[CTFan]

I'm really kicking myself, but I bought a Blackberry Storm the day before the Pre was announced. I'm currently with Verizon, as is the rest of my family, and my contract's not up until August of this year. Needless to say, even running a leaked OS, the Storm is far from the smartphone I expected, and the Pre is something I'd really like to own. That being said, I'm not exactly in a position to buy one off-contract and try to run it on Big Red, so I'd have to make the jump to Sprint while the rest of my family stayed on Verizon. This would, of course, require me to buy out the remainder of my contract, sign up for a 2-year agreement with Sprint, and get whatever subsequent plan they offer for the Pre (Simply Everything, maybe? Still cheaper than what I pay now.)

As much as Verizon's cellular selection and price premium suck, I can honestly say that I've never been without a signal, something I've never heard from a few of my friends who have Sprint in my area. Do you all think switching carriers is worth the trouble, or should I just wait until the Pre is confirmed (if at all) to run on Verizon's Open Network? Also, I wouldn't have to switch numbers, would I? Thanks!

[PedroTheGoat]

I don't think you would have to switch numbers.

Paying the ETF, and buying the Pre will be costly. So that all matter on how many bones you are willing to dish out.

Sprints coverage is amazing down here. Make sure to check Sprint's coverage maps before you switch.

I don't know about all ETF's. I thought they were set and not probated though. ???

[cary328is]

That's a good question. I mean you either sacrifice your signal (based on what you said about Sprint in your area) for a great phone (speculating it will be better than the storm) or you stay with Verizon and wait to get the best of both worlds when Pre comes to your carrier. If you can wait a year, I would say stay with Verizon if you really need a stable phone signal in your area. But then again it's really up to what you need. If you got the Pre- what good is it if you can't use it to its full capability in your area?

[Gekko]

i've been with Sprint for about a year and i love the coverage, service, phone selection, technology, stores, web site, technology, and pricing. i have the $99/monthly unlimited everything and it's a beautiful thing. i've had at&t and verizon and i much prefer Sprint by far.

might the cost savings with Sprint significantly mitigate your pro-rated ETF with verizon? also maybe sell your BB on ebay or elsewhere to help pay for the ETF?

sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, pay what you have to pay, and move forward. otherwise, you'll just remain miserable.

life is short. enjoy yourself (within reason).

good luck!

[Banger]

Well, I would wait and see how well the Pre does, just wait till august when your contract ends. As people have suggest the 2nd batch should be out and should have any hardware and possibly software bugs should be fixed.

I believe sprint has (with the plan you would need to use the Pre with) has access to Verizon and Alltel network. The min server to be able to use the Pre I believe is ~50 $ a month.

Also you would not have to switch numbers if you do not want to. Although some times when you call a provider they will try to lie to you and say you can not which I have heard from several people that it happened to them.

[CTFan]

Well to be honest, I'm psyched enough about the Pre to shell out a good amount. Last time I checked, it was $175 for the Verizon ETF, which would hurt, but provided they announce the Pre at that magical $200 price point it's doable for me. Unfortunately since the details on the contract pricing aren't out yet it makes it harder to decide.

I've also heard horrible things about Sprint's customer service, both here and on other sites. Is it really that bad? That's another thing I like about Verizon.

EDIT: Yeah, waiting until my contract's up would definitely be an appealing option to save some dough, but to be honest I don't know if I can wait that long. Not so much because the Pre looks that incredible (though it does look to be a great phone,) it's just the general sluggishness of the Storm as a multimedia device, which is something I use on a daily basis. I'm hoping the TI OMAP processor and webOS marriage can fix that!

[Gekko]

Well to be honest, I'm psyched enough about the Pre to shell out a good amount. Last time I checked, it was $175 for the Verizon ETF, which would hurt, but provided they announce the Pre at that magical $200 price point it's doable for me. Unfortunately since the details on the contract pricing aren't out yet it makes it harder to decide.

I've also heard horrible things about Sprint's customer service, both here and on other sites. Is it really that bad? That's another thing I like about Verizon.

the new contract price on the Pre will help offset your prorated vzw ETF. Sprint's customer service and billing etc. is fine. in fact, i rate it better than vzw. vzw spelled my name wrong on my bill and i went over a year without it ever being fixed. in fact, it was never fixed despite multiple requests - thus i was not impressed with their service.

vzw has done a great job MARKETING their coverage and service, but i found that the reality is far from their marketing claims.

i refused to get raped every month by vzw or at&t.

[Derek Kessler]

Supposedly Sprint has been working hard to fix their costumer service, though I think there's still some work to be done.

A positive note, my mother's LG Lotus crapped out completely not too long ago, and despite the fact that she did not have the insurance and was out of the Lotus' warranty period, Sprint let her replace it and she only had to pay the new contract cost on her new phone - a 755p! I just wish the Lotus could have held out for a month longer and we could have gotten her onto the Pre.

[mobileman]

If there was ever a phone worth paying to get rid of, it would be the Storm.

[HChristianS]

Sprint - Nationwide Coverage

^link to Sprints coverage map.
just input your area and voila you'll see how good your signal SHOULD be.


also wait until others get their hands on this phone, everyone elses expectations for this phone are pretty high, so why dont you wait and see if it lives up to its hype?

I live in the SouthEast, the only times I've ever had a dropped call was from people on At&t and T-Mobile.

[NBENZ]

Just wait until your contract is up in august and determine then if the pre is worth the switch. Luckily my contract with at&t is up on may 13th of this year , right around the time people are speculating the release of the pre. I have never had signal problems with at&t but i feel that the pre is just a better all around device than the current iphone and blackberry bold which are at&t's best devices atm.

[ultima301]

I believe sprint has (with the plan you would need to use the Pre with) has access to Verizon and Alltel network.

What he said - at least for me, my phone can roam on Verizon towers for no additional charge. So if you look at it that way, you're only gaining Sprint's coverage / larger 3G network, and can still fall back to Verizon's towers if you have bad signal somewhere. The only downside is that I don't think you can use Verizon's 3G, only 1x for data.

[Outrigger#WN]

the new contract price on the Pre will help offset your prorated vzw ETF. Sprint's customer service and billing etc. is fine. in fact, i rate it better than vzw. vzw spelled my name wrong on my bill and i went over a year without it ever being fixed. in fact, it was never fixed despite multiple requests - thus i was not impressed with their service.

vzw has done a great job MARKETING their coverage and service, but i found that the reality is far from their marketing claims.

i refused to get raped every month by vzw or at&t.

I'm not sure how the price of the Pre will help offset the OP's ETF. If you meant to say the savings in the monthly price will offset, than its a different story, but I really don't see how paying for a phone will help the OP recoup his ETF.

I have had all carriers and there's a reason Sprint is rated the worse and thats not even speaking from personal experience. Also, I would hardly call misspelling your name bad customer service, thats just nitpicking.

To the OP: in the end, you have to pick a carrier thats good for YOUR area regardless of what other people say, they don't live where you live no matter how great their service might be. Having the best phone in the world with a crappy coverage will do what for you? Have you even thought about jumping through all those hoops and the Pre isn't what you thought it'd be just like the Storm you have now? Would you not kick yourself in the rear for paying out the nose? Or if you make the switch and VZW comes out with its own Pre Jan of next year? Maybe these are some of the questions you should ask yourself before jumping ship and throwing dough around. Always remember, always pick your carrier before a device or you'll be real sorry you've wasted money for worse service.

[theog]

I'm really kicking myself, but I bought a Blackberry Storm the day before the Pre was announced. I'm currently with Verizon, as is the rest of my family, and my contract's not up until August of this year. Needless to say, even running a leaked OS, the Storm is far from the smartphone I expected, and the Pre is something I'd really like to own. That being said, I'm not exactly in a position to buy one off-contract and try to run it on Big Red, so I'd have to make the jump to Sprint while the rest of my family stayed on Verizon. This would, of course, require me to buy out the remainder of my contract, sign up for a 2-year agreement with Sprint, and get whatever subsequent plan they offer for the Pre (Simply Everything, maybe? Still cheaper than what I pay now.)

As much as Verizon's cellular selection and price premium suck, I can honestly say that I've never been without a signal, something I've never heard from a few of my friends who have Sprint in my area. Do you all think switching carriers is worth the trouble, or should I just wait until the Pre is confirmed (if at all) to run on Verizon's Open Network? Also, I wouldn't have to switch numbers, would I? Thanks!

After 7 years with verizon I made the switch to sprint without issue... but if your "local" friends are telling you there are issues, then you better listen to them.

If you don't care about reception, then only you can know if the cost is worth it... honestly, only you know your financial situation....

For me, the cost might or might not be worth it... guess it would depends on how much more the bill would be with everyone else on verizon... if you talk to them a lot... and if the upfront costs are worth it... do an excel spreadsheet and add it up....

[CTFan]

Well after looking at Sprint's map, my area is in the Fair/Good zone, but there's quite a bit of roaming area around me. Though if it's true that I'd be able to use Verizon towers, that alleviates that issue, as even on my "3G" phone, I've never been anywhere that didn't use 1X for data. Though I really would like to hold out until August, I really won't have too big a problem coming up with the ETF, and looking over the bills I would save money on Sprint. Not to mention the fact that my phone currently takes 10 minutes to reboot and I stare at an hourglass more than the interface itself.

[Gekko]

I'm not sure how the price of the Pre will help offset the OP's ETF. If you meant to say the savings in the monthly price will offset, than its a different story, but I really don't see how paying for a phone will help the OP recoup his ETF.

I have had all carriers and there's a reason Sprint is rated the worse and thats not even speaking from personal experience. Also, I would hardly call misspelling your name bad customer service, thats just nitpicking.

To the OP: in the end, you have to pick a carrier thats good for YOUR area regardless of what other people say, they don't live where you live no matter how great their service might be. Having the best phone in the world with a crappy coverage will do what for you? Have you even thought about jumping through all those hoops and the Pre isn't what you thought it'd be just like the Storm you have now? Would you not kick yourself in the rear for paying out the nose? Or if you make the switch and VZW comes out with its own Pre Jan of next year? Maybe these are some of the questions you should ask yourself before jumping ship and throwing dough around. Always remember, always pick your carrier before a device or you'll be real sorry you've wasted money for worse service.

1. dumping vzw and signing as new on Sprint gets him the Pre at $200 (or whatever the new user price is).

2. the misspelling of my name was not the primary issue, it was the dozen phonecalls and emails to vzw customer service over the course of a year and their subsequent failure or inability to fix the problem which was the issue.

3. nobody can touch the Sprint $99/month unlimited everything plan. what's that cost at vzw or at&t?

[cary328is]

3. nobody can touch the Sprint $99/month unlimited everything plan. what's that cost at vzw or at&t?

Gekko has a GREAT point here

[JaMart]

right now im on sprints everything data family plan. w/ 5 lines and 3000 minutes

base rate is 169.99 + 3 additional lines 19.99 each, = 229.96

thats 45.99 a phone with Unlimited Data & texting (and gps and Sprint TV ect...)and 600 minutes each!
a very good deal, even if you dont have a big family, grab 4 friends on sprint and set it up! that alone is worth the switch!

(ok so i also have a 23% discount from the hospital i work at so we actually pay $35.41 each , i'd check with your employer, sprint has discounts set up for working with tons of different companys)

[Beanis]

As far as I know Sprint and Verizon share a lot of towers and roam off each others towers. So I am always left scratching my head when people say Verizon has better coverage somewhere than Sprint.

The only real explanations is they just have crappy phones.

[gibsonhtp]

one word....absolutely...