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i currently got an upgrade on my line for the mytouch 4g. i don't know if i should return it and buy the phone instead. being stuck two years with the data plans kinda scares me. i was on even more plus before when i had my nexus one and it felt better to know i can cancel my data plan whenever.
one of the reason i signed a contract was because i'm in a family plan with my parents. since they've already signed a two years contract, i have to wait for another two years before i can be on my own.
so i'm thinking, which one is better for me? even tho i wasn't on a contract before, i still have to wait two years for my parents contract to expired. so it basically the same thing without the data plan add on. (except they added another 5 to my account now. the data plan was only 25 dollars before. now it's 30.)
should i return the phone and just buy it outright? but i don't think tmobile sells insurance if you just buy the phone tho. it kinda risky knowing that it could break down any second.
thanks in advance.
tigerin said:
i currently got an upgrade on my line for the mytouch 4g. i don't know if i should return it and buy the phone instead. being stuck two years with the data plans kinda scares me. i was on even more plus before when i had my nexus one and it felt better to know i can cancel my data plan whenever.
one of the reason i signed a contract was because i'm in a family plan with my parents. since they've already signed a two years contract, i have to wait for another two years before i can be on my own.
so i'm thinking, which one is better for me? even tho i wasn't on a contract before, i still have to wait two years for my parents contract to expired. so it basically the same thing without the data plan add on. (except they added another 5 to my account now. the data plan was only 25 dollars before. now it's 30.)
should i return the phone and just buy it outright? but i don't think tmobile sells insurance if you just buy the phone tho. it kinda risky knowing that it could break down any second.
thanks in advance.
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Tmo does offer insurance. As for your plan, you could try calling and talking with customer retention and tell them you are ONLY thinking of returning it. They might offer you a deal where you return it and get one from them directly (got mine for $99, and the plan for $20).
If you got that deal and canceled down the road , you would still be better off than simply buying the phone full price now ($99 plus cancellation charge is less).
Good luck
thanks! i've just called them and the lady there was willing to put my data plan back down to 25 dollars and offered one month free of data. she seem nice and helpful, so i don't want to give her a hard time and push more.
I bought mine off contract. They give you 20 months to pay @ 0% interest.
So, if you pay the $199 + tax on the full price that is approx. $250...
I paid $450 + tax ... approx. $500
The subsidized plan that I am on would be $79/month, but I am paying only $59 with no contract... a difference of $20 a month.
My monthly phone payment is about $25/month..... buying outright is cheaper than contract pricing for the full 2 year term:
Subsidized price after 2 years = $199 price + $50 tax on full purchase price +$480 (24 x $20 more for subsidized plan) = $729 + ongoing $20 month more after 2 years that is not paying for anything... just gravy for the carrier.
Full purchase price = $450 + $50 = $500. cancel anytime. sell phone. walk away.
In addition, I also got them to give me a $90 credit on my account... basically getting the sales tax back and activation fee refunded... AND they don't start billing for the phone until 2011.
**This is of course if you stay with the same phone and plan for 2 years and you don't change your plan once your contract is up.
I bought it straight up also, no contract
Same hers. Straight up
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straight up, i think i may return it though and buy it straight up from costco for 399.99 unless tmobile price matchs
PolishDude said:
straight up, i think i may return it though and buy it straight up from costco for 399.99 unless tmobile price matchs
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I'm not yet eligible for an ugrade and Costco would not sell it to me straight up..
rosie said:
I'm not yet eligible for an ugrade and Costco would not sell it to me straight up..
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sure they will, jsut say you want to buy it with a even more plus plan...they will open the plan for you...as soon as you leave the store, call tmobile and cancel the plan.... easy
I've bought both my G2 and MT4G from tmobile straight up. Both are on installment plans. Sold the G2, and now debating about the MT4G. I like the fact that we can pay ~$20 a month for the phone rather than $500 out right. The only time I feel I wished I had a plan with equipment discounts is when they do BOGO, other than that, I like the cheaper monthly rates.
I still think a good price on the phone ($99-149) and plan from retention is the best (unless you have one of those vintage $4.99 plans that some are still using on N1's).
As long as you are using the phone and plan going forward, you are ahead (assuming your data plan would be either lower than your current plan or not much more). If you want to eBay it - then you would have the cancellation charge. Combined with a good phone price, you are still ahead.
And if you were going to stay with the TMo data plan anyway - you would be way ahead.
I had even considered getting TMo to unlock the MT4G (I always do), and keeping my N1 and selling it on eBay.
With it rooted, am now probably looking at eBaying the N1 and keeping this.
So I have been thinking. What would I be willing to pay for a phone off contract? Well. Bought my Vibrant for off contract, and it took a nice piece out of my wallet.
So my question is for you guys, Would you be willing to pay for a phone off contract for the right price? What would that price be?
Please leave comments on what you think.
I realize this is a very general question but I'm turning to my fellow Vibrant owners first.
Question to you or anybody that bought it off contract...Do you guys have a data plan?
No data plan. The only reason I bought it off contract
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emonero said:
Question to you or anybody that bought it off contract...Do you guys have a data plan?
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I bought 2 Vibrants off contract when T-Mo had some crazy Bing cash back - like 25% or something. I do have a data plan with both.
Now, we use Even More Plus, so between the two of us we're saving something like $40/month over the rates on an equivalent Even More plan. That quickly adds up to make buying off-contract a better option if you can get phones for even slightly below MSRP, and it's an absolute no brainer for a phone enthusiast who likes to switch often and trade on Ebay or Craigslist.
I'm very disappointed that EM+ seems to be going away. It's one of the reasons I switched to T-Mobile and IMO is about the best value in mobile.
Even more plus, bought off contract with payment plan (reimbursed through work though).
All of my phones eventually become my wife's phones when I choose to upgrade.
contract is a gimmick and you eventually pay full price for phone. What do you think that extra $20 or so month goes to
my no contract Even More 500TTW is $60 on contract its $80 no thanks
To quickly crunch some numbers...
On contact the phone cost roughly $200 and an additional $20 a month over the EM+ plan. Over the 24 month contract that equals a $680 phone.
From my perspective anything under that price is worth it. Not to mention out of contract allows for mobile flexibility should you need it.
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Last fathers day I wanted to cash in on the 2 free phone deal, and being an existing tmobile member for the last 5 years I was not eligible, so I called them anyways and said I have been with tmobile for the last 5 years and want to cash in on this fathers day deal, long story short........got transfered to the loyalty department and they gave me 2 free phones of my choice with the signing off a 2 year contract when my current contract is up at my same no contract rate........here is the greatest part, I can choose any phone whenever I want. so haveing the G1 for so long I said screw it I'll take a Vibrant, now I still have 1 more free phone left to get, my girl likes my vibrant, so I was thinking of handing this one to her and grabbing the Nexus S, but we will see.
Anyways the moral of the story, call and talk to someone, be calm, and ask lots of questions, they are nice at tmobile and they will bend over backwards to keep you as a customer.
Edit: I should also say that I got my G1 for $20 + $50 mail in rebate, so I ended up getting paid $30 and signed a 1 year contract at my current grandfathered rate.......just call and talk to t-mobile
a400meter said:
To quickly crunch some numbers...
On contact the phone cost roughly $200 and an additional $20 a month over the EM+ plan. Over the 24 month contract that equals a $680 phone.
From my perspective anything under that price is worth it. Not to mention out of contract allows for mobile flexibility should you need it.
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Well US phones typically have their bands locked down (or are missing bands). Mobile flexibility probably would amtter to someone who has i.e. a Nokia N8 with a pentaband radio - but a Vibrant doesn't have that.
Going on Contract is cheaper. If you ever want to switch carriers you can just ETF the contract. It goes down every month you're on the contract.
That way you don't have to come up with so much up front for the phone.
Also, you get rebates on contract phones that sometimes aren't available if you buy the phone off-contract (i.e. Web Deals, etc.).
If you do the calculations, off contract is cheaper in the long term.
Not by much considerimg it's over a 2 yeat period. Mosy people don't care.
Thr upfront cost for an unlocked phone is simply too high for most.
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For me, going off-contract was good. It saved me $20 (plus tax) a month on phone charges, and, since I am planning on keeping this phone for a while, it's more than paid for. For me, having a contract and "subsidized" phones means being locked in to the carrier, and ending up paying full price (or more) for the phone on the installment plan.
On contract here. I don't think I could shell out $400+ for a phone just to be an early adopter.
I pay $120 a month for the 700 min family plan which includes my Vibrant with data, 400 texts, insurance, 2 extra lines with 400 texts each and [email protected] home. I also get a %15 discount through my work. There is no other carrier that would come close too that price. I will always buy on contract and keep my grandfathered plan.
Haha i got it free from t-mobile somehow i forgot it has something to do with trading in crappy phones.
Two year contract got me a vibrant for free not on an upgrade ;p
The day this phone came out!!
nero beta
badaphooko01 said:
On contract here. I don't think I could shell out $400+ for a phone just to be an early adopter.
I pay $120 a month for the 700 min family plan which includes my Vibrant with data, 400 texts, insurance, 2 extra lines with 400 texts each and [email protected] home. I also get a %15 discount through my work. There is no other carrier that would come close too that price. I will always buy on contract and keep my grandfathered plan.
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Sprint would be cheaper. They have just as good discounts as tmo, better for us, but unfortunately no service..
Oh, and unlimited texts, too.
Important on a droid... No push notifications for most (this) phone for fb/twitter.
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N8ter said:
Well US phones typically have their bands locked down (or are missing bands). Mobile flexibility probably would amtter to someone who has i.e. a Nokia N8 with a pentaband radio - but a Vibrant doesn't have that.
Going on Contract is cheaper. If you ever want to switch carriers you can just ETF the contract. It goes down every month you're on the contract.
That way you don't have to come up with so much up front for the phone.
Also, you get rebates on contract phones that sometimes aren't available if you buy the phone off-contract (i.e. Web Deals, etc.).
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Click to collapse
The vibrant actually does have 3g bands for at&t, even though what you say about missing bands is usually true.
Regarding price, if you have a data plan, em+ saves at least $20/month versus contract pricing, so for contract to be cheaper you'd need to either save $480 on a phone, (or less, if you convince tmo to give you phones more frequently).
Now I only paid $300 for our vibrants after rebates, so it was clearly cheaper in our case.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
theres alot of talk of switching from this phone to that, but how do they do it? My dad has always handled the purchasing and contract stuff with tmobile, so i dont know. Theoretically if i wanted to switch from my vib to the G2 (NEVER!), would i just sell my vibrant and buy the G2 at full price?
note: this is just an example, G2's are stupid (for me)
Buying the phone outright, at least on T-Mobile, will give you cheaper rates. Part of your monthly bill is to pay back the difference between what the carrier paid for the phone and the discounted price they sold it to you for. For example, my Evo cost Sprint about $450 to buy it from HTC, however in exchange for a higher bill, they can sell it to me for $200 and make back the money about halfway into my contract. Like I said, I think only T-Mobile will give you lower rates if you choose not to buy the phone at a discounted price from them.
So yes, people usually buy them outright or they buy them for cheap off of friends or idiots on craigslist. If you do the math, most of the time it would cost you less to buy the phone for the full price if it means lower service cost. But most people want instant gratification and think...well they don't think lol.
A job helps. I buy my phones outright because the get more plus plan does not give upgrades, but over the long term, it saves money.
me i actually wait until the store is closed and "let myself in" and its usually a alot of phones out on display.
If you did not buy the phone outright (i.e. as an upgrade for cheap), and wanted to sell it and buy a different phone used, would that cause a problem for your account? Or would it just be as easy as logging into your T-Mobile account and selected a different device for "my phone"?
Terrier Hockey said:
If you did not buy the phone outright (i.e. as an upgrade for cheap), and wanted to sell it and buy a different phone used, would that cause a problem for your account? Or would it just be as easy as logging into your T-Mobile account and selected a different device for "my phone"?
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Once you pay for it, it's yours. You can do whatever the hell you want with it. Sell it, destroy it, whatever. As long as T-Mobile's getting their money, it doesn't matter.
dligon said:
me i actually wait until the store is closed and "let myself in" and its usually a alot of phones out on display.
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DEBO! lmao
IMHO, I'd say once a year is more than sufficient to upgrade your phone in terms of the technological jumps. Anymore than that seems like a waste of money. No one says you have to keep upgrading, its just a matter or preference. If you find a phone you love and works for you, stick with it. If you love having the cutting edge stuff and its worth it to you to spend the money, then by all means, spend spend spend.
a job and full price. lol. i haven't had a contract with tmob for like 4 years anyway...
but then again, i went from a g1 to the vibrant, but i typically get a new phone once a year. had a bb curve, wanted android and got the g1, cm wasn't cutting it on the g1 anymore, so i got the vibrant, when a substantially better phone comes out (dual core, better screen, honeycomb, etc), or the vibrant just isn't working for me i'll get a new one (likely the former).
that or my wife needs a new phone (she has a cliq...), so i may pawn my vibrant off on her and grab an sgs2 or vibrant 4g.
I have enormous piles of money all over my mansion. That's how.
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If you don't have any connections, then the best way is to go on T-mobile's cheap plans and then buy the phones used from a site like ebay or craigslist.
The typical cost for a new-ish smart phone is going to be right around $300... so you are paying more than the $200-with-contract price that T-mobile charges.... but you break even on the extra cost in 5-6 months by avoiding the extra monthly cost for service on a contract (since you buy the phone without signing up for a contract).
You can also usually sell the old phone for ~$100 after you unlock it, and put that money towards your next upgrade.
Right now, I plan to see how the battery life on the dual core phones goes. If battery life is improved, then I will shoot for device running "Ice cream" or whatever comes after honeycomb.
If battery life still sucks, then I will keep my Vibrant (and the 3 spare batteries I have for it) in the short term and keep an eye out for cheaper plans
Im in a college town and I can get things cheap off craigslist. I bought my second vibrant for 120 brand new with accessories. Just got an hd7 for 150 and ive bought 4 hd2 plus a couple broken ones from 40-150.
Key to buying phone monthly is patients, checking craigslist every couple hrs, and lowballing. I love to see a listing up for a couple days because its usually the green light.
Every phone i buy i usually see for 2x what I paid for.
Ive been living off my first real phones tmobile mda, samsung blackjack, and moto milestone. Ive been selling and buying since my mda. I try not to use my own money.
And all but not least I dont care for light cosmetic issues, thats what silicon cases are for.
imitebewrong said:
I have enormous piles of money all over my mansion. That's how.
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Lol
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intruda119 said:
Im in a college town and I can get things cheap off craigslist. I bought my second vibrant for 120 brand new with accessories. Just got an hd7 for 150 and ive bought 4 hd2 plus a couple broken ones from 40-150.
Key to buying phone monthly is patients, checking craigslist every couple hrs, and lowballing. I love to see a listing up for a couple days because its usually the green light.
Every phone i buy i usually see for 2x what I paid for.
Ive been living off my first real phones tmobile mda, samsung blackjack, and moto milestone. Ive been selling and buying since my mda. I try not to use my own money.
And all but not least I dont care for light cosmetic issues, thats what silicon cases are for.
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Exactly. Thats what I do. Just buy phones, make profit, and keep the cycle going until you have the Phones you want and they cost nothing.
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serban954 said:
Exactly. Thats what I do. Just buy phones, make profit, and keep the cycle going until you have the Phones you want and they cost nothing.
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yup all my phones are a result of selling my PSP years ago.
xD
scrizz said:
yup all my phones are a result of selling my PSP years ago.
xD
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only thing I really paid for was my moto miletone. I loved that phone and it was perfect for me. Everything else is from my original purchase of my mda. I get mad when I hear people trying to choose phones or game systems ect. I just bought a newer white 360 with 20inch moniter for 65 bucks on craigslist. Now I got a 2nd moniter and my girl got another 360 exclusive for kinect. Or just sell it and make 200+ for it.
Next I will get atleast 300+ for my 32gb vibrant( this title will make me alot of moniesssss) soon.
funeralthirst said:
a job and full price. lol. i haven't had a contract with tmob for like 4 years anyway...
but then again, i went from a g1 to the vibrant, but i typically get a new phone once a year. had a bb curve, wanted android and got the g1, cm wasn't cutting it on the g1 anymore, so i got the vibrant, when a substantially better phone comes out (dual core, better screen, honeycomb, etc), or the vibrant just isn't working for me i'll get a new one (likely the former).
that or my wife needs a new phone (she has a cliq...), so i may pawn my vibrant off on her and grab an sgs2 or vibrant 4g.
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Click to collapse
Not really. All it takes is a brain. T-Mobile is addicted to promotions. I just upgraded my Vibrant to a HD7 for $200.
Free Online Promotion:
1. Order HD7 from T-Mobile as an Add-a-Line for $0 (they waive the Activation Fee) with a $15 Data Plan and Insurance.
2. Swap the SIMs in the Vibrant and HD7s.
3. Wait 2 Weeks.
3a. Sell the Vibrant for $200+
4. ETF the Line you added when you got the HD7 (it's using your older SIM*).
5. Total Price: $200 (Price of the phone for a new customer).
* You will still qualify for upgrade pricing when you would have if you had kept the Vibrant, because you still have the Vibrant SIM, you ETF'd the new SIM instead
If you're on T-Mobile, watch the promotions and wait. The only time you should feel like you have to get a new phone early is if you've been burned with an earlier purchase - like many [US] Galaxy S users feel they were.
intruda119 said:
only thing I really paid for was my moto miletone. I loved that phone and it was perfect for me. Everything else is from my original purchase of my mda. I get mad when I hear people trying to choose phones or game systems ect. I just bought a newer white 360 with 20inch moniter for 65 bucks on craigslist. Now I got a 2nd moniter and my girl got another 360 exclusive for kinect. Or just sell it and make 200+ for it.
Next I will get atleast 300+ for my 32gb vibrant( this title will make me alot of moniesssss) soon.
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Click to collapse
The newer 360s aren't White, they're black.
Unless you meant a newer white 360 that isn't guaranteed to fail on you sooner or later?
The new Black "S" or pre-"S" Elite Models are fine, though.
The white ones... I wouldn't spend anything on them.
Buy a phone from craigslist and sell your old one on craigslist.
N8ter said:
Not really. All it takes is a brain. T-Mobile is addicted to promotions. I just upgraded my Vibrant to a HD7 for $200.
Free Online Promotion:
1. Order HD7 from T-Mobile as an Add-a-Line for $0 (they waive the Activation Fee) with a $15 Data Plan and Insurance.
2. Swap the SIMs in the Vibrant and HD7s.
3. Wait 2 Weeks.
3a. Sell the Vibrant for $200+
4. ETF the Line you added when you got the HD7 (it's using your older SIM*).
5. Total Price: $200 (Price of the phone for a new customer).
* You will still qualify for upgrade pricing when you would have if you had kept the Vibrant, because you still have the Vibrant SIM, you ETF'd the new SIM instead
If you're on T-Mobile, watch the promotions and wait. The only time you should feel like you have to get a new phone early is if you've been burned with an earlier purchase - like many [US] Galaxy S users feel they were.
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Click to collapse
yeah, you could do that. but you pay more monthly on a contract plan than a no contract plan. plus, if i have a problem with something (or want to go to a contract for a phone), tmob is much more receptive to what i want when i'm off contract (and they check how long i've had service with them).
and i think you mean cancel the new sim/line and pay the etf on that. otherwise you lose future upgrade capability on the existing line. you physically swap the sim card between the two phones, but you cancel the sim that came with the <new phone line>. sim cards can't be reused, so you wouldn't be able to make your old sim use the new line's number and i'm pretty sure a sim has to be associated with a line.
why wait 2 weeks and why buy insurance? or is the two weeks to make sure the imei of the new phone takes for insurance (i don't have phone insurance, it's pointless)?
the hd7? that's a downgrade... and 'get a new phone early'? two years (22 months) between new phones is ridiculous, or at least is for any smartphone. once a year is about right with how technology is moving on phones.
i'm much happier just paying full price than doing some 'activate new line, call and ***** they didn't waive the activation fee, make sure the imei transfered for insurance, cancel line, pay more each month, etc.' dance.
xmrtarox said:
Buy a phone from craigslist and sell your old one on craigslist.
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That depends on where you live. Since this is the Vibrant forum I'll assume we're talking T-Mobile...
Not many people around here have T-Mobile, and their coverage is worst than Boost and Virgin so there are probably more people on Boost than on T-Mobile. Trying to sell a T-Mobile phone here won't get you anywhere.
Plus, the Value of these phones have gone down quite a bit.
Most people don't really see a point in buying a phone at off-contract prices, or anything close, because even if you buy at contract price and ETF 2 weeks later, the phone is cheaper.
So I rather buy on contract knowing I'm not poor and can ETF at any time on T-Mobile than buy a $500 phone and act like I'm better off because I'm off-contract.
$499 off contract, or $199 (with rebats) + $200 ETF fee two a few weeks later to end the contract?
Don't see a point in paying those prices for off-contract phones...
The contract prices only matter if you stay on the contract the entire time, but it's ALMOST ALWAYS cheaper to buy at contract price and ETF on T-Mobile later, than to buy an off-contract phone. You're actually throwing money away if you buy it off-contract.
That is precisely why AT&T and Verizon raised their ETF prices up about $100 bucks. To make the contract price + ETF = retail price. T-Mobile still hasn't, so it's cheaper to buy on contract and ETF break the contract after the first two weeks or month (depending on if you're waiting on rebates).
So I went on My Verizon account a few minutes ago to pay my bill and this is what it says next to the picture of my phone:
"Eligible for a Discount!"
"You ARE eligible to upgrade with discounted pricing. If you upgrade on or after 5/18/12 you are eligible to receive an additional loyalty discount."
And I clicked that and went to the page that shows available phones and pricing and it's showing 2-yr contract prices e.g. iPhone4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. I thought it was an error and I clicked the Droid Charge and followed through up to payment and the total for the phone was 249.99 plus tax and activation. Obviously I didn't follow through because if I were to get a new phone it would be the Nexus Prime =D.
Last time I went to checked out phones it said I was not currently eligible for an upgrade and showed off-contract pricing. Is anyone else's account showing this? It has thrown me off a little bit.
Update 10/8:
Went to talk to a rep today and the main line on a contract gets to upgrade after 12 months. The pricing is based on a new 2-year commitment plus $20. Early upgrades can only be done at Verizon retail stores and online. Nexus Prime, here I come.
I saw the early upgrade as well.
I am not receiving the same treatment
Zacisblack said:
So I went on My Verizon account a few minutes ago to pay my bill and this is what it says next to the picture of my phone:
"Eligible for a Discount!"
"You ARE eligible to upgrade with discounted pricing. If you upgrade on or after 5/18/12 you are eligible to receive an additional loyalty discount."
And I clicked that and went to the page that shows available phones and pricing and it's showing 2-yr contract prices e.g. iPhone4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. I thought it was an error and I clicked the Droid Charge and followed through up to payment and the total for the phone was 249.99 plus tax and activation. Obviously I didn't follow through because if I were to get a new phone it would be the Nexus Prime =D.
Last time I went to checked out phones it said I was not currently eligible for an upgrade and showed off-contract pricing. Is anyone else's account showing this? It has thrown me off a little bit.
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Click to collapse
my mom's line says the same thing. they'll let you upgrade and renew your contract but the phone will be at 2 year price with no additional discount for upgrading on or after your upgrade date.
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interesting, subscribed
I got an email from the with the early upgrade. I guess they want to add an additional 2 years to our contract. If you keep upgrading every chance you get, pretty soon, you've going to be locked into a 4 year contract making it almost impossible to leave.
johnnyplaid said:
I got an email from the with the early upgrade. I guess they want to add an additional 2 years to our contract. If you keep upgrading every chance you get, pretty soon, you've going to be locked into a 4 year contract making it almost impossible to leave.
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Click to collapse
How can they do that? By signing a new 2-year agreement the old agreement is invalid. That means that your contract expires 2 years after you sign the new agreement but not the 2 years plus the extra time left on the current contract.
The main line can actually upgrade once a year. But I at lower discounted price that 18 mths.
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Nemeth27 said:
The main line can actually upgrade once a year. But I at lower discounted price that 18 mths.
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The prices is it showing me are prices I would pay at 18 months e.g. iPhone 4 16GB new 199.99 and Droid Charge new 249.99. These are fully discounted prices not partially discounted. Also, I thought Verizon did away with annual upgrades even for the main line?
Verizon did get rid of annual upgrades, but only earlier this year. If you signed a contract before they took the annual upgrade away then you are still grandfathered in.
Zacisblack said:
How can they do that? By signing a new 2-year agreement the old agreement is invalid. That means that your contract expires 2 years after you sign the new agreement but not the 2 years plus the extra time left on the current contract.
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Because they are some shiesty bastards lol. I called enough times and complained about my droid eris being laggy and not having enough ram to run the system let alone any added apps. I told them the only way to get it to run right is to flash a new rom, but that would void my warranty. Agent said he would let me chose any new device for free other than the thunderbolt(which was just released at the time)... So I had them send me a new fascinate and got to keep my eris, don't ask me how or why but they did it. About a week later when I went to log on my vzw account to pay bill I seen my contract was extended one year(on top of the 2yr I agreed to on the eris 6mo prior) without even telling me!! I didnt get too upset because they sent me a brand new fassy for free. My point is: Vzw wireless policy depends on the region of the country your call got directed to... I have been told so many different policies on what they can and cant do, you would think your talking to a completely different company. Vzw is the like the damn weather man, the forecast changes everyday!!!
Signing a new contract does not necessarily void a previous one unless it explicitly states so. Ever notice you sign a two year contract but they let you upgrade after 18 months.
2 reasons..1. they want as many people to update prior to the new 4th quarter phones come out. that way people will have used their upgrade discounts and pay a higher price for the latest phone.
2. they want to jack the revenues for the 4th quarter where vast majority of pure profit is made (think black friday).
Samsung Fascinate :: MIUI 1.9.23 :: JT V5 kernel
By signing a new contact chances are you will no longer get the unlimited 4g, but fall in to there new tiered data plan. Be very cautious when upgrading your phone if you have unlimited now.
Sent from the tip of my ThunderStick on a bolt of lightning...
ThunderStick said:
By signing a new contact chances are you will no longer get the unlimited 4g, but fall in to there new tiered data plan. Be very cautious when upgrading your phone if you have unlimited now.
Sent from the tip of my ThunderStick on a bolt of lightning...
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This is false...if you upgrade from 3g smartphone to 4g smartphone you keep unlimited data long as you had it before the tired plans went into effect. I called about it and went on the website to check. It would let me upgrade to lte and keep the same unlimited data just had to pay retail since im under contract right now.
droidstyle said:
This is false...if you upgrade from 3g smartphone to 4g smartphone you keep unlimited data long as you had it before the tired plans went into effect. I called about it and went on the website to check. It would let me upgrade to lte and keep the same unlimited data just had to pay retail since im under contract right now.
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Phew I was wondering, glad they are not as ****ty as described. No early for me, just checked.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
joe$007 said:
Phew I was wondering, glad they are not as ****ty as described. No early for me, just checked.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
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Yea like I said I went through the entire process up to payment. It offered me the $30 2GB plan and my old Unlimited $29.99 plan. Obviously I would choose the latter. Only if this evasive Nexus Prime gets launched soon...
called vzn last week about the missed calls and not getting text or pic messaging and the tech i talked to said the problem is known and that vzn was allowing early upgrades plus an extra $50 off if you have a fascinate. told her that was nice but i shouldnt have to pay for a new phone since mine was less than a year old. still waiting for the second tech to call me back. not sure what they are going to offer as a replacement phone yet but it had better be good.
If you have the unlimited data plan, make sure they do not rope you in on their new data plans. When my Fascinate got replaced, the reps at the VZW store also changed my data plan as well. I was furious when I found that out, and they refused to fix it.
Called the VZW customer support, I explained the whole ordeal and they fixed my data plan back to unlimited. Just be cautious when you try to upgrade, make sure you'll get that unlimited data plan (disregard this post if you entered Verizon with the new data plans )
So last night, I decided to go to an AT&T store to buy an LTE Note 8.0 only to find that the first three of the corporate stores I called didn't have any in stock. Finally, the fourth store I called had two left. So I went over there fully expecting to pay the full unlocked $499 price. To me, it didn't make sense to lock myself in for two years when I'd only save $100 over full retail.
When I walked in, though, I was helped by the store manager. He gets the tablet for me and then goes to look up my account info so he could convert my plan to a MobileShare. He saw that I bought a Galaxy S4 about 40 days ago and, much to my surprise, offered me the smartphone bundle promotion, which meant I could get the tablet on contract for $199. I knew about the promotion but just assumed I wouldn't qualify since I bought the phone before the Note 8.0 even launched.
Needless to say, saving $300 over full retail WAS enough to get me to go contract. There's great customer service and then there's the service I received last night. The manager totally didn't have to do that for me but offered without me even asking. :good:
Awesome! Gratz to hear about your saving. Att never did me wrong, even when they rep accidentally took away my unlimited data, I just call customer service and they just me back on unlimited data.
I had a similar experience. I purchased an S4 but the Note 8 available when I purchased it. When it was to be released by AT&T my AT&T Sales person called me to let me know it would be available on the morrow and they had 5 in the store and further that even though I had purchased my S4 16 days previous AT&T would give me the promo bundle price of $199.00. That is stellar service in my opinion.
Bruce
cataloochee said:
I had a similar experience. I purchased an S4 but the Note 8 available when I purchased it. When it was to be released by AT&T my AT&T Sales person called me to let me know it would be available on the morrow and they had 5 in the store and further that even though I had purchased my S4 16 days previous AT&T would give me the promo bundle price of $199.00. That is stellar service in my opinion.
Bruce
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lol. Dealers do this all the time. They get people into promotions (most which they can find a way to make happen so long as its not too far outside the box).
The dealer did not do it to be helpful, which is the sad thing. Dealers, including managers, make more commission off contracts than they do off devices. So he would have made more commission still with that contract than having you spend money on devices. They do this because the company makes more money having you pay the monthly service cost than by having you buy a full cost phone or tablet.
In essence, it takes a company 18-24 months to make back the subsidized cost of a device. That means that 199 bucks you paid, you will pay back the missing 300 bucks on the plan after typically 18 months. Then they get 6 months of profit. So you do actually pay for the device for full cost anyways.,,,and they just extended out how long between upgrades and by the time you get around to actually being eligible for upgrade they may be extending it out further. The current discussions in the industry are talking about 3 year contracts and 2+ year upgrades.
What you have to consider is the lifetime cost of service and the device. They want you to buy a tablet. It makes you pay for their service, instead of just tethering your phone to the tablet. Tethering is cheaper, not contracts, and you wind up paying A LOT LESS even if you pay full cost for the device.
Truth is that ATT customers typically pay close to 1-2K more than many of the carriers that charge full cost for a device. Basically that 300 bucks you saved cost you at least a grand more in the end, and the manager who was "helping" you basically just weasled you into a contract where you will pay more for a separate plan for the tablet instead of just using cheaper tethering options (considering you still share data regardless) and he just got a good commission out of you.
Sad but true. You just got suckered.
How do I know? Nearly 7 years working in the wireless industry. Some of that time with AT&T and a great deal of that time with retail agents and retail policy.
I'm not trying to be a downer, but I hate AT&T dealers. After working for them for so long, Ive come to find that just about every single dealer if about as underhanded as a used car salesman trying to sell you a lemon and convince you its a ferrari. I used to see the dealers in my home town and my normal reaction to them is equivalent to the thought of "you sick bastard."
I do not know how many "deals" a dealer has done that I have had to fix, but typically even if their promises are kept they still use you and screw you over.
Ive even heard dealer chatter. How they talk about customers and think of customers as no more than a mark to be scammed so they can get their next commission. Ive seen more respect for their "victims" from the criminals on "to catch a predator."
phoenixbennu said:
lol. Dealers do this all the time. They get people into promotions (most which they can find a way to make happen so long as its not too far outside the box).
The dealer did not do it to be helpful, which is the sad thing. Dealers, including managers, make more commission off contracts than they do off devices. So he would have made more commission still with that contract than having you spend money on devices. They do this because the company makes more money having you pay the monthly service cost than by having you buy a full cost phone or tablet.
In essence, it takes a company 18-24 months to make back the subsidized cost of a device. That means that 199 bucks you paid, you will pay back the missing 300 bucks on the plan after typically 18 months. Then they get 6 months of profit. So you do actually pay for the device for full cost anyways.,,,and they just extended out how long between upgrades and by the time you get around to actually being eligible for upgrade they may be extending it out further. The current discussions in the industry are talking about 3 year contracts and 2+ year upgrades.
What you have to consider is the lifetime cost of service and the device. They want you to buy a tablet. It makes you pay for their service, instead of just tethering your phone to the tablet. Tethering is cheaper, not contracts, and you wind up paying A LOT LESS even if you pay full cost for the device.
Truth is that ATT customers typically pay close to 1-2K more than many of the carriers that charge full cost for a device. Basically that 300 bucks you saved cost you at least a grand more in the end, and the manager who was "helping" you basically just weasled you into a contract where you will pay more for a separate plan for the tablet instead of just using cheaper tethering options (considering you still share data regardless) and he just got a good commission out of you.
Sad but true. You just got suckered.
How do I know? Nearly 7 years working in the wireless industry. Some of that time with AT&T and a great deal of that time with retail agents and retail policy.
I'm not trying to be a downer, but I hate AT&T dealers. After working for them for so long, Ive come to find that just about every single dealer if about as underhanded as a used car salesman trying to sell you a lemon and convince you its a ferrari. I used to see the dealers in my home town and my normal reaction to them is equivalent to the thought of "you sick bastard."
I do not know how many "deals" a dealer has done that I have had to fix, but typically even if their promises are kept they still use you and screw you over.
Ive even heard dealer chatter. How they talk about customers and think of customers as no more than a mark to be scammed so they can get their next commission. Ive seen more respect for their "victims" from the criminals on "to catch a predator."
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Click to collapse
While your statements are true they are not necessarily accurate. The only way a person would have been "suckered" is if he didn't know what you describe. But almost all consumers realize that there is no free lunch and that the choice of purchasing outright or monthly result in the full price of the device being paid. The only difference is when payment accrues and how much the final cost will be. No different than purchasing a vehicle or a home.
In addition, the accuracy of your claim of being suckered depends on whether the purchaser bought because of the lower initial price or because he wanted the device in any case. In my case I had already decided to purchase the Note 8 from AT&T and only awaited the availability of the Note 8 at AT&T as I wanted the LTE data option. Thus, my only decision was whether to pay full price or add a two year contract to my account. Since I would have to have a data plan from AT&T to use the LTE feature in any case I needed to have an additional phone line. So I was able to get the regular discounted price or pay full price plus the new line costs (these I would pay no matter how I purchased the device and would last as long as I wanted to use the device). With the additional bundle price I decided to purchase at $199 instead of $399. Of course I realize I will pay full price over the next 24 months including the premium for purchasing by installment. But I knew that, considered it, and choose to do it. Thus, I made a considered decision and was not "suckered".
And clearly the sales staff is trying to sell devices and services that bring them the greatest commission. That's what they do for a living. The consumer knows that too. Maybe the real "suckers" are those sales people that think that they are being really "sharp".
Bruce
cataloochee said:
While your statements are true they are not necessarily accurate. The only way a person would have been "suckered" is if he didn't know what you describe. But almost all consumers realize that there is no free lunch and that the choice of purchasing outright or monthly result in the full price of the device being paid. The only difference is when payment accrues and how much the final cost will be. No different than purchasing a vehicle or a home.
In addition, the accuracy of your claim of being suckered depends on whether the purchaser bought because of the lower initial price or because he wanted the device in any case. In my case I had already decided to purchase the Note 8 from AT&T and only awaited the availability of the Note 8 at AT&T as I wanted the LTE data option. Thus, my only decision was whether to pay full price or add a two year contract to my account. Since I would have to have a data plan from AT&T to use the LTE feature in any case I needed to have an additional phone line. So I was able to get the regular discounted price or pay full price plus the new line costs (these I would pay no matter how I purchased the device and would last as long as I wanted to use the device). With the additional bundle price I decided to purchase at $199 instead of $399. Of course I realize I will pay full price over the next 24 months including the premium for purchasing by installment. But I knew that, considered it, and choose to do it. Thus, I made a considered decision and was not "suckered".
And clearly the sales staff is trying to sell devices and services that bring them the greatest commission. That's what they do for a living. The consumer knows that too. Maybe the real "suckers" are those sales people that think that they are being really "sharp".
Bruce
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Same here. I don't feel suckered. I walked into the AT&T store fully planning on paying $499 full retail for the tablet. The contract price was $399 and it wasn't worth it to me to lock myself in for 2 years purely to save $100 off retail. However, when I was offered $199 for the tablet, now we're talking about saving $300 over retail up front and that WAS worth it to me as far as locking myself in for two years. I was able to put the $300 toward something else and I love having an LTE tablet. Win-win. It's only being "suckered" if you're led to believe one thing and something different actually happens. I knew what I was getting into.
oldblue910 said:
Same here. I don't feel suckered. I walked into the AT&T store fully planning on paying $499 full retail for the tablet. The contract price was $399 and it wasn't worth it to me to lock myself in for 2 years purely to save $100 off retail. However, when I was offered $199 for the tablet, now we're talking about saving $300 over retail up front and that WAS worth it to me as far as locking myself in for two years. I was able to put the $300 toward something else and I love having an LTE tablet. Win-win. It's only being "suckered" if you're led to believe one thing and something different actually happens. I knew what I was getting into.
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"You can lead them to the water but you can't make them drink" Of course you know they will, because they're thirsty!!
Nice that's great that they took care of you.. In reality I think you came out on top because if they switched you to mobile share you are only payin $10 a month for that line being locked in for the next 2 years would be $240 so by being in contract you actually get the device for $60 less than full retail.. Great stuff had a similar experience and that's what pushed me over the edge to get it