Sprint is a US wireless carrier that has been fighting an uphill battle for some time now. Questionable service areas, and below average support are the main reasons for Sprint’s downward spiral. Though they are attempting to rid themselves of the shadow cast on them from reviews and dissatisfied customers. They have taken a few steps toward bettering their image, with the “Framily” plans they offer, but now they have another new offer that begs the question-why? They call it Total Equipment Protection (TEP) Plus.
TEP Plus offers customers of Sprint what they call an “enhanced” level of protection and “premium technical support” for their device. The features that come with TEP Plus are features that you could easily find for free on any Android device. Those features include the ability to automatically backup and secure data, identify threats with built-in antivirus and privacy protection, improve battery life and performance through monitoring and optimization tools(Android only), remotely find a lost device through GPS as well as lock and wipe clean the lost device(lock is Android only), and one click access to tech support for any issue no matter how minuscule the issue. The TEP Plus plan does have some other key features as well, that are bit more relevant to the savvy Android user. In the press release direct from Sprint, they note a section titled “Replace it”. Sprint says that with TEP Plus, a customer can get coverage for most any situation, lost, stolen, malfunctioning and damaged devices. Sprint promises to have the replacement device in the customers hand next day and hassle free. Though there still does seem to be a claim process and minor hoops to jump through.
Currently, Sprint has an app called Total Equipment Protection for Android devices with Android software versions 4.0 or higher. If a customer wants to make the switch from TEP to TEP Plus, they simply call a number and sign up for the service. Once signed up, they get an updated version of the app. If you are not currently enrolled in TEP, you will need to make sure your device is a high tier device, then sign up for the service. Making the switch will also add $2 to your insurance plan that was originally $11. The remaining question is whether or not this is worth it.
Many of the key features of TEP Plus can be easily found for free in the Google Play Store. Android Device Manager is a great option that will locate, lock, and wipe any Android device. As for backing up and securing data, Google also offers this same service for free through your Gmail and G+ accounts. Backing up contacts, pictures, apps, and more, anything not covered by Google is usually backed up by your device manufacturers options. As for tech support, well we have all experienced the tech support that companies usually offer-and find it to be subpar. Sometimes it is easier to just Google your issue and find answers from the internet pertaining to your problem, and how to fix it-most of the time. Most of the TEP Plus options can be found for free, so why pay an extra $2/month for Sprint’s version?
For the most part it seems that it may not be worth it, but there are those people who know nothing about navigating through their smartphone-mainly, our older family members. They could more than likely benefit from this deal a lot more than our average readers could. Though having everything nicely bundled in one app is nice too. It all comes down to personal preference and the need to have more convenience than is already offered on an Android device initially. Let us know what you think down in the comments. Would you spend an extra $2/month for this service, or just do the leg work yourself to gain all of this protection?