Thinking about leaving Sprint Wireless.

[buffdaddy]

Hey All,

My contract with Sprint is almost up and I'm thinking about leaving. I've only been with Sprint for about 2 years and I like the fact that Sprint has cheap plans and is the last provider (at least for now) to have unlimted data (I would consider myself a "power user" as far as data is concerned). Call wise I've never had any issues, but their 3G is so slow and their Wimax is spotty. I know they're switching over to LTE but like with ATT and Verizon it will be a long and painful rollout. Their current line up of phones is good, especially the new HTC EVO 4G LTE (but without a LTE network why bother), Iphone and Galaxy Nexus.

I was a long time ATT customer since the late 90's and stayed with them during the Cingular spinoff and again when ATT was bought by Cingular. I just couldn't take the dropped calls and the pricing of their plans anymore. But I really like their current selection of phones especially the HTC 1X and their LTE is pretty fast. Verizon is an option but they are too expensive. TMobile and U.S. Cellular seem to be pretty good price wise but I've noticed that their line of devices are not as robust as ATT, Verizon or even Sprint.

Anyway if their are any current or former Sprint customers out there I could use some feedback. If you're with Sprint why are you staying or if you jumped ship why did you leave? Just trying to find some pros and cons.

 

[smalltank]

I know what you mean bud...had em few years back..ALWAYS overcharged us on the bills...though they sre expanding to 4g LTE but it will take time..perhaps a WiMax device in the meantime?

 

[morganjg]

I have been with Sprint since '98 and have stuck with them through the thick and thin. Stood through during the Worldcom mess, the Nextel transition, and all of the ups and downs. Problem is that recently they have had the crappiest reception in Buffalo, NY and no plans on fixing it. Add to that the slowest 3g speeds (now using WiFi as much as possible) to the point that I cancelled my hotspot since I couldn't stream anything, discontinued Premier Member status, and the move from Wimax to LTE (which I think is good but I just got my S2 Wimax and with no early upgrade I am kind of irked.) I would also consider myself a power user for data, but my usage has just tanked as the 3g speeds here have gotten so slow that it is just unbearable, so the unlimited data is kind of moot at this point. I just don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold out.

 

[jd_1138]

We had Sprint for years. It was alright but too pricey. We use Straight Talk now -- pay as you go. $45 a month for unlimited, and $30 a month for 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, and 30mb (?) data. No contracts. They use both GSM and CDMA phones that piggyback either on the AT&T (GSM) towers or Verizon (CDMA). I bought a Samsung with a slideout QWERTY keyboard for $30 off their website. They also have about 5 Android phones to pick from starting at $99. Along with other touchscreen smart phones, sliders like mine, and simple flip phones (some are free).

 

[Kentos]

I think as more and more people switch to smart phones data speeds will plummet. Luckily in Hawaii there are only so many people so data speeds are pretty good IMO, and the being an island coverage is good wherever you are.

 

[Kooze]

Started with Verizon. Great service, so- so plan, customer service was ok at best. Could care less about long-term customer satisfaction.

Then went to sprint. Spotty service, best plans, again- no attempt to keep customer no longer under contract (can you tell this bugs me).

Currently with AT&T. Spotty at best service, calling plans pricey, haven't tried to see if they offer any reason for me to stay (contract just ended). As a side note- every phone I have ever used has failed to last the 2 years while under contract. Argh

If AT&T doesn't want o provide an incentive (for me- just another free phone, preferably w/out signing long-term contract), I will go back to sprint.

Three words to use in your negotiations with sprint: Retention department please

 

[buffdaddy]

I know what you mean bud...had em few years back..ALWAYS overcharged us on the bills...though they sre expanding to 4g LTE but it will take time..perhaps a WiMax device in the meantime?

Well I already have an HTC Evo 4G, which is one the reasons I jumped ship to Sprint (the 1st 4G phone at the time claims Sprint). Was rocking an Iphone 4, but since Iphones aren't LTE capable yet I decided to jump to Android as well. Also I believe Sprint will be phasing out Wimax when their LTE is built out (within the next couple years).

I must admit Wimax reception has gotton better but Sprint definitely bet on the wrong horse and not building out their LTE network, instead relying on Wimax which is an older technology. Not sure if it was because of their relationship with Clearwire that they kept Wimax around but regardless of the reason they have some catching up to do.

 

[Drybonz]

I have had wireless service with AT&T, Verizon and Sprint (currently on Sprint). They are all bad, to be honest. Verizon has the distinction of being my pick for worst customer service of any company in any market. Sprint quality of service is best in my area so I ultimately stuck with them. In a couple of years pre-paid is going to be very popular and competitive... so that is what I am really waiting for, so I can dump these contracts once and for all.

 

[buffdaddy]

Or buy an unlocked phone and stay off contract. I know unlocked phones can be expensive but you'll end up saving money in the long run.

 

[professorchaos]

Don't expect much from the other providers. Crappy service is a universal problem.

 

[buffdaddy]

I think as more and more people switch to smart phones data speeds will plummet. Luckily in Hawaii there are only so many people so data speeds are pretty good IMO, and the being an island coverage is good wherever you are.

Yeah that's an issue as well. But Sprint has a smaller contract user base (way more on the prepaid side with Boost and Virgin) than ATT and Verizon. I know when Sprint got the Iphone (which they paid big bucks to Apple) their contract user base went up but since Iphones are only 3G capable it really didn't affect users with 4G equipped phones.

Being a bit of a tech nerd I've read and listened to and read a lot of articles and podcasts pertaining to this subject on engadget.com, theverge.com, and Cnet.com and I guess Sprint is sitting on a ton on bandwith that the big 2 networks would love to get their hands on. Which is great for Sprint users because it won't really affect their data speeds if a lot of ATT or Verizon customers jump ship to Sprint.

But I think with Sprint just starting to deploy their LTE network people will either: stay away, think about jumping ship or wait it out. Sprint is supposed to rollout full LTE coverage over the entire Chicagland area by late Fall, early winter. Some places around the Chicagoland area and NW Indiana supposedly already have LTE working.

Ah, decisions, decisions!

 

[AirForceMX]

Verizon bro! I went from Spring to the Big V and I couldn't be happier!

 

[BingeAndPurge]

We've had Sprint for years and have never understood the complaints. We get better service than anyone I know, and any issue we've ever had they've been more than eager to fix in most cases.