What's the angle - Sprint

[dex]

i just got a call from my cell phone carrier, Sprint, out of the blue.
They are giving me a 10% discount for 2 years on my current plan and a free camera phone.
My current plan will be extended 5 months to sept 2010
I kept asking if any change in my plan, any additional services I don't want, any costs for getting the phone etc - all no.
they said it was for customer appreciation - to keep me.
I would have renewed for nothing.
I'll probably sell the phone they send me.

Anyone know the angle?
What am I missing?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dex Anyone know the angle? What am I missing?

They didn't by any chance ask for your bank account, SS, and credit card numbers did they?....

Sprint has been losing customers to other providers and is probably doing this in an effort to stem the bleeding.

[FinanceDude]

Take the deal, before they move onto the next person.......

I have Verizon, because I get an 18% corporate discount. However, I'll probably switch when I finally decide to "bundle" our technology for the house.....

[dex]

i still have the corp discount of 25% + the add'l 10% - now about $22/mo incl tx for 200 min and unlimited after 7pm & weekends
I took the deal.
I even asked if I had to activate the new phone (I like the one I have) - no.
I'll sell it.

[MyOwnTime]

It's fairly standard for Sprint. You can push for 15% if you like; some people manage to get it.

Mind, despite repeated calls and promises, I've yet to get them to actually automatically -apply- the 10% discount to my bill that they promised in January, and finally decided the frustration and time of having to call every billing cycle was not worth $5 a month.

Your luck may be better than mine. Hell, you've inspired me--time to give Sprint another call.

[W2R]

Frank got a free phone with his Sprint contract renewal as well. Verizon gave me $50 off the phone of my choice for a 2-year contract "for a limited time only". They would have given me a free Samsung phone, but I wanted a more expensive Motorola model. I would have continued month-to-month without extending my contract, had they not made this offer.

I am thinking that they expect to give out freebies to get us to commit to a multi-year contract.

One nice thing is that they allowed me to keep my plan (which is no longer offered), so I didn't have to upgrade to a more expensive plan.

[TromboneAl]

Tell them you're thinking of canceling, and they'll probably give you a bigger discount.

[mexmeme]

My 2 yr plan was finally up several months ago, and since I only have a cell for emergencies--1 or 2 calls/month, no reason to upgrade my phone. On my second new battery, but otherwise nothing wrong with phone. My email box has 2 or 3 emails from Verizon, and each week several in the mail, all wanting me to upgrade my phone. I am only paying $20/mo for 50 min, and want nothing more. I was so glad to finally get my 2 years in, because when we spent 9 months in Mexico, they forced us to keep this phone plan or pay an ungodly fee to close it out. This is my last time signing up for 2 years. When this phone is caput I am going to Pay and Go like my husband has.

[mahoneycutt]

As REWahoo mentioned, Sprint needs to keep customers.

I was out of contract with them so I decided what I wanted and after a week of negotiation I got:

1000 minutes - shared between two phones
Free nationwide roaming on each phone (no roaming or long distance charges)
Free Internet access on both phones
Vision Plus Pack

The cost with tax is $45 a month.

Bottom line: they will deal

Mike Honeycutt

[dex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahoneycutt 1000 minutes - shared between two phones Free nationwide roaming on each phone (no roaming or long distance charges) Free Internet access on both phones Vision Plus Pack The cost with tax is $45 a month.

That's a very good deal - everything the phone of the future was meant to be.

[Orchidflower]

As someone who actually sold long distance service with IBM in the 1980's--although I sold major corporations with multiple locations (3M being one of my clients nationwide, as an example)--the answer is simple: they need the business, they need to keep the business they have, and there's too damned much competition in this industry. TAKE the deal, and don't question it....just say thank you as 'yo Mama told you to do.

[CuppaJoe]

My former company always got reduced fee deals from AT&T on both DSL and regular phone service. There would be a telemarketer call, then they had to agree to a one-year deal, and they really were better deals. The reason was always to keep the business.