them to drop the charge. I'm going to call them and write them several times befor release date because I barely have a 3g coverage where I live.

Agreed.

 

[hockey4life0099]

Can't believe people are getting all bent over 10 bucks. So you have to give up 1 1/2 cocktails out at the bar, or 2 packs of cigarettes a week.

its not 10 bucks though, its a total 240 dollars extra. im on a family plan and it was hard enough getting my dad to pay extra for data, now i need to convince him to buy 4g even though i cant use it at all. its stupid, the nearest 4g is in chicago and i live in detroit. were not even on the plans to get 4g yet.
so the thing im looking at now is "is this phone worth $440 (phone plus extra pointless fee)

 

[Scott Spillers]

Doesn't the $10 / month charge (in any form) contradict what Dan Hesse said at CTIA in March?

9:33AM "3G?s kind of getting exhausted. I talk to my network guys, and it?s like Scottie in the engine room? ?she?s going as fast as she can!?"

9:34AM With 4G, "because we can produce a gigabyte cheaper, we can offer more to the customer."

9:35AM "It?s like standard def versus high def, but with that analogy, you paid more for the better service. With 4G, we?re giving you more for free."

Their not charging you $10 for 4G. Their charging you $10 for (as a was told on an online chat) "allowing customers to take advantage of all that HTC EVO 4G can do".

Feel better now?

 

[CeeDotSmith]

I guess this up in the air as far as a definite answer, but I stopped into a Sprint store on my way home and the Sprint rep said (with confidence and not a perplexed look) that the $10 is mandatory for those in a 4G coverage area. Not if you live in 3G only... I'm just passing this statement along...

 

[Complex Pants]

Their not charging you $10 for 4G. Their charging you $10 for (as a was told on an online chat) "allowing customers to take advantage of all that HTC EVO 4G can do".

Feel better now?

No not really, because that has still not told me where that $10 is going or what it is for. The Evo does basically everything the Droid Incredible does, minus the front facing camera, outside of 4G. The Droid incredible does not seem to cause increased data usage. Also, the current 69.99 everything data plan includes unlimited data usage. So, what is the $10 for outside of the right to use 4G?

 

[Complex Pants]

I guess this up in the air as far as a definite answer, but I stopped into a Sprint store on my way home and the Sprint rep said (with confidence and not a perplexed look) that the $10 is mandatory for those in a 4G coverage area. Not if you live in 3G only... I'm just passing this statement along...

Well I hope this is true. A letter from a higher up at Sprint said otherwise, and Android Central currently believes that it is mandatory.

http://www.androidcentral.com/how-do-you-feel-about-evo-4g-pricing