Sprint handset upgrade policy change applies retroactively! 3/1 changed to 7/1

[travismheim]

I figured they would transition to 24 months when new contracts were signed, but I'm not really surprised by this. One step closer to moving away from the subsidy model entirely.

[Destroyallcubes]

All my phones are working so i won't have any problems turning them in so they can pay for the ETF.

 

Cost of new phone... I'm supposed to be getting new phones anyway. what's the difference if the cost is already baked into the existing Sprint subsidy plan? just now breaking it out into the monthly phone installment plan w/ cheaper service plan instead.

You can sell your current phones when doing a new contract or starting a new easy pay installment. Can be several hundred dollars per device.

[jamesinclair]

How is it a change in the contract?  Early upgrade eligibility is a perk, not a contractual obligation.

 

AJ

 

I dont know what the contract says, and I dont have a copy here.

 

If it explicitly says you can upgrade in 20 months, then theres a problem, as they cant change that.

 

Does anyone know what the contract says?

 

Its been announced via your bill for a few months now that they are going to change on 3/1, so it shouldn't be a surprise to you.

 

Not exactly. Sprint announced that all contracts signed after 9/1/2014 would move to 24 months. Of course, most people get paperless bills too so theyd never see any such information.

 

In fact as of yesterday, people were still being told they were going to be able to upgrade on 3/1, and then they walked into the store today and were told it was magically 7/1. The Sprint forums are on fire over this issue, so it was clearly a surprise.

 

Thats a huge problem, and an enormous bait and switch. Having the website, the automated systems and the customer service reps telling people they can upgrade on 3/1 and then on 3/1 saying they can't is customer service disaster.

 

Apparently, there was zero customer service training about the new timelines, so again, it's clearly a surprise.

 

Personally, I think (and hope) it's a technical error and will be corrected. I think all contracts signed after September are 24 months (as anounced) but those of us who signed before get to keep 20 months until we renew again. That was the expectation set at signing.

[Rocket87]

I dont know what the contract says, and I dont have a copy here.

 

If it explicitly says you can upgrade in 20 months, then theres a problem, as they cant change that.

 

Does anyone know what the contract says?

 

 

Not exactly. Sprint announced that all contracts signed after 9/1/2014 would move to 24 months. Of course, most people get paperless bills too so theyd never see any such information.

 

In fact as of yesterday, people were still being told they were going to be able to upgrade on 3/1, and then they walked into the store today and were told it was magically 7/1. The Sprint forums are on fire over this issue, so it was clearly a surprise.

 

Thats a huge problem, and an enormous bait and switch. Having the website, the automated systems and the customer service reps telling people they can upgrade on 3/1 and then on 3/1 saying they can't is customer service disaster.

 

Apparently, there was zero customer service training about the new timelines, so again, it's clearly a surprise.

 

Personally, I think (and hope) it's a technical error and will be corrected. I think all contracts signed after September are 24 months (as anounced) but those of us who signed before get to keep 20 months until we renew again. That was the expectation set at signing.

We litterally got a paragraph at the of our weekly playbook to tell us about this change.

[Yuhfhrh]

I dont know what the contract says, and I dont have a copy here.

 

If it explicitly says you can upgrade in 20 months, then theres a problem, as they cant change that.

 

Does anyone know what the contract says?

 

 

Not exactly. Sprint announced that all contracts signed after 9/1/2014 would move to 24 months. Of course, most people get paperless bills too so theyd never see any such information.

 

In fact as of yesterday, people were still being told they were going to be able to upgrade on 3/1, and then they walked into the store today and were told it was magically 7/1. The Sprint forums are on fire over this issue, so it was clearly a surprise.

 

Thats a huge problem, and an enormous bait and switch. Having the website, the automated systems and the customer service reps telling people they can upgrade on 3/1 and then on 3/1 saying they can't is customer service disaster.

 

Apparently, there was zero customer service training about the new timelines, so again, it's clearly a surprise.

 

Personally, I think (and hope) it's a technical error and will be corrected. I think all contracts signed after September are 24 months (as anounced) but those of us who signed before get to keep 20 months until we renew again. That was the expectation set at signing.

 

 

I don't think there's anything in the contact about future upgrades. Sprint isn't obligated to provide future subsidies at all.

[WiWavelength]

I don't think there's anything in the contact about future upgrades. Sprint isn't obligated to provide future subsidies at all.

 

A most appropriate parallel, perhaps, is professional sports free agency.  Teams are not required to tender follow up contract offers to their free agents -- and they certainly are not required to offer those soon to be free agents new contracts before their current contracts have expired.  Instead, teams do so at their own discretion.

 

AJ

[centermedic]

From a PR perspective, I believe the right thing to do was to honor the current 20 month cycle and reset the customer to a 24 month cycle once they upgraded. They might have considered making it retroactive to those who have recently upgraded. But to push people back on the day of their upgrade, no matter how much notification was given, is counter productive when you are trying to re-establish your good name.

[unoriginal]

You are then going to have to turn in your current phone,

 

Nope, you can turn in any old working phone and you can buy the cheapest flip phone that T-Mobile sells to get the ETF offer. I traded in a 3 year old blackberry, at the time I was using an S4 with Sprint, when I switched one of my lines last year and bought a $50 phone that I then sold to someone on CL for $30.

[SWMich4G]

Can anyone else confirm they did NOT take away eligibility for people who were already over 20 months?  March would be month 22 for me, but I don't know how to tell if the account is eligible as I do everything in store. 

[ITK79]

Can anyone else confirm they did NOT take away eligibility for people who were already over 20 months? March would be month 22 for me, but I don't know how to tell if the account is eligible as I do everything in store.

I have two months left on my contract and I am still eligible for my upgrade.

 

My wife's upgrade on her account is still there and she is at 21 months on her contract.

 

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk 4

[Rawvega]

Can anyone else confirm they did NOT take away eligibility for people who were already over 20 months?  March would be month 22 for me, but I don't know how to tell if the account is eligible as I do everything in store. 

 

Why don't you just text UPGRADE to 1311?

[bitslizer]

I have two months left on my contract and I am still eligible for my upgrade.

 

My wife's upgrade on her account is still there and she is at 21 months on her contract.

 

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk 4

 

There has been post/threads on the sprint.com forum from SprintCare CSR saying people will get their upgrade reset within 48 hours, but other rep are quoting from script about new 24 months policy.  

 

As of this morning mine is still showing as 24 months.

 

page 9, 10 for example

https://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/186708?start=135&tstart=0

[jamesinclair]

There has been post/threads on the sprint.com forum from SprintCare CSR saying people will get their upgrade reset within 48 hours, but other rep are quoting from script about new 24 months policy.  

 

As of this morning mine is still showing as 24 months.

 

page 9, 10 for example

https://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/186708?start=135&tstart=0

 

Yes there was clearly a failure in training as half the reps on that forum are saying one thing and the other half are saying the exact opposite.

[jreuschl]

It doesn't matter what you think of phone subsidies..  I think changing the upgrade time after an initial upgrade time has been stated is being sneaky and not good customer service.

 

Honestly..  I was surprised it was 20 vs. 24 months but they should keep the same stated day and change the period after the next upgrade.

[SeanK_]

Not exactly. Sprint announced that all contracts signed after 9/1/2014 would move to 24 months. Of course, most people get paperless bills too so theyd never see any such information.

 

In fact as of yesterday, people were still being told they were going to be able to upgrade on 3/1, and then they walked into the store today and were told it was magically 7/1. The Sprint forums are on fire over this issue, so it was clearly a surprise.

 

Thats a huge problem, and an enormous bait and switch. Having the website, the automated systems and the customer service reps telling people they can upgrade on 3/1 and then on 3/1 saying they can't is customer service disaster.

 

Apparently, there was zero customer service training about the new timelines, so again, it's clearly a surprise.

 

Personally, I think (and hope) it's a technical error and will be corrected. I think all contracts signed after September are 24 months (as anounced) but those of us who signed before get to keep 20 months until we renew again. That was the expectation set at signing.

False, It only started in January that once March 1st hits you would start seeing 24 months upgrade. If it was in September, my sister would be showing 24 months, but it showing 20 months and regardless of what type of bill you get you can see that information, you just have to click on the link that says "Important Information Relating To Your Sprint Bill" So in the end, if people weren't aware, it was their fault.

[Galaxyguy]

My wife had an upgrade come available on 2/1/15 and it is still showing with that date. We are waiting for the S6 to become available in April before using the upgrade.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[Destroyallcubes]

Nope, you can turn in any old working phone and you can buy the cheapest flip phone that T-Mobile sells to get the ETF offer. I traded in a 3 year old blackberry, at the time I was using an S4 with Sprint, when I switched one of my lines last year and bought a $50 phone that I then sold to someone on CL for $30.

Switching phones to bypass that can be considered fraud in some states. That is theft by deception.

[floorguy]

humm well, I was glad to see sprint offered me a deal to move from framily to family share.....and waived my $15 per until 2016....that equates to 15 X 8 = 120 x 12 (i think it was a full year) = 1400......

 

so piss and moan all you want....but they took care of me....AND try to deal with 1 person in store for other issues, if possible....sometimes they can tweak things for you, but not always......and the above perk came through corp soooo...

 

 

Lets just say a savings of $1400 for the year, has paid back past frustrations, and put a little in the bank for sprint....

 

               

[AppleFanBoy]

humm well, I was glad to see sprint offered me a deal to move from framily to family share.....and waived my $15 per until 2016....that equates to 15 X 8 = 120 x 12 (i think it was a full year) = 1400......

 

so piss and moan all you want....but they took care of me....AND try to deal with 1 person in store for other issues, if possible....sometimes they can tweak things for you, but not always......and the above perk came through corp soooo...

 

 

Lets just say a savings of $1400 for the year, has paid back past frustrations, and put a little in the bank for sprint....

 

Was your contract up and did you get an email or cold call customer service?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[floorguy]

Was your contract up and did you get an email or cold call customer service?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hadnt been in a contract as we were on the framily plan...granted only for like 6 mths though...been with sprint for 12 yrs....

 

and it was a text message

[bitslizer]

Latest update, 1 of my 3 affected line was reset to 20 months tonight, the other 2 still at 24 months. (4th line was recently upgraded so correctly at 24)

[unoriginal]

Switching phones to bypass that can be considered fraud in some states. That is theft by deception.

 

Huh? T-Mobile's ETF deal simply requires you to trade in a phone and then buy a phone from them. They don't care what you give to them as long as the screen isn't cracked/broken and the thing powers on. I traded the old blackberry in because it was during the time that T-Mobile and RIM were having their tiff and T-Mobile was offering $200 for any blackberry that got turned in. I fail to see how anything that I did could even remotely be considered fraud. So by all means, please fill me in on the details because I am obviously missing something.

[Destroyallcubes]

Huh? T-Mobile's ETF deal simply requires you to trade in a phone and then buy a phone from them. They don't care what you give to them as long as the screen isn't cracked/broken and the thing powers on. I traded the old blackberry in because it was during the time that T-Mobile and RIM were having their tiff and T-Mobile was offering $200 for any blackberry that got turned in. I fail to see how anything that I did could even remotely be considered fraud. So by all means, please fill me in on the details because I am obviously missing something.

Because they are buying out a service contract, a contract yoy signed when buying x phone. What keeps people with a T-Mobile line from adding a line for free by creating sprint line, and going to T-Mobile and etfing it, they swap phone and now have a phone for free they can use. Kinda hitting the fraud area.

[wise]

No, you cannot get "your upgrade" back --the operative word being "your."  Any upgrade before your contract has been completed is a perk, not a possession nor a right.  And Sprint can change that perk at any time.  Whether that is a wise business decision for Sprint, though, is debatable.

 

Regardless, people, we have had this conversation before.  When you sign a two year contract, you are not accruing actual earned eligibility toward your next upgrade.  You are only paying down your current subsidy.

 

And sometime in the coming years, many subs mid contract will have their upgrade eligibility disappear entirely -- because Sprint will cease to offer any new contract subsidy plans.  The future is non contract, non subsidy.  Upgrade at full price or in installment payments whenever you want.

 

AJ

Does anyone really believe a phone under contract is subsidized? Look at the note 4, its freaking $300 bucks. Note Edge is $430. They have tablets with similar specs or better for less.. There are phones like One Plus One selling with no contract for that range. Etc.

 

It is more like price fixing. The price is fixed high to lock you to one phone, one carrier, unable to afford to switch and making you stay put due to payment plans in place or contracts. $300 by itself seems like full price for Note 4 quality device, but they take it a step further claiming it costs $720 which is triple to four times its actual cost to make.. Apple does that too, in the realm of iPhone it typically sold for $200 under contract but an identically spec'd iPod Touch cost $200 with no contract. Now the new payment plan versions cost $700 somehow. Yep, looks like they want us tied down to a payment plan for years unable to afford the cost up front so that we can't switch carriers as easy, same old BS. If you try to switch they will slap you with the termination fee, the rest of the cost of the device. Lol

 

Somehow they are selling decked out tablets like the moorefield Asus memo 7" or the kindle fire hdx 7" for <$200. The Kindle even has built in LTE modem. Showing these $800 dollar cellphones couldn't possibly cost that much without some type of anticompete price fixing scheme being in place.

Edited March 3, 2015 by wise

[wise]

Because they are buying out a service contract, a contract yoy signed when buy phone. What keeps people with a T-Mobile line from adding a line for free by creating sprint line, and going to T-Mobile and etfing it, they swap phone and now have a phone for free they can use. Kinda hitting the fraud area.

That really isn't fraud because the contract is separate from the phone cost. The phone cost $300 up front or whatever, the contract is separate. Also throughout a contract you can swap phones, buy new phones, trade phones, etc. They don't make you stay with the same phone.