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Amp'd Dies At Midnight
Assets being auctioned off...

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According to the company FAQ, today is the last day of service for the hipster-focused MVNO Amp'd Mobile, who recently filed for bankruptcy after nearly half of their very hip customers failed to pay their bills.

The company's bankruptcy auction proceedings begin this morning. Here's the asset auction list (pdf) if you're in the mood to buy some Amp'd banners, really bad intellectual property for handsets or used audio equipment on the cheap.

As with SunRocket, fleeing Amp'd customers are being courted by a company they've never heard of. They're getting text messages saying "Keep your Ampd phone and get 100 free TXT by switching to Prexar Mobile." Prexar's website insists they're trying to give customers "an easy and effortless transition."

Interestingly it looks like Prexar has ties to USA Telephone, the same company that's gobbling up the remaining assets of failed VoIP provider SunRocket.
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exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

exocet_cm

Premium Member

Registration

Domain Name: PREXARMOBILE.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
Whois Server: whois.tucows.com
Referral URL: »domainhelp.opensrs.net
Name Server: NS1.PREXAR.COM
Name Server: NS2.PREXAR.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 26-mar-2007
Creation Date: 26-mar-2007
Expiration Date: 26-mar-2008

Looks like they are fairly new... at least from the registration.
jervin123
join:2005-04-14
Philadelphia, PA

jervin123

Member

Prexar

Now Prexar will just go bankrupt.....

Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium Member
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1

Anonymous_

Premium Member

Re: Prexar

yep

Jon5
Premium Member
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL

Jon5

Premium Member

Ah hipsters..

America's Future. Bunch of fraek'n losers.

dmeyer6
join:2002-08-14
Austin, TX

dmeyer6

Member

MVNOs

Now if they would just take Boost, Disney Mobile, Helio, and Virgin Mobile with them...
acs12798
join:2006-03-13

acs12798

Member

Re: MVNOs

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

said by acs12798:

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.

S_engineer
Premium Member
join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

S_engineer

Premium Member

Re: MVNOs

Very well said!

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins to rf_engineer

MVM

to rf_engineer
said by rf_engineer:
said by acs12798:

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.
I know...
Virgin Mobile - Sprint.

"Virgin Mobile USA network services are provided on the Nationwide Sprint PCS® Network."

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

1 recommendation

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

said by dadkins:

said by rf_engineer:
said by acs12798:

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.
I know...
Virgin Mobile - Sprint.

"Virgin Mobile USA network services are provided on the Nationwide Sprint PCS® Network."

I stand corrected

( This is one of the times were capitalism takes over.... Virgin is probably getting marketing $$$$ for that little blurb... )

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins

MVM

Re: MVNOs

LOL!
Not good to make blanket assumptions...
I have Virgin Mobile because of No Contract, No monthly bill, no ETF, and it's the best deal going.

Just a perk that they run on Sprint, huh?

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

said by dadkins:

LOL!
Not good to make blanket assumptions...
No it's not, but ask Amp'd, Helio, Disney Mobile (or any of the hundred other MVNO) subscribers who their network provider is and see how many say Disney or MTV or give you a strange look and ask what a network provider is
Just a perk that they run on Sprint, huh?
If you actually consider Sprint a perk

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins

MVM

Re: MVNOs

Who cares really?
If you go to Verizon... I would imagine even an idiot would be able to say Verizon.
Or AT&T...
Or Sprint...
Or ???

So, some of us decide to get a MVNO... there's a problem with saving money?
I don't have a contract. No ETF. No monthly bill.

Sprint may suck there, but just because it might there doesn't mean it sucks everywhere.
4 bars, always.
Sprint can't match the price I'm paying and yet I still get to use their network?
Sounds like a perk to me!

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

said by dadkins:

Sprint may suck there, but just because it might there doesn't mean it sucks everywhere.
4 bars, always.
I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.

cwy1980
Premium Member
join:2004-08-10
Monmouth Junction, NJ

1 recommendation

cwy1980

Premium Member

Re: MVNOs

I'm not so sure that churn numbers provide the best rating of a service. I had Sprint for work...LOVED it.lays had signal except the subway (NYC)...then my company switched us to Verizon...no signal at my house at all and I have a heck of a lot more calls that drop when it switches service to another tower as I go down the NJ Turnpike between exits 15W and 16W.

I just want Sprint back with my broadband data card!

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins to rf_engineer

MVM

to rf_engineer
Churn by actual Sprint customers...
Like I said, no one - not even Sprint, can match the deal I have by Virgin Mobile, yet I still get to be on/use Sprint's network.

I'm looking at *NO ONE* has a better deal ATM.
$20 every three months(or if I need more money on the account - sooner) - and still on Sprint PCS. Hmmm...

I'm looking at me having a cell for the least amount of outlay & no monthly bill.
No contract, no ETF.

Think about it!
This MVNO is looking pretty sweet!

YMMV.

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

Yes, churn by actual Sprint customers, and arguably some percentage of that churn could be due to customer service and not coverage issues. But when you get into these Ford versus Chevy discussions, bars don't tell the story nor does anecdotal evidence.

That's great that Virgin is working out for you and apparently it's working out for several million other customers as well. YMMV in effect. I just see MVNOs as a troubling fad where marketing is a priority over quality and the goal is to suck more money out of market segments that shouldn't have phones with unnecessary features to begin with. The MVNO is at the mercy of their provider and is unable to make any commitments or improvements to the underlying network. And as we've seen with Amp'd due to their targeting of customers that the big four don't really want, their business model is riskier and less stable. Customer stickiness with a model that relies heavily on prepaid with no contracts is about nil. Arguably the stickiness lies in customer support, coverage, features, and content, though the MVNO really has direct control of only two of these. But I digress.

Of course, I'm old school (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins

MVM

Re: MVNOs

Coverage, yes! *HERE* I have excellent coverage!
*HERE* I have Virgin Mobile - MVNO with Sprint as the actual network.

You saying that all MVNOs should go away makes no sense.
I'm getting a killer deal and Sprint's network *HERE* works great!

Maybe you should re-evaluate your cell package and look at other services.
I don't have to pay $30-$100 per month for cell service... do you?
Mine works out to under $7.00 per month with current usage trends.

Yeah! This MVNO is sweet!

upstate NY
@rr.com

upstate NY to dadkins

Anon

to dadkins
actually there is cheaper than Virgin Mobile...they are called PagePlus...and they piggy back off the Verizon network

rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL

rec9140 to rf_engineer

Member

to rf_engineer
said by rf_engineer:
I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.

Of course, I'm old school (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.
From an RF person this is absurd, coverage and network are all that matters. If I can't make a call when I need to then the provider is useless.

Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.

Your last point though I will agree with, cellular has went down hill since the StarTAC and the whole stupid flip and thin craze. Along with the feature creep..... Its a phone people, its to make calls!

rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04
USA

rf_engineer

Member

Re: MVNOs

said by rec9140:

quote:
said by rf_engineer:

I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.

Of course, I'm old school (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.
From an RF person this is absurd, coverage and network are all that matters. If I can't make a call when I need to then the provider is useless.

Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.

Your last point though I will agree with, cellular has went down hill since the StarTAC and the whole stupid flip and thin craze. Along with the feature creep..... Its a phone people, its to make calls!
You're misinterpreting my "bars" comment. Bars are what people read on phones and talk about X carrier being better than Y. We'd often joke in cellular when a customer called about how many bars they were getting that we would drive out to the cell site and turn it up a bar or two

Coverage is important. But one person saying X carrier is great because they get six bars in Hometown, Nebraska isn't indicative of great coverage. As you mention, maps are what you need to look at. You use test vans equipped with real gear to measure that, not a $50 shiny phone that takes pictures and has a signal meter that varies 15 dB.

For overall health, though, I'm not going to look at just coverage, I'm going to look at churn. If overall coverage is poor, it's probably going to be reflected in churn.

I'm with you on things going downhill. I just want a phone that I can make calls with and send some emails. I don't need music, video, pr0n, IM, and sport scores. Unfortunately subscriber growth is flat as they've gotten every customer they can get. Now it's a battle to entice customers over from other carriers with stupid features.

sprintuserrrrr
@spcsdns.net

sprintuserrrrr to rec9140

Anon

to rec9140
said by rec9140:



Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.
Sprint's coverage is about the same as Verizon. Both cover about 260m pops natively. Verizon shows roaming on their maps. Sprint is adding CDMA coverage faster than Verizon on existing Nextel sites. Sprint also has the best roaming agreements of any carrier.

Sprint's high churn is the Nextel side, not the CDMA side.

rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL

rec9140

Member

Re: MVNOs


The Sprint Road Map

VZW Coverage

The Nexhell Road Map
said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint's coverage is about the same as Verizon. Both cover about 260m pops natively. Verizon shows roaming on their maps.
All the carriers are hiding coverage and who provides it unless you dig. VZW, sprint, all of them ... BUT...

Sprints, NATIVE COVERAGE, what THEY OWN AND BUILT, NOT roaming agreements/partners, is a road map for interstates and major highways.

It doesn't compare to VZW own NATIVE coverage either. VZW builds out their coverage past the narrow corridors of interstates and highways that Sprint doesn't.

I'll take that 2nd map versus the road map above, any day.
said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint is adding CDMA coverage faster than Verizon on existing Nextel sites.
I don't have access to that kind of sensitve company data to verify that, but nexhells coverage is another joke in and of its self too. Another carrier who looks like a road map.
said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint also has the best roaming agreements of any carrier.
Well, thanks for the laugh.... no way I am buying that statement. I'll take my VZW phone anywhere and be able to make a call, especially rural areas off the Sprint Road Map and make a call. Yes VZW has major areas covered by partners too, but their native coverage far exceeds sprints in a heartbeat, especially off the major highways.

SirXILE
The SolWar 2-1
Premium Member
join:2001-02-24
Brooklyn, NY

SirXILE to dmeyer6

Premium Member

to dmeyer6
said by dmeyer6:

Now if they would just take Boost, Disney Mobile, Helio, and Virgin Mobile with them...
Agreed!

C0deZer0
Oc'D To Rhythm And Police
Premium Member
join:2001-10-03
Tempe, AZ

1 recommendation

C0deZer0 to dmeyer6

Premium Member

to dmeyer6
At the very least, Helio...

"BUT IT'S GOT MYSPACE MOBILE!"

I'd just want to stab a needle with AIDS-infected blood into someone every time I hear that stupid ad. And for that matter, an AIDS-infected needle into every dumbass that signs up for 't3h mysp4c3 m0b1l3!!!11!!'
moe300
join:2001-06-30
Iowa City, IA

1 edit

moe300

Member

Account spending limit losers...

They get all the account spending limit poor credit losers who have bad credit for not paying their bills in the first place. Just a matter of time before this happened. How amusing..

STrRedWolf
join:2006-06-18
Severn, MD

STrRedWolf

Member

Slashdotted again...

And the auction list maxes out on the downloads.

NJxxxJon
2 0 1 7 Mmm Here We go man!
Premium Member
join:2005-10-22

NJxxxJon

Premium Member

SUCKAGE

Yeah they suck at transfering my chicks friends cell number......I must have check everyday almost for the past week.....

N3OGH
Yo Soy Col. "Bat" Guano
Premium Member
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs

1 recommendation

N3OGH

Premium Member

Amp'd losers, who would want 'em??

OK, so Amp'd goes under for providing service to a bunch of losers who don't pay their bills, so now this wrecking crew steps up and wants to buy them.

I can see the auction listing for when Prexar goes under.

10 (ten) un used crack pipes

200 (two hundred) heavily used crack pipes.

1 (one) Scooby Doo bong, with multiple hoses...


Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium Member
join:2004-01-06
NYC Metro

Tzale

Premium Member

Re: Amp'd losers, who would want 'em??

said by N3OGH:

OK, so Amp'd goes under for providing service to a bunch of losers who don't pay their bills, so now this wrecking crew steps up and wants to buy them.

I can see the auction listing for when Prexar goes under.

10 (ten) un used crack pipes

200 (two hundred) heavily used crack pipes.

1 (one) Scooby Doo bong, with multiple hoses...


lmfao

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

1 edit

Cheese to N3OGH

Premium Member

to N3OGH
said by N3OGH:

OK, so Amp'd goes under for providing service to a bunch of losers who don't pay their bills, so now this wrecking crew steps up and wants to buy them.

I can see the auction listing for when Prexar goes under.

10 (ten) un used crack pipes

200 (two hundred) heavily used crack pipes.

1 (one) Scooby Doo bong, with multiple hoses...


Correct me if I am wrong, was this not pre-paid? They have to pay for those minutes, they don't buy them they have no service, plain and simple. I have a gut feeling more is going on here than what is being told because I wouldn't consider a pre-paid phone as having a "bill" since you pay for the minutes you need, not a set monthly limit from a normal provider.

PeteC2
Got Mouse?
MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT

PeteC2

MVM

Really comes as no surprise

...you market a service particularly aimed at a customer base that has little or no experience in meeting continuing monthly payments, then you will reap the consequences...

This is much akin to the real-estate bust that is at least in part due to the rash of sub-prime lenders, and their predictable demise...
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: Really comes as no surprise

said by PeteC2:

...you market a service particularly aimed at a customer base that has little or no experience in meeting continuing monthly payments, then you will reap the consequences...
Thats why there is prepaid. Its like electroshock therapy, if you answer wrong (dont pay), you rehabilitated (homies cant call you/phone is dead).
vilerage1
join:2004-11-03
Delaware, OH

vilerage1 to PeteC2

Member

to PeteC2
said by PeteC2:

...you market a service particularly aimed at a customer base that has little or no experience in meeting continuing monthly payments, then you will reap the consequences...

This is much akin to the real-estate bust that is at least in part due to the rash of sub-prime lenders, and their predictable demise...
You get a bill with pre-paid service? That's harsh! No wonder they weren't paying! (I'm pretty sure Amd'd was prepaid... if it wasn't, just ignore me...)

Seriously, when it's all paid up front, I'm not sure I understand how they're blaming the customer...

I got my oldest a pre-paid via T-Mobile to help her learn about responsibility... Once you use up all the value in the account, if you don't BUY more, you don't get service... I.E. no continuing monthly payments ....

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

dadkins

MVM

Pay - As - You - Go

...and the DUH award goes to Amp'd!
My cell has no monthly bills!
I slap money to it and when it starts getting low, add more money. No brainer!
No contracts, no bills!

Yeah, MVNO - Virgin Mobile(on Sprint).
I get WAY more than I really need and none of the monthly headaches.

Works for me!

•••••

Irun Man
Premium Member
join:2002-10-18
Millsboro, DE

Irun Man

Premium Member

C'est la vie, Amp'd Mobile!

It was a good ride while it lasted.

My PAYG balance is down to $0.25; guess I'll burn that easily before midnight.

It may be "water under the bridge", but I feel if Amp'd had emphasized pay as you go they would have had better cash flow and survived much longer.

To add insult to injury, we're told that our Motorola e816 "Hollywood" handsets will be banned from the Verizon Wireless network after the shutdown, so all of us will have paperweights after midnight.

••••
ncbill
Premium Member
join:2007-01-23
Winston Salem, NC

ncbill

Premium Member

Already active on other providers

Plenty of e816 phones have already been activated on other Verizon MVNOs.

Those certainly aren't affected by tonight's amp'd cutoff.

I expect Verizon will offer the cheapest surplus phone they can as replacement if the ping issue can't be resolved.
mc15000
join:2007-07-31
Fenton, MO

1 edit

mc15000

Member

Prexar/USA Telephone

The nameservers for the prexar mobile site refer to prexar.com, which is owned and operated by our good friend Bill Fogg as a subsidiary of USA Telephone.

Looks like the vultures have some more meaty carcasses to pick clean.
vanDSLuser
from Vancouver 2010
Premium Member
join:2004-07-28
White Rock, BC

vanDSLuser

Premium Member

Who wants to bet it's the same company as TeleBlend

»www.prexarmobile.com/about/ leads me to believe they're connected somehow.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Who wants to bet it's the same company as TeleBlend

Yep....
ElJay
join:2004-03-17
Portland, ME

ElJay to vanDSLuser

Member

to vanDSLuser
Yes they are. Both are USA Telephone... Lots of buying going on for USA Telephone.
jdr30
join:2005-01-21
Clark, NJ

jdr30

Member

prexar

5000 Text5 $59.99/mo.

WOW

kayrocks
@rcn.com

kayrocks

Anon

ampd

ask peter adderton what he did with the 10 million dollars he pockected from not sending out the $ 100 rebates ....
sounds like we need to do class action suit against him and his company

FiL25
Premium Member
join:2005-08-16
Silver Spring, MD

FiL25

Premium Member

Re: ampd

The wave of the future...

1-Create company...

2-Market and gain customers...

3-Rake in as much cash as possible into off shore Swiss accounts...

4-Bankrupt your company...

5-Start up a new company in the same industry and provide a "seamless transition" from your old company to your new one...

Repeat as often as you'd like!

The 'murrikan Dream fulfilled!

Alakar
Facts do not cease to exist when ignored
join:2001-03-23
Milwaukee, WI

Alakar

Member

Wave of the future?

said by FiL25:

The wave of the future...

1-Create company...

2-Market and gain customers...

3-Rake in as much cash as possible into off shore Swiss accounts...

4-Bankrupt your company...

5-Start up a new company in the same industry and provide a "seamless transition" from your old company to your new one...

Repeat as often as you'd like!

The 'murrikan Dream fulfilled!
That scam has been going on for years with CLEC's.

ok
@verizon.net

ok

Anon

Pay As You Go

Amp'd had a good amount of PAYG customers such as myself, so don't go calling all former Amp'd Customers "non-paying deadbeats"
:P

anon_bystander
@centurytel.net

anon_bystander

Anon

Re: Pay As You Go

I use prepaid (or used to) for my company. It's so much cheaper than a $49.99/mo plan that turns into $70 after taxes and made up fees and imaginary surcharges that all go right into their pockets (swiss bank accounts).

meister_sd
Premium Member
join:2006-01-29
La Mesa, CA

meister_sd

Premium Member

Where is the auction?

I'd like to know where the auction is and how to get some bids in. They have a lot of computer and networking stuff.
bevishead9
join:2003-03-02
Houston, TX

bevishead9

Member

I switched

Im an ex ampd customer on pre paid so I never had any bill to pay. I liked ampd for its cheap streaming TV. When I say cheap i mean it used to be really cheap. It was 1 cent a min to watch Tv on your phone for god sakes. I have since switched to page plus and they were extremely nice and gave us ampd users 100mins for free just for porting over to them. I plan on being with them for a while.

kevinloydw
join:2001-08-18
Salem, OR

kevinloydw

Member

If anyone has any extra Amp'd Phones they do not want?

I collect cell phones as a hobby I do not care if it is a paper weight or not...

Thanks,
Kevin L. Ward
kward@wardcomputer.com
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