Database Users

Ca income tax on new phones

Just picked up the epic today. Best buy charged tax on the retail price of the phone and not the upgrade price. Is this common or only a california thing?
Btw digging the phone so far and using the keyboard to type this. Call me crazy but the keyboard almost feels too wide... hahaha
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dfitzpatrick said:
Just picked up the epic today. Best buy charged tax on the retail price of the phone and not the upgrade price. Is this common or only a california thing?
Btw digging the phone so far and using the keyboard to type this. Call me crazy but the keyboard almost feels too wide... hahaha
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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CA law requires retailers to collect sales tax on the pre-discount prices of merchandise. I am not sure if any other states do this...the vast majority certainly do not.

thats sales tax, not income tax.
unless you stand on the side of the highway with a sign that says will work for phones.
btw, missouri does not do this. this is the first ive ever heard. ca must be hard up for taxes.

Idk how sprint does it but they charge tax on the discounted price I know that the shack did the retail price too not the discounted that's why I bought it from sprint themselves.
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It's California only. This state'd rape your grandmother if there was money in it for them.

Yup. Completely normal.
I forget that its charged on retail price so I'm always surprised when tax is a good 40-50 bucks on items like this.

There are only 3 states that require by law to have sales tax done prior to ANY discounts. California is one of them, and it's been that way for YEARS not just a recent change. RI is another iirc.

dfitzpatrick said:
Just picked up the epic today. Best buy charged tax on the retail price of the phone and not the upgrade price. Is this common or only a california thing?
Btw digging the phone so far and using the keyboard to type this. Call me crazy but the keyboard almost feels too wide... hahaha
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Yeah, California is arse-grabby like that. Ill swear that no other state does that rubbish. Certainly not the case here in NY. Sales tax is on the final price.
Forgive My Brevity. To Be Or Not To Be...

LordLugard said:
Ill swear that no other state does that rubbish.
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Well, you shouldn't swear because you'd be wrong.
At least MA and RI have similar sales tax policy based on bundling/subsidization.

dragonisinogard said:
Idk how sprint does it but they charge tax on the discounted price I know that the shack did the retail price too not the discounted that's why I bought it from sprint themselves.
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I bought my Epic in a Sprint Store and I still had to pay tax on the pre-discounted price.

Weird at shack it came out to 493 something at sprint nearly a hundred less at 393
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Bought from wirefly. No taxes at all!
Sent from my Epic 4G

yeah, wirefly and amazon are two places you can avoid taxes. I had to deal with the pre-discount tax on the iphone4 i had bought before.. AN IPHONE4.. what was i thinking??? lol. dealt with it on the epic as well...

vansmack said:
Well, you shouldn't swear because you'd be wrong.
At least MA and RI have similar sales tax policy based on bundling/subsidization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I promise not to swear next time.
Forgive My Brevity. To Be Or Not To Be...

othan1 said:
It's California only. This state'd rape your grandmother if there was money in it for them.
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Click to collapse
No it isn't, lots of states do it.
Some states will charge the full price no matter what. some states it will make a difference whether rebate is instant or mail in

Minnesota does it also, so I set up service through Amazon. Saved over 300.00 on 4 Epic phones, plus they were 149.99 this week for new customers. Saved a ton over BBY or Sprint stores.

cholepuree1 said:
yeah, wirefly and amazon are two places you can avoid taxes. ...
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Amazon now charges tax to California residents too, since the state passed a law forcing web retailers to collect taxes on purchases.

Boy, for a second there are was worried about all those hooligans cheating my poor state by ordering from online. Popular demand be damned! Pay your taxes! Afterall, the great state of california will put your money to good use.
(just an excuse to test my smiley button)
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Amazon wireless AT&T for $550 without contract

This is good deal instead of buying from AT&T for $550 because you wont pay tax. Going to buy the samsung galaxy s III tom.

I too have noticed these prices. I know things change from store to store and sometimes associate to associate but I wonder about the possibility of Best Buy matching those prices?
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That is a good price. It was not that when I got my phone in the 21st. I guess I paid the tax (45) to have the phone on the 21st. I called them to ask why the HOX was the same price as att off contract but the sgsIII was like 650 vs 550. They said they had not even noticed and must have changed it.
Has Amazon started shipping yet?
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Would have ordered through Amazon if it were $549 when I ordered from AT&T. I ordered from AT&T on Saturday for $549, at that time Amazon was selling for $649.
Oh well! I'm getting it today from AT&T overnight for free.

Amazon hasnt shipped out yet..
Well at least for me. I have a ETA of 7/2 but dont really care when it comes in..

rayoubi said:
This is good deal instead of buying from AT&T for $550 because you wont pay tax. Going to buy the samsung galaxy s III tom.
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Well, at least in Washington and California you DO pay tax on Amazon orders. That's cuz they have offices in those states (and probably others).

BakaNeko59 said:
Well, at least in Washington and California you DO pay tax on Amazon orders. That's cuz they have offices in those states (and probably others).
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Not in Cali yet. Amazon Prime FTW.

decibu and
BakaNeko59 said:
Well, at least in Washington and California you DO pay tax on Amazon orders. That's cuz they have offices in those states (and probably others).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No tax in california.
unless you buy from vendors that are not fulfilled by amazon.

scav1180 said:
No tax in california.
unless you buy from vendors that are not fulfilled by amazon.
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Click to collapse
yup going to order mine today from amazon.

Off contract at ATT stores

Once again, Att is pissing me off... They don't sell off contract at the stores... Man.. they are so lame...

i wouldn't be surprised considering stocks are scarce enough

Huh?
I bought mine off contract at the store this am. Corporate store too. Not even a sideways glance.
They only had 10 shipped, 5 of each color, and two for displays..
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I will never go into an AT&T store again. I needed a replacement sim for my iPad and they refused to give me one without buying an F'n accessory, the cheapest one was $26. I just ordered one off Amazon for $4. From now on, it's the online store or Amazon.

Call customer service and complain. AT&T is not supposed to do that, but some stores do it anyway.

Wow. I manage an AT&T store in norcal and I have never heard of either of those complaints. We do free SIM cards (sometimes we ask for $10 on iPad or micro Sims cuz they cost us) and off contract phones. You have to realize that the reps earn commission from contacts so the rep probably didn't want to waste his time. I really don't agree with that but next time just ask for a manager.
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lessthanzach said:
Wow. I manage an AT&T store in norcal and I have never heard of either of those complaints. We do free SIM cards (sometimes we ask for $10 on iPad or micro Sims cuz they cost us) and off contract phones. You have to realize that the reps earn commission from contacts so the rep probably didn't want to waste his time. I really don't agree with that but next time just ask for a manager.
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how much commission do you guys make?

Next time call up att. They'll ship you a new one for free or put credit on your account to get it free at the store. While my corporation store also moaned when I had them get att on the line they handed the similar card over.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

hexproject said:
Once again, Att is pissing me off... They don't sell off contract at the stores... Man.. they are so lame...
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That does not sound right...I would check a different store. The sales rep may make a commission on the contract but ATT the company makes money from the no commitment price on the phone and not the subsidy. Short term thinking is what dooms companies...

I bought mine off contract from amazon for 549. I don't even have AT&T account. Just StraightTalk.

samven582 said:
how much commission do you guys make?
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Click to collapse
I suppose that is pretty relative to store volume, phone type and features on type account. It's not much, you really have to sell several phones per day to get a decent comm check.
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Corporate stores SHOULD do the sim replacement for free, no questions asked. If they refused, time to call in and complain.
As for selling the phone full price, reps don't make ANY commission on a no commitment sale, they get paid on the contract and the accessories. So they probably wanted to horde the phones while the supply was scarce, giving it only to those customers they were getting paid on. I know when Sprint released the first EVO, we were under strict orders from corporate to not sell them at full price until the second week of release. I doubt AT&T passed out those orders, but something to think about.

They don't make any commissions on none contract sales but they also don't need to spend their time setting up the account. It's like buying a candy bar at 7-Eleven. Once they're done with the transaction, they can go on to help the next contract customer.

Probably less to do with time and more to do with scarcity.
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kitsVA said:
I bought mine off contract from amazon for 549. I don't even have AT&T account. Just StraightTalk.
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Thank you soo much! After that Verizon BS, I had to consider going to a provider that was honestly my absolute last option .. AT&T .. and I refreshed on Amazon before midnight and they didn't have the white 16gb available .. but I checked again after I read your post an hour ago and there she was .. $549, 2-day shipping, no tax
I'll pray for the Verizon folks .. Meanwhile ... I will be crossing my fingers for solid HSPA+/LTE coverage and Happily flashing on Tuesday
Ohhh .. and Amazon has a 30-Day return policy to go with that Off Contract ... #Winning!!

Same here, corporate att store in lynnwood wa. Guy refused to sell the phone for no commitment price. Not only that, he said they wouldn't be able to sell them without a contract for seven months or so. I guess I could get a manger and raise hell but why bother. Here in Washington, sales tax is almost 10% so I would have ended paying 605 no commitment price. I guess I can get one on craigslist cheaper and no taxes. Lame thing is, amazon charges sales tax in washington, provided that its sold by amazon itself.
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nohcho said:
Same here, corporate att store in lynnwood wa. Guy refused to sell the phone for no commitment price. Not only that, he said they wouldn't be able to sell them without a contract for seven months or so. I guess I could get a manger and raise hell but why bother. Here in Washington, sales tax is almost 10% so I would have ended paying 605 no commitment price. I guess I can get one on craigslist cheaper and no taxes. Lame thing is, amazon charges sales tax in washington, provided that its sold by amazon itself.
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Bummer ... Amazon is suppose to be charging sales tax in California next year. I've been ABUSING my Prime Membership ..

Best place to buy Note 2 for Sprint?

Bestbuy, radioshack, sprint store.
I want to know who has the best return policy and will any have them other than sprint stores on launch day?
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jamesey said:
Bestbuy, radioshack, sprint store.
I want to know who has the best return policy and will any have them other than sprint stores on launch day?
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I haven't heard of any stores that aren't going to have it. All stores should have it. I'm getting it from Sprint cause Best Buy and the others manage to always screw up sownthing. 14 day return policy from Sprint, 30 day from Best Buy. Unsure about radioshack.
Cant wait til Thursday
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

I'm gonna try to get mine from the local Walmart. If you live in CA, then Walmart is the place to get it from. I just found out that Walmart only charges tax on the sales price of the item. By CA tax laws, we are supposed to pay tax on the full retail price. Just scooped up an iPhone 5 for my wife's Bday today for $205 out the door.
From the Sprint Store, BestBuy etc it would have cost $254. They charge the $199.99 and then sales tax on the $649.99 value of the device. So thats a big savings in my book, as I saved just under $50 this way.
KB

I'm hoping it shows up on Amazon soon. I plan to buy it outright since I'm halfway into contract and don't know how this Softbank deal is going to play out. I'll keep my options open for any future shenanigans....

CA sucks with all those taxes. So glad l live on the border of NH. Live free or die, no sales or state taxes!!!

If you want to buy phones tax free and don't mind waiting a day or so for shipping, this is the best place.
www.wirelessmarketplus.com
ID is 3249312
Enter your zipcode to get in.
This is the only place I buy phones now.

Techronico said:
If you want to buy phones tax free and don't mind waiting a day or so for shipping, this is the best place.
www.wirelessmarketplus.com
ID is 3249312
Enter your zipcode to get in.
This is the only place I buy phones now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, I'll check them out. I got my 3D from Wirefly for $69 last September, with zero taxes and free shipping.

KB112 said:
I'm gonna try to get mine from the local Walmart. If you live in CA, then Walmart is the place to get it from. I just found out that Walmart only charges tax on the sales price of the item. By CA tax laws, we are supposed to pay tax on the full retail price. Just scooped up an iPhone 5 for my wife's Bday today for $205 out the door.
From the Sprint Store, BestBuy etc it would have cost $254. They charge the $199.99 and then sales tax on the $649.99 value of the device. So thats a big savings in my book, as I saved just under $50 this way.
KB
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Click to collapse
wow that's really good to know. how did you find this out? where in the east bay are you??

I'll be ordering mine through the Sprint website or call telesales. They seem to be pretty good on shipping. My wife's iphone5 came in two days, when they said that there was a 3 week delay.
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morphiend said:
wow that's really good to know. how did you find this out? where in the east bay are you??
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I live in Brentwood...Far East Bay. lol
But all Walmarts around do this. I found out a few months ago, when my Mom wanted to get my Pops an upgrade from his iPhone 3Gs. She asked if she had to get it from AT&T and I told her that they can do it at any authorized AT&T reseller. So they were in the local Walmart and my Pops upgraded to an iPhone 4.
My Mom called me later, since she was confused about the price she was charged. She said she was only charged Tax on the SALE price of the phone, not full RETAIL tax. So I googled it and found lots of others said the same thing. So I was pretty stoked to find this out, since that more than wipes out the $36 Activation Charge Fee. You still come out ahead this way, as I would have paid $253, plus $36 activation on my bill. I ended up paying $205, plus $36 activation fee.
I called 5 Walmarts in our county and no one had any iPhone 5's. So I called Tracy Walmart, which is only 30mins from me. He had one iPhone 5 in stock and they charge $189.99 for it, so off we went. The guy was really cool and into Android and we started chatting about the Note 2 during the activation process. He said he was waiting on it (AT&T) and was juiced. He said to give him a call and check back next week, to see if he has em in stock.
PS - They had a Note 1 on display with the other models. So I gotta assume they will also get the Note 2.

KB112 said:
I live in Brentwood...Far East Bay. lol
But all Walmarts around do this. I found out a few months ago, when my Mom wanted to get my Pops an upgrade from his iPhone 3Gs. She asked if she had to get it from AT&T and I told her that they can do it at any authorized AT&T reseller. So they were in the local Walmart and my Pops upgraded to an iPhone 4.
My Mom called me later, since she was confused about the price she was charged. She said she was only charged Tax on the SALE price of the phone, not full RETAIL tax. So I googled it and found lots of others said the same thing. So I was pretty stoked to find this out, since that more than wipes out the $36 Activation Charge Fee. You still come out ahead this way, as I would have paid $253, plus $36 activation on my bill. I ended up paying $205, plus $36 activation fee.
I called 5 Walmarts in our county and no one had any iPhone 5's. So I called Tracy Walmart, which is only 30mins from me. He had one iPhone 5 in stock and they charge $189.99 for it, so off we went. The guy was really cool and into Android and we started chatting about the Note 2 during the activation process. He said he was waiting on it (AT&T) and was juiced. He said to give him a call and check back next week, to see if he has em in stock.
PS - They had a Note 1 on display with the other models. So I gotta assume they will also get the Note 2.
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Called the Walmart in Mountain View and confirmed that they charge tax on the sale price. Now, can anyone tell me if Walmart will get the Note 2 when it comes out on Thursday??

I'm hoping they will. Like I said earlier, they had a Note 1 on display.
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Everyone has been talking about Walmart ..hmm might have to check it out in my local area
-TeaM VeNuM Like A Boss

I'm doing Bestbuy. Price match/ return/ exchange within 60 days for me. I get points for purchases as well.

I don't like buying at non-Sprint stores because they tend to screw things up. Happened when I got my EVO 4G from radioshack. Never happened to me at Best Buy cause I worked there and made sure it was done right. That's just me though.

Geronimo.USMC said:
I'm doing Bestbuy. Price match/ return/ exchange within 60 days for me. I get points for purchases as well.
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Click to collapse
I have that rewards program too. But BB charges full retail tax and they
also inflate their retail prices, so taxes are even higher for CA.
-viperboy- said:
I don't like buying at non-Sprint stores because they tend to screw things up. Happened when I got my EVO 4G from radioshack. Never happened to me at Best Buy cause I worked there and made sure it was done right. That's just me though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard these stories before, never had anything happen to my plan though.
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As of today (11/2/2012) Wirefly and Marketplus still don't carry the Note 2... I'm also looking to avoid the CA sales tax. I was quoted $87 just in tax from Sprint telesales.
Any Californian have any success getting around the tax?

unkellsam said:
As of today (11/2/2012) Wirefly and Marketplus still don't carry the Note 2... I'm also looking to avoid the CA sales tax. I was quoted $87 just in tax from Sprint telesales.
Any Californian have any success getting around the tax?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I hear, 3rd party Sprint retailers should have it around the 9th-11th. That's what I'm waiting for, that and the fact I get paid on the 10th. lol
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Costco Members: $0 down EIP/JUMP

Hey guys/gals, just a reminder - Costco sells T-Mobile phones.
Its not well known, but as a Costco Club Member you can start a new EIP or JUMP, both $0 down, regardless of what your credit or deposit is at a T-Mobile store. All you pay is sales tax.
Also, you get a free generic car charger and window mount.
I was in and out with my new Note 4 in about 30 min.
Note 4 T-Mobile

AND a 90 day return policy.

now if i had a Costco close to me lol

thats where i got mine, in and out in 20 mins.

Gotta love costco!

San Jose, CA area
For San Francisco Bay Area peeps, specifically South Bay, the Sunnyvale Costco has some. I just picked up a black Note 4.

Is there a price break when you buy from Costco?
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

DigitalChris602 said:
Hey guys. Just a reminder - Costco sells T-Mobile phones.
Its not well known, but as a Costco Club Member/Existing Tmo customer, you can start a new EIP or JUMP, both $0 down, regardless of what your credit or deposit is at a T-Mobile store. All you pay is sales tax.
Also, you get a free generic car charger and window mount.
I was in and out with my new Note 4 in about 30 min.
Note 4 T-Mobile
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Click to collapse
I see the plans listed, but don't see any T-Mobile phones listed on their linked site: http://membershipwireless.com/index...shipWireless&utm_medium=T-Mobile-Plans_banner
I pre-ordered my Note 4 through T-Mobile, but does Costco really have them in the store?

Yes, Costco really has them in store. I'm not sure why their phones section online is crap. But call your local Costco, ask for the cell phone kiosk, and the person there will verify inventory. True story bro.
Note 4 T-Mobile

JimSmith94 said:
I see the plans listed, but don't see any T-Mobile phones listed on their linked site: http://membershipwireless.com/index...shipWireless&utm_medium=T-Mobile-Plans_banner
I pre-ordered my Note 4 through T-Mobile, but does Costco really have them in the store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea tru story, I got mine and my wife's on Saturday 11/1 just paid sales tax and walked out with 2 brand new charcoal black note 4's!!
DigitalChris602 said:
Yes, Costco really has them in store. I'm not sure why their phones section online is crap. But call your local Costco, ask for the cell phone kiosk, and the person there will verify inventory. True story bro.
Note 4 T-Mobile
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So they gave you zero down regardless of credit? My credit is poor and t-mobile wants $350 down even with my Jump exchange. Should I just get a membership?

thefoss said:
So they gave you zero down regardless of credit? My credit is poor and t-mobile wants $350 down even with my Jump exchange. Should I just get a membership?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All u pay is sales tax out the door.

DigitalChris602 said:
Hey guys. Just a reminder - Costco sells T-Mobile phones.
Its not well known, but as a Costco Club Member/Existing Tmo customer, you can start a new EIP or JUMP, both $0 down, regardless of what your credit or deposit is at a T-Mobile store. All you pay is sales tax.
Also, you get a free generic car charger and window mount.
I was in and out with my new Note 4 in about 30 min.
Note 4 T-Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Costco doesn't charge the sales tax. At least our kiosk doesn't. Sa Texas.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

What is the total price of the phone? $750?
What is the total price of the phone that you're financing? $750?

mad82109 said:
Costco doesn't charge the sales tax. At least our kiosk doesn't. Sa Texas.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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You pay nothing at the kiosk, they make you go to the register with the receipt, it was 749 for 1 and 1498 for 2. I paid around 117.00 sales tax, than u go to the claim area so they can pick up your order and take it back to the kiosk for them to finalize your setup of phones.
iunlock said:
What is the total price of the phone that you're financing? $750?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

What a concept...wow, costco fixing the people up.....:good::good::good:

Ohh man I'm going to Costco as soon as I get out of work.. But 1st I need to find somebody who is a member... ?

thefoss said:
So they gave you zero down regardless of credit? My credit is poor and t-mobile wants $350 down even with my Jump exchange. Should I just get a membership?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I actually joined Costco JUST to get my phone from them. The membership was $55 + Tax, then my phone was $0 down (REGARDLESS of T-mobiles credit rank for you), and I just paid sales tax on the phone. Total out the door was around $120.
So, now I have a Costco membership AND a new phone, for less down than what T-mobile wanted. Seems like a win/win.

Got my note 4 today no money down not even taxes and they was charging me almost 400. At the t mobile store... Great deal

d12unk13astard said:
You pay nothing at the kiosk, they make you go to the register with the receipt, it was 749 for 1 and 1498 for 2. I paid around 117.00 sales tax, than u go to the claim area so they can pick up your order and take it back to the kiosk for them to finalize your setup of phones.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. The sales slip has a coupon code for the full price of the phone. Making it zero at the register.They can't tax you on $0.00 They even throw in gift cards for 25 and car chargers and a car mount.
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