Upgrade changes at Sprint and Verizon

It seems that both Sprint and Verizon have changed their subsidized phone policies going forward. Here's what you need to know for Sprint since I have experience with them. There will be two tiers and this is from their site.

Sprint Premier Gold

What You Get: One upgrade per year per account. (main line)

Qualifications: 1). Individual plan that has a 3 month average of $89.99, 2) Family plan that has a 3 month average of $169.99, or 3) 10+ year customer


Sprint Premier Silver

What You Get: Upgrades every two years under the Sprint standard "New For You" program. (annual upgrade benefits will not be grandfathered to customers already in premier program)

Qualifications: 1). Individual plan with a 3 month average of $69.99- $89.98, 2). Family plan with a 3 month average of $99.99-$169.98.


What Is Staying The Same:

1). 25% discount off of two accessories
2). First To Buy Occasion
3). Anniversary Thank You Letter (choice of $5 bill credit or 75 bonus minutes 

4). Just Because Perks

This is it basically, if you have a current plan or you have been with them over 10 years, you'll continue to get the good deals. However, if you've been with them less than 10 years and/or you have a cheap plan, no more subsidized phones for you.

US cellular customers have become accustomed to subsidized phones which are given to them for a fraction of the device's actual cost in exchange for a 2 year contract instead of paying full price like what is done in many other countries. Prepaid is the wave of the future unless you feel like shelling out 90 dollars a month or more with Sprint. Looks like I need to go ahead and get one last subsidized phone before the gravy train ends on April 1st. That is April Fools isn't it?

Looks like Sprint paid attention

From what I have been able to gather, perhaps finally some people at Sprint have paid attention. Emails, reports and other attempts on the inside to fix the corruption and incompetence apparently are not as effective as information posted on the Internet for all to see. I guess when it is done from the inside, there are enough people above you that can block the information from getting to the right people but on the net, the info is there and anyone can see it. Perhaps public embarrassment had something to do with this or maybe people finally realized the jig was up, we will probably never know.

According to the letter I posted last month and this link, Sprint has been auditing accounts and pulling corporate discounts from individuals who are not entitled to them such as those who don't really work for JPMorgan or those who have plans like SERO which are not supposed to be discounted in the first place. It is truly a shame that a really good brand has been held back by idiots and thieves. As much as I have criticized this company, I am a loyal customer who gets a great deal and never plan on leaving.

Stop in and say hello

You, yes, you. Those of you who have been featured in the articles I've written. I know you read this, why don't you go ahead and leave a comment defending yourselves? As many times as you come here, I know you want to say something, so go ahead. I'd like to hear your story, your side of things. Especially all of you reading this from those Overland Park and New York IP addresses.

I have one or two more articles on the subject to write before I let this one sleep for awhile. However, I'd like to go ahead and thank the heartless person at Sprint who fired my friend on Christmas Eve. This was someone I helped train and mentored in my time there. This was someone you stressed out to no end, someone who was literally puking from the stress you put on all of us. Perhaps this was a present to her instead, even though you didn't mean it that way. This is someone who missed work because of a family member who has cancer yet you had no problem getting rid of them. Classy, just classy.