[DJRider]

I received a post card from Sprint today:

Notice OF Discontinuance Of FPCR, Federal E999 and Federal WLNP Surcharges: Introduction Of Administrative And Regulartory Charges Effective January 1, 1908.

Beginning January 1, 2008 Sprint will no longer assess the following : !) Federal Programs Cost Recovery ($ 1.55); 2) Federal E911 ($.40) and 3) Federal Wirelsss Local Number Portability ($.15).

Beginning January 1, 2008 Sprint will asses 2 new monthly charges per line. An administrative charge of $.75 and a regulatory charge of $.20 to help defray the cost on us that other telecommunications carriers charge Sprint.

It then goes on to say the following which I find very interesting:

Notice Of Charges To Sprint Terms And Conditions Of Service- January 1, 2008

The terms and conditions for Sprint and Nextel have been updated, but not limited to, the following paragraphs:

Your device, number and Email address; caller ID
Surcharges
Your Privacy
Location Based Services

These new terms and conditions are effective January 1, 2008 and are available at sprint.com or upon request.
Please carefully review these terms as they apply to any future use of service.

My question is this. Is Sprint telling me to review these terms as possibly it is a way out of your contract? They definitely changed the terms and conditions. I have no reason to leave Sprint, but was wondering since the last paragraph seems as they are covering themselves.

[Wayne 1]

Will that $12. or so per year help improve customer service?

[DJRider]

Originally Posted by Wayne 1

Will that $12. or so per year help improve customer service?

I doubt it, lol!

[ink718]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More fees and taxes! YES!!!!!!!! Keep them comming! -=/

[BrettW]

Originally Posted by ink718

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More fees and taxes! YES!!!!!!!! Keep them comming! -=/

did you do the math. they are charing over $1 less in taxes (yea its not much, but hey its less)

[Memphis213]

Is this a legitimate policy change, i.e: Chance to leave your contract?

[Dan]

if the changes have a negative effect on you (costing you more money, limiting your rights under the terms of the agreement) then it would be a reason to leave your contract ETF free.

If the changes simply change the wording to make things be more understandable to the average customer and lower fees, then these changes would not be grounds for an ETF free termination of the contract.

[EpOxY]

i thought the rule was, whenever they change the terms, you have a window to get out... not "if the changes hurt you, then you can get out."

not that I would opt out. well, i wouldn't ever want to change my plan, but if this gives me a change to be contract-less and a little more leverage next time I "need" something, i wouldn't mind taking advantage of it. *shrug* either way, i'm not leaving sprint.

But you're the supermod. So maybe i'm wrong.

[walla]

That's correct. I compared the 2007 and 2008 Terms and Condition of Service line by line... there is nothing you can use against them to prove a change has an adverse affect on you.

They basically simply changed the wordings and that's all...


http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/le...f_Service#2007
http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/le...f_Service#2008

[Memphis213]

Now I am in the process on line-by-line examining the changes here. The Caller ID etc changes are just options to get your phones lock code from sprint.

But I think the key words are:
The Administrative Charge will be $0.75 per line per month and is assessed by Sprint to help defray various costs imposed on Sprint by other telecommunications carriers, including, but not limited to, charges imposed by local telephone companies for delivery of calls from our customers to their landline customers and for certain network facilities and services we need to purchase from them. The Administrative Charge is not a tax and is not an amount we are required to collect from you by law. The Administrative Charge, and the components used to calculate this charge, is subject to change from time to time.

This is listed on both new fees, now I know this is very slimy but from a strictly legal stand point the fact they are equaling out charges in a way, it does not change the fact that are adding new charges, that are company preference fees, and therefore even on a principle basing are changing your contract after you have agreed.

For instance: Someone who might not have had a problem with them collecting a e911 fee, for safety reasons, might have a problem with sprint recollecting its "administrative fees" back from you. Seems point blank a change of contract, which require re-consideration by both parties. Now of course legally sprint would have a chance to recourse and allow me back the old fee system, but it is unfeasible to alter company wide policy.

I am not saying I would leave sprint, but like others have been a loyal customer for years, but due to their previous system of "new phone=new contract, new plan=new contract, making an outgoing call=new contract" I have never been OOC and therefore never able to receive the benefits of being so.

Any other thoughts? I dont see how this is fundamentally any different from the text messaging change?

[walla]

Originally Posted by Memphis213

Now I am in the process on line-by-line examining the changes here. The Caller ID etc changes are just options to get your phones lock code from sprint.

But I think the key words are:
The Administrative Charge will be $0.75 per line per month and is assessed by Sprint to help defray various costs imposed on Sprint by other telecommunications carriers, including, but not limited to, charges imposed by local telephone companies for delivery of calls from our customers to their landline customers and for certain network facilities and services we need to purchase from them. The Administrative Charge is not a tax and is not an amount we are required to collect from you by law. The Administrative Charge, and the components used to calculate this charge, is subject to change from time to time.

This is listed on both new fees, now I know this is very slimy but from a strictly legal stand point the fact they are equaling out charges in a way, it does not change the fact that are adding new charges, that are company preference fees, and therefore even on a principle basing are changing your contract after you have agreed.

For instance: Someone who might not have had a problem with them collecting a e911 fee, for safety reasons, might have a problem with sprint recollecting its "administrative fees" back from you. Seems point blank a change of contract, which require re-consideration by both parties. Now of course legally sprint would have a chance to recourse and allow me back the old fee system, but it is unfeasible to alter company wide policy.

I am not saying I would leave sprint, but like others have been a loyal customer for years, but due to their previous system of "new phone=new contract, new plan=new contract, making an outgoing call=new contract" I have never been OOC and therefore never able to receive the benefits of being so.

Any other thoughts? I dont see how this is fundamentally any different from the text messaging change?

Hmm... sounds like a valid reason to me...

[aau007]

If Sprint is 'adding' and Administrative Charge that is not government mandated, they are changing the T&C in my mind. This is essentially a core charge because you have no option to opt out unless you cancel the service. Keep in mind this is not an existing charge that "Sprint can change from time to time" as in your original agreement.

I wonder if Sprint will let people out free of etf if customers don't agree on the new "Administrative Charge" that is not a government mandate.

[BrettW]

it seems to me this change is brought as a result of the lawsuit sprint lost for mis-collecting or over collecting "taxes" and using them for what they are now calling "administrative fees"

[Memphis213]

Also there are two other wordings that don't sit well with me:

#1:
Service Fee – Ending December 31, 2007
This Service fee is $1.15 per line per month. The fee is a rate adjustment of the monthly access rate and reflects the costs of providing services associated with Nextel's wireless cellular, Nextel® Walkie-Talkie and data services. In the future, this fee may be combined with the monthly access rate after billing system adjustments are completed.

Are they really getting rid of it? or temporarily to make the other changes look better?? It seems it would be no problem removing and then re-adding after the period for dispute about these new charges is over, since technically you agreed to them originally, it was a service to have them removed. Seems like a catch-all because you CAN leave your contract due to these changes.

Regulatory Charge – Effective January 1, 2008
The Regulatory Charge will be $0.20 per line per month and is assessed by Sprint to help defray costs of various federal, state, and local regulatory programs. The Regulatory Charge is not a tax and is not an amount we are required to collect from you by law. The Regulatory Charge, and the components used to calculate this charge, is subject to change from time to time.

Therefore this could be increased from time to time and you have agreed in your T&C by not leaving that you will accept these fluctuations due to your agreement.

Does anyone have a solid answer yet? Or am I gonna have to go be the guinea pig? I will be contacting eCare and phone care to see what kind of answers I can get?

Any Sprint CSR's that can weigh in on this??? Any experiences with it yet?

[Romeo8Juliet]

Originally Posted by aau007

If Sprint is 'adding' and Administrative Charge that is not government mandated, they are changing the T&C in my mind. This is essentially a core charge because you have no option to opt out unless you cancel the service. Keep in mind this is not an existing charge that "Sprint can change from time to time" as in your original agreement.

I wonder if Sprint will let people out free of etf if customers don't agree on the new "Administrative Charge" that is not a government mandate.

Pretty sure they have to. I believe it is somewhere in there that you have 30 days to agree to any modifications of the contract - if you stay, then you obviously agree. If you do not agree/accept the new changes/additions - you may cancel without penalty.

It's how I was let out of my contract w/ Cingular (Now AT&T) for free.