Best place to get a Vibrant off contract - Vibrant General

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What kind of bad experiences exactly?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related

Purchasing for T Mobile users: The Breakdown

Thinking about purchasing the nexus one? Here is a breakdown for all T Mobile customers of what's required.
Purchase Link
If you have a family plan, shared plan, flexpay plan or corporate account you will need to change before going to purchase the nexus one from the link above. Once all the above items are removed/changed then you are good to go and can enjoy the upgraded discount.
Quote from Nexus site "You can choose to purchase the Nexus One from the Google Phone Webstore without service for $529 USD, or with a qualifying T-Mobile US service plan at a discounted price:
Nexus One without service: $529
Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for new customers: $179
Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for qualifying existing T-Mobile customers who are adding data plans: $279
Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for qualifying existing T-Mobile customers who are upgrading their data plans: $379"
Source
I only paid 179.99 but that's because i opened a new line of service and got a new number. Be aware that if you open a new line of service to get the 179.99 price you CANNOT cancel your other line of service early or you will have to pay a 200.00 fee for early termination. The only option you have is to switch it to a home phone plan. If you decide to go that route as I did then it is 10.00 a month. It uses your sim card and a router that you get from T Mobile for 40.00. You must have a high speed connection to use this option.
I'm hoping you accidentally hit submit before finishing your post, cuz it doesn't make much sense to me.
I have been off contract since January 2009. How do I get the $179 price?
Edit: Just saw your post in the other thread. I think what you're saying confirms what the T-mo rep told me earlier today. She said that if I switched from my old grandfathered plan to the Even More 500 plan, then I'd be eligible for the $179 price. Not that I'm going to do it... it's cheaper for me to stick to my current plan and buying the phone unlocked.
uansari1 said:
I'm hoping you accidentally hit submit before finishing your post, cuz it doesn't make much sense to me.
I have been off contract since January 2009. How do I get the $179 price?
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Someone in another forum had the same issue and apparently he had to add another line. Once his N1 comes in he plans on canceling his old line and switching his number over to the new line. I can try to find that post if need be.?
rantrav said:
Someone in another forum had the same issue and apparently he had to add another line. Once his N1 comes in he plans on canceling his old line and switching his number over to the new line. I can try to find that post if need be.?
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That's not necessary, but thanks. I'd only buy the phone unlocked, because it will considerably cheaper than switching plans and being in a contract again. I'm really just curious because it doesn't seem right that if we're off contract with T-mo, we couldn't take advantage of the subsidized price of the phone. Theoretically we're paying higher plan prices every month because our original phones were subsidized. So if we're off contract, then we should have paid T-mo back for that subsidy and they should either discount our monthly rate (like the Even More Plus plans), or subsidize a new phone for us.
uansari1 said:
That's not necessary, but thanks. I'd only buy the phone unlocked, because it will considerably cheaper than switching plans and being in a contract again. I'm really just curious because it doesn't seem right that if we're off contract with T-mo, we couldn't take advantage of the subsidized price of the phone. Theoretically we're paying higher plan prices every month because our original phones were subsidized. So if we're off contract, then we should have paid T-mo back for that subsidy and they should either discount our monthly rate (like the Even More Plus plans), or subsidize a new phone for us.
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Sorry, people on here seem to like 'hard evidence' that is only text from another person. I am sure that this has been the plan since the beginning. Google, obviously having the upper hand and being in control, is calling the shots on how this works. T-Mobile, being an underdog, was probably given first dibs with this being part of the deal. But, I do agree with you. I bought it unlocked and would have rather saved the money and updated my phone with current plan. The guys post was something about he had a "grandfathered" in plan and was eligible through TMO for the update but with it being through Google he wasn't able to.... I guess all we can say is 'okay' and mush on.
I would have bought the unlocked version as well but I'm already paying the same amount as the plan that is required so took the discount and ran. I'm sure eventually there will be more plans available. Google is sure to take a lot of heat for it and will eventually crack...well I hope anyways lol.
Both of you should take a look at the discussion here:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=3c0fd3870ec370a8&hl=en#all
It doesn't look good for people who are existing customers, off contract and want to sign a new contract. Kinda ****ty if you ask me, but fortunately it won't affect me.
For people interested in the tmo family plans, here is some math.
Getting 2 subsidized phones over a two-year period breaks down to an extra $15 a month ([$180 x2]/24). 2 unlocked phones is $44 a month ([$530 x2]/24).
Looking at text and web family plans with no annual contracts, its $109.99 for 750mins, $119.99 for 1500mins and $139.99 for unlimited. This gives you freedom of picking your plans or switching to another carrier that supports this phone.
Knowing that if you get the subsidized version, you will be paying $160 a month plus the breakdown of $15 a month (spreading out what you pay up front for the devices) it comes to $175 a month.
With the unlocked device price breakdown at $44 a month, you can see you will save money if you buy the unlocked phone and use either the 750min or 1500min family plans as they will cost you $154 and $164 respectively.
This is a two year savings of $504 and $264!
uansari1 said:
Both of you should take a look at the discussion here:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=3c0fd3870ec370a8&hl=en#all
It doesn't look good for people who are existing customers, off contract and want to sign a new contract. Kinda ****ty if you ask me, but fortunately it won't affect me.
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I love the first post that clearly states "only new T-mobile customers are eligible to purchase Nexus One at the discounted price of $179." If thats true then why did I get one for 179.99, I've been with them for 7 years! lol
uansari1 said:
Both of you should take a look at the discussion here:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=3c0fd3870ec370a8&hl=en#all
It doesn't look good for people who are existing customers, off contract and want to sign a new contract. Kinda ****ty if you ask me, but fortunately it won't affect me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a family plan with 4 lines so I had to break down and pay full price.... same when the G1 came out. Only reason is because i feel like this phone I will keep for some time. I hope. Google, I think, will be getting a lot of heat about this. I took a look at the link and there are A LOT of pissed off people on there. But GOOG does have the money to blow.
This is interesting guys
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=06a361e72a26b798&hl=en
ryanmo5 said:
i would have bought the unlocked version as well but i'm already paying the same amount as the plan that is required so took the discount and ran. I'm sure eventually there will be more plans available. Google is sure to take a lot of heat for it and will eventually crack...well i hope anyways lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
theyre all unlocked
melterx12 said:
theyre all unlocked
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Oops lmao, I meant without service
I actually bought the unlocked phone for $530,-. I have another 6 months on my contract.
But this way, I'll be contract free, and am actually SAVING money now, because I had a G1 with Myfav600, which was $80,- a month.
And I never even come close to using my 600 minutes.
So the 500 plus plan is perfect for me. And I save $20,- a month.
And , when they get the Voip thing happening, I can use that as well, since I have a Google Voice number.
i'm a current T-mob customer with 9 mo left on my 2 yr contract i got with my G1, once i get some extra cash saved up i plan to pay the full price for the nexus one because for me at least i currently spend $53 a month on my service with t-mob and don't care or benefit to change it and if i could extend my contract and pay less for the phone by some amount it will still save me more in the long run by not having to pay for the dumb 80 dollar a month plan they force you to have by going that route
this is of course as long as they do not change their tune on how they are handling this before i'm ready to purchase the phone i.e. give me a discount of some amount to upgrade and keep my current plan or one very close to it
Im currently on the even more plus 500+unlimited text+Web
On flex pay. Iam so lucky i didnt sign a 2 year contract!
I just hope tmobile doesnt try to make me pay 80 if i buy the phone without a plan. Just going to pop in my sim from G1
I've posted this in a couple other threads but it should help here.
I'll tell everyone up front I worked for T-Mobile customer care for the last 4 years up until this past June and was a supervisor for the last year of my time there.
If you currently have a single line plan that is out of contract is qualifies through T-Mobile for the full discount but Google is giving you the price that is almost $400 here is what you can do it get around it. And change to the Even More plans prior WILL NOT fix this issue.
Alot of people are getting bad information from TMobile about what needs to be done because the reps were given almost no information about the ordering process. So most reps and just going with the flow to try and get people off the phone.
When you go to order the phone with Google select the option to add a new line to your account. It will give you the 179.99 price for adding the new line. Once the new phone comes in the mail call T-Mobile and cancel your old line and ask them to put a "request old number back" request to replace the new number with your old one. This takes about 24 hours to go through. During that 24 hours your old number will not work because you have to cancel it before you do this.
I know for a fact this will work but the rep you talk to may give you crap about doing this and not let you because they want to be a ****. If you're worried about that call and cancel you old line when you get the phone then call back and talk to another rep and tell them to put in the request for you.
Don't you have to pay the 200 dollar ETF if you cancel a line?
There's no ETF if the line has no contract. So if you add a new line to get the discount you can cancel the old one without a fee
Ah I missed that part. I am trying to get the 180 price and I only have a few months left on my contract and they won't upgrade it. They will let me add a new line of service though.

[Q] How easy is to buy a Focus without a contract?

I will be traveling to the US in about a week, I want to buy a Focus and was wondering if I will be able to do it without having a contract with At&t..
I'm willing to pay the "No Commitment Pricing" of $500+taxes but I don't know what kind of requirements they impose to the actual purchase of a device in the store.
Anybody has info on this?
idloco said:
I will be traveling to the US in about a week, I want to buy a Focus and was wondering if I will be able to do it without having a contract with At&t..
I'm willing to pay the "No Commitment Pricing" of $500+taxes but I don't know what kind of requirements they impose to the actual purchase of a device in the store.
Anybody has info on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is Best Buy if/when they get the phone, I think.
When I bought my Focus today in an official AT&T store, they mentioned I would have to purchase some sort of contract to "get the phone today". I didn't mind since I was planning to, but it felt to me like it was a necessity...
Anyone else have problems buying off contract? I used my upgrade on an iPhone 4 and wanted to buy this for the full retail price today.... Hopefully I don't run into any problems =/
I bought mine no contract with no hassle. I'm already an ATT customer and just asked to buy the phone without a contract.
chizzwhizz said:
I bought mine no contract with no hassle. I'm already an ATT customer and just asked to buy the phone without a contract.
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Click to collapse
Same here, I was in and out in about 5 minutes.
Bizybone said:
Same here, I was in and out in about 5 minutes.
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phew... load off my mind. now i can sell off my samsung captivate without worrying the whole day if i did it for nothing. THANKS
I got the phone when the stores open in Columbus, OH on the 8th. There were 4 of us in line there. The other 3 were Microsoft employees. Two bought the focus, one the HTC. All bought them with NO contract. Infact I think one guy paid for all three of them lol. I'm pretty sure since you can order them online with no contract for $499.99 at ATT.com that a contract is not needed.
I walked in and out of a official att store with a focus.
Buy it @ at&t stores should be no problem at all. The biggest problem is to get it unlocked.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
You can't buy the Samsung Focus off contract currently. AT&T will sell it outright ($499 + tax), but they will only sell it to you if your an existing on-contract customer or you sign up (with a minimum term). I've already been to AT&T and tried, apparantly my money is not good enough there. I'm not sure how people in the US put up with this rubbish. Either way, the only way to get a Samsung Focus in the US at the moment is to sign up at AT&T.
I've also been to Best Buy, but they only stock the HTC Surround, which I won't buy due to it not having a microSD slot.
I'm currently an AT&T customer who just renewed my contract for another 2 years for the iphone 4. So they'll be able to sell me one full retail price, right?
www.expansys-usa.com
What about Amazon Wireless, I think you can buy there without a plan...
EDIT: I just confirm this, you can buy without a plan!
Most online site still need to verify your status with AT&T (at least that's the policy with Letstalk.com). Stores don't like to sell phones without contract because there is no money to be made (monthly service charges).
jaraya13 said:
What about Amazon Wireless, I think you can buy there without a plan...
EDIT: I just confirm this, you can buy without a plan!
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You can go elsewhere on the net as well. The problem is AT&T has the best price right now. Everyone else is a good 50-80 more expensive. I'd rather save the extra cash and grab a branded one...
bmstrong said:
You can go elsewhere on the net as well. The problem is AT&T has the best price right now. Everyone else is a good 50-80 more expensive. I'd rather save the extra cash and grab a branded one...
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Click to collapse
Dude I meant the branded ones (AT&T), for example the HTC SURROUND AT&T BRANDED price is $460 or something like that. And I was able to go through all the checkout process, just that I didn't want to pay, hehehe
OK cool.. I hope there are Focus left when I´m there!
Amazon.com doesn't have Focus in stock. In fact, it only briefly showed up in like 10 seconds before it was sold out @ 11/8.
You go to Dell online and buy any phone on any carrier in the US and some unlocked Nokia's without a contract and in some cases the prices are pretty good...I have a Streak AND a Nokia N8 on the way lol. The Nokia (ugly pea green one) was actually only $450 compared to $550 most other places. If I don't like either one I may be joining the Focus owners club in a few weeks.
craiglist.. thats how i got mine// 400 bucks.. a week old

Tmobile wouldn't sell me a Tab

I went down to Tmobile to check out the Galaxy Tab out and possibly pick one up yesterday. I played with it for about 20 min and really liked it. It felt fast and worked well. I did turn flash to on-demand in the browser, and that helped a lot. I tethered it to my EVO wifi and that worked great too.
But when I wanted to buy one with out a contract they said they couldn't do that. The guy was saying that they were in limited supply and could only sell one with the 2 year contract. I called a few other stores and they either didn't get any in or were sold out. Now, it looks like Amazon is sold out too. I guess I will wait for black Friday to see if there are any deals or new tablets announced.
That sucks, my tmobile store is awesome. Its located in Visalia, CA They hooked me up. Have you tried Best Buy?
Sucks and good news at the same time. Sucks you can't buy one, great news that they sold so well that they have to reserve them for contract sales only.
That should loosen up once AT&T launches theirs, as well as the Bell Canada NAM version.
slcEVO said:
But when I wanted to buy one with out a contract they said they couldn't do that. The guy was saying that they were in limited supply and could only sell one with the 2 year contract.
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Click to collapse
... because selling it with a plan is how the store reps earn commission. I can't imagine that they can legally refuse to sell someone an item when it is in stock... because that is essentially what they are doing.
Can't you just buy it under contract and then cancel right away? Off contract is $599, with contract is $399. They charge $200 early termination fee, so doesn't it just even out?
I looked online today and Best Buy is showing Unavailable for all the stores around here. I also thought the Tmobile one was the only one with the 16GB memory built in. Best Buy shows both with the 16GB built in. One other feature I liked about Tmobile is that they would do a prepaid 3G service. I will mostly use wifi and link to my phone, but I thought it would be good to have an option for 3G when I travel. I'll have to see if Sprint or Verizon can do a prepaid or one month plan.
It is good, that it seems to be selling well. I was also surprised I liked the size so much. I was thinking I would hold out for a 10" tablet but now really like the smaller size. Maybe an 8" would be perfect.
Buying T-Mobile Tab
My goal was to buy one without a contract and monthly charges.
All stores around me had them in stock but one store refused to sell without me committing to a plan even without a contract, another store clerk said that internet Wifi won't work without an activated 3G service and essentially refused to sell. The third store manager sold it without bogus stories, however, he also said that they sell to current T-mobile customers primarily.
Customer service said once that it should not be such conditions to sell the device, however, they also said that store managers can impose such.
The Tab works like a charm with WiFi only but has activated 3G SIM allowing to connect to T-Mobile store for ordering service in case of need.
It is very nice feature because if I need I can order and start using 3G data very quickly without calling rep or going to a store.
chrisreese said:
Can't you just buy it under contract and then cancel right away? Off contract is $599, with contract is $399. They charge $200 early termination fee, so doesn't it just even out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+2
Comes out the same..
$399 contract price... Call T-Mobile and cancel, they will bill you a $200 ETF = $599 total
raqball said:
+2
Comes out the same..
$399 contract price... Call T-Mobile and cancel, they will bill you a $200 ETF = $599 total
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But isnt there activation charge and any other stuff also??
jay_jay_n said:
But isnt there activation charge and any other stuff also??
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Click to collapse
Yeah, they will probably charge for the first month too.
I am not in that big of a hurry, so will probably just order from amazon.
One thing to also consider because I'm in the same boat is that with being on contract you have the option of the $6 a month insurance, hard to decide since I have a second line just ready for the tab
I'm pretty sure T-Mobile is waiving the activation fee, they did for me.
Also, the T-Mobile version (and I assume the AT&T) is the only one with 16GB built-in with the addition of an available MicroSD slot which is empty. The Sprint and Verizon versions don't have the built-in memory but include a 16GB MicroSD card. That's why I picked the T-Mobile version, so I could add a 16GB card for a total of 32GB of storage.
I experienced the same thing. I went to T-mobile store yesterday tried to buy one without contract. The rep. told me even though without contract, I still have to buy a data plan. This surprised me because I have bought phone without contract and with full price previously, and this has never been a requirement. I think they do it for the commission for the rep/store; and also they try to push people into a 2 yr contract. I do not think this is legal. I think there will possibly a class action law suit against them for doing this.
Anyway, I checked with Amazon today and guess what? They have just lowered the price from $650 to $600, with roughly $6 for standard shipping and no tax. I think I will buy the tab from them. On T-mobile website today, there is no more option for buying the tab without contract.
But I do not know if I buy it from Amazon, when I activate it, will T-mobile require me to buy a data plan? Anyone know the answer?
^ You can bypass the activation screen by touching the 4 corners of the screen, starting from the top left and going in a clockwise motion.
You can just stick with using wifi if that is what you want to do. And not having to activate it.
Yes, you are right. The store and T-Mobile loses money with every product that they sell. They recoup their costs by signing you up on a contract. That is their main way of earning money.
ConceptVBS said:
^ You can bypass the activation screen by touching the 4 corners of the screen, starting from the top left and going in a clockwise motion.
You can just stick with using wifi if that is what you want to do. And not having to activate it.
Yes, you are right. The store and T-Mobile loses money with every product that they sell. They recoup their costs by signing you up on a contract. That is their main way of earning money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ConceptVBS.
I also got the run-around by t-mobile stores until I said that I want it activated on prepaid. That was then apparently just as good as the month-to-month "non"contract. I don't know if its official policy or just a misinformed CSR, but worth a try. The CSR did not think of the prepaid option by herself.
Of course 30$ for 300mb/month is outrageously expensive by European standards, but since I'm in Wifi range most of the time its working out fine so far.
ConceptVBS said:
The store and T-Mobile loses money with every product that they sell. They recoup their costs by signing you up on a contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it hard to believe that they lose money by selling it at 599.- Less profit than when selling it with a contract, sure, but a loss they won't make.
chrisreese said:
Can't you just buy it under contract and then cancel right away? Off contract is $599, with contract is $399. They charge $200 early termination fee, so doesn't it just even out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep cause that's what im doing. my first bill comes in January that's when ill cancel. lol only problem after is no internet from my old sim cause they blocked me.
Its got nothing to do with T-Mobile its the sales reps
They don't make as much commission on phones as they do when they sell u a line
Croak said:
Bell Canada NAM version.
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What does a NAM version mean?
xoltrix2000 said:
What does a NAM version mean?
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I could tell you stories about the 'NAM, son. Don't get me started.
...What?... What's that?... North American version?... oh, then, nevermind.

You guys getting it at full price?

or is everyone conveniently in time for an upgrade?
Just curious because everytime a major phone comes out, people rush out to get it, but are they paying full price or what?
And if you got it, thoughts?
I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....
I paid in full because I have EM+ plan (unlocked phone plan).
mmas0n said:
I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....
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I'm in that same boat... Usually you can re-coup most of what you paid for the original unit and come out very little out of pocket to pick up a new handset.
I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.
Full price and in my hands. Screen is nice.
irishrally said:
I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.
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A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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It's the even more plus plan. They stopped featuring it on the website but are (as of now) still selling it through t-mobile stores. It's not officially promoted anymore that's why you have to ask for it at your local t-mobile store.
With the EM+ plan I get 2 lines, 1500 minutes, unlimited text and web for $120. Saves me having to get a landline.
It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
irishrally said:
It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.
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Very cool information. Many thanks to you both. My company offers a T-Mobile discount, got a guess if I could use it on these plans?
I had to get mine for full price. Apparently I was only eligible for some thing where I pay the first month upfront and pay slightly more for the phone because my credit doesn't exist, and the Nexus couldn't be activated with that option. Instead, I got a "free" phone with contract, then I just got an unlocked Nexus to put on my account. Unfortunately, they'd only let me get a free Sony Ericsson instead of an LG Optimus since it was their idea in the first place. Best Buy did pay my first month's contract and all fees that go with the first activation, though. That made me very happy since it was about $190.
ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.
ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Do what I did:
Get a 2-year contract with a free LG Optimus then get an unlocked Nexus. You can sell the Optimus for quite a bit (definitely more than $100).
bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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Go to the nearest T-Mobile corp store and ask for Even More Plus (aka Unlocked Phone Plan).
irishrally said:
I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.
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yeah. My idea is to do what someone else suggested. Go get a free phone and then pay full price for the Nexus S. I can sell the free phone andmake soem $$ back. OR i could just get a contract free monthly plan and buy the Nexus S for full price. That way i wont be locked into a contract. Problem is, there is only 4 stores in my area that are the Best Buy Mobile stores where they have boxes and boxes of Nexus S phones.
To be honest, i dont know what the problem is with the Best Buy Mobile i went to. If i can qualify for a $250,000 house with no issues, i think i can buy a dam phone for the 2 year contract price.
Lets see how much i can sell the Nexus One i have for on Craigslist. That may help me decide.
better than EM+
...is EM+ FAMILY plan. Just got my wife and I on it. Only available by phone or in a T-Mobile store. Saves you > $1000 over normal contract, over 2 years. Hey, that's about the price of two phones!
I bought two outright. I've been with t-mobile for 12 years. I get unlimited talk, text, and web for $93.87 a month.
ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?
sshtac said:
Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?
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The one thing we have in common is a recent house purchase. Mine is about 14 months. My credit is fine, not perfect, but still very good.
I felt the same exact way "just give me the 2 year contract price and stop trying to confuse the **** out of me with all this other crap."
Why the hell would I pay $490 for a phone AND a 2 year contract when I can just buy the stupid phone for $530? I think ill just wait for an att version or the PlayStation phone. Screw T-Mobile.

200 dollar trade in Retailers

https://samsunggalaxypromotions.com/note4
EDIT: FAQ here - https://samsunggalaxypromotions.com/note4/Content/Faq.pdf
I guess it appears anyone who takes PRE-orders is good.
According to the above - are ALL US verizon wireless stores participating retailers?
I ask because I have a government account.. and I've "pre ordered" for 299 - I get a 100 dollar credit for upgrading and from above it sounds like all I have to do is walk into a verizon store and trade in a phone.
Does it have to be a verizon phone? Or would a sprint phone work too?
If it has to be verizon - what phones are you guys getting to trade in? I'll have to buy one somewhere.
What other stores are participating?
J3ff said:
https://samsunggalaxypromotions.com/note4
According to the above - are ALL US verizon wireless stores participating retailers?
I ask because I have a government account.. and I've "pre ordered" for 299 - I get a 100 dollar credit for upgrading and from above it sounds like all I have to do is walk into a verizon store and trade in a phone.
Does it have to be a verizon phone? Or would a sprint phone work too?
If it has to be verizon - what phones are you guys getting to trade in? I'll have to buy one somewhere.
What other stores are participating?
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Looking on Verizon's website it looks as if they will accept any phone from any carrier. As far as going into any Verizon store and being able to trade it in for cash I am not sure, but imagine they all the corporate stores are capable of doing so.
What I am more interested in is what other retailers count. I have an old HTC Aria that I received free when Alltel merged with AT&T that is almost like new. If I go to Verizon's website to get an estimated value it is rated at $0 dollars trade in. However, if I trade it in to Amazon it is worth more than the $10 dollar minimum a phone needs to take advantage of the $200 dollar deal.
wyatt57350 said:
Looking on Verizon's website it looks as if they will accept any phone from any carrier. As far as going into any Verizon store and being able to trade it in for cash I am not sure, but imagine they all the corporate stores are capable of doing so.
What I am more interested in is what other retailers count. I have an old HTC Aria that I received free when Alltel merged with AT&T that is almost like new. If I go to Verizon's website to get an estimated value it is rated at $0 dollars trade in. However, if I trade it in to Amazon it is worth more than the $10 dollar minimum a phone needs to take advantage of the $200 dollar deal.
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Interesting, I just went to verizons site and got 9 dollars as the trade in value. Sigh.
wow it's great one :good:
I don't see anywhere on the Samsung rebate website where it says you have to preorder a phone through a contract with carrier. I think Verizon may require that because they handle the rebate for you.
The Samsung website clearly says if you preorder from BestBuy, you cannot submit for the rebate yourself.
I am ordering from Amazon, full price, and I plan on submitting paperwork for this rebate. I turned in an old phone for $10 to Amazon. If you preorder from Amazon and have store credit you may be able to finance the full price phone at 0 interest for 6 months as well. The rebate is first come first serve and it is not as sweet as an instant rebate from Best Buy or a carrier. I don't know for sure it will work but after reading the small print, I don't see why it would not.
The main thing the rebate stipulates is that the phone has to be purchased as a preorder and the trade in have a minimum $10 value.
FYI-there is a lot of press out there that the phone will be immediately discounted in November to drive up sales.
But that press was generated before Verizon pre-orders sold out. Waiting always saves you money.
I cannot wait any longer for this phone. I am down to one working old android with a cracked digitizer.
I figure even if this phone isn't all that and the new Galaxy 6 comes out in April or a waterproof Note comes out in December, I can always recoup something by reselling this fairly new device.
A
---------- Post added at 11:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:54 AM ----------
J3ff said:
Interesting, I just went to verizons site and got 9 dollars as the trade in value. Sigh.
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wonder if you can fudge the trade in receipt to $10, if you are applying for the rebate directly (not through Verizon).
I dont' see how Samsung can check that. I think they can just verify that you traded in a phone and whether or not you preordered.
FAQ
FAQ
There is an FAQ now linked at the bottom of the Promotion website page (cant post a link). It is two pages long and does clarify some of the rules, but not all. It does tell you what a 'Participating Retailer" is. Basically any physical or online retailer taking Pre-orders.
It also goes into more details on the Best Buy rules. Such as a 2 year activation is required.
uberclaud said:
I don't see anywhere on the Samsung rebate website where it says you have to preorder a phone through a contract with carrier. I think Verizon may require that because they handle the rebate for you.
The Samsung website clearly says if you preorder from BestBuy, you cannot submit for the rebate yourself.
I am ordering from Amazon, full price, and I plan on submitting paperwork for this rebate. I turned in an old phone for $10 to Amazon. If you preorder from Amazon and have store credit you may be able to finance the full price phone at 0 interest for 6 months as well. The rebate is first come first serve and it is not as sweet as an instant rebate from Best Buy or a carrier. I don't know for sure it will work but after reading the small print, I don't see why it would not.
The main thing the rebate stipulates is that the phone has to be purchased as a preorder and the trade in have a minimum $10 value.
FYI-there is a lot of press out there that the phone will be immediately discounted in November to drive up sales.
But that press was generated before Verizon pre-orders sold out. Waiting always saves you money.
I cannot wait any longer for this phone. I am down to one working old android with a cracked digitizer.
I figure even if this phone isn't all that and the new Galaxy 6 comes out in April or a waterproof Note comes out in December, I can always recoup something by reselling this fairly new device.
A
---------- Post added at 11:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:54 AM ----------
wonder if you can fudge the trade in receipt to $10, if you are applying for the rebate directly (not through Verizon).
I dont' see how Samsung can check that. I think they can just verify that you traded in a phone and whether or not you preordered.
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At this point I'm just going to order it off of the b2b verizon wireless site. Cost is 299. Then you get a 99 dollar credit on your bill, bringing it down to 200. I'm going to trade in a sprint galaxy nexus to amazon and hope that they honor the deal. If they do, that means a note 4 for free! Then Whatever my current note 3 sells for on ebay is just the icing on the cake!!
I currently have unlimited data. What would be the best method of keeping my ULD while upgrading and taking advantage of this promo? If I wanted to do it at Best Buy, I would have to avoid going in the store entirely. Amazon, then?
I went ahead and sold my Note 3 for $350. Not a bad deal :silly:
Im on a govenment account as well.
I called and they sent me a padded envelope to put the phone in.
I sent in a AT&T iPhone 4 and got $65
Im waiting for the note 4 to arrive so I can get the rest of the $200 from Samsung.
billinaz said:
Im on a govenment account as well.
I called and they sent me a padded envelope to put the phone in.
I sent in a AT&T iPhone 4 and got $65
Im waiting for the note 4 to arrive so I can get the rest of the $200 from Samsung.
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i too
npro1464 said:
I currently have unlimited data. What would be the best method of keeping my ULD while upgrading and taking advantage of this promo? If I wanted to do it at Best Buy, I would have to avoid going in the store entirely. Amazon, then?
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Yeah that's my predicament. I am buying it full price on Amazon. It's the cheapest I found for an off contract price.
If you have an Amazon Store Credit, you can defer the payment 12 months without interest, So maybe apply for one before purchasing. I am hoping to get the price reduced by receiving a check from Samsung from their preorder promotional rebate by preording and trading in an old phone. Look at the deadline dates for that promotion, if you want to participate.
You could also go to Verizon, and see if they will cut you a deal in exchange for giving up your unlimited data, like 6GB for your current monthly bill total. That is if you really don't use the unlimited data.
A Verizon rep, told me even though we are grandfathered in, Verizon at any time can renigg on the unlimited data because they could say that the ULD was for 3G not 4G data service. I think they have their ULD customers reduced down to 20% or less now.
The other way is to wait longer and buy one used off Swappa. But if you go for the upgrade, you lose your unlimted data. They closed the loophole where you could transfer upgrades on a new family plan to the old ULD customer.
billinaz said:
Im on a govenment account as well.
I called and they sent me a padded envelope to put the phone in.
I sent in a AT&T iPhone 4 and got $65
Im waiting for the note 4 to arrive so I can get the rest of the $200 from Samsung.
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Click to collapse
Cool, I'll go that way too.
Grand fathered
uberclaud said:
Yeah that's my predicament. I am buying it full price on Amazon. It's the cheapest I found for an off contract price.
If you have an Amazon Store Credit, you can defer the payment 12 months without interest, So maybe apply for one before purchasing. I am hoping to get the price reduced by receiving a check from Samsung from their preorder promotional rebate by preording and trading in an old phone. Look at the deadline dates for that promotion, if you want to participate.
You could also go to Verizon, and see if they will cut you a deal in exchange for giving up your unlimited data, like 6GB for your current monthly bill total. That is if you really don't use the unlimited data.
A Verizon rep, told me even though we are grandfathered in, Verizon at any time can renigg on the unlimited data because they could say that the ULD was for 3G not 4G data service. I think they have their ULD customers reduced down to 20% or less now.
The other way is to wait longer and buy one used off Swappa. But if you go for the upgrade, you lose your unlimted data. They closed the loophole where you could transfer upgrades on a new family plan to the old ULD customer.
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So if I want to use my sisters upgrade for myself... I can't?
nope
Not if you want to keep udp
uglymfandb said:
So if I want to use my sisters upgrade for myself... I can't?
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Thanks
I guess my only recourse would be to buy outright.. EBay here I come.. Thanks again
uglymfandb said:
I guess my only recourse would be to buy outright.. EBay here I come.. Thanks again
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Yes you can, I assumed that your sister phone is due for upgrade. When your sister received the phone, just registered with her number for 24 hrs. After that switch her number back to her old phone, then take the new phone and register under your number.
Upgrade
buhohitr said:
Yes you can, I assumed that your sister phone is due for upgrade. When your sister received the phone, just registered with her number for 24 hrs. After that switch her number back to her old phone, then take the new phone and register under your number.
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Yes her phone is due for upgrade... Much thanks for feedback on this situation.. I will definitely do that.. Will save me a lot of cash
uglymfandb said:
Yes her phone is due for upgrade... Much thanks for feedback on this situation.. I will definitely do that.. Will save me a lot of cash
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And you will be locked into a 2 year commitment and lose your udp. They closed that loophole this past spring.
OK forgive me if this has been answered CLEARLY but can somebody tell me how to pre order at full retail from Verizon and get the 200$ promo? Its so many conflicting statements here and I don't wanna fool with upgrade switching. Etc I just wanna get my 200 off and buy it from Verizon retail price.
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