Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC |  Lower Price?
Do they get the lower price of the traditional Sprint plan, or will they be stuck paying the higher Pivot price? |
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PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| Why Pivot Flopped
Pivot's biggest issue was the underlying Sprint PCS service could not compete heads-up with the existing cellular services (especially that from VZW or AT&T Mobility). AT&T Mobility has the iPhone (and wins on *cool factor* because of it), while VZW wins on network coverage. Even worse (for Pivot), both AT&T Mobility and VZW have a greater selection of lower-cost handsets (in addition to cheaper rates on services). So *why* would anyone choose Pivot over AT&T Mobility or VZW? |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | reply to Matt
Re: Lower Price?
Lower Sprint price. They're essentially just becoming normal Sprint customers. |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
| said by Karl Bode  :Lower Sprint price. They're essentially just becoming normal Sprint customers. That's not a bad deal then. I'm surprised they are not trying to lock them into the higher Pivot price .... at least for the remainder of their contracts. |
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tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI
| said by Matt :said by Karl Bode :Lower Sprint price. They're essentially just becoming normal Sprint customers. That's not a bad deal then. I'm surprised they are not trying to lock them into the higher Pivot price .... at least for the remainder of their contracts. Why is that surprising? They are talking about Sprint, not VerizonW. If Sprint wanted to REALLY make it a nice deal, Offer SERO plans for those tossed to the wind. They COULD use all the good press they can get since Sprint seems to be the whipping boy of the wireless world right now.  |
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navalpatel
join:2003-07-28
Lubbock, TX
| reply to PGHammer
Re: Why Pivot Flopped
I suppose now the more appropriate question is, why would anyone choose Sprint over AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile...
AT&T has the iPhone "cool" factor.
Verizon has the network.
T-Mobile has amazing customer service.
The only thing that is really keeping Sprint afloat or rather keeping customers from defecting is the fact that they have ways of making you want to stay - discounts, free addons, etc... in combination with a plan that you may be on, it usually ends up being the best deal of the four. Take particular notice of SERO and their unlimited plan, which is inclusive of every service they have to offer - Blackberry, GPS, etc., etc... |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to tc1uscg
Re: Lower Price?
said by tc1uscg :said by Matt :said by Karl Bode :Lower Sprint price. They're essentially just becoming normal Sprint customers. That's not a bad deal then. I'm surprised they are not trying to lock them into the higher Pivot price .... at least for the remainder of their contracts. Why is that surprising? They are talking about Sprint, not VerizonW. The same Sprint that charged me an ETF to switch from Nextel to Sprint after the merger, but then sent me a refund check weeks later?
The same Sprint who refused to allow me to add another family line, even though my credit is perfect, and I was never late with Nextel nor Sprint?
I was very happy with my Sprint service and I still think my Samsung A900 was the best phone I ever owned, but their customer service policies are rancid. |
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disc
join:2005-12-31
Raleigh, NC
| reply to PGHammer
Re: Why Pivot Flopped
said by PGHammer :Pivot's biggest issue was the underlying Sprint PCS service could not compete heads-up with the existing cellular services (especially that from VZW or AT&T Mobility). Are you suggesting that Pivot would have been successful if only VzW or AT&T Mobility were used instead? Dream on. Pivot was all about converged features, and simply put the converged services offered weren't compelling enough. Changing the carrier underneath it wouldn't have changed a thing.
They just needed to think a little bit more outside the box on the converged services offer. Maybe Unified Communications (premised on the wireless service) to the broadband home and/or to the TV would have been the ticket. |
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Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI | Pivot?
I'm a Comcast customer and never even heard of it. It seems like they did a very poor job of advertising this service.
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. |
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HardwareGeek
join:2003-11-15
Brooklyn, NY | reply to Matt
Re: Lower Price?
My gf switched to sprint from Nextel 3 weeks after the merger and they didn't charge her an ETF and her contract was just 6 months old. |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| said by HardwareGeek :My gf switched to sprint from Nextel 3 weeks after the merger and they didn't charge her an ETF and her contract was just 6 months old. They do charge the ETF, but then refund it. You don't ever have to actually pay the ETF (as I later found out), but I went ahead and paid it as I didn't trust them to apply the credits properly.
They expect you to carry the ETF as a final bill with Nextel, until Sprint sends the check to Nextel. I told them to just send the check to me. |
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bobjohnson
Premium
join:2007-02-03
Titusville, FL
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Jim Gurd
Re: Pivot?
said by Jim Gurd :I'm a Comcast customer and never even heard of it. It seems like they did a very poor job of advertising this service. You're right.. Comcast didn't advertise pivot at all.. TW and bright house are really the only ones that advertise it.. Comcast getting rid of it is probably not much of a loss.. |
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wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·BroadVoice
| reply to disc
Re: Why Pivot Flopped
said by disc :They just needed to think a little bit more outside the box on the converged services offer. Maybe Unified Communications (premised on the wireless service) to the broadband home and/or to the TV would have been the ticket. I think the real reason this failed is because they charged a premium ($15 to $20) for bundling in wireless service with your existing cable service. This was a complete disaster for a number of reasons. First, the so called "quad play", offering customers a discounted price on TV, phone, internet, and cell service is a pipe dream, and nobody wants it. Secondly (and the exact opposite), is that charging people MORE money to bundle in their cell service is the stupidest concept ever created.
Pivot could have made an impact if they offered a discount to customers who purchased the service. For instance, they could have offered customers the SERO rate given that they already had the cable services on their account. Unfortunately, they chose to not do this and thats why it failed. People will NEVER pay more money for less service, and this just proved that.
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Весна прибыла |
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klipko
join:2006-06-28
Portland, OR
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to bobjohnson
Re: Pivot?
said by bobjohnson :said by Jim Gurd :I'm a Comcast customer and never even heard of it. It seems like they did a very poor job of advertising this service. You're right.. Comcast didn't advertise pivot at all.. TW and bright house are really the only ones that advertise it.. Comcast getting rid of it is probably not much of a loss.. True. There was NO advertising on Pivot here in Portland from Comcast. I was only reminded about it one time when I walked into a Sprint Store. A small display with Pivot brochures. Nothing at Comcast's stores, kiosks, fliers within my bills (when I was a Comcast customer).
And that "overhead" price for the service...wtf? |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | reply to Matt
Re: Lower Price?
after their merger i was allowed to change to Sprint from Nextel with no ETF. The only thing I had to do was wait 9 months on the Nextel side. If i didnt wait the 9months i would have been charged an ETF. |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | reply to PGHammer
Re: Why Pivot Flopped
Sprint, VZW, and Alltel almost have the same size network. They're all partnered together for roaming. One's network is not the issue. It was the pricing for the most part. |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to hottboiinnc
Re: Lower Price?
said by hottboiinnc :after their merger i was allowed to change to Sprint from Nextel with no ETF. The only thing I had to do was wait 9 months on the Nextel side. If i didnt wait the 9months i would have been charged an ETF. Uhhh, so you had to wait out your contract?  |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| no i only had to be a Nextel customer for 9 months. 9months in after the contract i could transfer to Sprint without any problems. And did so. The only problem i had was with the outsourced service reps on the Sprint side. Which is why i left the company as a whole. |
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wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
·Verizon FIOS
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·RoadRunner Cable
·BroadVoice
| reply to hottboiinnc
Re: Why Pivot Flopped
said by hottboiinnc :Sprint, VZW, and Alltel almost have the same size network. They're all partnered together for roaming. One's network is not the issue. It was the pricing for the most part. This had nothing to do with the network, and everything to do with the pricing model.
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Весна прибыла |
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Fibertekh
join:2008-03-18
Wakefield, RI
| reply to klipko
Re: Pivot?
Cox advertises it pretty heavily here in RI... but yes.. the model is horrific, and the as far as the wireless thing goes providers (at least the CDMA providers) DO have seperate networks, however also DO work together for roaming issues and should network problems occur, the other provider actually will allow others to use their wireless lines for service while the issue gets resolved. Think of it as helpful competition as oppose to healthy competition  |
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