Database Users

Latest Price Confusion

I have read every topic about the changing price of the off contract Vibrant. Many folks said that customer service told them $449. I talked to a "live chat" rep who told me $449 or $499. The yesterday I went into Radio Shack where they told me the off contract price is $599. Today I called a T-mobile store and called the T-Mobile 800 number and both told me they had no information. Are we just going to have to wait two more days?
If the price jumps too high I am going with the international version. The only reason I am going with the Vibrant is because of the low cost. If they want $599, I'll get the international version for that same price and it will have a front facing camera.

yesterday tmo cs told me $439
today i called into a tmo store as they had said when they received their shipment, they could scan it and see what the system indicated
when he did, he said off contract price was $499
i'm starting to think that is the real price

$439 is the basic upgrade price, not the off contract price.

I've been told they can't tell. Some say maybe 439 some say 499 some say 450..
I mean wtf How come they DONT know....

temperbad said:
I've been told they can't tell. Some say maybe 439 some say 499 some say 450..
I mean wtf How come they DONT know....
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I even went to @Tmobile_USA for an answer and got this back:
@moonrock Good question. You will be able to check your specific pricing once the phone launches either online, by phone, or in store. ^TG
... gee, thanks?

Is this real life?
So with the off contract price I can get unlimited txt and web for $60 a month? This is madness. I tested with another Android phone they have for sale (myTouch™ 3G) and it allowed me to do this plan.

I am wondering if they haven't 'officially' set the no contract price yet.
There have been some blog posts floating that the AT&T version (Captivate) was supposed to be $349 off contract. If that's really true then t-mobile is going to have to lower their price at some point.

Why do you guys think that while the 16gb international version is over $600, the T-Mobile off-contract price will be half that?
It doesn't make sense.

att non contract is 350 or so they have been saying everywhere. lets see what happens

systoxity said:
att non contract is 350 or so they have been saying everywhere. lets see what happens
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Again, it doesn't make much sense: who in their right mind will sign a two year contract, if the price difference between contract and no contract is $150?

i understand what you're saying, but a lot of folks don't put that much thought into it - all they'll see is $150 savings, plus the econ is tight for a lot of folks

Can anyone confirm.
If you pay full retail for the phone you can sign up for 500mins +unlimited txt,data for $59.99 a month?

Pops_G said:
Can anyone confirm.
If you pay full retail for the phone you can sign up for 500mins +unlimited txt,data for $59.99 a month?
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I got a SIM only for this price and those terms.
BTW, if you go to Wirefly.com, they sell the Vibrant for $50 less than T-Mobile, but without contract the price is $569.99.
So much for $350

Pops_G said:
Can anyone confirm.
If you pay full retail for the phone you can sign up for 500mins +unlimited txt,data for $59.99 a month?
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Your talking about the Even more plus plan.
It's cheaper than the contract plan and yes that is the price
I pay $69 for 1000 min and unlimited text & web

Best place to get a Vibrant off contract

I've been following the Galaxy S and Vibrant releases for a while and love the Vibrant. I however have a problem concerning plans. Since I will only be using its Internet capabilities where I have Wi-Fi (college, home, work), I have no need or desire for a data plan. T-Mobile REQUIRES new devices are sold with data plans so my question is.
1.Would getting a Vibrant from Ebay (for ~$500) and using my old SIM be the best option?
2. Can I just walk into a Tmobile store and tell them I want to purchase a RETAIL ($500) Vibrant with no contract or SIM and get one that way (or are they going to add a data plan and ask me for my Tmobile line credentials to do so)?
3. Is getting a Vibrant on contract for $200 + data plan and then cancelling the contract after the 15th day the cheapest option?
I suppose I would prefer to buy it from Tmobile, even at retail price since I get the manufacturer insurance of 1 year (have needed it before) free though if not possible, Ebay is an option too. I'm just looking at getting it as cheap as possible without having to do a 2-year data plan contract.
Thx.

I bought it at T-mobile off contract, however i made some other account changes while i was there so not sure if they require anything account wise when buying off contract.

I see. What kind of changes did you make? Adding a data plan or something else?
Do you think I can walk into a store, and buy a Vibrant for $500 WITHOUT providing any account information so that they cannot associate my account with the phone?
I'd like to keep my contract AS IS currently, and if possible not renew it (it just passed the 2 years mark so I can technically get a discounted phone if I renew it but I do not like T-Mobile's new contracts. I have unlimited texting on my line through a Family plan)

you might try asking this over in the the Tmobile vibrant forum
i believe you can cancel the data plan after or during the first month but i'm not the expert

costco WAS selling Vibrants off-contract (even more plans) for $229. not sure if its still ongoing.

Either costco or t-mobile. At costco they have to tie it it to a new phone line, which you can cancel at any time since you aren't under contact, pretty sure there is no fee.
I opted to but at tmo, and have the price split up over 20 payments interest free. I already had an existing android plan though.

andy2na said:
costco WAS selling Vibrants off-contract (even more plans) for $229. not sure if its still ongoing.
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Even More plans are contract plans. Are you talking about Even More Plus plans?
Go by a T-Mobile store and ask or call their customer service. You'll get a much better answer straight from the horse's mouth than you will from here.
I've heard about people trying to get a discounted phone with a new contract or making changes to their plan so they qualify and then immediately change things around in a manner that would disqualify them from the discount after they got it and then T-Mobile hit them with the remaining amount for the full price of the phone in their next bill. I guess it's their way of saying "cheaters never prosper".

If I buy it from Tmobile with ANY sort of contract...Even more Plus or Even More, they WILL add a data plan to it. There is also activation fees for a new line so not only will I have to pay the $500 for an even more plus plan, but I would have to CANCEL the line...in that case I may as well get it off of Ebay and save myself the hassle of all that.

The T-Mo forums are really helpful with everything other than development. Try there or stop at an official T-Mo store. The third party official partner places get paid to sell contracts. I've had some bad experiences on eBay and had to go to resolution with the seller twice on pre-smartphone phones, so beware.

What kind of bad experiences exactly?

If I were you and looking for a SGS I'd buy the full model that has all the extras... or possibly even the version with a slide out keyboard and ffc. The SGS Pro i believe it is.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

}{Alienz}{ said:
What kind of bad experiences exactly?
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Wrong carrier on one occasion and got a refurbished instead of new phone the other time. I have gotten good deals as well, so it's a crapshoot. I probably didn't screen the seller as well as I should have, just looked at the overall rating.
Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using XDA App

you could probably call tmo or stop in to a tmo corp store and ask, I find they are usually very helpful about things like this. side note i actually had a long conversation w/ the rep at the store when i bought my vibrant about cyanogenmod and phone modding, which he has done to his phones.

OMG, costco was selling this for $250 no contract and noone spread the good news. SHAME ON YOU ALL.
Know if i can still get it @ 250?
if you find any good deals please post it here. thanks

engineer14 said:
OMG, costco was selling this for $250 no contract and noone spread the good news. SHAME ON YOU ALL.
Know if i can still get it @ 250?
if you find any good deals please post it here. thanks
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Nope. A memo was sent out and they raised the price Tuesday morning to $479. Think the $250 was a pricing error.

The best deal is with Bing cashback! $325
Go to bing.com
search for tmobile (you should see gold dollar sign w 35% off)
click on the link to tmobile site then do your shopping
I got my phone for $325 and on top of that, 35% off activation and the $59 plan.
so my total saving was $208
But bing is ending its cashback program at the end of july so better hurry!

I don't see the gold $ when I search t-mobile nor when I do my shopping after clicking through bing do I get the discount.
Is there supposd to be some code you put? Is it possible for you to just post a link?

too bad Bing cashback is gone at the end of the month.
@killer bee
See picture

hpz937 said:
you could probably call tmo or stop in to a tmo corp store and ask, I find they are usually very helpful about things like this. side note i actually had a long conversation w/ the rep at the store when i bought my vibrant about cyanogenmod and phone modding, which he has done to his phones.
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I went to check the phone out the phone at a local store and someone was playing with the demo so the rep let me play with his personal phone. I noticed he had the su app installed lol
Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using XDA App

engineer14 said:
OMG, costco was selling this for $250 no contract and noone spread the good news. SHAME ON YOU ALL.
Know if i can still get it @ 250?
if you find any good deals please post it here. thanks
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I totally agree! I recently switched our 5 phones over from AT&t and we went with Even More Plus because it's cheaper in the long run and no contract. However, we had to pay full price for the phones. Two of them were basic flip phones, but three of them were Samsung Vibrants at $500 apiece. We bought them at a T-Mobile corporate store and the most they did for us was waive the activation fee (which I found out would have been done anyway as a AAA member) and give us one free car charger when we bought the other two. We shelled out $1500 for the three Vibrants and we could have paid $750 at Costco!!!!! We're still in our 14 day return period, obviously, so if this is all true I'm going to call T-Mobile and see what can be done.

evo off contract

i asked this in a thread a while back, but it got passed up.
if you purchased and activated an evo off contract, what was there to gain? it seems like it wouldn't be worth it for the evo, since everyone was supposed to upgrade their plan a mandatory simply everything data plan + premium data. before with other phones, i could see the allure, but now, not so much, unless you found a way to keep your old plan.

i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.

radar5 said:
i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.
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that makes sense. it just seemed like alot of people got it in their heads that they would not be tied down to a contract no matter what, and it didn't seem to be worth it anymore.

radar5 said:
i suppose if you weren't due for an upgrade, you had no other option but to buy it that way. Then Sprint can change your plan without extending your contract.
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Lol i laugh when customers tell me they arent due for an Upgrade. Ive upgraded 4 times this year. But yea there is NO way yo keep your old plan. The Evo is only compatible with the Everything Data Plan and the Simply Everything Plan. No exceptions. Ive tryed everything to get around it. I had to leave me Sero Plan to get the evo

i'm on the everything data plus plan (long story) but that was about all i could do.

I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).

I bought mine from best buy for the $200 dollar two year contract. My old contract expired earlier this year. Now, somehow my account shows that my contract expired 2 1/2 years ago. Not that I'm complaining, but anyone know how that could have happened? I double checked with the upgrade checker on best buys website, it shows the same thing.

TheBiles said:
I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).
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expiration dates don't change if you are not receiving anything (subsidized phone on the same line, 75/150 off your bill.)
i should have wrote "mandatory". it looks like you lucked out. what plan do you have?

akastixx said:
expiration dates don't change if you are not receiving anything (subsidized phone on the same line, 75/150 off your bill.)
i should have wrote "mandatory". it looks like you lucked out. what plan do you have?
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How did I luck out? I didn't renew my contract because I bought it off contract. Anyone else could do the same thing. No one forces you to use an upgrade.

with google voice account... seems like sprint could turn your phone off and you could still have a phone...lol

I buy all my phones outright. I would have bought my Evo if I didn't get one free from Google. Only phone I ever got on-contract was my 1st gen iPhone. At this point I go through 2 phones a year so off contract is way cheaper for me.

TheBiles said:
How did I luck out? I didn't renew my contract because I bought it off contract. Anyone else could do the same thing. No one forces you to use an upgrade.
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i thought everyone had to change their plan to one of the new ones regardless if they activated an evo on their account. if my last statement is correct (barring rulebending/sweetalking/retentions/ etc. or the oct. 1st sero rumor), then you are lucky to have your same plan (+$10).
StevenCCCP said:
I buy all my phones outright. I would have bought my Evo if I didn't get one free from Google. Only phone I ever got on-contract was my 1st gen iPhone. At this point I go through 2 phones a year so off contract is way cheaper for me.
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i used to get mine off contract, but with having to get the new plan, i just didn't see a reason. once again, your situation is somewhat different than the norm since you got the i/o phone, and since you switch phones so often, it would make sense as your phones retain most of their resale value. i guess my question goes out more to the people who are eligible for a full upgrade.
thanks for the replies

The additional $10 fee doesn't change or extend your plan. It just adds $10/month, the same way insurance adds $7/month.
--
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.

TheBiles said:
The additional $10 fee doesn't change or extend your plan. It just adds $10/month, the same way insurance adds $7/month.
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True, with OTHER PHONES. If you (or anyone else) were able to get by without having to change plans, cool, they just didn't write the terms that way for THIS PHONE.
"If you’re already a Sprint customer but have a different plan, you’ll have to change plans when you activate your device. Also, once you change your plan, you will not be able to change back to your old plan if we no longer sell it, even if you go back to your old phone."
Nothing in their verbage says you have to extend your contract of enter one if you pay full price or get it from another party, but the terms for the evo state that if you use the phone on sprint, you have to change your plan. will people be able to get away without having to? of course, but I already mentioned that in my last post.

TheBiles said:
I got mine off contract, and the only thing that changed in my plan was adding the additonal $10 fee, which did not affect my contract expiration date (which is still October 1st).
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I thought Sprint was not selling them off-contract?

akastixx said:
True, with OTHER PHONES. If you (or anyone else) were able to get by without having to change plans, cool, they just didn't write the terms that way for THIS PHONE.
"If you’re already a Sprint customer but have a different plan, you’ll have to change plans when you activate your device. Also, once you change your plan, you will not be able to change back to your old plan if we no longer sell it, even if you go back to your old phone."
Nothing in their verbage says you have to extend your contract of enter one if you pay full price or get it from another party, but the terms for the evo state that if you use the phone on sprint, you have to change your plan. will people be able to get away without having to? of course, but I already mentioned that in my last post.
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I'm pretty sure that is for people on those ancient SERO plans that give them unlimited data for like $40. I already had an unlimited everything plan, so I just needed the $10 fee.
gmanvbva said:
I thought Sprint was not selling them off-contract?
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I got mine from Google I/O, but my local stores were selling them for the $450 MSRP.

goodelyfe said:
with google voice account... seems like sprint could turn your phone off and you could still have a phone...lol
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I am pretty sure that would only work where you have a WiFi signal, and you may be limited to no MMS, since MMS can't be sent/received over WiFI.
NOW, If you were to let sprint turn you off, and start an account with CLEAR for their WiFi and used your Google Voice number, I THINK you would have phone and Data Anywhere there is a Clear signal....

dj_jelly said:
Lol i laugh when customers tell me they arent due for an Upgrade. Ive upgraded 4 times this year. But yea there is NO way yo keep your old plan. The Evo is only compatible with the Everything Data Plan and the Simply Everything Plan. No exceptions. Ive tryed everything to get around it. I had to leave me Sero Plan to get the evo
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I'm confused...how did you get 4 upgrades in a year? I would love 4 upgrades a year. I could get another evo or epic for someone else on my plan.

beandogg said:
I'm confused...how did you get 4 upgrades in a year? I would love 4 upgrades a year. I could get another evo or epic for someone else on my plan.
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He's apparently an employee. Just do what I do: Keep your phone in very good condition and sell it when you get another one. I sold my ancient Hero for $300 when the EVO came out, which is more than the rebates.

thenewguy821 said:
I am pretty sure that would only work where you have a WiFi signal, and you may be limited to no MMS, since MMS can't be sent/received over WiFI.
NOW, If you were to let sprint turn you off, and start an account with CLEAR for their WiFi and used your Google Voice number, I THINK you would have phone and Data Anywhere there is a Clear signal....
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thanks captain obvious.... i didnt write that cuz its an understood, right? besides, wifi is just about everywhere. meh @ MMS when you have email accounts. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice and venture other avenues to do what you like

You guys getting it at full price?

or is everyone conveniently in time for an upgrade?
Just curious because everytime a major phone comes out, people rush out to get it, but are they paying full price or what?
And if you got it, thoughts?

I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....

I paid in full because I have EM+ plan (unlocked phone plan).

mmas0n said:
I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....
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I'm in that same boat... Usually you can re-coup most of what you paid for the original unit and come out very little out of pocket to pick up a new handset.

I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.

Full price and in my hands. Screen is nice.

irishrally said:
I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.
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A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?

bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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It's the even more plus plan. They stopped featuring it on the website but are (as of now) still selling it through t-mobile stores. It's not officially promoted anymore that's why you have to ask for it at your local t-mobile store.
With the EM+ plan I get 2 lines, 1500 minutes, unlimited text and web for $120. Saves me having to get a landline.

It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.

I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?

irishrally said:
It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.
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Very cool information. Many thanks to you both. My company offers a T-Mobile discount, got a guess if I could use it on these plans?

I had to get mine for full price. Apparently I was only eligible for some thing where I pay the first month upfront and pay slightly more for the phone because my credit doesn't exist, and the Nexus couldn't be activated with that option. Instead, I got a "free" phone with contract, then I just got an unlocked Nexus to put on my account. Unfortunately, they'd only let me get a free Sony Ericsson instead of an LG Optimus since it was their idea in the first place. Best Buy did pay my first month's contract and all fees that go with the first activation, though. That made me very happy since it was about $190.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Do what I did:
Get a 2-year contract with a free LG Optimus then get an unlocked Nexus. You can sell the Optimus for quite a bit (definitely more than $100).

bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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Go to the nearest T-Mobile corp store and ask for Even More Plus (aka Unlocked Phone Plan).

irishrally said:
I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.
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yeah. My idea is to do what someone else suggested. Go get a free phone and then pay full price for the Nexus S. I can sell the free phone andmake soem $$ back. OR i could just get a contract free monthly plan and buy the Nexus S for full price. That way i wont be locked into a contract. Problem is, there is only 4 stores in my area that are the Best Buy Mobile stores where they have boxes and boxes of Nexus S phones.
To be honest, i dont know what the problem is with the Best Buy Mobile i went to. If i can qualify for a $250,000 house with no issues, i think i can buy a dam phone for the 2 year contract price.
Lets see how much i can sell the Nexus One i have for on Craigslist. That may help me decide.

better than EM+
...is EM+ FAMILY plan. Just got my wife and I on it. Only available by phone or in a T-Mobile store. Saves you > $1000 over normal contract, over 2 years. Hey, that's about the price of two phones!

I bought two outright. I've been with t-mobile for 12 years. I get unlimited talk, text, and web for $93.87 a month.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?

sshtac said:
Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?
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The one thing we have in common is a recent house purchase. Mine is about 14 months. My credit is fine, not perfect, but still very good.
I felt the same exact way "just give me the 2 year contract price and stop trying to confuse the **** out of me with all this other crap."
Why the hell would I pay $490 for a phone AND a 2 year contract when I can just buy the stupid phone for $530? I think ill just wait for an att version or the PlayStation phone. Screw T-Mobile.

[Q] Is it better to buy from the Play Store or T-mobile?

So, while I've 100% decided to finally get a new, better phone (I'm currently using a T-mob G2, albeit on 4.0.4), and I've decided on the Nexus 4, I'm having a hard time deciding where to get it from. I'm hoping the wisdom of the xda userbase can help me make an informed decision.
I've been a T-mobile customer since 1998, and I don't really see myself leaving anytime soon. I'm on a "classic" plan and due for an upgrade, so the 16GB N4 would be $199 (after mail-in rebate), versus $349 from the play store.
Are there *any* differences between the two models? Not hardware-wise, obviously, but software. Will the carrier version be just as easily rootable as the play store version? If I'll definitely be with T-mobile for the life of the contract, without even considering the ETF then, is there any benefit to getting the unlocked version? My G2 is sim-unlocked, but I haven't used that aspect of it at all in the last two years.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
-John

chinly43 said:
So, while I've 100% decided to finally get a new, better phone (I'm currently using a T-mob G2, albeit on 4.0.4), and I've decided on the Nexus 4, I'm having a hard time deciding where to get it from. I'm hoping the wisdom of the xda userbase can help me make an informed decision.
I've been a T-mobile customer since 1998, and I don't really see myself leaving anytime soon. I'm on a "classic" plan and due for an upgrade, so the 16GB N4 would be $199 (after mail-in rebate), versus $349 from the play store.
Are there *any* differences between the two models? Not hardware-wise, obviously, but software. Will the carrier version be just as easily rootable as the play store version? If I'll definitely be with T-mobile for the life of the contract, without even considering the ETF then, is there any benefit to getting the unlocked version? My G2 is sim-unlocked, but I haven't used that aspect of it at all in the last two years.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
-John
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Hey John!
They are the SAME exact model. Both are unlocked. The one T-Mobile is selling, is the one directly from the play store, just at a lower on-contract price.

iAndropple said:
Hey John!
They are the SAME exact model. Both are unlocked. The one T-Mobile is selling, is the one directly from the play store, just at a lower on-contract price.
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Thanks for the reply!
When you say the T-mobile one is "unlocked", do you mean completely, or just the bootloader? Not a deal-breaker, just curious.

chinly43 said:
Thanks for the reply!
When you say the T-mobile one is "unlocked", do you mean completely, or just the bootloader? Not a deal-breaker, just curious.
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The phone will be carrier/SIM unlocked, even if you buy it from T-Mobile.

drumist said:
The phone will be carrier/SIM unlocked, even if you buy it from T-Mobile.
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Terrific! So it's just a matter of price, then, which I can certainly figure out myself. Thanks for answering!

chinly43 said:
Terrific! So it's just a matter of price, then, which I can certainly figure out myself. Thanks for answering!
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Noo problemmmm

Hey the $199 cost is actually greater than if you simply bought the phone from the playstore or from tmobile for the value plan. The classic plan prices are much greater than the value plan, I would recommend getting the value plan where it will $200 upfront like the classic but you will pay the rest off monthly. Even with this cost added it is significantly cheaper than classic.

aces_500 said:
Hey the $199 cost is actually greater than if you simply bought the phone from the playstore or from tmobile for the value plan. The classic plan prices are much greater than the value plan, I would recommend getting the value plan where it will $200 upfront like the classic but you will pay the rest off monthly. Even with this cost added it is significantly cheaper than classic.
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I definitely appreciate the advice, and while what you're saying true for most people, I'm not sure if it applies to me. I'm on a family plan that has different contract-end dates for each line; what I've gathered online, then, is that although I'm past the end of my particular line's contract, because others are not we'd have to pay a $200 "migration fee" to change to the value-type plan, which would be $10/month cheaper. The combined extra $150 from the play store (or $350 from the t-mob store) and $200 fee don't offset the $240 saved with the cheaper bill.
On the other hand, I haven't asked in person at a T-mobile store if I'm getting this all correct, and I could easily be wrong. If anyone knows for sure, they could chime in here to let me know I'm right or wrong!
EDIT: Plus, the rest of the family would then not get discounts on their eventual new phones if they were to want them.

Thread title should be amended:
To be reamed or not to be reamed, that is the question.
And if you have to ask ......

compact_bijou said:
Thread title should be amended:
To be reamed or not to be reamed, that is the question.
And if you have to ask ......
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Funny, but if you read through, it looks like if I'm planning to stick with the same (family) plan I have right now, it's probably cheaper for me to get it subsidized.

I wonder if you can go into the TMo and see if you can get the phone for the Play Store price.
I'd wait until the 13th and see.

chinly43 said:
So, while I've 100% decided to finally get a new, better phone (I'm currently using a T-mob G2, albeit on 4.0.4), and I've decided on the Nexus 4, I'm having a hard time deciding where to get it from. I'm hoping the wisdom of the xda userbase can help me make an informed decision.
I've been a T-mobile customer since 1998, and I don't really see myself leaving anytime soon. I'm on a "classic" plan and due for an upgrade, so the 16GB N4 would be $199 (after mail-in rebate), versus $349 from the play store.
Are there *any* differences between the two models? Not hardware-wise, obviously, but software. Will the carrier version be just as easily rootable as the play store version? If I'll definitely be with T-mobile for the life of the contract, without even considering the ETF then, is there any benefit to getting the unlocked version? My G2 is sim-unlocked, but I haven't used that aspect of it at all in the last two years.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
-John
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Just to make sure, that means that we will have access to Google Wallet and everything else if we buy from T-Mobile, right?

bfspider said:
I wonder if you can go into the TMo and see if you can get the phone for the Play Store price.
I'd wait until the 13th and see.
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Doubt it. There wouldn't be a real reason to sell a phone without a contract and discount it down $150. No incentive for the store, T-Mobile, sales reps. etc.

Guys i have a question maybe you guys can answer for me. THis is the first time me and my husband have been with a GSM network and i plan on getting the phone through play store BUT here is my question....
"what are you guys talking about when you mention classic plan and value plan? Does tmobile charge you $200 then the extra a month on a regular upgrade if your available for one? Im so confused and have seen this floating around quit a bit. Does it only apply to this phone or do they do this with every phone? with my past carriers i have been able to get a phone when available for an upgrade at the upgrade price without extra a month so i am just curious as to what all this means?" Can someone please explain this to me lol

branzno said:
Guys i have a question maybe you guys can answer for me. THis is the first time me and my husband have been with a GSM network and i plan on getting the phone through play store BUT here is my question....
"what are you guys talking about when you mention classic plan and value plan? Does tmobile charge you $200 then the extra a month on a regular upgrade if your available for one? Im so confused and have seen this floating around quit a bit. Does it only apply to this phone or do they do this with every phone? with my past carriers i have been able to get a phone when available for an upgrade at the upgrade price without extra a month so i am just curious as to what all this means?" Can someone please explain this to me lol
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If I am correct, when you purchase the phone under a value plan you pay $200 but then you also pay a monthly amount in addition to your plan until the phone is fully paid off. The monthly amount you pay in addition to the initial 200 will add up to Tmobile's price for the device without a contract. However if you purchase the device under the classic plan, you pay one flat fee for the phone and there is no additional cost to your monthly plan besides the first months upgrade fee ($35 I believe).

chinly43 said:
Funny, but if you read through, it looks like if I'm planning to stick with the same (family) plan I have right now, it's probably cheaper for me to get it subsidized.
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If you (and only you) got off your family plan, you could go to StraightTalk (still using T-Mobile's coverage, or AT&T's if you prefer) and pay $45/mo. for unlimited everything. Is that still more expensive than your portion of your family plan costs? Seems unlikely.

Are you guys sure there are no differences? I just read that the T-Mobile version will be using their HSPA+42, while others will be using +21.
Oh wait, the site says 42. I HOPE THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES because I will be buying it from the Play Store since I am on the poor family plan. Essentially I am saving $250.

AlleN7 said:
Are you guys sure there are no differences? I just read that the T-Mobile version will be using their HSPA+42, while others will be using +21.
Oh wait, the site says 42. I HOPE THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES because I will be buying it from the Play Store since I am on the poor family plan. Essentially I am saving $250.
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I am pretty sure there are no differences between the devices! From all the articles I have read they seem to be exactly the same.

Any one know if they will be covered under insurane if bought from the play store? Wondering if the numbers match up so in case of an accident asurion wont weasel out as usual.
N2

Initial_G said:
I am pretty sure there are no differences between the devices! From all the articles I have read they seem to be exactly the same.
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At first I thought they were the same and then I got confused because I read an article where a guy was mad because only T-mobile was selling it with their contract. Others had to get it thru Google Store. Then he complained that it didnt have LTE and that T-mobile one had HSPA+ 42, while the other only had HSPA+ 21. I dunno. I can't wait!