Rumors early in the week that Sprint would be changing its return policy have been confirmed today by the carrier, adding fuel to speculation that Sprint might be getting an iPhone next month.
Effective today, Sprint has cut its trial period from 30 days to 14 days for a return with full refund and as of Dec. 31 will do away entirely with its Sprint Premier Program.
Sprint is also ending its Free Guarantee program, which allowed users to receive free service during their trial period.
In early September, Sprint confirmed that it was increasing its Early Termination Fee (ETF) to $350 per line for advanced devices and $200 per line for all other devices, bringing it in line with ETFs charged by other carriers such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
T-Mobile currently charges a $200 ETF, which is then prorated after 180 days of service.
Roni Singleton, a spokeswoman for Sprint, said in comments via email that the carrier
“needed to take some actions now so that Sprint can continue offering and investing in other things our customers have told us that they appreciate most.”
Singleton said the changes will allow Sprint to continue offering affordable plans, while maintaining a strong Android portfolio and building out its network.
The changes come as various sources claim that Sprint will be offering some form of iPhone by next month. Changes to ETFs and return policies could be related to covering any potential losses associated with offering the heavily subsidized smartphone from Apple.
