Advice needed on complicated deal "overhaul"

[ray_iii]

Hello - Long time lurker, first time poster.

I need some advice for a complicated situation. I've searched, but this is a unique situation.

Current Situation:
-Sprint F&F 700, Power Vision, 500 txt, TEP (FULL PRICE!! :irked: )
-Samsung A900
-Customer for 4+ years, Current contract expires in 10 months.

What I Need:
-Lower monthly bill (preferably SERO 500 plan), don't need 700 minutes
-Samsung M610 (the A900 horrible bluetooth is the deal breaker)
-Don't need same phone number


So, what should I do? The way I see it, I have 2 options....

1.) Call Customer Service, beg them for SERO 500 plan. Buy M610 separately (expensive!) and switch my SERO plan to the new phone.

2.) Cancel everything. Pay the ETF fee (ouch!). And then easily get the SERO as a "new customer". However, can I get the M610 with the SERO plan (through inphonic.com)?? What's the cheapest way to get the M610?

Are there other options?

Thanks for the help!

[CaseyGirl]

Welcome to SU!

I heard someone say that they were able to purchase an m610 on Craigslist for $120. You might want to go that route and see if retentions can give you a better plan. Instead of canceling and signing up again. If you cancel and pay an ETF, you will have to wait a period of time before you can sign up again to be considered a *new* customer. I don't know what the time period is but I'm sure someone here can tell you.

Good luck!

[Dan]

Moving to tips and tricks.........

Retentions may offer you a plan that gets you a "SERO like" plan at a good price for you. They will often give the 500 text option free, if you dont already have that, may discount your powervision service by $10 per month

Maybe shoot for a fair and flex plan with 450 flexible minutes with $5/50 overages, the discounted powervision, 500 text messages still, TEP, 10% loyalty discount.

If my math is close, you would pay $39.99 + $10 if you want picturemail powervision (or $5 without) + $7 TEP - 10% loyalty = $51.20/month before tax. Obviously your desire for a new phone will have a bearing on the plan they offer you, as a bigger discount on a phone usually means a smaller deal on the plan.

:wavey:

[JeffDTD]

Call Retention. Tell them you need a new phone. Tell them you don't need 700 minutes. Be nice and persistant and remind them of your loyalty. With your loyalty, theres no reason why they couldn't package something up for you that is just as sweet as SERO if not slightly better.

You needing a new phone is the clincher. I mean, you "could" sign up for a SERO plan as a new customer, then cancel your line.. but the extra $150 you'd pay really negates your immediate SERO savings. Lets also remember that SERO 500 does not entitle you to your $150 rebate 2 years down the road. Sure, some will claim they get it, but its only after battling with retentions or taking advantage of dumb reps.

Personally, I think its silly to throw away 4 years of loyalty and bargaining ability when you could grab 450 minutes (50 less than SERO) a sweet deal on a phone, a sweet loyalty discount, free or discounted internet... various other perks.
I scored my best friend
450 minutes... 7pm nights.. unlimited text... free internet... TEP $7 and a CHEAP phone ... and after the loyalty discount, hes paying $39 a month plus tax.... and won't be fighting for his $150 in 2 years. Works for him

Now, if we're not tricking freebies off SERO, 500 minutes with all that above would be
$30+$8+$7= $45.

From here, you can learn ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SERO from here:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125162

[JeffDTD]

Sorry Dan... we were posting at the same time... :) LOL

[Dan]

Tis ok, I like to try and steer members towards plans that they can likely get without it being SERO, as SERO is taken to be the best plan ever.

retentions can do alot, if your valuable enough :)

[ray_iii]

Thanks for all the help guys and gals! :tu:

I love the feedback you get on this forum!
That's really good info about the $150 rebate not being available with SERO.


One other question about dealing with retentions:

If you call and you feel like you are not getting as good of a deal as you'd like (ie. similar to the deals you guys stated above), do you just say "sorry, this won't work", hang up on them, and call back again hoping to get someone else? Don't they note this in their system and see you trying to call back?

Is there a better time to call retentions? I read somewhere on here that its better at night? Any truth to that?

Thanks again!

[Wayne 1]

I've had good luck calling retentions during the weekends. BTW I wouldn't sweat the $150., Sprint screwed me out of it and yet I ended up with MUCH more than that thru retentions!! :D

[deanwoof]

well, with sero, you cant do esn swaps for 6 months, so what you're thinking of earlier, wont really work for ya.

i'd settle with the 450 plan, 10 for unl txt, tep, and see if retention could work out a discount on pv or text. 40, 10, 7, 15 = 72. get a discount on one or two to drop it about 55-60. throw on some sort of nvp discount, and you're looking at 45-50.

you can whine and grind your way to sero if ya want but probably wont get the m610. i'd just try to do the m610 for cheap, and settle for a normal plan. ? that's my suggestion

[CrazyGuy]

That's really good info about the $150 rebate not being available with SERO.

The $150 rebate is available with SERO, but not with the SERO 500 plan because that particular plan is less than $34.99 a month. Any plan that is $34.99 or more per month qualifies for the rebate.

[lp894]

What you'd be best doin is call in to retentions, and buy the M610...if you've been with Sprint you SHOULD have your 150 discount. IF you've already used it, just tell them that you're happy with the service just not the phone, and you'd like to buy another phone and that you've been with sprint for 4 years. They'll PROBABLY offer you the 150 discount off of whatever phone you want to buy. Buy the M610, when it gets to you, do the ESN swap, AFTER the ESN swap, call back in and switch to the Sero Plan.

Basically you have to buy the m610 NOW, do the ESN swap, and ask to get on the sero plan AFTER

[ray_iii]

Thanks for the feedback!

I think I'm over SERO, as long as an equally good deal exists in a discounted F&F plan.

So, do you think I'm better negotiating with retentions for the PHONE & PLAN as a "package deal"?

Or should I negotiate for the m610 first, swap ESNs, then call back and negotiate the new plan?

Thanks!!

[lp894]

If you negotiate them TOGETHER, then it may be a little bit eaiser. You'll be getting a new plan, so you may be able to get a phone a bit eaiser. Cause either way you'll have to sign a new 2-Year contract. It's been easy for me to get phones because every phone I get, ends up getting pulled off the shelves a few months later. The A640 was replaced with the LG-LX350(after I only had the phone for 3 months), the LX-350(after having it for 4 months) the lense on the camera broke, it was then replaced with the A920, the A920 had LOADS of issues, so after 3 months, it was then replaced with the SCP-8400, didn't like the 8400 as much as I was hopin I was, so I upgraded to the M1. Got to KEEP the A920 though, so I activated it on a new line of service and use it as my "phone as modem" with the sero plan. 30/month as opposed to paying 40/month for the PAM plan. plus I get my discount so it's more like 22.50/month + taxes. That was WAY of subject though...

Anyway, yea, give it a shot, won't hurt to try!

[Wayne 1]

What you'd be best doin is call in to retentions, and buy the M610...if you've been with Sprint you SHOULD have your 150 discount. IF you've already used it, just tell them that you're happy with the service just not the phone, and you'd like to buy another phone and that you've been with sprint for 4 years. They'll PROBABLY offer you the 150 discount off of whatever phone you want to buy. Buy the M610, when it gets to you, do the ESN swap, AFTER the ESN swap, call back in and switch to the Sero Plan.

Basically you have to buy the m610 NOW, do the ESN swap, and ask to get on the sero plan AFTER

Good idea's and that's basically what I did, however I got instant credits instead of a phone. :tu:

[ray_iii]

Thanks for all the help guys! I have an update, good news & bad news:

Good:
A technician today swapped my A900 for A900M :)
So that solves my bluetooth problems and I no longer need a new phone!


Bad:
I just called retentions, was very nice, and said "My plan is too expensive, I want to switch my plan" and the guy brought up the F&F 450 (as you guys had pointed out above) and he wanted to charge me FULL PRICE - FOR EVERYTHING - PV, TXT, etc.

So I said, "well, my friend got this plan for $30 and it was 500 mins. etc. (talking about the SERO)" and the rep replied "oh, well you need an employee email address for that - he must have a friend who works for sprint" B.S.!!!

So I tried (gently) and said "well is there anything you can do to give me a plan like that tonight?" and he DID NOT BUDGE. So I hung up and left everything unchanged.

So....WHAT DID I DO WRONG??

Do I have to say "I want to cancel" flat-out to scare them?

Any help/advice would be appreciated...Thanks!

[jdl1219]

You didn't do anything wrong. You just got the wrong CS agent. Call back and nicely try again.

My advice to everybody dealing with SPCS, especially in a store: go on line and verify whatever was done. Sometimes things get just a little messed up and cost a lot.

[About SprintUsers.Com]

SprintUsers.com was created in January 2002 as a resource for users of Sprint PCS products and services to learn about and share information. We have cll phone reviews, Cellular Accessories, Downloads, PDA reviews, Ringtones, all of the latest Sprint PCS news and information, an area where you can find help in creating a ring tone or custom image for you phone, and so much more. The most popular section is the message board where visitors can read and write messages, ask questions, and get advice about their cellular phone from other users.