must be within 15 days to get out of contract with no etf-30 days to exchange equipment within that company

Not if you return the phone, if you keep the phone you will have the ETF

you can port it, you just need to get the number for the porting station and do it yourself

Followup to my prior post: It turns out that the information I received from the first customer service rep was rubbish. I called back, spoke to someone else who was very helpful and said "No problem". The number port was done in 10 minutes with no charges or contract changes. Easy.

My wife and I had T-mobile pay-as-you-go plans and since we didn't use our cell phones often and didn't 'text' we'd each spend $100 per year for 1000 minutes.

Last summer we decided to get our daughter her first phone and we went to the Tmobile store in our mall. We were told by the salesperson that you couldn't text on prepaid plans, and since I'd already promised my daughter the phone for her birthday, I believed I had no choice to sign up for the contract with 2-year commitment.

Recently we discovered that we could text on our prepaid plans. I felt completely taken advantage of. We are 7 months into a two year commitment where we're paying ~$55 per month. That's over $1200 for the contracted time.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that we can't afford it, it's that we were misled into paying THOUSANDS of dollars more than we needed to. I was very clear on what I wanted but was told it was not possible.

I don't believe the contract should be valid, because it was signed under false pretenses. Do I have a legally valid point?

That sounds nice but i would like to add that with T Mobile, you have to have proof of the change of address, usually a utility bill in the account owners name, so you cant just say you live with your parents or something like that. You have to prove you moved there.

He moved to Singapore from US. He called before moving, and Verizon said that he may or may not see an ETF. If he does, he'll have to call back and resolve. Ofcourse, the ETF shows up, and when he called, Verizon asked him to send in TWO proofs of new address (utility bills, driver's license etc). He sent these in mail AND faxed it to the fax# provided by the rep. The ETF never got waived and he got tired of trying (it was a smaller ETF, Verizon was already doing $5 off/month into the contract).

I want to get out of my contract and can use another address in another country to waive the fee. If I go this route can I take my phone number with me.

YOU STUPID KID!
YOU DIDN'T ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH BOOST!
YOU BOUGHT A PREPAID PHONE AND BOUGHT THE $50/month PLAN!
IF YOU DON'T PAY THE BILL, YOU DON'T GET ANY SERVICE!
THAT'S NOT LIKE THE REGULAR 2-YEAR CONTRACTS OFFERED BY OTHER COMPANIES!

OH BTW YOU IDIOT, BOOST WARRANTIES THE CELLPHONES THEY SELL FOR ONE YEAR STARTING THE DAY YOU BOUGHT IT.
IT'S AUG 8, 2010 TODAY, YOU'RE TECHNICALLY STILL UNDER WARRANTY!

STUPID KID!
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NOT YET ELIGIBLE FOR CONTRACTS.
YOU STILL S_T_U_P_I_D!

1) A contract is just that. Sneaking around it by porting to another carrier doesn't relinquish you from the contract.

2) Turning a phone off is not a way to avoid a bill. You still have the option to make calls, you have chosen not to.

3) Boost is for homies - So is Sprint.
ATT is for Tech heads who want iphones and a restrictive, non transferable contract.

4) Ive had T-Mobile of nearly 7 years. Im 8 months out of contract but still with them: The term is called "floating". When youre with a company but no longer obligated by contract, you're FLOATING.

5) I know a way to cancel a contract, COMPLETELY, with no termination fee. But since I learned it, I will keep it to myself and use it for friends - I have and it's worked. I won't defend it, that would just mean I'd have to explain it. Piss off.

6) Prepaid is an option for a lot of you losers. Other option is "flex pay" via T-Mobile or a training wheels program called "smart access" where you can earn back your credit while earning respect from T-Mobile. After completing one year on "smart access" during which time you have never paid your bill late, you earn the ranks of regular post pay users.

T-Mobile offers 10c minute prepaid and a damn good reception coverage. Net10 is another company that offers 10c minute but their phones are cheap. Plus, T-mobile phones can be used as PREPAID or POST PAID (regular account) - it's based on the SIM card, not the phone! I've forgotten more about cellphones than most of you will ever know. I don't bitch at the Customer Service people...That's the main secret.

HOMIES: Lose the attitude or be prepared to pay full price with no discounts. Customer Service Agents (CSA) are people - bitching at them won't get your shit-uation resolved. Oh, and if the CS happens to be black...you're fucked. Not racist comment...A proven observation. Black people don't want to help you. AT ALL.

Yeah it is. You don't have to be 18 to get service for a phone that doesn't have a contract.

yes

My husband and I had a NIGHTMARE encounter at a Verizon Kiosk at the Glendale Galleria in January 2010. They pretended like they were an actual Verizon retailer, "gave" my husband a busted phone that Verizon NO LONGER SELLS, in exchange for a renewed contract. We contacted Verizon and they were equally unhelpful, obtuse, and absolute HELL to work with. They did explain, however, that the KIOSK was a third party and they WRONGED MY HUSBAND. I viciously chewed out the clown representative they sent us to at the Verizon store in BURBANK (and his fat manager tool), where there were a NUMBER of disgruntled customers for MANY reasons. The tool who took my complaint tried to sell us a crap phone for $175 and I dressed him down loudly. He told me to quiet down. I admonished him, louder than before, so that other customers in the store would hear the situation. A lady and her daughter came up to me and gave me their NIGHTMARE story of dealing with a busted phone they had replaced by Verizon multiple times and were trying to get the same thing again, but they were getting absolutely NOWHERE with this bought robots. She applauded my efforts. SO, MR. KIOSK CROOK IN A PITIFUL SUIT, BE GLAD YOU DON'T GET SPIT ON WHEN WE CROSS YOUR KIOSK AT THE MALL. CROOK, CROOK, CROOK, CROOK, CROOK. I can only hope the economic downturn destroys the kiosks.

actually kiosks do have a LOT of "back ground fees" that is how they make their $... NOT ALL kiosks but the majority. i am a research agent for att and spend a lot of time finding these kiosks to have them shut down. it is illegal for them to add costs to their contracts but they do it... more often than not..

You are making yourself look insane with rage. Nowhere in the article did this person say that you personally do this... only that it is one, and not by everybody or every phone company... It is not a personal stab at you,so please calm down and realize that using all capitols and extra exclamation points is both grammatically incorrect and does not get your point across.

I am in the same boat. Had sprint for over 10 yrs and now want to switch to att. They told me that they can switch #'s for me but am concerned I will have to pay $200 ETF. I have my recent bill where they are imposing changes and fees in terms&conditions section of contract which allows me to leave without paying ETF. If I call sprint to cancel, will I still be able to port my number? Just curious if you know.. Thanks!

I lost my job and ask to be let out of my contract with them. My husband is self employed and we are having a really tough time trying to make ends meet. I explained all of this to them and they still want us to pay $400.00 early termination. I can't believe this crap. I can barely afford to keep my home and pay the utilities. If I don't pay my bill they'll just shut the phone off anyway. So I think thats what I am going to let them do. Can they charge you every month if the phone is shut off?

since he is probably still under a grace period to try the phone he can go back in and threaten to leave and port his phone # over 2 another company like Boost Mobile which has no contract limits and offers a $50 month 2 month unlimited minutes, texting, internet plan. Also this article mentions that they are not supposed 2 change your original plan. If he doesn't want to leave or cannot leave Sprint he can look online on craigslist or in the ads for used phones. Sometimes other shops that specialize in wireless service will also have used phones.

advanced billing is something that is set up at the time of contract and is stupid.. but it is there so u have to be ware of it b4 u switch and what day ur gnna swich basically u are billed like an apt... u pay at teh beginning of the month and if u decide to move out early it is up to u but... they dont give u that $ back for the week early u CHOse to move out

My daughter moved to Kansas for college and has no coverage. I have 5 phones on my plan. I tried to get out of the contract for 2 of the 5 phones because of no coverage. The only way out of the contract for the two phones is to show a utility bill in my name from kansas. What the Fuc its a damn college. they wouldn't take the colleges word for proof of residency. It only takes $710.00 to cancel all 5 phones. They would rather lose $2400.00 a year from a customer, then end 2 contracts. Thanks AT&T i'll go To Sprint or Verizon.

u can cancel within 30 days but have them put it to cancel on that day...

if u switched ur # u are screwd bc that cancels ur contract and will charge u the etf... no going back now

t mobile, you still have to show proof of address change. either a utility bill or drivers license. and it has to be under the account holders name.

if u are moving, for att, u must show proof , ie a utility bill with ur name on it, and if u have an iphone u are screwed u have to pa the etf unless u die, and they only let that fly if u take the death cert into a store

Nothing like encouraging someone flat out lie to get what you want. Gotta Love the Freedoms we have in America.

are you completey stupid? at&t has the best global coverage in the world AND uses GSM technology which is the global standard. this would not be a reason to get out of your contract. thanks mr. dumas

dont bet, check it out before signing anything

case in point ATT stores are company stores

yet at least some 'att kiosks' are in fact 3rd party vendors, with additional contract terms

particularly, the contract i have has an addendum which stipulates that if I terminate early I will owe the 3rd party vendor a fee based prorated on how many months remain in the contract, in addition to any etfs from att.

the upside is that i received an additional rebate from the vendor, additional accessories, and when I had a problem, the kiosk customer service is way better than ATTs

Our Rights to Make Changes

Your service is subject to our business policies, practices and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU’RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

If you want to cancel, simply tell them they you are entitled to cancel without an early termination charge because of their monthly administration charge increase. They will try to tell you that they are crediting their customers with the amount of the increase. If this acceptable for you, then fine, otherwise, stay firm and tell them you want to cancel without a fee. You will get transferred to several different people and it will take a while, but you will get it done

VZW is changing their 411 charge from $1.49 to $1.99 on Feb 1, 2010

I know when i worked at t mobile you could cancel if we (t mobile) changed something in the contract that the customer doesnt agree to, like raising text charges, overages, all that good stuff.

but you cant just simply say, "i see the 411 rate has been increased, ive never used 411 but im going to use that to get out of my contract." thats not gonna work. you have to show that it has inconvenienced you.

if you have a rate plan you often have overages on but are ok with paying the small fee, you might get a huge bill with the same amount of minutes because your plans overages were increased. (going from 20 cents a minute to 45 cents a minute is a huge difference) and not wanting to sign another contract for a better plan is understandable when they're the ones that increased the rates.

At t mobile you have to have an example like this happen to your account at least 2 months in a row for them to let you out of your contract. you might have to fight a little because a rep is going to try for the life of them to convince you to stay. just ask for a supervisor.

not eveyone knows this and it sounded like a good place so i hope it helps someone that might have this problem. (or if you want to cancel and theres just been a change in the contract, you might be able to use it to ur advantage)

The replies and comments are dated, but the article (the original piece at the top?) is NOT!!

I love how you have the subject title "please date these articles" while right underneath every title it has the date...HAHA

oh my god don't ever let anyone else hear you want to switch to sprint so bad. you have just given them their new name sprint so bad, customer service is so bad, reception is so bad, phones are so bad, instead of sprinting, run run as fast as you can. this is not a JOKE.

I have had some different services, and been around many people with other services. Many times they use my phone to get out. I have had U.S, cellular for a while now. They dont have as many bells and whistles, but the service is better than any as far as getting out. Very Satisfied with U.S, Cellular, but I don't like the 2 year contracts to get a phone, but I guess that goes with any of them.

The way to get out of a Sprint contract....

1. If you have a Nextel phone, call and get your number ported to Boost Mobile. But first, go and purchase a Boost starter kit from the Sprint store for $21.00. Call Boost to get the service transferred and activated on your phone. It can be any Nextel phone, new or old, as long as it holds a SIM card. If you have a Sprint phone, call them and get a Nextel so you will be on Nextel service. Or go to Best Buy and get the cheapest Nextel/Boost phone that has a SIM card and when you finish transferring all your lines, take it back. You have 30 days to do that. I have done both ways and they work perfectly!!!

2. You get $10.00 worth of credits from Boost on the starter kit. So just use that up and don't buy anymore minutes. Then you are finished! I have done this 4 times and most recent was in June because I wanted an iPhone. I was on a family plan with Sprint. I just had to do it with both lines. You can use the same starter kit and same phone for each line, just one at a time. Just tell them you want to transfer the other number to the Nextel phone. They will cancel the other Boost number (which was your Sprint number) to activate the other line.

3. No matter what Sprint tell you about the early termination fee, don't beleive them. They told me I would have to pay $400 for my lines in June because I transferred both lines over to Boost. I said ok, because I had already done this before and knew it wasn't true. Sprint owed me $157 because you pay for your service a month in advance. Do this as soon as your billing cycle begins to get more money back. If not, you have still gotten out of your contract legally becasue Boost is Sprint on the prepaid side. They must do it if you want to. Me and my son had Instinct phones and now we both have iPhones and love it! 

4. Let me know what happens or if you need help completing this. I will find out if the other carriers do this as well since they all have a pre paid side, I don't see why not.

Hope this helps you, it helped me and I didnt't have my service a year.

The way to get out of a Sprint contract....

1. If you have a Nextel phone, call and get your number ported to Boost Mobile. But first, go and purchase a Boost starter kit from the Sprint store for $21.00. Call Boost to get the service transferred and activated on your phone. It can be any Nextel phone, new or old, as long as it holds a SIM card. If you have a Sprint phone, call them and get a Nextel so you will be on Nextel service. Or go to Best Buy and get the cheapest Nextel/Boost phone that has a SIM card and when you finish transferring all your lines, take it back. You have 30 days to do that. I have done both ways and they work perfectly!!!

2. You get $10.00 worth of credits from Boost on the starter kit. So just use that up and don't buy anymore minutes. Then you are finished! I have done this 4 times and most recent was in June because I wanted an iPhone. I was on a family plan with Sprint. I just had to do it with both lines. You can use the same starter kit and same phone for each line, just one at a time. Just tell them you want to transfer the other number to the Nextel phone. They will cancel the other Boost number (which was your Sprint number) to activate the other line.

3. No matter what Sprint tell you about the early termination fee, don't beleive them. They told me I would have to pay $400 for my lines in June because I transferred both lines over to Boost. I said ok, because I had already done this before and knew it wasn't true. Sprint owed me $157 because you pay for your service a month in advance. Do this as soon as your billing cycle begins to get more money back. If not, you have still gotten out of your contract legally becasue Boost is Sprint on the prepaid side. They must do it if you want to. Me and my son had Instinct phones and now we both have iPhones and love it! 

4. Let me know what happens or if you need help completing this. I will find out if the other carriers do this as well since they all have a pre paid side, I don't see why not.

Hope this helps you, it helped me and I didnt't have my service a year.

Hahahahahahah everyone's switching out of t-mobile.... right now. They're cheaper because they SUCK.

There are some pretty stupid people on the internet; you are definitely one of them!

Obviously you have troubles typing coherent sentences so you probably can't read very well either otherwise you would have read your contract before signing it. If your son went through 12 phones in a year then he is probably just as much of a moron as mommy and daddy. Go eat some cheetos and watch some more american idol you waste of air...

U can visit cellswapper.com they are provide facilities to Swap out of your cell phone plan without paying the termination fees. Sell your phone contract and save your contract termination fee. Get latest phones with exclusive short-term contracts.

the best thing you can do is be honest. admit you sold the phone to get quick money for your meth fix. admit you filed a false police report. if you need money in the future, selling your body is the best way for some quick cash. plus, you won't have to lie to your parents or the police about it.

Asked to talk with the boss, ask if u can fax /send a copy of you ticket to provide proof of the moving. if that does not work then call T-mobile's corp care in seattle wa.

the problem with your reply is that the person's credit rating will drop dramatically if they don't pay up and their bill gets sent to a credit collection agency! Shame you don't know as much as you think you know, eh???

As a loan officer, I have to tell you that the idea you're proposing is not the brightest... especially if you care at all about your credit. A collection account, no matter how much it's for, is still negative credit and will hurt your credit score. It stays on your report for 7-10 years and will do most of the damage within the first 3 years. I've seen peoples credit tank b/c of a $50 medical payment or a $75 phone bill... but who am I, right? I just look at credit reports all day.

...no they can just ruin your credit rating and take you to small claims court.

Verizon, as every other carrier must sell services they advertise. Your not legally bound to the carrier if they were unable to provide service for ANY amount of time! 14 days OR 1 month. Do NOT let them fool you. Tell them the FAIR COMPETITION ACT allowed you to switch carriers with no penalties because it's ILLEGAL to prevent a competitor from taking business. Tell Verizon they are breaking the law and you will report them to the FCC and FTC!

Your welcome :D

Call your carrier and threaten them that you report them to BBO and any local state consumer protection agency, and the FTC for fraudulent and deceptive practices.

I did that to get out a bad internet cable service; and was able to get out without paying a dime. I simply called up the Customer Service and spoke to a manager.

I did the same with HP for selling a defective laptop that died within weeks of warranty expiration. Initially HP refused to fix the laptop; so I put it in $200 to fix it. Then I reported HP to BBO; within 3 weeks I was reimbursed by HP.

Congress is considering laws to correct the mandatory 2-yrs lock-in and other anti-consumer practices of the cell-phone carriers.

They don't want to get complaints through BBO and other consumer protection agencies.

did you boyfriend get a new phone? you should get a new boyfriend. if you are between 18 and 26, send me a picture. if you are tasty looking, you might have a new contract. but no overages; i don't like huge girls!

Well, I can't help with the fact that Sprint are being unscrupulous bastards, but what I can do is help with the overage charges. They probably won't volunteer this information, but you can purchase additional minutes in blocks. 100 additional minutes cost $5. I recommend checking the minute total on the line every 4 days or so. You can do this by dialing *2 from your Sprint phone. Follow the prompts to check minutes usage. If you are getting close to going over, call customer service and purchase a block of minutes. It has saved us hundreds....we learned the hard way! Hope this helps you!

It seems that all pre-paid plans' minutes expire. Although the expiration period increases as the pre-paid amount increases, these plans still effectively have a per-month charge. If minutes are not added at least every month, the unused minutes, as well as "roll-forward" minutes are lost.

Not a problem if you're the "average user" (790 minutes per month), but if you're just looking for an occasional-use phone for emergencies, the lowest cost plan for less than 200 minutes per month is still $13/month (Tracfone), and limits you to that one carrier's network.

The complexity and terminology of these plans makes default credit swaps look like a picnic. One might conclude that the only real benefit of these plans is for people who can't get credit.

If anyone finds a plan/plans that don't behave like this, please respond!!

going in person to an att store and offering visual or oral treats may be your best option. i have heard this works better in certain states than others, with Ohio and Utah having the best rate of success.

I got at&t cells when i got my home phone and for a week i never got my cells an when they trun my home phone on i call and they said the fedx men said that he left the at my home on my steps infront of my home and i told them i didnt have steps in front of my home and thin they put a trace on them i live in the country and to find out they left them in te city about 20 miles from were i live and th phone company still wants me to pay from the phones i got tried of fighting with the phone company so i had my home phone turn off 4 months later and they still say i have a bill.

You can go to walmart to upgrade your phone...If you are only eligible for the 1/2 upgrade ($75.00), Walmart will honor the full upgrade and you can pick any of the free upgrade phones that they have in the store...I have 3 phones and have been doing this every year. After you get the phone upgraded, call sprint and ask them to credit the upgrade fee and they always do.

Faggot your obviously upset cuz you are to poor or your mommy won't let you get a cell phone QQ

haha. Modern technology is a security blanket? Give me a break.
Maybe we can go back to the old days of a big black phone sitting in the kitchen with a rotary dial that takes forever to dial a number. Or maybe go back further to the days where you rang the operator from a box on your wall and told her to connect you to a certain person -- that is, if there wasn't someone else already using the line - and it could be someone miles away and you could listen to their conversation.

What we have now is fantastic and is only getting better.

You are truly an idiot. The only reason you don't like it is because you're either a) too broke to get something good for yourself b) too stupid to use it or c) both

You took away her cell phone when she was seventeen? I've never heard of anyone doing that.

Second, if you have a contract and don't use the phone for a month, you pay a lot less. So having a contractless phone isn't such a huge bonus.

why the big lie? you say you have been a "loyal customer" for 5 years, but then you say you have been trying to get out of the contract for the past year.

be honest. tell us, "I was a loyal customer a year ago for a 4 year period, but have spent the last year as a customer whose loyalty wavered. Lo, these days, know not wherein my loyalties shall lie, but hath with Ye Olde T-mobile no longer do my passions reside."

Stop the lies!

I live in Chicago and had been with T Mobile for about 6 years. I noticed a severe decrease in coverage that started around Jan. 1, 2009. My girlfriend, her mom and I had to call many times to complain. One of us would call about every 3-4 days to complain and finally after about 3 months, I asked them if I can break my contract without a fee and they said ok. They had my numerous calls on file and I explained that I didn't want anymore more minutes free. I told them, even if they gave me 1 million minutes, they are useless if I can not get service. I am still with them for the mean time, I have two lines and I am trying to find a plan somewhere else that is not too much more money then what I am paying now. I hope this helps, good luck.

Yes I have noticed since the begining 0f 2009 a massive decrease in coverage also, not too mention a complete lack of consistency in coustomer service both in store and on the phone. Could any body teel me when they last changed the rate on text messaging. ???

Got cells and didnt know verzion was taking ovr alltel and from the day get go we cant do anything wit are phone takes forever to call and texts and half the time dont get th call or texts. And when I call you never get he same answer everyone yo talk to tell something diffent. And now I dont know who to belive I thinking about recording the next time i call and thin turn around and call back a hour later and see if i get something diffent. All i didnt give my son the three phone and no one seem to let me know that he wasnt on or family plan all i did was change the number and they took it own there own to put him on verzion. I think God he didnt texts or talk alot. before i caught it. I HOPE I can get out of ths wih verzion.

my friend Rutherford G. Whettingstone (not his real name) is an author, and an alien. when he pens his novels, he often gives fictional names to his fictional characters, even when there is no need to do so.

for example, if Rutherford is writing a story and the main character is named Stumps McGillicuddy, Rutherford will begin the story using a FAKE name for Stumps. A typical sentence would go as follows: "Times were hard in the filthy city, but Roger R. Rubbinwunout (not his real name) made a nice living for himself satisfying old ladies in the gutters and alleyways."

See, this way, the reader never really gets to learn that the REAL name of fictional character alias Roger R. Rubbinwunout is Stumps McGillicuddy! And Stumps is thus protected from stalkers.

read the black and white. pretty much no carrier guarantees service inside a building. even if its your home.

if you have no reception, they will cancel it without you having to pay....
If not just make up an address that you know for sure doesnt have reception and tell them you will be moving there.

That is how i got my cancelled!!!

this is not a law. it sounds like all the ATT rep did was make you pay the ETF with Sprint, and then reduced your 24mo. contract a few mos. to reflect what remained with Sprint. More than likely if it was more than 6 mos. left and thats all the rep cared about to make their commission.

Great tips.

If you just dump out and don't pay, the account will eventually cancel and you will be charged an early termination fee. So, besides your balance owing, you will have $200 plus taxes... But, it would take a bit before you would get canceled for going over your spending limit/ and then for non payment. Have you checked into a payment arrangement or making sure all the charges are valid? I work in customer service there ...let me know if I can give you any more help...

Mmmm yea i went to that website and was bombarded with popups saying i had viruses and started scanning when you try closing it out holy crap don't click that link.

Got to sprint(dot)com and in the search bar on the main page (right side of screen) search for "self service". The first link ( What is the self-service Phone Replacement Program? )is a very brief overview of the Self Service Exchange Program, and you can click the link in that page to get to the actual Self Service Exchange site.

It's the self-service option to get your phone exchanged. Instincts are known to freeze on the screen. Basically, this link processes a replacement and exchange order. If you have TEP, and there isn't any liquid or physical damage (damage beyond repair, like broken in half) to the phone, you can exchange it that way... but your account MUST be current. If your account is delinquent from late payment, the phone will not ship out. You can also dial directly to Tech Support by dialing *2. They can do some troubleshooting, and once they decide it's time to replace your phone, they may tell you to take it to a repair center. Tell them that you went to a repair center, and they were out of stock. At that point, the agent is supposed to ship you out a new phone. TEP and account being current rules still apply.

You can also try using the link below, but you have to replace the (dot)'s!!
www(dot)nextel(dot)com/en/services/service_repair/self_service_solutions(dot)shtml <--- that must say "shtml" and not "html"

The thing with Sprint is that you have to continually call and complain until they give you what you want. Don't take no for an answer. If they wont do it, ask for a manager! Once you ask for a manager, they know you're serious and they will do whatever you want. It's a hassle, but it must be done. I've had the same problems. If you call, they'll mail you a new phone. The people in the stores are stupid, they don't know anything. You'll probably be sent to the repair place where they'll make you wait for an hour only to tell you to call the insurance company to have them mail you a new one.