Develop Bugs

Question about upgrading...

Hello, I have a question...
On the 25th of April, I joined my Moms Sprint plan, and signed up and got the Sprint Hero. I did this at Radioshack, and according to account management, I have an upgrade already? Says I recieved it on the first of May. Is this a real upgrade, or just a glitch in the system? My wife also signed up on that same day and had a upgrade as well, we used it to get a phone, and it went through and everything, so I assume it's real..
Anyways, my question. I'm wanting to upgrade to the EVO on the 4th, what do I have to do with my current Sprint Hero? I was wanting to sell it on eBay as they sell for ~$200, which would cover the Evo. But, do I have to wait a certain time frame before I can sell it since I just bought it on the 25th as it was discounted, not paying full retail? I'd rather sell it then doing the trade-in thing through radioshack and only getting half what it's worth.
Thanks for any responses. Hope this is clear on what I'm asking...

Upgrade, pay for the phone and sell your hero after.
or
Get a cheap prepaid phone or extra phone lying around the house.
Call and change the ESN number
Sell your Hero
Hold the cash until June 4th
This will give you plenty of time to customize the Hero and sell it as is.

Does the whole Radioshack making you stay with your phone for 181 days or whatever only apply to online? I didn't pay the most attention when it was all keeping set up, but I believe they said I need to keep the phone active for 30 days. So is it safe to assume that after the 25th I can go ahead and sell the hero and switch to whatever phone I want to? And would Radioshack still offer me the upgrade for the Evo if I no longer have my Hero and am just using some cheap phone?

jkinnison90 said:
Does the whole Radioshack making you stay with your phone for 181 days or whatever only apply to online? I didn't pay the most attention when it was all keeping set up, but I believe they said I need to keep the phone active for 30 days. So is it safe to assume that after the 25th I can go ahead and sell the hero and switch to whatever phone I want to? And would Radioshack still offer me the upgrade for the Evo if I no longer have my Hero and am just using some cheap phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're eligible for upgrade you'll be eligible at RS. They will be able to see your eligibility just fine. I WOULD however go to a Sprint corporate store and make sure you are eligible for an upgrade and not an EARLY upgrade. There is a difference in the amount you would be paying for the phone. Once you verify with them then head over to RS and pre-order.
By the way don't get the insurance through Radioshack. Get it through Sprint. Radioshack will tell you they give you a loaner phone but I believe it to be BS. Just pay the $7 through Sprint and eat the deductible. It's a better process overall.

it's an upgrade, according to sprint.com it's $150 off.
not sure why i'm eligble for an upgrade when i just got the line under 30 days ago..
i think i'll probably end up keeping the hero until i get the evo and then sell it to play it safe.

Can anyone else help with this situation? More answers would make me more comfortable. Don't want to be charged full price for the Hero or anything :\

jkinnison90 said:
Can anyone else help with this situation? More answers would make me more comfortable. Don't want to be charged full price for the Hero or anything :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as the system says you're eligible, its fine. Sometimes these things happen. You wont have any issues from the shack if you go ahead and use that upgrade. (Assuming you got it from a store and not online)
So, as said above, get your EVO then sell the hero to recover the cash
*I'm a manager for Radioshack if it makes you feel better*

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!

Sprint launches early upgrade promo

In an industry where customer churn can be likened to the fearsome troll under the bridge, Sprint has launched a program designed to keep its favored subscribers around for another two years. While not everyone is eligible -- those who've upgraded less than eight months ago, corporate outfits and those in collections need not inquire -- the program lets customers buy their way out of their current commitment and become eligible for a new, subsidized handset. The promotion begins February 12th and is set to run through the 14th of April, where the amount you pay correlates to the time since your last upgrade. So if you're currently pining for the Epic 4G Touch or the iPhone 4S, just give your local Sprint store a call this Sunday. They just may be able to hook you up.
Source:http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/sprint-launches-early-upgrade-promo/

Nice C/P skills -_-
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

It's more like they want to get rid of Wimax phones and other inventory it seems like. It's a ripoff, hardly worth the price. Ebay is cheaper
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Cleaning house getting ready for LTE

My OG Epic (Now NS4G) line is due for an upgrade in 5 months...may be perfect timing for once
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

IMO opinion this is more of a contract buyout to get new user pricing than it is an early upgrade promo like the Sprint Premier Gold program was.

It makes 0 sense to pay $55 to buy out for early upgrade if you're like 1-4 months out.

cds0699 said:
It makes 0 sense to pay $55 to buy out for early upgrade if you're like 1-4 months out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind though, that we live in a world where people will happily spend well in excess of $55 to "upgrade" from something like a IPhone 4 to a 4s. Sometimes, "sense" takes a back seat to a desire to be instantaneously satisfied... lol

CoppertoneSPF15 said:
Keep in mind though, that we live in a world where people will happily spend well in excess of $55 to "upgrade" from something like a IPhone 4 to a 4s. Sometimes, "sense" takes a back seat to a desire to be instantaneously satisfied... lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree, people at my store will pay a lot to get their upgrade now to get the phone they want now. I think a lot of it comes from people who buy cheap phones and just can't take having them anymore and will do anything to get out of that phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

newalker91 said:
This actually isn't a promotion. It's just a last resort offering by Retention as of right now. You pay on average $10/month remaining on your contract with an average maximum of 6 months to move your upgrade up. We've been doing it for months for customers in my stores, but it's never really been publicly advertised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you working for a corporate store or a preferred retailer? I'm a preferred retailer and would love to know how you go about doing it, and compare that to the way we do it at our store. Shoot me a PM, love to compare notes!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

JasonK75 said:
Are you working for a corporate store or a preferred retailer? I'm a preferred retailer and would love to know how you go about doing it, and compare that to the way we do it at our store. Shoot me a PM, love to compare notes!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i be included in this? i only have a way for 2 weeks early... preferred retailer

My wife is only 2 months away from an upgrade; if she waits, she still pays 36 dollars "activation fee", or, if she does it tomorrow, its the same 36 dollars, so, if you are a month or 2 away, it doesn't cost you a dime more to do it now..
yes, i am sure its to clean out the existing inventory before the "new" network is in full swing..
WOOT, 3000 POSTS!!

I work at a preferred dealer as well, just tell your customers to call customer care and see if they can do an early upgrade. If that doesn't work have them be transferred to retentions and say someone they know was able to buy out their remaining contract and get an early upgrade. That easy. I have my upgrade still, saving it for the GSIII because I'm not stupid like some people.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

ccline84 said:
I work at a preferred dealer as well, just tell your customers to call customer care and see if they can do an early upgrade. If that doesn't work have them be transferred to retentions and say someone they know was able to buy out their remaining contract and get an early upgrade. That easy. I have my upgrade still, saving it for the GSIII because I'm not stupid like some people.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have an airave for that

Ok I called Sprint customer care today inquiring about the upgrade. My girl's line is due for upgrade in October and I am tired of her complaining about her Evo3d restarting all the time. So I called to see if I can get that upgrade for an Iphone for her. I was told that the new promo is only for people who's upgrade is in April or earlier and are also having phone issues. I think I'm going to call a corporate store tomorrow. Any advice or am I wasting my time? The Engadget article said if you upgraded within the last 8 months your or not eligible. I didn't upgrade this line within the last 8 months.

To upgrade or not to upgrade....
I saw this on Friday and wandered into a Sprint store on Sunday. The fella at the desk told me this was all legit and that I would need to call customer service because he could not do anything from the store (he said to ask for the "retentions" department).
I've been suffering with a Hero for the last 18 months. Loved the phone when I first got it, but it didn't take long to realize that it was not powerful enough to keep me happy. My wife is on her third Moment because everything about that phone just doesn't seem to work. I was hoping to hold out for an LTE phone but it appears those won't be dropping until late summer, and I'm not sure if we can hold out that long.
On the Sprint website, I get a message that I am eligible for $150 off a new phone on April 1 (remnants of the Premiere Program). From what I read, I'll have to pay $36 to upgrade in April or I can pay $55 now.
So my question(s) to all you Sprint people out there, am I reading all this correctly? Will I still qualify for the $150 off the new phone? Am I absolutely crazy for not waiting for LTE? Should I take the SGS2E4GT (Galaxy S 2) or hold out for the Nexus?
Thanks for the input.

dabigoh said:
I saw this on Friday and wandered into a Sprint store on Sunday. The fella at the desk told me this was all legit and that I would need to call customer service because he could not do anything from the store (he said to ask for the "retentions" department).
I've been suffering with a Hero for the last 18 months. Loved the phone when I first got it, but it didn't take long to realize that it was not powerful enough to keep me happy. My wife is on her third Moment because everything about that phone just doesn't seem to work. I was hoping to hold out for an LTE phone but it appears those won't be dropping until late summer, and I'm not sure if we can hold out that long.
On the Sprint website, I get a message that I am eligible for $150 off a new phone on April 1 (remnants of the Premiere Program). From what I read, I'll have to pay $36 to upgrade in April or I can pay $55 now.
So my question(s) to all you Sprint people out there, am I reading all this correctly? Will I still qualify for the $150 off the new phone? Am I absolutely crazy for not waiting for LTE? Should I take the SGS2E4GT (Galaxy S 2) or hold out for the Nexus?
Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would buy a used phone off Craig's list or something now and hold onto you upgrade for an LTE device. You can get an E4GT for around $300 and EVO 3D for much less or an Nexus 4G for even less then that.
That is what I would do because once the GN drops you know you will want it or whatever cool LTE phone comes out soon after that...

The way I read this is that they are just pro-rating your ETF (the way they all should do anyway).
In theory, it works like this:
A high end handset costs ~$600 but in exchange for signing a 2-year contract, the cell phone carrier will subsidize $400 of the cost and roll the cost of that "loan" into the cost of your monthly service. You get a new phone without as large an initial outlay of cash and they gain a steady source of income for at least the next 2 years.
In theory you should be able to bring your own phone and get service at a lower cost off-contract because you aren't paying off a subsidy but since the top 3 providers don't offer this, there is not really any benefit to not taking the subsidy. You are already paying the same monthly rate so other than not being locked into a service contract, you gain nothing financially from not taking the $400 subsidy.
Along with this, in theory, your ETF should drop by 1/24th every month as you are basically paying off the subsidy one month at a time over two years. Once again, it doesn't quite work that way. At least this is an attempt to let people pay off the remaining subsidy before signing a new contract and taking a new one.
I would prefer to just pay $600 for my phone and then pay $17 less per month (approx 1/24 of $400) with no contract but since the US market seems accustomed to cheaper subsidized handsets on contract I don't know it would ever take off much. The contracts, handset exclusives, and lack of porting options have made it so the carriers have little incentive to compete on price or plan options..but that's another topic for another day.

Well I got mine it was 40 bucks but.my Gf needs a new phone had so, iPhone 4s and she can have my day 2week old epic touch 4g
Update: I got my upgrade and the fee was added to my bill and my upgrade is now waiting. Pretty cool. I have another upgrade in August so I will se what they have then.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I have a upgrade in October, but I'm debating to hold off for the s3 which could be a long way off or get the epic touch. I have a 3d right now but the white epic touch looks sexy.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

Anyone else patient enough to wait until after general release?

Or is it just me?
Now don't get me wrong, as I've been waiting for a decent upgrade option since my trusty HD2 and would love the phone on the release date because my HD2 is very close to dying and my stupid new workplace haven't sorted me out with a phone despite me being there for nearly 2 months now (a massive and very well-known global IT company, believe it or not!).
But when I called Vodafone, my current network (yes, that's right "network", not "carrier" - I'm not American!) to try to get the phone on a cheaper deal (read "free" for £30 a month for 18 months), they said they couldn't be flexible on any of the tariffs on pre-orders. So I have the wait. I don't mind, but what really winds me up is the angst in this forum: "oh no, mine won't be delivered til 11th April!" Yes? And?

Well if you pre ordered a phone which costs about 800 pound in total on an average contract and the release day is the 5th and some are delievering then, and others on the 11th. I can see their point.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

I think if the phone had already been released and you had to wait 6 days for it then they might have a point. For pre-orders, not so much as HTC have, as far as I'm aware, never specified a release date.
I take it you're one of those who has to wait?

Ruudfood said:
Or is it just me?
Now don't get me wrong, as I've been waiting for a decent upgrade option since my trusty HD2 and would love the phone on the release date because my HD2 is very close to dying and my stupid new workplace haven't sorted me out with a phone despite me being there for nearly 2 months now (a massive and very well-known global IT company, believe it or not!).
But when I called Vodafone, my current network (yes, that's right "network", not "carrier" - I'm not American!) to try to get the phone on a cheaper deal (read "free" for £30 a month for 18 months), they said they couldn't be flexible on any of the tariffs on pre-orders. So I have the wait. I don't mind, but what really winds me up is the angst in this forum: "oh no, mine won't be delivered til 11th April!" Yes? And?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes they can, but you need to speak to retentions and not upgrades

Just do what I do and go through phones4u or similar 3rd party company for your upgrade. Orange, who I've been with for 6 years will not budge on upgrades for me, despite me being on their highest banding, so I upgrade thru phones4u now who will sell you the contract and (usually unlocked and unbranded phone) for a lot less than the stupidly strict network providers. I got the One X on an 18 month contract, 600 minutes, 3000 texts and 750mb internet for only 28.50 a month and they have thrown in the medialink for free too. Give them a try

Ruudfood said:
Or is it just me?
Now don't get me wrong, as I've been waiting for a decent upgrade option since my trusty HD2 and would love the phone on the release date because my HD2 is very close to dying and my stupid new workplace haven't sorted me out with a phone despite me being there for nearly 2 months now (a massive and very well-known global IT company, believe it or not!).
But when I called Vodafone, my current network (yes, that's right "network", not "carrier" - I'm not American!) to try to get the phone on a cheaper deal (read "free" for £30 a month for 18 months), they said they couldn't be flexible on any of the tariffs on pre-orders. So I have the wait. I don't mind, but what really winds me up is the angst in this forum: "oh no, mine won't be delivered til 11th April!" Yes? And?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same problem... whats really bugs me is that I don't know when or how much will it be when it hits the markets in my country

I`ll be a month behind everyone....due an upgrade on May 6th.At least by then the devs should be in full swing

tough question, simple answer.. will get my hands on it, if I get it a bit lower than the MRP, however can't wait 6 months for the price to come down, then something newer will come and I won't be ever able to buy a phone in this cycle.
Btw, I will also upgrade from HD2,

I will be one week behind than everyone else since im getting paid next week i can't wait any longer..i will be making a black&cyan theme for sense 4.0 when i get it

Well the One X should be out by mid-april in my country, but I will wait till second week of May because it's my birthday and because htc phone prices usually decrease about 100-150$ after 3 weeks

I'm waiting for t mobile UK to start displaying contracts so think it will be a couple of days after release before I take the plunge,but as my contract is up on the 31st I should be in a decent position to keep my current contract sign up for another 18 months and get the phone for free
Sent from my LEEDROID powered Desire HD

This One is going to be a worthy replacement for my HD2!
im counting the days....

If you pre-order you get the Media Link Box for free and the plan I've pre-ordered on makes it a steal. 12 Month contract with Vodafone with HTC One X black, HTC Media Link, 300mins, 500mb, unlimited texts total cost £542. Sure as hell beats paying £490 outright from Amazon which was what I was going to do!

Sadly Voda/Orange/O2 were out of the question for me as unlimited data is a necessity.
I was severely hamstrung with 500mb of data on my Dz on Vodafone, and since moving to three two weeks ago I've downloaded over 2gb data.
In terms of pre-ordering, the trick is to get your employer to pay for your phone, then it doesnt matter how much the contract costs

My upgrade date is April 15th, so I've got to wait until release!

qpop said:
Sadly Voda/Orange/O2 were out of the question for me as unlimited data is a necessity.
I was severely hamstrung with 500mb of data on my Dz on Vodafone, and since moving to three two weeks ago I've downloaded over 2gb data.
In terms of pre-ordering, the trick is to get your employer to pay for your phone, then it doesnt matter how much the contract costs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't paid for a phone for about 10 years and I've had about 10 in that time!
Unfortunately, the One X isn't likely to be one of the phones on the list of devices my employer will issue. I asked for an HTC and they offered me a Wildfire S or a Desire S!! I declined and they've given me an SGS2 instead. Fortunately, they will allow me to get my own device and stick their sim in it

i'm probably waiting until 4/25, but only so i don't spend all of my money. i want so many records i've just bought around 30, so that cost a big chunk. i will manage a few weeks without a phone. i put my ATT account on vacation. they said it would cost $10 for the time it was suspended, then resume normal billing when i call to have it restored. i didn't say it was because i sold my GS2, though. i said i was going out of the country.

at&t and verizon upgrade dates

i was informed by a guy who commented on my post on the at&t facebook page, that if your upgrade was after march 1, 2012, that verizon and at&t will add another 6 months to your contract. what do you all think about this, and more that these 2 phone companies are being backed by the us government?

Didn't you sign a contract that stated the term of the agreement was 2yrs? If so, if they change anything on your contract, they are guilty of breech of contract. Why would they want to extend the period of your contract anyway? That's saying, we won't let you spend another $200+ for a new phone, for 6mo longer. Doesn't make sense.

here are some sources for you...
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/09/att-extends-upgrade-period-to-two-years/
http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/12/verizon-upgrade-eligibility-extends-to-a-full-two-years/
in short, it used to be at the 20th month, you can upgrade and re-new your contract. but now, you have to wait until the 24th month.
but i believe this only applies to new customers/contracts/renews.

I think this is great.... I have been wanting to leave att for years, but I always see the shiny new device when 20 months rolls around and end up buying it. Now next time I am eligible for an upgrade my contract will be up too, so moving to another carrier will be much more tempting.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

If you buy a Nexus, or any phone, outright they won't haveyou under their thumb

They can change the upgrade dates if they want
I Did a cross upgrade with my wifes account back in Dec. They messed up the order and sent 2 s3 for free and gave back the upgade eligability for my wifes line. Today I called to ask about cross upgrading again. Both of my s3's have cracked screens. I don't have an upgrade available for my line until Dec. 2014. Told them I wanted a cross upgrade and why. They responded by offering me an early upgrade on an S3 for $1 or the s4 For $100 on my line. And still left my wife's line upgrade in place. Waived the activation fee and overnighting it for free. So in 6 months I have gotten 3 s3's for a total of $1(that includes upgrade fees and shipping) and I still have my wife's upgrade for later when I want either the s4 or whatever. The customer rep was very upfront with telling me that they can waive whatever they want including upgrade dates. I still have unlimited data and I pay a great rate because of my companies discount. So all in all I have always been a fan of ATT and it's customer care department. Just be polite!!
Oh and they can't do anything for Iphones. Another reason to stay android.