troyd96

It is my understanding that The Small plans (S,M,L,XL,XXL - not unlimited) have a $20/line charge for leasing and installments. This is the fee I'm talking about. Also I have seen countless unlimited customers doing installments or leasing get hit with anywhere from a $20-25/month charge on sprint forums when the customer service or telesales person never told them of it, and it is like pulling teeth getting it taken off. So it seems if the $25 charge is not for easy pay or leasing then there are a lot of customer service reps and telesales employees that don't know what the heck they are doing because there are way too many customers on the sprint forum complaining about these fees that shouldn't be there. I'm not willing to change over to find out whether you are right or they are right, as it would be a big pain in the butt if I was right and had to get them to remove the charge or get me back to where I was previously. But just to continue the conversation, lets say I get lucky and get a well trained rep that doesn't somehow mark some box charging me the $20-25 fee for my easy pay. I would be paying $160.04 a month. Over 24 months that is $3840.96 which is $16.42(most of that coming probably from getting more out of my 18% corporate discount versus the new plan) more than my old plan which is not enough for me to complain about, but until they remove the limited streaming of video, audio, and gaming that plan is a non-starter for me. Once they remove that throttling then I might be willing to be onboard for a new plan.

That post was over a month ago, and the unlimited rates I posted at the time is what sprint.com showed me. There are several problems with that plan you post: 1) Premium video viewing is $20 more. So it sounds like to me due to net neutrality being a thing of the past they throttle your speeds on any video service to give you less than HD quality video. I don't stream video much from LTE, but I do it occasionally especially during college football season. So that right there sounds like a non-starter for me, because as far as I can tell I get HD quality video with my ED1500 right now. 2)In the fine print there is a "Subsidy charge" of $25 per line if you get a phone through them and do a 24 month installment. This is what everyone on the sprint forums have crucified them for. So lets add your stats up. My 18% corporate discount would only be off the 1st line so $10.80 discount. So the base rate is $89.20. Then add on the $25*2 subsidy fees for doing 24 month installments for two phones. Now lets add the $35.42/Note 7 installment payment also. Now we are $210.04 before fees and taxes. $210.04 * 24 months = $5040.96 My ED1500 with the subsidized phones added in ($349.99 per phone) is $3824.54 for 24 months. So $5040.96-$3824.54 =$1216.42 more for 24 months over my old plan by comparing apples to apples as best we can. You are correct that if I brought my own device or bought the device outright it would be cheaper for me on the new plans even though I lose my high quality video in the exchange, but if I had to get a phone every 2 years and wanted to do installments versus a 2 year contract subsidized phone. It is cheaper to stay on the old plan because of the $25 subsidy charges they add to each line when you do installments or leasing.

Funny I did just this calculation the other day to prove to someone on a sprint forum that I was right (new plans are more expensive for me than old) for my situation. I am copying and pasting that below: My breakdown is the following. I have 2 lines on ED1500. The base on the 1st phone is $110. On that $110 I get an 18% corporate discount which is $19.80 off. I then pay $19.99 for the 2nd line and pay two $10 Premium data add-on charges. All of this is a grand total of $130.19 before all the junk fees and sales tax. My total overall is around $144 with all fees and taxes inclusive. A new unlimited plan with sprint is $75 for the first line and $45 for the 2nd line. Then if I decide to lease or installment the phone (to make this comparable to getting a subsidized phone this is how I would have to compare) it would be $20/month per line on what Sprint calls a subsidy fee. So right here we are already up to $160 without discounts. The phone I like is the Note line, so to add two note 7's to our plan it will be another $35.42/line. So now we are up to $230.84 before discount, fees, and taxes. Since I don't have access to someone that actually has a corporate discount and on a new plan so I am unsure how much actually comes off, but it is my understanding that the corporate discounts on new lines only comes off the data charge? I assume also that is only off the first line so that would be off of $75. So a discount of $13.50. So I am paying $217.34 before fees and taxes. Over 24 months that is $5216.16. On my $130.19 ED1500 plan that is $3124.56. Now lets add on the cost of the subsidized phones. The Note 7 through Sprint is $349.99 (after $50 rebate). So now the total is $3824.54 adding the two phones in for 24 months. So the difference is $5216.16 - $3824.54 = $1391.62 I would paying more on a new plan over 24 months versus my old plan and 2 new subsidized phones at a 24 month contract. I don't know how it is cheaper for you with the new plans, but I would assume that means you don't get unlimited data for it to be any where near cheaper than the old legacy plans and discount. So of course it is a no-brainer why I stay on my plan which again was supposedly a profitable plan for Sprint for many many years. Even without a corporate discount it is still $916.42 cheaper for 24 months for me to stay on my ED1500 and continue to get subsidized phones. Now if they decided to get rid of these scam "subsidy fees" they add anytime anyone uses installment or leasing for the new plans then yes the new plans would be more comparable to the old plans like ED1500, but still for me they would still cost more than I'm paying. I thought the whole point of the leasing/installment thing was that it would eventually make the cost of service cheaper over time. I have never seen it actually be cheaper for me, and I'm sure I don't live in a vacuum. Anyone on an Everything Data plan (with or without a corporate discount) will pay less money over 24 months getting subsidized phones every 24 months, then jumping ship to a new plan and paying installment/leasing. The only case where this is not the case is if you buy your phone outright and bring it to Sprint or buy it outright from Sprint, but from what I hear it is a pain in the butt right now getting BYOD's added to their network as seen in countless sprint forum posts....

I understand that but right now that unlimited data, legacy plans, or contract subsidy is what keeps a lot of people with them especially in areas where the coverage is spotty or where LTE is slower compared to the other networks. You take away some of that stuff and Sprint loses its advantage and loses subscriber base. Until they can upgrade their LTE speeds and network to equal Verizon they can't be like the rest of the carriers and stay alive. I don't think mine is some sweetheart plan like SERO, I am paying a huge subsidy cost built into my ED1500 plan, I just have an 18% discount that saves me like $5-10 more a month because it come off the whole cost of the service instead of just the data. Subsidized phones on legacy plans like ED1500 were supposedly making Sprint money or they wouldn't have continued with them for so long. The cost of the phone being built into the plans to recoup it, so I can not see how a plan like mine loses Sprint money. In fact it actually makes them even more money if I decide not to upgrade immediately after 24 months as I am paying high subsidy plan cost with no subsidized phone on the account. As far as unlimited data, I'm not crazy. I use between 5-10 GB's per month. My wife uses between 3-7 GB's per month. That is not some crazy amount, and all other carriers offer data plans up that high. I'm not sure I'm the problem. I understand people that tether illegally and use 20+ or 50+ GB's per month are the issue. I would never dare do that. I think they should get rid of any plan that is costing them money, like SERO, but ED1500 was obviously making them money at some point, and it is a legitimate plan that made money for years. I'm not getting some crazy discount, so I don't see why my particular situation is a drain on Sprint?

You know AJ, I have always respected your posts on XDA and on here, but I think maybe you let your personal feelings and or power of being a moderator here to get to your head. I was not bashing Sprint at all, and I am well aware where you come down on subsidies and 2 year contracts as you have made that abundantly clear over the years. The great thing about Sprint is that people have choices to make the decision that is best for them. So there is supposedly about 36% of their customer base that still use 2 year subsidies. If Sprint wants to risk ticking off those people and losing those subscribers and you are fine with it, then I'm sorry but you will doom Sprint for the future to come . Just because you disagree with what some people do doesn't mean that Sprint should cut their ties with those people. Yes I keep with Sprint due to 2 year contracts and my corporate discount. That is why I also continue with my ED1500 plan on my two lines. You may think I'm some drain on Sprint, but obviously they are making money on me or they wouldn't offer me the corporate discount they offer me, or allow me to upgrade to a new 2 year contract early and they are actually also going to match Sam's club offer for the Note 7's I wanted. If I am the drain and the scum of the earth as you would call it they wouldn't offer me crap and tell me to pound sand. The new services, leasing plans, installment plans all have me paying a ton more for the same service. Supposedly this move from contracts to leasing and installments was supposed to be transparent, easy, and cheaper for the consumer, but that never panned out. If you ever read the sprint forums you see countless people complaining of billing errors and subisdy charges. I'm sure some are because the consumer didn't know what they heck they were doing but I see some that Sprint royally messed up as well. This new process has done nothing but confuse the average customer and frustrated them. The truth is I stay with sprint because indeed it is cheaper, and in 99% of my travels has reliable service. I live in Georgia, so obviously when I travel in rural areas the service is spotty, but at least I can roam on Verizon's towers and get calls in and out while not really having data, so for the price point and the fact that I have unlimited data (yes I know you hate unlimited data as well, I'm such a leach or I'm sure that is your opinion of me....) it is worth to stick it out on the 1% of the time I get horrible coverage or the slower LTE speeds no matter where I'm at compared to other carriers. There is nothing wrong with me or anyone else shopping with their wallet. If I'm forced onto some new plan or have to do installments that would cost me more money, or get rid of unlimited data then the cost/benefit analysis of what I said above changes. If I'm going to pay the same amount as I would at another reliable carrier then Sprint loses its advantage, and I would vote with my wallet for a change. In your opinion I'm scum for thinking that way, but I thought this site was never an "advocacy" forum for Sprint rather a forum where honest discussion could be had about Sprint without being bullied. So much for that.

I tried to upgrade about a month and a half early and they put a note on my account that they would override it, but that could only happen with telesales or a corporate store because I checked at Sam's club and I'm not eligible for a new 2 year. I was going to wait till 10/1 when I'm off contract and hopefully Sam's still had the $150 gift cards per phone still, but now I'm screwed. Either pay $399.99 twice for two Note 7's to telesales now and wait for two $50 rebates to come back thus making me pay $200 more for the phones or lose the ability to buy and get 2 year contracts at places like Sam's when I do go to upgrade. This ticks me off. Maybe I can sweet talk them into giving me a $300 credit if I buy two Note 7's since Sam's is offering that. The whole reason I like the subsidy is the extra perks at Best buy and Sam's to buy from them and then with my corporate discount it's cheaper to stay on ED1500 anyway. If I can't get a 2 year at Best Buy or Sam's on 10/1 there is no point staying with Sprint. I'll go Verizon since I'll be paying more money anyway and get better service where I live. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

I agree it is always the first of the month of when it ends. I had Sam's club check mine after Sprint supposedly let me out of my contract early by 2 months by calling and asking just a few days ago, but still shows at Sam's not eligible. Basically Sprint was willing to do telesales or corporate store for the upgrade but I can't do it anywhere else till 10/1. I refuse to do it through sprint because they are only offering a $50 rebate for the Note 7 and Sam's club is offering a $150-200 gift card. I assume plenty of deals will be had getting closer to black Friday so I will just wait till at least October. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Be careful doing this because I have read time and time again on sprint message boards people doing just that and it still not being recognized in Best Buy and other stores as eligible for a subsidized phone. Supposedly the two systems are not linked and just because you pay off your contact doesn't mean the system that shows upgrade eligibility will be updated also. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

With the Note 7 coming out a full 2 months before my 2 year contract is up for my Note 4, you think I could sweet talk Sprint into letting me upgrade a month or two early on my two lines? I have a legacy family plan, and before anyone tries to talk me out of it, I've done the math 100x times legacy plan with my corporate discount on full first line (vs data only on new plans) and a 2 year contract is cheaper than easypay/leasing with a new plan. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

To the OP, you are quoting a almost 2 year old thread on XDA. I remember reading that post back then. At the time there was talk on here about sprint VoLTE in the "near future." Wish I could find the posts on here but I can't. Since then I think the priorities of Sprint changed and they need to shore up their LTE coverage before even thinking of adding more things to their network. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Anyone having force closes of certain apps and Bluetooth? When I connect my Pebble watch with my car Bluetooth at the same time I get a lot of dropped Bluetooth connections and the standard "Bluetooth has stopped." May have to factory reset but I didn't really want to. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Ok so my issue resolved itself. I was having issues even near home. My wife was having similar issues then all of a sudden it just started working again on its on. So I'm gonna chalk it up to network issues. Too bad I factory reset before it resolved itself. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

##DATA#... enter MSL code then click edit>>>>LTE>>>LTE Priority

Haven't seen anything on XDA yet, but being that Sprint hasn't put all bands in all markets yet I would take someone having issues in the Sprint Note 4 forum with a grain of salt since most don't even talk about dbm's just that it goes back and forth from 3G to LTE which described the issue on my S3 when they were still in the infancy of LTE.

You are lucky then, cause it doesn't matter what I do to try to keep it connected it just drops after about a minute. This just started happening today, so I fear it is a faulty piece of hardware which means I will have to send it to Samsung and be without a phone for several days.

Here you go the 13:42:24 image is when I am connecting and getting an active connection with LTE. Where I'm at now I usually always get Band 26 and get signal levels from -92dbm to -104dbm which is perfectly fine to stream music and do other activities on my phone in LTE. The 13:43:01 image is when the LTE and spark icon go gray and thought it might be useful. It says the signal is -140dbm all of a sudden. I didn't touch the phone or location of the phone when it does this. Then it reverts to 3G. I even went and changed the priorities of the LTE bands to 1st: 41, 2nd: 25, 3rd: 26 and it won't keep a LTE no matter what band I'm on. Needless to say this is killing my battery on this phone.

New issue started today. I fear it is a hardware problem. I can't keep a stable LTE connection. Using Signal Checker my LTE signal is still great and should be fine to stay on it, but whenever I turn on the phone, toggle airplane mode etc... It will keep an active LTE connection for about one minute. I start a streaming music app to see if I can keep the connection going, but it does not keep going. After about a minute the LTE and Spark icon go gray and then the app buffers because it has no signal then it reverts to 3G. Happens every time. Called customer care and they say there is no outages in my area. I have not tried at home yet but at work it doesn't keep a LTE signal. I am in the Atlanta area. They are supposed to have a technician call me in 72 hours to see if I still have an issue. I'm outside the 15 day return window for Best Buy, so I'm not sure they will exchange the phone for a new one. I have tried updating profile and PRL, they sent a refresh from Sprint's end also and it did not fix it. Any thought? The only thing I have not done yet is factory reset. I may do that tomorrow if I still am having issues.

Having same issue with connection optimizer off or on. My wife has hers with optimizer on and she never has this issue but I do. Good to see at least I'm not the only one. Someone in xda said that it was a Samsung or Android thing to conserve battery and it is supposed to go on and off as needed, but it doesn't always turn back on for me. Sometimes it does other times I have to manually turn it back on. I'm not rooted either. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Yeah that is me. I'm slickdaddy96 over there. LOL...

http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-sprint/help/laggy-note-4-t2920274 There's one, but I remember other threads where they mentioned lag and xposed. I just can't find them now.

Have you noticed any lag after installing xposed? Not talking about Wanam but just the xposed infrastructure. Lot of people on XDA are complaining about that. I haven't rooted yet, and I was really waiting on a non-Knox trip way to root. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

I was really hoping someone would find a non-Knox warranty bit trip way to root. I may not do much but stay stock ROM but I would like to be able to freeze and get rid of some bloatware along with adding some toggles and such that sprint deleted back. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

In the interior of the building I am pulling Band 26 which makes sense since it is 800mhz. I am also pulling it at my desk also which explains the bump in speed there also. I was just on the edge of Band 25 signal range on my S3.

I'll have to check the band tomorrow. I'll post it then.

Reception is great. Spark really does make a difference. On my S3 at my desk by a window at my work I would be lucky to get 1-2 Mbps. Now no get 5-7 Mbps, and when I used to go to the interior I got only 3G, now I am getting 1-2 Mbps LTE in most of the interior of my building. Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk