Upgrade at AT&T or Best Buy? - G3 General

I will be upgrading and renewing on an AT&T 2 year family contract.
AT&T charge $199 plus $40 upgrade fee.
Best Buy and Costco charge $99 plus the same upgrade fee.
Is there any reason to waste an extra $100 doing this with AT&T?
AT&T Sales support told me there is no difference except in insurance coverage which I wont be taking out.
All warranty issues will be handled by AT&T tech support regardless of where the deal was done.
AT&T said today when I asked them about the $100 price difference "ATT focuses on being a service provider, so our prices aren't always optimum, since we're not a device retailer or manufacturer. I always advise doing what's best consumer wise"

I buy all my phones from best buy and they're great. I don't get insurance either but their insurance plan is better too. Also once you get a phone there they give you a $50 per year credit every year for each of your phone lines.

I always get my phones from best buy. They always have much better deals. I actually did the At&t next through best buy and received a $100 gift card which was a WIN!!! There aren't real disadvantages of going to best buy over the company store honestly. So i'd say save your money and grab it from BB.

Between those two I'd go with BB as well due to their lower price and incentives. Hey, the phone was $99 plus a $50 GC when it launched - can't beat that! I've purchased from Costco as well. They usually have decent prices, and if needed they have a special package for Square Trade as well. Deductible used to be $25 on their member plan, but might be $50 now.

I will never shop at Best Buy unless I absolutely have to. More than once they've sold me something as "new" which clearly had been an opened and used product. I've read quite a bit of other people having the same experiences.
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Related

Best Price For Atrix

So I have a Captivate now, and I was wondering where I can get the best price?
I'd be using my girlfriends upgrade and she would get my Captivate, so I'd be upgrading and not a new purchase.
Should I just try to talk Amazon/AT&T into giving me a larger discount or price matching with something such as Costco's 119.00 dollar deal?
I got my atrix from costco yesterday for 119. I love it. So fast and flash plays SUPeR smooth and crystal clear. Att wontacknowledge the costco price unless you get real lucky and are getting a whole new line as opposed to upgrAding (since it gives more commision).
I went to a bunch of atts first and gave up since 149 was the lowest I was able to get them to lower it. At the moment, costco will have the best price and I doubtany store would match them.
The CostCo price looks great, but don't you need a membership at CostCo to buy the phone from it?
I got mine last week at the At&T website for $100+tax, next day delivery. I posted the link in some other thread...
If you arent eligible for upgrade att is the best price 500
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I was in an AT&T store trying to get a better price on a dock and the salesman told me that with this being a high profile release and only the first week management has been given instruction not to give away discounts so easily. They have an approved reseller list that they can match price from, otherwise good luck. I know Amazon had the phone for $129 if you were a new contract, otherwise $149 for an upgrade. Unless Costco is on their list and you have proof of the price and the contract terms being an upgrade, I'm doubting your luck with AT&T or Amazon to get lower than $149.
My Phones:
Motorola MicroTAC Elite
Nokia 7160
Nokia 6340i
Nokia 6230
Nokia 6682
HTC Tilt
HTC Fuse
HTC Tilt2 (custom ROM)
Samsung Captivate (custom ROM,rooted)
Motorola Atrix (rooted)
you would need a costco membership. i think its like 40 bucks.....so if you dont already have one, i suggest going to Target. i got mine in the mobile kiosk in target for 149.99
also i believe radioshack sells them at that price......i think the dude at tartget old me they were part of radioshack but maybe im imagining things
Johosophat said:
The CostCo price looks great, but don't you need a membership at CostCo to buy the phone from it?
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oFUNGUSo said:
you would need a costco membership. i think its like 40 bucks.....so if you dont already have one, i suggest going to Target. i got mine in the mobile kiosk in target for 149.99
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Click to collapse
Costco isn't actually the company that sells the phone, it is membership wireless in conjunction with costco. I ordered 2 today through them and do not have a costco membership. Order processed successfully. $127.91 after taxes, etc.
So you ordered them via phone or website?
Look in the local classifieds.
I was able to get an unopened one for $420.
Retail store employee won it in a sales competition and didn't want to part with his iPhone.
For those who are already with AT&T I've had quite a bit of luck calling in to them. Talk to the Customer Relations Dept. (this is the dept. for cancellations). Told'em I was going to leave if they couldn't do better on the price of the phone. They ended up selling it to me for $125, free shipping, free activation, and $180 credit on my cell bill.
turniipp said:
For those who are already with AT&T I've had quite a bit of luck calling in to them. Talk to the Customer Relations Dept. (this is the dept. for cancellations). Told'em I was going to leave if they couldn't do better on the price of the phone. They ended up selling it to me for $125, free shipping, free activation, and $180 credit on my cell bill.
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Click to collapse
When was your contract up?
I talked them down to $299 online, and not eligible for new contract upgrade until 2/12.
I then had another opportunity arise with adding a line to my account. it is strictly a dummy line for business calls, and they switched me to a family plan with combined minutes, etc. They allowed me to use new line phone upgrade on MY number, even though it was only a dummy line being added. I brought in a print-out from amazon for $149, she said they only price match best buy, but gave me $25 off. so basically cheated the system and they were ok with it and walked away with the phone for $175
zizux said:
When was your contract up?
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It was set to end in October of 2011. Typically through AT&T your eligible for an upgrade after 1 year. I have gone the rounds multiple times on multiple phones and have found that calling in to them always produces the best results.

AT&T raising insurance rates & deductibles for Atrix & Iphone

Today I was unhappy to see that AT&T is raising insurance and deductible rates, significantly starting I believe the flyer said October 1st.
Old pricing:
$4.99/mo
$125 deductible
New pricing:
$6.99/mo
$199 deductible
Anyone else ditching their insurance?
Interesting rant on the AT&T forums about the iPhone insurance:
"I have just recently purchased an iPhone 3GS and procured insurance through Asurion. My bill: $11.99/month - $99/deduct - 24hr delivery.
As of September of 2011, ALL iPhone users will be forced to convert to AT&T's "new" iPhone insurance plan, (equal to that of Asurion's current coverage) if they want desirable coverage (including theft and water damage). The only problem with that is this: in October of 2011, the monthly rate will INCREASE from $4.99 to $6.99 and the deductible will be $199.99 for ALL iPhone models, even those that were not previously in the third tier (3G and 3GS). So, not only does AT&T have the audacity to raise their rates in an economically troubled time, they also slap us in the face before they bend us over with the $199.99 deduct when it was originally just under half of that.
I am very displeased with this insurance scam AT&T has going. It is ridiculous that we have to keep paying MORE for the same crappy and under-educated service we've been dealing with for years. I have been an AT&T wireless customer since I got my first cell phone and have not been with another carrier, but what choice do we have if we want the "best". Well, this could very well be my last venture with AT&T, if something isn't done about this insurance scam. I' expect to pay something for a refurb replacement, but not 2/3 of the retail value (again, for a refurb) when I also pay the monthly fee.
Insurance Scam Equation:
iPhone 3GS in-store retail (new) - $449
iPhone 3GS online retail (refurb) - from $300
12 months insurance (under 12 month factory warranty) - $84
iPhone deductible - $199
$199
+$84
-------
$283
$283 replacement with insurance.
$300 replacement without insurance.
So what's the deal here... or better yet, WHERE'S the deal? I'm saving a measly $17 dollars by paying monthly to AT&T for more headache than ever needed, especially when I can go buy one over the net with no headaches (next day shipping available) for the same price.... It would be more worth it if it was a NEW phone and not a refurb, but in almost all cases you're going to get a refurb. Sorry AT&T, I just don't get it. The only way this would ever be worth it is if I was to break my phone twice in 12 months, then I'd be saving a little more, but not enough to have any real meaning."
Also you can see the following:
http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/12/att-raises-iphone-device-tier-on-october-4th-perhaps-signaling-launch-date/
This may not be all AT&T either from what I'm reading. I wonder how much of it is Asurion Insurance. I for one will be ditching coverage on my phone and my wife's phone. We'll keep the lower insurance for the kids phones though!
gzrecoil said:
Today I was unhappy to see that AT&T is raising insurance and deductible rates, significantly starting I believe the flyer said October 1st.
Old pricing:
$4.99/mo
$125 deductible
New pricing:
$6.99/mo
$199 deductible
Anyone else ditching their insurance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea complete $h1t, dropped my insurance. Everyone else should, maybe they'l move it back.
People probably bricking more phones than they anticipated!
mysticdrew said:
People probably bricking more phones than they anticipated!
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Click to collapse
Truth
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Pay full price for phones. I bet you don't need insurance then. Or get through your own insurance. About a year ago I priced it and it was a little over $80 for a year coverage and $50 deductible. But that was about a year ago.
Sent from the coolest voided warranty phone ever.
Best Buy's is $9.99 per month, but with no deductible. It doesn't cover theft or "sub-merged" water damage but it covers pretty much everything else.
I prefer it because of the no deductible.
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I'm going to start "losing" my phone. According to my friend who is a district manager of att stores in my area, if you report your phone "lost," not stolen, they will send you a brand new phone as opposed to a refurbished one. You can report a phone lost twice a year. So figure, lose it, sell on craigslist, make $100 or so, get a new phone...repeat. I felt bad at first, but now hearing about this I feel as though its justified. An eye for an eye
cmccollough said:
I'm going to start "losing" my phone. According to my friend who is a district manager of att stores in my area, if you report your phone "lost," not stolen, they will send you a brand new phone as opposed to a refurbished one. You can report a phone lost twice a year. So figure, lose it, sell on craigslist, make $100 or so, get a new phone...repeat. I felt bad at first, but now hearing about this I feel as though its justified. An eye for an eye
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Click to collapse
and this is where everybody should thank you for feeling bad at first and then not.
cmccollough said:
I'm going to start "losing" my phone. According to my friend who is a district manager of att stores in my area, if you report your phone "lost," not stolen, they will send you a brand new phone as opposed to a refurbished one. You can report a phone lost twice a year. So figure, lose it, sell on craigslist, make $100 or so, get a new phone...repeat. I felt bad at first, but now hearing about this I feel as though its justified. An eye for an eye
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Click to collapse
Disgusting.
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It may depend on how much you owe on breaking contract. The reality is if you have to fork out cash for a new phone you may as well go to another carrier and purchase a new phone......giving a free phone can keep them from losing a customer. Especially if they are giving you a new phone (same model) which is something you owned for 1.5 years that has depreciated in value anyways.
Yet for repairs and theft its better off to force the OEM to fix with warranty.... or fill out legal paperwork for reporting stolen property. In either of these cases its better to let ATT stand back and let somebody else fix the problem.
I have spoken with account cancellation services at ATT many times with the intention of striking a deal by merely pointing (politely) out the cost of going to another carrier is less than my current options....they are always willing to accomodate.
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cmccollough said:
I'm going to start "losing" my phone. According to my friend who is a district manager of att stores in my area, if you report your phone "lost," not stolen, they will send you a brand new phone as opposed to a refurbished one. You can report a phone lost twice a year. So figure, lose it, sell on craigslist, make $100 or so, get a new phone...repeat. I felt bad at first, but now hearing about this I feel as though its justified. An eye for an eye
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that's insurance fraud right?
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cmccollough said:
I'm going to start "losing" my phone. According to my friend who is a district manager of att stores in my area, if you report your phone "lost," not stolen, they will send you a brand new phone as opposed to a refurbished one. You can report a phone lost twice a year. So figure, lose it, sell on craigslist, make $100 or so, get a new phone...repeat. I felt bad at first, but now hearing about this I feel as though its justified. An eye for an eye
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why our rates are going up.... thanks alot!!!
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I wonder if this is related to the [potential] eventual AT&T-sanctioned unlocking of the Atrix bootloader?
I think it may also be due to the fact that an lte ATRIX is likely on the way...perhaps a launch phone for AT&T lte... would basicly be a cut/paste of the bionic.
Makes sense, once lte launches on AT&T any lte phone will also do hspa +... I expect it by the end of the year. And all of the people that purchased the original ATRIX may begin looking for a way out/upgrade....etc
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CaelanT said:
Interesting rant on the AT&T forums about the iPhone insurance:
"I have just recently purchased an iPhone 3GS and procured insurance through Asurion. My bill: $11.99/month - $99/deduct - 24hr delivery.
As of September of 2011, ALL iPhone users will be forced to convert to AT&T's "new" iPhone insurance plan, (equal to that of Asurion's current coverage) if they want desirable coverage (including theft and water damage). The only problem with that is this: in October of 2011, the monthly rate will INCREASE from $4.99 to $6.99 and the deductible will be $199.99 for ALL iPhone models, even those that were not previously in the third tier (3G and 3GS). So, not only does AT&T have the audacity to raise their rates in an economically troubled time, they also slap us in the face before they bend us over with the $199.99 deduct when it was originally just under half of that.
I am very displeased with this insurance scam AT&T has going. It is ridiculous that we have to keep paying MORE for the same crappy and under-educated service we've been dealing with for years. I have been an AT&T wireless customer since I got my first cell phone and have not been with another carrier, but what choice do we have if we want the "best". Well, this could very well be my last venture with AT&T, if something isn't done about this insurance scam. I' expect to pay something for a refurb replacement, but not 2/3 of the retail value (again, for a refurb) when I also pay the monthly fee.
Insurance Scam Equation:
iPhone 3GS in-store retail (new) - $449
iPhone 3GS online retail (refurb) - from $300
12 months insurance (under 12 month factory warranty) - $84
iPhone deductible - $199
$199
+$84
-------
$283
$283 replacement with insurance.
$300 replacement without insurance.
So what's the deal here... or better yet, WHERE'S the deal? I'm saving a measly $17 dollars by paying monthly to AT&T for more headache than ever needed, especially when I can go buy one over the net with no headaches (next day shipping available) for the same price.... It would be more worth it if it was a NEW phone and not a refurb, but in almost all cases you're going to get a refurb. Sorry AT&T, I just don't get it. The only way this would ever be worth it is if I was to break my phone twice in 12 months, then I'd be saving a little more, but not enough to have any real meaning."
Also you can see the following:
http://9to5mac.com/2011/07/12/att-raises-iphone-device-tier-on-october-4th-perhaps-signaling-launch-date/
This may not be all AT&T either from what I'm reading. I wonder how much of it is Asurion Insurance. I for one will be ditching coverage on my phone and my wife's phone. We'll keep the lower insurance for the kids phones though!
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Click to collapse
1st The replacement is not a refurb but a new device (Iphones).
2nd It is Asurion, as the current coverage is $11.99 through them.And the deductible is actually $199 already with Mobile Protect. So for the IPhone it is actually lowering in price , SIGNIFICANTLY!!
3rd the 12 month warranty does not cover Loss/Theft. Lose your phone 3 months after purchasing it. What options do you have??
Of course the 3g/3gs are bit tough due to then original cost BUT for the IPhone 4 it is better than $450 to do an Early Upgrade and that is only after 6 months from upgrading/activating.
4th You always have the option of finding your own coverage through a 3rd party not affiliated with Asurion and AT&T (i.e State farm or Square Trade.)
BTW The insurance monthly rate will be $6.99 for all devices starting Oct. 1st. same $50 deductile for basic devices, $125 for advanced devices and $199 for IPhones.
Not to ruffle feathers of any kind but just wanted to clarify this.
Hey, does this count as a material change to the contract? i.e. get out of contract free?
Bruincdc said:
BTW The insurance monthly rate will be $6.99 for all devices starting Oct. 1st. same $50 deductile for basic devices, $125 for advanced devices and $199 for IPhones.
Not to ruffle feathers of any kind but just wanted to clarify this.
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I just got off the phone with AT&T Enterprise. The date for insurance change is October 4th, not October 1st. Also, this will not be limited to the iPhone regarding the tier change. The AT&T system does not yet show which phones will change to tier 3, but this information will be available on or before October 4th. So, it could be very likely the Atrix along with other smartphones will be added to the new tier.
http://mobileprotectionpack.att.com/pricing-enrollment.html
Also not trying to ruffle feathers.............just clarifying on an incorrect clarification!
Instead of the "insurance fraud route" *rolls eyes*
It would probably be much better to look into something like Squaretrade. They constantly float 30% discounts around.
Current code today is SUMMER ... (Max discount $30 per warranty)
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I thought without insurance to cost to replace a phone is the full non-contract price. If so, that $283 vs $300 comparison is incorrect.

best value plan price

So what does everyone think is the best way to get the Tmo version on the value plan? I've been assuming ebay, but do the tmobile specials that pop up every now and then apply to the value plans too? Are there price reductions for them?
I just bit the bullet and bought from them. Stupidest part is how they extend you contract for 2 years WITHOUT EVEN SUBSIDIZING THE PHONE!
Best bet would be waiting for Amazon to sell the T-Mobile version outright. But I couldn't wait and spent the full $700
PePPaZ said:
I just bit the bullet and bought from them. Stupidest part is how they extend you contract for 2 years WITHOUT EVEN SUBSIDIZING THE PHONE!
Best bet would be waiting for Amazon to sell the T-Mobile version outright. But I couldn't wait and spent the full $700
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Click to collapse
They aren't subsidizing the phone, but they are giving an interest free loan. IMHO, that's a pretty good deal. Especially when you consider that the value plan prices are probably the best deal in wireless (even against the pre-paid options). My wife and I can get all the minutes, text, and data we need for $75/month, and that's before my corporate discount.
When the prices are this good, I almost want to sign a contract. Contracts can work for the betterment of both parties. It's just that it has very rarely benefited the consumer in the wireless industry.
Any chance of calling them up for a discount on the phone even though you're on a Value Plan? I saw a lot of people getting $100-$200 credits on the official thread but they didn't say what plan they were on.

A Great Note 8.0 Customer Service Story - AT&T

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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Click to collapse
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."
Click to expand...
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

Best Buy deal

Went to buy the 4 With Walmart ad for price match on their $40 off deal. Found out Best Buy started deal better. Came out with Note 4 half price.
Glad I waited a little
I dont see this deal anywhere. Is this in-store only?
Not sure. I didn't know about it . My wife went to get it and when she showed the Walmart ad to him he said he had a better deal.
Gave her $150 gift card and let her use it on phone. She called me very happy as was I.
I Was just complaining about my luck the day before because Walnut was sold out.
Turns out that was a blessing!
I did a little searching. You must have gotten them to price match with the Costco deal:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/PhoneDetails/productId/28256
I'm considering doing this today. Did Best Buy allow you to use the gift card on the Note 4 purchase?
npro1464 said:
I did a little searching. You must have gotten them to price match with the Costco deal:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/PhoneDetails/productId/28256
I'm considering doing this today. Did Best Buy allow you to use the gift card on the Note 4 purchase?
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Yes they did.
Ah, didn't see this point few mins ago, but I just did a PM with walmart successfully. Enjoy!
sprintuser1977 said:
Went to buy the 4 With Walmart ad for price match on their $40 off deal. Found out Best Buy started deal better. Came out with Note 4 half price.
Glad I waited a little
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Did you post a screen shot cause I don't see anything. Can you explain the deal because I just bought my note 4 from best buy on Monday and didn't get any deal. They price matched Verizon since I paid full price
Tried two Best Buys with no luck. As usual, it seems each Best Buy has their own policy. One BB said they wont price match Costco. The other said it was for new lines only. Did you get this through a new line? I just want to upgrade my line. I kinda wish I didnt goof on missing the trade in deal...
npro1464 said:
Tried two Best Buys with no luck. As usual, it seems each Best Buy has their own policy. One BB said they wont price match Costco. The other said it was for new lines only. Did you get this through a new line? I just want to upgrade my line. I kinda wish I didnt goof on missing the trade in deal...
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l added a line. 1 had not seen it advertised either. My wife went to pick it up with the Walmart ad and the rep told her he could do that but had something better.
She said he printed out something, then scanned a Barcode off the print out and told her she would get a $150 gift card. He then told her she could use it towards the phone.
I asked her and he never told her what it was he printed out or what. We were just elated it happened.
For reference this was in Valdosta, Georgia.
If needed I will try and post receipt
Hey! I work at Best Buy Mobile! So let me clarify this deal for you guys! It shouldn't have been a price match to WalMart or CostCo. We normally don't match ads with CostCo because you have to pay them for a membership and it isn't a public store, so they're able to afford putting up crazy-ass deals as they do, and we don't match WalMart (in the Mobile department) because almost every single phone is subsidized and the price is set by the carrier for us, so we cannot modify the price because we end up losing whatever difference in price there is as we don't get that refunded to us from the carrier. Also, we do direct contracts with the carriers that we support, unlike Car Toys and CostCo and a few other places which run under third-party contracts.
Not too sure what deal you guys got onto, but for the rest of this week only you will receive a $150 gift card per NEW LINE you start with Verizon right now. Husband and I just upgraded to Note 4s tonight by porting into Verizon from AT&T/T-Mobile and got $300 back in gift-cards, which we used to pay for the deposit that Verizon wanted from me ('cause my credit isn't too good and I was more interested in the Edge program anyway.)
So, what probably happened is that you added a new line, which qualified for the instant gift which is able to be applied toward the cost of the phone (if you're buying it on a 2-year contract, doesn't work toward your device payments via Edge [unless you have to pay a deposit]). Also just so that everyone is aware, if you're on a More Everything Plan, make sure that you're aware that this month there is a promo plan through Verizon where the 10GB plan is going for $80 and $100 for the 15GB plan.

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