Sprint addresses data usage limit
Last week I told you that Sprint was limiting customers with "simply everything" to 5GB of data usage per month, plus 300MB per month of off-network data roaming. While quite a few readers have complained about the cap, it's only fair to acknowledge a couple of points. By anyone's measure 5GB is a lot of data, and it's doubtful that all but a very small handful of people would even even reach that limit. Yes, it's really the principal that matters here--unlimited should mean just that--but Sprint is not the only carrier to limit data usage.
I contacted Sprint for comment last week. Most importantly, I learned that the Simply Unlimited plan is not affected by the data usage cap, which applies only to connection card and phone-as-modem plans. Here's what else the carrier has to say about the new policy.
- The vast majority of current users (about 99.5 percent) shouldn't be affected. Whether it's the 300MB roaming limit or the 5GB limit on total data usage, that's enough data to meet the regular monthly usage habits of almost all of our customers.
- Going over either limit will not cause a card to suddenly stop working.
- Going over once in a while is OK. We'll check usage using a rolling, three-month basis.
- Customers would have to exceed the limit in two out of three consecutive months to face termination.
- Initially, we are contacting customers first, to make them aware of the new limits and give them a chance to change their usage, if they want to continue using the service.
- We're investigating additional options for customers who need to use more data.
- Users will be able to check and monitor their total data usage on Sprint.com beginning June 8.
- The caps are being applied to new and existing consumer and individual-liable accounts, but not corporate-liable, business contracts, Public Sector, or government contracts. We're working on additional processes and pricing to appropriately address the needs of heavy roaming and data users among the corporate liable customer group.
So what do you think? Are the caps still unfair?
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent.
I checked my downloading for one day recently using a program that checked both my bytes out and in, and I was shocked. I stayed away from my Bittorrenting software, all my other p2p software, and didn't download anything.... I didn't even watch movies online..... somehow, I was able to get up to a GB in one day.
"The caps are being applied to new and existing consumer and individual-liable accounts, but not corporate-liable, business contracts, Public Sector or government contracts."
After 1 hour and 30 minutes on the phone with sprint, I'm told, by the business unit:
"Business corporate is not exempt. It [the 5GB limit] applies to everybody across the board."
The caps are being applied to new and existing consumer and individual-liable accounts, but not corporate-liable, business contracts, Public Sector, or government contracts.
After 1 hour and 30 minutes on the phone with sprint, I'm told, by the business unit:
"Business corporate is not exempt. It [the 5GB limit] applies to everybody across the board."
"The caps are being applied to new and existing consumer and individual-liable accounts, but not corporate-liable, business contracts, Public Sector or government contracts."
After 1 hour and 30 minutes on the phone with sprint, I'm told, by the business unit:
"Business corporate is not exempt. It [the 5GB limit] applies to everybody across the board."
1) Here's our great plan: substantially better valued than the rest of the market
2) Enjoy new huge contractually based enrollment
3) Back out, citing technical limitations.
4) Enjoy new huge contractual enrollments for the next two years. Lucid, easy money.
5) Fat kats at top rub grubby hands together while smoking their fat-cow cigars.
bottom line? don't act surprised. these things work in patterns.
they have to stand on the original contract or refund the whole amount of monies they received for breach of contract.
if anyone of us try to cancel or alter with a connection we would be penalized.
WHY NOT THEM?
I received a bill of over $699.00. I never knew about the changes until I was disconected.
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by psychosquirrel02
June 28, 2009 8:00 PM PDT
- One thing that's not addressed here by anyone (including Spring) are the families who share a plan. Currently, 5 people in our household have phones under the Simply Limited plan and contrary to what it says in the article, we DID receive a notice that we had been placed on a list for going over the data usage limited.
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by psychosquirrel02
June 28, 2009 8:03 PM PDT
- no edit button... Ignore the typo's in the above, it's been a long weekend! Although perhaps my typo in calling it the Simply Limited plan was more of a freudian slip and not a typo at all...
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(18 Comments)We were told in this letter that if we were placed on this list again within the next 2 months Sprint would offer to buy our phones back and terminate our contract.
My point is that while the 5GB limit itself is a rip off to suddenly tag onto an "Unlimited Plan", what does this do for the families that share a cell phone service. Suddenly our limit isn't just 5GB, it's ONE for a service that is NOT cheap to begin with.