Can You Spot the Odd Man Out?

28Jul/1049

Can You Spot the Odd Man Out?

Explainthefee.com welcomes a new guest writer, Airen! Thanks for the article Airen!

Click on the picture for an Engadget article with information about the 4 different Galaxy S phones coming to the US.

As most of you all know, Samsung is releasing the Galaxy S series phones across all four major carriers in the US. Each carrier has their "Galaxy S" under their own specific name with their own specific software customizations, but they are all basically the same phone. The odd man out though, is Sprint's version (dubbed the EPIC 4G), which has a slide out keyboard, front facing camera, and 4G WiMax connectivity, which the other 3 US Galaxy S phones do not share. The base hardware configuration in the Galaxy S phones includes:

1ghz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor
4" 800x480 Super-AMOLED screen
5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording

And a few other special features like Bluetooth 3.0, Wifi b/g/n etc. No matter which flavor you pick, you can't go wrong in terms of the phone being great. However, as many of you know, Sprint has also announced that their Epic 4G will require the same $10 Premium Data add-on that the HTC EVO requires. So what does this "Premium Data add-on" get you for this phone? According to Sprint, you get:

A wicked fast processor to make your apps run smoother and faster on our Sprint 3G and 4G network
Top quality media experience with oversized screen, high resolution video and HD recording
High-quality pics to snap and share with friends and family

Now, if we look at T-Mobile's Vibrant, AT&T's Captivate, and Verizon's Fascinate, we can see that they have all three of those features that Sprint is charging the $10 Premium Data add-on for. What they don't have however, is any sort of extra fee for those features. That's right, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon don't require any sort of add-on or extra fee for their versions of the Samsung Galaxy S, while Sprint does. How are T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon able to provide these features at no extra cost, while Sprint makes you pay for a mandatory "add-on"?

The only major carrier-related difference between the EPIC 4G and it's 3 sister phones is that it has 4G/WiMax connectivity. Sprint claims the fee is not for their 4G service, but so far, the only devices on their network that require the Premium Data add-on are their 4G phones (the 4G data cards do not require the add-on). Add to that, Dan Hesse also said 4G would be free. So what exactly is the Premium Data add-on for? Why don't the other carriers need Premium Data too? Why is Sprint the odd man out?

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Jouche132

Just overclocked my Sprint Touch Pro 2 to 750mhz. And let me tell you, Sprints right about that "Data Experience" shit, it makes the internet, running applications a lot faster! I've even got the insurance plan encase it bricks. I downloaded 3 free programs to overclock it and its extremely stable, was that worth 10$ a month to Sprint for an EVO?

Common sense people and naysayers please reply.
yahoo-35IYUOCI6PG75VQBXKEGE55XBA

Its really funny reading this stuff...it boggles my mind that people are STILL bitching about this;
If you don't like the explanation behind this fee, then vote with your wallets and DON'T SIGN UP FOR SPRINT!!!!!!

My God in heaven, you have other carrier choices; no one is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to use Sprint as your carrier...quit the fricken complaining, and find some REAL issue in the world to get behind!!!
Jadawin

You did not read some of the above statements; some people do not have a choice in phone carriers due to the coverage in their area. And before you start trolling about how they should move, many people cannot. Telling people to not sign up for Sprint when, for some, it is the only choice they have, is like telling someone to stop shopping at their local grocery store when there are no other stores around.

Some may not have a choice in coverage, but everyone deserves to have a proper explanation behind the service charges they must pay for. People like you, Yahoo-35IYUOCI6PG75VQBXKEGE55XBA, are the reason why companies think they can get away with lies, misleading statements, false advertising (which is what is happing here, a service "promised" and "advertised" as "free" being charged for), and anything else they can say/print. There are laws in place to prevent this and Sprint is trying to break/bend those laws.

Either sprint needs to own up and say they are not able to make 4G free or just stop charging the $10 altogether. I can get behind a service charge for a feature on my phone (such as 4G) if it goes towards expanding my service even if I'm not using it; but do NOT lie to me about it! Let me know that my $10 monthly contribution is helping to expand a service across the United States; don't tell me it's because my screen shows a better picture.

What we want is the lying to stop. Are there others who disagree with me? Sure there are; many do not want to pay the $10 for the 4G if they are not going to use it. And Sprint doesn't want to lose that income so they continue to lie. By the way, before any other trolls say "it's just $10" remember that this is $120 a year for each year that someone owns a 4G phone. I could buy my son a new bicycle and safety equipment (helmet, pads, etc) for that. Someone else could use that to make an additional payment on a loan, hospital bill, or even a credit card. Heck, that's $120 that someone COULD have spent on ACCESSORIES for their new Sprint phone!

Once again, we want the lying to stop.
Guest

Actually, Your wrong. Verizon requires a $30 per line, per month add on data charge for all their smartphones, while At&T requires at least $15 with a limited data cap. Sprint on the other hand does not require any add on fee for an everything data plan, unless you have the EVO or the EPIC, in which case its $10.
Airen Edebiri

Well that's exactly the point though.

All the carriers require you to have a data plan for their smartphones - that's the $30 you quoted for Verizon, $15/$25 for AT&T, and about $20 for T-Mobile. These prices apply regardless of which smartphone you pick. More specifically, if you get a Galaxy S phone (Fascinate, Captivate, Vibrant) on these three carriers, there is no extra fee on top of their data plan. If you want an Epic on Sprint however, you have to get their $20 data plan, then pay an additional $10 for the Premium Data add-on. Now why would the Sprint version need an extra fee while the others don't? That is what I'm asking in the article.
Anonymous

What $20 data plan?
Airen Edebiri

I'm pricing the data plans at $20 because the plans with data and texting are $20 more expensive than the plans with texting only. First "Vision" (their first data plans) was $5. Then Power Vision (EvDO/3G data plans) were $10, plus another $5 for picturemail. Then they combined the two into a $15 data access pack. When they made their Everything Data plans, they increased the price of the data plan to $20.
Anonymous

But there is no difference between buying a basic phone with internet capability and a smartphone. Verizon charges an extra $20 or $30 (depending on how you look at it) for any smartphone versus basic phone, AT&T charges an extra $10 for any smartphone versus basic phone, Sprint charges an extra $10 for the best smartphones versus other smartphones and basic phones, T-Mobile doesn't charge anything extra (though I bet they'll soon do the same. That or they have decided their 5GB cap is keeping them from shelling out too much data to warrant an extra fee).
Airen Edebiri

Whoops, see my reply to justinkramp
Justin Kramp

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. You say that Verizon and AT&T don't charge any special fees - but if you actually look at their websites you'll see that for ANY smartphone you'll pay substantially more than $10/mo for a smartphone.

Let's take VZW for example, and a DROID X. You'll pay a minimum $29.99 on top of your rate plan for data, and up to an additional $44.99 for "corporate email."

Oh, did you want Visual Voicemail with that? Pay another $2.99.

That's $32.98 in fees for a 3G experience that doesn't include unlimited 3G data or Navigation.

So back to your article -- indeed, Sprint is the odd man out. A better experience for less cash each month.
Airen Edebiri

The minimum plan configuration that provides talk time, unlimited text, and a data plan costs $90 on Verizon. $60 for the 450 minute plan with unlimited texting, and $29.99 for the data plan. I'm not sure what Verizon means by "Corporate Email" for their data plans, unless they're referring to Blackberries, which aren't relevant lol. I don't see how Verizon could check what kind of email you're synchronizing and block access to it. They'd get too many angry calls. I'm fairly sure that "corporate email" data plan is for Blackberries, since they use the RIM servers. Also, can you find where Verizon's data plans aren't unlimited? As far as I know, T-Mobile has a 10GB cap, AT&T has a 2GB cap, but to my knowledge, Sprint and Verizon don't have any restriction on data consumption.

Visual voicemal is not part of the data experience lol. That's completely optional and its importance is dependent on the user.
Every current Android phone comes with both Google Maps and Google Navigation. There's no need for any separate GPS app. Many people even consider Sprint's programs to be bloatware, since they use other programs, or don't use them at all. Sure Verizon could have included their own GPS program, but it's not like someone with a Droid X/Droid 2/Samsung Fascinate doesn't have any GPS options at all.

In regards to my article, my main point was that if these smartphones are supposed to consume so much data (according to Verizon, their Droid X users are using 5x the amount of data compared to ANY smartphone, not just their own smartphones) because of their higher end features, why is Sprint the only one needing to charge an extra fee to supposedly recover these increased data usage costs? If the Droid X users are using up so much data, isn't it going to cut into Verizon's profit margins? I'm fairly sure if they pulled a Sprint and increased the cost of the Droid X's data plan or required and additional data add-on, they'd still sell just as many phones and maintain or increase their profit margins, so why didn't they? Same thing with T-Mobile. AT&T, not as much since they have a very low cap already set on their plans and anyone on AT&T is likely watching their data usage with much paranoia and fear lol.

Basically, how come all these carriers have similar high end phones (HD2, Nexus One, Droid X, Droid 2, iPhone 4, Galaxy S Variants) but Sprint is the only one charging for increased data usage because the phones are more capable?
Justin Kramp

"why is Sprint the only one needing to charge an extra fee to supposedly recover these increased data usage costs?"

Um, see the $29.99 charge from VZW that does this very thing. Sprint is not "the only one." I don't understand how you're missing that this fee is the equivalent of Sprint's $10 fee; the only difference is that rather than hit you with this fee for every single smartphone, Sprint is only charging for the latest & greatest ones. Seems like you'd have a better audience for your site if you catered to the AT&T and VZW customers paying 3x the data fees that Sprint is charging.
Airen Edebiri

http://www.intomobile.com/2010...

Interestingly enough, it seems Verizon might be charging for LTE. Sprint gets 4G, and their 4G phones require an extra fee. Verizon gets LTE and is also talking about increasing their prices. See a trend?

Justin, I understand the point you're making, but do you also see that the "latest and greatest" phones are also the ones with 4G? It's not purely coincidence that the phones getting this charge are the ones with 4G. Not to mention that many Sprint employees say the charge is likely to be associated with 3G/4G capable devices (see the "Shrimp and Crab" article, or call your local Sprint store and ask what the Premium Data add-on is for). By itself, the question of why the Epic has an increased fee may not prove the point, but when you look at the whole situation, it seems to point to the fact that Sprint is charging extra for 4G. Any 4G phone that comes out on Sprint will likely have this charge, and any phone that doesn't have 4G likely will not have the charge. When they vice versa the situation with the release of a 3G phone that requires the charge or a 4G phone that doesn't require the extra charge, then it might be plausible to say the fee isn't for 4G. Until then, you also have keep in mind that that every phone with 4G has an extra fee, regardless of whether Sprint says you might be using more data or not.
Domino

So, is this arguement asking Sprint to add this fee to any new phone. I sent in an email, Where the Rep told me that there are going to be future phones that are just 3G phones and it will have the fee. I disagree with this fee and the explaination of the fee. However, Sprint might just find it easier for them to add this fee to all new phones.

However you feel about the fee, it has been handled poorly by Sprint.
Airen Edebiri

Well I don't particularly feel they should add any fee to any phone unless it's something very tangible that is related to the functionality of the device, like how some carriers charge extra for Blackberry data services. I do feel that the fee is associated with the 4G capabilities of the phones it's associated with, especially since some Sprint employees say that future 3G/4G capable devices will likely have that extra fee. Until they release a 3G only phone that requires the extra fee, I'd say 4G is the most reasonable explanation for the fee. Now if they release a 3G phone that requires the fee, then we'd be able to see that Sprint is up to something else. I'd take what that rep told you with a grain of salt. I haven't heard or seen anything indicating that there will be 3G phones with the fee.
Mike

Here's Sprint's reasoning behind the $10 Premium fee for the Epic: "Because we’ve boosted your data experience with this phone’s amazing services and features, you’ll need our $10/mo. Premium Data add-on" Sounds like "boosted data experience" is a fancy way to say 4G speed.
Jon

I'm so pissed that all these impatient morons rushed out to buy the EVO on the first day. It has directly told Sprint, which enacted the fee just 3 weeks before launch with NO market research, "HEY, PEOPLE WILL PAY THIS NO MATTER WHAT WE CALL IT" And now that I want an Epic. I'm f'd into paying what the retards in the market dictated. I still will bet monies that the fee is going to bonuses for the executives and not much more. Maybe Sprint will pay down a few late credit card bills, but that is it...
OutrageousJon

This site really seems to be running out of steam. I think it is a shame, because I'm still as pissed as ever about this BS fee. I hate people (or businesses) trying to get one over on me, but what pisses me off worse is the fact that they think I am too dumb to catch on, or too complacent to bother trying to counter it. I'm going to get the Epic when it comes out, use it for 29 of my 30-day trial, then return it and tell 'em to shove their stupid $10 fee. Then I'll just keep using my rooted Moment (with free wifi tethering, using several GB's of data a month) until I can get a good deal on a Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile on ebay. I'll switch over, pay less, and not look back. I really think others should do the same. This was the first quarter in forever that they actually added subscribers. Combine that with the fact that they are literally making millions off this fee (**Every Month**). There is no way they are going to back off it until it starts causing them more trouble than it is worth, costing them formerly loyal subscribers, and inflicting some pain where they can feel it...Their Bank Accounts.
Jouche132

Uh oh here comes the naysayers/complainers. The ones that come on here and believe they have everything solved. Don't they realize they are maybe 1% or less of the comments here? And they talk like this website is just whining. They probably don't even know what their talking about. They expect others to tell them all the details because they complained. Try READING the website first before you complain!

Naysayers listen here...You are not common sense. Common sense would ask about getting this phone why the hell am I paying for something I already bought? Do you like being robbed? Do you bend over and let people take your money for every single little excuse they come up with to sell you a product? Heaven help you if you have to confront a door to door salesman.

These idiots here don't realize is that the price of a product is MADE UP! Its based on whatever you will pay. There is no science to it only profit. Have you ever haggled over a price? No? Then shut up! Sprints reasons for paying this extra fee are extremely poor, and unclear. And that's what this website is about. So when you ask why am I paying 10$ you can see others are saying the same.
Commonsense

"Now, if we look at T-Mobile's Vibrant, AT&T's Captivate, and Verizon's Fascinate, we can see that they have all three of those features that Sprint is charging the $10 Premium Data add-on for. What they don't have however, is any sort of extra fee for those features. That's right, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon don't require any sort of add-on or extra fee for their versions of the Samsung Galaxy S, while Sprint does. How are T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon able to provide these features at no extra cost, while Sprint makes you pay for a mandatory "add-on"?

Than switch to those carriers....
Airen Edebiri

That's not the point. If I wanted to switch, perhaps I might do so, but that wouldn't change the situation at all, and not everyone can just switch, many people are locked into contract, or don't get good coverage with other carriers.

Anyways, the point of the article is simply that Sprint is basically charging us for 4G, while saying that they're not charging us for 4G. If all 4 of the Galaxy S phones have the same *supposedly* data consuming features, why should the Sprint version need an extra for for increased data usage, and the other ones do not? Keep in mind that last year when the Touch Pro 2 made it to all 4 carriers, no carrier charged any more than they would for any regular device - just like no carrier (except Sprint) has charged more for their high end devices. This year, the only difference is that Sprint has 4G. Is it a coincidence that every since they got 4G, their 4G phones have an extra charge, yet the same phones on other carriers don't?
Rigojijon

why att, verizon wireless, and tmobile dont charge the 10 dollar fee???? because its allready included in their prices lol.. stop complaining and enjoy!!!
Obits2

True, but Sprint keeps running these commercials that say "our $70 is worth more than their $70." This is not true if you are buying the EVO or the Epic. How many phones do they have to come out with before this can be called lying?
Bp3dots

Nothing about that statement is a lie. The value of Sprint's $70 plan hasn't changed.
Airen Edebiri

To be fair though, whenever Sprint does that comparison, they're comparing their $70 450 minute plan to their competitor's $70 unlimited talk plans....obviously if you compare the competing 450/500 minute plans to their competitors, the price and value differences becomes less.

In regards to the EVO and Epic, the same thing - looking at comparable plans, the price difference is less. They're now even with T-Mobile, $5 less than AT&T, and $10 less than Verizon. I wouldn't call it lying, but for someone looking to switch from another carrier, the price difference is less of a reason now.
Jah

Freaking hate sprint. First we have this BS fee, then we loss the corporate discount on add-no. Now, we are going to loss corporate discount on add-on line to family plan too. I am going to call and cancel my line. fvck them.
Jason S

I wish Sprint would just say it's for the 4G usage or capability in the near future. Is it really that hard to come out and admit that they screwed up?
Farhan Ahmed

From a PR stand point going back on the free 4G promise would be worse for Sprint.
Obits2

Also, if they did say it was for 4G, they would be sued class action style for all of the EVO owners that have not used 4G but were still charged the fee. That could be millions of dollars. Each month that they collect the fee, the less chance I see that they will call it a 4G fee. The liability is getting to big for them to turn back now.
Airen Edebiri

If they come out and say it's for 4G, the next thing people would expect is for Sprint to stop charging them for 4G if they're not in a 4G area. This would be a huge loss is potential profits if they did - the majority of Evo owners/ future Epic owners are not in 4G coverage. They'd go from charging a few hundred of thousands of people $10 a month (making them a few extra million a month) to charging many less than that.
Jadawin

It's simple, the $10 charge IS for the 4G connectivity but since they stated that it they won't be charging extra for the 4G they had to find another way to recoup their costs. If they had, from the very beginning, merely stated that there will be a mandatory $10 service charge for access to the 4G (regardless of usage) network, then everything would have been Kosher. Instead they make a false promise and hide the service charge behind a lie. If they ever admit that the $10 is for the 4G connectivity, then they can become open to a class action lawsuit and they KNOW it!

What is truly horrid is what their lie implies!

Assume, for the moment, that I own (I have purchased at full cost directly through Samsung) a Samsung Galaxy S model Epic 4G. Now, for the sake of argument, I walk into a Sprint store and sign up for a plan. They tell me that they are going to have to charge me $10/month to use the:

- 1ghz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor
- 4" 800x480 Super-AMOLED screen
- 5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording

At this point, they are telling the world that they are basically charging you rent on a room that you already own just because your room has a better bed and closet than what other people have...

So Sprint, I ask you, why are you charging me $10/month to use the default features of my phone when I already own the phone? Why must I pay you to use my own touch screen when no other carriers charge me to use my touch screen? The answer is, I'm not paying you to use my own touch screen, I'm paying you an access fee for the 4G network (regardless of usage) even though you promised we wouldn't have to! YOU ARE LIARS!
Glenn

If you buy the phone out right, would you be able to take it to a Verizon store for them to flash the phone to work on their network? That way you'd have the front-facing camera, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and no bullshit $10 extra charge.
Airen Edebiri

As far as I know, Verizon won't activate non-Verizon branded phones, plus people would still have to figure out how to reflash the phone first. You might see the Epic on MetroPCS and Cricket than on Verizon.
Glenn

Clearly, the slide-out, physical QWERTY keyboard will make you use more data. As to how, I have no idea.
GuitarmanJoe

You people really need to give up already, you are beating a dead horse. Complaining about a measly $10 charge when Sprint is STILL cheaper than everyone else is ridiculous. Don't forget, we have completely uncapped data too, can the other, MORE EXPENSIVE carriers claim that? Nope. Do I wish that I didn't have to pay the $10? Sure. Am I going to be among the crybabies of the internet and constantly bitch about it? Absolutely not.
Farhan Ahmed

Don't be a hypocrite by whining about why you don't like other people whining. At least the owner of this site is doing something good by standing up for others and himself. You on the other hand are a whiner and an idiot.

And just because Sprint might be cheaper than others doesn't mean they can charge any fee without a decent explanation. Maybe they should charge another fee called "GuitarmanJoe is a douche". Does that mean we should pay it because Sprint is still cheaper than the rest?
Brian

Measly? That is $240 over the life of a contract.

If you want companies to continue to lie, speak out of the sides of the mouths, create new and more unclear fees, please grab your ankles tight. If more customers actually speaked up about being unhappy about something, maybe more companies wouldn't try gouge us?
GuitarmanJoe

Do you want me to get you a tissue?
Norm

epic = $80/month
vibrant = $80/month
captivate = $85/month
fascinate= $90/month

sprint has lost their "best deal in town" title and are now neck and neck with the rest of em.
at&t does have a 2gb cap but i (like the majority of people) have never come close to using that much on my pre, so it's a non issue.
and yes sprint has unlimited mobile to mobile but i never actually talk on the phone anyway so again that is a non- issue.

i will probably stay with sprint for now, only because i want a galaxy s with a keyboard, but they have lost my loyalty and i will have no problem jumping to a new carrier once a better phone comes out.
GuitarmanJoe

I use >10 gb a week. Saying that the 2gb cap is a non issue is asinine.
norm

try it again:

10 gb a week sounds like an awful lot unless you are tethering and that is your only access to the internet or you are constantly downloading torrents. either way if its true you are the whole argument for tiered data plans.

i wasn't clear what i meant to say is that it's a non issue for ME and for the average user. of course not everyone is average. but to back up my claim engadget posted an article today "Validas study finds Verizon smartphones consuming more data than iPhones":

"the average Verizon user eating up 421MB per month and the average iPhone user consuming 338MB per month."

with the average consumer using less than 500mb they actually fall in at&t's lower data plan of only $75/month.

so now for the AVERAGE user sprint is the 2nd most expensive carrier!

(that is if they bought the phone full price and got tmobiles cheaper plans, otherwise sprint would be tied for 2nd)
norm

oops i'll take that back about people fitting into the lower data plan, its only 200mb not 500 which is a pretty bad deal actually.
norm

what happened to my other post?
Airen Edebiri

There are plenty of people who don't use 2GB, and for them, AT&T would be okay. Not everyone uses that much data. 10gb a week? Are you tethering?
GuitarmanJoe

Yes. I tether often, and also use pandora for a few hours each day.
Norm

actually if you just buy the vibrant for full price T-mobile is only $60/month way cheaper than sprint
Vikingtc

Of course there is an extra fee Sprint the Telemonster is stealing from its customers erroneously and fraudulently then abusing us when we stand up to their heinous acts - I have a signed document from Tad Danly the 'director of operations and customer retention' acknowledging they have had an ongoing billing problem with me but they feel they owe me NOTHING for all the time they have STOLEN from me every time I have had to call them to correct their "OVERCHARGES" these calls always end up being over an hour long and i end up talking to dozens of people!! THEY ARE ALL THEIVES AND LIARS, ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP - DAN HESSIE WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS !?!
Runvus

And they wonder why they lose customers...
wordscolliding

Actually, Sprint is gaining customers now. Ironically, the first quarter in 3 years that Sprint gained customers is the same quarter they instituted the $10 fee. Hmm.

Of course, I don't see a lot of math prodigies out here. $10 charge from Sprint > any charge of any amount by any other carrier. Sure, why not?
Airen Edebiri

The fee has nothing to do with it, it's the Evo that brought them customers. The only reason why the fee is involved is because it came with the Evo - a lot of people wanted the Evo regardless of the fee. To include the fee as part of the success is bass ackwards - they would probably have even more new customers if the Evo was in supply and it didn't have an additional fee.

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