You didnt answer the question.

What do YOU want them do to?
The network is going away. Thats a fact.
You need to switch to a different network. Thats a fact.

Theyre HEAVILY discounting phones for you, some up to an additional 100 dollars. Thats a fact.

If the options they are giving you dont meet your needs, then switch to another network/carrier.

Why make it seem like theyre wronging you somehow?

Simple. Don't change the rules suddenly and start actually penalizing me for being a loyal, multi-line, 10+ year customer, one who is simply following the timeline that you voluntarily set out for me. Oh, yeah, and actually complete the network upgrades as you said you would, so the new service I'm moving to is at least as reliable as the one you're forcing me off of.

As I stated before, a HEAVILY discounted phone (your emphasis on the word "heavily") that does not work properly is not an incentive, it's just another problem for me, one I don't need. If you're willing to waste your time for $100 off of a phone that does not operate properly, by all means, go right ahead. I don't have time for that, and the $100 discount is lost in the noi...
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I am sorry to hear of your trouble, I am a sprint employee and understand the hesitation of letting go the iden PTT, many hate to see it go. Nextel has been losing customers and money do to the network limitations, by July there will be no nextel. Have you tried the Dura XT, we sell those like they are gold plated and very few returned. Remember those nextel towers you love will be redone into sprint towers so coverage after a short period of time will be no different. I know the waiting for that to happen is no good for you but by 3rd quarter 2013 with the new tower set ups using technology newer than Verizons, coverage will be comparable to verizon and if you are using one of our triband phones building penetration will be equally as good....
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Can the camera feature be disabled on the DuraXT? My company is looking to switch, but the Duracore seems lackluster by comparison.

Yes, the camera can be disabled BUT once it is done, it can not be undone. So, if you disable it, the camera on the device is dead forever. No amount of factory resets will get it back for you!

vercetti:

I have not tried the latest DuraXT. The model we tried earlier this year but had to return was the DuraPlus (see Eric Zeman's review here at Phonescoop, regarding the defective speakerphone mode issues https://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.p hp?a=10151&p=4914 ). Despite inquiries, we never heard back if they fixed the DuraPlus problems or not. That said, based on jrfdsf's customer review of the XT on this website, I'd be willing to give the XT a try before completely abandoning Sprint.

But the other problem with Sprint Direct Connect is that the Network Vision project is running behind schedule (by Hesse's own admission recently), and Sprint's track record of "operational excellence" is dismal—they never finish building ...
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I understand your frustration, really I do but it is like beating a dead horse. Either way you will have to switch. The network has been vastly improved since you tried them last (you said it was months ago). This outage you speak of... its a new technology, its bound to happen. Look at Verizon's LTE network, they have nationwide outages all the time and it is down for days. LTE, like the new Direct Connect, is a new technology, it has new customers and will have its growing pains. Why don't you try the network again for yourself, stop reading into what other peoples issues are because everyone's experience is different. The DuraXT is a solid device, VERY few complaints on it! Give it another shot, you might... actually... dare I say it... h...
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I had planned to "give it another shot" all along, in May 2013, one month before the announced Nextel shutdown. But if things have improved as much as you say they have, and based on jrfdsf's positive review of the XT, I'll use the window between Christmas & New Year's to convert one line from the Moto i365 to an XT and see how it goes.

Where do you suggest I go for the best service by the most knowledgeable people at Sprint, i.e. the ones who know the most about the original Nextel plans and the new SDC equivalents? Is there a special number to call for transitioning Nextel? Or are the corporate store personnel properly trained by now?

I have a corporate plan and always dial the 1-800-390-9545. The folks I talk to have always been fast, friendly, and knowledgeable.

jrfdsf:

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

I personally would never put much faith in anything Sprint says. Always expect something to change even though it contradicts what they've said in the past. Sprint doesn't give their employees much to work with when talking about these choices. Hence why their customer service is a complete joke and has been since..well forever. It's stupid of them to essentially force you off a network onto another network that isn't working efficiently as of yet as well. I understand your frustrations though, a family friend had to switch to Verizon's push to talk for their work because Sprint gave them the new PTT devices for the new CDMA service, and it's been absolutely awful as they are still "upgrading" in the area.

Haggard said:
... a family friend had to switch to Verizon's push to talk for their work because Sprint gave them the new PTT devices for the new CDMA service, and it's been absolutely awful as they are still "upgrading" in the area.

How long has your friend's employer been using VZ's PTT, and what do they think of it so far? That would be great info to have, if it's possible for you to get it and let us know.

Thanks.

They weren't too impressed with Verizon's PTT either. They just stuck with Sprint and their CDMA PTT until they sort it out. Who knows when it will be fully operational though. Verizon's PTT will more than likely vary in other areas, but for them it just didn't work out. When she did use it, sometimes the responses came back garbled and she'd have to ask him to repeat it.

Haggard said:
They weren't too impressed with Verizon's PTT either. They just stuck with Sprint and their CDMA PTT until they sort it out. Who knows when it will be fully operational though. Verizon's PTT will more than likely vary in other areas, but for them it just didn't work out. When she did use it, sometimes the responses came back garbled and she'd have to ask him to repeat it.

Got it. Thank you for finding that out & posting it.

Another bit of real-world data, current as of 12-15-2012:

One of our local new-car dealerships in LA County (a fairly large outfit, sells 400-600 cars per month, services an average of 3,000 cars per month, runs three courtesy shuttles and four parts-chaser trucks) has used Nextel iDEN PTT for years, very happily. They began trying the new Sprint Direct Connect as of a couple of months ago, in anticipation of iDEN's demise in June. Suffice it to say, they have nothing good to say about their SDC experience so far, and they are dreading the upcoming iDEN shutdown. They don't like the Kyocera phones (their ancient Moto i335's still serve them well, better than the new Kyoceras), their PTT coverage with SDC is inferior to the now-reduced iD...
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...JP in Miami, Florida has had nothing but problems with Sprint Direct Connect from day one. So did GL, FC, and JJ. Just ask any of them, they'll tell you.

...RF in Branson, Missouri canceled a ten year contract he had because Sprint sent his company a bunch of them Sanyosung non-Motorolas.

...TR in Lubbock, Texas has noticed his SDC phones have less coverage than his Nextel phones. Well, at least that's what he told his boss who tried unsuccessfully to contact him after hours.

Who does Sprint think they are changing everything around? There's such a demand for PTT phones. Everyone knows this texting thing is a fad.

Sounds like you are in agreement with the rest of your cohorts in Sprint management that it was smart to alienate, then lose, approximately 13,000,000 post-paid, high-ARPU customers (i.e. the 13,000,000 or so Nextel customers that have left so far). Why bother with the remaining 3,000,000 Nextel customers, they are irrelevant, too, eh? As has been said before "Truly, your intellect is dizzying"

cellphonesaretools said:
Sounds like you are in agreement with the rest of your cohorts in Sprint management that it was smart to alienate, then lose, approximately 13,000,000 post-paid, high-ARPU customers (i.e. the 13,000,000 or so Nextel customers that have left so far). Why bother with the remaining 3,000,000 Nextel customers, they are irrelevant, too, eh? As has been said before "Truly, your intellect is dizzying"

The last time I checked, pouring millions of dollars into a system no one is using much anymore is hardly alienation...it's more like pandering.

cellphonesaretools said:
...The point was, Sprint stated we had until June 2013, a date of their own choosing, before we would be required to switch. Then out of the blue came a letter warning that starting January 1 (six months prior to the shutoff), they would begin penalizing Nextel customers at a rate of $10/line/month until we either leave Sprint or switch to SDC. So, yes, that is clearly a penalty, realtive to Sprint's original word...

There's no such thing as a penalty when the entity prescribing it gives you an alternative better than you had. The fact that you don't see it as such is irrelevent.

On the topic of reading comprehension, I at least understand the terms and conditions of my wireles...
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gloopey1 said:
...
It's like promising someone you'll come to their house on May 5th to help them move, then your kid gets the flu and you can't. Instead, you offer to pay for someone else to do the work instead.
The moving friend who doesn't want hired help because they won't do as good of a job then blames you because you broke your promise. He is especially mad when he finds out that if he doesn't accept your alternative, he's shelling out more of his own money to move.

Thank you so much, that explains everything.

Didn't they do the song "What Would Brian Boitano Do?"