Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

I've been a Sprint PCS customer for some six years. In fact: I was
an "early adopter" of SPCS in the Metro-Detroit area. Paid full-boat
for that first phone, too. (That neat Motorola thing with the
flip-down boom mic, it was. I loved that phone.) Fast-forward to
present day...

My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
(Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
service. The Customer Retention department tried to help--offering
me a service credit if I bought a new phone. (Getting even *that*
concession involved 25 minutes on the phone today!) Not good enough,
I'm afraid. I would still, as a long-time, loyal SPCS customer, pay
$50 more than new customers. Nearly $200 for a cellphone, given my
experience with their longevity (or lack thereof), is not a winning
proposition in *my* eyes. (I take very good care of my possessions,
btw.)

So this afternoon I started cutting the cord, so to speak. I had
SPCS turn off my voicemail. I turned off my phone and put it away.
That's right: No more cellphone. I'm going to give it a month. I
think I'm going to find, at the end of that month, that yes: Not
having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.

Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
these days.

Ah well...

--
Jim Seymour | PGP Public Key available at:
WARNING: The "From:" address | http://www.uk.pgp.net/pgpnet/pks-commands.html
is a spam trap. DON'T USE IT! |
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Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

On Tue, 3 Aug 2004 18:11:26 -0500, Jim Seymour wrote
(in article <10h06su6711nc17@corp.supernews.com> ):

> I've been a Sprint PCS customer for some six years. In fact: I was
> an "early adopter" of SPCS in the Metro-Detroit area. Paid full-boat
> for that first phone, too. (That neat Motorola thing with the
> flip-down boom mic, it was. I loved that phone.) Fast-forward to
> present day...
>
> My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
> (Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
> buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
> equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
> for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
> service. The Customer Retention department tried to help--offering
> me a service credit if I bought a new phone. (Getting even *that*
> concession involved 25 minutes on the phone today!) Not good enough,
> I'm afraid. I would still, as a long-time, loyal SPCS customer, pay
> $50 more than new customers. Nearly $200 for a cellphone, given my
> experience with their longevity (or lack thereof), is not a winning
> proposition in *my* eyes. (I take very good care of my possessions,
> btw.)
>
> So this afternoon I started cutting the cord, so to speak. I had
> SPCS turn off my voicemail. I turned off my phone and put it away.
> That's right: No more cellphone. I'm going to give it a month. I
> think I'm going to find, at the end of that month, that yes: Not
> having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
> earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
> donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.
>
> Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
> land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
> change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
> American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
> these days.
>
> Ah well...
>
>

Have you read the retention FAQ? In fairness though, the good deals given new
customers on phones, is ALWAYS with a 2 year contract. Buying a phone on Ebay
may be another option for you to consider.

If you leave Sprint, prepaid service may be for you as carriers are
continually bumping up the lowest price plan they offer.

Prepaid works out to be cheaper for folks that don't travel, and use their
phone very sparely during the workweek.

==============================================================
Posted with Hogwasher. Mac first, Mac only:
http://www.asar.com/cgi-bin/produc [...] asher.html
==============================================================

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

[Wow, that was quick!]

In article <Q4VPc.7917$cK.2018@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
FYI <fyi@yahoo.com> writes:
[snip]
> Have you read the retention FAQ?

No, I have not. Wasn't aware of its existence. (Wonder why the
Customer Retention rep. didn't mention it?)

> In fairness though, the good deals given new
> customers on phones, is ALWAYS with a 2 year contract.

Like I told SPCS: I don't *care* what they usually do. They're not
meeting *my* requirements. And that's all that matters, you see?

Besides that... hmmm... let's play some "Jeopardy," shall we?

The category is "Cell Phones." The answer is:

A way for a cellular company to recoup what it "lost" on
deep-discounting an equipment sale.

<queue Final Jeopardy music...>

The question is:

What is "Locking the buyer into a minimum-length contract?"

Now: I'd *been* a customer for six years. I was looking to buy a
phone so that I could *remain* a customer. A phone I can't take
anywhere else. Odds were they would've recouped their "investment."
(Particularly since I pay for 300 mins./mo. and use, on average, less
than 200. Use *very* little VM. Never use call-forwarding or
three-way calling. Had text messaging turned straight off, due to
getting spammed.) Hell, having me as a customer was a bargain for
SPCS.

Yeah, I know: This isn't the way business works anymore--all
personalized and rational and all. I guess that's part of my point.
Why do I want to keep giving money to people who don't care about
me, as a customer?

> Buying a phone on Ebay
> may be another option for you to consider.

I've invested all the time I'm going to in trying to stay with
Sprint, I think. Between yesterday's phone time, today's phone
time, the wasted trip to Costco and the equally wasted check at
Radio Shack: Something on the order of two hours of my time.

But thanks for the suggestion. Really.

>
> If you leave Sprint, prepaid service may be for you as carriers are
> continually bumping up the lowest price plan they offer.
>
> Prepaid works out to be cheaper for folks that don't travel, and use their
> phone very sparely during the workweek.

I think you miss my point. Well, one of 'em, anyway. I'm planning,
at this point, to drop cellular service *entirely*. It occurred to
me today that I survived some (thinks about it...) 48 years w/o a
phone with me 24x7.

A short story is perhaps illustrative of my thinking, here.

One of the watch band anchor-points for my watch broke about a year
ago. This was a disaster. I've *always* had a watch on--for as long
as I can remember. I soon found out that obtaining a reasonably
inexpensive, relatively low-key, multi-function wristwatch like the
Casio I *had* was, well, impossible. They simply do not make a watch
with that feature set anymore. Trying to find a replacement became
more trouble than it was worth, so somehow I never got 'round to
replacing it. Oddly enough: After about a year I pretty much don't
notice its absence. Funny, that...

Only problem with this is that, in the absence of my watch, when I
needed to know what time it was I consulted my cellphone. Guess I'll
have to get a new watch, now .

--
Jim Seymour | PGP Public Key available at:
WARNING: The "From:" address | http://www.uk.pgp.net/pgpnet/pks-commands.html
is a spam trap. DON'T USE IT! |
Use: jseymour@LinxNet.com | http://jimsun.LinxNet.com

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

Howdy, stranger!

Jim Seymour <jseymour@linxnet.com> wrote:

> My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
> (Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
> buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
> equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
> for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
> service.

Yup. $35 is the magic number for most carriers. Below that point, they're
not making a ton of money off you. Sprint no longer offers sub-$35 plans,
and neither does Verizon. I'd be surprised if you were even able to find
such a plan at the el-cheapo carriers (T-Mobile and Cingular).

I got a Samsung A660 for $29.99 last month, but that's because I activated
a new line of service. I was, however, able to convince Sprint to waive the
activation fee on the new line, which is replacing my existing Verizon service.
One of my arguments was that our original line is a $30/month plan that gives
us 300 minutes per month, and my wife has no interest in changing that plan
as she only goes over 300 minutes once every couple years (she uses about 500
PCS-to-PCS minutes per month) and with the addition of a second separate,
non-shared line, our Sprint PCS monthly bill will roughly triple - and
they'll actually start making money off us.

You might try buying a used phone off eBay. My wife's current phone is an
eBay phone. Also try howardforums - I don't know if they have any for-sale
forums there, but it's worth a try.

> having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
> earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
> donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.

Good for you!

> Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
> land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
> change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
> American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
> these days.

In my opinion, they should offer SOME sort of carrot to the under-$35
crowd, with the caveat that people taking advantage of the discounts would
have to upgrade to at least a $35/month calling plan. That would be the best
way to handle the people who aren't paying anything for their service.

But I don't think any of the carriers see a lot of point in encouraging people
spending under $35/month to continue spending under $35/month. It costs a lot
of money to build and maintain a cellular network, run the billing
infrastructure, and employ the people needed to run everythiing.

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <D4idnfUncbhoso3cRVn-uw@lmi.net>,
Steven J Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> writes:
> Howdy, stranger!

Howdy!

>
> Jim Seymour <jseymour@linxnet.com> wrote:
>
[snip]
>
> Yup. $35 is the magic number for most carriers. Below that point, they're
> not making a ton of money off you.
[snip]

So Sprint PCS doesn't value my business. *shrug* Fair enough. It's
my policy to avoid, where possible, giving my custom to those who do
not value my business. Since I don't *need* a cellphone--it's a
convenience--I can easily avoid doing so in this instance.

>
> You might try buying a used phone off eBay. My wife's current phone is an
> eBay phone. Also try howardforums - I don't know if they have any for-sale
> forums there, but it's worth a try.

Thanks for the suggestions.

>
>> having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
>> earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
>> donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.
>
> Good for you!

*shrug* Part of the reason that vendors get away with treating their
customers poorly is that people keep buying their products and
services after they've been screwed. Perhaps multiple times. Oh
yes, American business has learned well from a certain shining
example.

>
>> Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
>> land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
>> change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
>> American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
>> these days.
>
> In my opinion, they should offer SOME sort of carrot to the under-$35
> crowd, with the caveat that people taking advantage of the discounts would
> have to upgrade to at least a $35/month calling plan. That would be the best
> way to handle the people who aren't paying anything for their service.

Oh, they'd let me upgrade to a two-year $35/mo. contract to get the
equipment discount. That's the entire point of contention: I'm
unwilling to do that. Period. Non-negotiable. I have a $30/mo.
plan that's working fine for me. I'm not even using all that. It's
contract-less and I like it like that. That was one of the major
points that attracted me to SPCS in the first place.

> That would be the best
> way to handle the people who aren't paying anything for their service.

Maybe to you $360/year isn't "paying anything." To me that's a lot
of money.

>
> But I don't think any of the carriers see a lot of point in encouraging people
> spending under $35/month to continue spending under $35/month. It costs a lot
> of money to build and maintain a cellular network, run the billing
> infrastructure, and employ the people needed to run everythiing.

Uh huh. I understand that. Okay. Fine. They don't want my
business. I can appreciate that. It's not a problem. Really. Not
now that I understand how they feel about existing customers.

Let's see... There's at least two families and one individual I can
think of, off-hand, that went SprintPCS on my recommendation.
Another guy that renewed with SPCS after we discussed it. Like I
said: Sprint LD I currently have because I have SPCS. That's
probably history. Oh, and I'm the Senior Systems, Network and TelCom
Admin. at work. Sprint's trying to get our business there, too.

I no longer have quite the degree of good will I once had toward
Sprint, as a company. You do the math .

--
Jim Seymour | PGP Public Key available at:
WARNING: The "From:" address | http://www.uk.pgp.net/pgpnet/pks-commands.html
is a spam trap. DON'T USE IT! |
Use: jseymour@LinxNet.com | http://jimsun.LinxNet.com

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

I thought the phone with the flip down boom mic was a sony. Don't
those charities deserve better than a lousy reputation phone that is
dying?


Jim Seymour wrote:
> I've been a Sprint PCS customer for some six years. In fact: I was
> an "early adopter" of SPCS in the Metro-Detroit area. Paid full-boat
> for that first phone, too. (That neat Motorola thing with the
> flip-down boom mic, it was. I loved that phone.) Fast-forward to
> present day...
>
> My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
> (Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
> buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
> equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
> for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
> service. The Customer Retention department tried to help--offering
> me a service credit if I bought a new phone. (Getting even *that*
> concession involved 25 minutes on the phone today!) Not good enough,
> I'm afraid. I would still, as a long-time, loyal SPCS customer, pay
> $50 more than new customers. Nearly $200 for a cellphone, given my
> experience with their longevity (or lack thereof), is not a winning
> proposition in *my* eyes. (I take very good care of my possessions,
> btw.)
>
> So this afternoon I started cutting the cord, so to speak. I had
> SPCS turn off my voicemail. I turned off my phone and put it away.
> That's right: No more cellphone. I'm going to give it a month. I
> think I'm going to find, at the end of that month, that yes: Not
> having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
> earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
> donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.
>
> Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
> land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
> change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
> American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
> these days.
>
> Ah well...
>

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

Ah, the no contract thing. I have also been a Sprint PCS customer for
many years. Last month I went from no contract to first a one year for
100 more minutes, although we have never gone over before, and then to
two years to get free PCS to PCS. Even though PCS to PCS has never been
something that would have lowered our bill in the past and I don't know
if it will ever in the future. I added it "just in case".


Jim Seymour wrote:

> In article <D4idnfUncbhoso3cRVn-uw@lmi.net>,
> Steven J Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> writes:
>
>>Howdy, stranger!
>
>
> Howdy!
>
>
>>Jim Seymour <jseymour@linxnet.com> wrote:
>>
>
> [snip]
>
>>Yup. $35 is the magic number for most carriers. Below that point, they're
>>not making a ton of money off you.
>
> [snip]
>
> So Sprint PCS doesn't value my business. *shrug* Fair enough. It's
> my policy to avoid, where possible, giving my custom to those who do
> not value my business. Since I don't *need* a cellphone--it's a
> convenience--I can easily avoid doing so in this instance.
>
>
>>You might try buying a used phone off eBay. My wife's current phone is an
>>eBay phone. Also try howardforums - I don't know if they have any for-sale
>>forums there, but it's worth a try.
>
>
> Thanks for the suggestions.
>
>
>>>having a cellphone will be mildly inconvenient, but it won't be
>>>earth-shattering. At which point I'll cancel my SPCS service and
>>>donate the phone to a local rape crisis center.
>>
>>Good for you!
>
>
> *shrug* Part of the reason that vendors get away with treating their
> customers poorly is that people keep buying their products and
> services after they've been screwed. Perhaps multiple times. Oh
> yes, American business has learned well from a certain shining
> example.
>
>
>>
>>
>>>Not smart on Sprint's part, IMO. (They'll likely also lose my
>>>land-line long-distance business, since my wife has been wanting to
>>>change to AT&T for lower rates anyway.) Not smart, but so typical of
>>>American-style bean-counter-driven business "management" mentality
>>>these days.
>>
>>In my opinion, they should offer SOME sort of carrot to the under-$35
>>crowd, with the caveat that people taking advantage of the discounts would
>>have to upgrade to at least a $35/month calling plan. That would be the best
>>way to handle the people who aren't paying anything for their service.
>
>
> Oh, they'd let me upgrade to a two-year $35/mo. contract to get the
> equipment discount. That's the entire point of contention: I'm
> unwilling to do that. Period. Non-negotiable. I have a $30/mo.
> plan that's working fine for me. I'm not even using all that. It's
> contract-less and I like it like that. That was one of the major
> points that attracted me to SPCS in the first place.
>
>
>> That would be the best
>>way to handle the people who aren't paying anything for their service.
>
>
> Maybe to you $360/year isn't "paying anything." To me that's a lot
> of money.
>
>
>>But I don't think any of the carriers see a lot of point in encouraging people
>>spending under $35/month to continue spending under $35/month. It costs a lot
>>of money to build and maintain a cellular network, run the billing
>>infrastructure, and employ the people needed to run everythiing.
>
>
> Uh huh. I understand that. Okay. Fine. They don't want my
> business. I can appreciate that. It's not a problem. Really. Not
> now that I understand how they feel about existing customers.
>
> Let's see... There's at least two families and one individual I can
> think of, off-hand, that went SprintPCS on my recommendation.
> Another guy that renewed with SPCS after we discussed it. Like I
> said: Sprint LD I currently have because I have SPCS. That's
> probably history. Oh, and I'm the Senior Systems, Network and TelCom
> Admin. at work. Sprint's trying to get our business there, too.
>
> I no longer have quite the degree of good will I once had toward
> Sprint, as a company. You do the math .
>

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <Sr4Qc.8525$cK.1840@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
Jerome Zelinske <jeromez1@earthlink.net> writes:
> I thought the phone with the flip down boom mic was a sony.

It was. A CMZ-100, IIRC. (I still have the thing around somewhere.)

Even my wife, who's ever after me to get rid of stuff that's broken
or unused (I'm a bit of a pack-rat), doesn't blame me for wanting to
keep the ol 'Z around. Never met a person that didn't think that
was about the coolest phone they ever saw .

> Don't
> those charities deserve better than a lousy reputation phone that is
> dying?
[snip]

It's not the dying (and long out-of-service) Sony CMZ-100 I'll be
donating, it's the dying Kyocera 2255. What, you want I should buy a
new phone to donate to charity? Maybe you didn't read all my
comments, cuz I think maybe you missed a point or two?

--
Jim Seymour | PGP Public Key available at:
WARNING: The "From:" address | http://www.uk.pgp.net/pgpnet/pks-commands.html
is a spam trap. DON'T USE IT! |
Use: jseymour@LinxNet.com | http://jimsun.LinxNet.com

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

It seemed to read that the kyocera was of lousy reputation and was
dying and was the one to be donated. Not that you should, but you might
be nice and do, buy a new phone to donate to charity. Whereas, donating
something that barely works and has no salvage value to charity is not
very charitable.


Jim Seymour wrote:

> In article <Sr4Qc.8525$cK.1840@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
> Jerome Zelinske <jeromez1@earthlink.net> writes:
>
>> I thought the phone with the flip down boom mic was a sony.
>
>
> It was. A CMZ-100, IIRC. (I still have the thing around somewhere.)
>
> Even my wife, who's ever after me to get rid of stuff that's broken
> or unused (I'm a bit of a pack-rat), doesn't blame me for wanting to
> keep the ol 'Z around. Never met a person that didn't think that
> was about the coolest phone they ever saw .
>
>
>> Don't
>>those charities deserve better than a lousy reputation phone that is
>>dying?
>
> [snip]
>
> It's not the dying (and long out-of-service) Sony CMZ-100 I'll be
> donating, it's the dying Kyocera 2255. What, you want I should buy a
> new phone to donate to charity? Maybe you didn't read all my
> comments, cuz I think maybe you missed a point or two?
>

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

"Jim Seymour" <jseymour@LinxNet.com> wrote in message
news:10h06su6711nc17@corp.supernews.com...
> I've been a Sprint PCS customer for some six years. In fact: I was
> an "early adopter" of SPCS in the Metro-Detroit area. Paid full-boat
> for that first phone, too. (That neat Motorola thing with the
> flip-down boom mic, it was. I loved that phone.) Fast-forward to
> present day...
>
> My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
> (Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
> buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
> equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
> for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
> service. The Customer Retention department tried to help--offering
> me a service credit if I bought a new phone. (Getting even *that*
> concession involved 25 minutes on the phone today!) Not good enough,
> I'm afraid. I would still, as a long-time, loyal SPCS customer, pay
> $50 more than new customers. Nearly $200 for a cellphone, given my
> experience with their longevity (or lack thereof), is not a winning
> proposition in *my* eyes. (I take very good care of my possessions,
> btw.)

Chris, I'm going to blunt with you here. You want a free lunch here, and you
don't qualify for a free lunch. It doesn't matter whether you have been with
SPCS for 6 years. You are on a plan where SPCS is not making much if any
revenue off you. SPCS has set certain parameters with regards to offering a
$150 or a $100 credit on the phone, and you don't fit those parameters, as
you don't want to change your plan to the minimum required, nor go with a 1
yr. or 2 yr. annual agreement.

You think you deserve a break on a new phone, but what you may not realize
is that SPCS subsidizes the cost of the phones offered, hoping to break even
on the cost of the phone with a higher paying plan. All it takes to qualify
for a new phone, is to sign up for a year, get the F & F or the F & C plan
for $35/mo. plus taxes and surcharges, and you qualify for a $100 credit.
You don't have to go with Vision, if you get a non Vision phone. If you do
get a Vision phone, then SPCS offers Vision for free for 2 months, in which
you can cancel that option before the two months expire and you still
qualify for the mail in rebate.

It's that simple ...

One more thing to consider is to go on eBay, and buy a used phone for a
reduced cost, and do an ESN change on your account.

Bob

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

Jim, my apologies for calling you Chris. I was working another reply in
another newsgroup to Chris, and I just plugged in the wrong name in the
reply to your post.

Bob


"Bob Smith" <usirsclt_No_Spam_@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:6N6Qc.8637$cK.5933@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
> "Jim Seymour" <jseymour@LinxNet.com> wrote in message
> news:10h06su6711nc17@corp.supernews.com...
> > I've been a Sprint PCS customer for some six years. In fact: I was
> > an "early adopter" of SPCS in the Metro-Detroit area. Paid full-boat
> > for that first phone, too. (That neat Motorola thing with the
> > flip-down boom mic, it was. I loved that phone.) Fast-forward to
> > present day...
> >
> > My current phone, my *third* phone in those six years, is dying.
> > (Unfortunately I did not know of Kyocera's lousy reputation before
> > buying my last phone.) So I wait for the next SPCS sale on
> > equipment. Along it comes. Up to 85% off. But *not*, it turns out,
> > for long-time SPCS customers that are on sub-$35/mo., non-contract
> > service. The Customer Retention department tried to help--offering
> > me a service credit if I bought a new phone. (Getting even *that*
> > concession involved 25 minutes on the phone today!) Not good enough,
> > I'm afraid. I would still, as a long-time, loyal SPCS customer, pay
> > $50 more than new customers. Nearly $200 for a cellphone, given my
> > experience with their longevity (or lack thereof), is not a winning
> > proposition in *my* eyes. (I take very good care of my possessions,
> > btw.)
>
> Chris, I'm going to blunt with you here. You want a free lunch here, and
you
> don't qualify for a free lunch. It doesn't matter whether you have been
with
> SPCS for 6 years. You are on a plan where SPCS is not making much if any
> revenue off you. SPCS has set certain parameters with regards to offering
a
> $150 or a $100 credit on the phone, and you don't fit those parameters, as
> you don't want to change your plan to the minimum required, nor go with a
1
> yr. or 2 yr. annual agreement.
>
> You think you deserve a break on a new phone, but what you may not realize
> is that SPCS subsidizes the cost of the phones offered, hoping to break
even
> on the cost of the phone with a higher paying plan. All it takes to
qualify
> for a new phone, is to sign up for a year, get the F & F or the F & C plan
> for $35/mo. plus taxes and surcharges, and you qualify for a $100 credit.
> You don't have to go with Vision, if you get a non Vision phone. If you do
> get a Vision phone, then SPCS offers Vision for free for 2 months, in
which
> you can cancel that option before the two months expire and you still
> qualify for the mail in rebate.
>
> It's that simple ...
>
> One more thing to consider is to go on eBay, and buy a used phone for a
> reduced cost, and do an ESN change on your account.
>
> Bob
>
>