Ting Early Termination Fee Refund

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Summary

Pros

• Early Termination Fee (ETF) Relief
• No time limit--Ting is offering this program from this date onwards

Cons

• Only 25% of ETF covered, up to $75 per line

Some of us (I) had to pay T-Mobile several hundred dollars in ETFs a few months ago...

Introduction

I've still been using Ting with no problems. In fact, some of my family members have moved to different states for work, but everything is still great. The only thing I have to complain about now is this new ETF relief program that Ting has instituted, and how I don't qualify for it.

Well, that and the lack of iPhones (but is that really a bad thing?)

Discussion

Earlier this year, Ting set aside $100,000 for ETF refunds. The whole pot was depleted in seven minutes: some people got their entire ETF's covered, while others were left out in the cold. Now, after several months, Ting is relaunching a permanent ETF relief program. People switching over to Ting from other carriers can get 25% of their ETF per line--up to $75--refunded.

There are only 3 steps to take:

1. Activate a device with Ting.
2. Port your number to Ting.
3. Send Ting your ETF documents.

If my previous contacts with their customer service is any indication, this will be a fairly painless process (if you call their toll-free number, you'll get in touch with a rep within a few rings). However, if anyone experiences anything different, please share this in the comments section.

Mmmmm, you can practically smell it...

Conclusion

There has been a lot of movement in the mobile phone industry, both on the part of manufacturers and service providers, and I am very excited to see what the future holds for this industry. Besides the new and improved hardware, service providers are falling over themselves trying to out-do each other. Sprint is really playing the exclusive phone angle, AT&T is letting people upgrade their devices every year, and T-Mobile dropped their two-year contracts for all new customers.

Sure, the ETF refund isn't a full one like last time. However, it is still a good deal in my opinion (better than what I got), I don't see a lot of other companies doing anything else like this (yet).

(Duh!)

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Ting Coupon Code and Update: Coverage, Billing, Customer Service

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Summary

Pros

• Fantastic, live customer service via phone and email
• Very accurate and thorough billing reports

Cons

• Sprint network
• Limited number of phones

iPhone on the way!

Introduction

I have been using Ting for four months now in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and am ridiculously happy with the company and service thus far.

Ting! No problems with coverage in San Francisco...

...or Los Angeles!

Discussion

Ting's coverage is the same as Sprint, so if you can get Sprint coverage, you are covered with Ting. Billing is straightforward; Ting has simplified things even more, so instead of estimating your usage and getting billed more or getting a refund depending on the month, Ting now just bills everyone at the end of the month based on usage.

The billing aspect is one of the few things I have to complain about--Ting offers a "live" billing view via it's dashboard, which is more of an estimate. Final bills are completely accurate, but just wait for a few days after the end of your billing cycle, and don't worry too much about what is listed on the dashboard. If there is a problem, definitely call to let them know, and they will take care of it right away.

Customer support is awesome: Ting's call center is open M-F from 8 am - 8 pm EST, is based in Canada (so I was able to get my questions answered on 4th of July). Ting prides itself on answering calls with a live person within a few rings, and I have experienced this personally many times. This is in contrast to other similar companies, that only offer support via email, e.g. Republic Wireless or FreedomPop.

The final thing I will mention is that Ting still only carries a limited number of phones, and these phones are of the Sprint variety. This is that is actually important to note, since Sprint disables the SIM slot on many world phones (essentially forcing you to use their service when traveling abroad). This is not true of the iPhone due to Apple's own restrictions on how carriers could modify their devices, but otherwise if you travel abroad, you may be better off getting a cheap phone with a SIM card slot to use.

I personally don't care about the iPhone, but if it's something you want, be aware Ting doesn't carry it yet.

Conclusion

I keep blathering on about how great Ting is, but it is truly a great company. It is refreshing to find a company that is so responsive to their customers, and goes above and beyond what they say they will do. They have fun giveaways and events frequently posted on their blog and Facebook, and I would recommend checking them out for yourselves.

Seems too good to be true, but, from my experience, Ting has gone above and beyond to make my experience with them as great as possible.

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