Catching up: Retention plans, untethered modem use, etc.

It's been a while since I've frequented this ng and I had some questions I
hoped someone might be able to answer:

1 - I'm currently on a retention plan that at the time I signed up for it
seemed like a great deal, and probably would be, if I made good use of it,
which I don't:

N/W Unlimited, starts at 8pm
2500 Anytime
Free Vision on Line 1
2nd Line w/o Vision (not needed anyway)
Free PCS-PCS calls
$100/mo + tax & charges (~$125/mo total)

Between the 2 lines I seem to be using less than 1000 Anytime minutes a
month, and don't expect this to go up by much any time soon, so I'm clearly
underutilizing the 2500 Anytime minutes.

Are there any currently offered retention plans with around 1000-1500
Anytime minutes and similar features that would save me on what I'm
currently paying? It's important for me to keep the 2nd line and Vision on
Line 1. PCS-PCS isn't as important, but I assume it comes free with all
plans.

2 - Has Sprint's policy on the prohibition of untethered modem use to
connect a laptop or desktop to the internet via Vision's #777 service
changed in any appreciable way in the past year? Last time I checked, you
weren't allowed to do this, but Sprint tended to look the other way so long
as you kept your usage to a safe minimum, e.g. several MB a day to check
email and such. Is this still effectively their policy, or have the started
to clamp down on people who make ANY such use of their phones as modems, and
if so, in what way? My cable modem connection went down today and since I
have no landline I had to use my Sprint phone to connect to the internet. It
worked fine, so clearly they haven't disabled this ability. I'm just
concerned that it won't put me in trouble with Sprint.

3 - This ng seems to have very little traffic these days. Are there now more
popular forums for discussing Sprint PCS-related issues, and if so what are
they?

Thanks!

--
Kovie
[email protected]zen

---

› See More: Catching up: Retention plans, untethered modem use, etc.

"Kovie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> It's been a while since I've frequented this ng and I had some questions I
> hoped someone might be able to answer:

Hey Kovie ... WB
>
> 1 - I'm currently on a retention plan that at the time I signed up for it
> seemed like a great deal, and probably would be, if I made good use of it,
> which I don't:
>
> N/W Unlimited, starts at 8pm
> 2500 Anytime
> Free Vision on Line 1
> 2nd Line w/o Vision (not needed anyway)
> Free PCS-PCS calls
> $100/mo + tax & charges (~$125/mo total)
>
> Between the 2 lines I seem to be using less than 1000 Anytime minutes a
> month, and don't expect this to go up by much any time soon, so I'm
> clearly underutilizing the 2500 Anytime minutes.

That's a pretty good deal you have there. In saying that, I've got a
retention plan on 3 phones, with 1200 AT minutes, PCS2PCS, F&CA, and vision
on two of the phones for $85/mo. On that, I have a 5% credit applied, so
with T & S, monthly bill comes out around $93/mo.
>
> Are there any currently offered retention plans with around 1000-1500
> Anytime minutes and similar features that would save me on what I'm
> currently paying? It's important for me to keep the 2nd line and Vision on
> Line 1. PCS-PCS isn't as important, but I assume it comes free with all
> plans.
>

Is your AA expired? If it is, check out the plans of the other competitors
which better fit your needs. Write down the details. Then give SPCS a call,
and tell Claire you want to "Cancel Service". You will be transferred to a
higher level rep (I don't believe they call them retention reps any more).
Tell the rep that you've noticed a lower plan for your area through a
competitor, that you've been happy with SPCS, but you need to reduce your
monthly expenses.

Ask them to research how many minutes you've been averaging for the past
three months, and see whether they can offer a more competitive brand to
your needs, including PCS2PCS & F&CA. On the Vision option, you might be
able to drop that cost a bit, if you don't download ringers and screensavers
very much. If you do any TMing, make sure that is included with your vision
option as well. You might be able to get some new phones as well either free
or at a discounted price, if you are eligible for phone rebates. If they can
offer a better deal, write down all the details, date & time, and who the
rep was who you were talking to. You will have to agree with another 2 yr.
AA.


> 2 - Has Sprint's policy on the prohibition of untethered modem use to
> connect a laptop or desktop to the internet via Vision's #777 service
> changed in any appreciable way in the past year? Last time I checked, you
> weren't allowed to do this, but Sprint tended to look the other way so
> long as you kept your usage to a safe minimum, e.g. several MB a day to
> check email and such. Is this still effectively their policy, or have the
> started to clamp down on people who make ANY such use of their phones as
> modems, and if so, in what way? My cable modem connection went down today
> and since I have no landline I had to use my Sprint phone to connect to
> the internet. It worked fine, so clearly they haven't disabled this
> ability. I'm just concerned that it won't put me in trouble with Sprint.

It's the same as what you remember, at least I haven't noticed any
additional charges for the occassional tethering, nor do I remember seeing
anyone else here get hit with additional data charges.

Bob

"Bob Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Kovie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> It's been a while since I've frequented this ng and I had some questions
>> I hoped someone might be able to answer:
>
> Hey Kovie ... WB
>>
>> 1 - I'm currently on a retention plan that at the time I signed up for it
>> seemed like a great deal, and probably would be, if I made good use of
>> it, which I don't:
>>
>> N/W Unlimited, starts at 8pm
>> 2500 Anytime
>> Free Vision on Line 1
>> 2nd Line w/o Vision (not needed anyway)
>> Free PCS-PCS calls
>> $100/mo + tax & charges (~$125/mo total)
>>
>> Between the 2 lines I seem to be using less than 1000 Anytime minutes a
>> month, and don't expect this to go up by much any time soon, so I'm
>> clearly underutilizing the 2500 Anytime minutes.
>
> That's a pretty good deal you have there. In saying that, I've got a
> retention plan on 3 phones, with 1200 AT minutes, PCS2PCS, F&CA, and
> vision on two of the phones for $85/mo. On that, I have a 5% credit
> applied, so with T & S, monthly bill comes out around $93/mo.
>>
>> Are there any currently offered retention plans with around 1000-1500
>> Anytime minutes and similar features that would save me on what I'm
>> currently paying? It's important for me to keep the 2nd line and Vision
>> on Line 1. PCS-PCS isn't as important, but I assume it comes free with
>> all plans.
>>
>
> Is your AA expired? If it is, check out the plans of the other competitors
> which better fit your needs. Write down the details. Then give SPCS a
> call, and tell Claire you want to "Cancel Service". You will be
> transferred to a higher level rep (I don't believe they call them
> retention reps any more). Tell the rep that you've noticed a lower plan
> for your area through a competitor, that you've been happy with SPCS, but
> you need to reduce your monthly expenses.
>
> Ask them to research how many minutes you've been averaging for the past
> three months, and see whether they can offer a more competitive brand to
> your needs, including PCS2PCS & F&CA. On the Vision option, you might be
> able to drop that cost a bit, if you don't download ringers and
> screensavers very much. If you do any TMing, make sure that is included
> with your vision option as well. You might be able to get some new phones
> as well either free or at a discounted price, if you are eligible for
> phone rebates. If they can offer a better deal, write down all the
> details, date & time, and who the rep was who you were talking to. You
> will have to agree with another 2 yr. AA.
>
>
>> 2 - Has Sprint's policy on the prohibition of untethered modem use to
>> connect a laptop or desktop to the internet via Vision's #777 service
>> changed in any appreciable way in the past year? Last time I checked, you
>> weren't allowed to do this, but Sprint tended to look the other way so
>> long as you kept your usage to a safe minimum, e.g. several MB a day to
>> check email and such. Is this still effectively their policy, or have the
>> started to clamp down on people who make ANY such use of their phones as
>> modems, and if so, in what way? My cable modem connection went down today
>> and since I have no landline I had to use my Sprint phone to connect to
>> the internet. It worked fine, so clearly they haven't disabled this
>> ability. I'm just concerned that it won't put me in trouble with Sprint.
>
> It's the same as what you remember, at least I haven't noticed any
> additional charges for the occassional tethering, nor do I remember seeing
> anyone else here get hit with additional data charges.
>
> Bob

Thanks Bob. I'll try these suggestions. I still have 5 months on my 2-year,
but it can't hurt to try. It would be nice to save a few bucks, even though
I'm not paying more than I used to pay for an old SPCS plan and a home line
w/LD, which I got rid of last year. Do you know of any online resources for
finding recent retention deals, or is it pretty much google the words
"retention sprint PCS"?

--
Kovie
[email protected]zen

"Kovie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
<snipped>

> Thanks Bob. I'll try these suggestions. I still have 5 months on my
> 2-year, but it can't hurt to try. It would be nice to save a few bucks,
> even though I'm not paying more than I used to pay for an old SPCS plan
> and a home line w/LD, which I got rid of last year. Do you know of any
> online resources for finding recent retention deals, or is it pretty much
> google the words "retention sprint PCS"?
>
> --
> Kovie
> [email protected]zen

I don't believe there is any online source which has compiled retention
deals, nor do I think that you will get many hits on "recent" retention
deals. My deal is 16 months old as it is. Not all retention deals are the
same, as it depends on length of service, the current plan and your payment
history.

All I can suggest are those points in my prior post

Bob

"Bob Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Kovie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> <snipped>
>
>> Thanks Bob. I'll try these suggestions. I still have 5 months on my
>> 2-year, but it can't hurt to try. It would be nice to save a few bucks,
>> even though I'm not paying more than I used to pay for an old SPCS plan
>> and a home line w/LD, which I got rid of last year. Do you know of any
>> online resources for finding recent retention deals, or is it pretty much
>> google the words "retention sprint PCS"?
>>
>> --
>> Kovie
>> [email protected]zen
>
> I don't believe there is any online source which has compiled retention
> deals, nor do I think that you will get many hits on "recent" retention
> deals. My deal is 16 months old as it is. Not all retention deals are the
> same, as it depends on length of service, the current plan and your
> payment history.
>
> All I can suggest are those points in my prior post
>
> Bob


I actually just read that supposedly Comcast cable has partnered up with
Sprint with plans to offer combined cable/internet/phone/cell service plans
next year, so maybe that's worth waiting for--or not. Chances are that it'll
be more of a way for these 2 companies to make yet more money by on new
services than to lower costs on existing ones.

Otherwise, I'll follow up on your suggestions. Thanks.

--
Kovie
[email protected]zen