Subscribe
Stop the Cap! reader Larry Posk from Atlanta just threw AT&T overboard, fed up with the company’s anti-consumer policies, and Sprint paid him $125 to walk.
“I can’t think of a single reason to stay with the sharks at AT&T who are spending my money to pay off legislators to drop Net Neutrality, impose usage caps on all of their broadband and wireless accounts, and now try and wipe out T-Mobile; I’ve had enough,” Larry writes. “I told AT&T goodbye and switched to an unlimited plan from Sprint, who more than covered my early termination fee and gave me a new smartphone for free.”
Larry is a beneficiary of Sprint’s customer win-0ver promotion that covers up to $125 in early termination fees when customers cancel service mid-contract. Larry owed AT&T around $70, but Sprint gave him the full $125 benefit as a credit on his first Sprint bill.
“All I had to do was transfer my old AT&T number to Sprint, which effectively ended my AT&T service,” Larry says. “Technically I did not even have to call AT&T to cancel service — the number transfer does the trick, but I felt extra satisfaction giving AT&T a piece of my mind.”
Larry doesn’t want to do business with companies that engage in Internet Overcharging.
“I can basically understand there might be a need for some limitations on wireless service, but when AT&T put the same scheme on their DSL and U-verse customers, it was clear they were simply ripping customers off and I want no part of it,” Larry says.
Sprint also gave Larry another 10 percent off because he belongs to a credit union that qualifies him for additional discounts. In the end, he’s actually saving about $24 a month and isn’t exposed to a usage limit any longer.
“I recognize the fact Sprint’s network isn’t as wide-ranging as AT&T or Verizon, but I barely travel and Sprint’s coverage in Atlanta is actually better than AT&T because Sprint hasn’t dropped any of my calls,” Larry says. “Data speed is adequate for my needs, and is about on par with what AT&T was delivering here in Atlanta, but it’s not as fast as Verizon.”
Larry says he didn’t know about Sprint’s promotion until he asked, and he recommends customers inquire about Sprint covering their early termination fees before signing up for service. We found some customers complaining they did not get the credit, but we suspect that might be because they didn’t follow the terms and conditions. The most important one of all: you have to buy your new phone from Sprint, not a third-party retailer. Here is the fine print:
Available for consumer and individual-liable lines only. Available online, via telesales, and in participating Sprint stores. Purchases from other retailers are not eligible for the service credit. Requires port-in from an active wireless line/mobile number or landline/number that comes through the port process to a new-line on an eligible Sprint service plan. Excludes $19.99 Tablet Plan. Request for service credit must be made at sprint.com/switchtosprint within 72 hours from the port-in activation date or service credit will be declined. Ported new-line activation must remain active with Sprint for 61 days to receive full service credit. Upgrades, replacements, add-a-phone/line transactions and ports made between Sprint entities or providers associated with Sprint (i.e. Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance) are excluded. You should continue paying your bill while waiting for your service credit to avoid service interruption and possible credit delay. A $125 service credit will be applied for netbooks, notebooks, tablets, mobile broadband devices and smartphones which include BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm, and Instinct family of devices. All other phones are considered feature phones. A $50 service credit will be applied for feature phones and Sprint Phone Connect (when available). Smartphones require activation on an Everything Plan with data with Premium Data add-on charge.
Other stories of interest:
- No Data Caps or Speed Throttles For Sprint Customers (Unless Roaming)
- Virgin Mobile Introducing Unlimited Mobile Wireless Broadband $40 A Month on Sprint Network
- Sprint Hiking Unlimited Smartphone Data Plans $10 Later This Month
- Sprint vs. AT&T: Dan Hesse Declares War on AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
- So Much for Wireless Competition: Sprint in Talks to Acquire Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile
