Develop Bugs

How to Get a Vibrant for $350: The Hard Way

Hello everyone,
I have one hell of a story to tell about one boy, two phones (the htc hd2 and the samsung vibrant), and one freakin' committed customer service team (T-Mobile's). OK, so I'll begin my story of how I ended up with a brand-new Vibrant for essentially 350 bucks. Bear with me here, it's a bit long. So, I originally purchased an htc hd2 way back in mid-June for 300 bucks on Craigslist. The phone ended up being defective because of a hardware issue, and because it happened to be under the "buyer's remorse" period, at least the way T-Mobile saw it, I was able to return it by mail for a brand new one for free. I was surprised when I called to learn that T-Mobile didn't require a single piece of information to verify that I was the original owner of the phone, all they saw was that an htc hd2 had magically been activated on such and such a date. So, I returned that hd2 and recieved a new one in a couple of days, which ended up being just as buggy as the last one, so I decided to abandon the hd2 altogether in exchange for the Samsung Vibrant. I called T-Mobile customer service today to setup the exchange for the vibrant, which would cost me 50 bucks since the hd2 cost 450 and the vibrant costs 500, and I was FINALLY told that they had no record of me ever buying an hd2 (I wonder why, lol). I then explained to them that I wasn't the original owner of the phone and that I had bought it from the original owner, but that the phone had been purchased only a few days before they sold it to me. They told me at first that I would have contact the original owner and get the 450 bucks credited back to there account. The only problem was that I had no way of contacting the original owner, and that they had switched carriers almost immediately after purchasing the hd2. After about four hours, and many many phone calls later, I called t-mobile one last time to explain my situation, keep in mind that I was totally honest the entire time, I reached a very nice customer service rep, and after explaining what had happened to me, and after speaking to her supervisor for over ten minutes, she told me that even though they almost never do this, that they would "take my word for it" and send the vibrant, no questions asked, for basically 50 bucks. I was over the moon considering that less than 5 minutes ago I had thought that I had thrown away 300 dollars. I would like to give some major props to T-Mobile's customer support, never in a million years would I have expected a customer service team work so hard to keep a a customer happy. Talk about going the distance. Well, that's my story. Tell me what you think, and what your experiences with them have been like.
Peace, bobofosho12

I got mine for $164 and i wasnt even due for a full upgrade. Got my phone around august. Even my sister which is due for a full upgrade has to pay more. So i think im super lucky except for the tax and all that

Alex530 said:
I got mine for $164 and i wasnt even due for a full upgrade. Got my phone around august. Even my sister which is due for a full upgrade has to pay more. So i think im super lucky except for the tax and all that
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Yeah, its an online Special. However i Would Suggest your sister to call T-mobile and ask to be transfered to the Loyalty Department to get hers. because she will get a good deal as her contract is up...... They will give it to her at full Discount and provide her with a data plan of $24.99 a month. instead of $30.00 like you got... and she wont have to pay no upgrade fee's whatsoever.

Alex530 said:
I got mine for $164 and i wasnt even due for a full upgrade. Got my phone around august. Even my sister which is due for a full upgrade has to pay more. So i think im super lucky except for the tax and all that
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Same here. I renewed my contract last year, so did my GF. We both are eligible for full discount so I jump on it right away.

I hate buying ANYTHING with a contract, I know that even though I might pay through the nose up front, i'm saving tons more than I would if I had a contract for two years. I just generally buy an "almost" brand new phone on someplace like Craigslist and then I return it to T-mobile and get a brand new one for free, hence what I did with the hd2. Just my strategy though.

minogue said:
Yeah, its an online Special. However i Would Suggest your sister to call T-mobile and ask to be transfered to the Loyalty Department to get hers. because she will get a good deal as her contract is up...... They will give it to her at full Discount and provide her with a data plan of $24.99 a month. instead of $30.00 like you got... and she wont have to pay no upgrade fee's whatsoever.
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I have the 24.99 data plan and i will thanks for the info

my story on getting the vibrant new WITHOUT a contract for $133. Please note, this cannot be duplicated anymore as the "loop hole" has been caught and closed. I noticed this post on slickdeals.net the 2nd day it had been posted:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2132124
So basically costco has the cell phone kiosk's which sell tmobile and a few other carriers. as we know, T-mobile offers and "even more plus" program with is NO contract. also as we know that if we went to tmobile and got a vibrant with this even more plus program is $500.
BUT for the first 3 or 4 days that costco sold the vibrant they were selling it for $250 with the "even more plus" plan or $99 with contract. EDIT( this $250 price was a wholesale price they were offering)
so went there and bought 2 samsung vibrants for 250$ each plus tax. ended up being about $540 by opening 2 new lines on the "even more plus" plan. note that this is different then the "even more" plan which is a contract. Even though "even more plus" is not a contract, costco would not sell the phone without an actual plan but thats ok because this "even more plus plan is no contract because normally you pay full price for the phone.
so then because the "even more plus" plan is not a contract, I called t mobile and told them that I want to cancel the even more plus plan and that I paid full price for the phone. (which i did pay costco's full price). they canceled the plans over the phone on the first try without any hassel (some people had a little trouble canceling)
So then i sold 1 on ebay for $485 including shipping and kept one for myself. After paying shipping, ebay listing fees, selling fees, and paypal fees. I came out basically paying the difference which is only about $130 for my new, NON contract vibrant
keep in mind I already have a tmobile contract from my mytouch, so i just put the sim card in the new vibrant and was good to go.
Costco and Tmobile both caught on to this within days, and now it went from 250 to 479 the day after i got mine.
so i basically ended up paying $130 for a New Vibrant, not subsidized, and non contract even less then if I had signed a new 2 year contract.
If so many people had not ONLY gotten this deal just to sell all the phones on ebay and craigslist, the deal probably would have lasted a little longer. (i just sold 1 to offset the cost of buying one for myself)
so keep in mind, this deal is now dead, and no one has had success trying to replicate it since the price change because costco and tmobile had caught on quickly.
Im still under contract with tmobile for another year because i bought mytouch last year. Wife's phone is still eligible for an upgrade I can use later this year

I got mine for $100 after $50 mail in rebate. I bought mine at Costco warehouse . It included the car charger, a carrying case and a Bluetooth headset.

still cant beleive you guys didnt just spam these forums spreading the good news on the price. so sad.
well thankfully, i got mine on bing cashback and so the phone might end up being $350 for me.
oh what i could have done with $100 extra, sigh
by the way did you need to be a costco member to get that price or could anyone get it?

I actually got mine for free, but in an extremely roundabout and lucky sort of way.
Got a Samsung Behold II with a new contract at the beginning of June for free from Letstalk.com. I won't rehash all the ridiculous problems I had with the phone, as it's fairly legendary at this point.
Had even more problems after the now infamous 1.6 OTA update, took my problems to T-Mobile corporate, and after 2 weeks worth of emails and phonecalls with their director of customer relations they basically convinced Samsung to toss me a Vibrant to make me happy enough to go away and leave them alone.
I sort of rode out the "perfect storm" here and was just in the right place at the right time. Still, this is the best free phone I've ever had!

Got mine for the same price as Alex.

i got mine for $534 after tax!

Opinions on buying a nib SGS2 on ebay?

I have two questions.
I have been eyeing either this phone or the GN for a while now, and I am about ready to just shut up and grab the SGS2 already.
Looking online, the only thing that should be coming out anytime too soon is the Blaze which I am still assuming is not an upgraded SGS2 (I don't know if people are just paranoid, or ready for another Vibrant 4g situation). So it seems like I won't be kicking myself in a few months about the SGS2 (minus, MAYBE, a GN release).
So long story short.
Question 1: Have I missed evidence on why I should wait 1 or 2 months to grab a new phone?
Question 2: What would be the smartest way to get one?
Short story long again:
Ebay has new in box phones starting at 499 with shipping, but one has no returns and the other has 3 days. Will ebay/paypal protection save me if I find out there are problems with the phone outside those few days?
I hate asking this, but what problems would I want to look for? Unless they develop over time I don't want to know about the screen issues I have heard mentioned vaguely, but others seem to imply it's not a big deal so if I never notice it then it's not hurting me.
I am wanting to use Ebay because it is 100 bucks cheaper than Amazon but Tmobile would only be like 598 or something. Should I stop being so paranoid and just grab it from ebay?
Sorry, I stayed up way too late with my finger over the mouse button and I am now just about ready to start pacing but I am not getting google search results to do anything to calm or warn me yet. Is it worth the 100 bucks to buy it from Ebay instead of straight from Tmobile?
Sorry, I will stop spazzing.

Those people who have unopened boxes of galaxy s 2 are people who are eligible for an upgrade but like their current phone so they decide to make money of their contract. I recently did this.my mom didn't want a new phone so I used her upgrade to buy a new gs2 and sold out on Ebay for $500. These people are legit and Ebay will make sure you don't get scammed.you should just buy it
Question 1: Tmobile is not releasing a new amazing phone for awhile. (unless somehow the galaxy s2 HD comes over). But that is not likely at all.so there is no need to wait.unless you want to wait another year for the galaxy s3. Ice cream sandwich is just around the corner. Right now is the best time to get it.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Thanks for the response, I am just worried I get it and, say, the speaker phone is messed up and I learn about it a day or two after the return window and then I have trouble getting it fixed instead of just returning it or exchanging it.
I have never had to do that though, so 100 bucks is a lot to KNOW I can.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

Branso07 said:
Those people who have unopened boxes of galaxy s 2 are people who are eligible for an upgrade but like their current phone so they decide to make money of their contract. I recently did this.my mom didn't want a new phone so I used her upgrade to buy a new gs2 and sold out on Ebay for $500. These people are legit and Ebay will make sure you don't get scammed.you should just buy it
Question 1: Tmobile is not releasing a new amazing phone for awhile. (unless somehow the galaxy s2 HD comes over). But that is not likely at all.so there is no need to wait.unless you want to wait another year for the galaxy s3. Ice cream sandwich is just around the corner. Right now is the best time to get it.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
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Seriously? You'd advocate risking getting your phone's IMEI number blacklisted to save $30?
The phones are $529 from t-mobile.
Why risk it for $30??? These "new" phones can be reported as lost then the insurance replaces it and they block the IMEI number and the sucker is out $400-$500.
BTW, Getting a "free" phone on a subsidy plan doesn't make the phone free, you're still paying for it over the 2 year term. With T-mobiles Unlimited Talk,Text, Web for $50 + buying the phone outright, over the 2 years a contract would run, you are paying out $1200+$530 for the phone so $1730. For the equivilant plan with a "free" phone you're paying $80 a month over 24 months so $1920.
So $1920 - $1730 = $190 You pay more for the phone than if you bought the phone with cash. And just looking now, you have to pony up $280 to buy the phone when you "upgrade" then a $50 rebate, so you're paying even more.
Heck, with T-mobile you can ge tthe non subsidized plan for $0 a month, pay $200 down, and finance the phone with T-mobile for $20 a month and come out ahead if you are looking for the least amount up front.
BTW, Ebay buyer protection is only good for 30 days after the sale, on day 31 the seller can report the phone "lost" and have it turned off and get their replacement.

i agree with gallaxxeess
no point saving $30 if you have a high risk of having your IMEI black listed
there's a topic about it in General

gallaxxeess said:
Seriously? You'd advocate risking getting your phone's IMEI number blacklisted to save $30?
The phones are $529 from t-mobile.
Why risk it for $30??? These "new" phones can be reported as lost then the insurance replaces it and they block the IMEI number and the sucker is out $400-$500.
BTW, Getting a "free" phone on a subsidy plan doesn't make the phone free, you're still paying for it over the 2 year term. With T-mobiles Unlimited Talk,Text, Web for $50 + buying the phone outright, over the 2 years a contract would run, you are paying out $1200+$530 for the phone so $1730. For the equivilant plan with a "free" phone you're paying $80 a month over 24 months so $1920.
So $1920 - $1730 = $190 You pay more for the phone than if you bought the phone with cash. And just looking now, you have to pony up $280 to buy the phone when you "upgrade" then a $50 rebate, so you're paying even more.
Heck, with T-mobile you can ge tthe non subsidized plan for $0 a month, pay $200 down, and finance the phone with T-mobile for $20 a month and come out ahead if you are looking for the least amount up front.
BTW, Ebay buyer protection is only good for 30 days after the sale, on day 31 the seller can report the phone "lost" and have it turned off and get their replacement.
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You're assuming it's claimed as insurance fraud... and with taxes it's a 100 dollar difference. I do agree there is a risk though.
Edit: so thinking about that possibility I realized its sort of dumb for me to not just call up T-Mobile and see what they say about these sort if things (knowing they'd rather I give them NY money). I am legitimately thanking you for helping me solidify my paranoia to a point.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

If you wanna be happy, keep your vibrant and wait a few months. I recommend getting the GN if you have the money because it has a better screen, but if you want you could wait until ICS is offically released and then buy it.
If you have been used to the iphone screen, or any good res LCD screen, youll notice issues with the display on our GS2.

I get the phones for free by price matching at best buy.thus makes them have no mail in rebate and no monthly additional fee.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Husam2011 said:
If you wanna be happy, keep your vibrant and wait a few months. I recommend getting the GN if you have the money because it has a better screen, but if you want you could wait until ICS is offically released and then buy it.
If you have been used to the iphone screen, or any good res LCD screen, youll notice issues with the display on our GS2.
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I appreciate the opinion, although I am banking on "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to higher res screens. The expandable storage and currently only over seas options of the GN are why I am just going with the SGS2, but with sprint releasing one it is making me wonder if waiting would be smart. I would be happy with whatever I get, but I am pretty sick of my poor old vibrant.
Branso07 said:
I get the phones for free by price matching at best buy.thus makes them have no mail in rebate and no monthly additional fee.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App[/QUOTE
Didn't mean to thanks you, if anyone wonders why, but what do you mean? As much as I hate big corporation and all, I just can't pull myself to do scams or I would "lose" my current phone. Not saying that's what you're doing, but so far that's what it sounds like.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
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Similar situation. I just traded some BMW work for a NIB SGS2 off of craigslist. Upgrade phone he didnt want.

Just contacted CS
I asked about what they said and all they could say is "maybe...". They can't/won't verify that I purchased the phone so if the person were to claim it was stolen I would be SOL (I have read about a guy who got the seller in trouble in a similar situation with Sprint, but I don't want to go off something like that).
I guess I just have to re-budget 600 instead of 500.

why not just print the page ur phone is advertised on ? if its ebay the guy would have to setup an account every time he wantes to scam someone
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Pay with paypal. If the seller claims insurance fraud Paypal will get you your money back (may take time while they investigate but they will get it). Ebay is safe to buy from with all the fraud protection especially when you pay with paypal. DON"T DO IT ON CRAIGSLIST!!!
Don't wait for the Blaze, trust me, just get the SGSII or GN.
FYI, T-Mobile doesn't make money off handsets. When will people learn this. They make money off the monthly service. They are a SERVICE company, NOT a phone manufacturer. Go ahead and ask any question you want. In fact, T-Mobile prefer you have your own phone so they don't have to subsidize you!

setzer715 said:
Pay with paypal. If the seller claims insurance fraud Paypal will get you your money back (may take time while they investigate but they will get it). Ebay is safe to buy from with all the fraud protection especially when you pay with paypal. DON"T DO IT ON CRAIGSLIST!!!
Don't wait for the Blaze, trust me, just get the SGSII or GN.
FYI, T-Mobile doesn't make money off handsets. When will people learn this. They make money off the monthly service. They are a SERVICE company, NOT a phone manufacturer. Go ahead and ask any question you want. In fact, T-Mobile prefer you have your own phone so they don't have to subsidize you!
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+1 . EBay is safe if you pay with paypal. Stay away from Craigslist!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

I bought my s2 from craigslist for $550 (white). It came brand new in a box, however headphones were missing. I have bunch of good headphones here and there so i didn't care. But the phone was in original packaging and I got within 3 days. I am happy with my purchase.
The last time i bought my galaxy 4g first series from someone advertising on craigslist, brand new phone but when i brought it home and try to use, the phone mic never worked. I called samsung and they told me to ship it to them and I received my phone back within 5 business days. They fixed it for free and even paid for overnight shipping.
I never had any issue with Samsung or Apple.
You don't wanna know my story with Dell and ATT when I ended up paying almost $2000 for a Dell Streak phone I never received.

Galaxy blaze is coming soon...wait for that
There's a leaked tmo map that shows 3 devices to b released in the next 2 months. One on the 18th 2 more in Feb.
Sent from my T959 using XDA App

accordex said:
Galaxy blaze is coming soon...wait for that
There's a leaked tmo map that shows 3 devices to b released in the next 2 months. One on the 18th 2 more in Feb.
Sent from my T959 using XDA App
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I am still pretty sure the blaze will not be an upgrade, probably just a 4" phone...
Any way, doesn't matter, I went to Tmobile and bought myself a new SGS2... having trouble with my new plan though... ugh...

I just bought this white gs2 in the marketplace from another xda member. Bnib as stated, no problems & for around $450
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

[Q] T-mobile noob needs buying advice for GN2 -- pay full price?

Howdy,
Noob here, looking to get a Note 2, but need a little advice to make sure I'm not overlooking something.
Background:
I currently have a Galaxy S II that is way too sluggish and frustrating (was my first smart phone, purchased a year ago).
I’m with T-mobile on their “value plan” and have about a year left on my contract. I’ve been with them for over 10 years.
Options:
Is my only option to pretty much pay for a Note 2 at full price ($650)? I cannot find any deals online for a SGH-T889. The guy at the T-mobile store said it wouldn't even make a difference if my contract was up or not -- price for the phone would be the same. Wow.
Any ideas?
I suppose I could try to call their customer retention line but I feel like they are not going to do much for me, since I’m pretty powerless – being locked into a contract with a year left. I really don’t want to leave T-mobile anyway.
The only other thing I can think of...: It sounds like there is probably going to be a rebate sale on Valentines day, but there are no details out yet – just grand speculation that there's going to be a big sale. Does anyone know if to qualify for one of their rebates, you typically have to be out of contract? I'm guessing "yes".
I also looked on craigslist and eBay for used Note 2s, but apparently people think they are made out of gold – barely discounted. For the price they are asking I’d just rather purchase new.
Thanks for the help.
-Nate

first of all, you ask in the wrong section because this is General section...your question should be in T-Mobile Galaxy Note II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting Section
"The guy at the T-mobile store said it wouldn't even make a difference if my contract was up or not -- price for the phone would be the same." i think this isnt right because as a value plan customer you have the right to upgrade your phone anytime and when your 22 months is up you will receive discount to upgrade your phone with lowest price.
i get my note 2 for only $180 with renew 2 years contract at a retail store. you should try to check the price around those retail stores.

Thanks man.
You get a deep discount at the end of your contract and you are on a "value" plan? Or are you on a "classic" plan?
Regardless, if I don't want to wait that long, I'm pretty much stuck paying full price, right?
PS -- Sorry if this was the incorrect area; feel free to move post

Value plan you pay full price with money up front then $20 payments a month after.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I ran into the same thing. On the value plan, you pay retail, but in payments. So you would probably have 200-300 down and 20/mo if you have the available credit on your account. You can upgrade anytime, price is always the same. I am on prepaid ($30/mo 5GB is hard to beat if you don't want lots of minutes). I did the math and figured that I would break even paying out of pocket full price in less than a year. That's worth it to me to save up for a while. At the end of the day, it's up to you. I'm loving the Note2, excellent device. Even better if TMO really does drop LTE as fast as they plan to.

They are just trying to boost there sales rate for personal promotions thats why I hate tmobile sales man they always try to push you into something ur not sure about well just look into it buddy
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Even with the payment plan, you essentially just pay full price for the phone. There's another option though. You could try going through craigslist or ebay if you trust them. You would save a little plus tax but the down side is that they could report the phone as missing. But in my experience of buying phones off craigslist, or never happened to me. You just have to find a reliable seller. I bought my t mobile note 2 off CL around 2 weeks ago for $400 brand new in box. The seal was still on the box and I tried my sim to make sure it worked and it did. If you go through ebay, you would have buyer protection though ebay, so if anything goes wrong you could dispute with ebay. Buying from ebay would also allow you to buy insurance for your phone through a third party. Square trade is a good company to get the insurance from.

natesi,
The Tmobile rep was right, you are going to more or less pay full regardless of the timing of your purchase. You are on the "Value" plan, pure and simple, its a service only plan and its bare bone. Other plans allows you to get a discount (subsidized priced) phone, but the trade off is higher plan prices.

dandn0ten said:
i think this isnt right because as a value plan customer you have the right to upgrade your phone anytime and when your 22 months is up you will receive discount to upgrade your phone with lowest price.
i get my note 2 for only $180 with renew 2 years contract at a retail store. you should try to check the price around those retail stores.
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That's not correct. Phones are not subsidized on Value Plans. On a Classic Plan, yes. Value Plans require you pay full price for the phone - half down, and $20 a month.

I got a quick question im on tmobile sold my tmobile s3 I haf first got on contract with tmobile and now I got a note 2 just a few weeks ago used but like new I had callef tmobile about my payments and they seen my sim was registered as a note 2 the rep on the phone said by the way u have a great phone the note 2 is awesome well the bottom line is the phone is absolutely clean esn and imei since im using I with tmobile 4g $70 wanted to know if tmobile would let me get the unlock code for my note or do I have to wait a few months ive been with them since august of 2012
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Look on wirefly. Com and amazon, they always have deals popping up for the GNote2. Use the islickdeals app to help ur search.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app

Im on a classic plan and was 18 months into my contract and they ended up giving me the note 2 for 200 w/ 1 free month back in October. They call it an early upgrade program

Ops sorry guys that was my mistake I was confusing between value plan and classic plan and as i checked my status im on classic plan so thats why I got the phone for cheap price xP
sent from t889 running jedix8

if you can wait a few months to see what the gs4 and gn3 are about may be a good idea?

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the feed back -- it helped a lot!!! Seriously.
I went into the T-mobile store (again) and asked about the upcoming Valentines Day sale. The sales associate said that to get the rebates you don’t normally have to be out of contract – you just have to *extend* (renew) your contract.
I’m not sure if he is correct or not, but I HOPE so.
Last year, they were giving a couple hundred off phones (with rebates), so although it will be really painful to wait longer, I think I will hold off until I find out what kind of deals they are going to have on the Valentines Day sale.
Unless, that is, I can find a good deal on one sooner. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
PS -- the "Captcha" on this site is hard!!!

FIREONHIGH said:
if you can wait a few months to see what the gs4 and gn3 are about may be a good idea?
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Click to collapse
Hmmm... I was thinking about that...
The GS4 is expected in the US around the end of April/May, right?
And the GN3? I was thinking around Sept - Dec release, although I just saw these articles, stating possibly at the end of February (???). That seems insanely soon though, for a phone that just got released not too long ago. Or maybe not?
I'd show you the links I'm referring to, but I'm being blocked from doing so because I don't have 10 posts yet (lame).
The other thing is, the Note 3 will supposedly have a 6.3 inch screen?! Doesn't that seem a tad on the too-large side?
How credible do you think a February-ish release date is for the Note 3, and how soon before it goes on sale in the US, you think?

natesi said:
Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the feed back -- it helped a lot!!! Seriously.
I went into the T-mobile store (again) and asked about the upcoming Valentines Day sale. The sales associate said that to get the rebates you don’t normally have to be out of contract – you just have to *extend* (renew) your contract.
I’m not sure if he is correct or not, but I HOPE so.
Last year, they were giving a couple hundred off phones (with rebates), so although it will be really painful to wait longer, I think I will hold off until I find out what kind of deals they are going to have on the Valentines Day sale.
Unless, that is, I can find a good deal on one sooner. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
PS -- the "Captcha" on this site is hard!!!
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Click to collapse
He was correct. Any of the T-Mobile sales are for existing and new customers. If you're on value, you can just buy it on EIP (payments) and still qualify for the rebate regardless of contract tenure. I'd put my money on $0 down after rebate being the sale for V-Day.

hmmm.... I just saw a Samsung Galaxy "next big thing" Super Bowl ad/video on youtube.
What could they possibly be announcing besides the Note 3, if that is suppose to ship before the S4?

natesi said:
hmmm.... I just saw a Samsung Galaxy "next big thing" Super Bowl ad/video on youtube.
What could they possibly be announcing besides the Note 3, if that is suppose to ship before the S4?
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Click to collapse
Why would the GN3 ship before the GN4? the GN2 is not even 6 months out yet. The GN3 is approaching a year. My guess is this rumor is actually caused by the note 8.0 which will likely be made official at MWC.
---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:29 PM ----------
Classick206 said:
He was correct. Any of the T-Mobile sales are for existing and new customers. If you're on value, you can just buy it on EIP (payments) and still qualify for the rebate regardless of contract tenure. I'd put my money on $0 down after rebate being the sale for V-Day.
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Boy do I hope that's true. I passed on the Christmas Sale because it was only $100 down and not $0 down. I'm holding out hope that the V-Day sale goes down to $0. If not though, they will surely at least match the Christmas sale with $100 down. I think I'll pull the trigger at that point. There will likely be another sale for the Value Plan only transition, but I don't know if I can wait that long.

Info for you
Poke_N_PDA said:
Why would the GN3 ship before the GN4? the GN2 is not even 6 months out yet. The GN3 is approaching a year. My guess is this rumor is actually caused by the note 8.0 which will likely be made official at MWC.
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Yeah, I know it is weird that the Note 3 would come out so soon -- I'm just going by what I read in a few articles yesterday.
LIke I said, I cannot post links yet -- not my fault -- I don't have a high enough post count.
Here's how you can find some articles that talks about the possible unvailing later this month:
Google "Note 3 release date"
Click on the first news article from PC Tablet "Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Release Date Could be at Mobile World Congress 2013!"
Then maybe the fourth result down by Trusted Reviews, "Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumours point to 6.3-inch octa-core handset"
And others...
Google customizes search results so your ordering may be different than mine, but you should be able to find those articles with the info I have specified.
It's all speculation of course.
But what would Samsung Mobile be running an expensive Super Bowl ad for, with major celebrities??? What could be that big -- seriously? The SIII is too old to be pushing so hard. What else could it be?
I guess we'll find out on Sunday.
But man, it is taking every ounce of strength I have to not go buy a Note 2 right now.

Possible Galaxy S4 for $579.99 (no contract)

Ive been looking around for the best price before I bought the phone and I came upon costco's website, they list the retail price as $579.99 which is the lowest Ive come across. However theres a slight problem. They wont let you order it at that price, they want you to go with the $199 contract deal.
However, you may be able to price match this through best buy or another store once they get the phones in stock..

Funny - I saw that when I ordered it with contract extensive for $200. Maybe call Costco and raise a stink.
It could partially be due to them not having them yet but no excuse
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

They don't sell phones off contract. Trust me, I've tried.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

jonathan3579 said:
They don't sell phones off contract. Trust me, I've tried.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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If you search these forums there is a thread from 2 years ago and a costco manager says that it can be done but they almost always refuse because they make commission on the contract. Heres the thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044213&page=2 the users name is iceshark.
Anyways if that route doesnt work for you, then like I said you can try getting another store to price match costco.

so expensive now

Its preorder and not outright buy. They are also asking for a 2 year contract (which I believe they need to update their site).

htc one and galaxy s4
its so expensive, i preferred using HTC One i watched google hangout by mashable, i like the design of HTC

Katherine Reyes said:
its so expensive, i preferred using HTC One i watched google hangout by mashable, i like the design of HTC
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Then get the HTC and don't troll here.
Sent from my SGH-T999

Unfortunately those costco wireless stores are managed by another company and could care less about loyalty to costco or pleasing their members. Yes I said "pleasing their members", you are free to LOL.

T-Mobile store is $629
Stopped in at the T-Mobile store near me today, mentioned I am prepaid and asked how much for the S4. He thought the S4 was $649, then looked it up and current price is $629 for the S4. He said they were told they would get the S4 no later than the 15th. They just got a demo S4 in this morning and I got to play around with it a bit. I was sure put off by the mock-up version of the S4 I saw at BestBuy. The real deal is much nicer in person. Anyway, he didn't give me any grief for wanting to buy prepaid and said they would switch my ginormous SIM from the mytouch out for me for free. They already received TONS of accessories for it (mostly cases). He said 3 out of the last 4 days he has been getting in S4 accessories.
I know this is an S4 thread, but since many are still trying to decide between S4 and One, the One is $579. And this weekend only you can get it for $100 off of that (via HTC rebate). Only (BIG) problem is they have no idea when they are going to get One stock in.
Hopefully this was useful info to someone.:good:

im confused? you can get the phone from Tmobile for 150 down and then pay 20 bucks on your bill for 24 months with no contract extension (you do have to promise to pay the phone off, so i guess thats the same). i know yo uend up paying 650 for it, but isnt that easier on your wallet? especially if you are a current customer or someone who cant drop 600 bucks on a new phone?

Midnight_Rider said:
im confused? you can get the phone from Tmobile for 150 down and then pay 20 bucks on your bill for 24 months with no contract extension (you do have to promise to pay the phone off, so i guess thats the same). i know yo uend up paying 650 for it, but isnt that easier on your wallet? especially if you are a current customer or someone who cant drop 600 bucks on a new phone?
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You can only do that if on the value plan or due for upgrade. I already tried :/ I'm on classic and there's a fee for switching to the value plan so just easier to buy it for Me at least
Sent from my Jedi injected Hercules playing Mind Tricks

style154 said:
You can only do that if on the value plan or due for upgrade. I already tried :/ I'm on classic and there's a fee for switching to the value plan so just easier to buy it for Me at least
Sent from my Jedi injected Hercules playing Mind Tricks
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im still on the classic 1000 family talk plan, pay 30 bucks for 4.5gb of data and 20 bucks for unlimited texts, just got a new iphone 5 and S4 and paid no migration fee and my plan and services are all the same as before. although i have 5 lines and i think maybe one of them was up for an upgrade...maybe 2 so i guess thats why

Does anyone think best buy would match this price??? They have heard so over priced at $730!!
Sent from my Jedi injected Hercules playing Mind Tricks

It looks cheap. You save $ 100. Very good price!

I'd wait a month or two if you can. There's gouging going on in the market because of the stock availability. Plus, first run devices (I learned this on my last few phones) almost always have some hardware issues in large quantities - waiting allows for the hardware revisions to fix these. Amazon hasn't gotten theirs yet, to my knowledge.
Not to mention once the HTC One is available widely, the two will force each other down. The fact HTC is doing a $100 MIR to bring theirs down to $479, shows that the Galaxy S4 is going to have to drop quickly to compete.
Food for thought.

Deals on an off-contract HTC One?

Anyone know of any tips or tricks?
I'm stuck on a GSIII I re-upped my contract to on 12/2012.. they say I'm stuck until 12/2014.
Need an HTC One badly, but not $650 badly..

dbornack said:
Anyone know of any tips or tricks?
I'm stuck on a GSIII I re-upped my contract to on 12/2012.. they say I'm stuck until 12/2014.
Need an HTC One badly, but not $650 badly..
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well you can sell your GS III here http://swappa.com/buy/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-verizon/us then buy the htc one off contract for full price.

+1
Sell your sg3 on swappa save up and pay difference for an HTC one on swappa. It's a great site.

If you don't mind spending a little extra each month you can do what I did, I just added a line and I'm fine paying the extra 40 a month.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda premium

Got mine on swappa for $540
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2

Not too bad of a deal, but I had already planned on claiming a refurb replacement on the GSIII, and selling it for $250.. But I'm talking like.. no additional cost. Like, tips on how to con my way into an early upgrade with Verizon..

Kiyuubi said:
If you don't mind spending a little extra each month you can do what I did, I just added a line and I'm fine paying the extra 40 a month.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda premium
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An extra $40 a month!! $960 for the phone over the contract term. I would not be ok with that. Can you still add lines if you have grandfathered family share plans?
EDIT: Why don't you swap a dumbphone on there to at least lower your costs?

I can sell you mine. Accessories in box are still unopened. No scratches dings or blemishes. $500
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2

dbornack said:
Not too bad of a deal, but I had already planned on claiming a refurb replacement on the GSIII, and selling it for $250.. But I'm talking like.. no additional cost. Like, tips on how to con my way into an early upgrade with Verizon..
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Not going to happen.
Since they have you and you no longer have unlimited to bargain with, it's a "pay to play" game.
You could always switch to the edge or maybe the "max" plan for phone leasing and upgrades.
Don't know what else.

dbornack said:
Not too bad of a deal, but I had already planned on claiming a refurb replacement on the GSIII, and selling it for $250.. But I'm talking like.. no additional cost. Like, tips on how to con my way into an early upgrade with Verizon..
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You just got a new phone 9 months ago. They hurt a lot of feelings when they stopped giving upgrades at 22 months. And they stood firm on the 24 month upgrade pricing.
What incentive do they have to give you a discount after only 9 months? They already have you legally trapped for another 15 months. You would owe THEM an early termination fee. They hold all the cards here. You leave.. they make money. You stay... they make money. They give you a new upgrade... they lose money.
Your only out is to do what the rest have recommended. Buy it outright at full retail, or from Swappa. OR add a line and use that line's new equipment for yourself. I know several people who do that. And then just use those line's upgrades when they roll around. I'd just sell the GSIII and pay for an gently used one on Swappa.

one4thewings said:
They give you a new upgrade... they lose money.
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Wrong, they re-up me for two years and keep me as a customer that much longer. Hardware is a commodity. No one makes money on hardware except when people pay full price on it before their upgrade.
I'm willing to bet the money they make on continuing to keep me is more than the money made on hardware if the upgrade me every 9-12 months except in my case, where I went and did that and ended up with a phone that sucks at pictures. Looks like I'm gonna just return it and live with GS3
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda app-developers app

Swappa! bought a new one myself for $480. works perfectly and just send it out for s-off in fact

dbornack said:
Wrong, they re-up me for two years and keep me as a customer that much longer. Hardware is a commodity. No one makes money on hardware except when people pay full price on it before their upgrade.
I'm willing to bet the money they make on continuing to keep me is more than the money made on hardware if the upgrade me every 9-12 months except in my case, where I went and did that and ended up with a phone that sucks at pictures. Looks like I'm gonna just return it and live with GS3
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Hey, don't get me wrong. I hope it works for you. But the logic there is flawed. The "that much longer" they keep you is only 9 months longer than they would have had you anyway. Of course they are making money on the hardware, no matter if they give it to you or you pay full price from them for it. But that's not the point. The point is that they have you under contract.
Imagine you cut lawn for work. You have a giant lawn mowing business. You're making crazy money. A man asks you to mow his lawn for the next year. You estimate the job, pitch it. He's good. He signs the contract. After you mow his lawn for a month he says, "I want you to start mowing my neighbors lawn too. No extra cost. I'm paying you good. Just when you reach the end of my plot, keep going. It's only an extra 3 acres." Are you really going to add a whole new lawn to the job just because he says so and insists that's what it's going to take to keep his business? You have him in a legal bind. You are guaranteed the contract amount OR a early termination fee. The other is just his promise that he'll sign with you next year. You don't NEED his contract. Your business is steadily growing. And what is his word worth? He told you that he was happy with you mowing his lawn and now he's tacked this new condition on. There are no guarantees that even if you mow his neighbor's lawn that he'll resign with you next season.
Again, I hope it works for you but unless some local mom and pop shop wants to manipulate the system for you in some way, I don't see it happening. And if you work directly with Verizon, I really don't see it happening. Sincerely hope I'm wrong here... but business is business. And business, for Verizon, is good.

Pretty good analogy there, but to lay it out in more mathmatical terms, when you got your s3, you probably paid $99 for it, for the sake of argument though, lets say you paid the full $200. Most VZW retailer's cost on an S3 is around 600. That's $400 they lost selling you that one phone. Now, analysts have broken down costs of the cell networks, and found that you're paying around $20 extra a month for the discount you got on the phone. You've had the phone 9 months at $20 a month, or $180. That means Verizon is still down $220. Why would they let you resign and take ANOTHER loss on a phone for a customer who has a perfectly working phone? No, its not "customer loyalty" or any of that nonsense, its you not understanding that phones are an expensive piece of hardware.