In what might be an effort to distract people from Sprint’s lack of strong network coverage, the carrier decided to focus the attention on one of its competitors instead — Verizon. Accompanied by a press release, Sprint released a promo video for a fake pop-up shop called “Twice the Price” — a store that stocks food, household items, and more, for double the price.
The video takes on a retro, low-budget feel similar to those Uncle Majic commercials you see running at the earliest hours of the morning. But instead of promoting kid’s birthday parties, the store’s owner and vice president — who shockingly goes by the name of Uncle Danny — takes you through what looks like a dollar store as he shouts prices at customers. Twice the Price mocks Verizon right down to the branding, by poking fun a the carrier’s traditional look and sticking with a red and black color scheme on all the signage.
The store is also conveniently located right next to — you guessed it — a Verizon store in Flushing, New York, and open for one day only. “If you’re already here paying twice as much for their unlimited plan, why not hop on over and waste your money with us too,” Uncle Danny says to end the video on a hilarious note — that also gets you thinking. The last clip includes Sprint cleverly sneaking in their own rates for unlimited lines.
Last month, the company announced one year of free unlimited data if you switched over from your current carrier. Currently, Sprint is offering $22.50 per line until September 30 with the fifth line free. Once the promotion ends, the price will increase to $60 a month for the first line, $40 per month for the second, and $30 per month for any additional lines. On the other hand, Verizon’s unlimited plan is four lines at $45 per line — which as you can see is literally twice the price — touché, Sprint.
While Uncle Danny makes the case that it is “better because it costs more,” Sprint cannot hide from concrete facts — the carrier took last place in every category ranging from speed to latency in the 2016 OpenSignal report. Verizon managed to place first for 4G network coverage along with second place for both 4G speed and latency — but this clearly still does not hold Sprint back from using cheaper prices to its advantage.
