 
pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
 ·Comcast
| Ban This Crap This is just another reason why most class action suits need to be banned. The "victims" here (I don't consider someone who pays an ETF to be a victim) won't get anything aside from coupons for discounts on future Sprint services and the lawyers will make out like bandits.
Sprint of course recoups the costs of the suit by either raising rates, cutting back on services, or (hopefully) jacking up the price of anything bought with settlement-related coupons.
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
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Hpower
Roflmao
join:2000-06-08
Glendale, CA
·Charter Pipeline
| Re: Ban This Crap Yup. Here is your $20 coupon sir, for uh, a cellphone holder. Those people with ETF's need to READ THE FRIGGING contract. Do NOT cancel before contract is over. Or else you get pwned. They just don't get it.
Doubt Sprint will get affected by this much anyway. Probably will take them years to get this $14 million deal settled with anyway with 4349393439 coupons rofl.
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The Internet is about to go down....it is actually. | |
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| | JonHB
join:2007-09-18
Huntington Beach, CA
| Re: Ban This Crap said by Hpower  :Yup. Here is your $20 coupon sir, for uh, a cellphone holder. Those people with ETF's need to READ THE FRIGGING contract. Do NOT cancel before contract is over. Or else you get pwned. They just don't get it. Doubt Sprint will get affected by this much anyway. Probably will take them years to get this $14 million deal settled with anyway with 4349393439 coupons rofl. There's more to this than just reading the contract. There are deceptive practices and flat out lies.
Last year I contacted Sprint to add a 5th line to my family plan. I specifically asked them if I used an existing phone that I had and made no changes to my plan, would that phone be under a 2 year agreement. I was told no that it would not be. I went ahead and added the line for a $10/mo fee and it used minutes from the existing pool of the family plan. Now I no longer need that extra line, but they are telling me that it is a $200 fee to cancel it. I never received any discounted phone or other consideration from Sprint. It's cheaper for me to just continue paying the $10/mo for the next 10 months than to cancel it now. Because of the ETF, that single phone prevents me from porting my other 4 phones (no longer under contract) to another carrier unless I want to absorb the full $200. | |
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| | | Michael C
join:2009-06-26
Cedar Park, TX
| Re: Ban This Crap Same thing happened to me when I was a Sprint customer. They called me up telling me I could add an additional line, get a free phone, and get on a cheaper plan with NO CHANGES to my existing contract. What I failed to realize at the time was that the new phone had it's own contract. When I no longer needed the new phone (parents got their own plan), I was told I had to keep paying for it for another year or face the ETF. Good thing for me they changed up their fees, and I was able to get out of the contract under a materially adverse change. But the damage had been done. I cancelled all my service for both phones and left Sprint forever....way to retain customers! | |
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| | | GwenH
join:2009-05-12
New York, NY
| I didn't have 5 phones, only one but I paid the ETF and in the end it was worth it. I bought a Straight Talk unlimited talk, text and 30mb of data for $45/month and save $35 on what I was paying to Sprint. which means that within 6 months I've made my money back and still saving. It's amazing that Straight Talk is not only cheaper but it has better signal too because they operate on Verizon's network which is nationwide. | |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
| said by pnh102 :This is just another reason why most class action suits need to be banned. The "victims" here (I don't consider someone who pays an ETF to be a victim) won't get anything aside from coupons for discounts on future Sprint services and the lawyers will make out like bandits. Sprint of course recoups the costs of the suit by either raising rates, cutting back on services, or (hopefully) jacking up the price of anything bought with settlement-related coupons. It's actually a $90 check and I've signed up for mine. | |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| Re: Ban This Crap said by Matt :It's actually a $90 check and I've signed up for mine. According to the settlement itself it seems that all "cash" rewards are either service credits or credits to activate new service with Sprint/Nextel (pages 15 through 20).
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
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NYR 56
join:2000-12-05
Smithtown, NY
clubs: | Re: Ban This Crap You can chose a $35 check if you didn't actually cancel or a $90 check if you did. There are also other options such as credits or bonus minutes. | |
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| | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | Re: Ban This Crap Hmmmm... i had 3 accounts with them...does that mean get 3x as much? | |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| Re: Ban This Crap said by hottboiinnc :Hmmmm... i had 3 accounts with them...does that mean get 3x as much? Actually, yes, if you paid 3 ETF fees. | |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| said by pnh102 :said by Matt :It's actually a $90 check and I've signed up for mine. According to the settlement itself it seems that all "cash" rewards are either service credits or credits to activate new service with Sprint/Nextel (pages 15 through 20). They give you an option to receive a check, or activate new service at no charge and get (in my case) 100 bonus minutes a month for 2 years. | |
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grydlok
join:2004-01-06
Richmond, VA | Re: Ban This Crap That's what I took. The 100 extra minutes a month. | |
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| Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO
| I would disagree with them being banned as they do serve a purpose and generally make a positive change.
I would however like to see a change on what lawyers can earn from them and see that ALL awards that are basically "fines" go to the government. Let the awards to the "injured" get theirs, then let the lawyers get theirs based on billable time from what is left over, and the rest goes to a general fund. | |
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v35_pilot
Whoops, there goes another AMU
Premium
join:2005-12-12
Fayetteville, NY |  How the damages are divided up
Man, I should have been a lawyer. | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL | Re: How the damages are divided up Ya know, not every lawyer gets a class action payday. | |
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| | MyDogHsFleas
Premium
join:2007-08-15
Austin, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Southwest
| Re: How the damages are divided up said by Goober :Ya know, not every lawyer gets a class action payday. No, only the Democratic lawyers.
The Democrats' two biggest supporters are the teacher's union and the trial lawyers.
The trial lawyers are getting a $1.6 billion payback in the form of tax breaks:
»taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog···ak-.html
Also, new Democrat Arlen Specter wants to change the law around civil fraud cases, superceding Supreme Court rulings to the contrary. He wants to let trial lawyers sue companies that only did legal business with the company accused of fraud, and had no knowledge of or participation in the fraudulent activity.
»blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/08/0···lawyers/ | |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| Re: How the damages are divided up said by MyDogHsFleas :said by Goober :Ya know, not every lawyer gets a class action payday. No, only the Democratic lawyers. The Democrats' two biggest supporters are the teacher's union and the trial lawyers. The trial lawyers are getting a $1.6 billion payback in the form of tax breaks: » taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog···ak-.htmlAlso, new Democrat Arlen Specter wants to change the law around civil fraud cases, superceding Supreme Court rulings to the contrary. He wants to let trial lawyers sue companies that only did legal business with the company accused of fraud, and had no knowledge of or participation in the fraudulent activity. » blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/08/0···lawyers/ I heard only the Democrats get ice cream for being good little partisan hacks too. | |
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Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| said by Goober :Ya know, not every lawyer gets a class action payday. only the scumbag lawyers?  | |
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jmn1207
Premium
join:2000-07-19
Reston, VA | Re: How the damages are divided up Scumbag lawyer? Is that like wet water?  | |
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jmn1207
Premium
join:2000-07-19
Reston, VA
·Verizon FIOS
| I saw this email the other day, but anything they offer would just be a bonus for me.
I had an opportunity to add a second phone to my account with a really good discount on a BlackBerry Curve. I bought the new phone with a 2-year contract at a significant discount, swapped my existing phone number to the new phone, and then cancelled the new line after 30 days.
The difference for me was $129.99/month for 23 months keeping both phone numbers active ($2989.77), or dropping to the $99/month everything plan ($2277) and taking a $200 ETF after cancelling the new line. Even after taking the full ETF penalty, I would have saved myself over $500 while taking advantage of the "new phone" discount.
Sprint wanted me to pay over $500 for the new BlackBerry out of contract, but I found a way to get it much cheaper. I ended up paying $330 for the new phone. ($99 for the phone with the discounts, $200 ETF, and one month at $30 over my normal Everything plan) | |
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ycool
join:2001-12-04
Miami, FL | got it I signed up and it says i qualify for $90 check per phone#, I had two contracts with them so I'll be getting two $90 checks, excellent, not enough to cover what I paid them anyways, ending those contracts cost me $500. | |
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tenpin784
I Went To The Dark Side?
join:2001-03-30
New Durham, NH
| missed it I missed the pro-rated ETFs by a couple of months. So when I went to cancel, I got slapped with 200 x 2...it was almost the same price for me to drop to the lowest plan and just finish the contract.
Stupid sprint.
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Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Disclaimer: These are MY comments, my employer cant be held responsible. | |
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imanogre
join:2005-11-29
Mcdonough, GA | Re: missed it One of the reasons I love cell phone companies that DON'T charge a contract. Metro PCS anyone? | |
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insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
clubs: | The only good news is that you qualify for $35/line under Category III of the settlement class.
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If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something. | |
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tenpin784
I Went To The Dark Side?
join:2001-03-30
New Durham, NH | Re: missed it Damn...not the 90?
I havent read it yet. | |
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neufuse
join:2006-12-06
Indiana, PA | number? what if we can't remember or old sprint phone number? I can't even find my darn old bills for one of the phones ugh | |
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insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
clubs: | Re: number? Then you get less money. If you paid an ETF but don't have proof, you can state (under penalty of perjury) that you did, and you get $25.
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If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something. | |
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RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| Is it prorating or just reducing the EFT a few times? The blurb says: In an attempt to prevent new ETF-limiting laws, Sprint revamped their ETF practices last fall and shifted to what's become the industry standard of pro-rating your ETF -- or reducing the ETF every month -- while under contract.
It is my impression that they are NOT prorating but just reducing the EFT in steps depending on how long the contract has to go. Thus you get no reduction, for example, until 18 months of a 2 year contract, and then another reduction after another 3 months (this is an example not their real terms).
The intent of the EFT is SUPPOSED to be to repay the Cell Company for the reduction in the price you pay for your phone as opposed to buying it at "Full Cost" (the cost of your monthly service being the same in either case).
REAL prorating takes the initial EFT and reduces it by the original amount divided by the contract term every month. Thus, to use an example, a $240 EFT on a 24 Month Contract gets reduced (ie: Paid Down) by $10 each month you keep the phone and thus canceling one month early costs you ONLY $10 not some significantly higher amount. | |
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jmn1207
Premium
join:2000-07-19
Reston, VA
·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Is it prorating or just reducing the EFT a few times? It is very similar to receiving credit for the cost of the phone. I'd much rather take the retail price of the phone and split the total up by the length of your contract. So a $600 phone with a 2-year contract would drop $25 each month, and if you wanted to leave early, you would only have to pay for the remaining balance left on the phone. This would be a fair, and it wouldn't cost someone with a cheap LG Rumor with 2 months to go the same as it would for a person leaving after only 4 months holding a Samsung Instinct. The ETF would be relevant to the price of the phone. | |
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RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| Re: Is it prorating or just reducing the EFT a few times? said by jmn1207 :It is very similar to receiving credit for the cost of the phone. I'd much rather take the retail price of the phone and split the total up by the length of your contract. So a $600 phone with a 2-year contract would drop $25 each month, and if you wanted to leave early, you would only have to pay for the remaining balance left on the phone. This would be a fair, and it wouldn't cost someone with a cheap LG Rumor with 2 months to go the same as it would for a person leaving after only 4 months holding a Samsung Instinct. The ETF would be relevant to the price of the phone. Which is what I am saying about the difference between the way they reduce the EFT and the way the EFT would get reduced IF they truly used a Pro-Rating method to reduce it. My method only reduces the Full Cost of the phone by the cost to buy it at the subsidized price (which is what the EFT is supposed to be/recover) before setting the monthly reduction/pay-back in the EFT due. | |
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JonHB
join:2007-09-18
Huntington Beach, CA
| Why do contracts prior to Nov. 2008 still pay the full ETF? I don't get this... why do customers that signed a 2 year agreement before Nov. 2008 still have to pay the full $200 ETF if they cancel? Wasn't the whole point of this lawsuit that it was illegal? If you signed your contract after Nov. 2008, you go by the prorated schedule found here: »nextelonline.nextel.com/en/servi···ee.shtml .
My contract date was Dec. 2007. So it seems that if I cancelled this month, I would still be charged a full $200 ETF. However, based on the class action settlement, I could file to receive $90 back. Am I understanding this correctly? | |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY | law And under what legal theory would ETFs be illegal? I wish to see the ruling in this case, or have these all been jury cases with jury nullification/populism? | |
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Sprint Settles ETF Class Action For $17.5 Million
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