Forget about Geek Squad: Sprint has a new, free service for making house calls when it comes time to upgrade your phone. Starting Monday, Sprint is launching a new service called Direct 2 You that brings Sprint tech support to your door to help you set-up a new phone. Direct 2 You will roll out first in Sprint’s hometown of Kansas City followed by Chicago and Miami on April 20.
Sprint plans to launch the new service in other parts of the country throughout 2015. All told the company plans to have around 5,000 Direct 2 You cars operating in major metropolitan areas across the U.S. before 2016.
At launch, Direct 2 You is only for customers eligible for a phone upgrade, but the company hopes to offer other services later on.
How it works
When it comes time for your upgrade, Sprint will send you a text or email reminding you that it’s time for a new phone. The message will include a phone number to call to set up a Direct 2 You appointment. The Sprint expert shows up in a Sprint-branded car and helps you activate the new phone, transfer data from your old phone, and customize your new device (presumably with apps, wallpaper, ringtones, and so on).
You don’t have to set up your Direct 2 You appointment at home, either. Sprint will also come to your office or any other location you desire, as long as it’s within the service’s specified delivery zones.
The impact on you at home: Direct 2 You is a nice perk if you’re a Sprint subscriber. Who wouldn’t rather have the Sprint store come to you instead of fighting the crowds at a retail location on your lunch break? If you’re with AT&T or Verizon, however, don’t count on your carrier following suit. Sprint can do this thanks to its smaller user base (around 55 million people nationwide). Verizon and AT&T both have more than double that, which would require far more cars than Sprint is getting on the road.
Good deal even for the tech savvy
Direct 2 You sounds like a great deal even if you don’t need help setting up a new phone. Instead of waiting for the UPS truck to show up, you’ll know exactly when your new phone is arriving and somebody will do some of the annoying activation steps for you. Plus, if something goes wrong, you shouldn’t need to go to a store since Sprint says its experts have the same training as its in-store representatives.