yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[EVO 4G General] dwertz:
Verizon does have the HTC Thunderbolt which would be a good deal. I think the only thing that may push me is that 4g is still not in my area and if I went to Verizon I would get LTE. The downside is I would probably end up paying an extra $20 a month. I also dont think Sprint 4g is going anywhere any time soon. Whether that is worth the price difference idk.
[EVO 4G General] chaoticallysweet:
Received a call from Executive services... they said no will not retain upgrade unless I go up in plan.. currently upgrade is 6/4/2011 but after April it will be 6/4/2012 unless i switch... no grandfather in ... and no this does not break our contracts;Early Termination fees apply: per the t+c, We (Sprint) reserve the right to cancel offers early or extend offers without notice. Sprint Premier: Is not available to employees of Sprint or to business accounts. These offers are made available to select customers at the sole discretion of Sprint and may change or be canceled at any time.

Sprint says, "kick rocks".:(
[EVO 4G General] MILH0U5E:
Thunderbolt isn't available yet... and with verizons current smartphone promo, now would be the time to switch.
[EVO 4G General] gpz1100:
I think as the date comes and goes, with people actually cashing in on their upgrades, rules may change. What's really needed is exposure through some popular media outlets. Hopefully what some of the reps on here said about honoring it for those who already have it will come to fruition.
[EVO 4G General] eye4ni:
I think that we all understand there will be no grandfathering of all the people who bought evos last year. It sucks, but we understand that.

I am still not sure if anyone has got a straight answer from sprint (something official) confirming that those of us who ALREADY have an upgrade coming, effective RIGHT NOW, will in fact lose this upgrade come april first. I actually have two phones eligible for a $150 discount right now, but wanted to wait and see what new phones are announced in february. These phones likely won't be launched until after april 1, so I would be screwed. I doubt that anyone will get a straight answer on this until it is too late.

I feel like I need to use the discount right now before it expires. But I already have an evo, don't really want two more of them.
[EVO 4G General] sultan.of.swing:
Same boat here. If nothing good is gonna come out before april fools then im gonna just get the g-tab.
[EVO 4G General] splmonster:
Sprint did confirm it, it's in the terms of the new Premier set-up. Specifically says no grandfathering.
[EVO 4G General] sgt. slaughter:
this is of course unless you've been a customer for 10yrs, in which case you are automatically qualified for Gold premier. The big thing here is making sure all the original nextel folk like myself ensure the original date of signup are being used and NOT the date sprint took over nextel.
[EVO 4G General] daveeckert:
Ok, here's a more basic question: what exactly does the 1 year upgrade entail?

Is it just a $150 discount? Or do you also get applicable rebates? Because if it's only $150, instead of the $250-300 it becomes with rebates, it doesn't seem like as good of a deal anyway...
[EVO 4G General] ghodzilla5150:
You get the rebates as well. That's why everyone is frustrated with Sprint for pulling this BS. It's all in tune with getting the DAMN iPhone. We are all getting screwed so they can add the iPhone to their network. Great
[EVO 4G General] uniquenameevo:
It could be that Apple doesn't want people getting new iphones cheap every year.
[EVO 4G General] aimbdd:
and why not? more money for them? aha that comments kind of...

If anything its sprint doesn't want to pay for people to get new iPhones every year :P
[EVO 4G General] LoneStarPhD:
What about me? LOL

AKA Duffman from SU.
[EVO 4G General] Blitzpwnage:
So you get the rebates if your silver but its only $75 and the rebates instead of $150? So I would be paying $75 more for a phone right?
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
Wrong. It's $75 off without the rebates. Go sprint

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] aimbdd:
no ones sure... but if thats how it worked. You would still be paying 75 less then upgrade price though if this were true. We can only hope...
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
True. No one knows for sure I don't think. I've heard what I previously said

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] KB112:
Silver=$75 off retail price...period, thats it. You do not get any instant or mail in rebates.

Gold =$150 off retail price, plus being able to use any available instant or mail in rebates.

So thats a big price difference.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
This is correct.
[EVO 4G General] Blitzpwnage:
Sprint can shove it lol they are lucky I have an upgrade in march or else I'd bail. This upgrade is a 2 year one I've been waiting for on another line.
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
I'm just going to pay full price for my phones, oh well

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] Blitzpwnage:
Nooooo don't give into the man!
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
Well I gots to have the newest phones, what else choice do I have?

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] aimbdd:
lol i am thinking i will be right there with you... haha. Stupid technology. Advancing so fast that its taking all my money ;)
[EVO 4G General] swaze:
I knew all these years with sprint would pay off.

Sent from my HTC EVO
[EVO 4G General] Tipharet:
Since there has been a change in policy does this fall under a change in EULA which allows you to decide to cancel your contract within 30 days of the change with no ETF?
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
No. premier is not part of the contract. it is a perk.

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
I'm glad I'm not the only one

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] michaelvibe:
Oh this stinks, as this was a part of the reason I chose Sprint anyways. Oh well, they will probably cancel my contracts soon since I moved out of their service area lol.
[EVO 4G General] ProcessorHog:
From sprint's premier FAQ:

http://premier.sprint.com/premierupdate/index.php?id12=MA:LP:20100110:SPL:statuslp2

"# Q:Is it possible to move between S|P Gold and S|P Silver status?

# A:Yes, if you change your service plan, your Premier status may change. If you move up to a $89.99 or above single-line plan, or a $169.99 shared plan, you will move to S|P Gold once you maintain that average for 3 months. Or, if you move below a $89.99 on a single-line plan or $169.99 on a shared plan, you will move to S|P Silver.

# Q:What if I want to change plans so I can be eligible for the annual upgrade benefit?

# A:You can change your plan to an individual plan of $89.99 or above, or a shared plan of $169.99 or above. Once you maintain that average for three months, you will automatically become S|P Gold and receive one annual upgrade per qualifying plan on your account. "

Sprint is telling everyone to their face to upgrade to a $20 higher plan for 3 months, get a new phone, then downgrade. This will probably calm down some of the people who are really pissed off about this. For people with discounts this will be around $45-55 instead of $60. I'm guessing they will change this policy once the fuss about this has settled down (probably after July), otherwise what's preventing everyone from doing this every year?

I'll try to get my plan grandfathered-in first like Shroomz was saying above (my premier upgrade would have been mid-June) but if that doesn't work, I'm going to do just what Sprint is saying in their Q&A. This now becomes a matter of 150 vs 105, and the $105 discount every year does not sound too bad to me (150 minus the 45 you'd spend for the higher plan for 3 months). 150 would have been better of course.
[EVO 4G General] hdad2:
Im waiting for the details to drop explaining how you can't downgrade for 6 mo or the upgrade kicks in 12 mo after the gold premier status starts. Something will prevent the constant switching of plans 3 mo before upgrading. Otherwise it seems to easy as you point out.
[EVO 4G General] boliviano3:
I know it's classified as a "perk" but it's pretty shady that sprint used this "perk" to convince people to switch only to take it away before most could actually use that "perk." It may not be part of the contract but it is borderline false advertising since they were using these yearly upgrades to help sell the contracts.
[EVO 4G General] blackroseMD1:
I really hope that's true. It would be nice if they would at least try to take care of their existing customers. Seeing as how the Evo is my first Sprint phone, I'd like to not get completely raped if they come out with something awesome in June, the month before I was supposed to be able to get my upgrade.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
It looks promising
[EVO 4G General] drmacinyasha:
Ditto. I got my Moment about two weeks before the EVO came out, then swapped them on launch day. If Sprint goes and denies me the ability to get my one year upgrade, I'm going to be quite pissed.

At this rate, they're going to start capping their data plans and/or doing tiered pricing just like American Crap & Crap and Vzw. Really disappointed in Sprint here for pulling the rug out from under us like this, ESPECIALLY when they knew it would effect EVERY EVO owner on Earth.
[EVO 4G General] kenvan19:
Nice way to post the exact same thing in two threads.

Sent from my cm7 Evo 4G!
[EVO 4G General] mattykinsx:
Is there something wrong with him clearing the air and being informative?

No.

Via Tapatalk Pro on Evo
[EVO 4G General] juggaman:
So I undertand the 2-tier Premier level and being a Sprint customer for 11 years, I'm fine with my plan staying Premier Gold. However, was it confirmed that I will not be able to upgrade my Evo on 6/1 like it says right now? If so, this is quite disappointing considering I was planning on giving my wife my Evo and upgrading to whatever the latest and greatest is at that time (if anything).
[EVO 4G General] th3b055:
Does this mean we can opt out of our contracts since they are changing something? Remember reading somewhere that you can opt out free of ETF, can someone clarify?
[EVO 4G General] mattykinsx:
Anytime they change the ToS, for current users, you can get out of the contract as its been broken by them.

I don't know if this fits in that category.

Via Tapatalk Pro on Evo
[EVO 4G General] Bp3dots:
The difference is, you also qualify for the additional discounts when the 2 year upgrade is available (or currently, when the 1 year premier upgrade is ready.) So it comes out:

Current 1 yr premier/full 22 mos:

Evo - $500 - $150 discount - $150 upgrade rebate = $200

After changes to premier (or current 1 yr non premire upgrade)

Evo - $500 - $75 upgrade rebate = $425

That's worth making a big deal over.
[EVO 4G General] Bp3dots:
Sprint Premier is not in the contract. It is an additional perk that they offer. This change is not an easy out of ETF one.
[EVO 4G General] mattykinsx:
I agree with you so let's make a big deal.

Not just complain about it on some forum.

If we do make a big deal the policy will be amended.

That's why I said I didn't know specificly. Thanks for clarification though.

Via Tapatalk Pro on Evo
[EVO 4G General] nebenezer:
I'm just glad the EVO is such a kick-ass phone. I won't mind using it for the duration of my contract.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
The reason for the additional $10 a month on all smartphones is so that data is not capped
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
Aka so sprint can make more money...

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] mdubs:
You owe me a new keyboard!

That's about the funniest damn thing I've read all day. I needed that. Thank you.
[EVO 4G General] mainguy21:
so i wont qualify for gold then huh?

i just got my sprint like 11 months ago but my bill is always 280 a month with family plans.

i have to be with sprint for 10 years o_O?

lol **** that im already planning on switching since the service sucks.
[EVO 4G General] wryun:
... douche!
[EVO 4G General] afazel:
But would you get the rebate if you got it at Best Buy? So then it would be 500 - 150 rebate -75 = 275

Just wondering, since Best Buy does the rebates differently (in-store immediately instead of mail-in).
[EVO 4G General] ajd2416:
I truly appreciate. It.

Sent from my precious Mynion Eva
[EVO 4G General] ajd2416:
Why the hell do I need to know about your virginity on xda? Like seriously. TMI.

Sent from my precious Mynion Eva
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Like every business out there. During thanksgiving Sprint saw 50 million mms messages sent, 20 million more than last year - that's 500 a second. Don't u think the extra money is needed to keep the network up and data unlimited?
[EVO 4G General] twiz0r:
Not from people that don't use it. Or just add it to the plan to count towards premier status. would only cost me 30 more dollars to get with verizon and 4g for the three lines I have now. As long as I can get the girl to agree. Too many games for me. I understand sprint needs to make cash but don't be underhanded about it

Swyped from my cyanogenized and gingerbreaded EVO
[EVO 4G General] hdad2:
Other than the math in these threads, I have yet to see anything official that suggest this is actually more than +$75 at the 12mo mark. I know the prevailing wisdom is that it will be only $75 off full retail. But does anyone have anything even semi official showing this is the case? Every language I've read in these threads that seems pasted from sprint email or whatever seems to read that this is only a matter of $75 vs $150.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
Doesn't matter who specifically uses it, the point is costs go up so rates go up. You would be surprised how much more expensive other companies are... let me show you; I took this information last night from all carriers on smartphones only for individual and family plans. As you can see individual's are still competitive but family plans are ridiculous...

Remember, Sprint is still the only carrier that provides upgrades every year and calling to any cell phone for free unlimited.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
It's $75 off full retail. When $150 is available it means full upgrade, so it can be whatever discount is available, no necessarily $150.
[EVO 4G General] kenvan19:
You make a good point but the myth that sprint is the cheapest is only true for people who use close to 1500 minutes a month. My wife and I use barely 300 and most of those are to people on tmobile so when I switch (in august as I'm waiting for her contract to end so I only pay one etf) I'll take their 750 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data and save $20 a month.

Now some will mention the fact that tmo throttles data after 5gb a month. That is true. However I rarely use that much and if I did there is a hack to get around that. So for people like me who joined sprint for the sole reason of the yearly upgrades staying here is just stupid.

Sent from my cm7 Evo 4G!
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
They are the cheapest dependent what you chose. They are by far the biggest bang fot ur buck
[EVO 4G General] hdad2:
Thanks. Can I ask where this is spelled out? Again, the language I've seen suggests a difference of only $75. Is it just that currently the idea of $150 discount =new customer, and the idea of $75 is not? I just don't see where this is spelled out.
[EVO 4G General] kenvan19:
Exactly. I think the comparable plan on tmo was 170 or 180.

Sent from my cm7 Evo 4G!
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
I work for Sprint. Im at work right now so I can't look it up
[EVO 4G General] mdubs:
1. You quoted the wrong guy.

2. I cut that particular tidbit out of the rest of his post. It was funny and I chose to note how humorous I found that particular part of the post.

3. Calm down.
[EVO 4G General] hdad2:
Np. If it can be found, that would be great.
[EVO 4G General] Crossrocker:
We have a plan with 4 people paying 169.97 are we in sprint premier?

A drop of Chuck Norris's semen was placed on the IPhone. We now have the Htc Evo.
[EVO 4G General] swaze:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/19/atandt-tweaking-messaging-plans-killing-some-upgrade-discounts-r/

lol well looking like its not just sprint doin strange things......bigred and att doin away with upgrades and raising fees.
[EVO 4G General] jwterminator:
For those of us on the family share plan with 1500 minutes, it would seem that when faced with the prospect of either upgrading to the 3000 minute plan for an additional $40/month to qualify for premier gold or just buying a new phone outright, we are all better off buying brand new unsubsidized. I'd just as soon not pay an additional $480/yr to have the privilege of paying $200 for a new phone. That easily turns a $450 evo into a $680 evo. Plus, you get the added benefit of not having to extend your contract anymore. Besides, I think we would find sprint a lot more willing to play ball with us if they didn't have us locked in to a contract with ETFs and the like.
[EVO 4G General] Bp3dots:
From srpint.com (Click the "Eligible Upgrade" link on the price section of their shop for phones page)

Upgrade savings eligibility

Upgrade savings are available when you reach 12 months of service on the same device. This does not include Web exclusives or additional special offers. After 22 months, you will be eligible for all discounts, including instant and mail-in rebates. * When you're signed in to sprint.com, you can see the discounted price for eligible devices. If you upgrade to a pre-owned device, your current upgrade eligibility status is not impacted. You pay the rebate-free pre-owned price. When you're ready to make your eligible upgrade to a brand new phone, you'll still be able to benefit from the instant and mail-in rebates.

That's as close as I could get for it all spelled out. I know for a fact, if I go to ring out a 1 year upgrade it will be $75 off full retail.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
You are correct
[EVO 4G General] hdad2:
When an official announcement comes (there hasn't been an official one yet, right?), it had better spell it out more clearly than the text I've seen so far.

It does not indicate that silver gets anything less than $75 off subsidized price, nor does it indicate that gold gets anything more than $150 off full retail. The language suggests the difference is $75 vs $150. If it is as you guys suggest then they have not nearly made this clear. Thank you for explaining it tho
[EVO 4G General] :
It's cool. I apologize also. Lets just all get along and enjoy XDA. You're cool in my book.

Back on topic: This change won't make me leave. Its still the best value and I have additional lines I can use as upgrade.
[EVO 4G General] CruzECO13:
Just posted on Phandroid

[Update] Sprint Premier Program is Not Going Away, Just Adding a New Tier Starting April 1st

Read on for Sprint’s official statement on the matter.

Sprint is updating the program for 2011 with two tiers of benefits, Sprint Premier Silver and Sprint Premier Gold, making sure that Sprint Premier Silver retains the benefits that were popular with the most customers. Effective 4/1/11:

Sprint Premier Gold customers must only meet ONE of the following three qualifications:

· Individual plans with a 3-month average MRC** of at least $89.99, or

· Shared plans with a 3-month average MRC** of at least $169.99 MRC, or

· Tenure of 10+ years with Sprint

Sprint Premier Silver customers must only meet ONE of the following two qualifications:

· Individual plans with a 3-month average MRC** of $69.99 – $89.98, or

· Shared plans with a 3-month average MRC** of $99.99 – $169.98

Once Sprint Premier Silver customers reach 10 years service with Sprint, they automatically are graduated to Sprint Premier Gold status regardless of the plan they are on.

** 3-month average MRC is based on voice plans only, not including add-on services, and is figured before any discounts are applied.

In addition to the change noted above, it’s important to highlight that both Sprint Premier Gold and Silver customers will continue to receive all the other perks: discounts on accessories, proactive plan checks and just because offers; device credits that are among the best in the industry; and exclusive extras like Premier Community, anniversary rewards and first to know.

Sprint Premier remains one of the best customer loyalty programs in the wireless industry. When compared to other national carriers, the Sprint Premier package of benefits far outranks any rewards program currently offered.
[EVO 4G General] swaze:
Guess people can stop all the crying now.
[EVO 4G General] blackroseMD1:
I just called customer service, and the guy I was talking to had no idea about the upcoming change, but said that I should still get at least my first 12 month upgrade. Hopefully that's the case.
[EVO 4G General] midaseris:
My only concern is the upgrade on the primary line that I am eligible for on 8/01/2011. I'll be downgraded to silver under the new requirements but I think the majority of us hope we don't get our upgrade yanked away just months before we're eligible. Hopefully we can get a concrete YES or NO on that shortly!!!
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
It's the same program just more expensive due to the fact that almost all new phones require the $69.99 data plan which automatically made everyone premier. I don't think that would have worked for Sprint.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
You should be grandfathered in for at least this year. At least if you call me I can have your upgrade reset guaranteed
[EVO 4G General] ghodzilla5150:
Yeah right;) Sprint reps say they will do this, that, or the other BUT rarely do. I spoke with a Sprint Manager on Tuesday Jan 18 and asked if he could see my Legacy and that I have been with Sprint since 2000, he said he could and that he would e-mail the confirmation that I have been with Sprint since 2000. Well here we are Thursday Jan 20 and NO e-mail whatsoever. I take what anyone from Sprint says with a grain of salt.
[EVO 4G General] DirtyShroomz:
I don't blame you. I'm sure theres things you say at your job you don't do either ;)
[EVO 4G General] ghodzilla5150:
Actually I do whatever I say I am going to do as that's my job and NOT doing my job will result in me getting Fired, K Sparky. Some of us actually keep our word as it means alot to us;) I am an IT Manager and what I say I am going to do needs to get done or our Network can goto crap really fast and then I have the Plant Manager breathing down my neck. When you say you are going to do something, do it. Be a man and keep your word, but I am pretty sure at Sprint you are told and encouraged to lie to keep customers happy who are upset on the phone. Since their is NO accountability and paper trail (since NO customer service rep gives their REAL Name and ID on the phone) it's hard to get in trouble when you lie.