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Shut up about the $10

I know this thread has been done a million times but I'll add my input.

The $10 sucks.

I have a shared plan, 1000 minutes and unlimited data/text. We get 25% off a month. We have an airave too.

The bill is about $130/month.

If I add an EVO to my line, that brings the bill to $150 a month. That's pretty substantial. For what? 4G I won't get?

I don't like how it has to be added to EVERY LINE. That's the BS part.

Wait, what? I am on a family plan as well. So if only I get the EVO, EVRERYBODY has to pay the $10 fee? That doesn't sound right at all.
 
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Looking at the myrateplan.com site, the $10 dollar surcharge now makes all the rates around $80 a month for a single line.

Truth is, depending on your market, the 3G download speeds of T-Mobile or AT&T maybe faster than a weak 4G signal from Sprint. The sad part (at least for me anyways), is I kept getting stuck on a roaming connection when I needed my data connection the most (on the road). Not all 3G is the same, much of what Sprint and Verizon call 3G (EVDO Rev. 0) is about the same actual speed as EDGE.

But yeah, if you feel you're getting screwed, then leave Sprint, it isn't THAT hard.

-Mike
 
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And... who knows what that $10 is really for? It might also be a subsidy for the phone itself, a way for them to ask only $199 for the handset but really the cost is $439.00 for the life of the contract to the end user. It may have nothing at all to do with excessive Internet usage at all. $10 a month doesn't sound like much but thats $240 over the term of the contract more than you paid for the handset. Think about it.
 
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And... who knows what that $10 is really for? It might also be a subsidy for the phone itself, a way for them to ask only $199 for the handset but really the cost is $439.00 for the life of the contract to the end user. It may have nothing at all to do with excessive Internet usage at all. $10 a month doesn't sound like much but thats $240 over the term of the contract more than you paid for the handset. Think about it.


I think that as well.
 
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For the one millionth time.... the charge is NOT for 4G usage, it is for unlimited, uncapped DATA usage, whether its 3G or 4G.

And yes, its for EVERY line, because EVERY line will have unlimited data.

Sorry, but that is Bogus. It is one thing for one phone. It is entirely another when people have family plans. So 4 smart phones(one being Evo) equal an extra $40 a month?
 
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And... who knows what that $10 is really for? It might also be a subsidy for the phone itself, a way for them to ask only $199 for the handset but really the cost is $439.00 for the life of the contract to the end user. It may have nothing at all to do with excessive Internet usage at all. $10 a month doesn't sound like much but thats $240 over the term of the contract more than you paid for the handset. Think about it.

I suppose its slightly possible but then again the full price of the phone from Sprint is $449 atm meaning they rly are not subsidizing the phone at all if they are charging you to make up for that.

Even though they don't say its for 4G imo it has to be...the last few phones they released they tacked no charge on yet the first 4G handset comes along and now there is a charge. So idk it will be interesting to see what the next handset that comes along will be and if it will have a charge or not.
 
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and... Who knows what that $10 is really for? It might also be a subsidy for the phone itself, a way for them to ask only $199 for the handset but really the cost is $439.00 for the life of the contract to the end user. It may have nothing at all to do with excessive internet usage at all. $10 a month doesn't sound like much but thats $240 over the term of the contract more than you paid for the handset. Think about it.


very true:(
 
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It has indeed become a BIG issue, I said it once and I'll say it again, Sprint should have waited 3 months after launch before putting the $10 surcharge in place. This way it would look like you are getting so much more with sprint for less in the beginning. After 90 days no one would hardly notice the $10 surcharge on any new activations and if the phone lives up to all the hype then no one would really care. Its this critical launch time that you want to look like you are giving it all away and not only do you have the best phone but you have 4G FOR LESS. Baaad marketing on Sprints part for not doing this at launch. Now all you see everywhere is why do I have to pay $10 ?? Once the phone has proven itself people will not be so put off to pay the $10 surcharge.

With all due respect, Sprint has been the cheapest for a long time and has actively marketed this way for a long time. What has it done for them? More customers you would think? No, they have been losing customers. The general population believes Sprint's service is inferior to Verizon and ATT. There are plenty of people out there that are happy to pay Verizon more money. Sprint needs to change their marketing by differentiating themselves on something other than price. If it didn't work for the last 2 years, when will it ever work?
 
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I'm going to pay the charge but then again I won't chastise anyone who wants to pressure Sprint on it. For one, they have the right to complain about it if they want. Two, it is a BS charge.

While you can say it's not a 4G charge (because Sprint says so), that then leads to the following:

Ok then, that must mean that there will be 4G phones that don't have the $10 charge right? If so, then what's the criteria for which phones will get tagged with it and which won't? If I waited a bit could I, for instance, pick up an LG phone that is perhaps a tad below the Evo (no hdmi, no 720p) and NOT have to pay the $10? Again, What's the criteria?

Outside of that then you would have to assume that all phones that have the ability to actually use the 4G connection (otherwise, why put a 4G radio in it at this point if the phone couldn't at least make decent use of the extra speed). But if you assume that then are people really wrong for calling it a 4G charge? Until a 4G phone comes out that isn't charged the $10, then how can you say it isn't a 4G charge. Just because Sprint says it isn't? Assuming all the 4G phones coming out in the near future will actually be able to effectively use 4G in some way, then why would Sprint not charge $10 extra for them as well? And if they do, then how is that any different from it being a 4G charge?


I haven't seen an answer to the above logic. I believe the charge is pretty much a money grab. As a business, it's within Sprint's rights to charge it and try to make as much money as they can get away with but I'm not going to chastise anyone for taking them to task on it if they choose. Even though I'll pay the charge, that doesn't mean I have to drink the kool-aid or see it for what it really is.

If Sprint wants to start getting more cash then I guess they can do that. They still give you more for less money. However, I'm still disappointed that they couldn't have made a satisfactory profit for themselves without getting into these add on charges for higher end phones. Again, though don't be fooled into thinking this is going to be just for the Evo. You have to think about their entire lineup of smart phones and what this means for the future. It will be interesting to see what their criteria will be for other smart phones or if they'll just go ahead and charge it for any new 4g smart phone. I think that is what they'd like to do. Just charge $10 for any new 4g smart phone if they can get away with it.

This is actually quite a big shift in Sprint's current methodology. They screwed up how to effectively present it to the public. The holes in their justification logic lead to threads about it on the internet. As a consumer, I'm sad to see them go this route but If they feel they have to do it to survive then I guess that's the way it is. However, I'm perfectly fine with people who want to take them to task for it because it IS a big deal in the long run. Also, the guy who said it could turn into a really bad deal for people with family plans is correct as well. Just getting a high quality smart phone for yourself and your spouse could really start closing the gap in terms of Sprint's pricing advantage.
 
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I see it as not a 4G charge because people who aren't going to ever get 4G will pay the same. That makes it not a 4G charge.

It's an extra charge (to me for uncapping data regardless of 3G or 4G) and should have just been stated as a mandatory charge for all phones capable of 4G/3G access whether they use that access or not. It'd still not be a 4G charge in this interpretation.

Now as to whether the charge could be a barrier to anyone who wants Evos - that's different. It is an extra $10 no matter how you look at it. But I also think the next and any future 4G/3G phones will have that same charge or even more.

I'd like SprintTV to include all channels, but they charge for premium content there too. They could make this all go away for me by including the extra SprintTV channels for the $10 though:)
 
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What's with all the whiny school girls? If you don't like the cost of an item(any item) and the costs associated with it, simple, don't buy it. Period.

Unfortunately for Sprint, thats exactly what some people are doing. Sprint is not the #1 carrier on the market, they should of seized the opportunity to gain as many new subscribers as they can. Instead they are milking this hot phone for all its worth.
 
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Sprint has to gain profitable monthly subscribers. They're doing quite well in the prepaid segment, but that's not where they need to grow. I'm sure they've already figured out that it's better to have an additional 1M more profitable new subscribers than 1M marginal or less profitable (if everything was free like we all wish) subscribers.

Like I mentioned before, they won't make money off every huge eater from the data buffet. They will make enough by charging more for rich dining oops data experience that comes with AYCE from whatever you take. Think of it as a dinner plate surcharge rather than a food/data surcharge.
 
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Unfortunately for Sprint, thats exactly what some people are doing. Sprint is not the #1 carrier on the market, they should of seized the opportunity to gain as many new subscribers as they can. Instead they are milking this hot phone for all its worth.

Whynot, this is where the market I and should be heaed. Lower monthly premiums, and bring your own device. Id rather pay $500 for a phone and $50/mo unlimited all than $80/mo with subsidy phone.
 
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I think the OP has something against horses.

beat_deadhorse1.gif

I am Dan Hesse.

And I eat horse steak every night for dinner.
 
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What's with all the whiny school girls? If you don't like the cost of an item(any item) and the costs associated with it, simple, don't buy it. Period.

You don't go out and buy a bmw and expect it to have the same maintence cost of a honda or chevy, do you?

That's exactly why I cancelled my preorder until Miami gets 4G. Using 4G is the only justification I can see to paying an extra $10 for a phone that will be replaced 12 months from now with something better. Trust me, this is no BMW.
 
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Unfortunately for Sprint, thats exactly what some people are doing. Sprint is not the #1 carrier on the market, they should of seized the opportunity to gain as many new subscribers as they can. Instead they are milking this hot phone for all its worth.

You are soooo right. I had Sprint were I live and it was almost as bad as AT&T. I will just wait till a similar phone to come out for Verizon...and eventually it will.
 
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