Get out of your Sprint contract FREE! Ends 1/31/10

[nilepez]

I had a friend who tried to back out of his verizon contract using this. The verizon rep flatly told him they wouldn't cancel his contract and he'd have to sue.

He was pissed at the time (he wanted an iphone) but he has a droid so it all worked out in the end for him.

I wonder if he could take them to small claims court over the issue. If so, then i suspect he'd win. I doubt that Verizon would even bother showing up, for $150.00.

With that said, they'd have to get the money from him. If they took it from my credit card, for example, Discover, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd just credit me back and ultimately side with me....but I've never had the desire to break my contract.

 

[TechieSooner]

With that said, they'd have to get the money from him. If they took it from my credit card, for example, Discover, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd just credit me back and ultimately side with me....but I've never had the desire to break my contract.

Or AmEx... AmEx is very customer-oriented. If you want them to decline charges of some kind- they'll do it and won't make an issue of it. That's also the very reason why less retailers accept AmEx, more accountability to provide decent service.

I wonder if he could take them to small claims court over the issue. If so, then i suspect he'd win. I doubt that Verizon would even bother showing up, for $150.00.

IF Verizon's contract had the proper terms in it (again- I haven't seen theirs)... You could very easily win. And you could very well turn this into a Class Action suit for anyone else that tried to terminate their contract and was denied.
You're talking hundreds of thousands, maybe millions- not $150. Plus lawyer fees.

It'd be very high profile, and I guarantee you your friend would make a pretty penny if he was willing to settle it out of court to drop the suit.

 

[mope54]

I wonder if he could take them to small claims court over the issue. If so, then i suspect he'd win. I doubt that Verizon would even bother showing up, for $150.00.

With that said, they'd have to get the money from him. If they took it from my credit card, for example, Discover, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd just credit me back and ultimately side with me....but I've never had the desire to break my contract.

No, he can't sue. He didn't cancel his contract and he wasn't charged anything for an early cancellation.

There also isn't any grounds to sue people when they tell you that you can't break a contract. You can try and sue someone after a contract is broken, but you can't sue them for telling you that you can't break it.

 

[Old Hippie]

Or AmEx... AmEx is very customer-oriented. If you want them to decline charges of some kind- they'll do it and won't make an issue of it. That's also the very reason why less retailers accept AmEx, more accountability to provide decent service.

AmEx charges 5% on transactions while MC/Visa charge 3 to 3.5% and I'm pretty sure that's got something to do with it.

 

[darktiger]

I have been with sprint for 11 years.... Over the years I have haggled down my price. Before I left I had it down to $27 including taxes. This includes unlimited data/text, W/N start at 6pm and 700 anytime minutes. But they wanted to change my plan when/if I jumped to the 4G network. So the price I would be paying would be the same as everyone else.... So I got a iPhone 3GS the first day, threw that on a corporate discount and now I have unlimited text/data, 500min + rollover for $58 with taxes... I love corporate discounts

My wife wants to leave Sprint because she sees the power in a fully operational iPhone (said with the emperors tone)

 

[TechieSooner]

AmEx charges 5% on transactions while MC/Visa charge 3 to 3.5% and I'm pretty sure that's got something to do with it.

Um, no.
AmEx is still around 3%, whereas the others are actually in the 2% range. It's not much difference. And depending on what you're doing with AmEx and what kind of agreement and volume you have, AmEx can actually end up costing you less per month.

It's got nothing to do with a whole 1% difference... It's that merchants don't like having that threat of AmEx denying a charge over their heads.

So I got a iPhone 3GS the first day, threw that on a corporate discount and now I have unlimited text/data, 500min + rollover for $58 with taxes... I love corporate discounts

What do you have, a 50% discount?? Sheesh mine is about 8% or so.

At any rate, I'm sorry you're on ATT. Their network sucked New Years Eve night... Half of my messages didn't send, and I got duplicates swarming in as well... Their network just plain sucks (Everyone around me on TMobile was fine).

 

[HomerRulez]

so its jan. 1 2010. has this been implemented by att in the terms of service? has anyone tried it?

 

[mope54]

He's talking about how much % they charge to merchants, not consumer APR. That's his reasoning behind less merchants accept it over other cards. That's my understanding of the situation, as well.

Also, when AmEx refunds your money over a complaint without any investigation, they do it as a service to you as a customer. I'm assuming in that case that they don't deny paying the company just on your opinion or word of something occurring. That's how Citibank handles my disputes when I've felt wronged.

 

[TechieSooner]

He's talking about how much % they charge to merchants, not consumer APR.

That's what I'm talking about as well.

Also, when AmEx refunds your money over a complaint without any investigation, they do it as a service to you as a customer.

Could be, I don't know how they handle it with the company. All I know is AmEx is simply the best at siding with the customer first.

 

[nilepez]

Or AmEx... AmEx is very customer-oriented. If you want them to decline charges of some kind- they'll do it and won't make an issue of it. That's also the very reason why less retailers accept AmEx, more accountability to provide decent service.

I suspect it has more to do with the fees that Amex charges. They're generally several points higher.

 

[nilepez]

No, he can't sue. He didn't cancel his contract and he wasn't charged anything for an early cancellation.

There also isn't any grounds to sue people when they tell you that you can't break a contract. You can try and sue someone after a contract is broken, but you can't sue them for telling you that you can't break it.

If they took your money when after canceling the sub, you could sue. But as i later said, so long as you pay them with a credit card, you've got a better chance of winning without ever going to court.....and, of course, if you pay by check, then they'd have to sue you.

 

[Nicksterr]

Just a heads up to people that attempt this. If you manage to squeeze your way out of contract, and Sprint's accounting department comes across your contract and sees that it has been "customer-terminated," there is a possibility that you will be billed for the contract break fee regardless of any notes on your account. As an addendum, most contract breaks leave a negative mark on your credit history. Just my .02

 

[mope54]

if you pay by check, then they'd have to sue you.

If you pay a fee with the intent of canceling the check afterwards, that's illegal. They would sue you, they would win, and you will go to jail for a short period of time.

I have trouble understanding why some people go through all this trouble to try and stick it to large corporations. First of all, the law is on their side and consumer protections shrivel each day. Trying to duke it out with a bevy of lawyers who don't do anything but protect their company's bottom line isn't going to change that fact anytime soon.

But more importantly, on a practical level, what do you guys get out of shenanigans like this? I constantly read people trying to get iPhones from AT&T to use elsewhere or canceling their plans and...well, what? What do you guys do? Just jump from carrier to carrier every couple months?

I mean, I've been with AT&T long enough that I don't have a contract unless I want a new phone. If I resub I have enough history with the company to request (and receive) a 1 year contract. But if that ever failed, what would I care given that I love my rate plan. I've never seen rates go cheaper. Most of us in this thread pointing out we've been customers of whatever service we are part of for any length of time know that no current plan from our own carriers or any other can even come close to the rates we pay.

If you have a problem with customer service or coverage you should take it up with a rep or a store manager. They have a lot of latitude to make sure you remain a satisfied customer. Ranging from refunding charges, posting credits to your account, adding permanent minute bonuses to your account, and etc.

I mean, if it's fun then carry on. But it seems like some people are just locking horns for the benefit of paying more somewhere else for less.

 

[TechieSooner]

I suspect it has more to do with the fees that Amex charges. They're generally several points higher.

No, I've already commented on that:

Um, no.
AmEx is still around 3%, whereas the others are actually in the 2% range. It's not much difference. And depending on what you're doing with AmEx and what kind of agreement and volume you have, AmEx can actually end up costing you less per month.

AmEx is one of the best cards out there IMO (Maybe once you factor in rewards it's not), but the "core" uses of a Credit Card it's just top notch.

Just a heads up to people that attempt this. If you manage to squeeze your way out of contract, and Sprint's accounting department comes across your contract and sees that it has been "customer-terminated," there is a possibility that you will be billed for the contract break fee regardless of any notes on your account. As an addendum, most contract breaks leave a negative mark on your credit history. Just my .02

That's interesting... That would've been the CS Rep writing the termination notes down wrong. At that point you better hope you've got notes, the agent's ID, etc.

(Also FWIW I once had a rep refuse to give me their ID- after I had caught them in a lie... So- just ALWAYS make sure you get it before you talk about anything).
What's more is she first lied (again) and said she didn't have an ID. Then she finally fessed up to it and said she wasn't allowed to give her ID out. Then she wouldn't allow me to speak to her manager OR give me her manager's ID.

But more importantly, on a practical level, what do you guys get out of shenanigans like this? I constantly read people trying to get iPhones from AT&T to use elsewhere or canceling their plans and...well, what? What do you guys do? Just jump from carrier to carrier every couple months?

I've never understood that, either.
I posted this for folks that want to get away from Sprint. Perhaps it was the only option at the time, the service isn't that great, and now they have something else.

If you have a problem with customer service or coverage you should take it up with a rep or a store manager. They have a lot of latitude to make sure you remain a satisfied customer. Ranging from refunding charges, posting credits to your account, adding permanent minute bonuses to your account, and etc.

The problem with that, is I really don't want to have to screw with those "problems" in the first place.
I'm paying a ridiculous amount of money a month (seriously, $100/month is insane when you look elsewhere) for service, and I expect it to work, dangit. I don't want to have to call in for billing issues, or service issues, or unable to call in because I don't have signal, or having to call in because my Blackberry email has been down a day, etc...

Yea- ATT will refund me and kiss my butt a little bit. But like I said: I don't want to have to do that anyway. Talking to ATT Customer Service isn't anything I want to do unless I'm initiating a change on my plan or something.

 

[nilepez]

Just a heads up to people that attempt this. If you manage to squeeze your way out of contract, and Sprint's accounting department comes across your contract and sees that it has been "customer-terminated," there is a possibility that you will be billed for the contract break fee regardless of any notes on your account. As an addendum, most contract breaks leave a negative mark on your credit history. Just my .02

I don't know sprint billing's internal processes work, but IME, when a customer cancels the contract, someone in Customer Service (probably a supervisor/manager) is the one who decides whether or not to wave the fee. If they wave it, it's gone. Accounting has absolutely nothing to do with it. By the time the accounting team gets the information, it's too late. The final bill was already sent and the account is closed.

If there's a problem, then they'd modify internal policies and possibly the billing software itself, but that's it. FYI, I have some personal knowledge about this stuff, but, again, nothing specific to Sprint.

 

[nilepez]

If you pay a fee with the intent of canceling the check afterwards, that's illegal. They would sue you, they would win, and you will go to jail for a short period of time.

You're missing the point. If you pay your bill by check, you have to write the check in order for them get the money.

 

[nilepez]

No, I've already commented on that:

yes you have, but your comments, while factually true, are nevertheless understating the difference. If Visa/MC are 2% and Amex is 3%, it is a 1 point difference, but that difference is a 50% increase over the competition.

if I sell 100,000,000 of goods, that's a million dollars. IME, most people with Amex have other credit cards....if you travel to Europe, Amex is pretty much worthless (and IME their travelers checks are not accepted like cash around the world....unless you deal exclusively with money changers). I haven't been everywhere, so YMMV, but in Holland, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Corsica, I only recall a single place (a hotel) that accepted Amex. Money changers might have accepted it (they were the only place I could use Amex Travelers Checks), but at that point you're better off using Visa or MC, since they almost always have better exchange rates than the money changers.

 

[TechieSooner]

I don't know sprint billing's internal processes work, but IME, when a customer cancels the contract, someone in Customer Service (probably a supervisor/manager) is the one who decides whether or not to wave the fee. If they wave it, it's gone. Accounting has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I think what he's saying is something like this
"I'd like to cancel my contract because ______"
<Haggling and mandatory dragging of feet>
"OK, I see your concern and as of today your contract is ended"

What he's saying is the CS rep then wrote the reason down as Customer Termination. Which automatically generates a bill for early termination.

yes you have, but your comments, while factually true, are nevertheless understating the difference. If Visa/MC are 2% and Amex is 3%, it is a 1 point difference, but that difference is a 50% increase over the competition.

You're also narrowing your customerbase but not accepting it. My company uses AmEx for the reasons I've stated... And some vendors or sellers are out of luck if they don't accept it- I'll go somewhere else.

 

[mope54]

You're missing the point. If you pay your bill by check, you have to write the check in order for them get the money.

How am I missing the point?

The only conceivable action that would result in a court appearance would be if you wrote a check and then canceled it. I doubt even that would prompt them to "sue" you for the few hundred dollars you owed, but it would land you in front of a criminal court proceeding if you're after "your day in court" :\

If you simply refuse to pay your bill they'll just turn you over to a collection agency.

WTF? I don't want to come across as offensive, but with comments like these I just have to wonder how much experience some posters have with paying bills.

 

[86 5.0L]

If you have a problem with customer service or coverage you should take it up with a rep or a store manager. They have a lot of latitude to make sure you remain a satisfied customer. Ranging from refunding charges, posting credits to your account, adding permanent minute bonuses to your account, and etc.

I mean, if it's fun then carry on. But it seems like some people are just locking horns for the benefit of paying more somewhere else for less.

Like I said before, I've been with Sprint for years now, and its been just a series of small problems, which snowball to the point of frustration. Things like random charges, spotty coverage at random times, horrible store reps, and whats worse is nobody every made me feel like a satisfied customer, nobody ever gave an honest and genuine care about my problems, not even managers. Granted I have renewed my contract a few times, and trust me I've thought long and hard inbetween contracts, looking at other carriers and such, but the prices were low enough that I was hooked back in, but recently I have had enough. I'd rather pay more and get that customer service that actually listen to what I have to say.

 

[TechieSooner]

^^^ I'd definately not go with ATT, then.

Verizon FTW.

Or if you're OK with their less-stellar coverage, someone like TMobile might be an option as well.

 

[mope54]

You guys should go with a pre-paid or local all-in-one package, like Cricket or sumshit.

 

[PorkyBubs]

Im going to try this method in a couple of days for my girl friend. Do you think it would be better to go in the store or over the phone?

 

[lolivegarden]

How would I keep my number though?

 

[TechieSooner]

Im going to try this method in a couple of days for my girl friend. Do you think it would be better to go in the store or over the phone?

Never tried it in the store. I don't know if those reps have the power to terminate contracts or not.

If they did, I suppose you could print up a copy of the contract, highlight the stuff you'll be showing them, and go from there.

But again- I don't know if they have the authority to terminate contracts.

How would I keep my number though?

It just terminates the contract, is all. You still own your number. By law you can port your number from carrier to carrier.

 

[LOCO LAPTOP]

Great, now find me something in AT&T's contract so i can switch back to Verizon with my iPhone

I want to go to Verizon also but for the droid.

 

[rjolin01]

I am curious as to anyone who has actually done this other than maybe the original poster. My GF has Sprint and she hates it.

 

[86 5.0L]

^^^ I'd definately not go with ATT, then.

Verizon FTW.

Or if you're OK with their less-stellar coverage, someone like TMobile might be an option as well.

see thats the thing, until I actually have the service, nobodys opinion matters, I have used my uncles iPhone for a week and in that short time, I felt the service was way better then my years with Sprint...

 

[TechieSooner]

see thats the thing, until I actually have the service, nobodys opinion matters, I have used my uncles iPhone for a week and in that short time, I felt the service was way better then my years with Sprint...

Some people like ATT. No fault in that.
It's that their 3G network is the worst there is. The Verizon commercials show you that, and they're true.

The two big names where I'm at is Sprint and ATT. Sprint has better data. But less coverage. So where Sprint DOES have coverage, it's better quality.
ATT has more coverage, but crappy quality.

 

[mope54]

My blackberry wouldn't get a signal for the last couple years in my house but now that I use an iPhone my signal is usually full strength all the time. The carrier was the same, but the phones received different reception. I've read elsewhere of people claiming the iPhone had horrible reception, but I've never experienced that. The nice thing about AT&T is you can try their service for 30 days and return the hardware and dissolve the contract without penalty.

 

[TechieSooner]

Wait a minute, an iPhone actually INCREASED your signal over another device?

Holy crap stop the presses!

ATT's voice network is especially bad. And the iPhone's reception (you're the first person that's actually reported better results that I've heard of) is especially bad.
Put the two together and it just flat out sucks. At least data packets have the ability to retry themselves pretty quick, voice packets don't

 

[rudy]

I have seen many phones which have bad reception due to age I am not sure what causes it. But people will buy a new one of the exact same model and get better reception or remember when they used to get good reception in the same place and now get bad reception. If you have a really old phone like that chances are any phone at all you would have bought would be better.

 

[MrkXCeL]

I have seen many phones which have bad reception due to age I am not sure what causes it. But people will buy a new one of the exact same model and get better reception or remember when they used to get good reception in the same place and now get bad reception. If you have a really old phone like that chances are any phone at all you would have bought would be better.

Dam!!! I thought it was just me. Everytime I get a new Sprint phone, the thing works great, and trickles down in quality @ about month 3. Voice quality starts breaking up, I was amazed I used to be able to wave my phone around in the kitchen on speaker phone without a single voice hiccup. Now I get stuttering even if I leave it in one spot with pristine signal quality. I swear it's the TelCo doing their version of Cable internet's bandwidth throttling. I used to be able to pull 1.6Mbps off my Samsung tethered. These days, when I try it, it's 300kbps at best.

 

[TechieSooner]

Dam!!! I thought it was just me. Everytime I get a new Sprint phone, the thing works great, and trickles down in quality @ about month 3. Voice quality starts breaking up, I was amazed I used to be able to wave my phone around in the kitchen on speaker phone without a single voice hiccup. Now I get stuttering even if I leave it in one spot with pristine signal quality. I swear it's the TelCo doing their version of Cable internet's bandwidth throttling. I used to be able to pull 1.6Mbps off my Samsung tethered. These days, when I try it, it's 300kbps at best.

I wish someone would file a class action against one of these ISPs or WSPs and make a freaking example of them.

The WSP argument is probably pointing to their ToS and saying they've got to do what it takes to ensure "service for all"... Whereas the customer's argument is obviously false advertising.

 

[MavsX]

oh man. i applaud your work on this one. This is useful for people who are locked in with sprint, that want out.

i'm with at&t and i have zero complaints. anyway...good work

 

[k1pp3r]

That's definitely true. I suspect, however, what kills Sprint is their terrible Customer Service.

Sprints Blackberry team and billing team have been flawless for over 2 years for me. They even called me when i went way over my minutes, credited half on my account and changed my plan to unlimited and saved me money.

AT&T is the worst, my GF has them. Sprint isn't they best either, they are the middle road carrier. However Nextel blows lol

 

[TechieSooner]

Sprints Blackberry team and billing team have been flawless for over 2 years for me. They even called me when i went way over my minutes, credited half on my account and changed my plan to unlimited and saved me money.

AT&T is the worst, my GF has them. Sprint isn't they best either, they are the middle road carrier. However Nextel blows lol

QFT, or if you're lucky enough to still have a SERO plan, the dedicated SERO CS line is awesome, as well. If I went on a personal plan, I'd probably choose Sprint as my carrier and the Droid as my device (If I could pick the combo I wanted, of course). Verizon does not work here.

Sprint usually always picks up the line right away too, I think their goal is no less than a two minute wait. I cannot say this about ATT (Who I had a very unpleasant call with this past week (read: the manager made up lies to try to con me out of money... luckily I knew better and made her eat the ToS)).

I can't comment on Verizon, but from what I hear and can tell, they seem to be the best all-around carrier from every perspective. You're also paying a pretty premium for that as well.

 

[groebuck]

if you listen to howard stern, he had the att blackberry and kept saying "it's great but you can't make calls on it.." He dumped it for the tour and verizon and praises it every time they bring it up.

 

[k1pp3r]

if you listen to howard stern, he had the att blackberry and kept saying "it's great but you can't make calls on it.." He dumped it for the tour and verizon and praises it every time they bring it up.

People still listen to Howard Stern? lol

Each carrier will have pros and cons depending on where you live.

 

[sharp]

AMEX only being 1% higher than V/MC? Hah.

On our fee schedule (small business) they are two full points higher. That is 100% more in my case. There is also a fixed AMEX charge (so even if no AMEX charges are made, I'd still get to pay each month for the privilege).

Since I've never had a person not do business with me for not accepting AMEX, I can tell you exactly what the weather would have to be like in Hell for me to do so; and yet I have never looked over any of the chargeback policies.

------

Yeah, ATT changes their contract a couple times a year... less than before though. What they did a couple times ago was say 'we're making this change, if you don't like it, let us know and you'll stay on your current contract' ...basically they are wise to the ETF escapes and have now cut them off by saying 'fine, you keep the 25 cents if it means so much to you'. Even the major arbitration - class action thing was just a 'if you don't like it keep the old one'.

I'd say the days of ETF escape are highly limited unless some fancy lawyer-type can explain why such flexibility on their part doesn't seal the deal.