Sprint Clarifies Required $10 Premium Data Charge on Evo 4G
May 12th, 2010 by Mark Spoonauer, LAPTOP Editor in Chief 
There’s been a lot of buzz on Twitter tonight about Sprint’s required $10 premium data fee for its hot new Evo 4G phone. This charge is on top of the $69.99 Simply Everything plan that includes 450 minutes, unlimited 3G surfing, text messaging, GPS, all-you-can-eat YouTube, and other goodies. At first we thought this was some sort of 4G surcharge, but that’s not the case. You’ll need to pony up the extra 10 bucks regardless of where you live. Sprint spokesperson John Taylor attempted to clear things up on his blog tonight:
If you buy the Sprint 4G EVO, you have to pay this $10 charge each month. This is specific to the device. It’s not related to whether you are using 3G or 4G. It is required if you have the phone.
Because the phone has a faster processor, a huge 4.3 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camcorder/camera, we expect you will be using a lot more data than you would with our other devices. These features will give you capabilities that have previously never been available on a wireless device and we think they provide a premium experience. (Remember, this is the world’s first 3G/4G Android phone.)
So, basically, you’re paying a premium because of what Sprint expects you to do with the phone–namely, consume more data than you ever have in your life. And given the Evo 4G’s large display for web surfing and capabilities like two-way video chat, one could argue that this new tier is fair. But as we said before we sincerely hope Sprint doesn’t charge customers even more for two-way video chat. That should be built into the $10 premium. Would you pay a minimum of $80 per month to use this phone? Sound off in the comments.
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May 12th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
I would of course spend the money on the super phone. To be honest I had the Iphone for two years and have been nickel and dime for years. I think I can pony up the extra 10 bucks. Plus even with this, Sprint is still the cheapest. The same plan with at&t would cost about $120. Sprints everything data is unlim M2M to all cell phones and 450 to land lines. Who calls land lines?
. I also have 4g in my city so I’m set.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
I don’t mind the $10 premium for data, but what frustrates me is the $30 additional for the hotspot feature.
May 12th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
I talked with sprint customer service earlier this evening. My $124/mo bill will now be like $170/mo. I could not justify that until I figured I’m paying $59/mo for internet service at home that I can only use at home. We’ll see how this works out. But, then again, I was concerned about cutting off my home phone and going to “cell only” too.
May 12th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Even though they are the cheapest, I don’t like being nickel and dimed. I always went with sprint because the price was right, even though every other carrier had a better phone selection, especially with smart-phones. Now they finally get a good phone and look what happens. It’s pretty arrogant for them to assume that people are going to quit their jobs, get rid of their girlfriends and let their dogs starve to death just so they can use more of Sprint’s bandwidth. The reason they did this instead of charging more for 4g service is because they don’t have a lot of 4g coverage so only a select few people in the cities that are covered would actually pay for the extra bandwidth. They should not have gone with their current promo of everything for 69.00 knowing that this phone was coming out. Most people aren’t going to be in 4g areas so they really aren’t gong to be using more bandwidth than they are already! It sounds like they bothched their marketing strategy and are finding a way to tax people just because they got the cool pohone on the block. Just when I thought to myself, finally…a sweet phone with the best carrier price too, someone just got greedy at the last minute. I’ll probably get it because it’s still the best phone and price for a plane, but they just had to put their nuts in my hot fudge sundae!
May 12th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
What about if you live in a city like New York or DC that doesn’t even have 4g service yet? If they are still going to make you pay the surcharge, Not only will I never switch to Sprint, I will do my darndest to convince anyone I know who is on Sprint to switch to Verizon or AT&T.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Wow, if 10dollars is too much then dont get it. Like youve never spent 10 dollars in stupider things. 69.99 for everything? oh uhm no thanks id rather pay over 100 dollars on other networks. What if Sprints everything plan was 79.99 and the evo 4g was at no extra 10 dollars charge, would it make a difference? New York is getting 4g by the end of the year, so why go with another carrier and shackle yourself with a 2 year expensive data plan and just wait for the 4g?
May 13th, 2010 at 12:29 am
Come on People $80 for all you can eat is like nothing compared to AT&T! How many people are paying $120 to use the iphone? Paying an extra $10 is not going to rid you of your girlfriend and starve your dog to death
I will be first in line to get this phone cause I know all the things this can do esp. with 4G!!!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:18 am
If you got your cable bill next month and it was raised $10 for channels that you won’t be able to receive at your house, you would just pay it and not have a fit? Well I’m in an area that may never get 4G. I was looking forward to the Evo until I saw this. I’m currently on an old free & clear plan with 470 anytime minutes (which I rarely use) free nights $ weekends, unlimited text, unlimited data with tethering and TEP for $45 a month including taxes. Let’s see, $69.99 + $10 + $29.99 for basically the same thing I have now? I think not. The Android port is nearing completion for my Touch Pro2 and now I think I’ll just wait for that. Sometimes Sprint really pi$$e$ me off.
May 13th, 2010 at 7:28 am
If that $10.00 included the mobile hotspot, then I would say it was a great deal. But you have to add in another $30.00 for the hotspot. Now it is too much. Cause using it as a mobile hotspot is the only way I think I am going to start using a whole lot more data.
I’ve been looking forward to this phone since I first heard about it months ago. I am extremely disappointed.
May 13th, 2010 at 9:01 am
I agree that paying an extra ten bucks a month is un necessary.. Sprint is the best wireless company in my opinion as far as prices go.. But if they start doing things like nickel and diming people, their prices will end up being the same as Verizon’s thus making people say “Well, since I’m paying this much anyway, I might as well go from Sprint to Verizon.. They have better phone selections anyway and better coverage.” All of the sudden Sprint will lose hundreds of customers and lots of dollars.
I don’t understand, why would you make customers pay extra money for something that isn’t even available to them all, it should be optinal honestly or automatically included in the Everyhting plans. It isn’t an Everything Plan if it doesnt have Everything.
I like the scenario a previous post read about getting an extra ten dollar charge on your cable bill for channels you can’t even watch. It’s not a large amount of money, but it’s still a waste in my opinion. I have a feeling that this “Little Charge” will not only lower the expected sales of the Evo, but also cause Sprint to lose many customers unless they change this. Hopefully they will because I want the phone, but not with all this extra crap. I’ve been with Sprint for about 3 going on 4 years, and it seems as time goes on their customer service gets worse as does their decisions with phones and prices
May 13th, 2010 at 11:39 am
The extra $10 for this phone is fine IF it includes the mobile hotspot feature and unlimited data. I currently have unlimited data with my Sprint Anytime Anymobile plan as well as text, web, etc. I was looking forward to the mobile hotspot features for use with my laptop and iPad and the potential for mobile video chat with my wife, daughter, and son-in-law but not if it’s going to cost me an additional $40.00 per month per phone ($10 for the Evo plus $30 for the data plan) plus any taxes, ie., an extra $160 per month plus taxes. This is especially true if there is any type of limit on the amount of data that can be used per month per phone. I was planning on getting 4 of these phones but not now if this holds true.
I have had Sprint for at least 8-10 years and been pretty happy. We almost moved to ATT when our contract with Sprint was getting ready to expire for the iPhones, but Sprint offered us what we thought was a very good deal to stay. The ATT plan would have cost us a lot more and not given us all we wanted. So we stayed with Sprint. Whether or not we stay with Sprint and whether or not we get these new Evo’s is going to be decided based on what finally is offered and what it costs when these phones are “officially” released and available for purchase.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
So is there a contractual argument here… if I have the Sprint EVERYTHING plan which includes UNLIMITED DATA (on my phone, not aircard)… don’t those two words mean that I would not have to pay any additional charges if I just buy the phone outright and don’t change my contract ? (I know, they’ll make me change regardless)
I’m a long-time Sprint customer, and I strayed over to the iPhone for a little (but kept my Sprint active)… it pains me to see that Sprint is playing bait and switch like the other carriers. The whole concept behind EVERYTHING plans was that you didn’t have to do a-la-carte pricing. Sprint are you going back on your promise ??
It’s not the $10… if I lived in a 4G area, I would pay that. I’m already paying $60 for my Overdrive, so $30 for the EVO and drop the Overdrive, I’m saving money. It’s the fact that I was promised an all-inclusive plan, and then one phone changes that regardless of how much data I really use.
Shame on you Sprint,
DnSWFL
May 13th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
How about this: if the phone was $319 instead of $199 would any of you still find this phone appealing? Or would you consider it too expensive because it costs more than an iPhone? In order to stay competitive on the cost of the handset, Sprint/HTC can’t charge more than $199, so they make it up for with the $10 per month charge on the plan.
I currently have the $69.99 Everything Data plan for my Blackberry. The data connectivity and email are great, but the rest of the phone sucks. Watching YouTube is like looking at a bad animated gif. For $10 more a month with the Evo I can get a high quality YouTube video, great data connectivity, and a better browsing experience? Yes, please.
As far as the mobile broadband “should be free” argument, I’ve been thinking about getting a broadband card for my laptop, but didn’t want to commit to $60/month and a two-year contract on a USB stick. So now it’ll cost me half of that and I’ll be able to use the signal with more than just my laptop? Once again, yes, please.
Sure the mobile hotspot on the Palm Pre Plus on Verizon is included, but, unfortunately, the Palm Pre Plus is a slowly dying smartphone. They were originally going to charge for it, but then didn’t, probably because they were trying to boost sales, so this is really a moot point. Neither the iPhone nor other Android phones currently offer the mobile hotspot option.
Finally, as the post states, the $10 charge is for the phone, not for the data.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
It is NOT just a silly extra $10 dollars a month. It is potentially $240 extra dollars for NOTHING!!!!. . . NOTHING!!! If you have no 4G in your area, what the hell are you doing paying an extra $240 over 2 years?!? The phone ain’t THAT special. Anyone with half a brain will know that within 6 months even nicer or comparable 3G phones will come out. If all you can get is 3G, why spend $240 extra dollars when you can just a wait a few months more for something cheaper and probably better? Or, just wait till Verizon comes out with LTE phones this fall. Or T-Mobile with HSPA+? Sprint may get a small “tax” bonus from all the can’t-wait-for-it nerd heads willing to play the part of the sucker just so they can say they were first on the block. Not me.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Alex, I see where you’re coming from. There are always new phones on the horizon, but based on that logic, you should never buy a new phone.
The Evo, with a 450 Everything Data plan and the $10 charge, is still $10 less than a comparable Verizon Droid Incredible or AT&T iPhone plan. That’s still cheaper.
With LTE and HSPA+ the same issues in regard to service rollout are still going to happen. It’s not unique to 4G.
May 13th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
With All Due Respect, To Everyone on the Boards & Even To The “Suits” @ Sprint…
You Have Just Given Apple, The Opportunity To Slice & Dice You into Smithereens With Their Next Add Campaign.
Dan Hesse, You Have Worked So Hard To Migrate The Populous into Believing in You & Sprint Towards The Greater Good, for Ur Customer Base, in All of Ur TV Commercials For The Common Man….
You Forget, That in Less Than Six Months Their Will Be Another Block~Buster Phone, Which Will Not Require
an Additional $10.00 in Their Every~Thing Package, You will Look Very Foolish, With Ur Marketing Departments Ticky~Tack & Greedy Surcharge~&~if You Over Charge Us For Utilizing The 2~Way~Dick Tracy Video Conferencing Technology on the Sprint~HTC EVO…You Will Turn off a Lot of People Who Are Watching This Campaign From a Far….Respectfully~E. Patrick
Health & Wellness Coordinator To The LA Lakers &
High~Tech Consultant…
May 14th, 2010 at 12:31 am
Crap…there goes my Sprint stock. I better sell it asap.
(not joking)
Was considering dropping Vzn (loyal customer for over 8 years) to try out Sprint. The $69.99 everything data plan sounded pretty good and with the new EVO 4G, it sounded like a great potential against VZN’s phone line and plans.
BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT…………………….
To charge an extra $10/month per EVO owner? Now you are not THAT far away from having the same prices as the competition. Yes, I understand the $10 is not for the 4G service, but its for the “premium” use of the phone for the “experience” or whatever B.S. you want to call it. Seriously? No thanks. My computer has an awesome premium experience. So can laptops. So does my iTouch. Heck, how about the iPad? No extra fees there to use such a “premium” product.
Here is how it probably went down:
1. You couldn’t say $10/month extra mandatory requirement for 4G (because not everyone has 4G coverage, so to charge customers for something they can’t get would be unethical and leave you liable for a lawsuit).
2. You considered $10/month optional 4G coverage (but some marketing and business clowns thought you wouldn’t make much money since not enough 4G coverage in sprint dominated areas)
3. You decided to charge $10/month as mandatory requirement for the EVO, but to justify it as use of the “premium” phone.
Did I mention I am selling Sprint stock. Thanks for the heads up for the phone premium data useage price – but no thanks!
May 14th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
EVERYONE PLEASE READ!!!
If this charge holds true, and after your first month of billing, Sprint charges you this $10 premium data charge, please contact me via this blog. I am a sprint customer and an attorney. For consumers who already have an unlimited data plan, Sprint is under a pre-existing contractual obligation to continue providing those services under its current pricing arrangement. If these additional services are tied to a new technology (i.e. 4G), which the representative clearly states is not, there is no basis for the additional charge. I welcome any questions regarding this matter. I plan on consulting a class-action colleague to see what avenues are available. I welcome any challenges from Sprint regarding this matter as well. I will have a website up shortly with further information. Please be advised I am not providing you with any legal advice, as each consumers situation may differ.
May 14th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
This is for Meghan McDonough. Apparently you are unaware of contract law. I would purchase the phone outright, not with Sprint subsidizing the cost with a 2 yr. agreement. What this gentleman is saying is that consumers are leasing the cell phone from Sprint, with an upfront $199.00 premium and a $10.00 monthly fee. I take it that this means, if there is any problem (absent abuse) with the phone, Sprint will fix it for free. This means there is no longer a need for the $7.00 per month charge for insurance. If the charge is not for the data, or a service made available to all who purchase it, and is for the device itself, sprint needs to make certain the consumers know about this “lease” agreement upfront.
If you are willing to pay what anyone tells you to pay, then please paypal me $100.00 for the 1/2 hr it took me to read and respond to your posts.
May 14th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
29.99 to allow my friends to use my connections? No way. $10.00 for the EVO price gouge? No way. I think i read that the evo will not be supporting flash and will not be available until the froyo release. If i remember the video chat didnt even work during sprints demo. I will just keep my pro2. Nice one sprint.
May 14th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I get why you guy are a little miffed…lol…about this $10 fee but let’s look at this rationally. I don’t live in a 4g area either. The closest one to me is an hour away. But honestly I would rather pay the $10 monthly than to have to come up with $300+ at purchase.
I also think your math is flawed. Once you are on the everything data plan $69.99 with Sprint you become a Premier member and you get to upgrade your phone EVERY year! Does Verizon or ATT give you that option??? uhhhhhh no! So it’s just $120 and not $240 because we all know that this time next year we will all be moist over the next hot new gadget! Relax….nobody is forcing you to have this extraordinary piece of technology…I will however be enjoying mine!!!
May 14th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
I’ve not heard people crying about the $30 MANDATORY fee for the iPhone data plan. AT&T 3G coverage is not everywhere, where you then you find yourself on the edge network…try to browse the web on that…but people still plop down $30 for that every month. If 33 cents a day is the deal breaker, perhaps you need to be looking at a flip-phone.
May 15th, 2010 at 3:33 am
I disagree with Zen~Coach. While not every up coming phone will beat the Evo, at some point there will be a better spec’d phone, and I think it would be foolish to assume this $10 won’t also apply to that phone.
It’s also possible this $10/mo gets absorbed into new plans specifically for Sprint’s highest-end phones. I don’t think this will be a one-off occurrence. And lets face it, the model of paying more up front for a higher end phone with a more expensive plan was a success in the case of the iphone. Sprint will lose both respect and sales based on this decision, but as their plans are still cheaper and other carriers either already have or will in the future adopt this model, I would kick myself for not getting this phone now. Money now is cheaper than money later.
I prefer to ignore the bullshit reason for the $10/mo “bend over” tax and instead see the phone costing $440, which I can spread the cost out over two years, similar to the way a credit card operates: “We’ll give you the widget on credit and you can pay us back over time.”
May 15th, 2010 at 8:25 am
$10.00 a month, for having a premium device, Someone in Sprint realized that we were gonna flip with the idea of Paying 10.00 for a service we are not getting ex 4G Like going to a store and paying 10. for something that they wont get for 3 months just leave the money here U will get the service someday. Now i here android 2.2 is out with teethering included and flash, but the evo will be the second to get that update. the teethering will take care of the 30.00 hotspots. Now lets talk about HTC who at this moment has a new phone ready to replace the evo with 1.5 ghz speed and a few other things more ram a 12 mp camera and one in front .
Sprint needs to keep there customers happy. This is not the way to do it.
May 15th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I think that this is the funniest post ever!! I mean seriously folks are complaining about an extra $10 a month when they are paying more for the iPhone and getting way less?? At least Sprint can say you are getting something that you dont currently have in the $10 price… Apple charged more just for the iPhone on top of the ridiculous price plans that they had and no one said a word? Then the Apple drones stand outside for hours to get a new phone that only added like two features that have been on every other phone for years?? and the only thing that actually makes the iPhone any type of asset is the actuall AppStore and all of the applications, because the phone itself is no great accomplishment after the dozens of other phones that have come out that can top it… Everytime someone shows me something their iPhone can do it is always an application, never an actual feature of the phone…. If you dont want to pay the $10 then just dont get the EVO get one of the other devices that have Android on it and there you go….
May 16th, 2010 at 12:18 am
I’m not liking this. I was dead-set on this phone, but am no questioning my decision. It’s not really the 10 dollars that bothers me, its the principle. Like another poster said, I don’t like getting nickel and dimed. This time its 10 dollars, what is it next time? Yes, even with the 10 dollar add-on it will still be a little cheaper than VZW because no need to purchase a texting option, but Sprint’s converage isn’t VZW. All of a sudden a bunch of options and devices I’d ruled out are competitive again. Still, if was only the 10 dollars, I could perhaps justify it. BUT 1) I’m nowhere near a 4G area, and 2) WTH is this another 30 bucks to function as a hotspot? Well that is absolutely out of my price range, which means that if I get the EVO i’m carrying around extra hardware that i’m not using. Waste of space and weight in my pocket.
I don’t like this one bit. I think its going to dissuade a lot of customers who were excited about this phone because it would give us something to brag about to iPhone owners–and what it lacked in cool factor it made up for in value. Well, now it doesn’t. So F it, there are other options.
May 16th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Not to mention the fact that it still has HTC’s crappy Sense UI on it, so it already had a strike against it. 10 dollar mandatory fee, strike 2. 30 dollar hotspot fee, strike 3.
May 16th, 2010 at 12:35 am
It’s ok to be upset about having to pay additional fees especially in these times, but $10 on top of $69.99 is still cheaper then any other carrier. Justifying dropping Sprint to go to another carrier that charges more, makes a lot of sense…sure! People have to understand, Sprint is in the business to make money. That phone for $199 I’m certain is not profitable. You act as if you dont have an option. If you don’t want to pay for it, guess what, you need not purchase the phone. It will still be $69.99 for you
And for the folks complaining about $30 for mobile hotspot. You should instead consider paying $60 w/ additional piece of hardware.
Sure it would have been nice for it to be free, but come on these fees are minimal and considering all things, it is STILL cheaper.
May 16th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I think everyone is missing the point here. Dan Hesse clearly stated when he intoduced the Evo 4G that anyone currently on a Simply Everything Data $69.99 or Simply Everything $99.99 plan “Would not occur any additional charges to have this phone”. Sprint needs to honor this statement. Simply Everything is just that Simply Everything. Why should I pay an extra 30.00 plus dollars (once taxes are added almost $40) on top of the ($99.99 plan plus the insurance..) $119.00 per month that I pay now for Simply Everything? I am not in a 4G area or state. I have an email from Sprint stating that the $10.00 is needed to activate the 4G experince.. which I cannot use. My complaint here is not the $10.00 but the principle of the statement made.. Now, if Dan Hesse holds a press conference to explain he erred in his statement and explains the real reason for the cost I would be okay with that. Sprint and Dan Hesse need to clear this up once and for all.
May 16th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
I have verizon now and was ready to switch , but am thinking twice…….yes the $10 is nickel and dime that is hard to swallow. If a family gets four, that may bust your budget. Sprint, change your mind prior to launch!
May 17th, 2010 at 10:12 am
I am happy that Sprint has changed its mind, and will only charge the $10 for the 4G network. I can understand this charge, because you are getting a premium network for the cost. The reps from Sprint also confirmed that if you are not in a 4G area, you will not be charged the extra rate. I do have one suggestion for Sprint. You should only charge an additional $19 for the hot spot feature. This would make the feature more attractive for users in the 4G area. I believe the additional $29 total for the feature would create more than enough revenue for Sprint and will also give users a viable option to DSL or Cable in their homes. I know that I would pay the additional fee and cancel my home service if I were on a 4G network. THINK ABOUT IT!!!
May 17th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
First everyone the 10.00 is not for 4G. The 10.00 is for the data experience you will get with this phone. Forget about 4G, look at what this phone can do even on the existing 3G network. Also, the 29.99 Mobile hotspot controls up to 8 devices at once!!! Name me a phone that does that. Also tell me where you can get internet for 29.99 unlimited? I mean no one is making you get this phone. Do you think when Verizon and ATT get 4G they wont be adding something to the exsisting plans??? They already said (both CEOs) that they envision going to a tier data use dow the road. So please, if you don’t like the price then get a different phone
May 17th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
I don’t like the principle, but its still cheaper with sprint then ATT and the iphone. I think the evo is a better phone as well
May 20th, 2010 at 8:45 am
The Everything Plan just became the Nickel and Dime You Plan, woh that sounds like ATT’s plans. I agree with some of the comments that this phone will make me use the internet more than I already do. I to switched to sprint because I was getting Nickel and Dime by ATT. I like the phone because my arms are getting shorter and the letters are larger than my Palm Pre.
May 21st, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I think it is deceiving to have a phone plan called “simply everything” and then find out it’s not quite everything. It’s everything but a mandatory extra data add-on charge.
Sprint has always been a provider to simplify options, and not nickel and dime their customers. I think this gets away from that.
May 23rd, 2010 at 10:53 am
Why should i pay 79.99 a month for a sprint dataphone when i can pay 69.99 a month for an iphone with att. i think overtime sprint will undo this addon since it wont be competative with the iphone 4g when it comes out. Although maybe att will add a 10$ feature as well with their 4g phone. Other than that, ill wait for android 2.2 to turn the evo into a wireless hotspot (yes android 2.2 will have a hotspot feature added in the base code) and have it for free. sprint is just getting as much money as they can before this feature comes out. Take this tip, be PATIENT, dont buy into something because its “new” wait a few months and you will be saving money.
May 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Michael (The attorney) can you please contact me @ tlcwacky[at]gmail.com?
thank you,
Brian
May 27th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I really wish that big bloggers like laptop mag would take a close look at things.
I go the “Simply Everything” plan (NOT the Everything Data, there is no SIMPLY in front of the actual plans name, look at sprints Plans page), it states: “Everything your phone, PDA or smartphone can do nationwide – unlimited text, surf, email, listen, watch, find and of course, talk – on one simple plan.”
Now I am no attorney or legal rep but, im pretty sure the Evo “CAN” use 4G (which is exactly what they are charing for, even if they say its because you -again- “CAN” use more data), and theirfor falls under the SE plans description, you know the description that says: “Everything your phone, PDA or smartphone can do” (wow did you see that, charging extra for something the phone “CAN” do but wait, its covered under the SE plan and its VERY BLATANT description!, what a fucking concept!). This can also be used for the $29.99 they want to charge for the HotSpot ability, once again its something the Evo “CAN” do so according to my small brain (apparently) is covered by my SE plan.
Needless to say, anyone with the “Simply Everything” plan needs to write/complain to the following: BBB, FCC and your local attorney general (all of them for me had online complaint forms which i have already filled out and submitted)
~FireStorm
May 30th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I’m willing to pay $10, but that’s it. I have verizon family plan. First 2 lines are $120. Sprint would only be $130 but I get the internet. Now onto to extra lines. verizon is $10, plus $30 for unlimited int. Sprint is only $20. Big differnce! As far as charging for video conferencing, no thanks, I’ll pass. who needs to pay more for that. If Sprint keeps adding fees, I’m out & back to verizon. I’m also okay with the 3G, and service at my house will be sketchy. While I am in town it’s full speed ahead!
Now comes the fight between Droid(s) & the evo. Evo surpases the droid & is bigger than the incredible. Trust me bigger is better, just as the wider is better -both are true. I’ve asked for a phone that has an expandable OLED screen, but nothing yet. Same reason I am looking at the iPad for it features & big screen.
You can’t beat verizon for good customer service, and Sprint was ranked 4th in worst customer service. even with this, I am willing to switch & give them my support so maybe they can get better.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:59 am
Can someone say class-action lawsuit…
June 1st, 2010 at 8:07 pm
We should have the choice between the current 5GB cap on data, and a truly unlimited plan.
Sure, 4G will be nice IF I am in an area that has it. I live somewhere that will not likely get 4G speeds in the next 2 years, and currently use about 100MB/month of data use, I don’t think that going to a different phone will increase my usage 50X!
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:03 am
1st @Chris, there actually is NO cap for data right now for Sprint 3G users under the unlimited plan. which is why this stupid charge is a bit confusing.
and 2nd its not the charge i am upset with, it’s their explanation of the charge. it is the principle of the matter. all they do is keep telling you about the hardware aspects of the phone for the charge but the charge is “premium DATA” not premium phone. they really needed to just name it “simply everything for 4G phones starting at 79.99″ that would have made MUCH more sense than… you need to add $10 to use this phone even though you cant truly use the “richer” experience of a 4G network
p.s. check out http://explainthefee.com/ it’s a blog about this guy trying to find the answer of “what is premium data”.
June 4th, 2010 at 3:09 am
LOL this was going to be my first “cool” and “smart phone”, but $10 dollar extra?
NO WAYYYY IM KEEPING THIS BRICK WITH ME UNTIL I WIN THE LOTTO.
SORRY SPRINT. IM BROKE, THIS AINT 2004, ITS 2010 !!
June 4th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Please clear this up for me, the $10 charge is for the “privilege” of using the phone? Since I already have unlimited data and call plan, why pay that extra $10 a month, because I might use 1kb or 1000mb? It should not matter how much I use, because I’m already playing for an unlimited amount. Sounds more like an excuse to make an extra $240 after the 2 year contract, which is the cost of it to begin with. Please do correct me if what I wrote is wrong.
June 5th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
I wish I had known about this before I bought the EVO the sprint store rep never disclosed that a premium data pack was going to be added to my plan when I upgraded to the EVO and to have to pay this charge to use this phone with no covarge for 4G and for the Privilege of owning it. I’m fuming. Michael sprint lied to you I just checked my plan and the $10.00 premium Data Pack was added to my Data Everything plan, if you do post a web site and are going to start a Class Action I will join in a New York minute.
June 5th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Michael please contact me at bkmannion@gmail.com
June 5th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
The $10 surcharge for the EVO is bull. Anyone who is blogging different probably works for Sprint’s marketing dept.
June 6th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I call Bravo Sierra on sprints response. I have had 3 “smartphones”. The HTC Apache, The HTC Mogul and the HTC Touch Pro… I use a LOT of data (Streaming video via YouTube and my Sling Box, Voicemail via Google Voice, Web Surfing via Skyfire, IE and Opera which I use daily). and I even tether my phone via PDANet. So I’m using the service on a 3+ Ghz processor with a 15″ UXGA screen and 4GB Ram. And i’m doing it all with a $49.99 plan. What more usage could I possibly use with the EVO until 4G is available in my area. I don’t use ANY sprint-offered programs, and typically have wiped the ROMs from all my sprint phones and used only manufacturer supplied and third party applications. When sprint can justify me spending $20 more for a data plan AND $10 luxury tax then i’ll decide to switch to a provider that charges more, but is honest and does not play these games. Both T-Mobile and Verizon can match sprint’s offering, but neither of them make up bogus charges that can’t be explained (or that are so ridiculous that it would start an uprising)
June 6th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
This $10 surcharge is unnecessary. The Sprint reps continue to lie about why exactly they’re charging the $10. Michael, please reply to this blog! I would really like to know what you can or are doing about this bogus surcharge. T-Mobile’s HTC HD2, is nearly the same as the EVO, however, T-Mobile isn’t charging a $10 per month charge. BULL! Sprint really needs to fix this issue! So many of their customers are complaining! Do something or lose your customers.
June 6th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
This $10 fee is an affront to Sprint users. It is ridiculous to think I have to pay $120/year, forever, just because this phone is faster. Within 6 to 8 weeks, HTC is releasing similar, and faster, versions of this phone to other carriers. So, the EVO will no longer be faster and “richer”, yet that $10 fee remains forever. You will repay your “loyalty” discount over the two years of the contract, and then you will continue to pay an extra $10 as long as you own this phone.
It makes no difference how much data you use now or then. This $10 is a premium for the phone itself… hardware. Sprint says as much. So, don’t try to sell me on this $120/year fee to use a phone that won’t be “special” in another month’s time. It would be fine if it were a limited fee, or if it was to pay for 4G, or anything specific but Sprint just sells it as a nebulous “richer experience” fee. Common Sprint!! Retract this nonsense fee and you’ll get plenty of takers!
June 7th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I would be interested on getting in on a class action. I had the Unlimited Data plan on my previous phone, the HTC Hero and purchased an EVO from an external party. So my contract with Sprint had not changed, nor my planned usage of their system, but they demand another $10 assuming that I will be using more bandwidth. (Actually the rep on the phone tried to say that it was because the phone has a bigger screen and faster processor; nothing to do with bandwith usage.)
find me here minus the spaces.
a z v e n i g o AT g m a i l
June 9th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I’m comparing US Cellular (which is really good in my area) and Sprint. Although US Cellular does not have the Desire out yet, I know they will charge for premium data because they already do for a few of their others. They charge $19.95 per phone. USC customers feel the same way cause they already pay $49.95 that USC says is for all data. So here’s what I end up comparing.
$129.95 1500 Family Data Plan Sprint [VS] $89.99 1400 Family Plan + $49.95 Unlimited Data USC ($139.94)
3rd phone – $19.99 VS $10
$10 x 3 Premium Data VS $19.95 x3 Premium Data
$7 x3 Insurance VS $5.95 x3 Insurance
Conclusion….. Sprint = $200.98 US Cellular = $227.64
Most of all…. HTC Evo here, HTC Desire not.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I don’t understand these people willing to switch to VZ (expensive) or AT&T (expensive and spotty coverage and even less of a 3G footprint) over $10 a month. No one is forcing them to buy this phone.
Yes the $29 for a hotspot is expensive and you know what? You don’t have to use it you can just plug the power cord into a USB port and use the high speed connection that way.
$10? They tell you about that at the time of purchase of the phone. If you could not afford $10 a month then you should stay with whatever rinky-dink phone you are already using and stop complaining. I can understand them stating I am going to use the internet more than I did on my Palm Pre because you know what? I am using the internet even more than I did on my Palm Pre. Even in a 3G area the browsing is faster, I have more apps and everything just works faster. The $10 charge is the premium paid as Sprint’s answer to a tiered plan. True, its a very back-door way of creating a tiered plan but its still a lot cheaper than anyone else’s plan. I for one use data and texting far more than I do phone calling so I am all about the data.
This phone is still the best phone I have ever used (I upgraded because I lost my old phone) but I’m not going back to using anything else because of $10. I can do things on this phone that people dream of doing on their old iphones and the new iphones are going to cost more than this phone (both the phone and the plan) so I say let them jump on that bandwagon. I have something here far bigger, better and I like it a lot more.
June 10th, 2010 at 3:21 am
It is the simple fact that at the last minute they want to add an extra 10 dollars a month. I was so excited about the Evo coming out and hearing great things about the 69.99 plan. I was going to brag about how good it would be to have the EVO and pay about 80 a month with taxes. Now they want more…. I don’t think so. I will stay with AT&T.
June 12th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Michael,
I like many others have not bought this phone because of the $10. Its not the money as much as the principle. Already they added a $4.99 charge to my account (AKA spending limit program charge) couple months after I signed up with them and if they have direct access to my bank account that would be waived, not good, I’ve played that game b4 with . This seems to be about the same deal.. Sprint is not able to tell me why the charge other than the phone can do this or that. well…. then charge more for the phone, not the service. Im on the unlimited 450 data, but apparently its not unlimited?? They don’t know, I spent about an hour on the phone with them tuesday trying to get the fee waived since I am not, nor would be in a 4g area for the life of this phone… It got me nowhere, but I Promised not to buy this phone unless the fee was gone. so, I will piss and moan about this deal until its waived or removed all together because its not right. I feel that if the phone is as great as it seems, I would pay the extra 240 for the phone but to say my data is going to be better quality than the data I am using right now is absurd.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:44 am
i could care less about ten dollars its the principle, this is totally a way to nickel and dime intrigued evo buyers, Sprint knows that this is a must have phone. the htc evo attracts a huge buyers market; Android lovers, smartphone lovers,sprint customers,htc lovers, impulse buyers, tech junkies,etc……. i work for vzw and i know all about the BS it happens all the time verizon wireless is notorios for nickel and diming they are the biggest piece out of all carriers any ways , all cellphone companies are trying to find any way possible to make a dime off you and me, they want you to go over on your min and data usage and text they see dollar signs when you go ove, even if they credit you you might only get 75 percent credited back and the remaining is a nice little profit you have to pay, oh yeah verizon wireless only is suppost to credit 50 percent of ovgs idk about att or sprint, and sprint since its really hard to do that with there “everything data plans” they are trying to make an extra dollar off this new phone becasue they know its a must have imagine 2miilion evo owners x $10.00(premium data plans) x 12months= $240,000,000.00, thats alot chedar.I dont even live in a 4g area and thats what its for but they disguise it in a pretty bow and say your goign to use data because of the big screen. I hope this blows up in there faces, trust me nothing pisses off a customer more then a required data plan especially if your plan already has a data plan. i was very excited to get this phone but now idk maybe the new iphone has caught my eye but its a little to expensive. overall im disapointed with this new plan i did not expect this from Sprint
June 13th, 2010 at 2:47 am
Sorry about the spelling im on my cell…..
June 18th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Just because a phone is “cool” you can only use so much bandwidth. I compare this to my internet provider finding out that I just bought the “coolest” computer that works at light speed with a super processor and then telling me I will use it more so we are upping your bill. Speeds up to 10 times faster, I would agree use more bandwidth. The 3g network will download at the same speed to 1ghz processor or 500mhz processor. This is out and out fraud and I think a major problem for Sprint. No where was it mentioned before the phone was launched that a “premium data”plan was required. I only found out when I went to purchase the phone after waiting for months to upgrade.
June 28th, 2010 at 9:19 am
I am most disgusted with Sprint right now. I have been a loyal Sprint customer for 5 years, with multiple lines.
Now I see the are adding these sneaky “Sprint Surcharges” to the tune of about $8 per month. I do not agree with any of these charges. These charges should be already included in the $99 plan I’m already paying. When I called asking about these, the Sprint operators are unwilling to explain or make me happy. Sprint still has the worst customer service in the history of customer service. I thought Dan Hesse was supposed to change all that… Keep working on it Dan, you have a LONG WAY TO GO!
Furthermore, I also don’t agree with the $10 Evo charge. There is not much difference between the Evo and the Touch Pro II or the Hero. I do NOT live in a 4G area. Why am I being charged a $10 premium, when I am NOT getting any premium service ? If I actually got a 4G signal, OK, I would have no problem with this, but I don’t.
That $10 should already be included in my $99 everything plan.
Michael, please let me help spear-head your class action lawsuit. Tell me where/how to contact you.
Thank You.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:01 am
It isn’t the $10, its the principle of no integrity. Yes. I admit Sprint is cheaper than the other top phone companies, but loyal customer are upset, and Sprint executives can’t figure out what is the big deal. It is only $10 Right? They miss the fact it is the principle. A company tells its customer they will pay $70 a month then tacks $6-8 worth of fees on top. Sure, some of it is government (sad, more taxes), but the customer is smart enough to know some of it is a lie for extra money, but most of us have learned to put up with a little deceit since all phone companies do it. For those of us with discounts, we are told we get a 10% discount, but somehow that doesn’t apply to the fee. If you picked up a widget off a store shelf, took it to the cash register, and the casheir tells you at the last second that there will be a light fee since the lights were on in the store, a shipping fee, since someone had to get it there, a processing fee, since she had to check you out, and a premium usage fee because they know you will use it more than your old widget, what would most customers do? They would go to the competition, maybe even pay more, but knowing they will only pay the price listed on the shelf plus tax. Sadly, does such a phone company exist?
If Sprint fears that people will saturate its data delivering ability, thus requiring more expense to upgrading equipment and add more towers, then fine, create separate 4G plans, or have the phone with 3G on and 4G off. Offer the customer 4G for and extra $10, or even $15, and the customers would be happier, because you showed them respect instead of trying to deceive them. Yes, some will unlock there phone and turn on 4G, but most wont. How many customers who live in a 3G only area would buy 4G service if offer? Probably most, if you told them the upgrade was coming, and if they visited a 4G area, they could use it. Sound foolish? It is human nature, to want the opportunity to have premium even if you never get to use it. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself what percentage of people have gym membership, but never go? How many upgrade their value meal but throw away half the frys and drink? Sprint, please! Charge whatever price you feel will cover costs and gain profits, but don’t disrespect your customer by advertising one price, but charging another.
I want to leave my current carrier because of immoral practices, but what do I accomplish if I move to another with a similar mindset? It is not just about the money, I want integrity.
July 19th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
ok agreed i am paying for the device itself, but MR. Mark Spoonauer i have to ask how come you didnt ask him why the same
2 exact customers get 2 different services for the exact amount ? i would’ve surely thought you guys at laptopmag would have caught that …….maaan i guess its fend for yourself now days !!!! people we need to stand up on this issue we’re giving them the money, theres no reason one customer should get anything different than the other for the same price its b.s. they get the 4g which helps with thier $10. we on the other hand don’t but we’re not credited jack !!!!!
July 26th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
That’s like buying a gaming computer for 5k, then charging you extra because you bought a faster computer than your mom. If you are limited to 3G, you really aren’t going to be using any more bandwidth than someone with a Hero or something that is also limited to 3G. The $10 fee is a bogus charge. What’s next? “We’ve decided the Evo X Extreme is now an awesome phone, and we say the “awesome” fee is…hmmm $29.99 on top of your contract you signed.”
Sprint customers (I’ve been one for about 8 years now)have put up with a lot of shit. We’ve always had the worst phones, bar none. FINALLY after years of waiting we get a contender, and we are charged extra fees, despite sticking with the company all this time?
August 6th, 2010 at 11:20 am
What if all your utilities, network providers or companies that you do business with tacked on additional $10.00. That is what this is about. When they all see one company getting away with it. We will see those charges pop up everywhere!
August 6th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
This is just another case of “we are charging it because we can” You will either pay it or not. at the end of the day The only way to get their attention is to hit them in the pocket. Say to hell with the evo and use the moment or touch pro which give you 99% of the same features. If you don’t buy it then you don’t have to pay it!
August 15th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Last comment was August 6th, Just over a week ago?
I have not heard any official word from Sprint as to whether or not they have made changes to the $10+$30 for those who have the simply everything plans that are $69 and $99. I got the Unlimited plan for $99 because I averaged 400 minutes per month and wanted a worry free way of being able to use my phone without restrictions and fear of being charged for overages.
I have looked at my data history for my blackberry, the highest I have ever used is maybe 40MB, I don’t use the internet on my phone every day, I use it to check my facebook, twitter, surf the web when I need information (if that!) install apps/upgrades. If facebook for my blackberry would actually WORK… I’d be using more data, and with my recent addition of timr for BB it uses data frequently so I am curious as to HOW I could possibly use more data with the EVO than I already am?
Does Android ping/check the internet every second while your phone is on? I’d like to REALLY know why there is more data use, does the browser use more data? If its the 8MP camera that they think will use up more data because the photos will have a large file size footprint, well I sure hope that there are OPTIONS to downsize these photos before sending them off???? I know that the Facebook app will do that on the fly as Facebook has restrictions on what size they can be anyway.
There are people here who keep saying that you can surf web & talk on the phone at the same time? How so? Wifi? I just saw some blurb about it on some AT&T phone that it can be done on 3g, I have a blackberry Curve 8330 that can’t even do that! It appears it is now possible to do it on 3g with certain phones on AT&T. So unless someone from sprint & AT&T clear this up this is a joke.
How about the hotspot? If you can surf & talk at the same time, you surely should be able to hotspot at the same time too! If not, then whats the point??? I’d gladly drop my aircard data plan for this option! If I buy this phone outside of my existing contract, then I shouldn’t have to pay this fee; let alone even IN contract.
I haven’t made up my mind which phone I want yet, EVO or Epic (even the Epic uses 4G, I am not hearing about the $10 fee for this phone???)
September 1st, 2010 at 2:24 am
If you are a Blackberry user, you have been paying this same $10 fee for your Blackberry data plan! This is NO DIFFERENT! Has nothing to do with 4G access or not. The $10 is for the premium data plan, and is NOT SPECIFIC to dual-mode (3G/4G devices). Doesnt matter whether you live in a 4G market or not. Again, Sprint Blackberry plans carry this additional $10 per month for as long as I can remember, and that device only has 3G access. So how can folks keep saying this is some 4G access fee? IT’S NOT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you ask any Sprint customer with a Blackberry unit if they are paying this $10 fee for their data plan, they will advise you YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unless they have some unlimited plan where this fee is already included. And the fee is not only going to apply to Blackberry or 4G devices..it will now be required on several other models that use more data. No matter how you do the math, Sprint is still cheaper! There are just some people who do not want to accept the truth, and want to hide behind this ’4G’ nonsense. It can’t be some new ’4G’ fee if its been applied on Blackberry plans for years now. DUH!!!!!!!!!! Bottom line, some devices require a different data experience, and that is costly to any company! Sprints updated plans NOW include ANY MOBILE, ANYTIME!!! So you might be paying $10 extra dollars, but now you can call ANY MOBILE, ANYTIME and not just mobile-to-mobile. This fee is pennies compared to what you are getting in return! If you don’t like it, simply don’t purchase the phone. Or any other phone that has this fee required. You can continue on with what is comfortable for you! There is no other way to say it, either you pay the fee for the ‘Premium Data plan’ or you don’t buy a device where this data fee is required But whatever folks decide, PLEASE STOP saying this is a 4G fee. Just because you didn’t know about this fee until the hype of the 4G devices came out, don’t try to make this about 4G services! To those of us who have been paying that fee for a while now on our Blackberry devices, it is nothing new!!! And more than worth it….
September 9th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Just bought one love the phone and sprint services is good in the area however no 4g. I personally believe every thing should mean every thing, not every thing + 10$… that kind of stuff is why I cant stand AT&T, sprint does have the best priceing but its should not advertise every thing if in fact its not every thing. Also I feel the extra 10$ a month is going to pay for the 4g equipment (towers) so there never footing the bill we the customer are paying for it, this just how business roles, so in two years when this contract is up and I have payed 240$ maybe just maybe the next phone I get will be able to get on the currentley non existent 4g network.
September 14th, 2010 at 1:53 am
the first time i called to complain, they told me that the reason i pay $10 more was because i have a 8mp camera and because i can talk on the phone and use the internet at the same time (which isnt true and i payed 200 for the phone, camera included). the second time i called, they said it was because my phone can take in more bandwith and the internet will be faster because of this on 3g. the next time i called (because my friend said that some of his students got the fee waived) the first guy told me it was because i can use it as a mobil wifi hotspot for other devices (which i have to pay $30 MORE to use) and because i can video chat on 3g (which is crap). eventually the last guy i spoke to in upper management told me that its because i have a higher processor. but just as i have two laptops with different processors, i only have one internet speed coming in and theres no reason i should have to pay more to the cable company. they said they would call me tomorrow because they couldnt settle anything today, and i will call them everyday, and everyday i will get a new reason for why im paying $10 more a month.
September 15th, 2010 at 12:27 am
my only question is what happens when nearly all phones are 4g? what about 5g? will the $10 eventually go away? will it become more expensive? i think people have reason to be upset. if sprint is worried about people using ‘too much’ data then they should charge based on the amount of data downloaded / uploaded. their unlimited data should be exactly that, unlimited…not unlimited + $10 ‘seriously’ unlimited. that way, people that USE the data PAY for the data and people that DON’T USE the data DON’T PAY for the data. someone with a non-evo or non-epic (non-4g) phone could easily use more data than someone with a evo or epic (4g) phone. sprint needs to go back to what makes sense before they piss off their customer base.
September 18th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
This also goes for the Samsung Epic 4G.
I just got my bill and was surprised to see an extra 10 dollar fee for “Premium Data” when I’m already paying for the “Everything Data” plan that was supposed to have “UNLIMITED DATA” included…
Now, I might not have been so mad if the sales person at the sprint store had told me this when I was buying the phone. Instead when I asked how much my bill would be after the insurance he said “$69.99 + $7 (insurance) + tax. So your bill should be right around 80″. Its more like $96 when it’s all said and done. Now I knew a 69.99 plan would be closer to 80 when I signed up, but it’s damn near 100. That’s more than a day’s worth of work for me (and I work 12 hour shifts!).
So to say the least, I was mislead about my bill and am pretty mad about it. To the people that say “it’s only 10 more”, that may be the case, but when you make as little as I do, it all adds up. You’d be upset if you we’re quoted one amount, then told you had to pay a higher amount for something THAT DOESN’T EVEN WORK in your area. Non-negotiable.
I called sprint customer service, spoke to one lady I could barely understand, who was all stuttery and nervous sounding, and obviously had no clue. So I asked for her boss. Same accent comes on the line saying basically I’m screwed. There’s no way for them to take that charge off unless I get a different phone. Apparently the whole internet shuts down and goes “OH NOES” because I’m on an Epic 4g. Apparently it costs them more money to send data to different models of phones… lol.
Moral of the story: there’s Sprint sales agents out there lying through their teeth about what your bill will be (my guess is they work on commission, durrr).
Anyways, if someone wants to start a class-action lawsuit (no way what they’re doing with this is 100% legal), sign me up, I’ll testify that I was lied to about my contract and I’m certain I’m not the only one.
September 26th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
I have been with Sprint since the beginning and I have always talked great things about them, but now…
I had my heart set on buying the Samsung Epic, but after reading about the extra costs for using the phone and another for the “hot spot” I changed my mind. Its a shame that Sprint is using these tactics. I was at a Sprint store last month and I inquired about the 4G phones. Thankfully I knew a little more about the 4G service then the associate did. He tried to convince me how awesome 4G is, but better yet, that it was already in my area (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) After another associate heard me contesting that he was wrong she stepped in and said that they were in the process of adding it but did not know when it would be launched. Thanks! “in the process?”That means exactly what? She couldn’t give me a date. Matter of fact no one in the store had the answer. So when I asked why it would be smart for me to pay $10 extra a month for a service that I wouldn’t get, they all looked like deer caught in the headlights. By this point the manager came out and told me what she had bee trained to say about the phones features. She gave me the low down that since it has a bigger screen and proccessor I would use it more. HUH! I then asked her “is the $10 fee to lease this phone” She said, “no its for the extra data you’ll be using” I replied, “but I already have an unlimited data plan”. She said “but you’ll be using more”. “more than unlimited” I replied. We went back and forth on this topic and got quite the attention of the other customers there. In the end I left with my old Instinct, but I praised her for her efforts and told her that something sounds dirty about this fee.
My opinion is $10/month charge is not that much for 4G, and like many have said its not so much the money as it is the principal. If they went about it differently they woudn’t be upsetting so many current customers and I would have bought the Epic. But they justify the $10/month because the phone has a bigger screen and faster processor … now that is really silly. That would be like having to pay a surcharge at the gas station if you drive a sports car. “…since you drive a fast car, you’ll need to pay more because you’ll comsume gas faster” Come on Sprint …get real.
October 3rd, 2010 at 5:20 pm
This subject has been beaten to death, but in the end, either pay it or don’t. Crying about it is symptomatic of having your priorities all out of whack. And BTW, I don’t pay $10 a month extra for my BlackBerry @ Sprint. Not sure where you got that (to the poster above).
October 3rd, 2010 at 11:28 pm
This is directly from the Sprint website (450 minute everything data plan details):
This plan includes
* Any Mobile, Anytime: Unlimited domestic calls from the Sprint network to and from ANY U.S. mobile phone regardless of carrier. Any network, any time.
* Unlimited data on our network: Web surfing, email, BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), GPS Navigation, Sprint TV and Radio, NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
* Unlimited messaging: Text, pictures and video
* Talk: Night calling and weekends starting at 7 p.m., nationwide long distance and no roaming charges
UNLIMITED DATA IS INCLUDED,PERIOD. WHETHER IT’S PREMIUM, SUB-PREMIUM OR ANY OTHER MARKETING TERM USED. If the phone is that great charge more for it. It’s either false or unethical advertising. An earlier poster said he was an attorney. If so, why not file a class action suit v Sprint?
October 9th, 2010 at 9:20 am
To the person who says that BB gets charged the same $10 fee….YOU ARE WRONG! I had the BB Curve 8330 before my EVO and NEVER had the extra $10 fee…. I use my EVO just as much or less then I did my BB so Im still trying to see how this fee comes into play….all I know is sprint has two choices when new and better phones come out….Raise the price of their plans by $10 or refund/credit everyone who brought a 4G phone at launch because they dropped the $10 fee because every phone on the market is 4G or 5G now.
October 12th, 2010 at 1:40 am
was almost ready to switch from att to sprint so I could get the epic. but then i found out that I was going to be charged the extra 10 bucks and that was a no go for me… I am no where near a 4g market and won’t be for years. I work from home and my phone that i use now is 90% on my wifi. so i will just stay with something i know that works for sure.
October 12th, 2010 at 11:02 am
I would get a Sprint 4G phone if it didn’t have the $10 surcharge.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
I was considering buying an EVO or Epic but after finding out about all the fees included in owning one decided against it.
10 for Premium Data Connection and 30 for Mobile Hotspot, just not in my price range. I’ll stay with Verizon and either wait until Sprint decides to drop the add-ons or just keep going month to month with Verizon. I don’t want to pay $80 a month ($960 a year) for a cell phone, even more if I added the hotspot. It just isn’t going to work for me.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
And if the reason Sprint is charging the fees is to make up for selling the phones at $199 and $249 I think they’d be better off charging $300-$400 to purchase the phones and drop the fees. I’d be willing to go along with that much sooner than I would agreeing to paying at least $240 more for the life of the contract for service that should already be included.
October 25th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Let me know when the class action gets filed and I will add my name. What they are doing is just wrong…plain and simple.
November 13th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
bien me dijo un amigo que son bien ladrones , estoy que echo humo no por los 10$ sino porque no dicen nada del racargo .ladrooooooooooooones.
November 24th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
it’s not the $10 it’s being stuck with it after the fact, total scam!!
If u call Sprint ask for Employer discounts or if you bank at a CU there’s a discount that can offset the $10 data surcharge, my company has 15% discount..
December 7th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Now I’m honored & glad to say that “ITS NOT JUST ME” I have enough of this from the $10 additional fee to customer service representatives hanging up the phone on me when I request to speak with a supervisor. I am by far “pass my limit” to dealing with sprint you wanna know what I did
http://i55.tinypic.com/2n71bwl.jpg
& YES they the people from there Legal Dept. called me yesterday & was talking to me trying there best to get there answers out of me. I told her “the legal representative” I “DID NOT” agree to these charges such as the Sprint Spending Limit Charges & the Sprint Surcharge. She said to me “if you look on your contract you sign you did agree to it & the terms & condition is on the sprint website” I told her “IF I DID AGREE TO THESE “HIDDEN” CHARGES SHOW ME MY SIGNATURE ON MY CONTRACT THAT I AGREE TO THESE HIDDEN FEES UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE I READ ALL OF THE AGREEMENTS BEFORE I SIGN THEM SO SEND ME A COPY OF MY CONTRACT THROUGH MAIL & SHOW ME THAT I WAS AWARE/ ACKNOWLEDGE ABOUT SPRINT SURCHARGE, SPRINT SPENDING LIMIT CHARGES” Man ah man she made my day because there was “NO POINT IN TIME THROUGHOUT OUR CONVERSATION DID SHE SAID” ILL MAIL YOU A COPY OF YOUR CONTRACT THAT YOU SIGN” & LIKE I TOLD HER WHAT I REQUEST FOR DEMANDS FROM THIS JUDGEMENT IS “REMOVE THE $10 A MONTH PREMIUM DATA PLAN FOR ALL OF US 4G USERS” I can even put aside the hidden fees thats NOT acknowledge in my contract “BUT” I WILL NOT DROP THE CASE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES HANGING UP THE PHONE “INCLUDING A SUPERVISOR HANGING UP THE PHONE THIS PAST SATURDAY” I PAY ROUGHLY $200 A MONTH ON MY BILL & I DONT “BY FAR” EXPECT FOR ANY CUSTOMER SERVICE REP TO HANG UP THE PHONE ON ME AS IF I WAS GETTING FREE SERVICE ALSO 4G IS “NOT” EVERYWHERE SO WHY ARE US 4G CUSTOMERS SERIOUSLY GETTING CHARGE FOR SERVICES THAT WE ARE “NOT” ENTITLED TO “WHICH IS THE PREMIUM DATA $10″ she told me “well If you think about it if we did not attach the $10 fee with it all of our 4G customers would be paying roughly $1,000 A MONTH because of the rich data. “oh yeah I didnt argue that Im saving that for 12/21/2010 my court date against sprint I told her “US 4G CUSTOMERS PAY TOP DOLLARS FOR THESE HIGH PRICE PHONES. THATS LIKE YOU TRYING TO FORCE US TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT WE DONT EVEN WANT. I told her “Thats like “for example” as if I had a LG Remarq phone & I have the Sprint unlimited text & just calling but dont have a plan for data & I dont want it but I want a phone like the HTC EVO or the Samsung Epic 4G “WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO BE FORCE TO PAY FOR DATA FOR THIS PHONE IF I ONLY WANTED THE UNLIMITED TEXT & TALK FOR THIS PHONE. “She actually agree with me that I am right. I have strong points as well as they legal team have strong points & I should be getting a call from them again this thursday or friday. “IF” any other “4G phone owner” wants to voice there problems on this case & try to make it show in this case & they are NOT scared to voice there against sprint attorneys & that there is “NO NEED FOR $10 MANDOTARY FEE WHILE WE PAYING TOP DOLLARS & NOT GETTING THE 4G SERVICE OR WE SHOULDNT BE FORCE TO PAY FOR IT. HIT ME THE HELL UP my email is reeseybaby@gmail.com or catch me on the yahoo messenger at lilreesemo153 “ONLY 4G PHONE OWNERS HTC EVO, SAMSUNG EPIC 4G” ON 12/21/2010 I “WILL” try my best & give it my all to represent “ALL” of us 4G users. I am not a attorney at all neither am I’m planning to be one. But I smell pollution in the air with this $10 fee & i agree with a LOT of other post if this $10 fee cover for the hotspot then I think it would be perfect but sprint trying to nickel & dime us 4G users.
December 8th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
ok so here is what i dont get not that i have sprint nor will i ever i have a iphone4
69 bux for unlimited min text and data right? UNLIMITED? RIGHT atleast up to 3 gigs a month if they do have a data cap? why the extra 10 bux ? they say because we will be doing more heavy data transfers? who the hell uses more then 2 or even 3 gigs a month data transfer on a phone not many at all if any im on my iphone which i eat up about 400 megs a month and that is with watchin a few movies over 3g and youtube web pages and some mail. the other half im at home on my wifi.. so sprint knows all people will most likely be connecting to there wifi atleast half the time so why add 10 bux more to a already unlimited plan? hows that for fuccced up huh!
and ya know what thats all BS just cause the screen is bigger dont mean ur gonna be going crazy most people have jobs atleast the people who buy these phones we dont sit for 8 hours a day and use heavy data and if we do it damn sure wouldnt be more data on a 4.5 screen then it would a 3.5 stupid sprint nickel and dimes you.
and if u are late 2 days they shut ur phone off sprint sux
December 28th, 2010 at 8:34 am
The EVO is completely worth every cent. It is the most amazing piece of technology I have ever owned. What many people don’t understand is this phone can be used as a wi-fi hotspot and a USB modem (allowing you to connect up to 8 devices) Which is why you need a larger data plan. I live in the middle of nowhere, and previously owned a verizon USB card, and the speed sucked. On my pc the EVO’s Internet is at least 2x faster. I can actually stream video now without buffering every 5 seconds. Speed on the iPod using the EVO’s hotspot is great too. In my opinion it is worth it. It does everything you would expect and more.
I pay just over $100 for unlimited data and text, it’s worth it because it got rid of my $70 verizon wireless bill (and I had a 5GB limit on VZ and it sucked when you went over!!). My wife owns a blackberry torch and the EVO has 2x the features, and here at&t data speeds can’t match my EVO (she is jealous)…
All of your data use across all of your devices (pc, laptop, iPod, iPad, etc, etc,) is the reason you need the unlimited data.
December 28th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
And just when I started bragging about the simplicity of Sprint, I get charged the $10 add on. What is most disappointing, is sprint’s failure to disclose this additional fee when I signed on. Nope, absolutely no mention of it. They are no better than ATT or Alltel (remember them?) and I went all the way to the FCC with both, and won both. It’s a real pain in the butt & i’m sick of having to spend my time babysitting the suits who think we’re stupid.
December 31st, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I’VE SEEN the different ways people think about this HTC EVO 10.00 dlls. a month EXTRA for “premium data package” I cannot use because there is no 4G coverage where I live, and SPRINT CANNOT DELIVER. (breech of contract).
For all who agree with paying the extra money U bozos have to understand it is not just about the money, is about our consumer rights, and letting this big companies whoever they are, fleece us of our money. they always find different ways to do it and some stupid (sorry) caracters have to agree with them. So if u want to give them ur money go ahead, just dont get in our way to suit them. To Michael who is an attorney I want to talk to u and maybe unify in this matter
January 14th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Here I was just on my way to order one when I got that popup warning me of the $10 premium data charge. What was I thinking, spending nearly $400 on a phone that’s been out for that long??!
So here I am paying $130 per month for the Everything Family Data for two phones, kicking myself for paying for worthless service I don’t bother trying to use on my current phone. The answer isn’t an upgrade in the phone, it’s a downgrade in the monthly plan! That’s right, I’ll be dropping it in the morning. Thanks for showing me the light, Sprint!
April 6th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
What bugs me about these extra data plans for specific types of phones is, I’m already paying for the damned phone. If you’re concerned about me using more data, put a tier for usage, not because I want a phone with a nice big screen. I rarely use the data plan. I email and I use google maps when I’m out and want to find a place to go. But because I want the phone, you force me to take a data plan. And every ***** cell phone carrier out there has this policy. You want to pay for an expensive phone? You have to keep paying for an expensive phone. They’ve been loosing out on my business because of this for years, and, as long as this policy stays, they’ll continue to lose out on my business. I’m almost ready just to go back to a home phone and use an atlas when I’m out.
April 13th, 2011 at 5:13 am
Someone is missing something here. With Sprint you have to pay a $10.00 premium charge for EVERY Phone they offer that is a PDA/SMARTPHONE, which means every decent phone they offer. Also you DO have to pay another $10.00 if it is a 4G phone. It doesn’t matter what plan you are on. So if you upgrade to or purchase a PDA/SMARTPHONE ( all Blackberries, Windows, and Androids, etc.) you will be paying at least an extra $10.00 per phone and another $10.00 if it is 4G even if you can’t use the 4G !!! IF ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS TALK AND TEXT THEN DON’T GET A SMARTPHONE..
Sprint’s DATA Plans do NOT explain this until you get to picking the phone part. You have to be careful and read everything then you will see that you get charged an extra 10.00 per PDA/SMARTPHONE REGARDLESS of the plan you select. AT this point you can get a better plan via T-Mobile believe it or not. I have 4 phones on my account and when I recently upgraded a phone to a smartphone my monthly bill went from 185.00 to 211.00. and the only thing new is the $10.00 fee for the smartphone data access !! Everything else is “Taxes and Fees”. SO be forwarned. I will not be upgrading my current smartphones that I acquired under the old plans for this very reason and I will be switching to T-Mobile. My daughters upgrade did not cost me the 10.00 monthly fee because it is not considered a Smartphone (Rumour Touch)..but think about it, the only NON PDA/Smartphones they offer are generally crap. I don’t like the fee, but they did explain it to me when I upgraded and it is on their website, so I agreed to it because what choice did I have ? Either accept the fee or they wouldn’t upgrade the phone for my son. The DATA fees aren’t hidden, but the TAXES and other FEES I just don’t get. and it’s one of the reasons I don’t get a 4G phone because I don’t want to pay for 4G that I can’t get, but paying an extra 10 bucks month plus taxes and fees for just an average Android phone is what gets me.
The real complaint I have is that the fees aren’t clearly explained up front—especially in the Plan details. The plans do not mention premium data fees for all PDA/SMARTPHONES. People can be so excited about the plans which initially are very good plans that they don’t even read the fine print once they get to the phone part, because most people aren’t looking at the lower end phones
June 14th, 2011 at 11:23 am
My friend is giving me his HTC evo 4g. However, I do not have the data plan and My parents will not allow me to get it. They hate the internet, too much drama on the web. I already use it alot and they dont want it on my phone. Will I be able to still transfer my number over to this HTC evo 4g phone that my friend is letting me have? If so will we still be charged an extra $10 a month?
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:53 pm
We have been loyal sprint customers for years now. We have had the unlimited-everything plan for 129.99/mo for 2 years. We both just upgraded our phones and were never notified of this extra $10.00 charge (Which is $20.00 since we have 2 lines). After speaking to 2 or 3 representatives who had no clue what they were talking about since they said it was because we now had 4G phones (Which we actually DO-NOT further proving my point about their cluelessness) The real reason sprint is doing this is that they have so many customers that have signed up for their unlimited plans, it is not as profitable as the corporation would like. So they are pushing this off onto the consumers with their ridiculous $10/line charge. I am looking in to see if this violates out current contract since we were never given any notification even when we purchased the new phones. We also never signed a new contract. In the end, our bill that was $136.XX/mo after all was said and done is $170.XX Our time with sprint may come to s quick end.
September 15th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I’m sorry, but I thought I had an “UNLIMITED DATA PLAN”????? Don’t try to feed us B.S. that we have to have premium data service because you assume we’ll be using more data because our phones are top of the line. WE ALREADY HAVE AN UNLIMITED DATA PLAN!!!! Isn’t that why it’s called UNLIMITED, is so we have the ability to USE THE SHIT out of it???? And don’t even try to say that we HAVE to have it because it includes 4G service. You have 4G coverage in about 5% of the US !!!
The REAL reason you are charging that $10 a month is to stick it in your pockets and make more money. You aren’t even expanding 4G coverage to all those wonderful customer who you’ve been robbing blind!
It’s highway ROBBERY and you KNOW it should be illegal!
September 16th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
This is indeed a surcharge on 4G.
I am paying it, and not for an EVO smartphone, but for a 3G/4G modem. I do NOT own any smartphone of any sort from any provider.
During the last part of the sign up Sprint said that because 4G users tend to use more bandwidth, there was a $10 surcharge. (paraphrased)
I doubt that I’ll ever see 4G unlimited where I live, just barely get 3G (5 gb/mos.).
But even the slow 3G beats the rotten (20K on the best days) dialup connection, which is all that WAS available out here in the desert.
Haven’t decided if it’s worth the $$ yet, or not.