[mossby]

Today was supposed to be a glorious day! The day I finally got the Pre I've been reading about religiously for 2 months.

Speaking of months, since I am only 1 month away from being eligible for an upgrade, I figured there would be no resistance in allowing me to renew my contract a month early and also add another tally on the sale board for Sprint's top phone.

Instead the clerk told me there was nothing I could do, and the best he could suggest is to call customer service, get them to agree to early renewal, and have the phone mailed to me.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but the guy was way young and I didn't feel like getting into it.

So I'm gonna call tomorrow and ask for the early upgrade, and wondering if anyone here has any tips or keyphrases I should throw in to really grease the wheels?

Thanks!

[shadavis08]

why not have them send to you it only takes like a day or two and you can salivate the whole time and have fun as soon as you get it lol

[TIWizard]

It was a complicated process, but some stores will be willing to do an early "upgrade" by giving you new number(s) to put on your old phones, then moving your old number(s) to your Pre(s). I don't know exactly how it worked...

You (probably) can't do it over the phone-- the mall kiosk people had to phone Sprint themselves, but it worked

See if you an find a store to do it, or you can try it over the phone.

[lindsaye]

call their direct sales and explain that it'd be cheaper for you to upgrade to an iphone--which it is, even if you paid early termination with sprint. ask them if they want to keep you.

that's how i upgraded 8 months early.

[rmmorse81]

ask for retentions. I wanted the pre on release but my eligibility was in july. They said there was nothing they cld do when I called. That it was sheeeeer imposibility. The computers wldnt let them do it. So I said whatever. They emailed me an hour later to see if I was satisfied with their rep in retentions. I told them they were being silly about a 1 month difference. I got a call an hour later saying they reset my eligibility

[neve]

+1 on retention. Whoever you get, ask specifically for the "Retention Department". That's who I got a free airrave from when I threatened to drop during my 30 day trial. They are in the business of making magic happen in order to keep customers.

[hparsons]

All of these are good pieces of advice, but one is missing; whichever one(s) you choose, remember you are asking for something extra - basically a favor. If you become rude, or demanding, or both (which is very easy to do, and I'm speaking from personal experience) you'll find doors slamming very quickly.

If you run into a firm "no", ask if there's someone else you can talk to. If the answer to that is also a "no", thank them for their time and their efforts, hang up, wait 5 minutes, call back, and start all over. You will almost certainly get another rep. If you are patient, and polite, you'll probably get what basically makes sense.

[evilhomer#WN]

All of these are good pieces of advice, but one is missing; whichever one(s) you choose, remember you are asking for something extra - basically a favor. If you become rude, or demanding, or both (which is very easy to do, and I'm speaking from personal experience) you'll find doors slamming very quickly.

If you run into a firm "no", ask if there's someone else you can talk to. If the answer to that is also a "no", thank them for their time and their efforts, hang up, wait 5 minutes, call back, and start all over. You will almost certainly get another rep. If you are patient, and polite, you'll probably get what basically makes sense.

Good advice Ive had many many firm no's through out my years at sprint only to call back until I got the nice person that can help me... I had a really nice person that upgraded my phone to a pre for $85 with a 2 year contract ...but he forgot to add the contract. so I've had the phone for a month and Im not under contract ...Woot

[j_galt]

All of these are good pieces of advice, but one is missing; whichever one(s) you choose, remember you are asking for something extra - basically a favor. If you become rude, or demanding, or both (which is very easy to do, and I'm speaking from personal experience) you'll find doors slamming very quickly.

If you run into a firm "no", ask if there's someone else you can talk to. If the answer to that is also a "no", thank them for their time and their efforts, hang up, wait 5 minutes, call back, and start all over. You will almost certainly get another rep. If you are patient, and polite, you'll probably get what basically makes sense.

Big thumbs up. Working as a CS rep for software I will say the best way to not get what you're trying to 'work me' for is to get loud and angry.

Remember that people on the phone potentially deal with jerks all day, being civil and 'nice' goes a long way sometimes.

Being loud and yelling at me really just tells me that you don't have any reasonable argument in the first place (aside from providing ample entertainment for co-workers about you ).

[snafu2dj]

BIG Thumbs Up on Retention... That's who I go to for any and all of my services/issues/favors. Once you find a good one, which is hard to come by (also recommend hanging up and starting over if someone won't work with you btw), try to get their contact info. Some say they can't or just won't, but I have a specific person that I go to at Sprint (in retention) that I have had to go to a few different times in the past couple of years now. He gave me his direct # at work and also his email. Keep in mind when you hang up with one and then try another, (or anything you say/do on the phone with any of them for that matter) THEY ALWAYS put internal notes on your account about you/the conversation. So the next person may already prejudge you before you even get to the issue at hand.

[jay25pre]

I was in month 22 of my contract existing contract (although I've been with Nextel/ Sprint for 3ish years now). I went to my local Best Buy and I was able to upgrade to a PalmPre for $149.99 without waiting for any mail in rebates with no hassle. It was one of the easiest experiences I have had with a mobile phone. I just returned my Pre because the Oreo-twist was getting bad and had an ever growing gap and once again Best Buy's customer service was superb.

[donatom3]

I was in month 22 of my contract existing contract (although I've been with Nextel/ Sprint for 3ish years now). I went to my local Best Buy and I was able to upgrade to a PalmPre for $149.99 without waiting for any mail in rebates with no hassle. It was one of the easiest experiences I have had with a mobile phone. I just returned my Pre because the Oreo-twist was getting bad and had an ever growing gap and once again Best Buy's customer service was superb.

Your upgrade eligibility is at 22 months not 24. They do this so you renew before your contract runs out.

[mossby]

So I called today and they agreed to give me upgrade eligibility in 15 days rather than 30. Still that's 15 days from now, and it all seems to arbitrary and random.

Anyone have any insight into this choice of theirs? I was hoping to get an email saying "Rate your experience" So I could give sad feedback like rmmorse81 did above...

Sigh, I know its not a big deal, 15 days from now I'll have a Pre. BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!! ((((

[Stryprod]

So you are potentially going to screw over a customer rep who meet you half way and bent on a contract YOU agreed to just because you "WANT IT NOW!!!!!"? Just make sure if you do let your impatience and greed take over; specifically mention the customer rep was more than helpful but you were hoping for something more because of your length with the company and continued interest in maintaining that relationship.

Regardless, they did you a favor, it's your choice whether that favor was enough to stay and conduct business with them which I think it is. Try getting any bend from some of the big cell co. boys and you'll be treated like a lunatic.

Not saying you were going to blame the rep, but please make sure you specifically mention the rep was helpful and tried to meet you half way, otherwise management blames the rep, rep losses job, reps wife leaves him... JK but don't let your greed and impatience hurt someone else.

OH BTW, your impatience it aptly placed, as a new pre owner, this device KICKS *****, just make sure you order the touchstone, it's worth it.

So I called today and they agreed to give me upgrade eligibility in 15 days rather than 30. Still that's 15 days from now, and it all seems to arbitrary and random.

Anyone have any insight into this choice of theirs? I was hoping to get an email saying "Rate your experience" So I could give sad feedback like rmmorse81 did above...

Sigh, I know its not a big deal, 15 days from now I'll have a Pre. BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!! ((((

[hparsons]

So I called today and they agreed to give me upgrade eligibility in 15 days rather than 30. Still that's 15 days from now, and it all seems to arbitrary and random.

Anyone have any insight into this choice of theirs? I was hoping to get an email saying "Rate your experience" So I could give sad feedback like rmmorse81 did above...

Sigh, I know its not a big deal, 15 days from now I'll have a Pre. BUT I WANT IT NOW!!!!! ((((

It all seems very "arbitrary and random" because you made it that way!!! You had a very non-arbitrary and non-random setup, it ws 30 days from now. You, a random customer out there (they don't know you, they certainly didn't choose you) decided to arbitrarily pick a date of "now", because you "WANT IT NOW!!!!!" They cut you some slack, they just didn't cut you as much as you wanted, so now you're hoping for an opportunity to say "thanks" to the person that went out of their way by giving negative feedback.

I'll stop typing now, before I break some forum rules and tell you what you really should do (it would probably involve some uncofortable adivce about what to do with your old phone when you get your new one).

Seriously, spend the next couple weeks looking over what you can do with the phone when you get it, and be happy that you got cut some slack.

Sheesh...

[santos]

Amen!

[Speedo]

There are some people here who tell you to cry "retentions" every time you want something. It sounds nice & easy and may very well get you what you want today, but it can also bite you in the future. There is a point where (particularly if there are other problems on the account) you say "give me [...] or I cancel" and the rep will reply "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can go ahead and cancel the account if you'd like". They're also going to be much less generous with their help in general if you have a history like that.

Now at AT&T if your account was in good standing (no history of payment problems, lots of credits, etc) we probably would have just given you the upgrade, though for us you would have had to do it over the phone.

[chud]

i bet once this guy gets the phone he won't be able to come here fast enough to start complaining about it and Palm.

[chud]

no.

[hparsons]

Christ almighty, chill out. I was being a fan-boy. I wasn't gonna complain about the rep who helped me, I was only giving an honest update. F.F.S., some dude above basically told me to shove my old phone up my ***. ?

I was excited. I am no longer excited. The grumpy old men have won.

Yeah, its a contract. But every single one of you smartphone nerds have had yours bent for one reason or another? Am I right?

I certainly have (had my contract "bent"), but it was never accompanied by a "yea, but you didn't give me exactly everything I want, so you're a lousy rep and Sprint's a lousy company, and I'm going to complan about both, and then tell my mommy too" attitude.

Sugar coat it anyway you wish, you asked for advice on here, seemed to take it, then followed up by saying "So I could give sad feedback like rmmorse81 did above... " which, in context, seemed that you were indeed, going to complain about the phone.

And yes, this "grumpy old man" was essentially telling you where you to put the phone. If you'd had similar advice before, maybe you'd have been able to understand that the world doesn't revolve around "I want it now".