... We both have a iPhone 4s and thought about upgrading our phones to the Samsung Galaxy s7 during a sale at Costco, but when we went in to talk to them about the deal, I made sure to ask if there would be any changes to the plan pricing because I didn't want to add any additional cost to our monthly payments. We learned that if you get any "subsidized phone" they then add a "term access fee" that ranges between $15 to $40 depending on the phone you get. So basically, you will pay the full retail cost of that phone no matter what.
We had the family share plan as well (unlimited data, unlimited texts and 1500 minutes of shared talk) and I was terrified of getting rid of it. We had 4 lines (me, DH, our "home" phone, and my sister's phone) and 2 tablets which each had 2GB of data per month. Because we had unlimited data, there was an additional charge of $30/month per phone to use it as a hotspot. Since my sister did not have internet at her house, she added that option. Our phones were all bought under the 2-yr agreement, but we completed that already. Our bill, including my work discount, came to about $325/month.
I recently went into the store to inquire about DD's tablet that had stopped working. We ended up talking about our plan and I asked about the process and cost for activating our old iPhone 4's for our DD's. They certainly don't need phones yet, but I was trying to evaluate our options. The rep was so helpful and genuinely listened to my concerns. I told him that we use a "lot" of data because I am always streaming music and videos at work and I don't want to have to chase down wi-fi hotspots all day. I also told him that we are NOT interested in anything that will INCREASE our bill, actually, quite the opposite. He asked me if he could look into my account and evaluate our usage and give me a call later. I agreed, since I had nothing to lose. He called me back about an hour later with great news. He told me he has a plan for us and wondered if I would prefer to discuss it in person. Since we live about 5 minutes away, I went down to the store. It was worth it! Here's what we ended up with....
We bought a 20GB shared data plan with unlimited text and talk. This includes up to 10 devices (tablets or phones) and so we had 4 phones and 2 tablets. The rep then activated our other 2 iPhone 4S for the kids, bringing our total devices up to 8. Since the data plan is now capped, ALL of the phones can be used as a hotspot so that $30/month fee was removed. They had a promo going on which gives an additional 2GB of shared data per device for as long as you keep the plan. That bumps our total shared data up to 36GB. I was very nervous, but he said that he'd evaluated our usage for the past year and we never went over 14GB in any month and averaged about 10GB. That really made me feel better, but then I was still very skeptical. The rep was AMAZING...he told me that because we had been customers of Sprint for 19 years, he was able to WAIVE the subsidized phone fee that would have applied to DD's phones (at $30/month, PER PHONE!) and our total bill would be $275/month on the new plan. Seemed like a no-brainer so we went for it. We ran into a snag when they tried to activate the phone (my old one) for DD13. They asked me where I bought it because it was showing that it was a Boost phone (or something like that) and they couldn't activate it. I told them I'd bought my iPhone 4S from them, in that store, but I had to replace it under their warranty and they replaced it with a refurbished phone. It took them a while, and I suspect they were trying to verify my story since they were basically accusing me of trying to bring over a non-Sprint phone, but they finally came out with a huge surprise. They asked DD13 if she'd like a new phone instead...AT NO CHARGE! Since they couldn't activate the iPhone 4S (presumably due to an error somewhere on their end), they offered her an iPhone 5c in pink instead. It's a refurbished one, but it looks brand new to her and she loved it. Since DD10's tablet was not reparable (and that was the whole issue that started this all), I ended up paying $80 and buying her a new Galaxy Tab E to replace the Tab 3 that was broken. I had to sign up for the 2yr agreement but I have no intentions of switching at this point.
After about three days, I looked at my account and saw that we were only given 20GB of data, not the 36GB we were promised. I stopped in to the store and spoke with the same rep. He remembered our discussion and said he'd look into it. He assumed that they somehow forgot to add the promo. He looked at the account and realized that was the case, but he also checked to make sure that the subsidized phone fee was still removed (via manual override) and it was. He said, "I'll take care of you...I don't want you to worry one bit". Two days later, I looked again and saw that we now have 40GB of data! I stopped in to the store for a minor issue with one of our devices and he asked me if I checked my account. I said, "Yeah...you fixed it good!" He said that ALL of our phones are eligible for an upgrade and the subsidized phone override will remain in effect for as long as we have the plan. He also told me that he authorized the 2GB of bonus data for all 10 devices that we are eligible for, not just the 8 that we have. I tell you what, Sprint (and this store in particular) has earned a customer for life! I could not be happier with the customer service I received.
