Every so often, an American wireless carrier will toss out a no-holds-barred 15 or 30-day money back guarantee, likely initiated to spur customer walk-ins, and in turn, boost the adoption rate.
Sprint, however, is sick and tired (but mostly tired) of playing such games, and it has today announced a new "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money-Back" program that it has no
current intentions of ever nixing. We spoke to Sprint this morning regarding the news, and a spokesperson affirmed that it will be in place for the foreseeable future, with no expiration date already dialed up in the background. The new deal (which starts tomorrow, all kidding aside) enables any customer to open up a new line of Sprint service for 30 days; if they aren't feeling it, they'll get "reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get the early termination fee waived, get a full refund for service plan monthly recurring charges incurred and get all associated taxes and Sprint surcharges associated with these charges waived." We'll confess -- that's pretty darn thorough, but do you seriously expect to return that
EVO 4G? No, no you don't.
posted March 31st 2010 12:48PM
@krische
Apparently you missed the whole new $350 ETF from Verizon and they pretty much told the FCC to stuff it when questioned.
"but do you seriously expect to return that EVO 4G?"
Well that depends. Everyone seems to be completely ignoring the huge battery question, and I think there's going to be a lot of disappointed 4G users out there. I mean, the (4G) Overdrive has a massive 1830mAh battery, and that only lasts 3 hours, compared to the (3G) Mifi's 4 hours with an 1150mAh battery.
If they haven't improved the 4G radio, there might be a lot of people that will be disappointed with the Evo 4G's 1500mAh battery.
@jhoff80
Yeah that could be a problem. I wonder if they WiMAX radio in the EVO is the same as the overdrive. Maybe the EVO has a more efficient antenna and chipset.
@krische "Maybe the EVO has a more efficient antenna and chipset."
I hope so, for the sake of the users.
But at the same time, the Overdrive only needs WiMax and Wifi on at the same time.
The Evo will need CDMA and WiMax on at the same time, and potentially could have Bluetooth on as well.
I won't have 4G for another year in my area, so there's absolutely no sense for me buying the Evo and it won't affect me. However, if I was interested, that potential battery caveat would be the first thing on my mind.
@jhoff80
I won't have 4G in my area for a while either, but the phone is a beast even without 4G, so I'll be getting it. Even if someone is in 4G area and 4G is draining the battery too much, you can uncheck 4G and force it to 3G, and just turn it on when you need it. I'd probably treat it like a WiFi connection.
@jhoff80 Wrong. The Overdrive runs both radios concurrently so that it can quickly switch to 3G if the 4G signal drops.
EVO owners should plan on carrying a USB cable and tethering it for extended data sessions.
@Zerohour Hmm, wasn't aware of that. If that's the truth about the Overdrive, that's just stupidly designed. It only takes about 5 seconds to turn on EVDO when Wifi is switched off on my phone, for example. If it connects to both actively rather than WiMax first and then when that's not present powering on EVDO, that's a huge design flaw.
Anyway, that's not the big issue. The big issue is the Overdrive, with a battery that's 1/3 larger than the Evo will have, only gets 3 hours battery life.
Like I said, I hope that it's more power-efficient than the Overdrive when it's released, because I love my Sprint plan and honestly they need the customers that it'll bring.
And to the person who says that there's other reasons to get the Evo, of course, it's got very impressive hardware. But with Tegra 2 and OMAP4 set to probably be in devices at the end of the year, I personally feel like it's worth waiting to see what happens a few months later, rather than locking myself in for another year before I can upgrade again.
This is all about confidence in the dew flagship device.
The bottomline is if they have to eat half the service fee on average, that is $35. This is a drop in the bucket compared to the $1,680 they get over the 2 yr agreement. And you know that normal people aren't going to switch wireless carriers ever 29 days just for free cell service.
Overall, I think this is a smart move by Sprint and a great trend in the wireless industry.
Hell of a gimmick they're putting out there. A month of free service if you decide within 30 days you don't like it? I hope they put restrictions such as "no international calling" in, otherwise there will be some people who drive an 18-wheeler through this loophole.
Kudos to Sprint for being creative and trying to get more customers. Now they just need to work on potentially getting the iPhone (as bad as it would be for network traffic).
@Booksmart Devil
Why would it be bad for network traffic? Sprint isn't AT&T. It's not like Sprint is currently running a network without an smart phones.
@mgene63 The same can be said of AT&T's network, iPhone nonwithstanding. Sprint may have a large network, but it does do it's fair share of falling back onto Verizon. AT&T doesn't have that option since they usually are the the better GSM carrier in any given area (I once had AT&T and T-Mobile, T-Mobile roamed tons more than AT&T).
You could be correct, Sprint could be in a position where they could carry the additional load that the iPhone would create. But I would like to see it before I change my mind from my gut instinct.
@Booksmart Devil The fees for services not included in your chosen plan will not be refunded. If you choose a voice-only plan and use a bunch of data, you will be stuck with those charges either way.
This is why I wish I could switch to Sprint. T-mobile is really cool, being GSM and having a crapload of blackberries and Android devices, but Spring has the best service. If T-mobile and Sprint combined forces, that would be completely awesome.
Well, I'd love to get the EVO 4G, but it is not available anytime soon -- unless you consider June 21 (start of "summer") soon. By then, the EVO 4G might not be so unbelievable the way technology is moving now a days on cellphones.
I have my wallet open and ready for Sprint. But they are not ready for me :P
Sprint is gonna take over the world just watch by next year i expect sprint to be obove the 50 million mark
No, Engadget. No I don't.
Sprint has definitely turned themselves around.
-Great phones (Pre and the EVO on the way)
-Great plans (cheaper than everyone else, unlimited mobile-to-mobile for every carrier)
-Great customer service (they have truly turned this around, it's quite amazing actually)
-New phone every year on Premier plans, instead of every 2 years
And now this.
I just hope some success in the near future doesn't go to their heads and entice them to focus less on all these things making it a great time to be a Sprint customer.
"Yea, hi. I tried the HTC EVO 4G and don't like it. I'm also stupid".
@Chi
when was it that u tried that phone. Personally the hardware is good enought for me. It has everything I need.
@bhagiratha
Whoosh
that's the sound of the joke going right over your head
Could some one tell me if sprint has a plan like verizons data and texting only one?
Everyone says sprint has great prices, but I really don't want to pay $70 a month for tons of voice as well as unlimited every thing else. I just want a plan for under $60 a month, preferably under $50 that has just data(like tmobile), just data and say 200
voice minutes, or just data and texting.
@iCello www.sprint.com/sero and use: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com & 383
$59.99 for 450 minutes + unlimited: mobile to mobile, data, text and sprint extras like navigation, tv, etc. Unlike the old $30 SERO (which I have), this new EPRP plan is eligible for all the new smart phones.
And sorry if this is a double post but the original didn't seem to go through.
@detusueno thanks!!!!!
And no double post, it worked fine.
@detusueno
Hey, can I use this too? Does it extend my contract or just change?
Thanks
Does anyone know how Sprint works when traveling abroad? Are you able to use their world phones without them being unreliable and charged out of the rear?
My contract with AT&T is up in May and I was thinking of picking up my first smartphone, but the AT&T prices seriously are a barrier to me. Sprint's prices, however, are more reasonable. (The only reason I switched to AT&T in the first place is because of a corporate discount.) The only thing I'm a bit unsure about is how Sprint handles traveling abroad - i.e. Western Europe and Central America - since I will be out of the country a good deal next year. I know AT&T is GSM and can easily go just about anywhere. Thanks!
It depends on the device. You need what's called a "World Phone" in that it's a CDMA phone with a GSM SIM slot. Verizon and Sprint both have devices like this, though they're all smartphones. I believe the EVO is one of them.
Seriously guys, Sprint is good. I know it's easy to hate because of past issues but it's a completely new company. It's amazing what a difference a good CEO can make. Remember Apple before Steve Jobs came back? Guess who Dan Hesse (Sprint CEO) claims as one of the people he looks to is? Ol' Steve Jobs himself.
Again, Sprint has the best prices on plans, data speeds are FAST and customer service is great. Calls are answered quickly and solutions are given.
I love Apple products and the iPhone is awesome but I can't believe what people pay per month for an iPhone. It's insane.
That's not really a good comparison. Apple's CEO is an anti-consumer, fascist control-freak whose motto is "My way or the highway!"
@Scape3d
Yeah, I've been very happy with how Sprint resolves issues and I've been with them now for a decade too. That's why the Spring of 2010 Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide results surprise me. Under customer support for "issue resolved" (page 107) Sprint finished dead last with a poor rating. I'd be really interested to learn how their testing was done because my personal experiences have been just the opposite.
@DaveBach
Maybe it's from all the old SERO people trying to get an Android or Pre activated on their account and not being able to do so.
You can use Sprint's new $59 SERO plan (don't worry, unlike the old SERO, this one is eligible with all smart phones), 450 minutes + unlimited: mobile to mobile, data, text, sprint extras (tv, navigation, etc).
Wat r we waiting for ....Oh yeah Evo isnt out :(
In Massachusetts I believe it's a State law that any carrier give you 30 days to try out a service and you can cancel anytime within those 30 days without any ETF.
@ibisweiss The difference here is that you're also not responsible for usage charges during that month, which all carriers charge.
Sprint is seriously going to be the old AT&T soon, while AT&T is the old Verizon now, and Verizon is a more expensive cross between them both.
/clap clap for you Sprint, all jokes aside. Way to raise the ethics and standards bar.
Wow, that leaves a huge room for misuse.
especially travelers !
Does this apply to contract renewals?
Wirefly offered something like this when I brought my Droid from them. Well whatever, if this does justice for sprint then Congrats to all the potential new customers
funny, today i was thinking how great it'd be if i could give the evo a week or two test drive (because it's gonna be in stores around the same time my contract with my blackberry tour is up) to see if i can do all-touchscreen before i commit. sprint, you never fail me.
...although since the galaxy S is getting upgraded with a slide-out touchscreen this june, it would be nice if the evo could get one by, say, the holiday season, and keep its global dominance on the phone market.
I am definitely going to get this service with my sweet new WP7S phone come fall!
Dude you and your antiquated thoughts need to go elsewhere. Sprint service is seriously no issue, get off that bandwagon would ya?
This wont last long, people will abuse it tremendously. Sadly, I think it's a great idea, but not in this current society.
Hats off to Sprint for trying and giving people the benefit of the doubt, I sincerely hope I'm dead wrong.
Tmobile waives the activation fees at the point of cancellation... its up to the dealer to actually do it so if its left on the bill its because they didnt finish the job...
This is fantastic. As a former Sprint customer, who left reluctantly to get an iPhone (and missed the exemplary service nearly every day), I really hope this helps them gain some much-deserved market share.
~T
i just want to point out sprint wasn't first to do this.. US Cellular has done this for like a year now...way to keep up engadget..