Sprint adding $10 fee to all smart phones afterJan 30, 2011

BAM! Thank you, sir, may I have another?

At least it only applies to new customers. Or old ones replacing their phones. Or adding a line. Or whatever else they come up with.

Still, Sprint's gotta try and make money, so I suppose it's no surprise their fees are beginning to approach those of the other cellcos.
 
When my contract expires I'm gone. Verizon here I come. I'll go with a talk and text plan. My kids just text all day anyway. I'm not paying an extra $40 bucks on top of what I'm paying.
 
The other day I was reviewing their financials, thinking it may be time to buy in again. The company has been losing money every qtr for a long time and has got to restructure its rates or go under. They're not as bad as TIVO or Blockbuster of course, but they are certainly the worst run telco cell company in the world, at least that I have looked at which are many. I'm just talking about their P/L statements. It's why I said the other day they are ripe for acquisition. They have valuable assets, just can't turn those assets into profits.
Another example- around here if you walk into a Verizon store, you have to take a number and sit and wait like a doctor's office to get waited on. The stores are always packed, almost as bad as the Apple store. Go into any AT&T store and it is almost as bad but the wait is a bit shorter. Go into a Sprint store and you'll find several Sprint clerks sitting staring out the window day dreaming. You will be the only customer walking into the store, maybe all day! Its very sad but that is how it is. They do lots of TV ads, so why do they have no business? Can't be cheap rates? Most Sprint customers I know including this forum are generally pleased with the service. I don't know but there is something wrong here.
 
I wonder if Sprint lists their customers as an asset? For most companies, their customer base is an asset- but maybe not for Sprint. Seems they have too many problems.

We had Nextel, many years ago. Miserable service, so we moved on to what eventually became AT&T. Also had one Sprint line, which was horrendous. And their customer "service!" And many of us remember a few years ago, when they more or less fired most of their employees and had them reapply for their jobs, at lower pay.

Some are happy, some ain't.
 
Don Landis said:
The other day I was reviewing their financials, thinking it may be time to buy in again. The company has been losing money every qtr for a long time and has got to restructure its rates or go under. They're not as bad as TIVO or Blockbuster of course, but they are certainly the worst run telco cell company in the world, at least that I have looked at which are many. I'm just talking about their P/L statements. It's why I said the other day they are ripe for acquisition. They have valuable assets, just can't turn those assets into profits.
Another example- around here if you walk into a Verizon store, you have to take a number and sit and wait like a doctor's office to get waited on. The stores are always packed, almost as bad as the Apple store. Go into any AT&T store and it is almost as bad but the wait is a bit shorter. Go into a Sprint store and you'll find several Sprint clerks sitting staring out the window day dreaming. You will be the only customer walking into the store, maybe all day! Its very sad but that is how it is. They do lots of TV ads, so why do they have no business? Can't be cheap rates? Most Sprint customers I know including this forum are generally pleased with the service. I don't know but there is something wrong here.

That changed per area because both Sprint corporate stores stay busy in my area. The dealer store not so much. My T-Mobile corporate stores are never busy and the Verizon store corporate store you can walk and get waited on. In fact the most of the corporate stores are like that and I won't even talk about the hour wait at the Apple store.
 
Well it didn't even take a year....Sprint's done gone and pissed me off. It took Verizon 11 years. Sprint has done it in less than one. First the BS Evo Tax, and now 10 bucks for ALL new smartphones? Sorry, I ain't buying that. My wife, who uses less data than I do, pays the same 10 buck fee when she gets a new BB, as I do with my Evo? Horsehockey! If I wanted to pay more, I woulda stayed with Verizon and had better devices and faster data speeds.
 
Not real happy about this one at all. I guess when we are ready to get new phones, we'll be looking at other providers as this extra fee per phone basically kills any advantage sprint had for us.
 
I wouldn't mind the $10 charge if 4g was available in my area. I was in the Midland Tx. area and it has 4g. My EVO internet and apps ran faster when it was in the 4g coverage area on I-20. I also notived the calls went through faster and more clear, but it seemed to use up the battery at a faster rate.

El Paso's population is not as large as L.A., Las Vegas, Dallas or other large cities, but we do have Fort Bliss and its military population. I have run into troops who are stationed at Fort Bliss, but live off base. They are suprised that El Paso does not have 4g. Some have come from smaller base or a city with a lower population and they say the city or base they were at had 4g. They too wish El Paso had 4g.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if Sprint lists their customers as an asset? For most companies, their customer base is an asset- but maybe not for Sprint. Seems they have too many problems.

I don't think that is how business accounting works. The subscriptions would be considered "sales" and represent the cash flow end of the balance sheet. As asset would be something the company owned or had rights to like a frequency spectrum license or the equipment. Leased equipment owned by the company, like DishNetwork's DVR's would also be an asset with the lease payments being cash flow.

When a company values itself for sale it includes the big three- debt ( liabilities ), assets ( equipment and real property), and sales.

On second thought, maybe the sales in a company that has a contract with the subscriber could be considered an asset, i.e. the contract is worth value as an asset. I don't know this. Maybe a CPA could clarify.
 
I started banging on Sprint's door yesterday. This is a material change in our contracts and I am demanding to be let out. Online chat didn't do anything ( not that I expected it to), I am supposed to get a callback today. Stay tuned. I gave Sprint a shot, three strikes and they are OUT.
 
I started banging on Sprint's door yesterday. This is a material change in our contracts and I am demanding to be let out. Online chat didn't do anything ( not that I expected it to), I am supposed to get a callback today. Stay tuned. I gave Sprint a shot, three strikes and they are OUT.

I did the same thing when they took away the corporate discount on lines 3 thru 5. The wife was very happy as it allowed her to get rid of her Android phone and back to the one she liked most. At that time, I was only with Sprint for 7 months.
 
I did the same thing when they took away the corporate discount on lines 3 thru 5. The wife was very happy as it allowed her to get rid of her Android phone and back to the one she liked most. At that time, I was only with Sprint for 7 months.

Thanks for the info. I have only been with them since April, after 11 years with Verizon...Still haven't heard from them yet, actually glad they haven't called because I have a terrible head cold...LOL
 
I don't think that is how business accounting works. The subscriptions would be considered "sales" and represent the cash flow end of the balance sheet. As asset would be something the company owned or had rights to like a frequency spectrum license or the equipment. Leased equipment owned by the company, like DishNetwork's DVR's would also be an asset with the lease payments being cash flow.

When a company values itself for sale it includes the big three- debt ( liabilities ), assets ( equipment and real property), and sales.

On second thought, maybe the sales in a company that has a contract with the subscriber could be considered an asset, i.e. the contract is worth value as an asset. I don't know this. Maybe a CPA could clarify.

I am an accountant. They can list intangibles as an asset. Goodwill. Brand name. Copyrights, etc. Yes, their contracts have a distinct value that can be listed as an asset on their balance sheet.

But that wasn't the context I was intending. I meant in an attempt to sell themselves to a buyer, would they tout their customer base? I would think not, in their case. I mean, as a whole, it seems Sprint has historically had difficult relations with their customers. Their tendency to bolt may be higher than with other carriers. This goes beyond churn, I'm referring to the likelihood of churn. They can't keep "buying" loyalty at unrealistically low price levels. They need to make a profit.

Despite the goal of having published financial statements accurately present the condition (& therefore value) of a company, it just doesn't quite work that way when time to sell comes by. A company with CDMA infrastructure is inherently more valuable to a company with similar technology. Any other company would have to subtract from their value the cost of reoutfitting them to be technologically compatible. And then add the value of denying those assets to their competitors. And here is where intangibles come strongly in to play. The balance sheet may greatly overstate the value of the brand name or other intangibles. Or a buyer may see that with some work, those intangibles could be worth far more. I suspect any potential buyer would place very little value on the number of customers they have, and value Sprint only for the tangible assets and any patents and copyrights they may hold.
 
good luck keith. i cancelled my contract earlier in the month because i qualified for and received a free government issue cell phone. isn't anything pretty but it comes with 250 free minutes each month. long conversation with sprint who wouldn't waive my etf unless i went with their program. i argued i was happy with my program and what the heck difference did it make. only when i threatened not too pay, did he cut the etf in half. i suppose its better than nothing at all. but i still can't pay....so he says they'll set up payment plans.

perhaps, i'm wanting too much but as it stands now, they still aren't going to get a penny.
 
Navy- Thanks, I kind of thought so. Business has great freedom to do creative accounting. Would Sprint's 8K or 10Q be of interest to you? I can get it as I have easy access to all SEC filings for public companies. .
 
good luck keith. i cancelled my contract earlier in the month because i qualified for and received a free government issue cell phone. isn't anything pretty but it comes with 250 free minutes each month. long conversation with sprint who wouldn't waive my etf unless i went with their program. i argued i was happy with my program and what the heck difference did it make. only when i threatened not too pay, did he cut the etf in half. i suppose its better than nothing at all. but i still can't pay....so he says they'll set up payment plans.

perhaps, i'm wanting too much but as it stands now, they still aren't going to get a penny.
Sadly, they can put a black mark in your credit record. You can challenge that, but it would be better if it weren't there, cutting your credit score.
 
Navy- Thanks, I kind of thought so. Business has great freedom to do creative accounting. Would Sprint's 8K or 10Q be of interest to you? I can get it as I have easy access to all SEC filings for public companies. .

I don't follow Sprint's filings. Or anybody's, any more. Tempted to get back in the game with Amazon, though.

Hollywood is full of creative people. Most of them are accountants. It's amazing what the studios get away with.
 
my credit score is already bad. what really upset me with sprint is that i offered to send the documentation of my acceptance into the government program. but it was their program or the highway.

btw, sprint wants almost 20 dollars a month for 200 minutes under their link up program. thanks, i'll stick with my 250 free minutes each month.
 
Last edited:

Two new reports on iphone

Replacement phone, Paid Apps

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)