Sprint’s contract termination fee balloons to $350 ahead of iPhone 5 launch

By on Aug 31, 2011 at 2:15 PM
mobile August 31, 2011

Though late to the finish line, it looks like Sprint is finally ready to follow AT&T and Verizon Wireless’ lead and bump its contract termination fee to $350 for “advanced devices.” Sprint confirmed on Wednesday that it will soon increase its early termination fee (ETF) from $200 to $350 beginning in early September. The 75% increase will impact subscribers who purchase subsidized smartphones, tablets, netbooks and notebooks, and the ETF will continue to be prorated as it is currently. The change is set to go into effect on September 9th according to a company spokesperson, and the timing is anything but curious. Sprint is expected to finally begin selling Apple smartphones when the iPhone 5 launches in October, and this big ETF bump is likely an effort to prevent consumers from buying and flying. EBay would likely crumble under the weight of all the new auctions if people were able to purchase the iPhone 5 for as little as $399 with no contract to worry about.

[Via SprintFeed]

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6DYLMF2GCFWCKNVDUMDKCURHAA Keamy

    Well, I guess Sprint will eventually follow AT&T and VRZ to limit the data.

    • Anonymous

      You guess? It’s well known when sheep follow the iDevice , unlimited data is gone.

      • http://www.facebook.com/applelover Tim Meesseman

        Well known? Seriously? It happened ONCE at Verizon. I’d hardly call that a trend, and more likely a coincidence. I fail to see how it applies to the iPhone at all.

      • http://twitter.com/andyx46 Andy Bennett

        They are doing this to prevent folks from flipping the phone for a nice profit. It’s exactly what AT&T did two years ago.

      • CMC

        Twice — once at Ma Bell and second at Verizon.  That’s what lack of competition does.

    • Anonymous

      Maybe… Maybe not.  I have Sprint’s unlimited data, I have my phone rooted, custom ROM, tether, stream music, download, surf the web, YouTube, etc.  Over the past year, I have gone over 2GB of data in a single month just once.

      I may not have a crazy commute like some people where they stream Pandora all the time back and forth to work.  I’d rather connect my phone to wifi for faster service.  At home, work, and at some friend’s homes, I use wifi instead.

      What about you guys?  You data hogs… what in the world are you doing?

      • rge

        That’s good for you but there are alot of people including me that doesn’t have access to wi-fi as easily as you do, I do not have access to high speed internet at my house unless it is satellite and that is to expensive with low very data caps, and with the job I do I don’t have access to hardly any free wi-fi. Most I have to pay for and then it is crap. So yes I do use alot of data and there are alot of us out here in the same situation as me

      • Anonymous

        Farmer?

      • Anonymous

        Sprint didn’t cap data… Wtf r u talking about

      • Anonymous

        Gee… I didn’t know you were the model for “everyone else” out there.  Your habits are yours… they certainly don’t mimick the milliions of others that do other things with their lives.  I’m just saying… think about it.

      • Anonymous

        Don’t make yourself out to be the stand up guy. You’re a wifi data hog.

    • Anonymous

      Yep. Get in now while you can!

  • Iphone man

    I have been a loyal fan of AT&T even before I was legal enough to get a contract! but lately I so tired of there BS, in south Fla there been two outages in less than 90 days in addition to the numerous dropped calls! invest some money into your infrastructure.. I hope the iPhone on sprint bring some real competition!

    • Anonymous

      If you can help push through the AT&T / T-mobile and merger, you will get much better service and some extra US customer service agents to complain to, once that turns out to not be true.

  • Anonymous

    Also everyone who wants to cancel w/o paying ETF, Sprint will raise their administrative charge from $.99 to $1.50 and people can cancel w/o paying anything.

    • Anonymous

      Wat

    • Anonymous

      They’re not going to let you leave, they’re going to subsidize the admin fee for the remainder of your contract if you make threats.

      • http://twitter.com/snowglyder Geary Epperson

        I just left thanks to this admin fee increase. 2 contracts, no ETF. :)

        Although, the fee change is for Sept. bill. If you sign up Sept 9th for a new contract you agree to the Admin fee increase, so you’re sol if you plan on using that. But they have these changes all the time so the chances of getting out of your contract without $350 ETF are pretty good. 

    • Jason

      hey is the change from $.99 to $1.50 listed in the monthly bill for something? If so what month? I would like to reference it when I cancel my contract. 

  • Anonymous

    That’s why they aren’t releasing the SII till a week later perhaps…

  • Anonymous

    Fuck you sprint. You are supposed to be the good guys.

    • Anonymous

      No company is good. They seek profit as always. 

      • Jfenton

        If they didn’t seek profit they wouldn’t exist and some would have nothing to whine about…and you wouldhave no phone  :)

      • Anonymous

        There’s seeking profit & there’s greed. Two distinctly different things.

    • Anonymous

      Phones are getting more powerful and more expensive.  If the carrier is going to have to pay more to subsidize them to get them to $199 w/contract, I would expect that the ETF should go up to cover the cost if a customer leaves.  If you don’t want to pay the ETF, you can get the phone off contract.  I don’t see what the big deal is.  I would have a beef if they raised the price of the phone to say… $299 in addition to raising the ETF, which is kinda what VZ has done.  If Sprint does the same thing, all this hate will be justified

    • Anonymous

      Well, the ETF is pro-rated.  Meaning the fee diminishes the longer you have your phone.  It honestly makes good business sense.  These are for smartphones and the netbooks.  Those things cost well over $500 brand new.

    • Anonymous

      Dumb post.  Corporations only want your money.  They’re not a non-profit community service.

    • Anonymous

      They’re protecting themselves from ebay flippers that would buy a phone with a new line, cancel the line, pay $200.  Then, put the phone on ebay for $600.  

      The solution isn’t to curse Sprint for raising their ETF, the solution is to curse Sprint for not offering unsubsidized phones and cheaper rates to compensate, like T-mobile’s unadvertized Even More Plus plans.

  • Anonymous

    Why that headline BGR?? Don’t you mean “ahead of SGSii launch?”  I mean holy crap, BGR!  the sgsii is 7 days away from the price hike.  

  • Mr Conversation

    Oh Crap….What’s next?! Data throttling, another charge for having an Iphone like they have done with smart phones? Sprint is ONLY in business because of their plan prices and unlimited features….If they take that away then I wouldn’t be too surprised if they go out of business…I mean what Sprint customer get great cell reception, smooth network data transmission between cell towers and phone, and clear calls that don’t get dropped? I’d really like to know if that even exists.

  • Dwayne Williams

    That leaves only T-Mobile with a reasonable ETF.

  • Anonymous

    They don’t want people buying the stupid Samsung POS and then jumping to the iPhone when they get the real thing.

  • Anonymous

    The world doesn’t revolve around the iPhone

    • confused

      I agree..the timing seems more likely related to the release of the sgs2 on 9/16 than the iphone which is just a rumor at this point.

  • http://www.jeffkibuule.com Jeff Kibuule

    The ETF increase is fine, but I find it disingenuous when you have to pay $120 in month 23 of a 24 month contract to get out of it.

  • ted

    Ha ha ha sucker mcs

  • Anonymous

    ;) you’re half way there Sprinty!  I know, don’t get the public riled up all at once.  Ease us into it like the professional that you are.  What’s that? Data limits down the road? Naw… seriously?  Oh, ok.

  • Bacon

    Your sister is a whore.

  • Cer

    Has Sprint announced anything positive for consumers recently? Up next is the end of their unlimited data plans.

    They say they want competition, but all they’re doing is following the leaders. Sprint’s plans won’t be any different from Verizon’s or AT&T’s within a year. So what’s wrong with the merger, Sprint? Please, tell us. Because your actions indicate that it doesn’t matter whether AT&T and T-Mobile merge, you’re just going to jack up your rates either way.

  • Cer

    Has Sprint announced anything positive for consumers recently? Up next is the end of their unlimited data plans.

    They say they want competition, but all they’re doing is following the leaders. Sprint’s plans won’t be any different from Verizon’s or AT&T’s within a year. So what’s wrong with the merger, Sprint? Please, tell us. Because your actions indicate that it doesn’t matter whether AT&T and T-Mobile merge, you’re just going to jack up your rates either way.

    • http://twitter.com/TimHainesPhotog Tim Haines

      Thank you for adding a voice of reason.  Great comment!

  • http://twitter.com/TimHainesPhotog Tim Haines

    They upped their ETF, they added a $10/month premium to their “simply” everything data plan, their service sucks like a hoover, and their customer service blows like a hurricane.  Tell me again why Sprint is a pro-consumer carrier??……

  • http://twitter.com/snowglyder Geary Epperson

    Wow!

  • Anonymous

    Glad to see them take on the “values” of the bigger guys. Something about absolute power corrupts absolutely…

  • Anonymous

    Come on people wake up!  Don’t you see why they do this right before the iPhony comes out for Sprint?  Curious Android users will try one and go “Fuck no!”

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