Related
So lately I am seeing a lot of questions about where to buy a Galaxy Note 2 for the best deal without a contract. I currently have worked for Sprint for the past six years and have a lot of good loopholes and information on how to use the system to my advantage. I would like to share some information with you to help anybody who needs help getting their upgrades early, or anything else I can do to help.
So now even if you do not have an upgrade currently there is a way to get it early so you can pay the upgrade price, plus a little more but it will still be much cheaper than buying it outright. Here are the steps you need to follow to do this correctly.
You must call and ONLY call the retentions department aka cancellations. I have a direct number to this department that leads you directly to a person, so you do not have to listen to any automated system. You will have to dial this number 1-888-273-9460, next explain to the rep that you are in need of a new phone because you are having many issues with your current device. Tell them you would like to see if you are eligible for a "buyup" option and how much it will cost to do so. A buyup is an early upgrade that is basically buying out the rest of your contract to get your upgrade early. 90% of all customers I have done this for are eligible for this buyup from anywhere to $50-$150 depending on how far away you are from your upgrade. If eligible, you can ask them to go ahead and apply the buyup and the fee will be billed onto your account so you can pay it off later in payments if you like.
Now it takes usually about 20 minutes to 24 hours for the upgrade to become live on your account depending on how busy the department is because there is a department where these reps are manually pushing the upgrades through, usually I can get it pushed through for about 20 mins to an hour, simply ask them to expedite the buyup and tell them you are currently in a Sprint store waiting to pick up your new device.
So now you have an early upgrade for around $50-$150 and now you can upgrade to the Note 2 for $299.99. Many Sprint locations also have an in store Buyback program. This is where you can trade in your old device to receive money off your in store purchase. This is for those who do not want to sell their old phone on ebay or craigslist, the discount varies from phone models of course, but you can trade in an S2 for about $88, or you can bring in a bunch of older phones if you have them to help with the overall cost.
There is another way to receive some money off towards your bill if you are very close to upgrading. If you call the same department I listed earlier, you can tell them you are interested to hear some information about a Loyalty credit on your account. If you are eligible this is basically a program where Sprint will give you $50-$100 credit per line on your account in exchange for extending that lines contract for 1 more year. But if you are close to your upgrade already this is technically only a few months more since you are upgrading soon anyways. Now this will not always work but if you ask politely or get a nice rep you can usually always get this credit applied to your bill.
If you have any questions or need help, just PM me for info
Great information! Now I just used my upgrade to get the gs3....... I can do this right? jk lol I'm screwed lol guess I might have to just buy out right :/
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wirefly friends and family has it for 219.99
loveshinesthru said:
wirefly friends and family has it for 219.99
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Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
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moeinyoho said:
Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
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On contract most likely
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moeinyoho said:
Off contract?! I'LL TAKE TWO!
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on contract
I took advantage of the buyout in store, however they required me to trade in my S2. Is this right or did I get one put over on me?
rkboid said:
I took advantage of the buyout in store, however they required me to trade in my S2. Is this right or did I get one put over on me?
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They do require that in store, but we talked to retentions and they let us buyout the upgrade with no trade in.
I had my upgrade available and the Sprint store employee was having a hard time figuring out how to upgrade me without changing my sero plan. He sold me the device for the upgrade price and then did an esn swap. I didn't realize till later i had saved the activation fee and because it was a esn swap and I still have a upgrade eligibility on the same line.
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cbpagent72 said:
I had my upgrade available and the Sprint store employee was having a hard time figuring out how to upgrade me without changing my sero plan. He sold me the device for the upgrade price and then did an esn swap. I didn't realize till later i had saved the activation fee and because it was a esn swap and I still have a upgrade eligibility on the same line.
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score!
I am sorry to tell you he pulled a fast one on you. You are not required to trade anything in for a buyup. The buyup is solely charged to your bill. I would go back in that store and demand it back or you will call Sprint for fraud.
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Unknown_Hero said:
I am sorry to tell you he pulled a fast one on you. You are not required to trade anything in for a buyup. The buyup is solely charged to your bill. I would go back in that store and demand it back or you will call Sprint for fraud.
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you've been working for sprint for 6 years?
the misinformation in this thread is lol
This will not work for employees grrr
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---------- Post added at 07:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:23 AM ----------
U only buyback phone if the eligible upgrade is not reset
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Interesting!
I'm pretty settled on wanting the GNote2 as my next device.. did I do a mistake by contacting/online chat earlier today? I just asked the rep if I was eligible for an early upgrade. Person told me I'm eligible for upgrade prices at 6/1/13, instead of 10/2013 lol.
Just tried this...rep said my Buyup was $275....They would give me 98 for my Galaxy2 then the Note 2 at 299. So my out of pocket would be $476.
I guess it is better then the new outright price.
im gonna have to try this since im not eligible until april
Sprint wanted to buy back my 16gb S3 for 128$ instead, I sold it to the gf for 320$ so I could get the Note 2 on upgrade.
.:Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Note II:.
Those that are inquiring about this and getting actual buyout numbers would you please post how long you have left on your contract?
Might help the rest of us get an idea of what our buyout would be without calling. Like myself, I have 1 year left on my contract and will probably try to call tomorrow to see what my buyout would be. Will report back if I get the time to make the call.
For me my ETF is $240, I figure I could get $350 for my S3 currently and move to Verizon.
So
240+299=$539
$539-$350=$189 out of pocket
I am trying to tough it out with Sprint though because if I go to VZW that still leaves my wife with Sprint for another year or until I pay her ETF as well. Hoping for a decent buyout price and maybe a loyalty credit to sway me to stick around.
My brother bought out his upgrade in oct right before the note 2 came out. his upgrade was elegible in may and he paid 100. ( I did it for him, as he is on our account, so I know this to be accurate)
Unknown_Hero said:
So lately I am seeing a lot of questions about where to buy a Galaxy Note 2 for the best deal without a contract. I currently have worked for Sprint for the past six years and have a lot of good loopholes and information on how to use the system to my advantage. I would like to share some information with you to help anybody who needs help getting their upgrades early, or anything else I can do to help.
So now even if you do not have an upgrade currently there is a way to get it early so you can pay the upgrade price, plus a little more but it will still be much cheaper than buying it outright. Here are the steps you need to follow to do this correctly.
You must call and ONLY call the retentions department aka cancellations. I have a direct number to this department that leads you directly to a person, so you do not have to listen to any automated system. You will have to dial this number 1-888-273-9460, next explain to the rep that you are in need of a new phone because you are having many issues with your current device. Tell them you would like to see if you are eligible for a "buyup" option and how much it will cost to do so. A buyup is an early upgrade that is basically buying out the rest of your contract to get your upgrade early. 90% of all customers I have done this for are eligible for this buyup from anywhere to $50-$150 depending on how far away you are from your upgrade. If eligible, you can ask them to go ahead and apply the buyup and the fee will be billed onto your account so you can pay it off later in payments if you like.
Now it takes usually about 20 minutes to 24 hours for the upgrade to become live on your account depending on how busy the department is because there is a department where these reps are manually pushing the upgrades through, usually I can get it pushed through for about 20 mins to an hour, simply ask them to expedite the buyup and tell them you are currently in a Sprint store waiting to pick up your new device.
So now you have an early upgrade for around $50-$150 and now you can upgrade to the Note 2 for $299.99. Many Sprint locations also have an in store Buyback program. This is where you can trade in your old device to receive money off your in store purchase. This is for those who do not want to sell their old phone on ebay or craigslist, the discount varies from phone models of course, but you can trade in an S2 for about $88, or you can bring in a bunch of older phones if you have them to help with the overall cost.
There is another way to receive some money off towards your bill if you are very close to upgrading. If you call the same department I listed earlier, you can tell them you are interested to hear some information about a Loyalty credit on your account. If you are eligible this is basically a program where Sprint will give you $50-$100 credit per line on your account in exchange for extending that lines contract for 1 more year. But if you are close to your upgrade already this is technically only a few months more since you are upgrading soon anyways. Now this will not always work but if you ask politely or get a nice rep you can usually always get this credit applied to your bill.
If you have any questions or need help, just PM me for info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your signature says retailer. So is that corporate or "retailer".
Your numbers may be a little off. Just wanted to point out what I've been seeing.
The UpgradeNOW program starts at $200. It would be foolish to start at $150. ETF for a smart phone is $350. No way they would let you. You have to be xx months in. If you go into the store, they can do it for you.
Loyalty Credit is at the reps discretion. Starts at $25 and they don't always require you to extend your contract. Why? Extend for 1 year, upgrade later on and poof! They just gave you money for nothing. They promise you $xx for xx months. They don't follow through and then tell you, you're not eligible for that offer. The offer has to show. Misleading reps. I even asked a "research" team to listen to the phone call where the rep promised to me and I confirmed that if I called back it would be available. Lies.
Buyback program is next to nothing in most cases. Original Epic and EVO's are $32-$38 or so. Easily sell for double that and get cash. Older phones are worth nothing. I wouldn't even bother. They have to work and can not have water damage.
Anyone that's ventured this far onto these forums are more than likely to resell on CL or in the Marketplace. Not trying to butt heads or say you're info it wrong, just pointing out some facts. Sprint has come around in their favor and waiting your 22 months is becoming a major option. They took away all the good loopholes.
Has anyone received there's yet? I ordered mine on Cyber Monday in the early morning. Still waiting. Getting impatient!!! I want to play!
UPDATE: I received it yesterday (12/6). 1 week and 3 days. I live in Philadelphia if that helps some of you estimate. Wal-Mart made me update my $25 for 2gb plan to $30 for 3 gb. I'm contemplating calling AT&T to have the switch me back. Yeah it's more cost efficient for the 3gb. But I'm always on Wi-Fi and rarely get past 1.2gb. Plus that's still $60 at the end of the year.
My dad bought his last week. Still on backorder.
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One just arrived here today from UPS. Member of my family. Enjoying the $100 dollar rebate? Lol
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Purchased on Monday, still waiting
I canceled my Wal-Mart order and went to Best Buy and got them to price match the Amazon wireless 175.00 price.
I was tired of waiting and 175 was close enough to the Wal-Mart deal for me.
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Ordered mine on the 25th in the very early morning hours and still "Awaiting Inventory". Talked to several different people there so far and absolutely no one has any idea when it should be shipping. By calling, however, I did get free next day delivery without even asking. Hopefully we'll hear more soon
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Motorola Razr 3G
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
Samsung Galaxy Note
HTC One X
Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
My order note says "processing".
Estimated ship date:12/4/2012, pending order validation
Woohoo! Hope it says shipped tomorrow.
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Ordered early on the 25th and shipped today! :fingers-crossed::laugh::victory:
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Motorola Razr 3G
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
Samsung Galaxy Note
HTC One X
Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
badler6545 said:
Ordered early on the 25th and shipped today! :fingers-crossed::laugh::victory:
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what color did you purchase? white or grey? I purchased my white the day before and still have not received information on when it will be shipped...
Ordered a white Note 2 on 11/26/2012 7:17:23 PM.
Still nothing, despite some completely useless and frustrating calls/chats with customer service who basically told me "we may have some in soon and we may not." Thanks for that hugely insightful info Random Tech Support Guy!
Other Options
Just go order it from Costco or Sams Club. They have no activation fees/ upgrade fees, and you get free accesories.
geishroy said:
what color did you purchase? white or grey? I purchased my white the day before and still have not received information on when it will be shipped...
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Ordered the Titanium Grey Model. Yikes. Sorry to hear that man :/
geishroy said:
what color did you purchase? white or grey? I purchased my white the day before and still have not received information on when it will be shipped...
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Click to collapse
ordered my white one directly from AT&T on the 27th, they just shipped it today. hold in there, i'm sure walmart will be getting theirs very soon, since AT&T just got their shipment.
Anyone have any issues keeping unlimited data when upgrading through walmart? My dad was told he will lose his and if he has att revert it walmart collections will come after him for the full price of the phone. Anyone ever have an experience like that?
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Walmart Shipping On Friday (I hope)
I ordered the white GN2 on Cyber Monday. Today is Thursday Dec 6th. Should be shipping tomorrow.
Thanks for shopping with Walmart Wireless!
Just a quick note to let you know that we received confirmation from AT&T that your Samsung Galaxy Note II White is due to arrive in our distribution center Friday, 12/7. Once it lands in our facility, we will begin shipping orders immediately in the order in which they were received. We will send you another email as soon as it is ready to ship.
Thank you very much for shopping with us. We value your business and appreciate your patience.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Walmart Wireless
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45ACP1911 said:
Anyone have any issues keeping unlimited data when upgrading through walmart? My dad was told he will lose his and if he has att revert it walmart collections will come after him for the full price of the phone. Anyone ever have an experience like that?
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Click to collapse
Have your dad talk to AT&T about his plans to purchase the phone through Wal-Mart first so they can make a note on his account about the grandfathered unlimited data plan. Only AT&T can re-enable the grandfathered unlimited data plan. Then, when he goes and picks up/receives his phone, call AT&T before doing anything with the phone. (If he's picking up from Wal-Mart, tell the Wal-Mart rep to not do anything until they call up AT&T to work with them about his grandfathered unlimited data plan.) AT&T will need to know the SIM's numbers and the phone's IMEI. They'll tell him when to put the SIM in and turn the phone on. Make sure he keeps emphasizing to AT&T that he has the grandfathered unlimited data plan.
In fact, like in my case, if your dad hasn't purchased the phone yet, AT&T might even offer to price match Wal-Mart's price, which may be a better option if the Note II is still on backorder at Wal-Mart. AT&T tends to get priority over the retail stores, so they're able to dish out the phone sooner.
I dont see how walmart can come after him for collections if he changes his data plan, they can only come after him if uses a different sim card during the first 6 months after activation, though they send a bill before sending it to collections. They can also hit him with an etf if he cancels his account after the return grace period on top of the etf you will get from att.
45ACP1911 said:
Anyone have any issues keeping unlimited data when upgrading through walmart? My dad was told he will lose his and if he has att revert it walmart collections will come after him for the full price of the phone. Anyone ever have an experience like that?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While upgrading your phone through walmart, you have the option to keep your existing plan or w/e and keep your unlimited plan, apparently they cannot because they are a third party. I had to talk to att and another walmart rep, downgrade my data plan and it will have to be regrandfathered in later. In all this shipping was delayed once again. You would think with the 2 weeks they have said they have "processed" the purchase, this problem would have came up then instead of right before it is set to ship.
tl;dr don't use walmart, go amazon or straight through att, these people are too retarded to deal with.
Thanks for the replies guys. The reason he went through walmart is because of the $100 gift card offer. I told him there should be no issue reverting the plan if it does get changed and that's when he told me about walmart collections thing. But I'll pass this great info into him.
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45ACP1911 said:
Thanks for the replies guys. The reason he went through walmart is because of the $100 gift card offer. I told him there should be no issue reverting the plan if it does get changed and that's when he told me about walmart collections thing. But I'll pass this great info into him.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Well, if he's locked in on the order, he can call AT&T and alert them of the situation. Again, I advise he heavily emphasize he has the grandfathered plan. They need to leave a note on his account about it. geishroy described the process rather well, but AT&T must be aware of it. Most third party retailers don't know this. When I was about to place an order with Best Buy for my phone, I had to stop to verify with AT&T about my grandfathered data plan and that's when the AT&T rep offered me the price match. This will be a good learning experience for the Wal-Mart rep. Good luck.
---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:33 PM ----------
kirkla79 said:
I dont see how walmart can come after him for collections if he changes his data plan, they can only come after him if uses a different sim card during the first 6 months after activation, though they send a bill before sending it to collections. They can also hit him with an etf if he cancels his account after the return grace period on top of the etf you will get from att.
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It sounds like just a cheap sales tactic that particular rep developed. It's never good to lie to your customers. And if AT&T catches wind of this, the rep's store might be in trouble with AT&T for false claims.
A few weeks back I called a rep to ask about my ETF to cancel and go to Verizon for the Note II. The lady I spoke with offered me the Note II for $249. I didn't t buy the phone at the time. The rep noted it on my account. I called back last night and spoke with another rep.
He honored the offer, even though I wasn't told all the details correctly the first time I called, and long story short, I renewed my contract and have a Note II on the way.
I ended up paying $312 {289.99 +tax) and got bill credits totalling $97, free overnight shipping and he waived the upgrade fee.
Thanks Phillip!
Att does this for all their products. If you have uverse they theyll give good discounts on it too.
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I love ATT Retention dept as well. They gave me $100 in credit just because I said I was thinking of switching to T-Mobile. Didn't have to upgrade or anything. They just gave it to me.
Same
ATT has been nothing but fantastic this time around. I am actually coming from Verizon and I wanted the Note 2 on a couple of our 5 lines. However, Verizon was being very...unfriendly towards my interest with this phone. We had 3 lines that were ready for upgrade immediately. However, in trying to sign our new 2 year contract to Big Red, they wanted a $30 upgrade fee per line. Additionally, two of our lines were going to lose their unlimited data. The third was going to drop from 4GB down to 2GB per month. They were in no way willing or interested in working with me to keep me as a customer. So, I immediately requested to cancel all lines of service. They threw a fit at that but that's a different story. In any event, I wound up doing a bit of shopping around for an alternative carrier. After deciding on ATT, I visited my local Best Buy due to the ATT corporate store being crazy busy during my lunch break. Best Buy got me set up with the Note 2 and also price matched Amazon Wireless. So, I walked out that day with 3 Notes for $175 a pop. However, the guy at Best Buy somehow set our share plan on different data plans per line. This next bit is where ATT customer service shines. I called in to have the matter addressed. It was a super friendly call from start to finish. I wasn't upset to begin with but had I been, the rep was super friendly and I'm sure it would have been de-escalated. At the end, to compensate me for the "inconvenience" of having to call in, she waived my first months bill entirely. That's what I call customer satisfaction. ATT might not have the same coverage, call quality, or speeds when compared to Verizon in my local area. However, the customer service more than made up for it in my book.
+1
Just got them to match the amazon $179 price minus Best Buy phone freedom ($50)....out the door $136 after taxes. No complaints here....
mykwalkr said:
Just got them to match the amazon $179 price minus Best Buy phone freedom ($50)....out the door $136 after taxes. No complaints here....
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Wow, I'm jealous. But I don't think BBuy would've done that for me - I wasn't eligible to upgrade till June of next year.
AT&T Retentions
raduque said:
Wow, I'm jealous. But I don't think BBuy would've done that for me - I wasn't eligible to upgrade till June of next year.
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Click to collapse
This was from AT&T retention department....I just asked them if they could match this price before I bought it from BB.
Just wanted to say thanks for this thread.
I purchased two SGN2's last week at an ATT store, as they were the only ones carrying them in my area. We got the $100 off the second phone deal. After seeing this I called them last night and got the response to call a different number that wasn't currently open. She did credit my activation fees though ($86).
This morning, i called the number she referred me to and they said they did not handle that type of thing, Then forwarded me to another dept. After being disconnected and calling back the rep kindly credited me $120 to my account, I did not want to push the Amazon Wireless price and I am extremely happy with this.
Thank you All!
I believe my price came to $189.99 per phone. Plus free activation.
Is there a direct number to the retentions department? I qill be getting the note 2 today if i get paid.
Thanks in advance
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Just scored my note 2 for 100 bucks since amazonwireless has the note 2 for sprint for 99$. They also waved activation and shipping. Needless to say im stoked
\/icious said:
Just scored my note 2 for 100 bucks since amazonwireless has the note 2 for sprint for 99$. They also waved activation and shipping. Needless to say im stoked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The att version?
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jyazzie110 said:
The att version?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
yes
A couple weeks back I was having problems with my Galaxy S 2 that I already had replaced under warranty for factory defects, This time around was a charging issue. (Always says its charging) So I asked them if they would be able to allow me to upgrade because I was extremely unsatisified with the phone and they went ahead and upgraded me. I told them about XDA people reporting getting the phone for 199 from other reps and that Amazon Wireless was running a special for 199. They had me pay 330 which was about the price for the phone and the tax for it, waived the upgrade fee and credited my account a whole 150 bucks. Needless to say I was very satisfied, On top of that she even through in 2nd day delivery. So I had my replacement device within days, and my phone bill this month was a mere 30 bucks.
\/icious said:
yes
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Thats awesome!!!!! Maybe u could pm me the number u called and what u said to get it for that price?? I would appreciate it alot!
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jyazzie110 said:
Thats awesome!!!!! Maybe u could pm me the number u called and what u said to get it for that price?? I would appreciate it alot!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just dialed 611 went to the upgrades/service change option and chose other. I talked to the girl and asked her if they would price match that offer and she said yes. I had not already ordered he phone though so i did it through her. It all depends on who you egt to deal with in the long run.
Meh, not that big of a deal. The phone is 174 at Amazon.
:good: for AT&T Retentions over here.
I just got off the phone with them for a completely different issue. The price of the device wasn't an issue for me. I got my Note II for only $63 and some change. But, anyway, I saw a thread on another website, where a lot of people were complaining about our devices not coming with the much vaunted multi-view capability. There were many people reporting that when they complained to AT&T about it and threatened to cancel service, as a way of trying to give them an incentive, AT&T offered either a large one-time credit or a temporary monthly reoccurring credit. The typical result was getting $10 knocked off your bill for 12 months. Sure enough, just before I got off the phone with the retentions rep I spoke to, she offered me $10 off my bill for the next 12 months as a way for AT&T to apologize to me. I'm quite happy about that.
Vandam500 said:
Meh, not that big of a deal. The phone is 174 at Amazon.
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Click to collapse
Heard amazon is on backorder with the note 2?? I may be wrong.
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I spent an hour and a half on the phone with them today. The best I could talk my way into was a discount to $274.99 and a $100 credit on my bill. I guess considering my upgrade isn't available until may 13 its not all bad. I kept throwing the amazon deal out but they wouldn't price match it outright on the device.
\/icious said:
i just dialed 611 went to the upgrades/service change option and chose other. I talked to the girl and asked her if they would price match that offer and she said yes. I had not already ordered he phone though so i did it through her. It all depends on who you egt to deal with in the long run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BTW are u a new customer or did u upgrade?
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Hay everyone I am at the 10th month of the 2 year contract with my Note 2. Thinking of upgrading (or downgrading) to Mega since it's now available on AT&T. Has anyone successfully done an upgrade as early as that? I think it's too crazy but might as well just ask for input here. Thanks for your info!
x2h said:
Hay everyone I am at the 10th month of the 2 year contract with my Note 2. Thinking of upgrading (or downgrading) to Mega since it's now available on AT&T. Has anyone successfully done an upgrade as early as that? I think it's too crazy but might as well just ask for input here. Thanks for your info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why wouldn't you wait for note 3?
The mega looks terrible
x2h said:
Hay everyone I am at the 10th month of the 2 year contract with my Note 2. Thinking of upgrading (or downgrading) to Mega since it's now available on AT&T. Has anyone successfully done an upgrade as early as that? I think it's too crazy but might as well just ask for input here. Thanks for your info!
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I have a FAN (foundation account number) account with AT&T. I have had no problems with early upgrades and getting phones with them at the new contract price and in some cases for better than the new contract price. Case in point; I just got my wife an early upgrade (11 months into her contract for that line) to a galaxy S4 last month. I told the CSR that another carrier was offering the phone for $118 dollars with a 2 year agreement and she told me that she could offer it to me for $99 and free next day shipping. I have a rider on my account that also waives the $36 dollar activation fee. Prior to that, she had a Galaxy S3 and I got that upgrade only four months into her contract. I had to get a supervisor to do an override though. I also had a galaxy S3 and I was able to get the Note 2 twelve months into my contract and they offered it to me for $199 instead of the $299 it originally sold for. If you call AT&T premier and ask nicely, they will try to work with you. My most recent purchase was for a phone for my son. He wanted an HTC First. It was 99 cents with a 2 year contract but I was told I could buy it CONTRACT FREE for the insurance deductible price of $125 and again free next day shipping. The HTC First retails for $439 OFF CONTRACT. Great thing about ordering over the phone is that if you need to return the device for any reason within the 14 day return period, there is NO RESTOCKING FEE, and you can return or exchange it at a local AT&T store. I don't know if it helps that I've been a customer for 9 years and have 5 lines of service. YMMV but i would say call, and if a front line CSR says no, then ask to be transferred to a supervisor to see if they can do a courtesy early upgrade. It's worked for me! I don't even pay attention to the "2 year contract" that you sign up for when you get a new device, because I've been upgrading early for the last 4 years. However, if you were to try this with iPhones, I don't think they will budge. Good luck!
pinoyscorpion951 said:
I have a FAN (foundation account number) account with AT&T. I have had no problems with early upgrades and getting phones with them at the new contract price and in some cases for better than the new contract price. Case in point; I just got my wife an early upgrade (11 months into her contract for that line) to a galaxy S4 last month. I told the CSR that another carrier was offering the phone for $118 dollars with a 2 year agreement and she told me that she could offer it to me for $99 and free next day shipping. I have a rider on my account that also waives the $36 dollar activation fee. Prior to that, she had a Galaxy S3 and I got that upgrade only four months into her contract. I had to get a supervisor to do an override though. I also had a galaxy S3 and I was able to get the Note 2 twelve months into my contract and they offered it to me for $199 instead of the $299 it originally sold for. If you call AT&T premier and ask nicely, they will try to work with you. My most recent purchase was for a phone for my son. He wanted an HTC First. It was 99 cents with a 2 year contract but I was told I could buy it CONTRACT FREE for the insurance deductible price of $125 and again free next day shipping. The HTC First retails for $439 OFF CONTRACT. Great thing about ordering over the phone is that if you need to return the device for any reason within the 14 day return period, there is NO RESTOCKING FEE, and you can return or exchange it at a local AT&T store. I don't know if it helps that I've been a customer for 9 years and have 5 lines of service. YMMV but i would say call, and if a front line CSR says no, then ask to be transferred to a supervisor to see if they can do a courtesy early upgrade. It's worked for me! I don't even pay attention the "2 year contract" that you sign up for when you get a new device, because I've been upgrading early for the last 4 years. However, if you were to try this with iPhones, I don't think they will budge. Good luck!
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Thanks a lot for the useful info. I've been with ATT for 10 years so your experience might apply to me. However what is the FAN account? I've never heard of it. How can I get one in order to get those early upgrades as you do?
x2h said:
Thanks a lot for the useful info. I've been with ATT for 10 years so your experience might apply to me. However what is the FAN account? I've never heard of it. How can I get one in order to get those early upgrades as you do?
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Some companies and organizations have an agreement with AT&T to provide discounts to their employees. Call AT&T and ask if your employer or organization has a discount. The savings can be substantial. My current employers discount is 17% and a waiver of the activation fees. I also get a 50% discount on accessories from the AT&T premier store. Each organizations discount and perks vary. I've heard of people getting up to a 27% discount depending on their affiliation.
pinoyscorpion951 said:
Some companies and organizations have an agreement with AT&T to provide discounts to their employees. Call AT&T and ask if your employer or organization has a discount. The savings can be substantial. My current employers discount is 17% and a waiver of the activation fees. I also get a 50% discount on accessories from the AT&T premier store. Each organizations discount and perks vary. I've heard of people getting up to a 27% discount depending on their affiliation.
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Thanks a lot. I just found out I have a FAN account too and I do know there's a 17% discount on my bill. Things are looking good. ...
crixley said:
Why wouldn't you wait for note 3?
The mega looks terrible
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Because it is probably smaller than Mega.
FAN account here too...and no issues getting early upgrades .
Mine is Army dept. FAN account and is at 20% off.....g
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium HD app
Is a fan account the same as corporate account.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
borijess said:
Is a fan account the same as corporate account.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
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There are two types of FAN accounts: an IRU (Individual Responsibility Users) and CRU (Corporate Responsibility Users). Both IRU's and CRU's can upgrade over the phone by contacting AT&T Business Services at 1-800-999-5445. The company's permission to let CRU's upgrade must appear in the company profile. Also, IRU's can upgrade at an AT&T corporate store. CRU's cannot. They have to go thru AT&T premier or customer service, not in store.
pinoyscorpion951 said:
There are two types of FAN accounts: an IRU (Individual Responsibility Users) and CRU (Corporate Responsibility Users). Both IRU's and CRU's can upgrade over the phone by contacting AT&T Business Services at 1-800-999-5445. The company's permission to let CRU's upgrade must appear in the company profile. Also, IRU's can upgrade at an AT&T corporate store. CRU's cannot. They have to go thru AT&T premier or customer service, not in store.
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So u saying if I go through att premier account on the phone I will get upgrade?
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
borijess said:
So u saying if I go through att premier account on the phone I will get upgrade?
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
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I have a CRU and have been doing it over the phone for the last 4 years with a 100% success rate.
pinoyscorpion951 said:
I have a CRU and have been doing it over the phone for the last 4 years with a 100% success rate.
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What are you telling them?
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
borijess said:
What are you telling them?
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!
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I usually say that I am interested in a particular device but that I am "x" months into my contract. As a loyal AT&T customer for the last 9 years who has never missed a payment, is it possible to get a courtesy upgrade at the new contract price. I've also asked if they can match a competitors price on a new device. I've had front line CSR's tell me "no" twice but when I asked politely to be connected to a supervisor, I've always gotten an override. The supervisors have always been SUPER nice to me so I always try to be polite over the phone and not sound demanding. Before hanging up they usually ask if they have provided me with good customer service and I never hesitate to tell them how happy I am to be an AT&T customer. I'm almost certain that AT&T annotates on the account if the customer was polite and pleasant to deal with. The last supervisor I spoke with told me that she wanted very hard to work with me because she didn't want to lose such a good customer to another competitor. I know there will people who say that they've had horrible experiences with AT&T customer service but I've had nothing but very pleasant experiences with them.
At&t is charging me $99 to renew my contract. So the moto x I want or note 3 will cost me $99 more the the regular subsidized price, but reset my 2 year contract. I am also 10 months in.
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Played with the mega. The phone is a fraction bigger than my note 2 with a UAG case on. I will wait on the note 3. The innards are lackluster.
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erick161 said:
Played with the mega. The phone is a fraction bigger than my note 2 with a UAG case on. I will wait on the note 3. The innards are lackluster.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 4
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Note 3 screen is 5.7 inch but body dimension might be the same or even less than the Note 2. Looks like Sammy is not willing to make the Note series larger in dimension. Does that mean they are coming up with a 7 inch tablet?
Att store guy can't do early upgrade anymore. Online it would only let me select iPhone. Called and same crap. Was annoyed then came back to this thread and realized we we are a fan account and what number I should be calling. Called and they finally let me do early upgrade but it wasn't as cheap as most of you show offs. Wasn't as expensive as in store early upgrade either. I'm little happier and have save the business number for future.
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im new with fan account but i never use that service, i think upgrade note 3, but only i have 8 months with my note 2.
what is the best way to use this fan account?
I attempted this and was unsuccessful.
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Ok, I'm trying to weigh my options here. I have unlimited data and have no plan on ending that until they force me to. I have looked around and have found that a new HTC One still tends to go for around $500-550.
However, Verizon's ETF is $350, and now that the One can be had on contract for $50, it seems to me I could have the phone and only be out $400.
I actually ran this plan by a Best Buy employee as well to see if they could warn me of any pitfalls, and the guy said there would be no problem. But, I seem to find you guys know more than the guys at Best Buy or Verizon! So, here's what I had in mind...:
- Start a NEW LINE of service, not at all linked to my existing account, get whatever cheapest plan they have, and get the One for $50
- Wait out the 14 days "worry free" period, so that I am past the point where they would just want me to return the phone
- Cancel the service, pay the $350 ETF (plus a possible pro-rate for the half-month of service?)
- Profit!
Are there any catches? Any pitfalls? ANY way that I can screw myself over by doing this? Also, at what point can I switch the SIM card from my current phone over to the new phone? Right away or do I have to wait til I cancel the service? Do I need to do anything on the Verizon website as well? I have bought a phone outright for my wife and just switched the SIM and it worked fine.
bast525 said:
Ok, I'm trying to weigh my options here. I have unlimited data and have no plan on ending that until they force me to. I have looked around and have found that a new HTC One still tends to go for around $500-550.
However, Verizon's ETF is $350, and now that the One can be had on contract for $50, it seems to me I could have the phone and only be out $400.
I actually ran this plan by a Best Buy employee as well to see if they could warn me of any pitfalls, and the guy said there would be no problem. But, I seem to find you guys know more than the guys at Best Buy or Verizon! So, here's what I had in mind...:
- Start a NEW LINE of service, not at all linked to my existing account, get whatever cheapest plan they have, and get the One for $50
- Wait out the 14 days "worry free" period, so that I am past the point where they would just want me to return the phone
- Cancel the service, pay the $350 ETF (plus a possible pro-rate for the half-month of service?)
- Profit!
Are there any catches? Any pitfalls? ANY way that I can screw myself over by doing this? Also, at what point can I switch the SIM card from my current phone over to the new phone? Right away or do I have to wait til I cancel the service? Do I need to do anything on the Verizon website as well? I have bought a phone outright for my wife and just switched the SIM and it worked fine.
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Other than losing tons of money I don't see an issue. Why not just pay the monthly payments and keep unlimited though?
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda app-developers app
bast525 said:
Ok, I'm trying to weigh my options here. I have unlimited data and have no plan on ending that until they force me to. I have looked around and have found that a new HTC One still tends to go for around $500-550.
However, Verizon's ETF is $350, and now that the One can be had on contract for $50, it seems to me I could have the phone and only be out $400.
I actually ran this plan by a Best Buy employee as well to see if they could warn me of any pitfalls, and the guy said there would be no problem. But, I seem to find you guys know more than the guys at Best Buy or Verizon! So, here's what I had in mind...:
- Start a NEW LINE of service, not at all linked to my existing account, get whatever cheapest plan they have, and get the One for $50
- Wait out the 14 days "worry free" period, so that I am past the point where they would just want me to return the phone
- Cancel the service, pay the $350 ETF (plus a possible pro-rate for the half-month of service?)
- Profit!
Are there any catches? Any pitfalls? ANY way that I can screw myself over by doing this? Also, at what point can I switch the SIM card from my current phone over to the new phone? Right away or do I have to wait til I cancel the service? Do I need to do anything on the Verizon website as well? I have bought a phone outright for my wife and just switched the SIM and it worked fine.
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They will charge full price if phone if you don't return the phone. I use to work for Verizon in Columbia TN. This was the norm for that issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
cstrife999 said:
Other than losing tons of money I don't see an issue. Why not just pay the monthly payments and keep unlimited though?
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda app-developers app
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Not sure I understand? Where am I losing tons of money?
wcr84 said:
They will charge full price if phone if you don't return the phone. I use to work for Verizon in Columbia TN. This was the norm for that issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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Ok so as far as you know, what is the cut off where they can no longer ask me to return the phone, but will not charge me the full retail price of the phone either? After conversing with the Best Buy guy, he said this cut off is 14 days, after which they will not allow me to return the phone, and would only charge me the ETF, not the full price of the phone. Is he full of it?
wcr84 said:
They will charge full price if phone if you don't return the phone. I use to work for Verizon in Columbia TN. This was the norm for that issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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That's only if he does not pay the etf , if he pays the $350 they can't then charge for the phone .
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
NOT TRUE. I just opened up a new account to get the phone for $149. It was my only choice since I have a concession account and Verizon would not sell me the phone unless they could attach it to a consumer account and I wasn't about to pay $699 at Best Buy. I cancelled the next day over the phone. The rep told me I was within my window to return the phone. I told him that I wanted to keep it and he said that was absolutely fine. Got my final bill about 2 weeks later and was charged $350 ETF, 1 day service $3.50, and $11.48 in taxes. They tried to charge me tax on the Activation fee which they eventually reversed since the account was cancelled within the first 3 days. In the end I paid a total of $565. The cheapest retail is at a VZW corporate store at $599. I was satisified.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app[/QUOTE]
skorpyo31 said:
NOT TRUE. I just opened up a new account to get the phone for $149. It was my only choice since I have a concession account and Verizon would not sell me the phone unless they could attach it to a consumer account and I wasn't about to pay $699 at Best Buy. I cancelled the next day over the phone. The rep told me I was within my window to return the phone. I told him that I wanted to keep it and he said that was absolutely fine. Got my final bill about 2 weeks later and was charged $350 ETF, 1 day service $3.50, and $11.48 in taxes. They tried to charge me tax on the Activation fee which they eventually reversed since the account was cancelled within the first 3 days. In the end I paid a total of $565. The cheapest retail is at a VZW corporate store at $599. I was satisified.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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great info here, thank you. This is right in line with what I was expecting. Based on your experience, and the fact that the phone is now $50 on contract, I would say $465 is probably a good ballpark figure for what I should expect my total out of pocket cost to be for the phone.
wcr84 said:
They will charge full price if phone if you don't return the phone. I use to work for Verizon in Columbia TN. This was the norm for that issue.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
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If that is what they told you, that is complete bull****. That's a bs line that INDIRECT stores tell their customers. I know this because I was a store manager for one. The indirect retailers get paid when you buy a phone. When that phone/line is canceled a DAY before 6 months in term, they get their money taken back from them. Any new line or upgrade needs to be active for a complete 6 months before they are free and clear of returns and chargebacks. You tell them to shove it and call their bluff...Corporate Verizon should have NO problem doing this, I've seen it done. Hell....I've done it, but do it at your own risk because I don't work for corporate and never have, so idk what kind of guidelines they have about these types of things...
EDIT*** I thought you said the store TOLD you that, I misread. You WORKED for Verizon? Was it corporate or indirect? I've done this before, and have helped friends do it as well and there were no issues....
bast525 said:
great info here, thank you. This is right in line with what I was expecting. Based on your experience, and the fact that the phone is now $50 on contract, I would say $465 is probably a good ballpark figure for what I should expect my total out of pocket cost to be for the phone.
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Sounds right. I picked mine up from the same store that refused to sell the phone to me. I placed the order online and chose in store pickup. Phone was ready within an hour..
skorpyo31 said:
Sounds right. I picked mine up from the same store that refused to sell the phone to me. I placed the order online and chose in store pickup. Phone was ready within an hour..
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Pay full retail or do the 12 monthly payments split on your bill.
zetsumeikuro said:
Pay full retail or do the 12 monthly payments split on your bill.
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Orrr.... Pay less. By doing it his way?
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
Ok, to play devil's advocate here.
1. Don't do it at an indirect. Best buy may be ok because they're large, and probably wouldn't notice/care enough to come after you with a chargeback. At my indirect you sign a separate contract saying if you cancel within 6 months, we will bill you full retail on the phone or you must return it to us.
2. If you cancel within the first 14 days, YES, corporate can bill your account full retail on the phone. Most carriers have a "gaming" department that handles cases like these.
(Source: I used to work in a gaming dept. Charged a guy full retail on 10 blackberry bolds )
3. You'll have the cost at the POS, a $35 activation fee, half a month of service, and the ETF. Just be aware of all of these.
4. When you call in to cancel DO NOT say it was lost/stolen. Don't want your ESN getting flagged