Sprint Black Friday Sales Nov.29th 2013

[Marv1]

I know it's still early, but has anyone heard anything about what phones Sprint will be having deals on? What about the upgrade policy for those who aren't eligible for an early upgrades? Last Nov, those who weren't eligible were willing to pay early upgrade fees to get the S3.

[gameaddict8]

Deals for gs4 and the one

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

 

 

[Ascertion]

I could also see a LG G2 sale for possibly $99 on contract through Sprint.

[jegillis]

 

HTC One Buy one get three free

[gameaddict8]

I could also see a LG G2 sale for possibly $99 on contract through Sprint.

 

G2 $99 > GS4 $49

[DCblackhole]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the One and S4 both having deep discounts.  Especially when you consider the types of deals that were available on the S3 last year.  Those devices are becoming long in the tooth and will be getting close to refresh time.

[teeitup]

The G2 is already pre-order selling for $99.

[chicodelta]

Yes the G2 is already selling for $99 but that is only for new customers. Last years BF deals were open to new+existing Sprint customers who were up for renewal. I really irks me that Sprint alienates its existing subscribers when it comes to offering those types of promotions.

[teeitup]

The G2 is $99 for existing customers at BestBuy.com.  It even comes with a $50 gift card.  I pre-ordered one last night.

[Ascertion]

Yes the G2 is already selling for $99 but that is only for new customers. Last years BF deals were open to new+existing Sprint customers who were up for renewal. I really irks me that Sprint alienates its existing subscribers when it comes to offering those types of promotions.

I agree, I think it's totally wrong for Sprint to basically say "We're giving customers who are not loyal a deal so they can come join us and make our quarter earnings calls look impressive, but we're going to leave our already profitable existing customers in the dark and actually use them to pay the difference." (by difference I mean they marked up the S4 and Note 3 to $249 so they can get away with offering a $100 port in credit for new lines.)  I'm not one to typically rant but this really does frustrate me since the family plan I've been on has been active since January of 1999.  Although Sprint has done some cool things in the past for me, such as giving me a free early upgrades and waived a few activation fees.

 

The G2 is $99 for existing customers at BestBuy.com.  It even comes with a $50 gift card.  I pre-ordered one last night.

Some people are on SERO plans, so they have no choice but to upgrade through Sprint.  This is why some may consider waiting to get it for a good price through Sprint retailers so they can continue their SERO plan.

[chicodelta]

I'm a SERO user myself. Does anyone have any confirmation as to whether or not Best Buy is a no go for SERO as of today? I remember about last summer people were able to upgrade (albeit it required some maneuvering).  It sounds like BB has the best deal around for the G2 at $99 plus $50 GC for existing customers. I can't imagine any Sprint BF deal beating that. Anyone know what the likelihood of the iPhone 5s (or 5c) being on the list as a BF deal this year?

[lil_jimmy_norton]

I agree, I think it's totally wrong for Sprint to basically say "We're giving customers who are not loyal a deal so they can come join us and make our quarter earnings calls look impressive, but we're going to leave our already profitable existing customers in the dark and actually use them to pay the difference." (by difference I mean they marked up the S4 and Note 3 to $249 so they can get away with offering a $100 port in credit for new lines.)  I'm not one to typically rant but this really does frustrate me since the family plan I've been on has been active since January of 1999.  Although Sprint has done some cool things in the past for me, such as giving me a free early upgrades and waived a few activation fees.

 

Some people are on SERO plans, so they have no choice but to upgrade through Sprint.  This is why some may consider waiting to get it for a good price through Sprint retailers so they can continue their SERO plan.

 

The thing is the existing customers aren't profitable at their current number, for sprint to be profitable at their current price point they need to have more customers.

[chicodelta]

The thing is the existing customers aren't profitable at their current number, for sprint to be profitable at their current price point they need to have more customers.

I understand that increasing their subscribership is important for business growth (BUS 101 right?) but another thing that they teach you in business schools is that it is less expensive to keep current clients than it is to recruit new clients. Example, the issue in question now is $100 off of the new G2 for brand new customers BUT not for existing. We are talking a difference of $100 to lock an existing customer for another 2 years, I mean Sprint can pretty much offer that in form of an account credit if they so choose to for existing customers. Now the cost to recruit new customers includes promotion (i.e. $100 off if coming from competing network) plus all of the marketing/advertisement/store overhead and sales reps etc. So while I see your point, in looking at the big picture it is still ludicrous that Sprint is not approaching this differently. This might explain why they have trouble with subscription retention.

Edited October 17, 2013 by chicodelta

[lil_jimmy_norton]

I understand that increasing their subscribership is important for business growth (BUS 101 right?) but another thing that they teach you in business schools is that it is less expensive to keep current clients than it is to recruit new clients. Example, the issue in question now is $100 off of the new G2 for brand new customers BUT not for existing. We are talking a difference of $100 to lock an existing customer for another 2 years, I mean Sprint can pretty much offer that in form of an account credit if they so choose to for existing customers. Now the cost to recruit new customers includes promotion (i.e. $100 off if coming from competing network) plus all of the marketing/advertisement/store overhead and sales reps etc. So while I see your point, in looking at the big picture it is still ludicrous that Sprint is not approaching this differently. This might explain why they have trouble with subscription retention.

 

I would say the vast majority of their retention problems had more to do with their crap legacy network than handset pricing.

 

Sure you're not saving $100 on the handset that a new customer would, but what are your other options?  

 

A. Leave Sprint, pay the exact same amount  for the same handset and switch to another carrier that more than likely costs more, 

 

B. Stay with sprint, pay the same price you would for a handset at another carrier, and pay less monthly.

 

The people that would likely choose option A generally would have another underlying issue and would likely churn anyway. 

[chicodelta]

I don't think that as a Sprint subscriber our options are all that limiting (unless you are still locked in contract). Buying a phone off contract opens you up to several options.

 

1. T-Mobile offers great pricing plans if you bring your phone (depending on your coverage reception and data may even be better) and you are not locked in a 2yr agreement.

 

2. A pay as you go, such as straight talk, might also be a good option if you don't consume much data. 

 

I notice that I constantly have my phone running wifi off of my office and home wireless and my data consumption on my bill looks relatively low.

 

I'm not saying that this is for everyone, but I've been on several SERO forums where former sprint users dumped sprint and wound up with better service and saving money in the long run. 

 

I've been with Sprint since 2003 and for the longest time I thought that Sprint was it but over time more options have become available so, my point being, the market has changed and I think that there has been a shift in the mobile service industry to where it is more of a consumers market. 

[jroepcke51]

Yes the G2 is already selling for $99 but that is only for new customers. Last years BF deals were open to new+existing Sprint customers who were up for renewal. I really irks me that Sprint alienates its existing subscribers when it comes to offering those types of promotions.

Bestbuy will let you upgrade to the G2 for $99.

[chicodelta]

Bestbuy will let you upgrade to the G2 for $99.

The question is whether SERO subscribers are SOL.

[ericdabbs]

The question is whether SERO subscribers are SOL.

 

You can't upgrade at Best Buy or any other 3rd party provider if you are a SERO customer.  It is in the FAQ section.

 

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/nxt/epc/EPRP-modal.asp?vanity=true&popup=true&ECID=vanity:everythingpluscustomer

 

As a SERO/Everything Plus customer, are there restrictions on where I can upgrade my device?

Yes. You can upgrade through any of the following channels: any Sprint-owned Retail Store, Telesales (888-882-4030), or Sprint.com. You will not, however, be able to upgrade your device through a 3rd party dealer or national retail partner and you will not be required to provide a referring employee's email address and CID in order to upgrade your device.

[chicodelta]

Thanks ericdabbs. Looks like I'll have to wait to see what BF has to offer or jump ship if nothing interesting is being offered this year.

[jroepcke51]

Thanks ericdabbs. Looks like I'll have to wait to see what BF has to offer or jump ship if nothing interesting is being offered this year.

Sorry I missed the part about SERO plans.

[mikejeep]

You can't upgrade at Best Buy or any other 3rd party provider if you are a SERO customer.  It is in the FAQ section.

 

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/nxt/epc/EPRP-modal.asp?vanity=true&popup=true&ECID=vanity:everythingpluscustomer

 

I can say first-hand that no matter what Best Buy tries, they cannot process a device upgrade on a SERO line.  I learned this last summer; the salesperson was relentless, but could not get it to go through their system.  I had upgraded at Radio Shack and Best Buy in the past without a problem (RS even let me upgrade early once); either the rule was put in place sometime between the EVO Shift and EVO LTE launches, or it just started being enforced.

 

If you really want to take advantage of a Best Buy promo, they will be happy to switch you onto a new plan and then handle your upgrade..

 

-Mike

[Marv1]

Radio Shack announced their deals yesterday. I wonder if Sprint will be more strict with early upgrades this year. Last Nov I paid a $100 upgrade fee (8 months early) when I purchased my S3.

 

http://usfinancepost.com/radioshack-announces-its-black-friday-deals-for-gadgets-9757.html

[jamesinclair]

Looks like walmart is going big with iphone sales, but appears to be at&t and verizon only.

[Ordell]

Officially, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is FREE 11/28 thru 12/1.  Sadly, Sprint has moved their Black Friday sale online this year (with in-store pickup) so there haven't been any leaks yet.  I strongly suspect they'll use this opportunity to blow out their not Spark, not iPhone, high-end phone inventory (S4, HTC One, Note 3) kind of like what they did with their Wi-Max phones in 2011.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Ordell

[kajex]

Any idea if it's free with number porting (new customers only) or free without number porting (upgrades as well)?  The fine print is not legible in that picture.  If it's free for upgrades, I'll be happy.