Pocket Wireless Plan Update

[ten0rplaya04]

Attention all Pocket Smart Wireless customers on the $40 and those who would choose Pocket if they offered roaming. With the Joint Venture between Cricket and Pocket, a new rate plan has been initiated. For all NEW customers, choosing the $40 plan will afford you Unlimited Nationwide Coverage (UNC) on Cricket's network. For any EXISTING customers on the $40 Flat Rate plan, you must contact Pocket (*611) and request to be moved to the $40 UNC plan or your plan will remain on the non-roaming service. There may be a point where they'll upgrade everyone to it, but for now, it's by request only.

NOTE: Changing your plan will not take effect until your next bill is paid. IE Bill due March 16th and you upgrade on March 12th, the change will take effect when you pay your bill. If you do it after your bill, you'll have to wait till your next bill to receive the benefits of UNC.

[mobilefreedom]

Makes me wonder if Cricket and Metro AREN'T going to consummate their inevitable merger immediately, would this be a more slow key strategy...absorb similar but smaller regional cdma independent unlimiteds and their customer base (like Blue Wireless, Ntelos, etc).

A couple of years ago , being indie was an advantage but with the Big 4 throwing their prepaid/mvno divisions (especially Sprint) full force at the indies, they little guys are taking a beating. And the only way for a little guy to survive against the Big Boys may be to become bigger themselves.

[ten0rplaya04]

Well it's not the Prepaid/MVNO divisions that the regional carriers are having issues with, it's the price drop that just occurred. All the big name carriers with $60 and $70 talk/text plans. Why not go with the big name for $20 more...you never know when the regional carrier will disappear and those plans you got used to aren't there anymore. Case in point: Helio; even though it wasn't really a regional carrier lol.

[mobilefreedom]

Well, you have Tmobile with unlimited everything for $70-80 on one hand, Simple Mobile on the other, Sprint with VM and Boost , Tracfone with Straight Talk and Net10 unlimited, Att with their Gophone $60 unlimited talk/text and at least two mvnos with $50 unlimiteds, Verizon with Page Plus (and again Straight Talk). The regionals are going to have to consolidate to survive this kind of battering in the long run. Unless they are a local power (like Mobi in Hawaiian Islands, Boost mobile there is a very distant second), I don't see most regionals being able to fight off the big boys . Not at those price points. Byod is one of the few edges that the cdma regionals have. They should embrace it to take business from their larger rivals. Cricket and Metro having only AWS in their new markets really blunted their competitive edge in byod. They are competing on price alone in their newest hot , big grow area markets and they are getting hurt by the nationals.

Mobi just raised their prices and are pursuing the concept of contracts in this day , age and economy. Makes me wonder if they've been out in the sun too long. Fried their brains.

[wthigon]

Would flashed phones work with this new $40 plan? I'm guessing a PRL update would be needed to use Crickets network right?

EDIT: What about in the markets with AWS like Laredo?

[thephoneguy913]

Yeap..flashed phones will work as long that you have downloaded the right prl in your phone...I've tested mine just now...i drove 55 miles away where I've been before many times without Cricket signal and today I had 3 bars signal....WOHOO...also,I've talking with a Cricket Representative and we have different plans now...and is awesome because even the basic one wich is $30 is nationwide....and she told me that Cricket will come up with Blackberry's and Android phones by July....

[wthigon]

Wow this is great. Now I can have signal in Austin. BTW how do I get the new PRL? *228 I would assume?

[ten0rplaya04]

For pocket there isn't a new prl, it's still just PRL 8. At least that's what I've been told. My update doesn't take effect until the 3rd of April when I pay my next bill.

[thephoneguy913]

Just for everybody's info...we gonna have to change our old plans for the new ones in order to get nationwide signal...none of the old plans gonna work with this service...thats what I've been told for the Cricket representative here in my area,wich is Kansas City,Kansas.

[wthigon]

So I asked at Pocket to put me on the new plan and they said they didn't know what I was talking about. They looked at me like I was retarded when I asked if they knew about the merger between the two companies.

[ten0rplaya04]

You can't ask to be put on "the new plan". If you're already a customer, call up customer care and tell them, "I'd like to have my plan changed to the $40 UNC." I did that and used those exact words and no issues at all. New customers only have to request the $40 plan because that's the new standard.

[Help]

So I asked at Pocket to put me on the new plan and they said they didn't know what I was talking about. They looked at me like I was retarded when I asked if they knew about the merger between the two companies.

They are going to fit in just fine with CricKet's customer service policies. "just give out miss- information". They may not need any additional training when Cricket takes over

[ten0rplaya04]

I've rarely had any issues with Pocket's customer care line or their Dealer line. The worst issue is the fact that the general public was not supposed to be told about the $40 UNC plan. Only new customers are automatically added to it and old customers are grandfathered onto the old plan. They don't want the old customers to have the UNC because even though it's a joint venture it's probably going to cost them money.

If the person you ask doesn't know what UNC means, tell them "The $40 Unlimited Nationwide Coverage plan". Most of the customer service reps aren't going to be aware of the joint venture unless they really care about their jobs.

Note: I highly doubt Cricket will want Pocket's customer care service. It's only there until a merger occurs. Pocket wait time: Less than one minute, try getting that on Cricket.

[ten0rplaya04]

Update on Pocket: So it seems to be that September is the month of destruction for our small little company. At least those of us here in the Texas Market. If you have Pocket Perks, I suggest paying your bills with them. I've got almost 800 that I'll use to make my bill $10 ($40 plan) for the next two months expecting them to close out the perks program.

Still no word on how they'll deal with the migration of plans or if Pocket will continue to operate as Pocket. There is a new PRL out and it's listed here on this forum. Upload it to your phone and see if it improves reception for you. Wthigon has already reported better signal strength.