Check my math: Cost to move from a TP2 to an Evo

[Grandmast]

Previous Plan:SERO 1250:
Cost per Mo. $50
Ins&Tep: $7
Surcharges: $5.54
Tax: $3.99
4G Access: $0
CorpDiscount:0%
Tot. Per Mo.: $66.53
24 Months: $1596.72


Proposed Plan Req. For Evo:
Everything Data 450:
Cost per Mo. $69.99
Ins&Tep: $7
Surcharges: $5.54
Tax: $5.60
4G Access: $10
CorpDiscount: 23%
Tot. Per Mo.: $80.53
24 Months: $1932.72

Cost to keep the TP2 for 2 years: $1596.72
Cost to own the new evo (including phone): $1947.72
$1932.72 + $15.00 (189.99[Evo]-175[TP2 sale])

$351 - Cost to own Evo for 2 years.

It's been a long day, sprint site is down so I can't check surcharge differences, whether discount is applied before or after taxes, etc. I know it doesn't apply to TEP and also that your 2.00 surcharge figure will definitely increase for the ED450.

[bkrodgers]

I do think, as others have mentioned, that you have to look past the dollars. If you're on SERO, you've got something that simply doesn't exist anymore and is, frankly, a steal. For a long time I thought I'd milk it as long as possible -- and to a large extent, I have done that. For a long time I saw the Touch, TP1, and TP2 as the best options available at that point. Now I no longer do, and I'm ready to move on. I look back at the the 2.5 years I've hard SERO and do the math you've presented in reverse. I've SAVED at least $1000 by having SERO thus far. Could I save even more if I kept the TP2 even longer? Absolutely. But even if I get the EVO next month and (at least) double my bill, I'll have still saved a lot of money. And I'll have a phone I'll be much happier with.

[quick99si]

Money from TP2 sale (who wants a TP2 on the used market over a discounted Evo through a friend's account), possibility of the corporate discount not being applied to the new plan, surcharges/taxes, and the long-term situation with these Evo fees (4g, HotSpot, going up/down??) are all variable and potential deal breakers in my situation.

Have you considered calling up retentions and see what, if anything, they can do for you if you agree to drop the SERO goodness and sign on for two more years? One may argue that you're being asked to pay 3x/mo for basically the same thing you have now, at least for negotiating purposes They may just laugh at you, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that Sprint is actively trying to convert the SERO subs to more profitable (or profitable, period) plans.

I wonder if the inflated $350AR TP2 price (latest and greatest SERO device) and the bargain-of-a-price $200 Evo price are intentional parts of their strategy to increase ARPU.

[nrfitchett4]

Originally Posted by quick99si

Money from TP2 sale (who wants a TP2 on the used market over a discounted Evo through a friend's account), possibility of the corporate discount not being applied to the new plan, surcharges/taxes, and the long-term situation with these Evo fees (4g, HotSpot, going up/down??) are all variable and potential deal breakers in my situation.

Have you considered calling up retentions and see what, if anything, they can do for you if you agree to drop the SERO goodness and sign on for two more years? One may argue that you're being asked to pay 3x/mo for basically the same thing you have now, at least for negotiating purposes They may just laugh at you, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that Sprint is actively trying to convert the SERO subs to more profitable (or profitable, period) plans.

I wonder if the inflated $350AR TP2 price (latest and greatest SERO device) and the bargain-of-a-price $200 Evo price are intentional parts of their strategy to increase ARPU.

i said that months ago, that it made no sense that the tp2 was 350.00 while the hero and moment were much cheaper.
I keep considering the EVO but for me, I'd have to add another line at 20.00/mo, then add the 10.00/month premium data fee, so 30.00 on top of my 1500 SE plan with 33% discount.

[TheBundo]

Originally Posted by orangekid

having a phone that doesn't run sluggishly, on a smaller screen yet a bulkier phone with an outdated, inferior OS is easily worth $500 a year to me.

Not if it doesn't have the right apps for business. That's going to be the acid test for me. If it does, then I'll consider the dollars and cents issue. If it doesn't, I don't care how fast it is, it would just be a toy that I don't need.

[fsturniolo]

Thanks, but I'm sticking with the TP2 for a while. It still rocks, and as a business tool it can't be beat!

[Recursion]

Originally Posted by fsturniolo

Thanks, but I'm sticking with the TP2 for a while. It still rocks, and as a business tool it can't be beat!

This is my thinking as well. Given the perks & %, I'm at $22.50/month, which gives me everything I need: unlimited mins, text, data, etc. The TP2 is "slower" than the newer "snappy" phones, no doubt. But for its purpose, it is perfectly fine for me. In fact, I just ebayed a TP1 last week & swapped it out for a backup.

And MaxSense might change things a lot...

So it really all boils down to preference. If you want the latest & greatest, by all means ... the EVO (or whatever else floats yer boat) is your phone; but as for me (5yo twins, college in the future, retirement on my mind), shaving dollars as often as possible is inherent protocol now.

[aldamon]

Originally Posted by bkrodgers

I do think, as others have mentioned, that you have to look past the dollars..

If everyone keeps looking past the dollars, these companies are going to keep increasing the price and fine print to use new phones.

[Cicatrize]

If cost was such a big issue, I'd still be driving my Honda Civic. My 2009 WRX costs me almost $200 more per month (higher insurance included) than my Civic did, but do I think it's money well spent? Hell yes it is.

[captblaze]

maybe president obama can take over the cellphone industry and then "share the wealth"? honestly... why the outrage over the increase? perhaps you would prefer the cost of the device to be $800 (the carriers pickup some of that cost already) and then get the data on the cheap?

here is one to live by - "if you cant afford it, you dont need it"