Sprint Premier Ends. Changes here.

I think this only applies the the 75 dollar discount they give at 1 year, thus not eliminating the 1 year upgrades for Premier Gold customers.

 

Mind elaborating? what's the difference?

 

the difference is that if you're "Premier Gold" you get new customer price on devices every year... if you're not, you get a 75 dollar discount off the retail price at one year. I believe that if you're "Premier Gold" you will still get full upgrade eligibility each year. But, damn, looks like maybe I'm wrong.

 

The $75 upgrade is for customers that were previously Premiere Silver. This is not a full upgrade price though. This is only $75 off the price of the phone. The Premiere Gold upgrade is basically new customer price for a phone after one year. On a side note I've seen some things online from the leaked sprint playbook that show that Sprint is going to be creating a 6 month upgrade plan. I'm sure the cost will sky high, but it's something to look for in regards to details.

 

I saw the 6 mo upgrade plan you're speaking of, too. I'm really looking forward to that... would be cool if it involved trading in your phone every 6 months or so for the latest and greatest (of course some cash would have to be paid, too). It could be a good deal depending on how its implemented. Time will tell.. I think it said they were gonna release more info on it in Sep or Oct.

EDIT: I'm thinking it will be kind of like BestBuy's "buy back program'' or whatever its called.

 

A 6 month buy back plan would be nice for the phone enthusiasts.

Does the $169 required to be gold count taxes and insurance? I guess I will need to check my during account online...

 

Unfortunately, no. It's base price only... add-on's do not count towards the required amounts to be Premier Gold ($79 single and 169 family, I believe). Although, I think there is a way around the system if you can plan in advance: upgrade your service plan for 3 mos, then you will be Gold, upgrade your phone, and then downgrade your plan. I've heard through the grapevine this works. Clear as mud?

 

Well the phone comes out in 2 weeks =P

Seems like I am silver... I have the 1500 anytime minutes ($129.99) and 1 additional line ($19.99) So I pay $150 a month according to Sprint. Well, according to my bill I have 3 premier data phones so ($10*3) plus insurance (If I remember right is $10 per phone) so that's another $30 comes to $210. So Sprint is going to give be $75 off of the phone... I hope they have a trade-in program that will knock another $100-150 off... otherwise I will buy the phone elsewhere and Sprint can suck it!

 

Since the Sprint playbook is only supposed to be read by Sprint employees, if you read the wording about the 6-month upgrades it is a program for Sprint employees.

 

I agree that the 6 month plan is almost certainly just for sprint employees. I sure love it if it were true but I doubt it is for the rest of us. Sprint would lose their hiney shoving phones out the door every 6 months for those of us who desperately want to have the latest phone, such as myself.

As I read the document, the subsidized upgrade for people who have been with sprint more than 10 years or have very pricey plans will still be there. But I could be wrong. I hope not, the only thing that kept me from jumping to verizon and faster 4 g before they ended unlimited data was the knowledge that I can continue to get a subsidized phone every year from Sprint.

 

Ok I am not 100 percent because that reads strangely but I think they are removing 1 year CONTRACTS. Meaning the only way to get a phone is off contract after a two year or by signing a two year. One year contracts will no longer be an option. I think this leaves upgrades the way they are, meaning you can upgrade at 1 year if eligible but you have to buy a Two Year contract . At least that's how I read that.

Update: After re-reading it it does seem as if they are removing all ability to upgrade at 1 year regardless of the contract you sign. I would bet they are preparing for the iPhone which Apple does not subsidize very much (I think they charge carriers like 350.00 per iPhone) so if you had a yearly upgrade and kept getting iPhones then Sprint would lose their butts. Further proof that the iPhone is ruining the world!

 

F*** the iPhone! We don't want the brainless fanboys on Sprint. We like not getting reamed royally by our carrier. I wish Sprint would remain iPhone free. The iPhone is a plague!

 

Unfortunately people who abuse the system (like Androidalltheway... yes, I'm calling him out) are costing the carriers more money because they are constantly returning phones for no reason except to get the latest and greatest. They do give you 30 days so you can return a device if it is defective or you are not satisfied with it. Manipulation simply to tide you over and having 4 different devices in 3 to 4 months is ruining it for everyone else. For example, getting the EVO 3D for the second time after returning the first for the Photon, then keeping the second EVO 3D only long enough to get the Epic Touch.

 

It is true.. Looks to me like they are eliminating the 12 months all together, no matter if you are Premier Gold or Silver or whatever. Look in the upper right hand corner at the example..

Example:
If a customer is qualified for a 1 year (12 month Rebate Life on File) rebate on 10/1/11, what happens to their eligibility when this program change launches on 10/2/11?

Answer:
This customer would be 12 months qualified on 10/1/11. On 10/2/11 when the change takes place, they will show as ineligible and they will have to wait 10 months, or until 8/1/12. On 8/1/12, they will be at 22 months and eligible for the $150 offer under the current New For You program.

Looks like they are going to screw everybody on that one.. Better get your upgrade before 10/2 if you are eligible..

 

I admit I haven't reviewed this new policy but if they do it like they did the last upgrade change they may grandfather you in. For example, I had one line that was shy of being eligible by one month when that policy went into effect so no upgrade for an additional 11 months for that line. However, I had another line that was eligible already when that policy started so I retained that upgrade. I actually still have it because when I called to pre-order the EVO 3D, the rep offered me an upgrade to another line so I didn't have to use the one I'd been planning to.

 

There is no grandfathering at all. I was agruing all morning with Sprint. My big attitude with this is that I was told that I was eligible for a full upgrade after a year when I signed up for Sprint and that was a factor in making my decision. Sprint should honor what they said, even if they don't legally have to. My wife broke her Epic and I was looking for that upgrade to get her out of using her pos blackberry she had as a spare phone. Sprint could have had me for 4 years and kept me happy, as a result, they will see me walk in one more year. I don't care if it cost me more at another carrier, it is the principle that matters to me.

As for wanting the latest phone each year. Can you tell me what is wrong with that? If they are losing money when you upgrade, then who's fault is that? They are obviously not pricing their plans correctly and no one put a gun to their heads and told then to charge less than they need.

 

I am not certain as to whether you were responding to my post or not, but since you mentioned grandfathering I presume that you were. If you were not, then I apologize.

First, there is nothing wrong with wanting the latest and greatest device. What IS wrong is manipulating the system so that you have 4 phones in 3 months for no good reason. It costs them every time you return a device. If the device is defective, that is one thing. To return perfectly good devices just because you have "buyer's remorse" or because something new is out that you like better is plain out wrong and ends up costing everyone. You can thank the people who abuse the system for ruining it for all of us.

As for the grandfathering in, yes, I WAS grandfathered in on one of my lines because the upgrade I had was already available before the new policy went into effect. In the example I gave, one of my lines was NOT eligible for upgrade at the time the policy went into effect and so I lost that one.

As unfortunate as it is, if the line you are wanting to upgrade was not eligible at the time the new policy went into effect this Spring then you will not be eligible for an upgrade.

I can guarantee that while you are unhappy with not being able to get an early upgrade because your wife broke her Epic and you/she did not have insurance, you will be treated no better elsewhere and you will definitely pay more for your service.

 

I would also like to point out that I would much rather have lower-priced plans than yearly-subsidized phones. I prefer having the choice of paying more between upgrades for a new device rather than having to pay more every month for service regardless of the age of my device. I am so thankful that we have unlimited everything and don't have to worry about going over or data caps.

 

not trying to flame, but I didn't buy insurance due to the one year warrenty that came with the phone. With the expectation of getting a new one in a year, why bother? Consumer reports doesn't recommend phone insurance due to high monthly cost and high deductible. If I was told from day one that I wasn't getting an upgrade for two years, I would have had been able to ws
Weigh the risk and, reward fairly

 

Trust me, if sprint is around, they will be the same price as everyone else, add the ten buck smartphone charge and added fees and see how they are nickle and diming you to death.

 

I always insure my phones. You never know when something can happen. Your wife could have just as easily broken her Epic one day, one week, or one month after purchase. What would you have done then? Your upgrade would have been useless under even the old upgrade policy and it wouldn't have been covered by the warranty, which is only for manufacturer defects.

I have been with Sprint for 9 years now and they have treated me well. If or when they raise their rates or resort to tiered data I will look into switching. For now, as for me and my needs, no other carrier comes close to matching services and low cost.

 

Sprint Playbook shows big changes coming to Premier program, return policy, and more (and you won't like any of them) | Android Central

Cr@pola!

Annual upgrades are indeed coming to an end, though we will get one more, looks like. If the above is accurate, we will need to use the final annual upgrade by Dec. 31, 2012. They are cutting the regular upgrade time down from 22 months to 20 months.

D@mn. I knew I shoulda gone to Verizon before they did away with new unlimited data!