Will you still buy the evo with the additional $10 monthly charge?

[1Paladin]

I guess I try look at it this way. I pay $110+ for cable that I only watch a few hours a day. I don't even have any premium channels! I wish they would have a tier system, why should I pay for all those lame channels I never watch!!! That is the biggest waist of money to me. I will get much more use out of my phone for $80/Month.

I only wish they would not charge the $10 unless you had 4G service but I guess they have to pay for it. I try to consider that they are only charging $200 for the phone as well.

 

[tokuzumi]

Where does it EVER say that the extra charge is for 4G? It seems like the extra charge is to remove the soft data caps since they anticipate Evo users consuming more data on their network than any other phone. Similar to AT&T making iPhoners have a special plan.

Data on the phone is unlimited, and has been that way for a while. The air cards/mifi units are capped at 5GB (for 3G only). I haven't heard of anyone getting shut down by sprint for using more than 5GB of data/month with their phone. So, I'm not sure what the "uncapping" charge is for...it has to be for 4G. They are just spinning it a different way.

 

[neodorian]

I guess I try look at it this way. I pay $110+ for cable that I only watch a few hours a day.

See, I find that mind-boggling. If my only option was over $110 just for basic cable TV, I would go internet-only in a second. Only reason we have DirecTV is because we got a deal and it costs half that. Otherwise it would be Hulu, Netflix, torrents, and HD over the air for us

It's all a matter of your personal budget. I'm all about cutting out the extra expenses I don't need or use so I can use the money for other things like vacations, gadgets, etc. The never-ending rate-creep is what irritates me. Every year things go up another $5-10 even as the cost of building out the systems drops.

edit: also, the thing about the channels...the only reason you have some of them is because they are bundled. The companies that own the big ones only offer them to the cable provider at that cost if they agree to also carry their "weaker" channels. Tiers or a-la-carte wouldn't really save you much unfortunately.

 

[Rigmaster]

The knee jerk reation is too the charge we are paying and not getting anything in return because 4g is not available to us! So please tell me again why I have to pay extra?

It's a $10 surcharge to remove data caps whether you're using 3G or 4G. Sprint could easily have just said "$10 uncapped data surchage required" and probably have still made people unhappy. But at least they'd know specifically why the $10 charge. I think it has to be more anticipated use of 3G and 4G data not just a 4G surcharge.

 

[Rigmaster]

Data on the phone is unlimited, and has been that way for a while. The air cards/mifi units are capped at 5GB (for 3G only). I haven't heard of anyone getting shut down by sprint for using more than 5GB of data/month with their phone. So, I'm not sure what the "uncapping" charge is for...it has to be for 4G. They are just spinning it a different way.

They don't shut you down for going over 5GB, but they can either warn you, charge more, or if a constant cap-exceeder drop you. $10 to have no caps is really what this is. It only got complicated because you can't "uncap" any other device. And I think this is because Sprint really believes it will have widespread Wimax soon and is trying to set the stage for encouraging more Wimax growth while other 3G phones will continue to get rolled out as LTE is just not far enough along.

For a while, I've wanted to see a carrier do something to eliminate the data cap whether they enforce through dropping or charging. I don't like to give away $10/mo but consider it a fair trade because now I'll be pulling data without thinking about it. Definitely will be carrying my laptop around only when absolutely necessary.

I can't wait to be able to download Netflix movies while I'm on vacation or traveling in a 4G area and be able to watch it in 720p. Don't think I'll do it on 3G because of the time to download, but I definitely will be surfing on the road as much as I do when I'm at home.

I'm going to need to carry a couple extra portable battery chargers

 

[modern]

I'm not happy about the $10 fee but I'm still getting the Evo. When the original iPhone launch, data was $20
with 200 text. When the 3g launch, data was $30 and text was an add on. Everyone was complaining about At&t but they still got their phones.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

[Nitraine21]

As much as I hate that Dan mislead his customers when he first came out about the EVO, I feel that the $10 dollars extra fee isn't that much of a deal breaker....

....Although, once I get this phone, I will be going to Sprint to get a 15% employee discount that I recently saw that I was eligible for, so the price would remain the same as if it was a $69.99 price

P.S. I would suggest to everyone to look around for employee discounts (if available) and try to apply it to your plan. Even if you do not have one available, try to see which discounts are available and tell a little white lie to an online chat CSR and maybe that can absorb the extra $10....just a thought

 

[echoota]

The extra $10 (I think per phone) has moved from a sure-thing-purchase back to wait-and-observe. I hope I can figure something out, but I'm not terribly commited to the Evo if the price isn't right.

 

[mms1946]

The extra $10 (I think per phone) has moved from a sure-thing-purchase back to wait-and-observe. I hope I can figure something out, but I'm not terribly commited to the Evo if the price isn't right.

Same boat as you. If they drop the additional $10 fee I am willing to pay $30-$40 more than what I pay now. Not willing to pay $70-$80 more for data that I will not use much.

 

[Nitrousoxide]

As much as I hate that Dan mislead his customers when he first came out about the EVO, I feel that the $10 dollars extra fee isn't that much of a deal breaker....

....Although, once I get this phone, I will be going to Sprint to get a 15% employee discount that I recently saw that I was eligible for, so the price would remain the same as if it was a $69.99 price

P.S. I would suggest to everyone to look around for employee discounts (if available) and try to apply it to your plan. Even if you do not have one available, try to see which discounts are available and tell a little white lie to an online chat CSR and maybe that can absorb the extra $10....just a thought

A rep at a sprint store told me that they have a 10% discount for being an "AOL subscriber" and that all you have to do to qualify for that is to sign up for a free AOL email account. At 10% off you'd only be paying about 72 dollars a month (course, without the 10 dollar price hike you'd only be paying 63 dollars a month with the same discount...)

 

[vikingjunior]

Maybe Google will talk some sense into Sprint as Google gives everything away free.

 

[Nitrousoxide]

Here's a post from another thread that seems pretty relevant:



The bolded items for AT&T are changes I made (since he missed texting charges for AT&T).

Evo still pretty cheap comparatively speaking. And I know on the other carriers maybe you could customize it better to your liking and save some money. But my general point is that I think people are having a knee jerk reaction to this whole $10 thing and not being too rational about things when looking at what everybody else offers.

You know I really don't think you should be adding in txt plans for these lines. The value it has to someone who has access to Google voice and an Android phone is basically nill.

I know the "unlimited texting" that Sprint offers doesn't even factor into the value of the plan for me. It's a completely worthless feature.

 

[Bigprimo]

No one is holding a gun to your head to get this phone...you don't have to anything!

Ok, so by your logic Sprint FINALLY has a good phone coming that can compete with the other phones but sorry not everyone is gonna be able to enjoy with out having to pay extra for it? So how is sprint different from Verizon or anyone else now other than they have the worst coverage(sprint)?

So why dont me and the thousand of other unhappy customers just go to Verizon where we will always have top of the line phones to choose from and enjoy better coverage? If that happened then sprint would take a very big loss, not to mention customers like you who seem fine with paying more charges would just end up paying even more to compensate? How does that help you out?

Not to mention now that I have learned the 10$ charge isnt for 4g or and extra coverage, the 10$ fee is strickly a monthly charge for havning the right to have a high end phone with sprint period! Its not for extra data or extra 4g coverage...ITS A 10$ charge a month(equipment rental fee) to own/use the phone with sprint.

 

[Rigmaster]

i don't get wimax, nor do most the people here, i'll still be getting it but tell me what is so pathetic and makes me a cheapskate for paying a service i don't have... it'd be like buying a TV and they make you pay a cable supscription but they havn't connected the cable to your house and don't currently plan to so all you get is basic even though you pay for all that extra stuff... something is wrong about that, you should pay for WHAT YOU GET, not pay for what OTHERS may get

I understand you and used to think this way. But some time ago I had a conversation explaining this to someone I knew fairly high in the executive ranks in financial operations up at one of the carriers. That person made it clear to me that with the pace of change 1) older technologies would be more expensive to support so the choice was to phase them out hard stop or just make them so expensive people dropped them en masse 2) by use plans will not be the norm because the breakdown of per piece of data or per minutes of calls when done ala carte is just too expensive - he referred me to the overage charges and said they reasonably closely affect how charges would take place and people would spend less which would slow the pace of development 3) large carriers are ok with pay-for plans, but they prefer having prepaid divisions or losing that customer because they can cause havoc when it comes to financial projections and knowing how much they can count on for normal operations and for financial reporting and 4) people have shown time and time again that they will gravitate to the higher end and that is good for the market (he used CDs and HDTVs as examples pointing out that many people bought CD players far more capable of sound quality output than their other equipment and speakers and people really started buying HDTVs far earlier than HD content was easily available).

So I agree with you that it seems like paying for something you can't take full advantage for. I just think the terms and conditions to the buyers has changed from that to "we get what's in the package" or have to choose another option.

I'm not upset about the charge. I just think it hurts a little the Hesse said no additional costs and any normal interpretation created the expectation that there would be no additional charge.

 

[hopalee]

I'm still getting the EVO, definitely! The $10 is what it is, they're gonna try to rape you one way or the other, but it doesn't change how awesome the EVO is or how bad I want it. I've been waiting and waiting and waiting and am SO excited that I can go pre-order today and have that awesomeness in my hand in just THREE SHORT WEEKS!!!!!! Luckily I live in a 4g area, but I'd still run out and get it even if I wasn't!

 

[RyboCollier]

I voted yes, because my corporate discount will basically whipe out the $10 charge.

 

[Bigprimo]

i don't get wimax, nor do most the people here, i'll still be getting it but tell me what is so pathetic and makes me a cheapskate for paying a service i don't have... it'd be like buying a TV and they make you pay a cable supscription but they havn't connected the cable to your house and don't currently plan to so all you get is basic even though you pay for all that extra stuff... something is wrong about that, you should pay for WHAT YOU GET, not pay for what OTHERS may get

From what I understand the 10$ isnt for a service, its for using and owning the phone its self.

 

[Rigmaster]

I guess I see the $10 as an "unlimiting fee." Now if I could only get Porsche to remove vehicle limit controls on their cars, I might go get one. Oops forgot who I was, I mean if I could only get Nissan to ....

 

[mrvirginia]

sprint could tack on an extra $20 and i'd still buy the Evo. i currently have an iPhone 3GS with unlimited txt so i'm one of those shelling out $89.99 already.

and i know a lot of people are speaking on principle and that the 4G was supposed to be free or whatever, or people were led to believe plans would still cost a regular $69.99, but i could care less. i assumed it would cost something extra because a $69.99 plan with a superphone, of sorts, is just too good to be true. they gotta make their money back somehow with bringing in a 4G network. heck, hopefully that extra $10 bucks will cause slower adoption rate so not everyone and their mom has one of these phones!

off to pre-order in t-minus...2min w00t!

 

[SoFLO]

Yup still getting the EVO...I'll use my student discount to ease up the $10 fee although it's not that much anyway.

 

[Bigprimo]

also to use the hotspot wifi that will cost 29.95. So to use the full capabilities of this phone will cost and extra 39.95 a mo.

 

[Bigprimo]

oops i mean 29.99 so make that 39.99 a mo.

 

[tokuzumi]

They don't shut you down for going over 5GB, but they can either warn you, charge more, or if a constant cap-exceeder drop you. $10 to have no caps is really what this is. It only got complicated because you can't "uncap" any other device. And I think this is because Sprint really believes it will have widespread Wimax soon and is trying to set the stage for encouraging more Wimax growth while other 3G phones will continue to get rolled out as LTE is just not far enough along.

For a while, I've wanted to see a carrier do something to eliminate the data cap whether they enforce through dropping or charging. I don't like to give away $10/mo but consider it a fair trade because now I'll be pulling data without thinking about it. Definitely will be carrying my laptop around only when absolutely necessary.

I can't wait to be able to download Netflix movies while I'm on vacation or traveling in a 4G area and be able to watch it in 720p. Don't think I'll do it on 3G because of the time to download, but I definitely will be surfing on the road as much as I do when I'm at home.

I'm going to need to carry a couple extra portable battery chargers

While I'm not doubting the warnings exist, has anyone actually received a warning about excessive data usage, going through their cell phone? I've read numerous people who consistently use over 5GB a month, or did for a long period of time, and there have been no consequences. Maybe they are lucky, but I would think I'd be reading about people receiving warnings.

Either way, viva la 4G!!!!

 

[Packman]

I voted no. I have two dumb phones right now and was looking forward to getting a smart phone. Sprint's data family plans are horrible. On AT&T and Verizon you only have to pay data on the phones that need it. I was going to remove the family plan and just have two individual plans (a savings of about $20). AT&T's family plan was actually the same as having two individual plans on Sprint, but the extra $10 actually makes AT&T cheaper for a smartphone/dumb phone plan. So now, instead of getting an extra $30 a month out of me, the just lost two customers.

 

[patinum]

How does the extra $10 work with a family plan? I have 3 people on my family plan - 2 blackberry's and I will be upgrading from a Pre to an Evo (hopefully). Do I pay that extra $10 on mine only, or is that for all 3 users?