Tips on Best Plan for our Family?

[laureltn]

We're OCC this month, having expired 3/29. (shudder). Last time we renegotiated, I had a valid SERO referral, was moving us to 3 SERO plans, called to cancel our existing phone numbers and ended up with what we have now. It's okay but every month the bills were messed up and try as people might to give me what I was actually promised, well, it never happened. I am not sure how many of my "features" will evaporate this month. The whole thing was so hosed up, I just decided I'd live with it for 2 years and see where we were.

what we have (are supposed to have?):
4 separate 1000 minute Free and Clear lines for $40 each
Vision on 3 lines with a credit back (but the credit is like $7 versus the $10 charge. They never did get it right)
500 text on 3 lines
Free LD
Free M2M
Free N/W @7
FIMF

With all the discounts, etc., it comes to $209.25 a month

Now, here's what I've observed. Sydney and Richard are texting fools (Syd is a 9th grader and Richard is a freshman in college). They are not talkers, however. Richard used 127 minutes this past month and Syd a whopping 32 minutes. My mom, Betty, at 81 years young doesn't even have texting on her phone. She talked a respectable 325 minutes this past month. I'm the hog of the group. I don't text a ton, but I used 940 minutes of talk time. I have a PPC6700 and use it for checking emails on gmail, web browsing, etc. We have a fledgling rental business down where our beach house is on Cape San Blas, Florida. My sprint phone is, basically, a lovely doorstop down there. Rumor has it NexTel two-ways are the best form of communication for the Cape. I am wondering about changing my situation to a two-line situation: A new PPC6800 and a Nextel.

On phones, I want the new 6800 or the new Sprint competitor of Iphone. Sydney wants a new phone. Richard says his phone is tired and Mom says hers just doesn't get good reception in Port Charlotte, FL at my sister's or here in Nashville.

Anyway, I would love suggestions from others on what plans, options, etc., make sense. I really would not want to lose my FIMF -- that saves me a ton of minutes -- but with all the discount shuffles of the past to get my plan to the number that matched SERO, the rest is just pretty much a train wreck.

Seeing that my plan couldn't be TOUCHED by anybody but retentions, not sure where to even start...

Appreciate your input!
Laurel

[troppoalto]

I have the family plan with 3 lines, 2100 minutes, unlimited family text, PowerVisoin on 2 lines, N/W's starting at 7. I just increased the amount of minutes we have but by my calculation our new bill should be around $170, before any discounts. From what you stated your family usage as it looks like what I have is in the ballpark for your needs.

Sprint Power Pack Family 2100-
Plan Features:
Sprint Power Pack Plan
Line 1: $109.99 Minimum Monthly Charge
Line 2: Free
Lines 3-5: $9.99 Each
2100 Included Anytime Minutes
Unlimited Sprint Mobile to Mobile
Nationwide Long Distance Included
Unlimited Night & Weekend Mins. Included
Nights: M-Th 7PM-7AM Wknd: F 7PM-M 7AM
Caller ID
Call Waiting

Unlimited Family Power Pack SMS Text Messaging (per family plan) $20.00

Sprint Power Vision sup SM sup Access Pack $15.00 (x2)

[meme2]

We're OCC this month, having expired 3/29. (shudder). Last time we renegotiated, I had a valid SERO referral, was moving us to 3 SERO plans, called to cancel our existing phone numbers and ended up with what we have now. It's okay but every month the bills were messed up and try as people might to give me what I was actually promised, well, it never happened. I am not sure how many of my "features" will evaporate this month. The whole thing was so hosed up, I just decided I'd live with it for 2 years and see where we were.

what we have (are supposed to have?):
4 separate 1000 minute Free and Clear lines for $40 each
Vision on 3 lines with a credit back (but the credit is like $7 versus the $10 charge. They never did get it right)
500 text on 3 lines
Free LD
Free M2M
Free N/W @7
FIMF

With all the discounts, etc., it comes to $209.25 a month

Now, here's what I've observed. Sydney and Richard are texting fools (Syd is a 9th grader and Richard is a freshman in college). They are not talkers, however. Richard used 127 minutes this past month and Syd a whopping 32 minutes. My mom, Betty, at 81 years young doesn't even have texting on her phone. She talked a respectable 325 minutes this past month. I'm the hog of the group. I don't text a ton, but I used 940 minutes of talk time. I have a PPC6700 and use it for checking emails on gmail, web browsing, etc. We have a fledgling rental business down where our beach house is on Cape San Blas, Florida. My sprint phone is, basically, a lovely doorstop down there. Rumor has it NexTel two-ways are the best form of communication for the Cape. I am wondering about changing my situation to a two-line situation: A new PPC6800 and a Nextel.

On phones, I want the new 6800 or the new Sprint competitor of Iphone. Sydney wants a new phone. Richard says his phone is tired and Mom says hers just doesn't get good reception in Port Charlotte, FL at my sister's or here in Nashville.

Anyway, I would love suggestions from others on what plans, options, etc., make sense. I really would not want to lose my FIMF -- that saves me a ton of minutes -- but with all the discount shuffles of the past to get my plan to the number that matched SERO, the rest is just pretty much a train wreck.

Seeing that my plan couldn't be TOUCHED by anybody but retentions, not sure where to even start...

Appreciate your input!
Laurel

From your family's usage, it looks as though for the 2 boys, the SERO 500 mins would be good since it has unlimited text, power vision and 500 minutes (but the boys hardly talk on the phone) That would cost you $30 each which is cheaper than your current $40. You can do the same for your mother but all those power vision and unlimited text messaging is a waste . For yourself you can take the higher SERO plan($49.99 for 1250 minutes?) with more minutes. That's because you use more
minutes but then you are also covered in terms of email, text etc etc because of the PV and unlimited text are both included.

Alternatively, the best plan would be a Family plan where you can share the minutes since you and your mom use most of the minutes (that way you get to use the boys' unused minutes whereas under SERO if they use 40 minutes out of the 500 minutes, the remaining goes to waste)

Call Retention, explain to them that you are out of contract and would like to renew. What is the best plan that can be offered to suit your family's current need/requirement. See if they could offer you a plan with enough minutes that you are comfortable with to be shared among the 4 lines. Then see if they could give you discounted PV with unlimited text(at least for the boys).
Or you can do the same via ECare. Email back and forth fine tuning the plan that best suits your family.

I personally have a old Family Fair and Flexible plan with only 800 minutes to share between 3 lines. But I have free pv with unlimited text and that covers for teenage son's texting.

Good Luck.

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