52% Unlikely to Switch to Sprint for the Palm Pre
Two days ago, we asked in a poll how many of you would switch to Sprint just to become a proud Palm Pre owner. As of now, there are 524 responses and more than half of those either said “no way” or “not likely.” Around of a third of you definitely plan to make the switch or are likely to switch to Sprint for a Palm Pre.
Number portability is a non-issue here since you can port your existing cellular number from one carrier to another. And perhaps some of you need to “see it to believe it” when it comes to the Palm Pre. After all, we’ve only taken a basic look at it, don’t know the release date and still need to see how much love the development community offers.
Some good comments followed the poll as well. Here’s a sampling of the reasoning:
Erik wants flexibility to swap SIMs: “I wouldn’t switch to Sprint but I’d consider importing an unlocked GSM version from Europe…”
Scott already switched loyalties once: “I recently switched FROM sprint to ATT for the iphone… so no, I’m not going back. Sprint was my first carrier and of course they come out with a loyalty program not in the 10 years I was with them – but 6 months after I leave -rolleyes-”
FrustratedConsumer probably didn’t get an iPhone either based on this: “A cool phone on a so-so network is worthless to me. I must be getting old.”
Thomas iterates a common theme in the comments on service: “I switched to Verizon 4 years ago after a bad customer service episode with Sprint and I’ve never looked back. I don’t love Verizon, but they’re the least onerous and 90% of the people I know are on it. I want a more capable phone that’s not annoying to use but I’m not switching carriers to get one.”
I’ll leave the poll open through the weekend, but I don’t expect the results to change much. If they do, we’ll take another look. Given this small sample size, we really can’t draw conclusions with any level of certainty. But it seems to me that there were more people willing to switch to AT&T when the iPhone 3G arrived. It could be that people don’t yet know enough about the Palm Pre, so maybe we’ll run another poll when the actual launch gets closer.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
No, I wouldn’t switch to Sprint.
If I was on a carrier other then Sprint and wanted a Palm Pre (which I do) I would wait 6 months when it will be released on other carriers (if not all carriers).
However I’m currently on Sprint and have been for 9 years. I plan on getting a Pre, although I don’t want to be locked into another contract with Sprint, and have had a terrible experience with the Palm Treo 800w, which has the honor of being the shortest lived Palm phone of ALL time.
Unfortunately the only way to get any customer service from Sprint, is to be able to leave at any moment, thus no contract. Being locked into a contract will just lead to “you’ll have to pay $200 if you leave” conversations with “Customer Service” reps.
dont listen to any of these idiots…. the pre is the best phone this year and sprint is the perfect carrier and …. RE. to the other person .. about the contract price of canceling …sprint prorates it and u pay $20 get subtracted every month .. sooo its not bad no more to stay on a contract… and sprint Customer service was rated #1 this year so far so get off sprints nuts …
GO WITH SPRINT
“But it seems to me that there were more people willing to switch to AT&T when the iPhone 3G arrived. It could be that people don’t yet know enough about the Palm Pre”
Apple has a much much bigger Hype Machine than Palm does
the carrier issue is pretty worthless. i’ve always found it funny everytime a new phone debuts on a specific carrier iPhone/ATT Storm/Verizon G1/T-Mobile everybody chimes in saying how bad that carrier sucks. it’s ALWAYS the same.
there is only 1 truth, the best carrier is
the carrier that services your area the best.
@Darren – there is currently a way out of Sprint until March 15 w/o an ETF due to an administrative fee increase. Funny, they extended it from January 31 to March 15. Guess this is cleaning up the bad customers! Just contact CS via online chat and tell them you want out because of the fee increase.
@Wimpy – “there is only 1 truth, the best carrier is the carrier that services your area the best.” So true.
And I also agree that the iPhone 3G basically had a year of iPhone hype surrounding it and is thus not a good comparison in this discussion. It will very interesting to see if iPhone v3 does as well.
I have been with Sprint since 2002. And I have never had any of the problem I have read about from various website. All carriers have their own problems. Give Sprint a break. Even though I won’t be on their loyalty plan, I plan to stick with them. I have never had any drop calls. Anytime I have a problem, i have been able to contact them either by email or voice and the problem is usually solve with in the voice call or exchange of email. So I will stay with Sprint and can’t wait til the Palm Pre comes out!!!
I am so excited for the Pre, I can’t even stand it. I was even more excited when I found out it was going to be w/Sprint b/c I am already a Sprint customer (since 2001). I was really close to getting an iPhone but the thing that was holding me back was switching to AT&T… a friend of mine (who lives down the street) said not to do it, the coverage sucks. So I waited, and then I heard about the Pre… I am so happy to see something out that is going to seriously compete with the iPhone.. it’s only going to make the next generations of phones better. Would I switch if I weren’t already on Sprint? Not sure but I am very loyal to Sprint and am so happy w/them (if I were this happy with another service, I might not switch either). I think Sprint offers the best plans for the best price. Period. No competition there.
I would switch, however as the case is, I currently use Sprint, am happy with them and will buy the Pre when it comes out — which is just about the time when it comes out, I get a 150 off any phone — yay!
I think your poll got skewed because there was no choice for “I already have Sprint and I want the Palm Pre.”
i am with ray. i can hardly wait for the PRE release!! i have the 700p and i am on the sprint network. i have been with them for 8 years and have NEVER had a problem with them or the service. i guess i am just lucky. i love my treo and there is nothing wrong with it, but i have had it for almost 3 years now and its time to upgrade!!
I can’t wait for the Palm Pre. I have AT&T service along with the IPhone. Talk about slow and disapointing. AT&T has more 3G holes in their coverage than swiss cheese.I’m hearing alot of good things about Sprint. Customer service is better and their handsets are pretty cool. Contract is up next month. Time to take the plunge !!!
I don’t make lots of calls due to the nature of my job, so I’ve been happy to use a pay per minute phone as my personal cell and wireless pdas for data needs. The convenience of ubiquitoius connectivity hasn’t yet outweighed the ultimate cost and draconian conditions of a lot of contracts.
The Pre and Sprint would have been no brainers for long time Palm users like myself, but non-Garnet support and desktop synch changes offer no advantage to me.
I’m already with Sprint but I was just millimeters away from dropping Sprint for AT&T and the iPhone before the Pre was announced. Now I’ve upgraded to Sprint’s “Unlimited” plan in anticipation for the Pre.
If anyone’s curious, the reasons I was going to drop Sprint were for poor customer service (it’s getting better) and because call-forwarding costs $.20/minute. WTF! Who the crap does that anymore but Sprint???
Sprint’s customer service is absolutely the worst on the planet, their business practices are blatantly and deliberately dishonest, and I will never go back.
After a lot of escalation, a senior person there actually admitted to me on the phone that they deliberately and consciously show areas as covered on their coverage maps that they know have absolutely no coverage. (Not spotty, but uncovered, full stop – as in, outright fraud.) God forbid your work should take you into one of those areas – if you thought you could rely on them to be honest, no way, their position is that they can lie straight to your face and then charge you an early termination fee on top of your phone not working.
DON’T USE SPRINT!
Sprint has the best value in wireless- hands down. Voice Coverage is on par with all of the carriers, and Sprint’s data experience is superior. Sprint is the most improved carrier and customer service is the top priority! I can’t wait for the PRE- Go Sprint!
JM
I have had T-mobile, Nextel (before the merge), AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint.
In my opinion Sprint is BY FAR the best network and the best customer service. A couple times (in a 10 year period) I’ve had to ask for a supervisor to got a situation resolved but other than that I am very pleased with them. Also their prices are the best out there!!
I’ve been a Treo user since the 350 was around, and I’m VERY excited about what the pre has to offer.
CM
In response to Tyler not all of the Sprint employees are liars. I pride my self in my honesty and integrity and I am a Sprint employee.
Ms. King, no one said EVERY Sprint employee is a liar, but the fact that Sprint is charging so-called early termination fees while using fraudulent coverage maps makes the organization dishonest in its sales process.
Take responsibility and change things there, otherwise, you cannot disclaim your role in an organization that makes a business of defrauding people. Integrity requires action, not just words – you cannot go to work every day and act in support of the dishonest acts of your employer while claiming to be the fount of integrity yourself.
@Karen King
Also, I think it was JimAtLaw who made some comment about Sprint’s alleged dishonesty. Not me. The name of the poster is UNDER their post. Not over it.
It’s great to hear that you bring pride and integrity to your work. I hope you end up being my customer-service rep someday. But having pride and integrity is all the more reason that you have to acknowledge that if enough customers are complaining about the company’s integrity as a whole, then as a whole the company’s got a problem.
By the way – since we’re talking – why can’t I get call forwarding set up for free? No one at Sprint has been able to satisfactorily answer that question for me. And one rep even had the nerve to tell me that “all the other carriers do it, too”. Now, that WAS a blatant lie.
Yep, that was me. I can scarcely recall being as outraged with a customer service experience as Sprint made me when their customer service reps expressly took the position that they are allowed to be dishonest in soliciting you to a contract but that you are still bound by it (which is not only morally repugnant but false as a matter of law).
Basically their attitude is, “Screw you, sue us.” It wasn’t worth my time, but I will certainly never go back to them under any circumstances, I’d go without a cell phone before using Sprint for anything ever again.
Sprint has the best plans. I love the fact that I don’t have to pay almost $50 extra for data. I rarely have problems with my phone, so I don’t have to deal with customer service. Anyway, I cannot wait for the Pre! Just peeped out the Youtube review and it looks amazing!
dont listen to any of these idiots…. the pre is the best phone this year and sprint is the perfect carrier and …. RE. to the other person .. about the contract price of canceling …sprint prorates it and u pay $20 get subtracted every month .. sooo its not bad no more to stay on a contract… and sprint Customer service was rated #1 this year so far so get off sprints nuts …
I’ve been with Sprint over ten years. The Palm Pre is not for current customers. They require me to change contracts, have two contracts and pay $129. a month for what I have now. It’s a rip off. I have a second line for g-ma who uses 5-10 minutes a month. I’m better off with AT&T. Sprint is treating their ‘new’ customers very well, and poorly treating their current ones, which may backfire on them.
Of course they want to rip you off – once you’re sold, they’re not interested in servicing you, just in keeping your money.
My experiences with Sprint were among the worst I’ve had with any company of any kind, so much so that I’m still mad about it years later (How often do you get company reps on the phone openly admitting to dishonest behavior and telling you basically to #@$% off?) – so your experience here is completely unsurprising.