Sanyo VM4500 Cons?

[Shelveen]

Hi Everyone,
I am currently not a Sprint PCS customer. I am currently a Verizon customer and i am really afraid to switch Sprint but i cant help myself after looking at the vm 4500 from Sanyo. I compared the coverage map online between Verizon and Sprint and Verizon seems to be everywhere, but that can be fixed with Sprint with just $5 more a month. I am going to get the Fair & Flexible plan. I have a few questions for all the users today. I am going to get Sprint on December 17, 2004, becuase my contract with Verizon expires on December 16, 2004. First question, will Sprint work everywhere and is it reliable with the VM4500? How is the battery like on the VM4500? Oh yeah, the most important question is that can i add and remove services or change my plan without resigning a new contract every time? ill be managing my account online. by teh way i live in So. California. ok now for my real question, what are the cons on teh VM4500? i believe in my opinion that the VM4500 is the best phone that sprint currently carries. does anyone else agree with me? oh yeah another question, with my fair & flexible plan for $35 a month, plus $5 for no roaming, (oh yeah, how is the service in So. California?, do i need to pay teh extra $5), how much will it be with tax and everything? and wat if i get the fair and flexible plan plus no roaming ($5) and nights starting at 7 P.M. ($5) so a total of $45, then how much will it be with tax and fees. thank for your help guys, im looking forward to becoming a Sprint PCS customer, please help me. thank you
Shelveen

[Deval]

Hi Everyone,
I am currently not a Sprint PCS customer. I am currently a Verizon customer and i am really afraid to switch Sprint but i cant help myself after looking at the vm 4500 from Sanyo. I compared the coverage map online between Verizon and Sprint and Verizon seems to be everywhere, but that can be fixed with Sprint with just $5 more a month. I am going to get the Fair & Flexible plan. I have a few questions for all the users today. I am going to get Sprint on December 17, 2004, becuase my contract with Verizon expires on December 16, 2004. First question, will Sprint work everywhere and is it reliable with the VM4500? How is the battery like on the VM4500? Oh yeah, the most important question is that can i add and remove services or change my plan without resigning a new contract every time? ill be managing my account online. by teh way i live in So. California. ok now for my real question, what are the cons on teh VM4500? i believe in my opinion that the VM4500 is the best phone that sprint currently carries. does anyone else agree with me? oh yeah another question, with my fair & flexible plan for $35 a month, plus $5 for no roaming, (oh yeah, how is the service in So. California?, do i need to pay teh extra $5), how much will it be with tax and everything? and wat if i get the fair and flexible plan plus no roaming ($5) and nights starting at 7 P.M. ($5) so a total of $45, then how much will it be with tax and fees. thank for your help guys, im looking forward to becoming a Sprint PCS customer, please help me. thank you
Shelveen


OK...let me be the 1st to welcome you to our awesome webboard...I'm Deval...ur local cool guy and sprint dude....ok lets start answering your question:

the VM4500 in my opinion is an awesome phone...I have one myself, and I love it. you can see pics taken with it @ www.desistylz.com/gallery/MyLife

for your plan, you can add and remove services in the 1st 3 months without extending your contract...after that, I believe you can change features, but a plan change would require a renewal.

I think Fair and Flexible is good for you, if you dont use alot of minutes, and would like to save money on overage charges. The $5 for roaming at no extra charge does carry a stipulation that you must use 51% of your minutes on Sprint service, but in all honesty, you shouldnt have any problems with the service.

Good luck, and welcome to SU again

[Shelveen]

hey daval, im desi also, thanks for ur help. Anyone else can answer my other questions, that would be great. thanks. i still want to know how the service is in the SO. Cal Area for SPRINT

[SL10]

I, second welcome you to SU. Welcome to the family, Manti is the head of the "family"! LOL! Enjoy your stay and post away!

[heatblaze]

i am in the east l.a - san gabriel valley area and the service is just great except indoors its just awful but since theres known problems with this phone i drop alot of calls and the readialing thing :(

[Deval]

hey daval, im desi also, thanks for ur help. Anyone else can answer my other questions, that would be great. thanks. i still want to know how the service is in the SO. Cal Area for SPRINT


yea...i wish i could answer the service ? but im here on east coast in NJ...and its Deval...lol...just kidding

[bluecoyote]

Wirelessly posted (VM4050/132.037 UP.Browser/6.2.2.4.e.1.100 (GUI) MMP/2.0)

Welcome to the board! I find sprint's coverage is good, and i would not have any concerns he i were you. By the time you sign up for sprint, new phones will be out that you'll probably like better. Everyone has their opinion as to Sprint's best phone... In my mind, it's the Toshiba.. Hands down.... But i also don't have a need for ready link, and i prefer picture quality over video quality. I also love the screen... Which is breathtaking...

[Rafy186]

Forget the Vm4500, by December the new Sanyo's should be available.......

And you can get a good 150 rebate on it

[sheureka]

Forget the Vm4500, by December the new Sanyo's should be available.......

And you can get a good 150 rebate on itSprint also always puts out new (better) plans just before the holidays so that will be a great time to switch. - sheureka

[MsRandall]

I agree if you can wait on to December...I would DEFINATELY wait for the new top dog the 5600...and the better plans....Welcome to the board....

[Quill]

I've driven up and down the West Coast with three different Sprint cell phones and they have all worked dandy.
And I agree with the others, in six months there will be a whole slew of new phones out in time for the holidays. Don't even get your heart set on a phone now. When you're about a month away from your contract ending, then start doing some serious research.
This is a great place to do homework on phones. I would also suggest www.cnet.com and www.phonescoop.com as additional resources for your research. Cnet has editorial reviews written by so-called cell phone experts. Both cnet and phonescoop have user reviews of phones as well. Heck, we even have a phone review section here. That will definitely assist in making a decision.

As with any color screen flip phone, talk time with a standard battery, just FYI, on the VM4500 is not fabulous, especially if you have ever used a good candybar phone. Some only get a day or two on the standard battery. I got three. I have an extended battery now and I get six days with moderate usage (I use about 800 to 900 total minutes per month between anytime and n/w plus games, Vision and text msgs).
I think that Sprint currently has three good top of the line phones, the VM4500, the Toshiba 4050 and the Samsung a680.
And by the way, the Sanyo PM 8200 seems to be a pretty good handset, too.
But, like I and others have said, six months is an eternity in the cell phone world. The phone lineup will be almost completely different then than it is now, so just keep your eye out here for info as new phones are released and read the reviews and who knows what kind of plans they'll be offering in six months. Hopefully you will have great timing and get a good deal on a phone and your plan. I think you will.
Welcome to the board and feel free to lurk. Just become a sponge and soak up the knowledge. That way by the time you switch you will be in a much better position that many new customers are due to the amount of stuff you'll know.

[Shelveen]

thanks for ur help guys, but can anyone answer my question with the amount my bill with be after taxes and stuff? oh yeah and where do i find out what future phones they going to have by december. i want something with a video camera, ready link and a regular camera. battery life should be okay, i can charge it everyday. but i want something that is kind of small and looks good. i have the motorola t720 with verizon right now. i dont like it much anymore.

[Deval]

thanks for ur help guys, but can anyone answer my question with the amount my bill with be after taxes and stuff? oh yeah and where do i find out what future phones they going to have by december. i want something with a video camera, ready link and a regular camera. battery life should be okay, i can charge it everyday. but i want something that is kind of small and looks good. i have the motorola t720 with verizon right now. i dont like it much anymore.

its gonna be hard to find out exactly how much your bill will be...for example, i live in NJ, so after taxes, my $30 plan comes out to $36...as for new phones, there is alot of speculation as to what phones are coming out, but i dont think any employee wants to promote themselves to a customer by saying more info

[heatblaze]

finally my local sprint store is getting a new batch of 4500 phones on wed (crossing fingers) now i can enjoy this phone , i dropped every call i was on today :(

[Disruptor]

hey daval, im desi also, thanks for ur help. Anyone else can answer my other questions, that would be great. thanks. i still want to know how the service is in the SO. Cal Area for SPRINT
Hey Shelven, the service in So Cal is REALLY good. I live in Long Beach, but commute to all over Orange County, Cypress, and LA county and the service is great. I have never had a problem. You will not regret the switch.

[Gene575]

The battery life is going to suffer, anytime that big, bright display is on. And if you happen to fall into the fringe areas, and go off dig, you can watch the battery bars go down. The nice thing about lith. battery technology is they can be charged, or topped off, anytime. Also, no antenna adapter for this phone. Doesn't look like there will be one. I have not had the dropped calls/redialing issue, since I had the software update done. I didn't think they were related, but whose to really say. Welcome, and good luck!

[sheureka]

Also, no antenna adapter for this phone. Doesn't look like there will be one.
Wilson (http://www.wilsonelectronics.com) tells me they'll have an adapter in 4 to 6 weeks. Don't know about that timeline, but I do know they are planning on releasing one. - sheureka

[Shelveen]

gene how do you get that update done on the VM4500? im sure the phones now already have teh updates ones right?

[jsk1535]

OK...let me be the 1st to welcome you to our awesome webboard...I'm Deval...ur local cool guy and sprint dude....ok lets start answering your question:

the VM4500 in my opinion is an awesome phone...I have one myself, and I love it. you can see pics taken with it @ www.desistylz.com/gallery/MyLife

for your plan, you can add and remove services in the 1st 3 months without extending your contract...after that, I believe you can change features, but a plan change would require a renewal.

I think Fair and Flexible is good for you, if you dont use alot of minutes, and would like to save money on overage charges. The $5 for roaming at no extra charge does carry a stipulation that you must use 51% of your minutes on Sprint service, but in all honesty, you shouldnt have any problems with the service.

Good luck, and welcome to SU again

I like the way you welcome newbies to the site...it is refreshing to read notes from someone who is positive and welcoming...in a world where graciousness and good manners have tanked, it is nice to read your helpful and positive messages....keep up the good stuff...Sprint is the better for folks like you

[Deval]

thanks bro :)

[DigitalFreik]

First question, will Sprint work everywhere and is it reliable with the VM4500?
Both JD Power & Assoc. and the Orange County Register rated Sprint tops in California for network performance. I concur that telephone customer service is hit or miss when you have a significant problem, but with general questions and normal program changes they are the best I have dealt with. I live in SoCal and have not used a service I like better. And yes, I have had Cingular, AT&T, Verizon and Nextel within the last 2 years for comparison. I am sure you will be happy.

How is the battery like on the VM4500?Well, I do a lot of talking (3500-6000min monthly) and often find myself needing to charge my phone before the end of the day. However several members of my family with the same phone that talk significantly less get a full day sometimes two.

Oh yeah, the most important question is that can i add and remove services or change my plan without resigning a new contract every time?Deval was correct. Adding and removing features (e.g. Voice Command, Roadside Rescue, 7pm N&W) will not affect your Advantage Agreement. But after 90 days from the initiation of your AA, if you change your plan it will restart whatever term your are on (1yr or 2yr).

I'll be managing my account online.I have NOT been pleased with online account management with Sprint. I pay my bill online, review my invoices, verify plan and features, buy ringers and screensavers and thats about all I have had success with online account service. Changing plans and features I do over the phone then verify they have been done at the start of my next billing period online.


with my fair & flexible plan for $35 a month...how much will it be with tax and everything?Expect about 12% taxes with a SoCal address. Therefore is your base is $45 (F&F with America and 7pm) you should get bills for less than $51 if you stay under 300. If not just add $5 for every extra chunk of 100 minutes that you used that month. Also if you stay in the metro areas of SoCal (not the deserts or a lot up to Mammoth) then you won't need the America (no roaming) feature. I have it as I do travel into the sticks and roam more than 80 minutes total in one year. Therefore the $60 it costs me annually to have the America feature makes it worth it.

what are the cons with the VM4500? i believe in my opinion that the VM4500 is the best phone that sprint currently carries. does anyone else agree with me?The VM4500 is a great phone and I am overall very happy with it. However, it is getting old now (in Sprint phone terms) as it has been out for more than 10months. I would recommend figuring out exactly what features and options you want in a phone (make a list), go play with many of them at Best Buy and/or Sprint stores. See which ones feel good to hold and that you like the menus. Also think about things that you might feel to be obvious inclusions but might not be. For example, I hate that with the Sanyos when I push the talk button it will only let me see the very last number dialed not the last 10 or 20 like the Samsungs do. I also don't like how the Toshiba's phone book forces you to open up a named entry to cycle through the different numbers stored for the one entry whereas on the Sanyos and Samsungs I can just arrow to the right and it move through them. Plus without opening the entry only the Samsungs show the phone about to be dialed. These are silly little things but still things that would be dealing with day in and day out so they can still be very relevant. Additionally, I have always had great luck with Sanyo handsets. I had one bad VM4500 and the rest (about 6 others) all fantastic. I have had the 8200, 5400, 4900, 8100, 6400, 5150, and the 5000 and I loved them all. I have several great Samsungs like the A680 and the 8500 but there are also ones that I wouldn't recommend to anyone like the A660 and the A460 so they are more hit and miss.

In summary, December 17th is a long way away. Plan on looking for phones about a week in advance and bring your list of required features with you (in a hierarchy so that you can make compromises). Make sure you check out prices of handsets at your local retailers, especially Good Guys, as they always have amazing deals (e.g. right now the 8200 is free after instant rebates and you only pay $24 in taxes out the door).

Good luck and welcome to Sprint. I expect you will be very happy.

[mbrenner]

Taxes are higher in LA County than OC. I think that they are about 10% on my bill (OC) and would be close to 15% if I were in La County.

The coverage in OC and La is unsurpassed IMHO. I also have a GSM phone and friends with Verizon. Verizon is good also here, but you can roam on verizon, when you arn't on sprint. This happens for about 5 minutes a month for me out of 1800 minutes of average connection time.

Yes I still pay for roaming because I don't want to travel some where, use 300 minutes and get a 150 dollar phone bill.

I have a Sanyo 4500, I like it a lot. I broke a hinge after 9 months, and it was replaced. Took sprint a while to replace it (I now realize that if the store doesn't have them call in and insist that they send you one rather than waiting for the store to get one). My replacement works great as did my old phone.

Bettery life is about 1 day if you use the phone a lot (about 1 hour of talking + standby).

The new models should be out in December along with maybe nice plan incentives.

If you want cool internet features consider a Treo 650. I am getting one. Since Vision is "all you can eat" If the treo form factor works and you can afford one, you can fool with the internet all you want if you have a good browser on your phone.

[boomer13]

If the vm4500 is still on top of you list come Dec 17th, then I'll let you know that durability is my biggest issue. I just recieved my new one via warranty because my old one broke at the hinges. I've read of a few other users here that have had the same issue. I'm really going to try extra hard not to drop my phone this time around :)