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

[gusherb]

Glad to see #1 and #3 largest cities are scheduled for 2/2 shutoff. Good riddance!

[Rocket87]

Anyone hear any news out of today's Town Hall?

I missed it, but heard activation and upgrade fees are going to be drastically lowered and collected up front. No more hidden fees and crap. Huge savings in calls to customer care amd wasted time and discretionary credits. Only 40% of them were even paid, so should be huge savings and help with having less call centers.

 

Not sure when that starts.

 

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[BenChase7]

I missed it, but heard activation and upgrade fees are going to be drastically lowered and collected up front. No more hidden fees and crap. Huge savings in calls to customer care amd wasted time and discretionary credits. Only 40% of them were even paid, so should be huge savings and help with having less call centers.

 

Not sure when that starts.

 

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Sounds like Sprint is making some good and promising changes on the business end of things, too. 

[DanielB]

Not sure when that starts.

 

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March 1. Also, activation and upgrade fees will no longer be waived for accounts with corporate discounts.

[bill875]

March 1. Also, activation and upgrade fees will no longer be waived for accounts with corporate discounts.

What about those of us with the Credit union discount where we do not currently pay activation or upgrade fees?  Will it still be free?

[DanielB]

What about those of us with the Credit union discount where we do not currently pay activation or upgrade fees? Will it still be free?

 

No

[dnicekid]

Why have activation fees?

If I buy it in the store let me activate it online for free!

No because of fraud. So now because you're worried about fraud we have to pay for you to activate it in the store??

 

Point is activation fees and upgrade fees are stupid. If I buy a phone that isn't better than my current do I get a downgrade credit?

 

It's all expensive bs

that all carriers rob us of

[kct1975]

Why have activation fees?

If I buy it in the store let me activate it online for free!

No because of fraud. So now because you're worried about fraud we have to pay for you to activate it in the store??

 

Point is activation fees and upgrade fees are stupid. If I buy a phone that isn't better than my current do I get a downgrade credit?

 

It's all expensive bs

that all carriers rob us of

Agreed!

 

It's like the stupid 'Payment Processing Fees' that some companies charge...or the dreaded 'Universal Connectivity Fee' that is charged on every Landline phone service and Wireless phone service.

[S4GRU]

Activation Fees are not a cost associated with activating a device. It is totally there for revenue generation.

 

Using Tapatalk on Note 8.0

[Trip]

or the dreaded 'Universal Connectivity Fee' that is charged on every Landline phone service and Wireless phone service.

 

I'm confused, what's dreaded about this?  That money does go to the FCC and provides money to support connections in rural areas where the startup costs make service otherwise unprofitable.  In my parents' neck of the woods, for example, if you look carefully at the microwave licenses US Cellular holds, one of their towers is called "PHENIX_USF". 

 

- Trip

[mnjeepmale]

Do the other carriers have the same activation and upgrade fees?

[WiWavelength]

Has Sprint ever itemized it as an "Activation Fee"?  If so, not any longer.  The last time I saw it on my bill, it was itemized as an "Upgrade Fee."  So, let us use the correct terminology.  And, honestly, I do not have a problem with an upgrade fee.

 

On contract subsidy upgrades, Sprint has to pay commission to its associates or third parties.  The $36 can go toward that.

 

If you have a problem with it, do not use subsidized upgrades, do not rely on Sprint for your handset procurement.  BYOD, simple as that.  Or can you lease or use Easy Pay?  Do those incur upgrade fees?

 

AJ

[Trip]

If you have a problem with it, do not use subsidized upgrades, do not rely on Sprint for your handset procurement.  BYOD, simple as that.

 

That doesn't help.  When I activated my sister's Nexus 5X, they told me if not for my credit union discount, I would have paid the $36 activation fee.

 

- Trip

[Rocket87]

Has Sprint ever itemized it as an "Activation Fee"? If so, not any longer. The last time I saw it on my bill, it was itemized as an "Upgrade Fee." So, let us use the correct terminology. And, honestly, I do not have a problem with an upgrade fee.

 

On contract subsidy upgrades, Sprint has to pay commission to its associates or third parties. The $36 can go toward that.

 

If you have a problem with it, do not use subsidized upgrades, do not rely on Sprint for your handset procurement. BYOD, simple as that. Or can you lease or use Easy Pay? Do those incur upgrade fees?

 

AJ

Its listed as activation fee on the bill when you first start the line. After that its listed as upgrade fee. Our MSA tool on the ipad where customers consent says "Activation / upgrade fee".

 

Any phone purchase at sprint unless at full retail will have an upgrade. Even byod has an activation fee when starting the line but not when switching phones if you being your own when you "upgrade".

 

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[WiWavelength]

That doesn't help.  When I activated my sister's Nexus 5X, they told me if not for my credit union discount, I would have paid the $36 activation fee.

 

A new line?  See Rocket87's explanation below.  If not a new line, just a device switch, then what you were told was incorrect.

 

For start of service, almost all utilities charge some type of activation fee.  That is just a fact of life.  I do not see why Sprint should have to be different.

 

AJ

[dnicekid]

A new line? See Rocket87's explanation below. If not a new line, just a device switch, then what you were told was incorrect.

 

For start of service, almost all utilities charge some type of activation fee. That is just a fact of life. I do not see why Sprint should have to be different.

 

AJ

 

 

 

To each is own. However I can never ever remember the electric company charging me an activation or start up fee.

 

I understand they need to make money but $36 pays that sprint employee the 10-15 an Hr and the company makes $20?

 

On top of that I pay full MSRP for a phone??

 

I will give you the start up fee... But every time I want a new phone? They should be paying me for the time I spend in the store while they ask alllll those questions ringing up the phone!!

 

I don't understand how I can get a phone activated and delivered to my house next day but it takes over an Hr to get the phone on in the store.

Lol

[llm5505]

I just upgraded two of my lines using easy pay. I was charged $36 for each line for an upgrade fee. Sounds like some of you think that is not correct? Only time I have not been charged with this fee is if it was a phone that was activated on sprint before. Even when I payed out of pocket.

 

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[jonathanm1978]

To each is own. However I can never ever remember the electric company charging me an activation or start up fee.

 

I understand they need to make money but $36 pays that sprint employee the 10-15 an Hr and the company makes $20?

 

On top of that I pay full MSRP for a phone??

 

I will give you the start up fee... But every time I want a new phone? They should be paying me for the time I spend in the store while they ask alllll those questions ringing up the phone!!

 

I don't understand how I can get a phone activated and delivered to my house next day but it takes over an Hr to get the phone on in the store.

Lol

The electric company where I live charges anywhere from $50 to $250 to start electric service. And water authority here charges $350 to drop a meter in, $150 if a meter is already present.

 

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[llm5505]

I just upgraded two of my lines using easy pay. I was charged $36 for each line for an upgrade fee. Sounds like some of you think that is not correct? Only time I have not been charged with this fee is if it was a phone that was activated on sprint before. Even when I payed out of pocket.

 

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I take that back, when I activated a Nexus 5x there was not a fee. So easy pay counts as an upgrade. Still a big hit on the bill when getting more than 1!

 

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[Dkoellerwx]

To each is own. However I can never ever remember the electric company charging me an activation or start up fee.

 

I understand they need to make money but $36 pays that sprint employee the 10-15 an Hr and the company makes $20?

 

On top of that I pay full MSRP for a phone??

 

I will give you the start up fee... But every time I want a new phone? They should be paying me for the time I spend in the store while they ask alllll those questions ringing up the phone!!

 

I don't understand how I can get a phone activated and delivered to my house next day but it takes over an Hr to get the phone on in the store.

Lol

My utilities charged $100 to turn everything on. An "activation fee" if you will.

 

If you buy the phone outright on an existing line, there is no fee, or did you not read Rocket's post? I have not been charged an activation/upgrade fee for several years because I either by my devices outright, or bring them from somewhere else.

 

Sent from my LG G4

[JeffDTD]

Arguing about the validity of upgrade fees? Thats one of the oldest revenue drivers in the history of wireless. The wise shopper looks at the total cost of service over a two year period. If the total out of pocket is competitive and the service suits your needs, there is nothing to complain about. Activation and Upgrade fee reduction and removal or reduction has been a carrot used by some carriers to bait people off of two year contracts. Now that two year contracts are mostly gone, there will be a gradual correction back to charging the fees. Sprint's new idea to reduce them but always charge them is smart and more in line with the competition

 

 

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[dnicekid]

 

 

The electric company where I live charges anywhere from $50 to $250 to start electric service. And water authority here charges $350 to drop a meter in, $150 if a meter is already present.

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Ouch!!! Not here in mass!!!

[joshuam]

Yeah, I thought my state was corrupt. My local utilities (electric from Constellation Energy, water from county govt, even FiOS and/or Comcast) do not charge activation/hookup/turn-on fees.

 

I never paid the fee on Sprint...a 2 min chat and it was always refunded. When I started a line with Tmo, I wasn't charged any fee (even though I believe they normally charge $15 for a SIM for new lines only).

 

That $36 fee on Sprint was pretty dumb...4 lines equals $144. That's unacceptable to me. I can understand a deposit for customers with poor credit, but I'm not in the business for overpaying for services...maybe I'm just cheap ????

[utiz4321]

Yeah, I thought my state was corrupt. My local utilities (electric from Constellation Energy, water from county govt, even FiOS and/or Comcast) do not charge activation/hookup/turn-on fees.

 

I never paid the fee on Sprint...a 2 min chat and it was always refunded. When I started a line with Tmo, I wasn't charged any fee (even though I believe they normally charge $15 for a SIM for new lines only).

 

That $36 fee on Sprint was pretty dumb...4 lines equals $144. That's unacceptable to me. I can understand a deposit for customers with poor credit, but I'm not in the business for overpaying for services...maybe I'm just cheap [emoji57]

What do you mean over paying for service? The activation fee is a part of service, you are simply bragging about underpaying for service. Which hey, good for you.

 

 

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[bkco14]

So are you telling me that when you buy new faucets for your sink that you should pay the water company an upgrade fee? How about the cable company an upgrade fee if I buy a new router? Cable company an upgrade fee if I buy a new tv?

 

I don't mind an activation fee when I start new service, but if I just want to change my phone, then I shouldn't have to pay them considering I am paying full price for the phone. If they were giving me the phone free or subsidized, then I could be ok with it, but now that all that is gone, there is no reason for it.