Sprint says Premium Data is for "Shrimp and Crab"

[krazyfiend]

Sort of builds off the closed thread from:
http://forum.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=17333

But this is more central around the pending release of the Epic and future 4G phones with lesser or greater spec's....very interesting ..

Sprint says “Premium Data” is for “Shrimp and Crab”. | Explain the Fee!

Conversation, with audio transcribed in the video:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...p%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F13433686&token=KNMGSee4

Thanks to Digg.com for the lead ...see digg comments here...
Sprint says Premium Data is for "Shrimp and Crab"

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

Please don't crap all over this thread with fighting and foolishness. I hate closing them.

Interesting link krazyfiend. thanks

 

[whippingboy]

I have to admit- I've been on the other side of the fence saying "the fee is unfortunate- but deal with it because sprint is still cheaper"...that said- the language of how Sprint is going about this is just wrong.

They don't want to tax their entire userbase for fear of mass exodus of users to other carriers. Rather than do a tiered plan like ATT (which I have no problem with- ESPECIALLY if you also have an unlimited plan option) they think they can justify a $10 fee to anyone with a next gen phone.

While I feel $10 a month isn't much extra to pay- and Sprint on a Family plan is still quite a bit cheaper- this "tax" makes it hard for me to RECOMMEND a superior phone to a non power user like my parents and some of my less geeky friends. (Mind you- you know DARN WELL a good majority of iphone users are NOT very tech savvy- this is a market RIPE for Sprint were they to not dissuade people with additional fees on high end phones!" These people love a giant screen like the Evo, or keyboard / screen combo like the Epic- and have no problem with $200 for a new phone and contract- but at a cost of $10 PER HANDSET per month- it turns them off... me and the wife- we've little problem with it- but would sprint like 2 renewed contracts or 10 is the question I'd ask them...

So what are my less techy friends' options? Not much! They're stuck squinting at what- the "NEW" SAMSUNG INTERCEPT? With it's terrible screen resolution and EVDO REV 0?

That is NOT how to treat your customers. I'd love for a tiered plan or even an option to just not pay $10 and it disables 4G function on newer phones. I'm fine with wifi and 3G and would take the price savings instead...and THAT's what Sprint is afraid of.

 

[liquidxit2]

Great now Im hungry.

As for the plan I think its wrong. Its almost like they are charging us to build their infrastructure. Seems like its getting closer to the price and limits as the other carriers, and if they ever invoke a data limit for phones like they did for air cards I don't know what I would do. Probably would just switch to another carrier that didnt have the limit until they do the same.

 

[sndplace]

I agree that they should give us the option to pay or not use 4g if its not in your area.but i'll admit , it doesnt bother me. if i want the next new phone and in order to get it i have to pay more then i will. if not they have other phones that just make calls and text. remember when AOL was like 25 bucks a month . how much do we pay now.

PS I cant wait for this phone. this would be my first Android phone .

 

[Nickles0n]

I don't think that spirit would ever put a data cap on anything. Sprint soul most likely throttle the user so that they would take up less bandwidth. As for the fee I think it is very just. That said I can't wait for the epic, it will mark my first android phone.

 

[Droidcola]

I like how deceptive this Headline is.

It took me reading this thread, clicking the link and reading the comments on that link to understand that the person asking Sprint made a buffet metaphor first and Sprint responded to that buffet metaphor with another food metaphor.

The title makes it look like the question of the fee was was asked and Sprint said, "It's for my shrimp and crab, you peasant!"

Haha.

 

[krazyfiend]

I like how deceptive this Headline is.

It took me reading this thread, clicking the link and reading the comments on that link to understand that the person asking Sprint made a buffet metaphor first and Sprint responded to that buffet metaphor with another food metaphor.

The title makes it look like the question of the fee was was asked and Sprint said, "It's for my shrimp and crab, you peasant!"

Haha.

Credit is due to the OP from Digg for the title

 

[Darth Pooh#CB]

I am in the minority when I say "MEH, NBD" to the fee.

I've had Sprint for years, they are the least expensive VS. reliability of service.

While customer service is an entirely other beast, it's worth the minor hassle from time to time.

People balk when they get a device that uses up more data then ever before but don't want to pay for it; I understand people have budgets, however, mobile data is not a need but a want. If you want it enough (especially the phones that suck up the most data, i.e. quicker to use via processor and hence used more to do tasks with) you'll pay.

 

[TheOnlyMorgan]

Yeah I'm not happy with the fact that Sprint hasn't just called this a 4G fee either, but I guess they didn't want to do that because then they'd have to find a way to give people the EVO and the Epic and disable 4G use for them. Perhaps they still have not been able to do this. Heck they still haven't disabled 4G hotspot and tethering use for the people that don't even have it on their account with their EVOs. Thing is though does anyone really have an argument against Sprint's legality in tacking on an extra $10 per month for this phone? Not really, we as the consumer have a choice. We either get the phones that are 4G capable and have this fee attached or we don't. Doesn't seem like a whole lot that can be argued against if at all.

 

[drizek]

I am in the minority when I say "MEH, NBD" to the fee.

I've had Sprint for years, they are the least expensive VS. reliability of service.

While customer service is an entirely other beast, it's worth the minor hassle from time to time.

People balk when they get a device that uses up more data then ever before but don't want to pay for it; I understand people have budgets, however, mobile data is not a need but a want. If you want it enough (especially the phones that suck up the most data, i.e. quicker to use via processor and hence used more to do tasks with) you'll pay.

It's called progress. Devices will use up more data every year, but there is an expectation that sprint has already made their network more robust.

If I can pay this fee and be guaranteed an uncapped data plan for eternity, maybe it is worth it. But i have a feeling that sprint will either cap the plans, waive the fee or both in the future, and our payments will have amounted to nothing more than us giving sprint executives their christmas bonuses.

It actually does make it feel much worse paying this thing knowing that sprint now ties bonuses to 4g subscribers, maybe they should tie bonuses to 4g coverage instead.

 

[Aero]

It's called progress. Devices will use up more data every year, but there is an expectation that sprint has already made their network more robust.

If I can pay this fee and be guaranteed an uncapped data plan for eternity, maybe it is worth it. But i have a feeling that sprint will either cap the plans, waive the fee or both in the future, and our payments will have amounted to nothing more than us giving sprint executives their christmas bonuses.

It actually does make it feel much worse paying this thing knowing that sprint now ties bonuses to 4g subscribers, maybe they should tie bonuses to 4g coverage instead.

I am with you in general, butt verything uses more data, but per data decreases.
When I got my first 300 bad it cost way more than later isdn cost me. that isdn at .128m available cost me more than my first dsl at .3m, which cost me more than my dsl at 3m. my current 7m cost me even less. Moreover I know don't sip a gb or two/month like I did two years ago, but pull 100 to 150 gb/month easily from verizon due simply to netflix live. I will probably pull double that in a few month just based on changing my netflix streamers to HD netflix. Yet my costs have continuously dropped -- by either metric: available speed, or data downloaded.

So when we say available speed has increased, or data used has increased we need to keep n mind that so has it for any data service. And by huge leaps.

The sprint 4g tax charge is more about infrastructure build out (both recovery and future) and about what the market will let them get away with. Yes the 4g tax explanations are convoluted, patrinizing and a lie, but really are not surprising and nor are they nefarious given that most such explanations from any service provider are inherently bogus. Is calling a CS REp and tieing them up in knots forcing them to go extemporaneous off of some script some flack has given really prodcutive or meaningful?

Not everything should be relativized, but one can certainly relativize in competitive markets. Sprint could say the fee is for parties with hookers at their corporate HQ and the charges still make choosing them over ATT and Verizon a no brainer for me!

If I was to pick a more problematic and more potentially unfair policy it would be the leap families have to take to everything plans when they may have several lines using no data, text or nav. If you have older parents on your plan you know what i am talking about.