Sprint forced me to activate a new line to get the Epic 4G Touch - Samsung Epic 4G Touch

I walked into my local Sprint store with $600 cash in my pocket anticipating to walk out with a brand new SGS2E4GT at full MSRP without any additional commitment on my contract. (Have you guys noticed the full non contract price for this device is not listed.)
After the sales rep got the device from the stock room, we were ready to set it up with my existing account. After he logs into my account he notifies me that Im not eligable to an upgrade until January. So with a smile, I informed him that Im aware that Im not eligable yet & thats why Im willing to pay the full price for the phone. Then he said, Sorry sir, but effective today, every sprint device is ONLY available at a carrier subsidized price to people willing to activate a new line or those qualified for an upgrade. Which means nobody can purchase a phone at full price & swap it to their current number. (This **** didn't make any sense to me at all.)But any ways long story short, after a few minutes of blah blah blah, I walked out of the store with a brand new GS2, and a 3rd line to my account which I will not use but will be billed monthly $20 plus $10 premium data. Then he had the nerve to remind me that If I swap the new phone to my primary line before 30 days, I will lose my mail in rebate.....
What the hell is hapenning to Sprint????

That sucks. I had no problem getting mine.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA Premium App

Sounds like you went to an indirect retailer and not a Sprint-owned corporate store because that's not true at all.

dizidi said:
I walked into my local Sprint store with $600 cash in my pocket anticipating to walk out with a brand new SGS2E4GT at full MSRP without any additional commitment on my contract. (Have you guys noticed the full non contract price for this device is not listed.)
After the sales rep got the device from the stock room, we were ready to set it up with my existing account. After he logs into my account he notifies me that Im not eligable to an upgrade until January. So with a smile, I informed him that Im aware that Im not eligable yet & thats why Im willing to pay the full price for the phone. Then he said, Sorry sir, but effective today, every sprint device is ONLY available at a carrier subsidized price to people willing to activate a new line or those qualified for an upgrade. Which means nobody can purchase a phone at full price & swap it to their current number. (This **** didn't make any sense to me at all.)But any ways long story short, after a few minutes of blah blah blah, I walked out of the store with a brand new GS2, and a 3rd line to my account which I will not use but will be billed monthly $20 plus $10 premium data. Then he had the nerve to remind me that If I swap the new phone to my primary line before 30 days, I will lose my mail in rebate.....
What the hell is hapenning to Sprint????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to take it back and go to a Sprint corporate store

dizidi said:
I walked into my local Sprint store with $600 cash in my pocket anticipating to walk out with a brand new SGS2E4GT at full MSRP without any additional commitment on my contract. (Have you guys noticed the full non contract price for this device is not listed.)
After the sales rep got the device from the stock room, we were ready to set it up with my existing account. After he logs into my account he notifies me that Im not eligable to an upgrade until January. So with a smile, I informed him that Im aware that Im not eligable yet & thats why Im willing to pay the full price for the phone. Then he said, Sorry sir, but effective today, every sprint device is ONLY available at a carrier subsidized price to people willing to activate a new line or those qualified for an upgrade. Which means nobody can purchase a phone at full price & swap it to their current number. (This **** didn't make any sense to me at all.)But any ways long story short, after a few minutes of blah blah blah, I walked out of the store with a brand new GS2, and a 3rd line to my account which I will not use but will be billed monthly $20 plus $10 premium data. Then he had the nerve to remind me that If I swap the new phone to my primary line before 30 days, I will lose my mail in rebate.....
What the hell is hapenning to Sprint????
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Click to collapse
While I'm aware of their new "no device without a 2 year contract" policy I didn't think it was impossible to replace a phone without a new contract. Frankly it sounds like you got fncked. I would call Sprint and escalate this up to someone that gives a fnck because frankly this is a gigantic load of bull****.
...there is no way in hell that you can't even replace a device on an existing line/contract. If that is true, well, there is NO REASON AT ALL TO STAY WITH SPRINT. (VERY SLOW) UNLIMITED DATA IS NO REASON TO STAY WITH A COMPANY THAT WONT EVEN LET YOU REPLACE A PHONE WITHOUT A NEW CONTRACT.
Even given their new restrictive policies I highly doubt that what you were subject to was actual official Sprint policy--I don't give a **** what they say, they are likely idiots who interpreted the new policy wrong (either for their own benefit or merely out of their own extreme ignorance).
Escalate this as appropriate. This is bull****...and if you find that this is actual official policy please demand the section of the contract that specifies this and LET US KNOW. We will spread the word and take heed which will result in Sprint losing US and EVERYBODY WE HAVE ALWAYS RECOMMENDED GO TO SPRINT. EVERYBODY. Do you hear that Sprint?
...if (and when) you (most likely) find this to be complete bull**** on your Sprint reps part (and I would be sure to post the store number and location here and many other places, store manager name included) I would also demand a form of compensation for having been lied to and tricked into a contract. Nothing extravagant, but, something you find equivalent in value to your time and expense required to deal with this crap.

Yeah, I had no issues getting mine today either and technically my 22 month upgrade was not until april.

Thanks for the input guys, I really felt like I was suckered into signing an extra line which I dont need in order to get the device I really want, even though I was willing to pay full price for it. I will call corporate tomorrow and bring it to their attention. Thank You.

Good luck, hope you get it solved. Definitely sounds like bs to me.

dizidi said:
Thanks for the input guys, I really felt like I was suckered into signing an extra line which I dont need in order to get the device I really want, even though I was willing to pay full price for it. I will call corporate tomorrow and bring it to their attention. Thank You.
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Click to collapse
Go through amazon wireless hit with "no contract phone only" pay then slap that guy for bomboozlein you into a 2 year contract

Question towards this: I get my upgrade the 22nd, what price am I paying?
Sent from my Epic[Fail]4G ;P

dizidi said:
Thanks for the input guys, I really felt like I was suckered into signing an extra line which I dont need in order to get the device I really want, even though I was willing to pay full price for it. I will call corporate tomorrow and bring it to their attention. Thank You.
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Click to collapse
Make sure you return the device by Sunday so you don't get charged an activation fee. Given the situation you described, you can probably get any charges reversed by care anyway... but to be on the safe side, return it within 3 days to avoid the fee for sure.

That's BS, u got the short end of the stick. So much to talk about here. First of all Sprint is known to make an exception that close out of a 2 year agreement and provide you with full subsidization. At the very least they will provide you with partial subsidization. The reason why they probably don't sell them at full price is because it probably doesn't ever happen because it makes zero sense even with the recent early termination hike to $350 dollars. If you want it right now, process the order overnight on the line in question with overnight delivery from a retailer like wirefly.com and return and close out the new line u purchased. I'm pretty sure they'll give you options to buy without a new line at wirefly. That would be really bad for business if they didn't. I think the return policy is 14 days now and you may suffer a restocking fee for it all. Good luck.

The phone is $499.99 retail on Sprint.com, so you definitely got suckered into a new activation and a nice commission/spiff for the sales person who got to you.
Wow, i remember those days as a cell phone salesguy and the stuff we used to pull, like these (and much worse).

This phone doesn't have a mail in rebate. And remember you can call customer care tell them that they are not allowing you to buy the phone. At least I didn't get a rebate.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

LordLugard said:
The phone is $499.99 retail on Sprint.com, so you definitely got suckered into a new activation and a nice commission/spiff for the sales person who got to you.
Wow, i remember those days as a cell phone salesguy and the stuff we used to pull, like these (and much worse).
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I was just going to say this. If u go on sprint.com u can buy the phone without an upgrade for $499.99 so that just shows that place screwed u. Hope u get this straightened out cuz thats bull**** man.

Yeah use the 14 day satisfaction guarantee to tell that store a big **** you.

Just pay the ETF on your old line. Depending how long you had it the most it can be is $200 but since you said your upgrade was in January, it should be a lot less then that even be less then that. In the end you will save more money then buying the phone outright as long as you do not care about getting a new number.....
Then you go go thank the guy in the Sprint store for saving you a ****load of money!
And I thought there were no mail in rebates? Did you actually get a mail in rebate with the phone?

I bought mine for 499 without a problem.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

What a fool. They feed you a spoon of bull **** and you ate it. All over a phone which in a few weeks could be brought on ebay for $350 and some change.

Yeah...I would call and cancel the line...pay the eft and call it even
dizidi said:
I walked into my local Sprint store with $600 cash in my pocket anticipating to walk out with a brand new SGS2E4GT at full MSRP without any additional commitment on my contract. (Have you guys noticed the full non contract price for this device is not listed.)
After the sales rep got the device from the stock room, we were ready to set it up with my existing account. After he logs into my account he notifies me that Im not eligable to an upgrade until January. So with a smile, I informed him that Im aware that Im not eligable yet & thats why Im willing to pay the full price for the phone. Then he said, Sorry sir, but effective today, every sprint device is ONLY available at a carrier subsidized price to people willing to activate a new line or those qualified for an upgrade. Which means nobody can purchase a phone at full price & swap it to their current number. (This **** didn't make any sense to me at all.)But any ways long story short, after a few minutes of blah blah blah, I walked out of the store with a brand new GS2, and a 3rd line to my account which I will not use but will be billed monthly $20 plus $10 premium data. Then he had the nerve to remind me that If I swap the new phone to my primary line before 30 days, I will lose my mail in rebate.....
What the hell is hapenning to Sprint????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

Related

Thinking of buying this phone from Wirefly.

I am with Sprint under my dads account. It is a family plan with my sister, my dad and I. Heres my question, I just want to know if I can order safely from Wirefly without any fuse, in other words, they will send me my phone without attempting to change our plan, rise our bill or anything like that. I just want to upgrade my phone to the Galaxy Nexus with the same plan intact, nothing change. The reason I am asking this is because I once tried to order a phone from Amazon (at the same price of a normal upgrade), and they wanted me to get a brand new number and plan.
Thanks for your help.
P.S. I cant believe they are selling this phone for 50 bucks. I am awed ._.
Anyone?
it is only that price with a contract. they will make you sign up for 2yr sprint contract before selling you the phone.
yup confirmed
$49.99
with a new Sprint account
look right under the price tag in small writing
Darunion said:
it is only that price with a contract. they will make you sign up for 2yr sprint contract before selling you the phone.
yup confirmed
$49.99
with a new Sprint account
look right under the price tag in small writing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I dont know how I missed that. lol
Thank you.
DO NOT buy from wirefly. There are too many problems with that company to list them all here.
latindor17 said:
I am with Sprint under my dads account. It is a family plan with my sister, my dad and I. Heres my question, I just want to know if I can order safely from Wirefly without any fuse, in other words, they will send me my phone without attempting to change our plan, rise our bill or anything like that. I just want to upgrade my phone to the Galaxy Nexus with the same plan intact, nothing change. The reason I am asking this is because I once tried to order a phone from Amazon (at the same price of a normal upgrade), and they wanted me to get a brand new number and plan.
Thanks for your help.
P.S. I cant believe they are selling this phone for 50 bucks. I am awed ._.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello latindor17: Wirefly can certainly upgrade your phone without changing your plan or the amount you pay every month (provided you’re not on an old grandfathered rate plan the carrier no longer offers, in which case you may be asked to choose a current rate plan – but if that were the case, Wirefly would always contact you for approval before proceeding with your order). Darunion is correct that you will need you renew your contract for 2 years in order to be eligible for the price on the website, but you do not need to get a new number, you may keep your existing number without a problem. There are no other hidden fees or charges, as long as you maintain your account in good standing (and don’t downgrade your plan) within 6 months of your activation date. For more information on this, please see http://www.wirefly.com/about/low-phone-prices/?referringdomain=wirefly&oflag=specialoffer.
obsanity said:
DO NOT buy from wirefly. There are too many problems with that company to list them all here.
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Click to collapse
What? I used Wirefly to get a Galaxy SIII as an upgrade on my T-Mobile account with absolutely no issues. They simply checked to see if I was eligible for an upgrade and once they verified that I was I purchased a Galaxy SIII as an upgrade for $200. They did not screw with my plan at all.
It was much cheaper than going through T-Mobile directly ($379 for the phone at the time) and they shipped the phone extremely fast. I'd use them again in a heartbeat.
** I should mention that I have since sold the Galaxy SIII and reverted back to the GNex because it just wasn't the same. But that's neither here nor there. :highfive:
Wirefly_Kim said:
Hello latindor17: Wirefly can certainly upgrade your phone without changing your plan or the amount you pay every month (provided you’re not on an old grandfathered rate plan the carrier no longer offers, in which case you may be asked to choose a current rate plan – but if that were the case, Wirefly would always contact you for approval before proceeding with your order). Darunion is correct that you will need you renew your contract for 2 years in order to be eligible for the price on the website, but you do not need to get a new number, you may keep your existing number without a problem. There are no other hidden fees or charges, as long as you maintain your account in good standing (and don’t downgrade your plan) within 6 months of your activation date. For more information on this, please see http://www.wirefly.com/about/low-phone-prices/?referringdomain=wirefly&oflag=specialoffer.
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Click to collapse
What Ms. Kim said here is exactly why you SHOULDN'T go with wirefly or any other similar service. They make you sign an additional contract, apparently in this case for 6 months, that has NOTHING to do with Sprint. Well, technically it does since it stipulates you must stay with Sprint for 6 months, but this contract isn't with Sprint.
So, if you move, find a better deal, find a reason to terminate without an ETF, etc., you're still on the hook with this company for 6 months. If you like buying through a 3rd party, I think Best Buy and Radioshak both still don't require this anti-consumer tactic.
Wow. I didn't realize that when I did it. Luckily if you plan on sticking with your current contract for more than 6 months this won't effect you (like most people). But it would be quite annoying if you did need to switch carriers quicker than expected.
Good to know.
Morphling27 said:
What Ms. Kim said here is exactly why you SHOULDN'T go with wirefly or any other similar service. They make you sign an additional contract, apparently in this case for 6 months, that has NOTHING to do with Sprint. Well, technically it does since it stipulates you must stay with Sprint for 6 months, but this contract isn't with Sprint.
So, if you move, find a better deal, find a reason to terminate without an ETF, etc., you're still on the hook with this company for 6 months. If you like buying through a 3rd party, I think Best Buy and Radioshak both still don't require this anti-consumer tactic.
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Click to collapse
what reason could you find to terminate without an ETF though? as far as i know death is the only exception..and sometimes that doesnt even work
the stipulation (as i understand it) is that you just have to hold your end of the bargain for 6 months (something you already agreed to with your carrier by signing a 2 year anyway)...the reason for the 6 months is because thats the contract they have with the carriers..they recruit or keep customers for carriers and pass on the commission to us (which is why they can sell the phones cheaper)
its not like they are going to kill you if you break the wirefly contract..you just end up paying retail for the phone...as long as you are certain about the phone and plan that you are purchasing i dont see a problem...if you have buyers remorse or you don't do your homework and want to cut the cord..then yeah...you're gonna pay for it..thats kinda what happens when you break any contract (cell phone or otherwise)
i have been researching this company as well...reading customer comments and their fine print..im thinking about upgrading to the Note 2 through them...$300 as opposed to $420 with tmobile ($370 AFTER mail in rebate)
if kim from wirefly is still reading this...the phone is listed as $300 (for upgrades)...do you know what the end cost is gonna be? is it $300? or is there gonna be upgrade fees and tax and my first born?
jdiddy_ub said:
if kim from wirefly is still reading this...the phone is listed as $300 (for upgrades)...do you know what the end cost is gonna be? is it $300? or is there gonna be upgrade fees and tax and my first born?
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Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure no additional tax is charged on top of the listed price. I think T-Mobile charged me an upgrade fee but instantly credited it back to me on my next bill.
Morphling27 said:
What Ms. Kim said here is exactly why you SHOULDN'T go with wirefly or any other similar service. They make you sign an additional contract, apparently in this case for 6 months, that has NOTHING to do with Sprint. Well, technically it does since it stipulates you must stay with Sprint for 6 months, but this contract isn't with Sprint.
So, if you move, find a better deal, find a reason to terminate without an ETF, etc., you're still on the hook with this company for 6 months. If you like buying through a 3rd party, I think Best Buy and Radioshak both still don't require this anti-consumer tactic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Morphling,
Our 181 day rule is based on a contractual agreement that we have with the carriers. We don't get compensated for a sale from the carrier until after this time frame has been met. All 3rd party dealers have a stipulation period that customers must abide by even though the terms and conditions can vary from company to company, this is an industry standard. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
---------- Post added at 02:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 AM ----------
jdiddy_ub said:
what reason could you find to terminate without an ETF though? as far as i know death is the only exception..and sometimes that doesnt even work
the stipulation (as i understand it) is that you just have to hold your end of the bargain for 6 months (something you already agreed to with your carrier by signing a 2 year anyway)...the reason for the 6 months is because thats the contract they have with the carriers..they recruit or keep customers for carriers and pass on the commission to us (which is why they can sell the phones cheaper)
its not like they are going to kill you if you break the wirefly contract..you just end up paying retail for the phone...as long as you are certain about the phone and plan that you are purchasing i dont see a problem...if you have buyers remorse or you don't do your homework and want to cut the cord..then yeah...you're gonna pay for it..thats kinda what happens when you break any contract (cell phone or otherwise)
i have been researching this company as well...reading customer comments and their fine print..im thinking about upgrading to the Note 2 through them...$300 as opposed to $420 with tmobile ($370 AFTER mail in rebate)
if kim from wirefly is still reading this...the phone is listed as $300 (for upgrades)...do you know what the end cost is gonna be? is it $300? or is there gonna be upgrade fees and tax and my first born?
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Click to collapse
Hello jdiddy_ub,
The carrier will charge you an upgrade fee but this is only paid once on the first billing cycle following the upgrade. The taxes for the service is assessed by the carrier and varies depending on where you live. If you are keeping the same rate plan then your taxes should not be any different then what you are currently paying now. Let me know if I can answer any further questions.
Wirefly_Kim said:
Hello Morphling,
Our 181 day rule is based on a contractual agreement that we have with the carriers. We don't get compensated for a sale from the carrier until after this time frame has been met. All 3rd party dealers have a stipulation period that customers must abide by even though the terms and conditions can vary from company to company, this is an industry standard. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
---------- Post added at 02:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 AM ----------
Hello jdiddy_ub,
The carrier will charge you an upgrade fee but this is only paid once on the first billing cycle following the upgrade. The taxes for the service is assessed by the carrier and varies depending on where you live. If you are keeping the same rate plan then your taxes should not be any different then what you are currently paying now. Let me know if I can answer any further questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not asking about the tax for service.. i am asking about tax from the cost of the phone
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Buy it from costco wireless. $39.99 upgrade. No extra etf and they refund the $36 upgrafe fee. 90 day exchange. Dont even think you have to be a member.

Getting a Note 2 without paying outright cost!!

So lately I am seeing a lot of questions about where to buy a Galaxy Note 2 for the best deal without a contract. I currently have worked for Sprint for the past six years and have a lot of good loopholes and information on how to use the system to my advantage. I would like to share some information with you to help anybody who needs help getting their upgrades early, or anything else I can do to help.
So now even if you do not have an upgrade currently there is a way to get it early so you can pay the upgrade price, plus a little more but it will still be much cheaper than buying it outright. Here are the steps you need to follow to do this correctly.
You must call and ONLY call the retentions department aka cancellations. I have a direct number to this department that leads you directly to a person, so you do not have to listen to any automated system. You will have to dial this number 1-888-273-9460, next explain to the rep that you are in need of a new phone because you are having many issues with your current device. Tell them you would like to see if you are eligible for a "buyup" option and how much it will cost to do so. A buyup is an early upgrade that is basically buying out the rest of your contract to get your upgrade early. 90% of all customers I have done this for are eligible for this buyup from anywhere to $50-$150 depending on how far away you are from your upgrade. If eligible, you can ask them to go ahead and apply the buyup and the fee will be billed onto your account so you can pay it off later in payments if you like.
Now it takes usually about 20 minutes to 24 hours for the upgrade to become live on your account depending on how busy the department is because there is a department where these reps are manually pushing the upgrades through, usually I can get it pushed through for about 20 mins to an hour, simply ask them to expedite the buyup and tell them you are currently in a Sprint store waiting to pick up your new device.
So now you have an early upgrade for around $50-$150 and now you can upgrade to the Note 2 for $299.99. Many Sprint locations also have an in store Buyback program. This is where you can trade in your old device to receive money off your in store purchase. This is for those who do not want to sell their old phone on ebay or craigslist, the discount varies from phone models of course, but you can trade in an S2 for about $88, or you can bring in a bunch of older phones if you have them to help with the overall cost.
There is another way to receive some money off towards your bill if you are very close to upgrading. If you call the same department I listed earlier, you can tell them you are interested to hear some information about a Loyalty credit on your account. If you are eligible this is basically a program where Sprint will give you $50-$100 credit per line on your account in exchange for extending that lines contract for 1 more year. But if you are close to your upgrade already this is technically only a few months more since you are upgrading soon anyways. Now this will not always work but if you ask politely or get a nice rep you can usually always get this credit applied to your bill.
If you have any questions or need help, just PM me for info
Great information! Now I just used my upgrade to get the gs3....... I can do this right? jk lol I'm screwed lol guess I might have to just buy out right :/
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
wirefly friends and family has it for 219.99
loveshinesthru said:
wirefly friends and family has it for 219.99
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
moeinyoho said:
Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On contract most likely
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2
moeinyoho said:
Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on contract
I took advantage of the buyout in store, however they required me to trade in my S2. Is this right or did I get one put over on me?
rkboid said:
I took advantage of the buyout in store, however they required me to trade in my S2. Is this right or did I get one put over on me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do require that in store, but we talked to retentions and they let us buyout the upgrade with no trade in.
I had my upgrade available and the Sprint store employee was having a hard time figuring out how to upgrade me without changing my sero plan. He sold me the device for the upgrade price and then did an esn swap. I didn't realize till later i had saved the activation fee and because it was a esn swap and I still have a upgrade eligibility on the same line.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
cbpagent72 said:
I had my upgrade available and the Sprint store employee was having a hard time figuring out how to upgrade me without changing my sero plan. He sold me the device for the upgrade price and then did an esn swap. I didn't realize till later i had saved the activation fee and because it was a esn swap and I still have a upgrade eligibility on the same line.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
score!
I am sorry to tell you he pulled a fast one on you. You are not required to trade anything in for a buyup. The buyup is solely charged to your bill. I would go back in that store and demand it back or you will call Sprint for fraud.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Unknown_Hero said:
I am sorry to tell you he pulled a fast one on you. You are not required to trade anything in for a buyup. The buyup is solely charged to your bill. I would go back in that store and demand it back or you will call Sprint for fraud.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you've been working for sprint for 6 years?
the misinformation in this thread is lol
This will not work for employees grrr
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
---------- Post added at 07:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:23 AM ----------
U only buyback phone if the eligible upgrade is not reset
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Interesting!
I'm pretty settled on wanting the GNote2 as my next device.. did I do a mistake by contacting/online chat earlier today? I just asked the rep if I was eligible for an early upgrade. Person told me I'm eligible for upgrade prices at 6/1/13, instead of 10/2013 lol.
Just tried this...rep said my Buyup was $275....They would give me 98 for my Galaxy2 then the Note 2 at 299. So my out of pocket would be $476.
I guess it is better then the new outright price.
im gonna have to try this since im not eligible until april
Sprint wanted to buy back my 16gb S3 for 128$ instead, I sold it to the gf for 320$ so I could get the Note 2 on upgrade.
.:Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Note II:.
Those that are inquiring about this and getting actual buyout numbers would you please post how long you have left on your contract?
Might help the rest of us get an idea of what our buyout would be without calling. Like myself, I have 1 year left on my contract and will probably try to call tomorrow to see what my buyout would be. Will report back if I get the time to make the call.
For me my ETF is $240, I figure I could get $350 for my S3 currently and move to Verizon.
So
240+299=$539
$539-$350=$189 out of pocket
I am trying to tough it out with Sprint though because if I go to VZW that still leaves my wife with Sprint for another year or until I pay her ETF as well. Hoping for a decent buyout price and maybe a loyalty credit to sway me to stick around.
My brother bought out his upgrade in oct right before the note 2 came out. his upgrade was elegible in may and he paid 100. ( I did it for him, as he is on our account, so I know this to be accurate)
Unknown_Hero said:
So lately I am seeing a lot of questions about where to buy a Galaxy Note 2 for the best deal without a contract. I currently have worked for Sprint for the past six years and have a lot of good loopholes and information on how to use the system to my advantage. I would like to share some information with you to help anybody who needs help getting their upgrades early, or anything else I can do to help.
So now even if you do not have an upgrade currently there is a way to get it early so you can pay the upgrade price, plus a little more but it will still be much cheaper than buying it outright. Here are the steps you need to follow to do this correctly.
You must call and ONLY call the retentions department aka cancellations. I have a direct number to this department that leads you directly to a person, so you do not have to listen to any automated system. You will have to dial this number 1-888-273-9460, next explain to the rep that you are in need of a new phone because you are having many issues with your current device. Tell them you would like to see if you are eligible for a "buyup" option and how much it will cost to do so. A buyup is an early upgrade that is basically buying out the rest of your contract to get your upgrade early. 90% of all customers I have done this for are eligible for this buyup from anywhere to $50-$150 depending on how far away you are from your upgrade. If eligible, you can ask them to go ahead and apply the buyup and the fee will be billed onto your account so you can pay it off later in payments if you like.
Now it takes usually about 20 minutes to 24 hours for the upgrade to become live on your account depending on how busy the department is because there is a department where these reps are manually pushing the upgrades through, usually I can get it pushed through for about 20 mins to an hour, simply ask them to expedite the buyup and tell them you are currently in a Sprint store waiting to pick up your new device.
So now you have an early upgrade for around $50-$150 and now you can upgrade to the Note 2 for $299.99. Many Sprint locations also have an in store Buyback program. This is where you can trade in your old device to receive money off your in store purchase. This is for those who do not want to sell their old phone on ebay or craigslist, the discount varies from phone models of course, but you can trade in an S2 for about $88, or you can bring in a bunch of older phones if you have them to help with the overall cost.
There is another way to receive some money off towards your bill if you are very close to upgrading. If you call the same department I listed earlier, you can tell them you are interested to hear some information about a Loyalty credit on your account. If you are eligible this is basically a program where Sprint will give you $50-$100 credit per line on your account in exchange for extending that lines contract for 1 more year. But if you are close to your upgrade already this is technically only a few months more since you are upgrading soon anyways. Now this will not always work but if you ask politely or get a nice rep you can usually always get this credit applied to your bill.
If you have any questions or need help, just PM me for info
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Your signature says retailer. So is that corporate or "retailer".
Your numbers may be a little off. Just wanted to point out what I've been seeing.
The UpgradeNOW program starts at $200. It would be foolish to start at $150. ETF for a smart phone is $350. No way they would let you. You have to be xx months in. If you go into the store, they can do it for you.
Loyalty Credit is at the reps discretion. Starts at $25 and they don't always require you to extend your contract. Why? Extend for 1 year, upgrade later on and poof! They just gave you money for nothing. They promise you $xx for xx months. They don't follow through and then tell you, you're not eligible for that offer. The offer has to show. Misleading reps. I even asked a "research" team to listen to the phone call where the rep promised to me and I confirmed that if I called back it would be available. Lies.
Buyback program is next to nothing in most cases. Original Epic and EVO's are $32-$38 or so. Easily sell for double that and get cash. Older phones are worth nothing. I wouldn't even bother. They have to work and can not have water damage.
Anyone that's ventured this far onto these forums are more than likely to resell on CL or in the Marketplace. Not trying to butt heads or say you're info it wrong, just pointing out some facts. Sprint has come around in their favor and waiting your 22 months is becoming a major option. They took away all the good loopholes.

Get a phone on contract and cancel

Hey guys, me, my mom and dad just switched to t mobile. i Have some money, so i bought the gnote 2 with EIP (we're on the value plan) but my parents came over with their att gs2's.
My dad really wants the gs3 so i'm trying to figure out the cheapest way to do it. If he does the EIP, he'll pay 170ish down, and then 20 dollars a month for two years, so thats 170 +400. but he wouldnt have to put so much down now, it would come out to like 220 with tax.
I could try and get it on craigslist for like 350... I mean technically tmobile would let him add insurance to it as long as its a tmobile phone even if its used, i think. I'm considering this.
My real question is this, Could i buy it on contract, under my name (my actual phone is under my moms family plan) for like 50 dollars in best buy now, and i dont think thats with a rebate, and then cancel the contract and keep the phone? If i add that up, Its 50, plus 50 for the tax i think, 35 for the activation fee if i cant get that waived, and the 200 early termination fee. thats about 3-335. of course i'll have to pay for some service, so, will that be prorated? then it can be as low as 30-40 extra dollars which brings the total to like 370, or even if i have to pay the full month of service, thats like 400... thats much better than 550 plus tax.... even if there is a rebate which i wouldnt get back because ill be cancelling, maybe it would come to 500 total....
does anyone have any info on this?
mottyengel said:
Hey guys, me, my mom and dad just switched to t mobile. i Have some money, so i bought the gnote 2 with EIP (we're on the value plan) but my parents came over with their att gs2's.
My dad really wants the gs3 so i'm trying to figure out the cheapest way to do it. If he does the EIP, he'll pay 170ish down, and then 20 dollars a month for two years, so thats 170 +400. but he wouldnt have to put so much down now, it would come out to like 220 with tax.
I could try and get it on craigslist for like 350... I mean technically tmobile would let him add insurance to it as long as its a tmobile phone even if its used, i think. I'm considering this.
My real question is this, Could i buy it on contract, under my name (my actual phone is under my moms family plan) for like 50 dollars in best buy now, and i dont think thats with a rebate, and then cancel the contract and keep the phone? If i add that up, Its 50, plus 50 for the tax i think, 35 for the activation fee if i cant get that waived, and the 200 early termination fee. thats about 3-335. of course i'll have to pay for some service, so, will that be prorated? then it can be as low as 30-40 extra dollars which brings the total to like 370, or even if i have to pay the full month of service, thats like 400... thats much better than 550 plus tax.... even if there is a rebate which i wouldnt get back because ill be cancelling, maybe it would come to 500 total....
does anyone have any info on this?
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One thing. If you sign up for a plan at best buy or anywhere where you are either signing a contract or getting a new account. You can't just cancel and keep the phone. They will not cancel you unless you return the phone. Id you don't they will charge you for the full price plus who knows what else. If your parents can unlock their phones through art and they can be used on tmobiles service is do that and save some money. Or have them sell their att phones to help with the downpayme t of the sgs3. Just some advice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
One thing. If you sign up for a plan at best buy or anywhere where you are either signing a contract or getting a new account. You can't just cancel and keep the phone. They will not cancel you unless you return the phone. Id you don't they will charge you for the full price plus who knows what else. If your parents can unlock their phones through art and they can be used on tmobiles service is do that and save some money. Or have them sell their att phones to help with the downpayme t of the sgs3. Just some advice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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hmmm but that doiesnt sound right to me...we all just left att and cancelled our contracts and went to tmobile.. and we all bought our phones at best buy, my father in may of last year, and me and my mom in february, and we just had to pay the cancellation fees, are you saying that tmobile is different? I mean, maybe they wont let me cancel untill after the 14 days... or maybe they wont prorate and make me pay for the full month... but youre saying theyll make me pay for the full retail? AND the cancellation fee??
mottyengel said:
hmmm but that doiesnt sound right to me...we all just left att and cancelled our contracts and went to tmobile.. and we all bought our phones at best buy, my father in may of last year, and me and my mom in february, and we just had to pay the cancellation fees, are you saying that tmobile is different? I mean, maybe they wont let me cancel untill after the 14 days... or maybe they wont prorate and make me pay for the full month... but youre saying theyll make me pay for the full retail? AND the cancellation fee??
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Sorry. I guess I made you confused. I meant if you were to cancel within the 14 days you'd have to return the phone for a full refund. After the 14 days you can cancel and keep whatever phones you got. Now if you were to choose the value plans and get on the eip for 20 months and then cancelled after 14 days, ypud he billed for the remaining payments that are left on your bill. I hope that helps. If not maybe I read your question wrong.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Even if you cancel your account on the value plan, you're going to end up paying the full price of the phone no matter what.
They're going to just overlook the remaining fees on a 500+ dollar device.
monkeypaws had the best solutions for you.
Unlock the devices so you can use them on T-Mobile.
Or sell them, they should fetch around $200 on Craigslist depending on the condition and accessories. Or possibly more on eBay.
You would easily be able to pay the down payment on the GS3's with that.
If your dad thinks that the down payment is too much, then i'd recommend waiting it out for a little while.
T-Mobile may have a random sale and you'll be able to get the GS3 for cheap(er).
I remember doing that and being able to pick up a GS3 for something like $99.
khoikn said:
Even if you cancel your account on the value plan, you're going to end up paying the full price of the phone no matter what.
They're going to just overlook the remaining fees on a 500+ dollar device.
monkeypaws had the best solutions for you.
Unlock the devices so you can use them on T-Mobile.
Or sell them, they should fetch around $200 on Craigslist depending on the condition and accessories. Or possibly more on eBay.
You would easily be able to pay the down payment on the GS3's with that.
If your dad thinks that the down payment is too much, then i'd recommend waiting it out for a little while.
T-Mobile may have a random sale and you'll be able to get the GS3 for cheap(er).
I remember doing that and being able to pick up a GS3 for something like $99.
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When I said cancel I meant to sign up for a regular plan, and cancel and pay the early termination fee, not a value plan. But it doesnt seem like itll work anyway... if you cancel, then you need to pay the early termination fee and the full retail of the phone, each months payment towards your plan pays offsome of it so after like 10 months maybe itll be paid off... but I woukdnt be able to just cancel....
mottyengel said:
When I said cancel I meant to sign up for a regular plan, and cancel and pay the early termination fee, not a value plan. But it doesnt seem like itll work anyway... if you cancel, then you need to pay the early termination fee and the full retail of the phone, each months payment towards your plan pays offsome of it so after like 10 months maybe itll be paid off... but I woukdnt be able to just cancel....
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Sorry for my misunderstanding.
What you're saying is true.
So, at this point, what are you planning to do?
I'll ask my friend if it's possible he works for tmobile I'm sure he would know
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
On any carrier, if you cancel your contract, you must pay full retail for your phone if not already paid off. Even on regular plans that aren't value plans. If people could do what you want to do, think about it, nobody would ever buy a phone on Craig's list and would buy the phone and sign the contract then immediately cancel. You pay less for a phone on contact because in your monthly payments you are paying off the phone. Yes even on the classic plan. That's why your monthly bills are more then the value pan.
If he wants the s3 then he well either need to pay full retail for it or you could get it on cl. I know in my area they go for 400+
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I sold my previous phone and I was able to put more money down for my sgs3. I put down extra and my payments went from 20$ to 10$/mo.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Yay I love fraud.
To me, what you're suggesting is like taking a crap on your friend's porch and smearing it all over.
Even if you could "get away with it" - do you think they're going to want to be your friend any more ? T-Mobile can make notes in your account - and they're going to know where that phone went. They could possibly take legal action against you if they really wanted to be spiteful (which, really, would be pretty fair if they found a way), or they could block the IMEI from their network - very simple for them and fraud seems to be the #1 reason they do so.
Sure, it might work out fine and the phone might continue to work - but is that really how you want to treat a company you want to continue to have a business relationship with ?
I guess it really comes down to if you're willing to basically steal - this isn't copying a file, it's manipulating your way to getting a piece of hardware by making a promise you never intended to keep. You'd basically be on the level of the dudes who bury $10 monthly charges in the T&C of sign ups and conveniently don't mention it anywhere else.
Just sell the S2 and get an S3. You'll likely end up paying less out of pocket even if you get the S3 new.
The day after celebrating what we are thankful for and I get up and read this nonsense. Sigh...
If you can't afford the phone, don't buy it. Pretty simple. Be thankful you have an old phone.
psykhotic said:
Yay I love fraud.
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It's not fraud because it's not possible lol. It's just plain dumb. It's impossible.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Pennycake said:
To me, what you're suggesting is like taking a crap on your friend's porch and smearing it all over.
Even if you could "get away with it" - do you think they're going to want to be your friend any more ? T-Mobile can make notes in your account - and they're going to know where that phone went. They could possibly take legal action against you if they really wanted to be spiteful (which, really, would be pretty fair if they found a way), or they could block the IMEI from their network - very simple for them and fraud seems to be the #1 reason they do so.
Sure, it might work out fine and the phone might continue to work - but is that really how you want to treat a company you want to continue to have a business relationship with ?
I guess it really comes down to if you're willing to basically steal - this isn't copying a file, it's manipulating your way to getting a piece of hardware by making a promise you never intended to keep. You'd basically be on the level of the dudes who bury $10 monthly charges in the T&C of sign ups and conveniently don't mention it anywhere else.
Just sell the S2 and get an S3. You'll likely end up paying less out of pocket even if you get the S3 new.
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Id get angry at you but I guess my op wasn't very clear. I'm nit trying to get away with anything. Im not trying to steal a phone. What I was asking is, just like I am legally entitled to sign up for a contract and then cancel it and pay a 200 etf, or to cancel within 14 days and psy an early re stocking fee, would this be allowed as well. Because normally you wouldnt come out on top because on other carriers, the tef is alot more, most of the time expensive phones are alot even when you sign a contract and they msy make you psy for a month of service. I was just asking if they would allow you to keep the phone. You guys are just way to quick to blow up at me. Seriously. Anyway, the answer is no, so I bought him the phone with eip and its actually only 100 down now because of a sale. So, thanks everyone
This is exactly why regular customers like me who are looking to upgrade have to pay up front and then do mail in rebates, or even pay deposits...because they have to be cautious of people like you trying to cheat the system...just buy on on craigslist or something or why not just rob some random stranger since that is exactly the same thing...why not they have insurance right?.....jeez posts like this should probably be banned like cracked app threads are.
killj0y said:
This is exactly why regular customers like me who are looking to upgrade have to pay up front and then do mail in rebates, or even pay deposits...because they have to be cautious of people like you trying to cheat the system...just buy on on craigslist or something or why not just rob some random stranger since that is exactly the same thing...why not they have insurance right?.....jeez posts like this should probably be banned like cracked app threads are.
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Dude. Look at the post above yours. He clearly stated he wasnt tryong to cheat the system. He already got his dad the phone legit.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
Dude. Look at the post above yours. He clearly stated he wasnt tryong to cheat the system. He already got his dad the phone legit.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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I read that, I was just pointing out the wrongness of it. I'm not trying to defend the carriers but this is supposedly why they pull that sorta stuff and it is easy enough to believe when I see posts like this. Anyways no getting around it really, you can probably find a way to cheat the system but you get burned too. Plus don't they block the IMEI?
Maybe I misunderstood the OP, but if he was asking if he could start a contract, wait 14 days, cancel it, pay the ETF, and keep the phone, I don't see the problem. That's exactly the point of the ETF... so long as he pays it he hasn't done anything wrong as far as I can tell?
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-
Yes it will work. You have to wait til the return grace period is over before you cancel the contract. It's 14 or 30 days depends on where you live and where you get the phone from. Avoid getting phones with mail in rebates.
As long as you pay the ETF you are fulfilling your part of the contract
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Chances with retentions

Hey folks.
Today my fiance and I had decided to take advantage of the sprint black friday sale on Galaxy S3's. Prior to this she had been on her parents' plan, and not paying anything. We decided we would upgrade my current plan (individual) to a family plan.
We looked at the original price tag of around 150$, which with my company discount comes down to around 115$. We figured there would be some fees, but when we got the expected bill of ~180$ a month (both phones, the 10$ "enhanced data," and the 11$ per phone for TEP, plus taxes, sprint "fees," 32$ in activation fees (after being charged 30$ when I got my evo-4g and being told that the charges would never be put on my account again since they were one-time deals) etc). I asked her on the spot if she was ok with that price and she said yes. However a few minutes ago she came down stairs incredibly upset with really bad buyers remorse. She's planning to return the phone tomorrow, which according to sprint's return policy she is ok to do.
Here's my thing - she ported her number off of her parents' plan already. Her old phone probably can't get added back on to their plan without incurring them a significant amount of cash (they're on an OLD plan). So, she'll have to get a voice plan somewhere else or there again but on her own this time. Almost no carrier that we look at can do it at a reasonable price (talk and text at t-mobile comes in at 49.99/mo), so the amount we'll save cash wise isn't huge if she goes through with this.
While I personally figured it was basically a christmas present she could enjoy, she is really freaking out and wanting to go back to her "dumb" phone. Since everything is under MY account and I've been a customer for 15 years (speaking of which, it really sucks that sprint seems to have magically forgotten about technology upgrade credits and all of my sprint premier bonuses), I'm hoping to get this resolved in a way that keeps her happy, and costs me the least. But since it's a new plan and we both should be covered under the return policy, I also am willing to put some muscle behind taking my business elsewhere since we *should* be able to walk away with just the restocking fees.
Before when I contacted sprint about downgrading a family plan (I had had a family plan before with an ex) they transferred me to retentions and offered a steeply discounted monthly plan to help keep me from having a line removed. Do you think there's any chance that would happen again?
I'm just trying to get some insight here. How flexible can retentions be these days?
Just tell her to enjoy the phone....do a remake of the Samsung commercial where the wife sends the guy a NSFW video when leaves for his trip and love it out lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
These days it is difficult to get a retention modified better price for your plan especially if you have a company discount already. Now you can always give them a call and say "I'm outta here or else" and you might get something...it oftentimes depends on the rep you get..If don't succeed the first time try again. Maybe you could possibly cut back somewhere else..remove insurance possibly and take chance..or other bills? Hope it works out for you.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
Retention can not modify a plan that no longer exists. If you're within 14 days return the device and go back. No sense in getting stuck with something you don't want.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium HD app

Contract Buy-out. How does it work?

I am probably moving from sprint to T-mobile on saturday, and thus from the m7 to the m8. Sprint's been a jerk to my mom (her phone, LG optimus G hasn't worked since 4g rolled out, something about it being incompatible with the network or some such non-sense) so we're switching and having them buy out our contract. Does anyone have experience with this program? Is it pretty straight forward?
TriBeard said:
I am probably moving from sprint to T-mobile on saturday, and thus from the m7 to the m8. Sprint's been a jerk to my mom (her phone, LG optimus G hasn't worked since 4g rolled out, something about it being incompatible with the network or some such non-sense) so we're switching and having them buy out our contract. Does anyone have experience with this program? Is it pretty straight forward?
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You might wanna post this at the Sprint forum.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I just figured that since the people here were t-mobile, some might have gone through the process already and would know about it first hand.
Well I was actually a sprint customer I went through the process. It wasn't call a contract buyout. what I actually pay was for months remaining at $10 a month... And that was your termination fee.. Also another way to approach it I'm not sure if T Mobile still offer that but they're paying the termination fee if you switch from different carrier.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
shook187 said:
Well I was actually a sprint customer I went through the process. It wasn't call a contract buyout. what I actually pay was for months remaining at $10 a month... And that was your termination fee.. Also another way to approach it I'm not sure if T Mobile still offer that but they're paying the termination fee if you switch from different carrier.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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That's what I meant by "contract buyout". Sorry if that was confusing. I talked to someone from t-mobile through the chat, and we would get a credit for our phones, and up to 350 per line for ETF fees, which would cover everything. From my understanding, you just give t-mobile your last bill that shows all the fees and whatnot, and they mail you a visa gift card thing with the money on it to pay the fees. That's the part of the process that I was curious about.
TriBeard said:
That's what I meant by "contract buyout". Sorry if that was confusing. I talked to someone from t-mobile through the chat, and we would get a credit for our phones, and up to 350 per line for ETF fees, which would cover everything. From my understanding, you just give t-mobile your last bill that shows all the fees and whatnot, and they mail you a visa gift card thing with the money on it to pay the fees. That's the part of the process that I was curious about.
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I just switched 4 lines over to tmobile from sprint and couldnt be happier. Just did it this past weekend so i havent had the etfs show up on my bill yet but i will let you know when it goes through. From what i was told you are spot on. trade in your sprint phone and they pay your etf and get you trade in value of your phone off a new one from tmobile. i was told its best to pay the etfs when they show up so it doesnt become past due while you are waiting for the tmobile gift card to come through so it doesnt effect your credit.
boxdgm said:
I just switched 4 lines over to tmobile from sprint and couldnt be happier. Just did it this past weekend so i havent had the etfs show up on my bill yet but i will let you know when it goes through. From what i was told you are spot on. trade in your sprint phone and they pay your etf and get you trade in value of your phone off a new one from tmobile. i was told its best to pay the etfs when they show up so it doesnt become past due while you are waiting for the tmobile gift card to come through so it doesnt effect your credit.
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I don't really have 1300 dollars or so that I can spare, so I guess I'll just have to hope it comes quick and they don't ding me too bad. I'm just excited for a new phone and (hopefully) more reliable service. T-mobile claims to have LTE around me, and pretty decent HSPA where that is lacking, so hopefully it's better than sprint, where we just recently got spotty LTE
I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile last week. As I understand it, you just get your new service with T-Mobile and they handle porting over your number and ending your service with Sprint. Once that's done, you just have to wait for the bill that has your early termination fee, then take it to the T-Mobile store and they'll reimburse you that amount in the form of a Visa gift card and it's supposed to take 4-6 weeks to receive it. I'm hoping I can time it well enough where I can get the reimbursement before paying the bill to Sprint. If not, I'll just eat the cost until I get the money back from T-Mobile.
Note that they'll only reimburse you up to $650. This should cover anyone on a single plan, but can't speak for those on large family plans.
I can definitely say it's worth the money and time to switch. The service I've gotten with T-Mobile is excellent, and where it isn't (note, I haven't personally encountered poor signal on T-Mobile yet), WiFi calling on the M8 works great.
In order for them to pay off your ETF (Up to $350) you have to port over your phone number and give them your old device. The $650 you hear about is the maximum you can get for switching ($350 for ETF and $300 for device) They also do a credit check and that will determine if you need to pay a deposit for your new phone. If you have good enough credit then all you pay is the taxes on your new device. The cost of the device is then split up across 24 months on your bill.
The $10 a month thing someone mentioned earlier is the JUMP program and isn't a requirement to be switched over to them. It's basically a protection and upgrade program rolled into one which isn't very bad. More info on it here: http://www.t-mobile.com/phone-upgrade.html
nsuviolin2005 said:
I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile last week. As I understand it, you just get your new service with T-Mobile and they handle porting over your number and ending your service with Sprint. Once that's done, you just have to wait for the bill that has your early termination fee, then take it to the T-Mobile store and they'll reimburse you that amount in the form of a Visa gift card and it's supposed to take 4-6 weeks to receive it. I'm hoping I can time it well enough where I can get the reimbursement before paying the bill to Sprint. If not, I'll just eat the cost until I get the money back from T-Mobile.
Note that they'll only reimburse you up to $650. This should cover anyone on a single plan, but can't speak for those on large family plans.
I can definitely say it's worth the money and time to switch. The service I've gotten with T-Mobile is excellent, and where it isn't (note, I haven't personally encountered poor signal on T-Mobile yet), WiFi calling on the M8 works great.
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tkoreaper said:
In order for them to pay off your ETF (Up to $350) you have to port over your phone number and give them your old device. The $650 you hear about is the maximum you can get for switching ($350 for ETF and $300 for device) They also do a credit check and that will determine if you need to pay a deposit for your new phone. If you have good enough credit then all you pay is the taxes on your new device. The cost of the device is then split up across 24 months on your bill.
The $10 a month thing someone mentioned earlier is the JUMP program and isn't a requirement to be switched over to them. It's basically a protection and upgrade program rolled into one which isn't very bad. More info on it here: http://www.t-mobile.com/phone-upgrade.html
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My understanding was that it was up to 650 per line. I know I'll get 85 for each of my phones (One m7's), so it'll be more like 430 or so per line. But my ETF with sprint is 1300ish, which would fall under the 350/line that they offer. Or at least that's what they led me to believe over chat.
Also, I have 4 lines on my sprint account and have been in good standing with them so I don't imagine that the credit check would be a problem, and it's a family plan so if I can't do it we can try my mom, or my grampa until someone can.
TriBeard said:
My understanding was that it was up to 650 per line. I know I'll get 85 for each of my phones (One m7's), so it'll be more like 430 or so per line. But my ETF with sprint is 1300ish, which would fall under the 350/line that they offer. Or at least that's what they led me to believe over chat.
Also, I have 4 lines on my sprint account and have been in good standing with them so I don't imagine that the credit check would be a problem, and it's a family plan so if I can't do it we can try my mom, or my grampa until someone can.
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The max they'll cover for an ETF is $350, it says so on their website. the $650 total is for the ETF and the amount they can give you for a device. In your case it would be $435 per line ($350 ETF and $85 for your device) You ETF with Sprint is pretty outrageous, is that just for your single line or is a total for all lines on your account?
tkoreaper said:
The max they'll cover for an ETF is $350, it says so on their website. the $650 total is for the ETF and the amount they can give you for a device. In your case it would be $435 per line ($350 ETF and $85 for your device) You ETF with Sprint is pretty outrageous, is that just for your single line or is a total for all lines on your account?
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There are 4 lines on the account, and the oldest one in terms of an upgrade is from last july. When we were in the sprint store, we were working with a lady and the supervisor and when we brought up leaving for t-mobile or something since they weren't willing to do a whole lot of anything other than tell us to wait for a software patch, she said that we had "about 1300" in ETF fees. Did we really want to pay that instead of just deal with it for a while? I brought up the t-mobile buyout stuff, and that got her real quiet real fast. The way she said it really bothered me though. Just the smug implied "we've got you by the wallet for another year and half. deal with it"
yeah, the MAX that Sprint charges for a cancellation fee is 350 PER LINE. I know, as I just went through all of this recently.
Tmobile pays up to 350 per line for your cancellation fee. You have to give them ANY Sprint Network phone to qualify for this program, but it does NOT have to be the current Sprint phone you have.
What I did was go on ebay and bought a 20 dollar cheapo phone that was on Tmobiles list of "Acceptable" trade in phones, and used that one to get them to pay my Cancellation Fee. they gave me 10 bucks for the phone.
Then, I sold my Sprint HTC One Max for $385.00 to someone, so I made out big time on that deal; remember, once you cancel your Sprint account, you then OWN the Sprint Phone, so if you can sell it on Ebay or somewhere and make MORE than what Tmobile will give you for it, you can make a nice chunk of change.
Also, when you get your FINAL bill from sprint, its much faster to scan it/take a picture of it, and upload it on the T-mobile site directly to them; if you take it to the store, and they send it in, it might add a few days/weeks to your approval and reciept of the MasterCard Gift card.
Mine took 4 weeks and one day to come to me after I scanned it in and uploaded it to them.
If you bring it to the store, and go that route, it takes 6-8 weeks.
wase4711 said:
yeah, the MAX that Sprint charges for a cancellation fee is 350 PER LINE. I know, as I just went through all of this recently.
Tmobile pays up to 350 per line for your cancellation fee. You have to give them ANY Sprint Network phone to qualify for this program, but it does NOT have to be the current Sprint phone you have.
What I did was go on ebay and bought a 20 dollar cheapo phone that was on Tmobiles list of "Acceptable" trade in phones, and used that one to get them to pay my Cancellation Fee. they gave me 10 bucks for the phone.
Then, I sold my Sprint HTC One Max for $385.00 to someone, so I made out big time on that deal; remember, once you cancel your Sprint account, you then OWN the Sprint Phone, so if you can sell it on Ebay or somewhere and make MORE than what Tmobile will give you for it, you can make a nice chunk of change.
Also, when you get your FINAL bill from sprint, its much faster to scan it/take a picture of it, and upload it on the T-mobile site directly to them; if you take it to the store, and they send it in, it might add a few days/weeks to your approval and reciept of the MasterCard Gift card.
Mine took 4 weeks and one day to come to me after I scanned it in and uploaded it to them.
If you bring it to the store, and go that route, it takes 6-8 weeks.
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That's the kind of information that I was looking for. Thanks a lot for that. My sister has an old galaxy s2 that I could take in, keep my htc one, and then try and sell that on craigslist/ebay. Cool.
TriBeard said:
That's the kind of information that I was looking for. Thanks a lot for that. My sister has an old galaxy s2 that I could take in, keep my htc one, and then try and sell that on craigslist/ebay. Cool.
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you can call the tmobile store and ask them how much any phone might be worth, or, I think their website gives an approximate amount you would get on a trade in.
Obviously, you always get more selling a phone on ebay/Craiglist than you ever would on a trade in, but some folks dont want to bother selling them, and just trade it in and are done with it..
BTW, my wife and son traded their M7's in, and got 100 bucks each for them; when we bought them from Sprint, we only paid 49, so even trading them in we made a little $$ :good:
TriBeard said:
There are 4 lines on the account, and the oldest one in terms of an upgrade is from last july. When we were in the sprint store, we were working with a lady and the supervisor and when we brought up leaving for t-mobile or something since they weren't willing to do a whole lot of anything other than tell us to wait for a software patch, she said that we had "about 1300" in ETF fees. Did we really want to pay that instead of just deal with it for a while? I brought up the t-mobile buyout stuff, and that got her real quiet real fast. The way she said it really bothered me though. Just the smug implied "we've got you by the wallet for another year and half. deal with it"
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So if you were to cancel your whole account you'd get $1400 (350 x 4) alone just for the ETFs. It's $350 per line, not account.
I just traded my Nexus 5 in for the M8 today and they gave me $135. I cold have sold it to a company that buys them for $200, but oh well. I probably could have gotten a little more even if I cut out the middle man, but Nexus devices are already cheap enough as it is.
Well if they wanted to give me 120 or so I'd be tempted to just go ahead and trade them in. Just when I spoke with whoever it was on the online chat for t-mobile, they only were offering 85, which is significantly low that I would take the time and effort to sell one myself if I could.
Lol. Has anyone traded in a rooted device to t mobile? Just wondering if they check before I go through the hassle of unrooting 2 devices. I know somebody has. Lol.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
if its for a "jump" then dont bother, as long as it starts, thats all they care about.
as a matter of fact, I have also returned/replaced under warranty with them phones that were rooted, and once again, they didnt care one bit; I didnt tell them they were rooted, and they didnt ask, but there was no problem getting a replacement..
I work for tmobile. When you want your contract paid for you can pretty much trade in any phone in. It doesn't have to even turn on. Obviously if it doesn't then you won't get and trade in value but tmobile will still pay your efts as long as you do trade in a phone, buy a new phone and port in your number. They pay up to 5 lines per account.

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