halcyoncmdr

The iPhone 5 should have the Sprint UICC card installed to function correctly. That doesn't mean that it absolutely won't work without it, but the phone will do (or not do) all sorts of weird things when it comes to network authentication. The iPhone 5 is unique compared to every other model on Sprint's network, so issues stemming from this will be isolated and unusual compared to every other Sprint phone.

Many of the sites nationwide have some sort of backup power system. Most are diesel generators simply due to the simplicity and age, some use banks of batteries that are fed from the main power until it goes down. I believe most of the newer sites have started using solar, hydrogen fuel cells, etc. where available and viable.

Nothing currently. I'd expect to see news after the first of the year. I was surprised they killed it off so suddenly right before Christmas really.

Wackjob salespeople are possible in any industry but this smacks of an isolated incident with a salesguy who wanted his commission as high as it could go.

Sprint's corporate commission structure (not sure if it is different for preferred retailers, RadioShack, Best Buy, etc.) pays identical no matter which phone you purchase. It has been this way at least since I started in 2007 as a sales rep. While the overall structure of the payout has changed, this fundamentally is the same. You could purchase a simple M400 flip phone or a 64GB iPhone 5, the commission paid to the sales rep is identical. Are there occasional manufacturer incentives to sell more of a specific device? Yes, but they are extremely rare and from my experience, most sales people don't care about them. They would rather get the customer into a phone that is least likely to have the customer come back into the store (angry, wanting to exchange, annoyed with it, etc.). The few times a customer comes into the store or calls Care, the more likely they remain happy, it's pretty simple really.

Me personally, I never recommend Apple to anyone but older people looking for a smartphone. Why? Because quite simply the iPhone out of the box is limited by Apple by design and offers limited customization. For the older generation they have their apps and an easy to use interface that is hard to screw up because, well, you can't do much with it to begin with. In addition, Apple always leaves a desired feature out so that the next generation can be touted as being FASTER and add that missing feature that should have been implemented before (in the iPhone 5 that was NFC). There is absolutely no reason the iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC other than Apple chose to leave it out in case they can't get something better in time for the next gen. I would like to point out that the iPhone to this day still doesn't support full proper Bluetooth contact transfer profiles. The only reason for this I can think of is they want you to use iTunes (or iCloud now) for contact sync. Just like how when you setup a Gmail account the default way, it does not allow contact sync; but setting up as an Exchange server instead, or a manually adding a CardDAV account works perfectly for syncing Google contacts. Why can't Apple automatically add this CardDAV account when setting up a Gmail? Or utilizing Exchange instead of IMAP for email? (Yes I know Google is disabling Exchange support for new accounts starting January, that is beside the point in this instance).

There are simply too many things that Apple chooses to do that are decidedly NOT customer-friendly that I can't support them when asked directly.

I would like to point out these hash code menus are often incomplete, have outdated info, broken links, features that have not been implemented, etc. so the fact that some phones have additional/missing/unused information is not weird at all. There are hash code menus embedded in the Android dialer that Sprint requires that aren't even in use anymore because they are deprecated by newer tools. It is dead code that simply tags along because it takes up so little space and simply tearing it out could cause other issues that aren't readily apparent. Any time code is edited it runs a risk of causing a regression somewhere else.

These menus are not meant for an average user to have access to, and most are not used on a daily basis in troubleshooting (i.e. Service & Repair stores or Technical Support).

The only options in this area are Comcast, CenturyLink and Cox. Or mobile broadband of some kind of course. And since Cox and Cocmast don't actually compete, it's very limited.

You're lucky. In my area with Comcast (CO) prices were double that. Then again, we had no competition to speak of; 12 Mbps was the fastest DSL money could buy.

 

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This is my area. There is a cable competitor (Cox), but their areas don't overlap, so I wouldn't exactly call it competition at all. They just cover the same geographic City. Cox covers Tucson proper, Comcast serves the rest of Pima county. Centurylink is here, but since it was Qwest, all of the equipment is old and maxed at around 25Mbps, but 90% of the area isn't capable of anything above 12Mbps, and my house is at a terrible 2Mbps maximum.

On top of that my Comcast bill runs around $160 a month for 250 channels with DVR/HD (most of which I don't watch because they are crap, seriously thinking of going cable-free for a year to try it) and 25/3.5 internet.

Yeah we can't request specific parts, it is all monitored based on our usage and eticket history. There are certain parts we never have (like Shift flex cables because when we do get replenished, we only get a few to last us two weeks). Our store's exchange rate usually hovers around 450-500 per month, We are the busiest store in our District, if not the Area.

It appears that Sprint is starting to pull no SVDO in all newer devices. Maybe SVDO was just a bridge feature until they were well underway with Network Vision.

SVDO was never an intentional feature of any Sprint device. It was a side bonus caused by the way the antenna structures had to be designed in some devices. It is also very network-dependent, the phones always give priority to voice when low signal is encountered and the data connection will be dropped intentionally to keep that voice connection active using the alternate antenna to augment signal (at least the way I understand it). This is why it was/is never advertised.

That is a newer format store based upon the background (Motorola display). Yeah most if not all corporate stores now have this lighted table to showcase the LG devices and audio products.

Probably simply replacing the memory chip from a different working phone will bring them back to life (tech in an S&R store here, it's not that difficult). We see it with the Nexus S as well occasionally, simply moving the NAND chip over from a harvested phone brings it back. I've never seen an S3 come in DOA like this though.

That being said I don't trust anything coming from XDA without a good amount of salt. I see a lot of stuff posted around there as fact that is just plain wrong and has been proven wrong on may occasions. I see things posted all the time in XDA about "huge issues" that I never see in our store (One of the top 20 stores in the country for customer volume).

xxx92 was released a couple days ago. They are merging a couple of the PRLs together (606xx and 607xx). Some new 800Mhz added in areas (I think it was Baltimore/D.C.).

Actual new parts availability is identical to the preferred retailers, we have no direct control over our inventory, it is managed based on usage automatically. We use a part more often, we get more of them. We can harvest returned or exchanged devices however, so while a lot of the parts are not new, they work flawlessly and fix the customer's issue without having to replace the entire phone and lose customer info along the way.

You are on to something. We have people coming daily saying customer care told them they could do upgrade now and the bogo. My store is smart enough yo know the rules but others and customer care are not.There is nothing stopping you from ringing it up so id imagine there has been widespread combining of the offers nationwide even though its been brought up repeatedly that you cant do it through internal communications.

 

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Unfortunately I think the main reason these programs go away is because there is no systematic enforcement (due to system limitations, which over the years have decreased substantially, but do still exist). Reps are willing to break the rules for the sale and as such when it gets to be a large enough problem, the programs disappear. If the rules can't be enforced by the system and lower management isn't holding their employees accountable, bye bye. The programs aren't there to make Sprint money directly, but rather indirectly. Stacking multiple loss programs together just compounds the loss to the company, potentially beyond the point of profit. Buy One Get One Free, buying out the contract for a set price obviously less than the cost Sprint would make up with monthly service costs, add to this other programs like $100 off offers for adding Home phone service (Sprint Phone Connect) and a tablet ($100 off if purchased and activated with a smartphone on the account). They all add up, and every one of them loses Sprint more money.

Lynard -That store is retarded. Was it corporate or third party

I work for a service center, and a lot of times the part is not available to fix the device. So the only other alternative is to switch the device out through advanced exchange, which can not be done due to the cracked screen. So therefore, an insurance claim must be filed.

THIS. You would imagine the phones being extremely modular nowadays, but you'd be surprised, even from one generation to the next.

For example, the Galaxy S II. The SD card slot is entirely removable and replaceable, the speakerphone and headset jack as well, but the earpiece speaker is attached to the board directly. So your earpiece gets blown? Replacement, can't be fixed in store.

On the other hand you have phones like the HTC EVO Design, even the charging port is replaceable on that device, it's on a separate board along with the SD card slot and SIM card slot. The Galaxy nexus has the charging port attached to the LCD assembly, so if either goes out both are replaced.

It's quite interesting seeing how some companies decided to design their devices. Quite often it isn't at all with the intent of field repair in mind unfortunately.

Is it actually in the T&C that the phone must not only be active on the line, but that it must have been used? That seems an odd thing. Why would they care if the phone was turned off for a couple of months? I can come up with lots of reasons for that to be the case, like not being able to afford the deductible, being out of the country, or even in the hospital recovering from a serious illness for an extended time.

You want to know why? They are an insurance company. They make money off of people fearing they might do something to their device. They make money by denying claims based on terms and conditions that nobody reads. Every insurance company does this, just look at the health care system in any country without centralized universal health care. Every claim they approve is a direct loss to the company. Every claim they deny is a chance to prevent that loss, even if it is later approved in an appeal, they still made money off of it in the interim (through investments, etc; just the same way banks work).

They probably knew this was coming as I forget in which piece of material but there was mention of a 3rd frequency at some point

Almost every bit of NV-centric training in the retail stores has talked about 2500>1900>800 from the beginning. I don't think it was ever a matter of if it was going to happen, but rather just a matter of exactly how it was going to happen.

I'm sure back when NV was being concocted by the Network teams they were already considering a possible buyout of Clearwire (just missing the cash for it).

The Clearwire purchase hinges entirely on the Softbank deal, if it is not approved, no Clearwire purchase. Simple as that. This is probably why equipment for 2500 was not included in the NV process, Sprint would not have the cash for all of it, Softbank however is a different story (More than twice the market cap of Sprint as of today).

Not sure how to on the iPhone. But it really isn't a upgrade. Just new software pushed to the tower with different routing on the backend. Nothing physically different at the site at all.

 

Sent from a little old Note 2

Yeah really there won't be a noticeable difference to an end user. It just routes all of your data traffic through the 4G Core instead of the 3G switch. It allows you to maintain a single IP address when switching between 3G and 4G, so your data session doesn't get interrupted (for example while trying to order something online while moving, if your IP address changes many sites will flag it as a possible fraudulent transaction since they will view it as multiple people connecting with the same account). It also allows downloads to seamlessly continue while switching connections. Ever start to download an app of WiFi at home and transition to the Macro 3G network? Chances are it will stop downloading and there is a good chance it will fail to re-establish the connection to continue.

I have a few friends at work with Galaxy S3s. Both of them are have the same PRL, same software 4.1.1 but only one of them will connect to eHRPD. Ive powercycled\toggled airplane mode but one of them is always connected to EVDO. Is there a technical reason for this or just something wrong with the phone?

Let's start with the basics... Is that phone set to CDMA Only?

If LTE is not allowed in the settings, eHRPD will not function.

The associate you speak to will make sure to jot it down.....but that info goes nowhere.

 

Extremely little data is collected when service is terminated.

If that is true it's the exact opposite of Sprint. Everything is captured by Sprint for reasoning when an account is canceled. It doesn't make any immediate difference in the interaction, but all of it is collated and sent up the chain for the executives to determine what course to take for the future.

Should/would have zero to do with the program btw... The program is all about them being able to offer the customers something where they don't have to bend over and take a loss overall on the deal... Most likely they have seen something they wanna tweak after running extensive numbers on it...

 

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THIS

The Phoenix area... looks like their dark fiber is going active and new fiber being laid down from there to endpoints... interesting.

Sadly nothing in the Tucson area on there though

Now I have to question if it is due to the unrealistic expectations of the customers.

No comment, but I work in a retail service and repair store, and I have seen just about everything. Use your imagination.

A better idea would be to offer them free Motorola Admirals.

All iDEN subs currently have retail store offers for ~5 different models at $0.99 each. The Admiral is in there, as well as the Galaxy S2. If you can't afford a 99 cent phone with an upgrade, you are sub-prime and probably cost Sprint more than you pay (likely late payments to begin with).

An a semi-related note. Starting early next year, Service and Repair stores will stop having anything to do with repairing or replacing iDEN devices either. Your i576 screen is white? Go through Motorola directly or buy a new phone.

Interesting, especially since that looks like an identical battery to the Sprint version. That would mean the Verizon version has separate NFC antenna contact points on the board as well. Why is it that only Apple can tell carriers that the phone they make is the way it comes, no adjustments can be made. I mean the only differences between each "model" of iPhone worldwide is the frequency bands that they support, the hardware is physically the same.

Probably like any other situation where a company wants something done. Sprint probably contacted several companies, told them what they want done, gave them a approx. time period, and how much they're willing to spend and then the companies responded with bids. Basically, the one that goes the lowest out of the numerous contacted companies get the contract.

I think they were asking more how it got split up geographically like it did. One would assume if it was as simple as each market getting an individual bid, the region split wouldn't be as even and in the chunks it is. Something along the lines of, whether Sprint split the country up into areas and then ask for bids on each area?