Sprint Mobile Users.....

[Jonecy]

Are you satisfied with your phones and service with Sprint - why or why not?

I've been with Verizon since 2002 and am considering a change to Sprint for me and the wife. I'm willing to sacrifice a little quality in service and phones if the monthly rates are significantly cheaper and I still get good coverage.

Any honest feedback from Sprint customers is appreciated - Thanks!

 

[sodakjoe]

Other than one guy (the manager of the store here in Ames), my experience with Sprint service has been fantastic. On the whole, they've been very helpful in sorting out any issues that I may have had. I've been on a family plan with my parents and brothers since 2004.

 

[MNCyGuy]

If we weren't on my in-laws family plan I would probably switch to a different carrier, only because the signal here in Waterloo isn't always the best. Service wise I don't have any complaints.

 

[3TrueFans]

No problems with it in Ames.

 

[2020cy]

Great on interstates and big cities, sometimes a little sketchy out in the sticks. Seems to be getting better lately.

 

[cyclonedave25]

I haven't had any major problems with them. For the rates I pay and what I get with them, I am willing to handle a dropped call once a month or so.

 

[aauummm]

Are you satisfied with your phones and service with Sprint - why or why not?

I've been with Verizon since 2002 and am considering a change to Sprint for me and the wife. I'm willing to sacrifice a little quality in service and phones if the monthly rates are significantly cheaper and I still get good coverage.

Any honest feedback from Sprint customers is appreciated - Thanks!

It's the only service we've had since we got cell phones in 1998. We've had them out in the boonies all over the country (we are retired and travel a lot) and very seldom are without a signal. I've never had any problems with the company or service. I use a Virgin Mobile Internet Modem (a Sprint reseller) for internet service while we are on the road and generally get great internet with it. Very satisfied with the phones, internet, service, company, etc.

 

[MrGreg]

I switched from VZW to Sprint several years back and haven't been disappointed. VZW's coverage is a little better, but the savings has been tremendous, although Sprint has been slowly raising their rates and reducing discounts.

If you have an Android phone, you can get Roam Control and force your phone over to VZW's network if you're not getting a good Sprint signal.

 

[jbhtexas]

I've been with Sprint for 13 years. There were some rough spots with customer service in the mid 2000's, but for the past few years I have had no complaints, and am quite satisfied with their service. The prices are outstanding.

Just be aware of this...Sprint lost a good deal of their 3G coverage in the Dakotas, Montana, and some parts of Iowa and Nebraska (particularly rural areas) after Verizon bought Alltel. Alltel had reciprocal voice/data agreements with Sprint. Apparently, Sprint and Verizon have not been able to work out continuing the agreements, so the 3G coverage is gone in those areas where Alltel was providing access to Sprint. You will still get voice coverage and 1X data in those areas.

I would recommend going to the Sprint coverage maps and zoom in closely on the area(s) where you would need coverage (like your house or primary travel route to work), and if you are getting a data plan, make sure that Sprint has 3G/4G coverage there.

 

[aeroclone]

Are you satisfied with your phones and service with Sprint - why or why not?

I've been with Verizon since 2002 and am considering a change to Sprint for me and the wife. I'm willing to sacrifice a little quality in service and phones if the monthly rates are significantly cheaper and I still get good coverage.

Any honest feedback from Sprint customers is appreciated - Thanks!

I moved from Verizon to Sprint about 5 years ago, and honestly I can't say I have noticed much of a difference at all in network performance.

I don't think you would be giving up anything as far as quality of phones. Sprint has had a great selection of top tier Android devices for a couple years now, dating back to the Evo. And with iPhone now available, they have as much to offer as any carrier.

 

[sdillon500]

Hey Jones, I switched from AT&T to Sprint about two years ago, and haven't had any regrets. Started off with T-Mobile, switched to AT&T, now with Sprint, and Sprint has definitely had the best call clarity and data speed of those three. AT&T had better coverage, but calls would routinely drop.

As others have said, Sprint has good coverage in cities and well populated areas, not so good in rural areas. But it's not a major issue. And now that Sprint has the iPhone, you can save a little money and still have a kick*** phone.

 

[CapnCy]

Live in Ames and have not ever had an issue. It travels well (in terms of coverage). I recently got a smart phone and the unlimited data is nice. I have also always had great customer service experiences as well.

 

[Jonecy]

I've been with Sprint for 13 years. There were some rough spots with customer service in the mid 2000's, but for the past few years I have had no complaints, and am quite satisfied with their service. The prices are outstanding.

Just be aware of this...Sprint lost a good deal of their 3G coverage in the Dakotas, Montana, and some parts of Iowa and Nebraska (particularly rural areas) after Verizon bought Alltel. Alltel had reciprocal voice/data agreements with Sprint. Apparently, Sprint and Verizon have not been able to work out continuing the agreements, so the 3G coverage is gone in those areas where Alltel was providing access to Sprint. You will still get voice coverage and 1X data in those areas.

I would recommend going to the Sprint coverage maps and zoom in closely on the area(s) where you would need coverage (like your house or primary travel route to work), and if you are getting a data plan, make sure that Sprint has 3G/4G coverage there.

So do you get charged extra for roaming on the Verizon (former Alltel) network or is there just a decrease in coverage/performance?

 

[Jonecy]

I switched from VZW to Sprint several years back and haven't been disappointed. VZW's coverage is a little better, but the savings has been tremendous, although Sprint has been slowly raising their rates and reducing discounts.

If you have an Android phone, you can get Roam Control and force your phone over to VZW's network if you're not getting a good Sprint signal.

I moved from Verizon to Sprint about 5 years ago, and honestly I can't say I have noticed much of a difference at all in network performance.

I don't think you would be giving up anything as far as quality of phones. Sprint has had a great selection of top tier Android devices for a couple years now, dating back to the Evo. And with iPhone now available, they have as much to offer as any carrier.

Were you able to transfer your Verizon phone # and contacts from your Verizon phone to your new Sprint phone?

 

[tre]

Were you able to transfer your Verizon phone # and contacts from your Verizon phone to your new Sprint phone?

I switched from Verizon to Sprint about 6 years ago, & was able to keep my number and contacts. Haven't had a single problem with anything in the 6 years I've been with them.

 

[cytech]

So do you get charged extra for roaming on the Verizon (former Alltel) network or is there just a decrease in coverage/performance?

With the simply everything plans roaming is no extra charge, I believe they may limit data while roaming. But I don't have that limit on my older plan so I am not sure.

Were you able to transfer your Verizon phone # and contacts from your Verizon phone to your new Sprint phone?

This will depend on the type of phone that you use. If you have a android phone all it takes is entering your gmail information and the contacts will be there.

 

[jbhtexas]

So do you get charged extra for roaming on the Verizon (former Alltel) network or is there just a decrease in coverage/performance?

The following is based on my experience this past summer on a trip that we took from TX through OK, KS, MO, IA, SD, ND, NE.

There were no roaming charges for voice or 1X data. With roaming guard on, the phones would not roam to 3G networks. If we took roaming guard off, they would roam to 3G, but there were no additional charges. My plan has unlimited 3G data roaming, and I don't really know if that is part of a normal Sprint plan now, or something that's been grandfathered in for me from an older plan.

Some provisions of the contract Sprint had with Alltel are still strictly binding on Verizon, and others have gray areas. If you Google this Sprint/Alltel/Verizon subject, there is alot of contradictory info and finger pointing. Sprint is probably the only one who can accurately answer your question, and it will probably vary by where your are roaming.

Also, when I deal with any communications provider, I do it by email so I have a written record of what is promised by sales/tech reps.

 

[ISU_phoria]

Live in the Twin Cities too. I switched to Sprint about 2 years ago and I didn't notice any decline in quality of reception or dead spots, etc.

I made the move before any of them made the move to their 4G platform and I think Verizon has implemented theirs better. But, for the savings I get with Sprint, I don't plan on leaving them anytime soon.

 

[MrGreg]

So do you get charged extra for roaming on the Verizon (former Alltel) network or is there just a decrease in coverage/performance?

Sprint does not charge for domestic roaming, it's completely free. However, they have been known to issue warnings or terminate contracts if you roam too much:

Off-network Roaming: The primary use of your Device must be for domestic purposes within the Sprint-owned network. Domestic means use in the 50 United States and U.S. Territories (except Guam). Sprint reserves the right, without notice, to deny, terminate, modify, disconnect or suspend service if off-network usage in a month exceeds: (1) voice: 800 min. or a majority of minutes; or (2) data: 300 megabytes or a majority of kilobytes. The display on your device may not always be on and will not indicate whether you will incur roaming charges. You can monitor usage online through My Account. Roaming is not available with single-band phones, or to customers who reside or whose primary use is outside an area covered by the Nationwide Sprint Network. Sprint may limit or terminate service if you move outside of the Sprint owned-network.

I wouldn't worry about the roaming usage though, you have to go way beyond those limits to even get a warning. I work in a concrete building that basically blocks all cell service. We do have Verizon repeaters in the building, so I just force my phone to roam on Verizon and it works great. I've been doing this 5 days a week for 6+ years and haven't had any issues.

When roaming, you'll generally get 1x data speeds unless you load a different PRL on your phone.

And if you are very interested in 4G service, Verizon has Sprint beat in that department.

 

[jbhtexas]

I work in a concrete building that basically blocks all cell service. We do have Verizon repeaters in the building, so I just force my phone to roam on Verizon and it works great. I've been doing this 5 days a week for 6+ years and haven't had any issues.

Just curious...does your bill show that usage as 3G Roaming Data?

I read somewhere that Sprint and Verizon do have full recipricol agreements in some markets, so you can use Verizon towers in those areas but the usage is not treated as 3G Roaming Data.

This is not the case in most of the former Alltel areas. Our bill from the time we took our trip listed significant 3G Roaming Data, when we normally don't have any.