Saturday, May 30, 2009

Quick Maintenance Window Update: Online Store

[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Sprint.com Store will return shortly!"]Sprint.com Store will return shortly![/caption]

The website updates are *soo* close to being doing for the current phase, and to be able to complete some needed maintenance, the online store, housed on nextel.com will be down from 2AM-6AM this morning!

So hang tight and don't get too antsy - the Pre is only going to be available in retail channels initially anyways, so it's not like you've got anything to order, right ? Well, if you do it'll be up in just over 4 hours.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sprint Palm Pre Activation

Since there are quite a few in the wild already, and we're just over a week away from launch, I figured it'd be as good a time as any to give a preview of what activation/first use will look like on the Pre, and field any questions that may come up in the process.

There’s been a new way of activating phones here at Sprint for a month or so now, and while you may occasionally run into a few agents who manually program phones out of habit, there’s simply no need for it anymore. Almost all the phones can now be programmed via Hands-Free or One Touch Activation, and the Palm Pre is no exception. The one exception to the Palm Pre is that it can’t be programmed manually, so Hands-Free activation is required.

Update: Coal has acquired & posted a full Palm Pre User Guide at SprintGurus here

To get started you need the ESN/MEID.


On the Palm Pre, this is found in 3 places:

  1. Underneath the battery in the phone on the right side of the barcode sticker. Turn off the phone and remove the battery to view. (not recommended)

  2. The Barcode sticker on the end of the original box, labeled MEID.

  3. The Activation Error Prompt:


clip_image002

All the steps and screenshots included, after the jump…

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Palm Pre Goodness

Whoops - I was off by one on the launch date, sorry folks - sometimes even I get the slip, ya know :) It was never my intention for my blog to be all about the Palm Pre, just my sometimes mundane life at sprint. But, hey - what can I do lol. We've been working in our own departments and in others the past few weeks, gearing up on all fronts - hence my lack of posts. Like I said though - ISN isn't about the Pre, it's about Sprint - and though I have blogged mostly about the Pre lately, well... quite frankly that's been the biggest thing going on, so it's only appropriate, right?

Ok.. ok... so I did mention goodness, right? If the blog stats are any indication then you've ALL been craving some new info... yea, i see ya hitting refresh every hour or two to see if I've posted. Get a feed reader, already - lol :) So who am I to disappoint.. here's some goodness I doubt you've been exposed to. Enjoy.

Oh.. and while you're here, in case you're new, check out some of my non-pre posts too, like: Overage Relief Minutes, where you can get 100 minutes for $5 (sure beats .40 cents a minute for overage, right?) oh yea..back to the palm pre, boys.... and you may already know this - quite frankly I've been so caught up in it all at work, I forget what's been figured out, and what hasn't.

How about some official accessories, price plans, and device info (including battery life)? Full size images after the jump!
PALM PRE SPECS pALM PREE ACCESSORIES TOUCHSTONE CHARGER

After the jump: Palm Pre Service Plans, Featured Accessories, & More...

 

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sprint.com Self Care Upgrades Underway

Just a quick note for all of you wondering what's going on with Sprint.com and why you may not be able to login... this will hopefully be completed by Friday evening, but could roll over into Saturday. Here's the note we've posted to care...
Customers are unable to access their My Sprint account or the Digital Lounge thru sprint.com due to the site being splashed.  Customers will not be able to log into thier MySprint account to manage their account including checking usage, paying or viewing bills or swapping phones.  The Digital Lounge is also splashed and customers will not be able to make a purchase thru sprint.com.  Customers ARE able to access Sprint and Digital Lounge thru thier handsets.

Just remember you can always dial *2 or sprint.com/chat for any issue you have for a quick resolution, or manage your account via your handset. Sorry for the downtime, but it's necessary to keep great things coming down the pipeline!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Like Classic Palm Apps? Pre does, too!

... at least with a little help, that is!
ASL Accounts - What are they?

ASL, or Account Spending Limit, Accounts are a frequent topic of conversation. I have received a lot of questions about them, and it would seem they are greatly misunderstood. I wanted to dispel some of the common misconceptions and post the actual facts, so that maybe they will be better understood. An informed consumer is a better consumer, right?

The first is a common misconception - ASL can only happen upon new account creation. An account that was not initially an ASL account cannot choose to go to an ASL type account. So essentially you can't just call up out of the blue and request that your account suddenly become an ASL account. The determination of whether an account will be an ASL account or not is based solely on credit class when the initial credit check is run; this also determines the spending limit and the maximum number of lines (1-5 Consumer / 2, 5, or 10 for Business)

  • Spending limits may very depending on credit class.

  • Deposits will also very depending on credit class from $0-750.

  • Spending limits are set at the subscription level and are incremental.
    Example: Spending limit of $150 with two subscriptions will have an account spending limit of $300


Having an ASL account is not a bad thing, AT ALL. In fact, many people absolutely love it and some envy those that do have one. Some people do view it as a bother, but as long as your bills are paid on time then the ASL restriction will be lifted after a period of time. There are a few limitations, for instance, Spending Limit Accounts are not eligible for:


  • Nextel Worldwide Service (NWW)



  • Bill cycle date changes (depending on factors)



  • Recurring Direct Debit (RDD)



  • Recurring Credit Card Payments (RCCP)



  • Spending limit BANs do not qualify for Bill-to-Account Services.



  • Spending limit customers must pay using an immediate payment method at point of sale.



  • Spending limit customers cannot apply charges for phones and accessories to their upcoming invoice. (no BTA/Bill To Account)



  • Customers can elect to have games and ringers purchased via Nextel Wallet / Digital Lounge billed to their account.



Some other ASL Tips:


  • International Dialing (INTL) and International Direct Connect (IDC) can be added.
    No additional deposits are required.



  • Worldwide roaming (calls originating outside U.S.) cannot be added.
    Spending limit customers can request additional lines beyond maximum allowed

    based on initial credit decision:






    • Account must be 12 months old and in good standing.





    • Deposits are required for new phones activated for the life of account.





    • Accounts older than 12 months are not exempt.













Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Palm Pre Plan Choices

Due to all the fuss about having to swap to a new plan (for some) in order to activate a Pre, here's a breakdown of the plans it can be activated on - both with the standard price AND the price with a NVP/Employer discount. As posted before, anyone can qualify for the credit union member NVP discount automatically, which is a 10% discount no questions asked - but you can of course qualify for much more, by having a different employer's discount - Not that I advocate being dishonest about your employer for discount purposes, but a LOT of companies do business with Sprint/Nextel, so many people are very surprised to know they already qualify for 15%, 20%, 25%, or 27% already.

Here's how the plan pricing looks, standard and with discounts. Yellow is the standard MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge) and then the NVP Discounts to the right, with 27% first, all the way to the 10% in the final column.

[caption id="attachment_174" align="aligncenter" width="505" caption="Palm Pre Data Plans"]Palm Pre Data Plans[/caption]

If i left anything out I'm sure someone will let me know, but this gives you a general quick-reference when looking at your options. enjoy!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Twitter & Email

ttt


At the suggestion of a few folks, I've decided to sign up for Twitter. If that should interest ya, you can follow me 'InsideSprintNow' - no promises that I'll have the time to update frequently but we'll see how it goes. Also, I'll make my email address a bit more prominent for the folks that were unable to find it.


Twitter: InsideSprintNow


Email: inside.sprint.now@gmail.com


Palm Pre FAQ: Round 2

There’s been a lot of hype about the Palm Pre, and as we get closer to June the questions about it get more frequent. Here’s some of the more popular questions that I’ve encountered and am able to answer.

The backup feature, does it cost anything more?p9
Nope, it’s all included for free as a part of the service provided by Palm included with your Pre.

What happens to my phone when it’s in USB Mode?
All calls are routed to voicemail when the Pre is in USB Mode. Slight downer, I know – but how often are you really gonna have the Pre in USB Mode? And even then, not more than a couple minutes @ a time.

What IM services will the Pre support for real-time status indicators?
Google Talk (GTalk) and AIM at launch. Do you really know anyone without a Gmail address?

In the Calendar, can I choose my own colors for the appointments?
Yes! it’s easily selectable, or can sync with your Outlook category colors with Exchange.

What about the web browser, can I disable cookies?
Yep, it’s an option in the Web Preferences.

How do I get the calendar to do the cool ‘compress’ when displaying?
Simple! it just has to be a block of time that’s 2 hours or more.

Can you have multiple IM conversations going at the same time?
Yes, the possibilities are limitless – talk to everyone, share the Pre love!

Office 2007 – Any issues?
Nope. Go ahead, tell your boss about it, and bring it to work. Welcome to life with the Pre – it just works!

Can I use Pictbridge (wirelessly sending pics to a printer)?
There’s not a profile for it yet. Hang in there, grasshopper.

With the new webOS, what about virus protection?
The core is not open, and isn’t subject to any viruses, in other words, you’re covered!

What about Calltones?
Would you expect any less? It’s a network feature, so they’re 100% supported, no problems.

Can I save music as a ring tone for my Pre?
Sure, customize it all you want.

Family locator – can I track my son with his Pre?
While it’s great you’d get a Pre for your son (umm, sure!, lol), you won’t be able to track lil Timmy with it just yet using Family Locator.

Can I take videos with my Palm Pre?
Not at launch, but hang in there as great things are on the way, and as the Palm Pre uses the webOS, updates are just a gesture away!

Can I send pictures as a text message?
Using MMS, of course. You can’t however crop pictures yet, so be aware of any size limitations the receiving person may have with their device or carrier, or adjust the camera settings.

That's all for now! Don't forget about the folks over at SprintGurus, where you can discuss not only these Palm Pre FAQs, but anything Sprint related. I do monitor and reply to the comments here on the blog as time permits, but there's a great community of people there that are very knowledgeable, and if you're looking to discuss Sprint or the Pre, it's the place to be!

Boy Genuis not so smart ?

Rumors aren't the purpose of my blog, and as you can see there's none here from me. No rumored launch dates, no rumors of the pricing, none of that where the Pre is concerned. But when a generally well respected blog posts a rumor that is SO far-fetched without even a 'not likely' disclaimer, I feel I have to speak up, so that folks waiting for the Palm Pre aren't scared away - which hopefully most are smart enough to realize the insane figures being posted over at the Boy Genius Report (BGR).

So let's take the post as it was stated:
"according to our ninja, Best Buy will be getting its hands on a limited inventory of Pre handsets for a trial launch on June 7th. Sprint will be direct-shipping the lot to arrive on the 6th and in total, about 4,500 units will be spread throughout Best Buy Mobile locations across the country. That might not seem like a lot, well, because it isn’t, but each and every Best Buy Mobile will be getting at least one Pre to hawk."

Wow. I'm not sure where to even begin on this one - let's start by saying that any release this big certainly isn't going to be done with anyone 'partnered' in, other than Sprint and Palm. Sprint has thousands of stores across the country that are perfectly capable of launching  a device - where we not only can tightly control the inventory pre-launch, but where we can also make money on the accessory sales in-store on launch day. To even think that we would miss out on that opportunity and turn it over to a 'partner' is simply crazy. Does this person know how huge accessory sales are for a Sprint retail store? Also - Each BB Mobile guaranteed to have at least 1 device? C'mon - I don't care how bad I wanted the Pre, I would not get out of bed for that, because you KNOW that an employee of BB would have it purchased before the doors opened. Flunk.
"Speaking of hawking, our ninja has some numbers to report as well. Pricing is supposedly still being discussed but the probable points are as follows: New customers with a 2-year contract, $199.99. Existing customer upgrades, $299.99. Outright, $999.99. Yes, seriously."

Seriously? I don't think so. Flunk, again. $999 price point?  Put Simply, no. Not in any combination will you find the $999 price point to be valid, contract or not. As to the upgrades for existing customers? Have you -ever- seen a single price point for an upgrade price? The answer is no, because the system is simply not set up like this. The existing customer price will be the standard $75 off for 10+ months into agreement, $150 off for 22+ months, and the full $150 off + any rebates for those that qualify and have have the same device for 24+ months, which is essentially new customer pricing. Premier & White Glove customers also qualify for essentially new customer pricing at the 12 month mark, just as with any other device. To hint that there would be a single price point for any customer that wanted to upgrade is simply incorrect, and anyone as familiar with Sprint as BGR should be, knows that the system just isn't set up to allow for that.

ue

Here's how the Upgrade Eligibility works:

  • Customers are eligible for $150.00 after 22 months, 23 calendar months instead of 24 months, 25 calendar months.

  • Customer's eligibility date for the new program is based on Rebate Life on File.

  • However, once a customer takes advantage of a rebate under the new program, the new eligibility date is based on the last rebate received.

  • Customers rebate eligibility is not reset when they upgrade the phone unless they receive an equipment discount at the time of upgrade.


Other program qualifiers include:



  • Requires a 1-year or 2-year contract.

  • Account must be in good standing with no unpaid past due balance.

  • The Monthly Recurring Charge (MRC) on the primary line must be $34.99 or higher without add-ons.

  • Customers must keep the phone activated on the upgraded or activated line for at least 30 days in order to receive their Mail-In Rebate.

  • If you receive a request to flip-flop the new phone to a different line within 30 days of activation or upgrade, advise the customer that this action will result in loss of their Mail-In Rebate. If the customer wishes to continue with the flip-flop after this impact has been explained, proceed with the transaction



  • Upgrade fee of up to $18.00 in Care, Retail, Indirect and Telesales and $0.00 online.

  • Employees are eligible for mail-in rebates.

  • Customers are eligible to receive a mail-in rebate.

  • Mail-in follows the same eligibility requirements as Instant.

  • Intra-company upgrades are eligible for the New for You Program.


Customer's can receive the additional mail-in rebates overlays that exist outside the New for You Program.

  • A customer who is eligible for the $150.00 instant rebate is eligible for any additional mail-in rebate overlays.



Bad BGR for spreading such rumors that are obviouly not true, despite how many 'hits' it brings to your site. I only know this because I had no less than 50 messages this evening asking if I'd seen the post on your site. Me! And while everyone knows I'm not giving away the pricing or the date, I think they do realize that I'm not gonig to allow such silly rumors to be told without a word to the wiser. There's no need to scare away potential Pre owners with such crazy scenarios, when in reality Sprint would like to see a Pre in as many hands as possible. I've got more to say on the subject, but I wanted to get this posted to may dispell any harm that your post may do.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

All About the Discount - NVP, that is.

Some one sent me a message asking about the NVP discount that we offer to employees of companies that have accounts with Sprint. More specifically, this person received conflicting answers from many different employees as to whether or not the discount would apply to his particular plan. I began replying, however very soon the short note back had become several sections long and it was apparent that this would be a great topic that a lot of people may have questions about, or are maybe not aware of what exactly is involved in the process and why it can take up to 60 days (1-2 cycles) to reflect on your bill. Oh, and of course - which plans the discount does not apply to.


Essentially (and in terms that don’t give away anything internally that shouldn’t be), here is how the NVP Discount program works & what the process is & some other info that may help to understand all about NVP Discounts:




What is NVP? It stands for Sprint’s National Value Program, and it allows business customers(& employees) to receive set discounts on their MRC (Monthly Recurring Charges) each month on their bill/invoice.


But I’m an individual, what gives with this Corporate Classiication? There are four primary account types that pertain to NVP Discounts: NOTE: Standard consumer/consumer accounts  MUST be converted Corp/IL type accounts as a part of the discount process. You’ll see why later.


1.  Corporate/Corporate Individual (i.e. someone who works for a company like General Motors or JC Penney’s whose company has a business agreement with Sprint, and has a Nextel device)



2.  Corporate/Corporate Individual (CDMA workaround) (someone who works for a company like General Motors or JC Penney’s whose company has a business agreement with Sprint, and has a Sprint device)

3.  Public Sector/Gov’t Individual (police officer, fireman, teacher, or someone in the public sector whose company has a business agreement with Sprint, and has a Nextel device)

4.  Public Sector/Gov’t Individual (CDMA workaround) (police officer, fireman or someone in the public sector whose company has a business agreement with Sprint, and has a Sprint device)

udafl1



NVP is synonymous with ‘Company Discount’, ‘EVP’,  and ‘Employee Discount’ as different terms are used to describe the program in different areas, however they all reference the NVP Program/Discount.

Let’s start at the beginning. You have to get the discount added to your account. You can do this online (http://sprint.p.delivery.net/m/p/nxt/ais/wdyw.asp), via echat (http://www.sprint.com/chat) or via customer care (*2 from your handset). You can either tell the agent which company you work for and they can look up the NVP code for you, or you may already have the code from your employer/group.


It’s important to note that no matter what normal method you use to request your discount, it is not added real time. The agent will simply fill out a web-based form with all of your information, including the discount amount and code, and it is then submitted to a special back office team for processing. After the form is submitted the agent will read this to you(often paraphrased):


nvp1












This is generally where the fun begins. In short, a special back office team receives the request in the form of a case/ticket and works them generally in the order received. Now, if you want to understand what goes on behind the scenes, here’s a good place to start:


To receive the discount, the customer’s account has to be attached to the sponsoring company’s ‘hierarchy’. This creates two common scenarios that customers are not often aware of:





  • Changes the billing cycle for the customer to match that of the sponsoring company. Everyone receiving the discount under a particular company will have the same bill cycle.


  • Can create partial-month charges (these will process one day after the customer’s current cycle).


Upon receipt, the discount form (now a ticket/case in the que) is assigned to be worked on the first day after the current billing cycle. This is what creates a lot of confusion, as if it’s toward the end of your cycle then your request will be processed in as little as a couple of days; or if you just started your billing cycle at the time of requesting the discount, it could be as long as almost a full month before your request is even processed. You won’t be able to speed this up, so as much as you don’t like it – it is what it is. You are told of this 30-60 day process when requesting the discount, and frankly no one you can speak with will have the ability to change it once the request has been submitted.


Once your current billing cycle ends, the very next day your request will be processed in the billing system. The account will be converted from an Individual/Individual account type to a Corporate/Individual account type. Your bill cycle will be matched to that of the sponsoring company. Since your billing cycle has just began on this day, that means if it happens to only be a day or two away, that you will receive a partial month bill for a few dollars for those few days on your ‘old’ billing cycle – this also means that if it’s almost a full month before the company’s billing cycle starts, that your partial month bill could be almost your full normal bill.





  • NVP(IL) Discounts are bases on the volume of sprint account

  • A valid email address is required to process the request. This will only be used to notify you on the status of the discount(confirmation or follow-up). A Corporate email address is preferred, as this speeds up the validation process. The customer will receive a confirmation email, but not immediately. It will detail the discount amount as well as any partial month charges.



Here are the restrictions places on the NVP Discount Program Eligibility:





  • The online form used to submit NVP Requests is only a portal which creates a ticket/case for a separate back office team to process. It’s important to remember this is NOT a real-time change.


  • The back office team will reject any case that does not meet eligibility, requirement regardless of any other statements made at the time of case submission.


Here they are:




  • Account requesting discount must be a valid IL/Subtype combination

    • IL/Third Party Employee is NOT a valid type for NVP



    • IL/Phone Connections (SERO) is not a valid type for NVP




  • CorpID provided must be a  valid _Z* extension (i.e. _ZZZ, _ZZM, ZZZ P2, etc…)


  • Account must be in good standing (no NPD or other suspended status)


  • Contact making request must be the listed BAN owner


Even though a BAN has been qualified for a discount, there are certain price plans and charges that the NVP Discount will NOT apply to:





  • Any Month-to-Month Plan


  • $99.99 Simply Everything Individual Plan


  • $89.99 Simply Everything Multi-Lines (2+)


  • $29.99 Basic 200 Plan


  • $39.99 Blackberry Unlimited attachable plan.


  • $50 Free and Clear Area-Wide 1000


  • $59.99 Unlimited Data Plan (Connection Cards)


  • $90 Unlimited Access Pack


  • $119 Unlimited Access Pack


  • $149.99 Unlimited Access Pack


  • TEP/ERP/ESRP Monthly Charge










Q. If I submit a web form and the customer's current bill cycle is today what will happen?



A. After the form submission the web form will be sent directly to the back office group for processing without any delay.

Q. What communication does the customer receive when we include their email address?

A. You can assure the customer that their email will NOT be used for any solicitation. Customer will receive a brief initial email (after you submit the form) thanking them for participating in the discount program and second and final email just before they get their invoice with any changes that were made to their account (i.e. account and/or bill cycle change, discount percentage).

Q. Do I give the customer the case number once I have submitted the web form?

A. No.  From the customer's point of view you have completed their request and they will get the discount on their next invoice.  The case number is for internal purposes only.

Q. If the customer is already on a hierarchy, can I still use the web form?

A. Yes.  The web form can be used for any consumer (wants to get a discount) or individual liable (wanting to change the company) customer.  It does not matter that they are already on a hierarchy.

Q.  Is this discount off the entire invoice?

A. No, the NVP discount is only applicable on the MRC for the plan.

If you have other questions regarding how the NVP/Employer discount works, comments are open! The process is fairly straightforward, and anyone can qualify for the Credit Union discount, which is a base 10% off with no verification, simply by saying you use a credit union!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Sprint Mobile Email Maintenance Tonight

Sprint Mobile Email

Mobile Email Maintenance Alert

Just a quick note for all Sprint Mobile Email users - there will be a 1 hour maintenance window tonight from 11PM - 12AM (Central Time). Mobile Email may be unavailable for this short periods during this time. While most of you will never notice, it's good to be able to plan, just in case.