We have been with another carrier for about 10 years. However, we've come to the conclusion that the bill for 4 lines has gotten really expensive and we are looking at Sprint. We can get 4 lines on the Sprint data plan for less than what we are paying for just texting and voice with our current carrier. I am considering paying an ETF to switch over rather than continue to pay more than I should. However, we have heard very disturbing things about Sprint's customer service. What are your experiences with Sprint? Can you offer advice on which phones would be good for teenagers?
Happy Sprint customer for 12 years now. Customer service is not the greatest but I don't necessarily believe some of the stories I hear either as there could be exaggeration in them. I don't call customer service myself because I never have the need to so I can't offer any recent firsthand experience. As for phones I use the LG Rumor 2 which is a great phone for texting and does not require an Everything Plan. But there's a new Rumor Touch coming on 3/28/10 that will have much more to offer with up to date features. There's also the LG Lotus Elite, Samsung Reclaim, and Sanyo Incognito to consider. If you're thinking smart phone then look at the HTC Hero or Samsung Moment.
Larry's advice is good. And to be honest, in the past 6 months I think I have had to call customer service once. It was a headache, but at least I don't need to call every month like I used to find myself doing.
I have been a customer with Sprint for 1.75 years. When I first switched from T-Mobile, I had the exact same concerns as you. Going from the carrier known to have the #1 ranked customer service in the cellular industry, to the one with the lowest customer satisfaction rating was very worrisome for me. But in the end, it all comes down to this: NO CELLULAR CARRIER IS 100% PERFECT! Every cellular carrier has pros and cons. In my own experience, Sprint's list looks something like this: PROS: + Generous number of Anytime Minutes + Features (ie: Unlimited Messaging, Data, GPS, TV, Radio, etc). + Standard 7PM Unlimited Nights & Weekends (instead of 9PM like the other carriers). + Unlimited 24/7 calling to ANY U.S. cell phone with "Any Mobile, Anytime" (only with Everything Data plans). + In-market roaming on Verizon Wireless Network, as well as many smaller CDMA networks across the country (no other major carrier has in-market roaming like Sprint does). + No contract extensions needed when switching plans. + Cheaper priced plans compared to other nationwide carriers (exceptions include very low minute or voice-only plans) + If you look hard enough, you can always find ways to discount your plan from "regular" pricing (either with Corporate / AOL / Credit Union / Student Discounts, or with the Everything Plus Referral Plans). CONS: - Weak customer service (although in the past year CS has improved immensely... I'd say they're now significantly better than AT&T but still below T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless). - No flashy exclusive cell phone (ie: AT&T and their iPhone, or Verizon and their Droid). - Sprint's brand name & reputation isn't as "shiny" or "popular" as AT&T or Verizon. Thus, if you can stand giving up a bit of Customer Service to gain the benefits of Sprint, I'd say go for it... what do you have to lose? I did, and I don't regret it one bit! The only time I call Sprint CS is when I need/want to correct/change my plan's features or upgrade my phones, but 90% of those calls will happen in your first 2 months of service. After you get everything set up, it's usually smooth-sailing from there (as 99% of customers experience... since you usually don't have to call CS anymore). The BEST way to see if Sprint is right for you is to sign up for a Sprint plan... BUT DO NOT CANCEL OR PORT YOUR LINES FROM YOUR OTHER CARRIER YET!!! Use both your old carrier and Sprint for a couple weeks and compare the two services. If Sprint is not for you, then just cancel your new Sprint lines within your 30-day trial period, pay for your prorated usage, and pretend nothing happened. If you DO want to switch to Sprint, then you can either port your lines over from your old carrier (which will automatically close your account with them), or just cancel your account (if you don't mind losing your current numbers).
I'll be with Sprint 2 years in July, and can say that Sprint has done a very good job of billing accurately so that I've not had to contact customer service. I probably have called 2-3 times in that time period for other reasons and I've not had any problems. Initially, I really was surprised at how solid Sprint's coverage was in my area. And with the free nationwide roaming, my phone has worked anywhere I've been unless it was a total dead area for all providers. I can say that I'm happy I switched to Sprint and I do plan on staying with them.
I wanted to get some clarification about the "in-market" roaming you mention above...Sprint's fine print says essentially that although roaming is included your "unlimited" mobile to mobile doesnt count if you are roaming outside sprints netowrk...does this mean Verizon's network, is considered part of Sprint's....because the fine print also says Sprint can cancel me if i roam too much...(i also dont want to be saddled with data charges, if i happen to roam) I am very confused, and want to sign up with Sprint (converting from another network)...but not till I clarify this point....
In-market roaming means you can roam on other carriers within the Sprint service area. Other carriers (such as AT&T) do not permit roaming in areas they serve. So if you are in a basement Phoenix and Sprint doesn't work but Verizon does, you can roam without a problem with Sprint. If you have AT&T and in the same basement, AT&T has no signal, but T-Mobile works fine, your AT&T phone will be without service because AT&T doesn't permit you to roam. Sprint can cancel you if you roam too much, but it is rare of them to do so (You would need to roam over 50% of your usage for many months in a row). If you are roaming that often, you shouldn't really be with Sprint to begin with, in my opinion. Data roaming is free too, so long as you use less than 300MB (I think...and that may only apply to data cards, not phones) of roaming data per month.
clarify "ATT doesnt allow you to roam" as the iphone is in my list of possible phone choices, att only allows you on their own network? no roaming included as with Verizon. Thank you for the reassurance, if truly the cancel is rare and i would have to go way over, this may not be as much of a concern. the three phones i am considering: iPhone, HTC EVO, HTC incredible, three phones, three services, too many choices. shanty
AT&T does permit roaming. You can roam with AT&T if you are in a market that AT&T does not serve, but another GSM carrier does supply service. To further clarify, at my house, Sprint doesn't work well. My phone will sometimes roam on Verizon. At my office, AT&T does not work well, but T-Mobile is fine. An AT&T phone will not roam on T-Mobile at my office.
Yes, how anthromatt said it. I have been with Sprint for 2 months now. In the grocery store in my town, with my old at&t phone, I would get no service, even though there is a tmobile tower down the street in town. With my sprint phone in the same store, my phone switches to roaming on US Cellular (panels are on the same tower as TMobile) and I can call my wife and ask again what exactly was I supposed to pick up...again.
