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I live in NY, and $500 for uncontract phone at T-Mobile Store before tax. Is there big sale on thanksgiving? Is Delaware cheaper?
st0n36 said:
rtrrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrt
I live in NY, and $500 for uncontract phone at T-Mobile Store before tax. Is there big sale on thanksgiving? Is Delaware cheaper?
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Craigslist
Either craigslist where new G2's are going for $400-450 or Costco where you can get a G2 for $450 without contract.
i stopped by a Costco in Anne Arundel, MD and they said they are not allowed to sell phones w/o contract.
icruisin said:
i stopped by a Costco in Anne Arundel, MD and they said they are not allowed to sell phones w/o contract.
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That always depends on the individual dealer as some love their commision so much they don't sell without contract. The one at Arundel Mills and Beltsville in MD won't sell without contract but the one at Pentagon City and Largo does. Go figure
anyway if u wanna buy from Costco, Just buy it for $99 $149 or whatever the two year price is and cancel after 15 days and pay your $200 ETF since Costco dealers doesn't charge additional ETF
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/PhoneDetails/productid/3812
On the one hand: Wow, that's probably the cheapest way to get the G2 unlocked and off contract. That's probably cheaper than my 21 month upgrade options right now.
On the other hand: Seriously? We're going to talk about scamming Costco, T-Mobile and HTC here in a public forum? How long until Costco would wise up to something like this or T-Mobile put an additional cancellation clause into their Terms and Conditions?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=810674
cmc1002001 said:
That always depends on the individual dealer as some love their commision so much they don't sell without contract. The one at Arundel Mills and Beltsville in MD won't sell without contract but the one at Pentagon City and Largo does. Go figure
anyway if u wanna buy from Costco, Just buy it for $99 $149 or whatever the two year price is and cancel after 15 days and pay your $200 ETF since Costco dealers doesn't charge additional ETF
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The Costco dealers do make you sign an additional contract stating that you are liable to pay them an ETF in addition to Tmobiles ETF. This is basically stealing the phone. Tmobile will deny to pay the dealer the commission because the line isn't open. So the dealer just gave you a 99 dollar G2 that they bought for 450 or so. Some dealers will also charge the employee who activated the line back for the full price of the phone.
acis said:
The Costco dealers do make you sign an additional contract stating that you are liable to pay them an ETF in addition to Tmobiles ETF. This is basically stealing the phone. Tmobile will deny to pay the dealer the commission because the line isn't open. So the dealer just gave you a 99 dollar G2 that they bought for 450 or so. Some dealers will also charge the employee who activated the line back for the full price of the phone.
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What page does it say you have to pay Costco a additional ETF. I'm looking at my friend's Vibrant contact and all they're contract says is that if you cancel, you should return the phone within 90 days so they can offer low prices. There's no additional ETF here?
acis said:
The Costco dealers do make you sign an additional contract stating that you are liable to pay them an ETF in addition to Tmobiles ETF. This is basically stealing the phone. Tmobile will deny to pay the dealer the commission because the line isn't open. So the dealer just gave you a 99 dollar G2 that they bought for 450 or so. Some dealers will also charge the employee who activated the line back for the full price of the phone.
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I think you combined 2 comments and responded to a red herring. One comment was asking about Costcos that would sell the phone for full price without a contract (not stealing, just a different way to sell it) and another was asking about Costco ETFs. I don't think anyone was claiming that they could get it for $99 at Costco without a contract - that would get someone in some serious trouble...
I guess I should add that if you were stating that you doubt that Costco doesn't have their own ETF, I agree that would be odd as it is common industry practice for 3rd parties to sell a subsidized phone and have their own ETF in addition to the carrier's ETF, but I wouldn't put it past Costco - they aren't your average 3rd party retailer and often have unique arrangements with manufacturers due to their membership store nature and the way they manage their bulk purchases.
Thanks for all your replies.
I contract one on craigslist, but no answer yet.
seems phone $49
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/PhoneDetails/productId/3812
activation fee $30?
Early termination fee $350
maybe you have to keep line more than 15 days. so +$30
dunno if you cancel line contract immediately after purchase. t-mo and costco are separate things. they share info and costco requires phone back?
T-Mo stores able to discount?
Does anyone know if T-Mo retail stores are allowed to negotiate or offer deals? I was going to purchase my G2 via T-Mo online, but also need to get my wife a MyTouch, and I want to see if they can offer a discount for two purchases.
I don't think that the actual retail stores can negotiate at all, other than the occasional waiving of the new line activation fee (Not the upgrade fee). If you want a better deal you would have to call, and it honestly depends on your situation as to how much they are willing to give you (Regular reps might not be able to help either, you may have to contact loyalty). They also may require you to order it rather than get it from a direct dealer, but I'm not sure.
Adam5400 said:
I don't think that the actual retail stores can negotiate at all, other than the occasional waiving of the new line activation fee (Not the upgrade fee). If you want a better deal you would have to call, and it honestly depends on your situation as to how much they are willing to give you (Regular reps might not be able to help either, you may have to contact loyalty). They also may require you to order it rather than get it from a direct dealer, but I'm not sure.
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Thanks. i have a Family Plan with 5 lines, and they've always been pretty good about waiving stuff (gave my wife the same grandfathered data plan I had from my original G1 purchase). I guess I'll call Customer Loyalty. Thanks!
Qualcomm announced the next generation in Snapdragon – the S4 series scheduled for 2012. This new chipset brings the manufacturing process from 45nm to 28nm...... this is a big improvement. Clock speeds can go from 1.5GHz to 2.5GHz.
Here is the link if you want to read Phandroid's write up :
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/qualcomms-snapdragon-s4-chips-look-to-amaze-consumers-in-2012/
Here is the PDF from Qualcom for you techies:
Damn I wish smartphones were cheaper so I could buy a new one like every 6 months. 200 unsubsidized every six months would be perfect, but 500-600 is too much.
No reason for smartphones to cost 600 bucks when you can buy an Ivy Bridge laptop for 500 bucks.
It's the carriers fault, the carrier and their contracts gives no reason for manufacturers to lower prices on full retail pricing, not when you have the carrier paying you full price. Ahhhhh
I want the nexus prime then 6 months later I want a phone with this chipset!
SamsungVibrant said:
Damn I wish smartphones were cheaper so I could buy a new one like every 6 months. 200 unsubsidized every six months would be perfect, but 500-600 is too much.
No reason for smartphones to cost 600 bucks when you can buy an Ivy Bridge laptop for 500 bucks.
It's the carriers fault, the carrier and their contracts gives no reason for manufacturers to lower prices on full retail pricing, not when you have the carrier paying you full price. Ahhhhh
I want the nexus prime then 6 months later I want a phone with this chipset!
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Exactly!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
I agree phones cost too much, but then...that's capitalism..... I am going to get an S2 in a couple of days and then get Prime after that........ I wouldn't worry about the S4 chip-set too much probably will not be out until this time next year. I save my change every day and on average at the end of a year I have about 700 bucks, I then use that to get my android toys or whatever. This year is a short year I just weighed my quarters (1Lb =18.60) a Little over 32 lbs or 600 bucks....... but now I will have no money for parking.........
Well, the iPhone and most Android phones cost the manufacturer's $190-$250 to produce. Then they sell them to your carrier and make their profit. After that, your carrier subsidizes the cost of the phone to you for what, $199-$299?
Let's review. If it costs a manufacturer, say $200 to make their device, and they sell it to a carrier for $300 and that carrier sells it to you for $249 with a 2 year contract, how much money did the carrier make on the sale of the phone?
I can understand the pricing for non-contract phones. I can understand ETF's. If a customer buys a subsidized phone and jumps ship with no ETF/Penalty, the carrier is literally losing money.
I don't do contracts. I plan for what I want to buy, save for it, and bite the bullet. I paid full price from my Vibrant on day 1. Is it expensive? Yeah, sure, but there's this notion that smart phones cost $20 to make and the rest is an eleventy billion percent mark up, and that's not true. Do carriers jump that price WAY up? Yeah, absolutely, but it's a business move to try and get the consumer to sign a contract. If a customer is on contract, there's incentive for them to stay and the opportunity to make additional profit through the cost of the plan and any overage charges, accessory purchases.
KWKSLVR said:
Well, the iPhone and most Android phones cost the manufacturer's $190-$250 to produce. Then they sell them to your carrier and make their profit. After that, your carrier subsidizes the cost of the phone to you for what, $199-$299?
Let's review. If it costs a manufacturer, say $200 to make their device, and they sell it to a carrier for $300 and that carrier sells it to you for $249 with a 2 year contract, how much money did the carrier make on the sale of the phone?
I can understand the pricing for non-contract phones. I can understand ETF's. If a customer buys a subsidized phone and jumps ship with no ETF/Penalty, the carrier is literally losing money.
I don't do contracts. I plan for what I want to buy, save for it, and bite the bullet. I paid full price from my Vibrant on day 1. Is it expensive? Yeah, sure, but there's this notion that smart phones cost $20 to make and the rest is an eleventy billion percent mark up, and that's not true. Do carriers jump that price WAY up? Yeah, absolutely, but it's a business move to try and get the consumer to sign a contract. If a customer is on contract, there's incentive for them to stay and the opportunity to make additional profit through the cost of the plan and any overage charges, accessory purchases.
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Totally agree and that's why I have not been under contract either I pay full price (minus my negotiating skill discount) over 2 years it is actually cheaper.
The other thing people may want to know say you have a brother/friend etc who doesn't over use their plan. If all the stars line up and work out right, you put him on your plan (20-30 extra per month) and you get the phone for 1/2 price even if you are on a non contract plan. If you brother/friend turns out to be a flake and never pays you after a year you dump him and you paid about 20 bucks less for the phone overall...........if he pays you say 50 bucks a month over a year you end up with the phone essentially free...... but remember a saving like this in this scenario is highly reliant all things working as the should perfectly....... and you know how often that happens ................
I used to try and get a good price, and through all my years at T-Mobile, I actually have in the past on more than one occasion. These days, it's harder to get a manager to come off of a phone. I really think that once they got bought out the last time corporate policy put the clamps down on it some.
I'm not a wasteful person anyway so paying full price for a smart phone every 18-24 months is one of the few things I splurge on. It's definitely cheaper in the long run on T-Mobile since your plan is cheaper. Shoot, I'm still on an EM+ plan. Sadly, I'll probably have to bite the bullet and move to VZW soon since I need a larger network and that's where the real raping begins.
I was thinking about it and its one of 2 things imo. I think they are using the extra bucks for the future LTE expansion, building towers and whatnot. But most likely they are a bunch of grubby pricks that want to nickel and dime us
Sent from my HTC Sensation using XDA
I've read through a lot of the huge thread, and a lot of people were saying that t-mobile tends to offer the new, hip device for an outrageous cost for the first few weeks.
If you are a current customer you might have luck calling customer service and passively threatening to switch carriers. Many people here have had luck getting $200 off the phone and a few other perks. The last 10 pages of so of the big thread are full of those stories.
I bought the phone outright. The value plan I'm on is sweet- I'm saving $450 over 2 years.
Lets hope for the first and realize this phone is actually a phone that I might keep for the 2 years for a 1st haha. There is no real reason I don't think except the fact that T-Mobile has the cheaper of the plans when it comes to the competing 3, so the 80$ more that I have to spend to get the phone compared to the 25-50$ a month I save (comparing to my friends who have Verizon and At&t I'm okay with the difference... But still wish it wasn't the case.
I'm rocking the Motorola Cliq. This phone is going to seem so amazingly quick. If I can get 2 1/2 years out of a pos phone like the Cliq I can get 2 years out of this sexy phone.
I'm just happy that I am still out of contract.
mhuckins said:
I'm rocking the Motorola Cliq. This phone is going to seem so amazingly quick. If I can get 2 1/2 years out of a pos phone like the Cliq I can get 2 years out of this sexy phone.
I'm just happy that I am still out of contract.
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GOOOooo should've went to the G1 haha.
mt3g said:
GOOOooo should've went to the G1 haha.
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I almost did! I didn't want to move away from the qwerty keyboard. I've spent so much time on the computer in the last year I couldn't justify another partial upgrade. I was so close to buying an iPhone (they get upgrades, my cliq is like 1.8 or some lousy shiat) and then the SGSIII came along. I haven't slept in weeks. It's like the raspberry pi all over again.
MacTheRipperr said:
I was thinking about it and its one of 2 things imo. I think they are using the extra bucks for the future LTE expansion, building towers and whatnot. But most likely they are a bunch of grubby pricks that want to nickel and dime us
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Spit-balling...
T-Mobile's Value plan is supposed to encourage customer's to avoid the recent spate of aggressive phone upgrades, and they are realizing that smartphone users are unaffected by the economic argument as the situation stands.
The phones actually are more expensive than we tend to think, and even "no-commitment" pricing has been subsidized.
The worldwide currency shifts have affected the cost of phones, and most carriers have been reluctant to reflect reality in a highly competitive market.
High demand and low supply resulted in either a money-grab or an attempt to prevent people from buying up the limited supply and selling on eBay (the latter being, admittedly, unlikely given the nature of the mobile market).
Executives have started to notice that the "free phone" weekends have been eating into profits and T-Mobile is attempting to capitalize on eager buyers that clearly aren't willing to wait until the inevitable deal comes along.
The unusual modem and/or overall lower volume of T-Mobile's sales meant that they weren't able to negotiate a deal as aggressive as the larger players.
T-Mobile has an interest in seeing HTC succeed and are attempting to subtly curb the Goliath that is Samsung in an attempt to keep their leverage going.
Pricing is not related to anything other than an attempt to place devices into tiers (with the S2 at $550, the One S at $600, and the S3 as the perceived-best phone), and they didn't expect a backlash against the better phones costing more money.
T-Mobile is attempting to expand its image as the "value" service by leaving room for negotiation so that bargain-conscious customers talk them up.
Don't take any of the above too seriously. It is kind of late, I haven't put much thought into it, and I've had a lot to drink.
In any case, relative value is relative value. I don't care that Redbox is losing money renting to me for $0.70, it makes me unwilling to pay for Blockbuster Express at $3. I don't care that an album costs $7 at my preferred service of Amazon MP3, I am unwilling to buy because Google Music has it $4. At the end of the day, the (vocal) minority of us that hang it forums like this will sweat the price difference because we spend all of our time comparing like items.
It isn't even remotely fair to T-Mobile (or whomever), but it is human.
Voltage Spike said:
Spit-balling...
T-Mobile's Value plan is supposed to encourage customer's to avoid the recent spate of aggressive phone upgrades, and they are realizing that smartphone users are unaffected by the economic argument as the situation stands.
The phones actually are more expensive than we tend to think, and even "no-commitment" pricing has been subsidized.
The worldwide currency shifts have affected the cost of phones, and most carriers have been reluctant to reflect reality in a highly competitive market.
High demand and low supply resulted in either a money-grab or an attempt to prevent people from buying up the limited supply and selling on eBay (the latter being, admittedly, unlikely given the nature of the mobile market).
Executives have started to notice that the "free phone" weekends have been eating into profits and T-Mobile is attempting to capitalize on eager buyers that clearly aren't willing to wait until the inevitable deal comes along.
The unusual modem and/or overall lower volume of T-Mobile's sales meant that they weren't able to negotiate a deal as aggressive as the larger players.
T-Mobile has an interest in seeing HTC succeed and are attempting to subtly curb the Goliath that is Samsung in an attempt to keep their leverage going.
Pricing is not related to anything other than an attempt to place devices into tiers (with the S2 at $550, the One S at $600, and the S3 as the perceived-best phone), and they didn't expect a backlash against the better phones costing more money.
T-Mobile is attempting to expand its image as the "value" service by leaving room for negotiation so that bargain-conscious customers talk them up.
Don't take any of the above too seriously. It is kind of late, I haven't put much thought into it, and I've had a lot to drink.
In any case, relative value is relative value. I don't care that Redbox is losing money renting to me for $0.70, it makes me unwilling to pay for Blockbuster Express at $3. I don't care that an album costs $7 at my preferred service of Amazon MP3, I am unwilling to buy because Google Music has it $4. At the end of the day, the (vocal) minority of us that hang it forums like this will sweat the price difference because we spend all of our time comparing like items.
It isn't even remotely fair to T-Mobile (or whomever), but it is human.
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I wish I could write so eloquently when drunk. What's your fark handle?
It's sort of amazing to see people complaining about the "high" price without factoring in the total price of the contract or looking at the ETF. Worrisome.
Last year the GS2 and Amaze 4G were priced in the mid $200s so this seems pretty normal for T-mobile. T-mobile has also mused about contract pricing and how it is affecting their competitiveness and bottomline. Since the phone is untouched mostly there were probably other concessions that T-mobile wanted with Samsung on pricing. Then of course this phone is even more feature packed than the last, and you can't remove components once you place it in your previous flagship model (the GS2) so they are getting more and more expensive.
I don't think ETF factors much, unless you are some crazy person who likes to break contracts all the time and can't wait out the 2 years. T-mobile contract prices are lower, sure, but not by much.
Why doesn't anyone incorporate how much the plans cost prior to complaining about the cost of the phone?
I remember reading somewhere that stated studies show customers are more prone to sign with a carrier based on the price of the phone instead of the rate plan.
Let's wise up, fellas. Don't be a poor consumer.
tmobile is the only company selling the phone at this point, and in limited markets at that. I am wondering if they're selling the phone at such a high price in the beggining because they know they can. Look at the overwhelming demand coupled with such a limited supply. It's an easy cash cow. Im wondering if I should wait out and see if the price will go down in the next few weeks. ATT and Sprint are both selling 32gb at 600 and tmobile is selling them at 670 but like I said before Tmobile is the only one selling them at this point and they're pretty much done in Manhattan (i called a bunch of stores already).
ttngu234 said:
Why doesn't anyone incorporate how much the plans cost prior to complaining about the cost of the phone?
I remember reading somewhere that stated studies show customers are more prone to sign with a carrier based on the price of the phone instead of the rate plan.
Let's wise up, fellas. Don't be a poor consumer.
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The purchase of the phone is the only time they have to fork out a bunch of money so it makes sense that the cost will drive many consumers. For the most part, the rate plan costs are similar across the market. Yes, Verizon is the most expensive but they have a reputation for offering the best network and that allows them to charge a premium.
Sergent D said:
The purchase of the phone is the only time they have to fork out a bunch of money so it makes sense that the cost will drive many consumers. For the most part, the rate plan costs are similar across the market. Yes, Verizon is the most expensive but they have a reputation for offering the best network and that allows them to charge a premium.
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Not really. AT&T and Verizon are both equally expensive, and while Sprint is a bit cheaper (comparable unlimited talk/text plans closest to T-Mobile's 5GB web/tethering in this case), you're still paying a substantially bigger amount over the 2 years even with a cheaper phone.
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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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.
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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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