Jump to content

Sprint to enforce roaming data limits, send SMS notifications


Rocket87

Recommended Posts

Sometimes you don't have much of a choice. I went to alaska this month and spent a week there. Sprint doesn't have any native coverage so I used 175 Mbps of roaming while there. My plan only includes 100...

Yes, you do have multiple choices. You can opt not to go to Alaska if wireless service is that important to you. Alternatively, you can go but choose not to use roaming beyond your quota. Or you can now pay for your roaming data overage up to 300 MB total. Finally, you can elect to use a different provider that has native service in Alaska.

 

AJ

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you do have multiple choices. You can opt not to go to Alaska if wireless service is that important to you. Alternatively, you can go but choose not to use roaming beyond your quota. Or you can now pay for your roaming data overage up to 300 MB total. Finally, you can elect to use a different provider that has native service in Alaska.

AJ

No need to be snappy. Most people I know use their phone for business and travel around the country. Anchorage is the biggest city in one of our states. We're not talking about another country.
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to be snappy. Most people I know use their phone for business and travel around the country. Anchorage is the biggest city in one of our states. We're not talking about another country.

But you can also get a prepaid phone on another carrier for when you visit, or even a mobile broadband device for the trip. They sell prepaid MBB devices on most carriers now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you do have multiple choices. You can opt not to go to Alaska if wireless service is that important to you. Alternatively, you can go but choose not to use roaming beyond your quota. Or you can now pay for your roaming data overage up to 300 MB total. Finally, you can elect to use a different provider that has native service in Alaska.

 

AJ

Out of curiosity, how is cell coverage in rural Alaska? You seem like a fella that would know. I did some searching and ATT looks to be the 'big' carrier there but coverage maps looks rather centralized to the southeast areas of the state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But you can also get a prepaid phone on another carrier for when you visit, or even a mobile broadband device for the trip. They sell prepaid MBB devices on most carriers now.

Don't agree with that at all. For instance when we went to a non Sprint area this summer, the Sprint line with us didn't think twice about using her phone I have roaming. She pays for the line and expects it to work in the US. You have to think with a regular customer mindset. If she would have been charged for the extra usage for that week I can guarantee you that person will not be a customer any longer. Customer lost for years along with that customer venting to 10 other of her friends, all over a place that person won't go for years.
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to be snappy. Most people I know use their phone for business and travel around the country. Anchorage is the biggest city in one of our states. We're not talking about another country.

I was not being snappy -- that is your misinterpretation. Rather, I was detailing the multiple options you apparently disregarded when you claimed not "much of a choice."

 

AJ

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But you can also get a prepaid phone on another carrier for when you visit, or even a mobile broadband device for the trip. They sell prepaid MBB devices on most carriers now.

But that's the thing... I rarely roam. I went there for one week. I'm not an abuser so I just wish they cracked down on abusers, not people who occasionally travel somewhere sprint chooses not to serve anymore.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to be snappy. Most people I know use their phone for business and travel around the country. Anchorage is the biggest city in one of our states. We're not talking about another country.

AJ's right though. If you travel out of Sprint service, folks are going to have to be very light on their data usage and use a lot of WiFi. Marcelo said that in order to be able to afford to compete with these new low prices, they would have to tighten up their budget. Roaming costs is one of them.

 

Since roaming minutes are pretty generous at 800 per month, it just comes down to data. Sprint customers are going to have to become like AT&T and VZW customers...offload to WiFi and do all their heavy data lifting on WiFi. Except Sprint customers only have to do it when roaming. Duopoly customers have to do it all the time.

 

I'm an AT&T customer. I just had this issue. I was shipping someone something and took a pic of the receipt/tracking number to email them. I didn't want to waste my data to send from the store. So I waited until I got home and uploaded the pic on WiFi. Except Sprint customers only have to do that when roaming.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't agree with that at all. For instance when we went to a non Sprint area this summer, the Sprint line with us didn't think twice about using her phone I have roaming. She pays for the line and expects it to work in the US. You have to think with a regular customer mindset. If she would have been charged for the extra usage for that week I can guarantee you that person will not be a customer any longer. Customer lost for years along with that customer venting to 10 other of her friends, all over a place that person won't go for years.

+1 couldn't agree with You more!! One thing is people who abuse. Another is someone who occasionally travels to a non sprint area.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't agree with that at all. For instance when we went to a non Sprint area this summer, the Sprint line with us didn't think twice about using her phone I have roaming. She pays for the line and expects it to work in the US. You have to think with a regular customer mindset. If she would have been charged for the extra usage for that week I can guarantee you that person will not be a customer any longer. Customer lost for years along with that customer venting to 10 other of her friends, all over a place that person won't go for years.

And do not let the door hit her in the ass on the way out. Caveat emptor. She has a responsibility to understand coverage areas, service limitations, and fine print terms -- just as with every wireless provider. If that is so difficult with Sprint, then she can go be a mindless consumer, sign up with the duopoly, and not worry about their transgressions against our broadband future.

 

AJ

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And do not let the door hit her in the ass on the way out. Caveat emptor. She has a responsibility to understand coverage areas, service limitations, and fine print terms -- just as with every wireless provider. If that is so difficult with Sprint, then she can go be a mindless consumer, sign up with the duopoly, and not worry about their transgressions against our broadband future.

 

AJ

Luckily you don't run Sprint with your communist fist as they would have zero customers already. It's shocking you approve of a loss of revenue and image to the company you adore so much.
  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't agree with that at all. For instance when we went to a non Sprint area this summer, the Sprint line with us didn't think twice about using her phone I have roaming. She pays for the line and expects it to work in the US. You have to think with a regular customer mindset. If she would have been charged for the extra usage for that week I can guarantee you that person will not be a customer any longer. Customer lost for years along with that customer venting to 10 other of her friends, all over a place that person won't go for years.

I also know a lot of customers who refuse to use their phones when roaming out of fear that they will get a hefty roaming bill. As if it was 1999. I don't know how many people I've had to tell that they have roaming allotments. So there are also a lot of people who don't think they can use their phone when roaming.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Luckily you don't run Sprint with your communist fist as they would have zero customers already. It's shocking you approve of a loss of revenue and image to the company you adore so much.

Some of you guys are pie in the sky fools. You want to have your cake and eat it, too. Lower plan prices, maintain "unlimited" data, increase bandwidth deployment, expand native coverage, retain problematic subs. Give me a break. Think about what you are saying. You cannot have everything including the kitchen sink without financially running Sprint into the ground. Lower prices will mean some sacrifices, including some subs who are poor fits for Sprint.

 

AJ

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of you guys are pie in the sky fools. You want to have your cake and eat it, too. Lower plan prices, maintain "unlimited" data, increase bandwidth deployment, expand native coverage, retain problematic subs. Give me a break. Think about what you are saying. You cannot have everything including the kitchen sink without financially running Sprint into the ground. Lower prices will mean some sacrifices, including some subs who are poor fits for Sprint.

AJ

You see. That's the thing you don't get. For the people that abuse I'm all about sprint doing what they have to do. But for people who occasionally go over some leniency just makes sense.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of you guys are pie in the sky fools. You want to have your cake and eat it, too. Lower plan prices, maintain "unlimited" data, increase bandwidth deployment, expand native coverage, retain problematic subs. Give me a break. Think about what you are saying. You cannot have everything including the kitchen sink without financially running Sprint into the ground. Lower prices will mean some sacrifices, including some subs who are poor fits for Sprint.

 

AJ

Sprint needs to stop with the same mentality of having their cake and eat it too showing all that Verizon roaming coverage that no one can use. Terminate that roaming and just stick to your partners you enabled EVDO roaming on.

 

99% of the customers don't read roaming terms, look at maps, etc. They don't care. They just want to use their Facebook, text and talk to people. They don't look at any triangle or R on their phone etc.

 

I agree on killing off the abusers roaming on purpose but with that they kill off even more customers. Sprint is in no position to do that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AJ's right though. If you travel out of Sprint service, folks are going to have to be very light on their data usage and use a lot of WiFi. Marcelo said that in order to be able to afford to compete with these new low prices, they would have to tighten up their budget. Roaming costs is one of them.

 

Since roaming minutes are pretty generous at 800 per month, it just comes down to data. Sprint customers are going to have to become like AT&T and VZW customers...offload to WiFi and do all their heavy data lifting on WiFi. Except Sprint customers only have to do it when roaming. Duopoly customers have to do it all the time.

 

I'm an AT&T customer. I just had this issue. I was shipping someone something and took a pic of the receipt/tracking number to email them. I didn't want to waste my data to send from the store. So I waited until I got home and uploaded the pic on WiFi. Except Sprint customers only have to do that when roaming.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

You on that 250meg plan? ;)
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You see. That's the thing you don't get. For the people that abuse I'm all about sprint doing what they have to do. But for people who occasionally go over some leniency just makes sense.

I agree with the sentiment. But without knowing what these actual roaming costs are for Sprint, it's hard for me to realistically be critical of Sprint about reigning in roaming.

 

It's been an advantage for Sprint for a long time how they have been generously liberal with roaming. It's a perk to many customers. And it's going to make some people mad. Maybe even some leave. They must feel it's necessary to take the risk. Because they are.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But for people who occasionally go over some leniency just makes sense.

Sprint is showing "leniency" or at least flexibility by allowing up to $50/mo in paid data roaming. That should cover the subs who exceed their roaming data quotas once a year on summer vacations. And if those subs complain about the roaming charges while they are in effect saving hundreds of dollars per year on Sprint, they are losing sight of the greater picture.

 

AJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sprint is showing "leniency" or at least flexibility by allowing up to $50/mo in paid data roaming. That should cover the subs who exceed their roaming data quotas once a year on summer vacations. And if those subs complain about the roaming charges while they are in effect saving hundreds of dollars per year on Sprint, they are losing sight of the greater picture.

AJ

$50/month???
Link to comment
Share on other sites

$50/month???

For most current plans, $50/mo is now the paid roaming cap. The first 100 MB is included in the plan cost. The next 200 MB is $0.25/MB for a maximum of $50. Beyond that, roaming data is inaccessible for the remainder of the billing cycle.

 

AJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For most current plans, $50/mo is now the paid roaming cap. The first 100 MB is included in the plan cost. The next 200 MB is $0.25/MB for a maximum of $50. Beyond that, roaming data is inaccessible for the remainder of the billing cycle.

 

You'd think that at those rates, they'd let people rack up as much roaming usage as they want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'd think that at those rates, they'd let people rack up as much roaming usage as they want.

 

Maybe.  But Sprint made the right call.  This paid roaming data overage system is a decent compromise between Sprint flexibility and subscriber responsibility.  Unlike T-Mobile, Sprint does not cut off roaming at 100 MB (or even less).  Yet, Sprint does not veer too far to the other end of the spectrum either.  Sprint does not allow an uninformed sub to rack up and be on the hook for roaming charges that could eclipse $500, for example.  The 300 MB cap at $50 max is a happy medium.  And if the sub cannot afford the additional charges, then that may be signal he/she should not be data roaming so much or would be better suited to a different wireless provider.

 

AJ

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remember, Sprint is going to notify customers before they reach their initial roaming limits. Hopefully they notify the customer that they will accrue charges for roaming if they exceed the 100MB limit in those 3 messages, and then the customer can't complain of lack of notification on Sprint's part.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And do not let the door hit her in the ass on the way out. Caveat emptor. She has a responsibility to understand coverage areas, service limitations, and fine print terms -- just as with every wireless provider. If that is so difficult with Sprint, then she can go be a mindless consumer, sign up with the duopoly, and not worry about their transgressions against our broadband future.

 

AJ

Thats a bit too much to expect from customers. There is a reason they are trying to simplify the framily plan to begin with. Further complicating usage terms leads to confusion and customer frustration.

 

Furthermore, you can't expect for people to dump Sprint just because they go over their roaming limit once every blue moon. For example, I recently roamed and coughed up 175 MB of roaming. That has been the only time I have roamed over 20 MB in a billing cycle in my entire time with Sprint. Im sure that my 5 years of being a customer heavily outweigh that one billing period Sprint took a hit on roaming for me. There are better ways of enforcing roaming usage, but getting people to leave Sprint is not one of them.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • large.unreadcontent.png.6ef00db54e758d06

  • gallery_1_23_9202.png

  • Posts

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...