|
SPRINT USERS, WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW COULD COST YOU!
Being a Sprint customer with a family plan that includes a teenager I was happy to hear the news that Sprint was now giving free mobile to mobile to their users. Having had to pay $25 for an extra 500 minutes toward the end of our billing cycle before (this is a service Sprint provides if you know you will be over your minutes) and thought to myself I will not have to pay that particular fee again.
What Sprint doesn’t tell you in their many commercials and ad’s is that charges still apply when you are in roam. I am not a Sprint hater as you know if you have read my article on the big three carriers. This said it is not uncommon to find yourself in roam. In fact, having been a Verizon customer for many years and now having an AT&T account along with our Sprint account I have noticed Sprint tends to go into roam much more. This in itself is not a bad thing as it really doesn’t affect the quality of the service I get.
From what I understand you go into roam mode when you are in an area your carrier’s network doesn’t have coverage. It could be an area smaller than one block or much bigger depending on where you are. When this happens you go into roam and connect through another carrier structure. This works so well you will not even know it is happening if you don’t see the little triangle symbol at the top of the phone that lets you know you are in roam mode.
The problem I have with the way Sprint is promoting the free mobile to mobile. If they are going to charge you for mobile to mobile when you are in roam they should make that clear. Many of their users could end up talking extra and telling their kids to talk as much as they want to people who are also on cell phones when they may in fact be in roam at their home. With the crazy per min charge the bill could be huge. Or you may have pulled into a parking lot when your x wife calls and sit and talk about how the kids are doing for an hour(instead of waiting till you aren’t in roam) and not know you are using your minutes because Sprint doesn’t tell you that you are paying while in roam. There are many scenarios where a person could go over their minutes because they have a false belief that they aren’t using minutes while in roam. People with small plans who normally tend to watch their minutes are especially at risk.
I am still happy about Sprints free mobile to mobile. Knowing about the roam issue will allow me to know if I want to spend an extra hour catching up on things with an old friend or perhaps putting it off till after I am out of a roam area because I am close to my monthly minute limit. My teenage son who now lives on the phone if he isn’t playing Xbox has been told he can talk to his friends as much as he wants as long as he isn’t in roam.
All in all free mobile to mobile can allow you to spend a much time as you wish talking to other cell phone users and not care how many minutes you are using. Just keep in mind that when you see that little triangle telling you that you are in roam your minutes aren’t free.
By: Steve H
|
