For all new and existing customers

Feb 24, 2010 15:54 GMT  ·  By

Wireless carrier Sprint Nextel announced on Tuesday the launch of an extended buy-back program for wireless devices. According to the company's CEO Dan Hesse, the carrier aims at boosting U.S. wireless recycling rates, and offers instant point-of-sale credit to all new and existing Sprint users who will come up with up to three eligible wireless devices, regardless the manufacturer or carrier. Those interested in the offer can go with the handsets to more than 1,000 Sprint-owned retail stores in the US, and can receive credit ranging from $5 to up to $300, depending on the model they bring in.

“The new Sprint Buyback program will allow customers to take advantage of the current value of their unused cell phones and will reduce the number of wireless devices that end up in landfills,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “The Buyback program is another step to help us reach our ambitious goal to recover and recycle the equivalent of 90 percent of the handsets we sell by 2017. We look forward to continuously increasing our collection rates with the support of customers through the Buyback program and all of our sustainability initiatives.”

According to Sprint, the new national Buyback program is meant to offer a financial incentive to all existing and new Sprint users, willing to trade eligible devices. There are a wide range of devices that should qualify for the program, the carrier notes, adding that those who do not qualify can be donated to Sprint Project Connect, a free recycling service that accepts all used devices, as well as batteries, accessories and data cards. The carrier also notes that its wireless reuse and recycling programs have generated more than $7 million in charitable contributions. Sprint’s newly announced program also includes: - Instant account credit at any of Sprint’s more than 1,000 retail stores for existing and new customers who turn in up to three used devices when activating or upgrading a Sprint phone. - 24/7 online access to sprintbuyback.com, where current and new subscribers can find the program terms and conditions, determine device eligibility for credit, estimate current market value, download free postage-paid labels, and access guidelines for deleting personal data prior to mail-in. - For every one device purchased, up to three eligible devices may be returned to Sprint for an account credit, per 12 months. The exact account credit is based on the model and the price in place at the time the old phone is turned in. Current credit amounts are listed on the “Eligible Phone Models” tab of the program Web site.