Marcelo Claure, Town Hall Meetings, New Family Share Pack Plan, Unlimited Individual Plan, Discussion Thread

[dedub]

I really can't see any combination that beats a single everything data 450 + unlimited.

[jwang]

In that case I'm probably one of their most profitable customers. I rarely exceed 500MB per month. And with this plan I feel like they knocked on my door and pissed on my shoes.

 

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I know. I think you can consider to jump to Tmo then going back for the new customer deal.

They always give best deals to new customers. All carriers do this.

[iansltx]

Examine the three bulleted conditions for migrating existing accounts.  Many of you can meet just one those conditions.  And that is all you need.  So, do not be so rushed to judgment.

 

AJ

 

I can switch to the plan right now if I wanted to; I've been out of contract for a bit now. However Sprint's new-customer promos are what make this plan really attractive, and I can't get those unless I do some crazy port-around bit. It's my understanding that the line fee rebate until 2016 is a new customer only promotion. I don't really care about the 2GB per line of extra data, but those line fees do add up. That extra $75 per month penalty because I have Sprint now is what has me annoyed. Or, put another way, for the privilege of adding four family members onto my existing Sprint account, I "get to" pay Sprint $1125 more between now and January 2016, vs. new customers. If that's the deal I'm offered, I'll decline.

[jwang]

I think they are reworking the individual plan. The original plan could be announcing all plans in one time.

But the VZW $60 with 2GB data plan poop the party. So I think Sprint will make the individual plan to beat VZW. But I don't know how much better it could be.

[808Bill]

I know. I think you can consider to jump to Tmo then going back for the new customer deal.

They always give best deals to new customers. All carriers do this.

Jumping between CDMA and GSM is a pain.

 

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[Ascertion]

Jumping between CDMA and GSM is a pain.

 

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Even jumping from Verizon to Sprint, which is both CDMA is a pain.

[twospirits]

Do not do that.  You are pissing in the stew, biting the hand that feeds you.  Do you realize that?  It is the kind of attitude that makes staff want to say, "Screw it.  Shut down S4GRU.  People are never satisfied with Sprint.  Why in the hell do we keep working countless hours for free?"

 

AJ

Why punished the rest of the crew when one sailor is causing a mutiny. make him walk the pink plank. 

 

 

TS

[WiWavelength]

Or, put another way, for the privilege of adding four family members onto my existing Sprint account, I "get to" pay Sprint $1125 more between now and January 2016, vs. new customers. If that's the deal I'm offered, I'll decline.

 

I am not sure what else to say, but Robert and I had this conversation via SMS earlier this afternoon.  Personally, I do not like any subsidies, discounts, promos, SERO, etc., for anyone.  Provide flat rate pricing.  However, what we see in this plan is the reality of the current wireless marketplace.  It is saturated.  The primary traction comes from stealing subs from other providers.

 

AJ

[Mr.Nuke]

Unless you lose more subs then you bring in.

It is more complicated than that. Sprint has just shy of 30 million post-paid subscribers right now. Say you give everyone a $5 bill credit. That is $150 million of already earned revenue out the door. Say you drop every existing subscriber's plan by $5 a month to make it more competitive with a hypothetical new individual plan to be announced soon. That is $1.8 billion in lost revenue a year. Are you going to save some subscribers that were thinking about leaving by lowering their bill? Sure, but I doubt it is enough to justify the sacrificed revenue from the customers that have stayed. It is a complicated analysis that I'm sure they've run.

 

Particularly in industries with contracts, most of the attention and deals is always on attracting new customers. Think cable, satellite, wired telephones, fitness centers etc. All of the promotions are directed towards new customers.

[dnicekid]

Good point AJ... Some of us did jump the gun... The individual plans are still coming........

[utiz4321]

I can switch to the plan right now if I wanted to; I've been out of contract for a bit now. However Sprint's new-customer promos are what make this plan really attractive, and I can't get those unless I do some crazy port-around bit. It's my understanding that the line fee rebate until 2016 is a new customer only promotion. I don't really care about the 2GB per line of extra data, but those line fees do add up. That extra $75 per month penalty because I have Sprint now is what has me annoyed. Or, put another way, for the privilege of adding four family members onto my existing Sprint account, I "get to" pay Sprint $1125 more between now and January 2016, vs. new customers. If that's the deal I'm offered, I'll decline.

I don't get it. Is the plan cheaper for you as it is offered to you or not? Who cares if someone else pays less than you? If you work for ATT you pay half of what ever plan you are on for personal lines, is that unfair? It's a temp. Promotion anyway.

That said these plans aren't aggressive and what will happen to current framilies?

[newboyx]

Pros:  The plans are structured similar to how plans are structured on VZW and AT&T.  As current Sprint customers we may not like it, but to average consumers it is easier to understand.  They have been conditioned for years by the big 2 that this is what cell plans look like.  Customers can compare the carriers easier.  The stark difference in data allotments will stick out in a good way.   The industry is about new subscribers,  Yes, as a current Sprint customer I would like better deals for current customers, but new customers are the goal.  This is not unique to Sprint.  Giving new customers better deals has been standard in the industry for a while.  In areas where Sprint has a good network these plans will look great to customers looking at their options.  

 

Tethering is finally included!

 

Tablet plans are easier to grasp for more people.  

 

Hotspot plans are easier to grasp for more people.  

 

Don't underestimate the power of simplicity.  A tablet only costing $10 is easy to understand.  

 

Cons:  Having to pay $5 to upgrade annually is less than ideal.  Either make it at 12 or 18 months like AT&T, or 12 months like VZW.  If you are going to charge a premium to upgrade early, T-Mo Jump at least includes  device protection in with it.  With the Softbank/Sprint/Brightstar (Brightstar has device insurance and buy back programs http://www.brightstar.com/services/buyback-trade-in-solutions) connection they should easily be able to offer something competitive in that area.   

 

I am sure there are more than just those above.  These are the ones that stuck out at a quick glance.  

[kyle_4thousand]

I honestly think it may have been too much, to fast for the new CEO. But as critical as we can be here on S4GRU, if the general public and industry analysts see it in a positive light, it may turn out to be a decent move. Also- this is only the first move Sprint has made in its new chapter with Claure. I'm sure there is a lot more to come looking ahead, especially if this stokes a reaction from big red and the death star.

[chapagetti]

Looked through the forums and this seems to be the best place to post.

 

The new Family Share Plans look crazy.

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/its-a-new-day-for-data-for-american-consumers.htm

[JustinRP37]

I honestly was hoping for more announcements on the network upgrades and what they are doing to get the company back to where it needs to be.  There are still large pockets in Westchester, NY where NV equipment has been installed, yet the upgraded backhaul has not arrived.  I was hoping that they would continue to change the wireless industry, not fall in-line with the big two's type of plans.  I do like that they finally include tethering, but they need to do a lot of work to change the public's perception of Sprint.

[Ascertion]

I honestly was hoping for more announcements on the network upgrades and what they are doing to get the company back to where it needs to be.  There are still large pockets in Westchester, NY where NV equipment has been installed, yet the upgraded backhaul has not arrived.  I was hoping that they would continue to change the wireless industry, not fall in-line with the big two's type of plans.  I do like that they finally include tethering, but they need to do a lot of work to change the public's perception of Sprint.

They have the "Take the Edge Off" event tomorrow.  Maybe we'll see something network related there.

[cavendano]

These plans have Dan written all over them.

I recall reading about this plan and the $50 unlimited talk/text/data.

Anyone know what other plans were being trialed?

[tybo31316]

These plans have Dan written all over them.

I recall reading about this plan and the $50 unlimited talk/text/data.

Anyone know what other plans were being trialed?

Some markets had shared data plans being trialed.

 

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[Paynefanbro]

I feel like a lot of us are being critical right now because we are only thinking about ourselves and not about Sprint as a whole. Like many have said already, Sprint wants to gain new customers and keep old customers. If your current plan is better for you, then by all means stick with your current plan. You don't have to switch. If you find this plan will be better for you, you just have to fit one of the 3 criteria mentioned in the chart on Sprint's website and then you can do it. 

 

It's not as bad as many of us make it seem and I'm willing to bet Legere is sitting at his desk right now thinking of ways to undercut Sprint. His first line of defense is Twitter as we all know. Let's see him back up all of that talk.

[808Bill]

Am I reading this right? You can get 8GB for $170 (70+25+25+25+25) or you can get 20GB for $160 (100+15+15+15+15). Doesn't make much sense.

 

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[joshuam]

I'm betting magenta matches this tomorrow.

[tybo31316]

I'm betting magenta matches this tomorrow.

I'm more interested in what att and vz does. Seem like these plans are targeting their customers.

 

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[iansltx]

I am not sure what else to say, but Robert and I had this conversation via SMS earlier this afternoon.  Personally, I do not like any subsidies, discounts, promos, SERO, etc., for anyone.  Provide flat rate pricing.  However, what we see in this plan is the reality of the current wireless marketplace.  It is saturated.  The primary traction comes from stealing subs from other providers.

 

AJ

 

...and we're on the same page there. I'm not enthused at the thought of having to fight for new-customer promos in order to keep wireless bills competitive. That's already standard practice on the wireline ISP side, when you're lucky enough to have two competitive ISPs. In contrast, "third pipe" providers tend to have "set it and forget it" pricing, and that in itself is a value proposition.

[Paynefanbro]

This plan is targeting those "on the brink" Verizon and AT&T customers who see twice the data for the same or cheaper price and feel that is valuable for them. I think that the individual line plan will be competitive towards T-Mobile.

[mozamcrew]

If Sprint really wanted to simplify, they'd go to EasyPay, Full pay, or BYOD only. Also, why 4 different monthly access charge prices. If it's a phone, then charge one price ($20 say), with "data only" devices at a slightly lower cost (maybe $15). I was really hoping for something simpler.

It's not that Sprint has uncompetitive prices, but Framily and this new pricing are time consuming to get customers to understand. That is the biggest problem Sprint has right now.