Switch to Sprint or no?

[Jaramie3]

Posted 18 August 2015 - 11:35 AM

Okay guys, I am back again with issues. I can't decide on what to do. I have T-Mobile still for 2 of my lines and my wife is currently living in Lynchburg, VA where sprint only has 3g coverage. My situation with t mobile is, on my drive from Wilmington to MB, I had zero service on my LG G4 until I got to the state line. That is frustrating to me since I have the latest and greatest thats offered as a phone goes. Also, I was at Wrightsville Beach on Sunday and had 2g or no service for that vast majority of my stay. This is an issue and I have been beyond patient with T-Mobile and their upgrades in the area. 

 

My question is, in the Wilmington/Jacksonville/MB area, will I be happy with T-Mobile? My current data speeds are between 1-15 mbps, depends on location, time, and whats going on that day. I truly wouldn't mind giving Sprint another opportunity to have my business, but I'm worried about my wife only having 3g in Lynchburg. 

 

Need some opinions....

 

[S4GRU]

Now that Shentel is buying nTelos, there will be Sprint LTE in Lynchburg. Probably in the next year. But until then, it will be pretty tough for her.

I guess what I would do is see if the nTelos LTE network opens up for current Sprint subs. Then it seems like a no-brainer to come back to Sprint.

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

[Jaramie3]

It's going to be a tough sell for her but luckily she is on WIFI all the time at her college. T-Mobile hasnt filled in the gaps and its frustrating to drive up interstate 40 and have LTE one second and the next not have anything. I have looked on sensorly and it seems that sprints 3g network is pretty strong around the routes I take to get to Lynchburg, where as with T-Mobile I lose service for a good 20-30 miles.

[techfranz]

Is T-mobile still doing the thing where the phone claims it is on 4G but the speeds are 2G? (At least Sprint is honest and just calls the low end of speed 3G.) Then again 1mbps isn't awful, guess I never got over the 4G fiasco from a couple of years back.

Edited August 18, 2015 by techfranz

[Galaxyguy]

It's going to be a tough sell for her but luckily she is on WIFI all the time at her college. T-Mobile hasnt filled in the gaps and its frustrating to drive up interstate 40 and have LTE one second and the next not have anything. I have looked on sensorly and it seems that sprints 3g network is pretty strong around the routes I take to get to Lynchburg, where as with T-Mobile I lose service for a good 20-30 miles.

Sprint will have great service in Lynchburg, but as s4gru said, it's going to take time for Shentel to complete upgrades over the ntelos territory they are buying. I would guess they will start in the cities first, so with being in Lynchburg, you should start seeing the benefit fairly soon after they start upgrading equipment next year. When I was in Lynchburg earlier this year, ntelos wasn't terrible, even with a large conference taking place at Liberty U. I was still able to use data, just at roughly 500k-1mbps. I think Liberty even has ntelos equipment on one of their buildings.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[Jaramie3]

Sprint will have great service in Lynchburg, but as s4gru said, it's going to take time for Shentel to complete upgrades over the ntelos territory they are buying. I would guess they will start in the cities first, so with being in Lynchburg, you should start seeing the benefit fairly soon after they start upgrading equipment next year. When I was in Lynchburg earlier this year, ntelos wasn't terrible, even with a large conference taking place at Liberty U. I was still able to use data, just at roughly 500k-1mbps. I think Liberty even has ntelos equipment on one of their buildings.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

Thats great to hear. I am going to the Sprint store tonight to talk with the reps here in Wilmington and see what they can do to get me out the door. I am paying roughly $140 a month right now so once I leave T-Mobile, my bill is going to go up about $30 or more a month. I wish Sprint would include tethering in the unlimited data plan. 

[P_M_G]

You said she's on wifi most of the time at the college and would guess the same for home. Plus wifi at every Starbucks, McDonalds, Target, and who knows where else would mean issue would only crop up when traveling and why is she worried about data when driving somewhere unless she's addicted to streaming Spotify or Pandora or something.

 

3g > 2G > No G. 3G is absolutely usable for most data needs anyway. Consider these forums to be your intervention convincing you to escape the Magenta Curtain!

[payturr]

What's important is that your wife can still send texts and make calls, which is far more important than checking her Instagram on the street at the fastest pace possible.

 

In one year she can do that in comfort ????

[joshuam]

What's important is that your wife can still send texts and make calls, which is far more important than checking her Instagram on the street at the fastest pace possible.

 

In one year she can do that in comfort ????

People make calls with their phone still? It's all about the data now! But yeah...1Mbps is plenty fast for most tasks, even streaming music.

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[Dkoellerwx]

People make calls with their phone still? It's all about the data now! But yeah...1Mbps is plenty fast for most tasks, even streaming music.

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

Yes. Most adults still make calls with their phone.

[joshuam]

Yes. Most adults still make calls with their phone.

I'm 30...married with two kids. I think that makes me an adult. Some may question that though...lol

 

I average around 20 minutes a month...sometimes it'll spike to 100 or so, but I really hate talking on the phone. If you need me, email me or send a text. Otherwise, I'll let voicemail take care of it [emoji57]

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[payturr]

I'm 30...married with two kids. I think that makes me an adult. Some may question that though...lol

 

I average around 20 minutes a month...sometimes it'll spike to 100 or so, but I really hate talking on the phone. If you need me, email me or send a text. Otherwise, I'll let voicemail take care of it [emoji57]

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

I'm turning 19 in like 3 weeks and I used 26 hours worth of minutes last month... Is there something wrong with me?!

[Dkoellerwx]

I'm turning 19 in like 3 weeks and I used 26 hours worth of minutes last month... Is there something wrong with me?!

 

26 hours? That's impressive. I usually only use about 200-300 minutes a month. 

[Jaramie3]

Guys, she isn't worried about having the fastest speeds but I do want her to be able to make a phone call if something happens while she's on her way back to Wilmington. It's me that stresses over things way more often but t mobiles network is failing in all the places I go. Sadly, for 2 lines sprint wants $180 a month before taxes for two unlimited data plans. That's insane. I'm paying $140 with t mobile including taxes, eip's, and JUMP! For both devices. I can't see spending that much more when I find even getting a tethering allowance included.

[lilotimz]

Guys, she isn't worried about having the fastest speeds but I do want her to be able to make a phone call if something happens while she's on her way back to Wilmington. It's me that stresses over things way more often but t mobiles network is failing in all the places I go. Sadly, for 2 lines sprint wants $180 a month before taxes for two unlimited data plans. That's insane. I'm paying $140 with t mobile including taxes, eip's, and JUMP! For both devices. I can't see spending that much more when I find even getting a tethering allowance included.

 

Where are you getting 180 for two lines?

 

You can get the best buy unlimited family plan for Sprint for $100 a month for 2 lines. 

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-launches-best-buy-one-family-plan-two-lines-with-unlimited-talk-text-and-high-speed-data-for-only-100month.htm

[Jaramie3]

Add in two phones and insurance for both....

[Jaramie3]

Where are you getting 180 for two lines?

 

You can get the best buy unlimited family plan for Sprint for $100 a month for 2 lines. 

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-launches-best-buy-one-family-plan-two-lines-with-unlimited-talk-text-and-high-speed-data-for-only-100month.htm

Do you know if they will pay off the remaining balance of our phones? I would obviously need to trade them in, but if they do then I am all over this deal!

[techfranz]

Now I have the following plan:

$100 for Unlimited T&T 20GB Data and no access fees till December 2016.

$18 LG G4

$15 Galaxy S5 Sport

$8 Netgear Zing Mobile Hotspot

$8 Kyo DuraForce Flip

$8 Kyo DuraForce Flip

+Tax

About $170

 

Definately beats the $230 I was paying from AT&T

 

There is a new plan 10GB for 4 lines for $100 with no end date.

 

Call Sprint telesales. They have some things they can offer as well, then document any offer they give you so can prove it later if necessary. Also, try the Sales Chat.

[techfranz]

Do you know if they will pay off the remaining balance of our phones? I would obviously need to trade them in, but if they do then I am all over this deal!

I did AT&T not T-mobile and got paid for all my lines, it says a "competitor carrier" so I would expect John Legere would classify as a competitor? https://promo.sprint.com/Registration/ContractBuyoutLanding?ECID=vanity:joinsprint

 

Ok a quick Web Search and it looks like they do cover T-Mobile ETF's & Installments. I know T-mobile is paying Sprint ETF's and Installments.

 

Just be real clear with the rep when you talk or chat with them.

Edited August 19, 2015 by techfranz

[Jaramie3]

I did AT&T not T-mobile and got paid for all my lines, it says a "competitor carrier" so I would expect John Legere would classify as a competitor? https://promo.sprint.com/Registration/ContractBuyoutLanding?ECID=vanity:joinsprint

 

Im talking about the best buy deal. I would be fine with paying $140 but once you add in insurance...

[techfranz]

I was kind of in your shoes too and would have wanted Insurance and Push to Talk and Visual Voicemail and lots of other stuff no doubt:) But I decided I could do without those. We use Zello for PTT and I think it may actually work better than Sprint Direct Connect.

If we would have added all those services it soon would have equalled our AT&T bill.

I am sure someone will argue with me, but with the deductibles being so High these days I pretty much decided to skip the insurance, because if it is $10 per month and then a $200 deductible that is almost $300. Depending what devices you get you may be better off just paying them off or adding a third line instead of buying insurance in the event you break a phone. Somehow I wound up with an upgrade eligible line after my first week with Sprint. So I am saving that for a catastrophe. Buy a nice LifeProof or similar case for the phone.

Anyway the deductibles are below:

 

Q. Is there a deductible charge or additional fee?

 

There is a $50, $100, $150 or $200 non-refundable deductible per approved insurance replacement (depending upon your device). Payment of the deductible is required upon approval of the claim.

Edited August 19, 2015 by techfranz

[greenvillesc]

 

 

26 hours? That's impressive. I usually only use about 200-300 minutes a month.

I'm a heavy voice user. Last month 8000 plus minutes, this month 6000 plus with 15 day's still to go this month, text around 1000 to 1500 per month, and 12 to 20 gigs of data monthly.

[gusherb]

I'm 30...married with two kids. I think that makes me an adult. Some may question that though...lolI average around 20 minutes a month...sometimes it'll spike to 100 or so, but I really hate talking on the phone. If you need me, email me or send a text. Otherwise, I'll let voicemail take care of it [emoji57] Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

  

I'm turning 19 in like 3 weeks and I used 26 hours worth of minutes last month... Is there something wrong with me?!

On the contrary, for me a phone conversation can be started and ended much quicker then a text conversation that can take multiple hours for just a few sentences back and forth, which can be aggravating if I'm trying to get something done. Also if I'm multi tasking talking is much easier then fumbling with a phone typing.

 

This month I've used just over 1,400 minutes with a few more days to go in the cycle. That's a bit over 23 hours. Oh and I'm 21.

[payturr]

  

On the contrary, for me a phone conversation can be started and ended much quicker then a text conversation that can take multiple hours for just a few sentences back and forth, which can be aggravating if I'm trying to get something done. Also if I'm multi tasking talking is much easier then fumbling with a phone typing.

 

This month I've used just over 1,400 minutes with a few more days to go in the cycle. That's a bit over 23 hours. Oh and I'm 21.

It's funny because it's our generation that made texting a thing and now we're abandoning it because we realized what a damn time waster it is when you can just make 10000s of quick 2 minute phone calls to get your stuff answered

[techfranz]

Oh and just so there is no pressure if you decide not to switch, Sprint and T-Mobile might be merged by 2017 anyway Emphasis on "Might"

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

Edited August 19, 2015 by techfranz