Current Sprint deals - Looking to upgrade phone

[dentman42]

I currently have a Qualcomm QCP-2760 through Sprint PCS and I'm looking to upgrade the phone. The primary thing I'm looking for is a built-in speakerphone. I'm considering the Sanyo 4700, Sanyo 4900, and the Kyocera 2345. My current contract is up in less than a week.
I've seen Best Buy advertising a $50 mail in rebate on Sprint phones (and sometimes a Best Buy gift card as well), and I've seen the $100 discount offer from Sprint.

Does anybody know, if I go ahead and buy and activate a new phone and then cancel my existing phone before the plan expiration, will the rebates/discounts still apply? If I buy from a Sprint store, would I be able to get the discounted price (such as the Kyocera 2345 for free or the Sanyo 4900 for $50) and possibly just switch my service to that phone with a new 1 year contract?

I really hadn't considered the Vision service until I read about the possibility of using the 4900 with the USB cable as a wireless modem for my laptop, but if that works, it would be worth the extra $10/month after the first 3 months. Even as a 14.4 dialup and using airtime, it still might be worth considering (and it appears that the Sanyo 4700 is also capable of working as a wireless modem at dialup speeds).

Does anybody have any advise or suggestions? I will probably make the decision this weekend as I work late and won't get a chance to get to a Sprint store Monday-Wednesday, and the current contract ends on Thursday.

[maxy3574]

www.sprintpcs.com has everything listed.

[wubears71]

I just purchased the Sanyo 4900 at my local Sprint store for $49.99 + tax. They basically gave me $100.00 off any phone of my choice for being a preferred customer. I asked them what criteria I met to become a preferred customer and they said their only criteria is that you have been with Sprint PCS for over 9 months and have paid all your bills on time.

I didn't even have to sign up for a new plan or commit to another year of service. I ended up switching plans anyway because my current plan was very outdated, which did require another 1 year Sprint PCS agreement. The 1 year commitment was not because of getting a new phone, but was because I signed up for a new plan.

[dentman42]

I got my 4900 today. The store about a mile from me was out so I had to drive about 20 miles.

Did you have to pay an activation fee for yours? The deal they gave me was (as an existing Sprint customer, they didn't give me any other details) that I could sign a 1 year agreement and get the $100 off but pay activation, or sign a 2 year agreement, and pay only the $49.99 for the phone, no activation fee. So I took the 2-year option.

The phone was activated in less than 10 minutes (on my existing number), before I left the store. They were out of the wireless web connection kit and they said that they don't expect any more of them as Sprint is discontinuing the item (may explain the eBay thread). They told me to leave the old phone off because even though it's supposed to be deactivated, sometimes if it's on the new one won't ring. They also told me to wait 24 hours before using the net functions because when a plan is changed like that, the permissions seem to take some time to propogate to the phone, and they've seen the 4900 lock up when people try to access the Vision features too soon after a plan switch.

My phone does have the 1.056SP software so at least that's out of the way (this store seemed to have an idea what they were doing, they probably opened and flashed all the 4900s when the update came out).

They also told me that with the unlimited Vision service, if I get the connection kit I CAN use the phone as a wireless modem for my laptop (via 3G), they thought the spec they had been told was 56k, but weren't sure (but it was merely a matter of the speed that was provisioned, not a hard limit). This sounds reasonable to me since it's how DSL and cable work, and it would allow them to throttle back speeds if too many subscribers are using it.

[alangenh]

Has anyone else gotten the sprint rebate without signing the 1 or 2 year service contract? I want to try the 4900, but I don't want to sign a contract, because if I'm still not satisfied with the signal at my apartment with the new phone, I want to change carriers... I went to a sprint store today, but I got the same information as above, that you have to sign the contract.

And what's this about an activation fee? I thought if you were an existing customer, you could switch phones as often as you wanted for free...? Has this changed?? Do any of the sprint reps out there know what's going on here?

Thanks.

[vlantechdotcom]

I just recently switched phones and plans with Sprint. I got $150 in rebates from buyying the phone and was already a Sprint customer so I believe it applies. As far as the activation fee goes you have to sign a contract to avoid it but for the holidays they are only sking you to sign one for a year and they will wave the $150 fee, besides i believe they charge you $10 a month extra if you don't have a contract. Anyways try the 4900 I am very happy with it. Hope this helps

[dentman42]

Hmm...everything I've ever seen from Sprint indicates that any time you have a phone activated (replacement or not), the fee applies. They can waive it at their discretion.

I believe (this was somewhere in their literature, and also I think on the receipt from the Sprint store) you have 14 days after activation to return the phone for a full refund minus service used, and this should get you out of a contract. Ask the rep at the store and try to get it in writing (they'd be crazy to turn away a customer just because the customer needs to be sure the phone will work where he needs it). Also, the 4900 does have excellent RF performance. Where my old Qualcomm got 1 mark on the signal meter, my new 4900 gets 3 or 4, and I haven't lost signal on it yet (and the signal was very erratic on my old phone throughout my house).

What $150 fee are you referring to? The cancellation fee? They should never charge that for switching plans, only for terminating service (unless you're switching plans all the time - I think you're allowed to switch like once or twice per year, but I can't seem to get any usable information from www.sprintpcs.com right now, IF I can get signed in (sometimes it tells me the service is unavailable at the present time, sometimes I get signed in, then kicked back out a few minutes later, sometimes it just clocks when I enter my # and pwd), most of the "details" links take me to a blank page or the standard Advantage Agreement description page.

My understanding of the $10 non-contract fee is that it applies if you activate without a contract, but if your contract runs out, the service continues at the contract rate, without the fee, but you're just able to cancel at any time without paying the fee. (I've never put it to the test since I've never cancelled service or let the contract run out - at the end of both years I've been a subscriber, they've offered a better deal if I sign a new contract - I started at $34.95/month for 250 anytime and 1250 night/weekend, then last year moved to $29.95 for 200 anytime and 2800 night/weekend, and just switched to the $30 for 300 anytime and unlimited night/weekend plus $10 after 3 months for unlimited vision, with the assurance that I can drop the unlimited vision if I end up not wanting it and only pay the $30/month).

So far, with the better signal I'm getting on the 4900, I'm satisfied with the service.

[ScandaLEX]

I have switched my plan at least 5 times in one year, until I finally found one that met my needs and stopped me from going over my minutes. I was never charged for any plan changes. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Originally posted by: dentman42
Hmm...everything I've ever seen from Sprint indicates that any time you have a phone activated (replacement or not), the fee applies. They can waive it at their discretion.

What $150 fee are you referring to? The cancellation fee? They should never charge that for switching plans, only for terminating service (unless you're switching plans all the time - I think you're allowed to switch like once or twice per year, but I can't seem to get any usable information from www.sprintpcs.com right now, IF I can get signed in (sometimes it tells me the service is unavailable at the present time, sometimes I get signed in, then kicked back out a few minutes later, sometimes it just clocks when I enter my # and pwd), most of the "details" links take me to a blank page or the standard Advantage Agreement description page.

[rhilberg]

I just had my annual haggle session with Sprint PCS. Called thrice to get my satisfaction and finally someone who knew what he was doing and willing to do it. Ended up upgrading my phone from Qualcomm 2760 to Sanyo 4900 (at no cost) and upgrading my service from an antiquated 180 + 200 minutes plan for $30 to the 300 + unlimited + unlimited vision for $40 (first three months @ $30) while retaining my original phone number. Just needed to be a bit abrupt and plaintive to get what I wanted. Basically, the will want to keep you as a customer and will provide you with all the perks that they are offering new customers. Free shipping, unlimited vision, rebates and discounts, etc. You might also want to check Amazon.com for their current rebates. Killer deal but you will be getting a non-negotiable service plan. Last year, my haggle session upped my wife's plan substantially!! Ganbatte kudasai!!

Cheers,
Rob [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Ghaleon]

Don't forget the unlimited PCS to PCS calling with a 2 year contract, or get it for $5 a month! I remember telling the Sprint rep "So when did you guys become less evil?" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[dentman42]

Originally posted by: Ghaleon
Don't forget the unlimited PCS to PCS calling with a 2 year contract, or get it for $5 a month! I remember telling the Sprint rep "So when did you guys become less evil?" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

I suspect the evil may just now take the form of policing the "Unlimited" Vision plan which the reps tell you means you can use your laptop with the Connection Kit as part of the unlimited vision service.