Sprint Service and Repair fee increasing 11/8

[halcyoncmdr]

On November 8, 2013 the per incident repair fee charged for devices not covered under Total Equipment Protection or Equipment Service and Repair Programs is increasing from $50 to $75.

 

This is a voluntary service, therefore the change is not a valid reason for early termination or waiving an ETF.

[S4GRU]

On November 8, 2013 the per incident repair fee charged for devices not covered under Total Equipment Protection or Equipment Service and Repair Programs is increasing from $50 to $75.

 

This is a voluntary service, therefore the change is not a valid reason for early termination or waiving an ETF.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Robert

[Terrell352]

Judging by this I will say I think November 8th is going to be one chaotic day for Sprint. I have a feeling we may see the Galaxy Mini, LG G2, HTC ONE Max, Galaxy S4T and Galaxy Mega with some policy changes and maybe even a soft launch for some 800 LTE all in the same day.

[lilg740]

On November 8, 2013 the per incident repair fee charged for devices not covered under Total Equipment Protection or Equipment Service and Repair Programs is increasing from $50 to $75.

 

This is a voluntary service, therefore the change is not a valid reason for early termination or waiving an ETF.

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

[halcyoncmdr]

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

 

That's your prerogative. You could also argue that Verizon and AT&T have historically charged customers more money for services (Even when Sprint had a superior data network), and they have a higher operating margin. Especially a higher margin compared to a complete network overhaul and attempting to bring the network up to speed and surpassing the competition as Network Vision intends to do.

 

Sprint is not under any sort of obligation to cover the MANUFACTURER warranty on devices. No other carrier is either, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Verizon and AT&T move away from this in the near future as well, as a way to cut costs further and increase profits even more.

 

Also just so you know, the devices that Sprint exchanges through the retail S&R processes often do not go back to the manufacturer for refurbishment. These devices are instead sent to an outside vendor to refurbish. There are some exceptions in certain circumstances and with certain manufacturers, but the large majority are all handled by a single refurb vendor that deals with it all for Sprint. The average refurbishment cost with modern smartphones is ~$150. Honestly, I think the charge should be $75 for feature phones and $150 for smartphones. There are alternatives like going directly through the manufacturer's own warranty processes if you don't want to use Sprint's options, or alternative insurance programs (retailer offerings like RadioShack/Best Buy) and extended warranties like SquareTrade. There is no shortage of options for extended warranty and insurance on phones, and often the carrier option is NOT the cheapest. It isn't meant to be the cheapest or even the best, it is meant to be the most convenient.

[utiz4321]

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

I have never been charge for any in warranty repair at any sprint store ever. Every time i have an issue with a sprint phone that is covered under warranty it is either fixed or replaced for free. I have been charge the one and only time I broke a phone (don't carry insurance) for the repair.

[mc_gusto]

I have never been charge for any in warranty repair at any sprint store ever. Every time i have an issue with a sprint phone that is covered under warranty it is either fixed or replaced for free. I have been charge the one and only time I broke a phone (don't carry insurance) for the repair.

I was charged the 50 for an uncovered stock s3 that stopped booting up.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

 

[koiulpoi]

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

But we're not talking about insurance, this is the Equipment Service and Repair Program (ESRP), which is $4/month, and a part of Total Equipment Protection (TEP), which covers this $75-per-incident cost. The other half of TEP is the Equipment Replacement Program, which is either $5 or $9 (for a combined discounted cost of either $8 or $11), which is the insurance program that covers physical damage, liquid damage, lost, and stolen.

 

I'd like to also point out that, with the other national carriers, if you have no protection plan past that first year, and something happens in that second year, they will do nothing for you. You'll get told you can buy a refurbished device at a high premium, or a new device at full price, have fun. Sprint at least gives you the option.

 

Additionally, if Sprint actually honored the manufacturer's warranty as an in-store warranty, we'd have to go off the manufacturer's warranty policies, which are typically much less lenient than Sprint's. Liquid contact indicator on your battery red, but the phone otherwise fine? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Cracks in the housing due to the phone being dropped, but the issue is unrelated to that? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Rooted your phone, and an unrelated issue happens? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Charging port pins are actually damaged, and your phone won't charge now? Sorry, can't do anything for you. In every one of those cases, unless there is otherwise physical or liquid damage, ESRP would cover all this, no questions asked.

[S4GRU]

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

It's not a scam. It's an extra service you don't have to buy. The insurance and help with your warranty. They are optional extra services.

 

Why do you think you feel entitled to Sprint handling your personal business with the manufacturer? Buy your phones from someone else then. Scam, my ass.

 

Robert via Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk

 

 

[Rocket87]

I work in one of the busiest S&R stores in my state now. People with tep come in and leave happy, people with no tep are always pissed. Also you are in the minority if you dot get Tep, sprint targets 79% attach rate for Tep to phones we sell and we all hit it at my store or are close. So people are signing up 8 out of 10 times when buying from sprint directly.

 

Most of the people pissed when there phones break and have no tep got them at Wal-Mart or best buy or radio shack.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

[ThomasM]

When I used to work at Nextel we had a service facility at the location I was at.  Things were pretty much the same as it is now at Sprint-you could get a service contract which paid for problems or you could just chance it.  And just as mentioned previously, the folks with broken phones and no service contract were very annoyed when they were told how much it would cost to repair the phone.

 

This is just like a flat screen TV or a refrigerator or a washing machine with one important difference.  These devices just sit there and their service history has little to do with the specific purchaser.  No so with cell phones.  I couldn't believe what some of the phones looked like that came in for service.  They looked like someone used them as a football-all scratched up and filthy.  Now THOSE are the customers that are crazy if they don't pay for the service contract.

 

Then there are some folks whose phone looks like the day it came out of the box (I'm one of them).  If my phone requires service, it will be for an internal problem like a bad chip.  But most of those types of problems (bad chip, circuit board, jack, etc.) show up in the first year and would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.  The catch is that you have to send it back to the manufacturer yourself (and do without a phone in the meantime).

 

I asked someone at Sprint about this and they told me that when I upgrade my phone be sure to hang on to the old one.  They told me that Spint is happy to "swap" phones in such a situation no charge and then swap back when the broken phone comes back from the manufacturer repaired.

[The Dave]

When I had issues with my Evo 3D when I first got it, the Sprint store was nice enough to give me a loaner phone without any charge while a replacement was on order. I'd say they have a pretty customer friendly attitude about service and repair. I do second keeping at least one phone as backup. Going back to a flip phone for a week wasn't much fun. I did like how I went for about 5 days without having to charge, though.

[lilg740]

When I used to work at Nextel we had a service facility at the location I was at.  Things were pretty much the same as it is now at Sprint-you could get a service contract which paid for problems or you could just chance it.  And just as mentioned previously, the folks with broken phones and no service contract were very annoyed when they were told how much it would cost to repair the phone.

 

This is just like a flat screen TV or a refrigerator or a washing machine with one important difference.  These devices just sit there and their service history has little to do with the specific purchaser.  No so with cell phones.  I couldn't believe what some of the phones looked like that came in for service.  They looked like someone used them as a football-all scratched up and filthy.  Now THOSE are the customers that are crazy if they don't pay for the service contract.

 

Then there are some folks whose phone looks like the day it came out of the box (I'm one of them).  If my phone requires service, it will be for an internal problem like a bad chip.  But most of those types of problems (bad chip, circuit board, jack, etc.) show up in the first year and would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.  The catch is that you have to send it back to the manufacturer yourself (and do without a phone in the meantime).

 

I asked someone at Sprint about this and they told me that when I upgrade my phone be sure to hang on to the old one.  They told me that Spint is happy to "swap" phones in such a situation no charge and then swap back when the broken phone comes back from the manufacturer repaired.

 

My point is that we shouldn't have to deal with the manufacturer for warranty related problems. I feel the carrier should facilitate the warranty for free or at the most charge a very small convenience fee....like enough to cover shipping. 

 

But we're not talking about insurance, this is the Equipment Service and Repair Program (ESRP), which is $4/month, and a part of Total Equipment Protection (TEP), which covers this $75-per-incident cost. The other half of TEP is the Equipment Replacement Program, which is either $5 or $9 (for a combined discounted cost of either $8 or $11), which is the insurance program that covers physical damage, liquid damage, lost, and stolen.

 

I'd like to also point out that, with the other national carriers, if you have no protection plan past that first year, and something happens in that second year, they will do nothing for you. You'll get told you can buy a refurbished device at a high premium, or a new device at full price, have fun. Sprint at least gives you the option.

 

Additionally, if Sprint actually honored the manufacturer's warranty as an in-store warranty, we'd have to go off the manufacturer's warranty policies, which are typically much less lenient than Sprint's. Liquid contact indicator on your battery red, but the phone otherwise fine? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Cracks in the housing due to the phone being dropped, but the issue is unrelated to that? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Rooted your phone, and an unrelated issue happens? Sorry, can't do anything for you. Charging port pins are actually damaged, and your phone won't charge now? Sorry, can't do anything for you. In every one of those cases, unless there is otherwise physical or liquid damage, ESRP would cover all this, no questions asked.

This i did not know. So I can get the ESRP for $4/month per line and not have to pay the $75 fee whenever service is needed under warranty. My question now is, if the phone needs to be replaced and I have ESRP would I need to pay a deductible?

[utiz4321]

My point is that we shouldn't have to deal with the manufacturer for warranty related problems. I feel the carrier should facilitate the warranty for free or at the most charge a very small convenience fee....like enough to cover shipping.

 

This i did not know. So I can get the ESRP for $4/month per line and not have to pay the $75 fee whenever service is needed under warranty. My question now is, if the phone needs to be replaced and I have ESRP would I need to pay a deductible?

You don't pay extra for in warranty repairs when you are still under warranty.

[lilg740]

You don't pay extra for in warranty repairs when you are still under warranty.

Yes you do. For instance, my wifes phone had a problen where it thought there was a headset plugged in. It needed to be replaced so i a was charged $50

[koiulpoi]

This i did not know. So I can get the ESRP for $4/month per line and not have to pay the $75 fee whenever service is needed under warranty. My question now is, if the phone needs to be replaced and I have ESRP would I need to pay a deductible?

$4/month covers all failures due to wear and tear and manufacturer's defects. It covers everything except physical damage to the phone (read: you can have up to 3 cracks, less than an inch long on the screen), liquid damage, or the device being lost or stolen. There is no "deductible" in this case, as it is not an insurance program, more like an "extended warranty" program. Or, more specifically, a service and repair program. At $80 over 20 months, even with one incident, it pays for itself. More than that, and you're saving money.

 

You don't pay extra for in warranty repairs when you are still under warranty.

If you go through the manufacturer. If you want to go through Sprint, they'll charge you $50/$75 per incident, even if you're on day 31 of your contract. It sucks, yes, but again, the service Sprint provides really has nothing to do with the warranty. Sonim provides a comprehensive 3-year warranty for their devices, yet we're still told to offer TEP on it.

 

In the cases listed above that ESRP doesn't cover, you're completely SOL if you have no protection. Having a phone without some kind of protection plan (Sprint or not) is complete madness, especially for an Apple device. Almost 50% of all claims processed through Sprint's ERP (the insurance part) are for lost and stolen devices, and a huge number of those are iPhones.

[lilg740]

$4/month covers all failures due to wear and tear and manufacturer's defects. It covers everything except physical damage to the phone (read: you can have up to 3 cracks, less than an inch long on the screen), liquid damage, or the device being lost or stolen. There is no "deductible" in this case, as it is not an insurance program, more like an "extended warranty" program. Or, more specifically, a service and repair program. At $80 over 20 months, even with one incident, it pays for itself. More than that, and you're saving money.

 

If you go through the manufacturer. If you want to go through Sprint, they'll charge you $50/$75 per incident, even if you're on day 31 of your contract. It sucks, yes, but again, the service Sprint provides really has nothing to do with the warranty. Sonim provides a comprehensive 3-year warranty for their devices, yet we're still told to offer TEP on it.

 

In the cases listed above that ESRP doesn't cover, you're completely SOL if you have no protection. Having a phone without some kind of protection plan (Sprint or not) is complete madness, especially for an Apple device. Almost 50% of all claims processed through Sprint's ERP (the insurance part) are for lost and stolen devices, and a huge number of those are iPhones.

Unless that phone is a feature phone or a phone that costs around $75-100 on eBay. Which are all of the phones we have now. When we upgrade next I will definitely consider ESRP as we take good care of our devices. Quick question. If I upgrade using Sprint Upgrade Now and buy into my upgrade am I required to use Sprint Buy back on my current device? Reason being is I can get $90+ apiece selling the 2 GNex's on Ebay, yet Sprint will only give me $39 each. 

[The Dave]

I generally put insurance on my phones when I first get them, but after 12-18 months, I usually drop it to save the $16/month since after then, it is pretty much a wash to buy a used replacement compared to paying the deductible. Plus, it is close to the next possible time to upgrade a little early, anyway.

[Rocket87]

Unless that phone is a feature phone or a phone that costs around $75-100 on eBay. Which are all of the phones we have now. When we upgrade next I will definitely consider ESRP as we take good care of our devices. Quick question. If I upgrade using Sprint Upgrade Now and buy into my upgrade am I required to use Sprint Buy back on my current device? Reason being is I can get $90+ apiece selling the 2 GNex's on Ebay, yet Sprint will only give me $39 each.

 

If you are 12-19 months into your contract and do the sprint one up as an early upgrade you are required to give sprint your current device as part of the requirement to upgrade early and end your current contract. That means you are turning in the old device for zero dollars.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

 

[The Dave]

According to Best Buy, my Evo 3d is worth $10. According to Sprint, it is worth $16. Either way, it is practically worth $0 anyway.

[lilg740]

If you are 12-19 months into your contract and do the sprint one up as an early upgrade you are required to give sprint your current device as part of the requirement to upgrade early and end your current contract. That means you are turning in the old device for zero dollars.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

Im talking avout "upgrade now" not one up.

[Rocket87]

Im talking avout "upgrade now" not one up.

Oh well upgrade now requires you selling your phone back to do the early upgrade.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

 

[jamesinclair]

What the heck? Thanks for the info but that is a bad move. It already pretty dumb that we have to pay ANYTHING for service/repair that is covered under manufacturer's warranty! And before you say that is a fee to facilitate the manufacturer's warranty, none of the other carriers charge you to facilitate a manufacturer's warranty. I think it is a bad policy and is just a ploy to get you to buy their scam of an insurance plan.

 

End rant....sorry guys.

 

Completely agree. The industry standard is to have the carrier deal with the supplier with warranty problems, not the customer. Sprint is the outlier and they're only getting worse.

 

And it's not just cell phones.

 

Comcast doesnt make me call Motorola, or pay extra, when my modem or cable box break. I go into the comcast service center, and they give me a new unit, at no cost.

 

Toyota doesn't make me call Samsung or Speaker Inc (whoever makes the speakers) when my radio system fails when Im in warranty. They deal with it.

 

Dell didn't make me call Nvidea when my graphics card broke in the first year.

 

A subsidized phone is no different.

 

Warranty means warranty, and honestly Im surprised there hasnt been a consumer rights lawsuit in a blue state that shut down Sprints practice of charging for this kind of service. Honestly, Verizon, being the big evil, would logically be the first to want to charge consumers for a warranty replacement*. The fact that they havent indicates to me theres something Sprint isnt seeing right.

 

*Last year did they change their warranty service from overnight or 2 day shipping on the replacement device to 3-5 day.

 

Incidentally, in the EU, I believe carriers are required to provide a free warranty for two years, but please correct me if Im wrong on that note. From what I recall, union-wide, all electronics are required to come with a 2 year warranty.

 

You don't pay extra for in warranty repairs when you are still under warranty.

 

The entire problem is that Sprint is unique in charging you for warranty repairs when under warranty.

 

Worse, the phone manufacturers arent set up to deal with that because they dont have to for anyone else. From what Ive heard, calling Samsung or Motorola directly is a very bad experience. Fortunately, Ive never had to deal with that.

 

 

 

Note: I would accept that an unsubsidized phone would be handled differently.

[lordsutch]

And it's not just cell phones.

 

Comcast doesnt make me call Motorola, or pay extra, when my modem or cable box break. I go into the comcast service center, and they give me a new unit, at no cost.

 

Toyota doesn't make me call Samsung or Speaker Inc (whoever makes the speakers) when my radio system fails when Im in warranty. They deal with it.

 

Dell didn't make me call Nvidea when my graphics card broke in the first year.

 

A subsidized phone is no different.

 

With Comcast, you're renting the box or modem from them. If you go and buy your own modem, or buy and hook up a TiVo, and it breaks, Comcast says "sorry, it's not our problem" or "you should've paid to rent it from us, sucker."

 

Toyota and Dell sold you a whole system. If you'd bought the nVidia card yourself, or stuck your own radio in the car, and it breaks, their reaction would be "sorry, it's not our problem" or "sure, we'll fix it for $$$."

 

A subsidized phone is no different. If you buy something with a coupon or discount, the person discounting the product has no additional obligation to engage in warranty service on your behalf. (Buy a TV from Walmart and ask them to repair it, and see how far that goes.) You bought a Samsung or HTC or LG phone; Sprint gave you a substantial discount, but ultimately it's still a Samsung/HTC/LG phone.

[S4GRU]

Completely agree. The industry standard is to have the carrier deal with the supplier with warranty problems, not the customer. Sprint is the outlier and they're only getting worse.

 

And it's not just cell phones.

 

Comcast doesnt make me call Motorola, or pay extra, when my modem or cable box break. I go into the comcast service center, and they give me a new unit, at no cost.

 

Toyota doesn't make me call Samsung or Speaker Inc (whoever makes the speakers) when my radio system fails when Im in warranty. They deal with it.

 

Dell didn't make me call Nvidea when my graphics card broke in the first year.

 

A subsidized phone is no different.

 

Warranty means warranty, and honestly Im surprised there hasnt been a consumer rights lawsuit in a blue state that shut down Sprints practice of charging for this kind of service. Honestly, Verizon, being the big evil, would logically be the first to want to charge consumers for a warranty replacement*. The fact that they havent indicates to me theres something Sprint isnt seeing right.

 

*Last year did they change their warranty service from overnight or 2 day shipping on the replacement device to 3-5 day.

 

Incidentally, in the EU, I believe carriers are required to provide a free warranty for two years, but please correct me if Im wrong on that note. From what I recall, union-wide, all electronics are required to come with a 2 year warranty.

 

 

The entire problem is that Sprint is unique in charging you for warranty repairs when under warranty.

 

Worse, the phone manufacturers arent set up to deal with that because they dont have to for anyone else. From what Ive heard, calling Samsung or Motorola directly is a very bad experience. Fortunately, Ive never had to deal with that.

 

 

 

Note: I would accept that an unsubsidized phone would be handled differently.

I had two DSL modem/routers in three years fail. Windstream would not handle the OEM warranty for me. The only thing they were willing to do is sell me another one, or lease me a replacement. And it sounds like you were leasing yours from Comcast.

 

If you leased your phone from Sprint, I could see them handling it for you like Comcast. Because they would actually be the Owner of the device.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro