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Bought phone on launch..

and paid 200 bucks.. think there is any way i can get att to give me a better deal since i can get it for free at walmart???

From what I read, the only way you can get it for free is if you sign up for an AT&T account that is way higher than standard.
I could be wrong though.

I thgt tht i could get a good discount on my captivate phone, but the sales rep told me at the ATT store that if anyone was eligible for an upgrade it would show automatically on their account.
He said the ATT software runs some "algorithms" based on the prev history, plans etc etc..
The walmart eligibility requires tht u should be on a plan paying $100 or more for month for the past year and no upgrade has been made on the phone over some period, Additional points if u have a lower rate plan.
Bottomline, not everyone can get the phone for free at walmart. Likewise not everyone can get the $50 off on the $199 contract plan.
My phone cost me $199 + $45 (9.25% on the original price of $499) in California. can anyone in CA confirm this?
Thanks

carporsche said:
I thgt tht i could get a good discount on my captivate phone, but the sales rep told me at the ATT store that if anyone was eligible for an upgrade it would show automatically on their account.
He said the ATT software runs some "algorithms" based on the prev history, plans etc etc..
The walmart eligibility requires tht u should be on a plan paying $100 or more for month for the past year and no upgrade has been made on the phone over some period, Additional points if u have a lower rate plan.
Bottomline, not everyone can get the phone for free at walmart. Likewise not everyone can get the $50 off on the $199 contract plan.
My phone cost me $199 + $45 (9.25% on the original price of $499) in California. can anyone in CA confirm this?
Thanks
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That's what I paid at BB in SoCal

Why would you pay tax on the full price of the phone? I was only taxed for the $200 price. I live in Arizona though, different taxing methods in CA?

That's how Apple does it too. They tax the highest price.

i was only charged tax on the actual purchase price of $199.99 in socal... but then again, this was a manager override because the stores were having issues with the actual pricing when the barcode was scanned...

captivated said:
Why would you pay tax on the full price of the phone? I was only taxed for the $200 price. I live in Arizona though, different taxing methods in CA?
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Yes i was told it varies in different states. I was told tht if i wanted to buy an iphone the cost wudve been ($199 + $55 tax) for a 16GB phone.

Lucke said:
i was only charged tax on the actual purchase price of $199.99 in socal... but then again, this was a manager override because the stores were having issues with the actual pricing when the barcode was scanned...
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The sales rep who processed my phone told me tht many times ppl aren't charged the tax while buying the phone but it reflects in the first bill and then they hav customers coming in and demanding explanations from them.
So better watch out for this in the first bill

carporsche said:
I thgt tht i could get a good discount on my captivate phone, but the sales rep told me at the ATT store that if anyone was eligible for an upgrade it would show automatically on their account.
He said the ATT software runs some "algorithms" based on the prev history, plans etc etc..
The walmart eligibility requires tht u should be on a plan paying $100 or more for month for the past year and no upgrade has been made on the phone over some period, Additional points if u have a lower rate plan.
Bottomline, not everyone can get the phone for free at walmart. Likewise not everyone can get the $50 off on the $199 contract plan.
My phone cost me $199 + $45 (9.25% on the original price of $499) in California. can anyone in CA confirm this?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Same here bro. I paid 143 for it after my 100 discount with an upgrade. The phone was 99.99 and taxes were the rest of the cost which are from the original 499 price.

abezapata said:
Same here bro. I paid 143 for it after my 100 discount with an upgrade. The phone was 99.99 and taxes were the rest of the cost which are from the original 499 price.
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I think you need to change ur signature now.. change status to "Obtained..."
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Captivate(d)

I just ordered it from Walmart as an upgrade on my plan.
They told me it has to be the primary phone if it's a family plan. The secondary lines aren't eligible for the free price. I had the old 550 minutes plan, which I had to change up to 700 minutes. After my discount thru work, it was $8 more than I pay now. Other than that, they told me I just have to maintain that plan for 6 months to avoid charged from them, and I'll get the phone for free.
I guess it could come back from AT&T as a "NO" when they check with them, but I checked 6 ways from Sunday with them and they said I was eligible for any upgrade.

Im in CA too, the tax is just crazy
but one way around it is to get your phone off amazon wireless, which doesnt have tax for CA (yet)
technically your supposed to report that in your taxes but no one does

carporsche said:
I think you need to change ur signature now.. change status to "Obtained..."
--------------
Captivate(d)
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Yes you are right!!

I just ordered mine for $125 + $10tax . My contract expired abt an year ago and I never renewed it. When I called them regarding moving to T-Mobile (for Vibrant) they offered me $75 off + 100 extra minutes every month(I currently have 450 min). I am damn excited to get my first Androiiiiiid

The only way, I thing, would be to go back to AT&T and use your 30 day money back (except $30 for restocking) and the buy your phone at walmart

floppy__ said:
The only way, I thing, would be to go back to AT&T and use your 30 day money back (except $30 for restocking) and the buy your phone at walmart
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exactly what i did.. the guy at the att store told me to call and complain about he 30 restocking fee and they'll credit my account.. free phone will be here thursday!

If you buy it through Amazon wireless, you pay no tax in CA.

You could try bringing in a printout of the deal but as its been pointed out there are a lot of stipulations to get the fee price and you are agreeing that if you change your account they can charge you thee full retail price of the phone.
Ps I work for att
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Does Google Voice voicemail not work with T-Mobile FlexPay plans?

I've been unable to get the forwarding code to work (even tried individually editing the call forwarding settings in the menu), and it says that out doesn't work with "prepaid" plans. I don't think that FlexPay counts as prepaid, though.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

Google voice with flex pay does not support the forwarding needed to use google voicemail. I went through this with my N1. I switched to the post paid plan just for this reason. To switch you need to have decent credit and have had your flex pay account for over 6 months with no delinquent payments.
That was the deal six months ago when I switched.

irishrally said:
Google voice with flex pay does not support the forwarding needed to use google voicemail. I went through this with my N1. I switched to the post paid plan just for this reason. To switch you need to have decent credit and have had your flex pay account for over 6 months with no delinquent payments.
That was the deal six months ago when I switched.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll have to wait six months then switch over. Did you have any problems changing over?
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

No problems except finding competent T-Mobile employee that knew how do this fairly rare task.
I'd call T-Mobile just to make sure the 6 month rule is still valid.

This is my only issue on the even more plus plan I have. It's killing me!
Sent from my Nexus S

If you have good credit you don't need to wait 6 months necessarily depending on why you are currently flex pay.
They put me on a flex pay account without asking or even checking my credit (> 750) when I signed up with my nexus s at the store (emp 500 plan). I called T-Mobile and told them to get me off of this terrible flex pay and on to a proper post paid account. I found out it was a flex pay after I tried to forward my voicemail and it kept failing, logged into the website to see I was flex pay. They were apologetic on the phone and quite helpful.
They will do a hard pull on your credit, but as long as you qualify they should switch you.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

krohnjw said:
If you have good credit you don't need to wait 6 months necessarily depending on why you are currently flex pay.
They put me on a flex pay account without asking or even checking my credit (> 750) when I signed up with my nexus s at the store (emp 500 plan). I called T-Mobile and told them to get me off of this terrible flex pay and on to a proper post paid account. I found out it was a flex pay after I tried to forward my voicemail and it kept failing, logged into the website to see I was flex pay. They were apologetic on the phone and quite helpful.
They will do a hard pull on your credit, but as long as you qualify they should switch you.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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My credit is fairly nonexistent since I'm a college student, but hopefully after half a year of on-time payments and a bit of arm-twisting I can get a normal account.

I was suckered into FlexPay once, and I literally had to cancel the account to move to a postpaid account. On the second account, I was nearly forcibly sold a flexpay account again; the phone rep. literally denied knowledge of any non-contract postpaid accounts. It took another call (on a Saturday, no less) to move to a "regular" postpaid account.

TheBiles said:
My credit is fairly nonexistent since I'm a college student, but hopefully after half a year of on-time payments and a bit of arm-twisting I can get a normal account.
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Actually, good news on that front, no arm twisting needed! They will change your account over to postpaid if you've had 6mo of consistent on-time payments.
I stopped my local T-Mobile store when the G2 came out, curious about my ability to purchase it on contract with them given my good account history (also a college student with shoddy credit). Sure enough, the only thing that's required is the 6mo of on-time payments, took a few minutes to change my account over, and everyone walked out happy. They did ask me for my SSN, not sure if they looked up my score or not, but it didn't matter. They did stress the importance of the consistency. If you make your payment on time for 5mo, then miss it, the clock starts over.

URPREY said:
This is my only issue on the even more plus plan I have. It's killing me!
Sent from my Nexus S
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I have Even More Plus, and it works fine for me.

unremarked said:
Actually, good news on that front, no arm twisting needed! They will change your account over to postpaid if you've had 6mo of consistent on-time payments.
I stopped my local T-Mobile store when the G2 came out, curious about my ability to purchase it on contract with them given my good account history (also a college student with shoddy credit). Sure enough, the only thing that's required is the 6mo of on-time payments, took a few minutes to change my account over, and everyone walked out happy. They did ask me for my SSN, not sure if they looked up my score or not, but it didn't matter. They did stress the importance of the consistency. If you make your payment on time for 5mo, then miss it, the clock starts over.
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Awesome! Thanks for the info! I've got automatic payments set up, so it would be tough for me to miss one!
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I'm a T-Mobile employee so I figured I can shed some light on this situation. Yes, the 6 month on-time payment policy is still in effect. In fact, they just starting that policy not too long ago. When T-Mobile runs credit, it is NOT a hard pull and doesn't effect your credit like your applying for a mortgage or a car loan. We also don't see an exact credit score either. It actually goes by credit class. From what I was told by tech support about Google Voice and call forwarding, FlexPay does not have call forwarding as a feature which is one of the reasons why Google voicemail doesn't work with FlexPay plans. A far as the conversion from FlexPay to Postpaid, it's a good idea to have automatic scheduled payments taken out of a credit or debit account just to make sure the payments are on time and to avoid paying the 4.99 Control Charge.

If you are within the 14-day Buyer's Remorse period, you do not need to wait 6 months. Just cancel your FlexPay plan under Buyer's Remorse. They will refund your payment. Then go to a T-Mobile store and start new service with a non-contract postpay plan.
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For anyone who wants to feel my pain, this is how I found out:
I bought my Nexus S without contract ($529 at Best Buy) and called T-Mobile to activate service. At that time, I was told that FlexPay and post-pay without contract would give me the same features, and I chose FlexPay.
After a week of Google Voice voicemail mostly not working, I Googled and found the threads about FlexPay not supporting this feature. Called T-Mobile phone support and had the following conversation:
Me: Hi, I bought a Nexus S at full retail price less than a week ago, activated a non-contract FlexPay plan after being told it had all the same features as a post-pay plan, but have come to find out that this is not true and that the FlexPay plan doesn't fully support Google Voice, which is one of the advertised features of this phone. I would like to switch to a non-contract postpay plan.
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to assist you... In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: That makes no sense. I just bought the phone. I am within my return period for the phone at Best Buy, and I am within my trial period with T Mobile. I'm entitled to cancel my plan altogether and start a new one, right? So why can't I switch plans?
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to assist you. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: Did you really just repeat exactly the same thing to me? Did you understand a word I just said?
T-Mobile Representative: I am sorry for your frustration. We have certain eligibility requirements. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: I would like to speak to a supervisor.
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to get you to a supervisor, but there are very few supervisors available right now. It may be better for you to go to a T Mobile store for help.
Me: My closest T Mobile corporate store is pretty far away. I'll hold for a supervisor.
I then held for about 20 minutes with the representative occasionally checking in with me to ask if I'd rather go to a store instead of continuing to hold. I finally gave up and called back. Got a new representative this time.
Me: I just called and explained to someone my predicament. She showed no understanding and repeatedly read eligibility guidelines to me. Hopefully you will comprehend what I am calling about. Please refrain from reading me any eligibility guideline involving waiting 6 months.
T-Mobile Representative #2: Sorry for your frustration. How can I help you?
Me: I bought a Nexus S at full retail price less than a week ago, activated a non-contract FlexPay plan after being told it had all the same features as a post-pay plan, but have come to find out that this is not true and that the FlexPay plan doesn't fully support Google Voice, which is one of the advertised features of this phone. I am within my return period for the phone at Best Buy, and I am within my trial period with T Mobile. I would like to switch to a non-contract postpay plan.
T-Mobile Representative #2: I would be happy to assist you. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: This is very frustrating. I am within the 14 day Buyer's Remorse period entitled to cancel my service with T Mobile for a full refund. At that point I could start new service as postpay. I could understand if you were to tell me "I understand that what I am telling you makes no sense, but unfortunately my system does not allow me to do what you ask"; however, you showing no comprehension and repeating these eligibility criteria is very frustrating.
T-Mobile Representative #2: I am sorry for your frustration. Our eligibility guidelines specify that in order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
At this point, I said goodbye and disconnected. It was some of the most unhelpful customer support I had ever encountered. I can only assume that those workers are not allowed to express any thoughts which aren't written on the page/screen in front of them.
I drove to my local T Mobile store, and the support there was top notch. The representative there explained that the phone support training was very limited and that in order to get what I wanted with them, I would have to have called and said "I would like to cancel my service under Buyer's Remorse", cancel, and then set up new service (which would be much easier to do with a new SIM, so better that I came into the store). Apparently, the training of the phone support was such that they were to do anything possible to avoid canceling a customer's service, so they were not going to suggest that as the solution for my issue.
The in-store customer service representative then called back the same folks I had just spoken to at phone support and had them cancel my FlexPay plan and refund all that I had paid (that's how Buyer's Remorse works). He then promptly set up non-contract postpay service for me, and I walked out with working Google Voice.
The T Mobile phone support experience made me thing twice about sticking with T Mobile, although the excellent in-store customer support made up for it at least partially.
Verizon phone support is so much better. For starters, I called Verizon on Christmas day and got a US-based rep without any hold time. The T-Mobile phone reps had clearly been outsourced, although this would not have been an issue to me if they had been helpful.
Here's how my conversation went with the Verizon rep:
Me: I got a new phone with T Mobile and would like to know what the early termination fee would be for my Verizon contract which ends in April.
Verizon Representative: That fee is $280
Me: Ouch. Can I drop the data plan from my contract?
Verizon Representative: Unfortunately you are required to have a data plan with that particular phone (HTC Incredible). If you won't be using the phone much, you could pay for the $15 data plan, which gives you 150MB, instead of the $30 data plan you are currently using. Do you or someone you know have an old Verizon phones which is currently not in use?
Me: Yes, why?
Verizon Representative: You can associate your Verizon plan with a non-smartphone and then stop paying for a data plan.
Me: Great!
She then helped me change over to the other phone and also saved me a few extra bucks by putting me on a family plan with my wife. Bottom line is that for the next five months, instead of paying $70/month for a phone I'm not using, I'll be paying $20/month for that phone thanks to a thinking customer representative who did more than read to me from a script.

Amin Sabet said:
If you are within the 14-day Buyer's Remorse period, you do not need to wait 6 months. Just cancel your FlexPay plan under Buyer's Remorse. They will refund your payment. Then go to a T-Mobile store and start new service with a non-contract postpay plan.
----------------------------------
For anyone who wants to feel my pain, this is how I found out:
I bought my Nexus S without contract ($529 at Best Buy) and called T-Mobile to activate service. At that time, I was told that FlexPay and post-pay without contract would give me the same features, and I chose FlexPay.
After a week of Google Voice voicemail mostly not working, I Googled and found the threads about FlexPay not supporting this feature. Called T-Mobile phone support and had the following conversation:
Me: Hi, I bought a Nexus S at full retail price less than a week ago, activated a non-contract FlexPay plan after being told it had all the same features as a post-pay plan, but have come to find out that this is not true and that the FlexPay plan doesn't fully support Google Voice, which is one of the advertised features of this phone. I would like to switch to a non-contract postpay plan.
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to assist you... In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: That makes no sense. I just bought the phone. I am within my return period for the phone at Best Buy, and I am within my trial period with T Mobile. I'm entitled to cancel my plan altogether and start a new one, right? So why can't I switch plans?
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to assist you. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: Did you really just repeat exactly the same thing to me? Did you understand a word I just said?
T-Mobile Representative: I am sorry for your frustration. We have certain eligibility requirements. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: I would like to speak to a supervisor.
T-Mobile Representative: I would be happy to get you to a supervisor, but there are very few supervisors available right now. It may be better for you to go to a T Mobile store for help.
Me: My closest T Mobile corporate store is pretty far away. I'll hold for a supervisor.
I then held for about 20 minutes with the representative occasionally checking in with me to ask if I'd rather go to a store instead of continuing to hold. I finally gave up and called back. Got a new representative this time.
Me: I just called and explained to someone my predicament. She showed no understanding and repeatedly read eligibility guidelines to me. Hopefully you will comprehend what I am calling about. Please refrain from reading me any eligibility guideline involving waiting 6 months.
T-Mobile Representative #2: Sorry for your frustration. How can I help you?
Me: I bought a Nexus S at full retail price less than a week ago, activated a non-contract FlexPay plan after being told it had all the same features as a post-pay plan, but have come to find out that this is not true and that the FlexPay plan doesn't fully support Google Voice, which is one of the advertised features of this phone. I am within my return period for the phone at Best Buy, and I am within my trial period with T Mobile. I would like to switch to a non-contract postpay plan.
T-Mobile Representative #2: I would be happy to assist you. In order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
Me: This is very frustrating. I am within the 14 day Buyer's Remorse period entitled to cancel my service with T Mobile for a full refund. At that point I could start new service as postpay. I could understand if you were to tell me "I understand that what I am telling you makes no sense, but unfortunately my system does not allow me to do what you ask"; however, you showing no comprehension and repeating these eligibility criteria is very frustrating.
T-Mobile Representative #2: I am sorry for your frustration. Our eligibility guidelines specify that in order to be eligible for changing from FlexPay to a postpay plan, you should have 6 months of on time payments and...
At this point, I said goodbye and disconnected. It was some of the most unhelpful customer support I had ever encountered. I can only assume that those workers are not allowed to express any thoughts which aren't written on the page/screen in front of them.
I drove to my local T Mobile store, and the support there was top notch. The representative there explained that the phone support training was very limited and that in order to get what I wanted with them, I would have to have called and said "I would like to cancel my service under Buyer's Remorse", cancel, and then set up new service (which would be much easier to do with a new SIM, so better that I came into the store). Apparently, the training of the phone support was such that they were to do anything possible to avoid canceling a customer's service, so they were not going to suggest that as the solution for my issue.
The in-store customer service representative then called back the same folks I had just spoken to at phone support and had them cancel my FlexPay plan and refund all that I had paid (that's how Buyer's Remorse works). He then promptly set up non-contract postpay service for me, and I walked out with working Google Voice.
The T Mobile phone support experience made me thing twice about sticking with T Mobile, although the excellent in-store customer support made up for it at least partially.
Verizon phone support is so much better. For starters, I called Verizon on Christmas day and got a US-based rep without any hold time. The T-Mobile phone reps had clearly been outsourced, although this would not have been an issue to me if they had been helpful.
Here's how my conversation went with the Verizon rep:
Me: I got a new phone with T Mobile and would like to know what the early termination fee would be for my Verizon contract which ends in April.
Verizon Representative: That fee is $280
Me: Ouch. Can I drop the data plan from my contract?
Verizon Representative: Unfortunately you are required to have a data plan with that particular phone (HTC Incredible). If you won't be using the phone much, you could pay for the $15 data plan, which gives you 150MB, instead of the $30 data plan you are currently using. Do you or someone you know have an old Verizon phones which is currently not in use?
Me: Yes, why?
Verizon Representative: You can associate your Verizon plan with a non-smartphone and then stop paying for a data plan.
Me: Great!
She then helped me change over to the other phone and also saved me a few extra bucks by putting me on a family plan with my wife. Bottom line is that for the next five months, instead of paying $70/month for a phone I'm not using, I'll be paying $20/month for that phone thanks to a thinking customer representative who did more than read to me from a script.
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Click to collapse
I feel your pain. The reason why the customer service was very poor when you first called in was due to the fact that you were speaking to the Flex Pay customer care department and they are 80% outsourced. Every other department is not, especially Post Paid Customer Care.
However, your situation is different than a lot of other people in the same position as you. You were approved for a postpaid account but opted for the Flex Pay account and not everyone will be qualified for both because it's based on credit.

drew_grant said:
I feel your pain. The reason why the customer service was very poor when you first called in was due to the fact that you were speaking to the Flex Pay customer care department and they are 80% outsourced. Every other department is not, especially Post Paid Customer Care.
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^ Truth. When I had my Nexus One, I was on the FlexPay plans and the support was pretty terrible. But once I went postpaid with my G2 and MT4G, support was vastly improved aside from this one jerk who tried to convince me that my last eventually returned MT4G had received it's update while in it's box, while unpowered, and that Android 2.2 was the latest version.
Once I got past him and talking with an actual phone tech about my issue, I was very impressed with her knowledge/skills/customer service. I wish I had written down her name, because I'd pay extra/wait on hold forevers just to talk with someone who knows her stuff again. She even threw in a $10 account credit just because. Heh.

I just got back from the T-Mo store - they switched me to a post-paid account and my Google Voice works now. It's still the same Even More Plus plan, but it's post-paid instead of Flex-Pay. I have no idea why they stuck me on that plan in the first place.
I got a new number, but I really didn't care because I use Google Voice anyway.

Amin Sabet said:
If you are within the 14-day Buyer's Remorse period, you do not need to wait 6 months. Just cancel your FlexPay plan under Buyer's Remorse. They will refund your payment. Then go to a T-Mobile store and start new service with a non-contract postpay plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was extremely helpful, and exactly what I did. Thanks!

drew_grant said:
I feel your pain. The reason why the customer service was very poor when you first called in was due to the fact that you were speaking to the Flex Pay customer care department and they are 80% outsourced. Every other department is not, especially Post Paid Customer Care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm happy to hear that!
drew_grant said:
However, your situation is different than a lot of other people in the same position as you. You were approved for a postpaid account but opted for the Flex Pay account and not everyone will be qualified for both because it's based on credit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish that when I had been presented with the options, they had given me a bit more info to differentiate them. All I was told:
- FlexPay costs $5 more per month unless you have automatic recurring payments
- Post pay has $35 activation fee and FlexPay does not
- Post pay checks your credit and FlexPay doesn't
- Post pay you pay after and FlexPay you pay before
- Same features - no differences at all
I figured I'd save myself the activation fee, avoid a credit check (in case this was not good for my credit) and go with FlexPay with automatic/recurring payments. If they had told me that FlexPay doesn't have call forwarding or that there was a different level of phone support, I never would considered it.

Amin Sabet said:
Thanks, I'm happy to hear that!
I wish that when I had been presented with the options, they had given me a bit more info to differentiate them. All I was told:
- FlexPay costs $5 more per month unless you have automatic recurring payments
- Post pay has $35 activation fee and FlexPay does not
- Post pay checks your credit and FlexPay doesn't
- Post pay you pay after and FlexPay you pay before
- Same features - no differences at all
I figured I'd save myself the activation fee, avoid a credit check (in case this was not good for my credit) and go with FlexPay with automatic/recurring payments. If they had told me that FlexPay doesn't have call forwarding or that there was a different level of phone support, I never would considered it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flex Pay is a HUGE hassle. It's all systematic and if one thing goes wrong it can mess everything up for the customer and for T-Mobile. As a technicality, I don't expect many people to know about the call forwarding thing on Flex Pay because it's hardly ever used except in the case of GV. The only way I found out about it was last year and it was for on a Sidekick. But like I said, if you can qualify for a Postpaid account, go for postpaid. There's no 4.99 control charge, and you don't have to pay everything up front as far as changes in plans and features goes...and last but no least, the CS is WAY better . Also when they run credit, it's a soft pull that won't damage your credit unless you go to every single wireless carrier around and have them run your credit; THAT will affect it negatively.

URPREY said:
I just got back from the T-Mo store - they switched me to a post-paid account and my Google Voice works now. It's still the same Even More Plus plan, but it's post-paid instead of Flex-Pay. I have no idea why they stuck me on that plan in the first place.
I got a new number, but I really didn't care because I use Google Voice anyway.
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Click to collapse
Hey man, if you want your old number back, it is possible. I'd call the store you went to or just go up there and have the rep request your old number back. It migrates over in 36 hours or so. But yeah, it's totally possible if you would like it back.

VZW price

I can't find this now for some reason ... but FWIW I called my VZ corporate store today and they had "no information" on price yet ... yet BB knows it's $250, why is this?
I'm assuming it's going to be 249 @ vzw as well as BB? Or do you think VZ is going to hit us w/299 and expect us to do a 50 rebate?
I'm going to get the TBolt and if I end up not liking it I'll just sell it after the DInc 2 comes out I'm scared to get a larger phone, I love the size of my Eris .... and we all know SIZE MATTERS
heehee

$250 from Verizon on a 2 year contract, confirmed by V today in a tweet...

This is not the same question as the poster, but it kind of falls under the topic. I was going to order by calling verizon and having them send me the phone(can't get a certain monthly discount on wirefly(so the customer service person tells me)) and they offered to waive the activation fee. But I found a midnight launch here locally and was wondering if those employee's have the ability to waive the activation fee as well? I would try and entice them with buying the same amount in accessories of course.

snerfu said:
This is not the same question as the poster, but it kind of falls under the topic. I was going to order by calling verizon and having them send me the phone(can't get a certain monthly discount on wirefly(so the customer service person tells me)) and they offered to waive the activation fee. But I found a midnight launch here locally and was wondering if those employee's have the ability to waive the activation fee as well? I would try and entice them with buying the same amount in accessories of course.
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Verizon retail employees can waive alot of things and give additional discounts. Just say that you really want this phone, but the price is too much. They would want you to be a loyal customer and have you pay $20 less than just walk out.

snerfu said:
This is not the same question as the poster, but it kind of falls under the topic. I was going to order by calling verizon and having them send me the phone(can't get a certain monthly discount on wirefly(so the customer service person tells me)) and they offered to waive the activation fee. But I found a midnight launch here locally and was wondering if those employee's have the ability to waive the activation fee as well? I would try and entice them with buying the same amount in accessories of course.
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I wish you the best w/the waiving of the fee .... I recently added a line and they charged the $35, it took a call and then a request to talk to a supervisor .... and many minutes on hold before she came back and told me that, as a one time courtesy they would waive it. They also wanted me to "be sure to understand" that going forward all extra lines would have a fee.
I had to laugh when I hung up 'cuz the CS rep assured me in the first place that I would NOT be able to get the fee waived, even after I asked to speak to a supervisor ... moohoowahhahahahaha, I win! And the fact that she was all *****y about it and I got it waived made it even sweeter!
yay me. From what I understand the store people will tell you they don't have the authority to waive it .... let us know what you find out.

ITGuy11 said:
$250 from Verizon on a 2 year contract, confirmed by V today in a tweet...
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Thank you!

I just ordered from Wirefly.com for 199.99, no rebate required. If you don't mind waiting for FedEx that's the lowest price around right now.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App

Verizon is 249.99 plus a 25$ activation fee at their stores. Just checked at store

Just found it on AmazonWireless
Phone 1: HTC ThunderBolt 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)$ 749.99List Price: Remove $ 179.99Price:
In Stock. Usually ships in 24 hours
http://wireless.amazon.com/HTC-ThunderBolt-Android-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B004M5HB6U/ref=sh_br_ph_1

wirefly is still cheaper. 199-25 for the fatwallet cashback. 175 total
plus using the coupon code you get a free 4gb card

I am eligable for an early upgrade but I think it will only work through Verizons website. Wirefly said I am not eligable and Amazon keeps reporting a problem with my info.
This sucks.
An interesting note: I called verizon to ask why i couldn't upgrade though a third party website and they said I just can't. I asked what their price will be and the lady said she didn't know the price but she sees that there will $100 rebate on it.

Activation fee

BTW incase anyone is going to upgrade to the one x, if your account is in good standing and you have been a customer for long enough (5 years personally) they WILL waive the $36 activation fee
I bought the one x from the at&t corp store. I used the upgrade from a different line which uses a basic phone.
I called att and they canceled the data plan for that phone.
I asked for the activation fee for my upgrade to be waived and customer service guy said he will check to see if my account is in good standing and if I am eligible. He said I was.
He couldn't do it until I get my bill because the fee hasn't been applied to my bill yet but a note in my account for the waiver of the fee was posted by him.
He told me that on my next bill if the charge is there to call and it will be waived

Did you call customer service? Email them? And I'm assuming you do this AFTER you have activated the phone?

S8B said:
Did you call customer service? Email them? And I'm assuming you do this AFTER you have activated the phone?
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+1, and does it matter if you purchased it from a 3rd party like radioshack or amazon?

also the reason I bought the phone from att and not rs or amazon for $50 is because they would charge me their bs savings fee if I canceled my data plan and used the phone with a different line

Guys just call customer service after you upgrade, doesn't matter from where. I told them that $200 for a phone plus a monthly bill was too much money, and the activation fee was just going overboard. She did it without thinking twice.

I ll give it a try and will call CS

$145 Essential Phone on Sprint!

The essential phone is currently $145 on sprint!! Not a promo. This is the new normal pricing. This is basically a steal!!

Is there a way to buy it, pay off the contract and unlock? What would be the total cost? I am going to visit US in December and that might be a deal I am looking for, if possible.

hellot1M said:
The essential phone is currently $145 on sprint!! Not a promo. This is the new normal pricing. This is basically a steal!!
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You might want to go to the Sprint website and do a little more reading. The $5 x 18 months is a lease price. If you want to purchase it after your lease ends you still have to pay the difference between retail $699.99 and what you've paid in on the lease. The full retail price is listed as $699.99 as of a few minutes ago.

foopy said:
You might want to go to the Sprint website and do a little more reading. The $5 x 18 months is a lease price. If you want to purchase it after your lease ends you still have to pay the difference between retail $699.99 and what you've paid in on the lease. The full retail price is listed as $699.99 as of a few minutes ago.
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The buy out is 30.00(written on contract) for this phone as I did the lease (5.00X18) = STEAL:good:

To unlock the device if going this route you have to have the phone activated on their Network for 50 days

foopy said:
You might want to go to the Sprint website and do a little more reading. The $5 x 18 months is a lease price. If you want to purchase it after your lease ends you still have to pay the difference between retail $699.99 and what you've paid in on the lease. The full retail price is listed as $699.99 as of a few minutes ago.
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Nope, it's actually $145 (plus taxes) Activation can be waived through purchasing online, otherwise I believe it is $30 instore. $25 down, $5/month (flexlease) then a $30 payoff after the lease payments are complete. Yes you can pay the lease off early then payoff the phone. Getting it unlocked immediately after is a little more complicated/"hit or miss". Many people are able to unlock right after paying it off, others have been told they have to stay on Sprint for 50 days. You do have to upgrade/add a line or open an account.
But the price is confirmed and there is many accounts of this in the https://www.reddit.com/r/essential/ subreddit.

Warlord721 said:
Nope, it's actually $145 (plus taxes) Activation can be waived through purchasing online, otherwise I believe it is $30 instore. $25 down, $5/month (flexlease) then a $30 payoff after the lease payments are complete. Yes you can pay the lease off early then payoff the phone. Getting it unlocked immediately after is a little more complicated/"hit or miss". Many people are able to unlock right after paying it off, others have been told they have to stay on Sprint for 50 days. You do have to upgrade/add a line or open an account.
But the price is confirmed and there is many accounts of this in the https://www.reddit.com/r/essential/ subreddit.
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I just got this price on it last night, buying the phone through Best Buy.
I thought the buyout price was still $175 at Sprint stores or sprint.com, rather than the $30 that's showing up at Best Buy... but maybe not?

I had my phone paid for and unlocked within 12 hours of receiving.
25 down + 90 + 30 + taxes
I can verify first hand this is legit. View my post history where I went into more detail in another thread.

Okay I stand corrected. Online it still shows that info on the site. I guess they have a special "pay off" price.

Just signed up for this one. Phone should be here Tuesday. Contract shows $25 down, $5 a month for 18 months with buyout of $30. With taxes my total is $157.
I'll report back when I pay it off and any issues with it.

JoRocker said:
I had my phone paid for and unlocked within 12 hours of receiving.
25 down + 90 + 30 + taxes
I can verify first hand this is legit. View my post history where I went into more detail in another thread.
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How did you get the phone unlocked? Chat on website or call support?

bricky23 said:
How did you get the phone unlocked? Chat on website or call support?
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I didn't even have to deal with customer support. Paid off the phone, next day went to UICC unlock in the phone menu, it unlocked fine. Put in an AT&T sim to test out calls and data work just fine.

im0rtalz said:
I didn't even have to deal with customer support. Paid off the phone, next day went to UICC unlock in the phone menu, it unlocked fine. Put in an AT&T sim to test out calls and data work just fine.
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Can't seem to find UICC unlock. I have undated to Oreo. Don't know if that makes a difference. Any help would be appreciated.
Edit: never mind. Found it. Under about phone/ omadm updates. Mine still says locked, will try again tomorrow. Just paid it off today. New account.

Let me know if there are any off contract deals.. i wouldn't mind picking up 2 more
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

bricky23 said:
Can't seem to find UICC unlock. I have undated to Oreo. Don't know if that makes a difference. Any help would be appreciated.
Edit: never mind. Found it. Under about phone/ omadm updates. Mine still says locked, will try again tomorrow. Just paid it off today. New account.
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Don't worry if it isn't unlocked yet tomorrow either. Took mine two days after paying it off before I could do the UICC unlock, but it's been working great ever since.

I'm new in the US and i dont know how the contract works, i went to Sprint store to buy this and they told me that i'll have to get a plan with the phone which was 45$ a month. I wanna know if there's a way to get just the phone and not the plan. And if i have a friend who uses sprint, can i get the phone showing his plan and not getting any new plan?

Manish54 said:
I'm new in the US and i dont know how the contract works, i went to Sprint store to buy this and they told me that i'll have to get a plan with the phone which was 45$ a month. I wanna know if there's a way to get just the phone and not the plan. And if i have a friend who uses sprint, can i get the phone showing his plan and not getting any new plan?
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You have to get the plan, but you can transfer it or cancel it anytime. What I did (as recommended by the internet) is the following: Get the phone and the $45 plan, pay off the lease, wait +-2 days until the phone is unlocked, then get this simcard off of amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B013OUS19E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You then transfer your sprint line to that simcard. Because it is a pay as you go sim you don't have to pay anything for it and can just let the number die, at the same time it will disappear from your sprint account and because the month wasn't over yet you won't be charged for it.
The only problem if you're new to the us might be your credit score. If you don't have one or it's low then I don't think they'll approve you for the lease.

Gambler_BE said:
You have to get the plan, but you can transfer it or cancel it anytime. What I did (as recommended by the internet) is the following: Get the phone and the $45 plan, pay off the lease, wait +-2 days until the phone is unlocked, then get this simcard off of amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B013OUS19E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You then transfer your sprint line to that simcard. Because it is a pay as you go sim you don't have to pay anything for it and can just let the number die, at the same time it will disappear from your sprint account and because the month wasn't over yet you won't be charged for it.
The only problem if you're new to the us might be your credit score. If you don't have one or it's low then I don't think they'll approve you for the lease.
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Great post! You da man. Thanks

Manish54 said:
I'm new in the US and i dont know how the contract works, i went to Sprint store to buy this and they told me that i'll have to get a plan with the phone which was 45$ a month. I wanna know if there's a way to get just the phone and not the plan. And if i have a friend who uses sprint, can i get the phone showing his plan and not getting any new plan?
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You can buy the phone directly from essential website with no contracts. You can buy it from Amazon with no contracts. And you can buy it from Best Buy with no contracts. The price is $499.09 from essential and Amazon, and sometimes it's $449.00 at Best Buy.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

NavySpark said:
Just signed up for this one. Phone should be here Tuesday. Contract shows $25 down, $5 a month for 18 months with buyout of $30. With taxes my total is $157.
I'll report back when I pay it off and any issues with it.
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Phone was locked right off the bat, online order. I popped in the Cricket sim before the Sprint with no luck. Popped the Sprint sim back in, let it register on the network and then called customer service. Pay off was $120 on top of the $37 i had already paid, so $157 total. Amount matched the lease with purchase price option (buyout)
Requested the phone unlocked for international travel and the agent put in the request and I have the confirmation #'s for ending the lease and the request for phone unlock. Told 3-5 business days for unlock. We will see how it goes. Plan to check the UICC button over holiday weekend.