Cancel your Sprint contract with no ETF (9/9/11-10/9/11) **Live now**

It seems like at this point the deal is that you have to cancel your service and convert to Boost and later just switch back to Sprint. Really, when Sprint loses subscribers, this will dissuade them from making further increases. <-- YMMV! Lots of success stories going around.

Just so we are clear: Administrative charge is currently $0.99/line and it will be increased to $1.50/line.

New contract can be found at - http://shop2.sprint.com/en/legal/legal_terms_privacy_popup.shtml?ECID=vanity:termsandconditions#sept9

Several versions of the old contract are attached to this post. There is also a comparison document highlighting the changes between the old contract and the new one. Note that the $1.99 clause is not mentioned in any of the old contracts. This is only mentioned in the fine print of some emails sent from Sprint (copy of one is also attached to this post). *UPDATE: Sprint quietly slipped the clause into the contract while no one was looking. Compare the September 14th version and the September 19th version, and you will see the clause in the newer one. This doesn't really affect your old contract, but it does add to the difficulty of convincing a rep that it's not in there.*

However, the $1.99 clause was available in most customer bills as fine print @ the bottom of Sprint specific advertising as part of your bill since at least 2009

Q: Can I activate/upgrade today and just cancel my line on the between 9/9 and 10/9
A: No, when you are activating a new line or upgrading your existing line you are agreeing to the Sprints most current terms and conditions which will likely already include this modification.

Q: Can I cancel my contract then renew the next day to get an early upgrade?
A: No. Contract status and upgrade eligibility are two different things. They are not related.

Quote from kyzen : This has been asked and answered several times in this thread. The answer is probably "no" - though YMMV. Typically, when they announce an upcoming contract change like this, all new contracts include the relevant verbiage, so technically, there would be no "change" for you when it happens. You may of course be able to get in before they update their contracts, however unless you're a lawyer, or feel like paying a lawyer to read a cell phone contract for you, it's probably not worth the risk.

Sprint will increase the ETF fee to $350 for all contracts effective September 9, 2011.

You have until 9-30-11 to completely cancel your services without getting an ETF if you cite the reason being the increase in the Administrative Charge.
They will not allow you to just cancel your contract and go month to month. People who are claiming that they achieved this need to make sure their service isn't slated for complete termination or after 30 days of continuing your service you will be put back under your existing contract.

8/24 250 pm EDT - While talking to exe customer service I was told that we have 60 days. this is based on FCC guidelines as per them. I could not find the exact guideline / directive number.

Some helpful info from the old thread http://archive.slickdeals.net/sho...?t=1725657

Please post what retention offered you. ALSO, please post your plan, phone, and years with Sprint.

Sprint has an Executive Office that can do anything they want to do. Every time I have a problem that the normal CS can't fix I call them and BAM it's done!

Call (866) 727-0665 and ask for executive customer service. They are really helpful!*

Escalations Line > 1-877-544-4076. When you reach the menu options, please select option 8. I was able to confirm my ETF free cancellations with them. There is also less wait time on this #

*YYMV, I spoke with one and they didn't seem anymore helpful than the other reps. They did mention something about moving me from a POST pay to a PRE pay like Boost or one of their other partners but I'm under the impression that Sprint phones don't work on them.

+18882114727 then 4, 5, 2 for cancellations.

Note, if you are a new customer, you may have trouble cancelling your contract and keeping the equipment if your account isn't 30 days old.

8/18/11 - Took over SERO account on 8/16 or 8/17 with contract ending 12/15/11. Called Retentions @ 1-877-775-4886. I have SERO account so he had to ask employee services. I told her change in price is a material change and I should be allowed to go month to month. I was very straight forward and it didn't take long. Removed and now I'm month to month!

Supervisor in retentions has told me that corporate has issued a note to them saying if we're to be let out ETF free we have to either port out our number or cancel at the end of the billing cycle. We cannot be left with a zeroed contract. So bottom line is YMMV if indeed a note has been sent out with that directive.

Update: 9/11: Legal has now issued a followup notice to all employees that no rep is to let someone cancel due to the administration fee.

I added this advice on how to deal with the csr. I think it's very good advice, not only for this deal but when dealing with any csr's.

Quote from kyzen : I have shared my experience. There's nothing tricky to it. You just need to be persistent, stubborn, and have the contract handy to read from - namely the part about material changes. To be honest, it's probably going to be much easier in September when the new charge actually does go into place, rather than 3 weeks prior. I worked in a call center for a cell phone company several years ago (actually still work there, but I'm in IT these days), so I'm pretty familiar with how they're going to try to handle the call. The best advice I can give: It should go without saying, but you need to control the call. Any time the agent you're on the phone with is speaking, it should be because you let them. If they try to interrupt you, keep talking. If they keep doing it, simply point out "Somewhere in your training weren't you told not to interrupt the customer?" From day one of training, agents are taught how to control the call flow. Screw this up. Quickly change topics/approaches, make complaints that they can't answer for, call them on their lies (only if you KNOW it's a lie). Let them talk themselves into a corner. They're going to argue about your interpretation of the contract, that's a given. Keep prodding until you get them going off onto a long-winded rant. Wait for them to slip up. The more they talk, the more likely they are to make a mistake - bear in mind that 9 out of 10 of the people working in a call center don't have any college education, and the only requirements to get a call center job are that you have a pulse. In my case, the mistake was when the agent said that I have to wait until I'm billed the new fee before I can dispute it - I explain that right then, I was rejecting the new contract, and was refusing to pay the additional fee, and that I didn't want to see it on my bill. Exhaust your agent before moving on to a supervisor. Let them get so frustrated with you that they are the ones offering you the sup; never ask for one. Always get a name and ID - AFTER they start telling you no. This will make them start to worry that you're going to file a complaint, and they may second guess what they're saying to you. Believe it or not, when you submit a complaint via email or written letter to corporate, it's going to be taken quite seriously. Call center agents are easy to replace, and are often fired for no reason. There will come a point where they would prefer to just make you happy for the sake of self-preservation. If you've escalated to executive support with them in the past, mention it. This goes in line with the above. If your call lasts longer than 20 minutes with one person, mention it. "Look, we've been talking for 20 minutes, and you're being useless." What they're going to hear is "This is an awfully long call recording file that's going to show up in our QA system" - QA personnel love long phone calls, as it allows them to be lazy, and it's almost always going to be a bad score for the agent - it's a very rare occurrence when an agent can stick to their script/playbook when a call goes on too long. Almost every call center in the world has a metric called AHT - Average Handle Time. Agents are expected to keep this within a small variance of a very specific number. Too short means they're not providing a good customer experience. Too long means they're wasting time, and not doing their job efficiently enough. If an agent doesn't help X number of customers per hour, they're not profitable. Never make blatant threats ("I'm going to get you fired!"), always be polite (but firm), and don't yell. That will validate the actions of the agent, decreasing the likelihood of them getting in trouble for not handling your call "right" - and they know this. I could go on and on, so let me know if you have any specific questions. I will say this, if you ever want to be a Pro at getting your way with customer support people, work a few months in a call center.

Here is a tactic for playing Hardball if they won't cancel your contract.

First rule is be nice and professional!

Seriously, if they won't let you out of the contract then ask for their supervisor and if the supervisor is a putz ask for escalations. If escalations won't do it then ask for their name, employee number, and a call reference code. Get all that and Then DROP THE NUKE....Ask for the phone number for the LEGAL DEPARTMENT! The person in Escalations who said I can't understand what I read all of the sudden VOIDED all 3 of my contracts. I have fulfilled dates in 2010 and early 2011,

The big thing here is YOU ARE RIGHT THEY ARE WRONG!! The contract speaks for itself and you have the right to refuse to accept the new contract!!!

My Motto is if they are not Nice than SCARE THE HELL out of them and make them be nice!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!
Killushot


Success Stories

• 13.5 months into contract, 2 lines w/ EVOs, ~$140/mo w/ emp discount - Called # above. 1st rep was useless, claimed contract change was a "rumor from bloggers." Offered me a free AirRave to deal w/ reception issues. Sup told me to wait till I had been billed the change. Asked for his sup, after 15 minutes on hold he came back and ended my contracts on my lines. Said nothing about having to port out or cancel service.
  
• Got it on my first attempt.
  
  1. Called 18882114727 then 4.
  2. Said "I would like to get out of my contract and go on a month to month due to the admin fee increase.
  3. Got transferred to someone.
  4. Told them the same thing as step 2.
  5. He told me he had to talk to a tier 1 guy and put me on hold.
  6. Came back after 5 minutes and told be he can go ahead and do it.
  7. Gave him my info for my account.
  8. Now I'm out of contract for both of my lines and on a month to month basis.
  9. Said thank you a lot and mission complete.
  
• Phatsacks: Five lines, one of them renewed to get the free HTC EVO Shift from the Shack last month. First rep transferred me to retentions, and the first person that answer offered to credit the account the equal to the fee increase for the remainder of the contract. I stated that I did not want to cancel, and would have to discuss with everyone else, what they wanted, as it is a shared account. I was put on hold, and the guy came back and said that he removed the end dates for all remaining lines (two were already out of contract).
  
• Freak4Dell: 4 lines, EDS plan, all 4 renewed in October 2010. It took me 6 calls and almost a dozen reps, but I am now free of contract on all 4 lines. Service has not been terminated, and no mention was made of any deadline by which I must port out lest the contract go back into effect. Details here.
  
• 9/25/11 I had four lines three of them just upgraded two months ago. I've been with Sprint for four years Relatively painless considering I'm cancelling my service. Called straight to retentions 1-877-775-4886 and said I would like to get out of my contract with no ETF. 20 minutes later bringing up JAMS, the new ETF fee, the admin fee and disliking the direction i think Sprint is heading, he begrudgingly obliged. Two lines are no longer on contract and the other two will be fulfilled on 9/30. Very sad though, I've had nothing but good customer service experiences (lucky) with Sprint but even with my employer discount my bill has gone up quite a bit.
  
• rwong48: link to post. Almost the same as Freak4Dell

Chat www.sprint.com/chat

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Sprint to INCREASE Early Termination Fee to $350 effective 9/9/2011.
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=8746


If you planned on porting out then returning to Sprint later, your ETF will increase. Unless you start a new contract with Sprint prior to 9/9/2011.

Here"s another number to call to speak to Sprint about getting out of contract:
Consumerist Sprint Hotline number: 703-433-4401



Possible Loophole to get out of your contract with NO ETF if you have Unlimited Data

Im not looking to cancel my Sprint account since its the cheapest plan out there, but Im in sort of the opposite situation and maybe this will help some people

AFTER i signed my contract with Sprint, they added a clause stating if you use more than 300mb of roaming data or 800 roaming minutes per month, they have the right to terminate your contract even though Im supposed to have unlimited data and roaming included on my plan. I got a few calls saying they threatened to terminate me if my roaming usage didnt drop, but that since they were the ones to terminate my contract there would be NO ETF fee. Problem is I get no signal at work and its either roam or nothing at all


So- everyone who wants out of their contract should put their phone into roam mode on purpose and download large files constantly. They will terminate your contract with no ETF after a warning letter.

Don't forget the secret weapon FCC
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

Attached Files

Sprint Contract Comparison.pdf (176.2 KB, 411 views) Sprint T&C - June 12th, 2010.pdf (378.2 KB, 269 views) Sprint T&C - September 3rd, 2011.pdf (232.7 KB, 200 views) Sprint T&C - September 8th, 2011.pdf (231.6 KB, 155 views) Sprint T&C - September 14th, 2011.pdf (146.0 KB, 198 views) Sprint T&C - September 19th, 2011.pdf (145.4 KB, 250 views) Sprint Email.pdf (207.8 KB, 225 views)