Phones & Plans from Amazon.com
Anyone ever use Amazon.com to buy your phone or sign up to a Cingular plan? If so, how did it go? Any problems?
I'm still trying to figure out how to get the two phones we want at a decent price. My local Cingular retail store wants an absurd price for the SE W810i and they don't even carry the W300i for my son. Our Radioshack has the W300i but not the W810i. I can get them on-line from several places, but some of those places are questionable (see thread about Letstalk.com). Anyhow, amazon has them both at really good up-front prices, but I would like to hear from people who have used them.
Thanks
I'm still trying to figure out how to get the two phones we want at a decent price. My local Cingular retail store wants an absurd price for the SE W810i and they don't even carry the W300i for my son. Our Radioshack has the W300i but not the W810i. I can get them on-line from several places, but some of those places are questionable (see thread about Letstalk.com). Anyhow, amazon has them both at really good up-front prices, but I would like to hear from people who have used them.
Thanks
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Amazon is a great company to buy things through but i would be a little hesitant to purchase a cell phone plan from them. If you have any issues with the phone you receive you can't go to a store to get a replacement. If you have any problems with your account stores won't be as friendly towards you as they would if you purchased the phones from them. Personally, I have bought phones online and had a great experience up till about three weeks ago when I received a defective phone. The company refused to let me return it and tried to make me go through technical support to fix an unfixable problem. The time you spend dealing with the issues and getting rejected by the stores makes the $70 difference seem like a screaming deal to buy the phon...
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All the benefits of buying online are roughly the same, regardless of the e-tailer. And all the potential negatives are roughly the same, too. Some are less reputable than others (note inPhonic and all it's demon-spawn). So pretty much everything everyone said about LetsTalk.com applies to Amazon.com as well. I gotta commend you though, it sounds like you are doing a lot of research. I love customers who do research and educate themselves.
If you really have your heart set on an 810i and a 300i, I would get the 810i in a local Cingular store, then get the 300i in a local Radio Shack. Tell the Cingular guys what you are doing, and that you would get the 300i from them if they had it. Then, if you need customer service down the roa...
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If you really have your heart set on an 810i and a 300i, I would get the 810i in a local Cingular store, then get the 300i in a local Radio Shack. Tell the Cingular guys what you are doing, and that you would get the 300i from them if they had it. Then, if you need customer service down the roa...
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Are you saying I could do a family share plan and get the phones from two different places? Hmmmm....if I can do that, than I just need to get my local Cingular store to come down on their price for the W810i. I know it's worth $189, but I can't see spending it if I can get it elsewhere for $24. I believe in helping the local guy whenever I can, but I'm not wealthy enough to just throw money away either.
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See, here's the problem....I CAN'T get them from the local store. Nobody carries both phones. The Cingular store has the W810i but no W300i. Radioshack has the W300i but no W810i. That means I would have to get them online from either the Cingular website, or a different agent such as Amazon or Let's Talk. To get them from the Cingular site would require me to spend $294 up front ($175 of which I would get back by rebates) so my total cost would eventually be $119.
From Amazon.com my total up-front cost would be something like $24. See my dilemma?
And BTW, even if my local Cingular store did have both phones, they want $185 fro the W810i with no rebates offered.
From Amazon.com my total up-front cost would be something like $24. See my dilemma?
And BTW, even if my local Cingular store did have both phones, they want $185 fro the W810i with no rebates offered.
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Yes you can go to cingular buy the w810 and walk down to radioshack and get the w300 it isn't a problem
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If you WANT the two se phones but can't afford them, you don't NEED them.
Why do people complain about price points so much.
If you want a high end phone, pay for it...thats a novel idea.
Why do people complain about price points so much.
If you want a high end phone, pay for it...thats a novel idea.
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THEMAN said:Excuse me, but that's the stupidest thing I've ever read. If an item can be purchased from one place for $24, why in the world would you be willing to spend $189 for the exact same item? That's just being foolish and irresponsible with money. I can "afford" them, I'm just not dumb enough to waste money for no reason. The other responses have been very helpful...thanks for your input.
If you WANT the two se phones but can't afford them, you don't NEED them.
Why do people complain about price points so much.
If you want a high end phone, pay for it...thats a novel idea.
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Matt_a said:THEMAN said:Excuse me, but that's the stupidest thing I've ever read. If an item can be purchased from one place for $24, why in the world would you be willing to spend $189 for the exact same item? That's just being foolish and irresponsible with money. I can "afford" them, I'm just not dumb enough to waste money for no reason. The other responses have been very helpful...thanks for your input.
If you WANT the two se phones but can't afford them, you don't NEED them.
Why do people complain about price points so much.
If you want a high end phone, pay for it...thats a novel idea.
Well what are you hear asking about amazon.com for then? Go out and...
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crxtreme89 said:
Well what are you hear asking about amazon.com for then? Go out and save yourself some money. But don't say we didn't warn you. There's a reason why the price is way cheaper and you will find out why if you order cell service from that website.
I'm on here asking because I also know that sometimes it's worth paying a little extra for better service. I just don't call $165 a little extra. I also wouldn't want to do it if they were a blatant rip-off. But to say something like, "If you don't want to pay the full retail price, then you can't afford it" is crazy. It only makes sense to shop for a deal. Do you pay full sticker price for a car?
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haha! Every customer wants the best phones for dirt cheap.
If you find it cheap online, then you go to the cingular store for help, i hope they laugh at you, just as i am now.
"If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it."
If you find it cheap online, then you go to the cingular store for help, i hope they laugh at you, just as i am now.
"If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it."
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Holy crap, they're offering it for $24?
That really makes me sick. There's no way I could match that and even stay in the black. Is that after a MIR or anything?
That really makes me sick. There's no way I could match that and even stay in the black. Is that after a MIR or anything?
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It's actually free after $25 Mail-In Rebate.
You also get a $25 rebate for the w300 even though you don't pay anything for it.
You also get a $25 rebate for the w300 even though you don't pay anything for it.
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Sure, get them from Amazon but don't you dare go to the local Cingular store asking for help. They're busy and they have quotas. Some can even lose their jobs over those quotas so don't use up their time.
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I think its funny how when you call a COR store it asks you if you are having problems and if you are and you follow the directions to the IVR it forwards your call to customer care. I wish cingular would follow other companies leads and have a person in the store that does customer service in the store and thats it and let the salespeople sell and thats it.
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Those other companies charge for all kinds of things from Transferring a Phone Book to changing ESN numbers.
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If you buy a phone online, and come in complaining to my store here is how the convo will go.
you: blah blah my phone won't work
me: where did you purchase the phone?
you: online
me: please take the phone back to the store you got it from.
you: its not from a store its from online.
me: Well sir, thats your problem. have a wonderful day.
you: wha wha you hurt my feelings
me: my time is worth money, should have thought about that before you decided to be a cheapskate.
you: blah blah my phone won't work
me: where did you purchase the phone?
you: online
me: please take the phone back to the store you got it from.
you: its not from a store its from online.
me: Well sir, thats your problem. have a wonderful day.
you: wha wha you hurt my feelings
me: my time is worth money, should have thought about that before you decided to be a cheapskate.
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THEMAN said:
If you buy a phone online, and come in complaining to my store here is how the convo will go.
you: blah blah my phone won't work
me: where did you purchase the phone?
you: online
me: please take the phone back to the store you got it from.
you: its not from a store its from online.
me: Well sir, thats your problem. have a wonderful day.
you: wha wha you hurt my feelings
me: my time is worth money, should have thought about that before you decided to be a cheapskate.
That was a cute little skit you wrote there. I know better than to take a phone in to a store I didn't buy it from. 🙄
Sheesh...I hope you aren't indicative of how helpful Cingular employees are in gen...
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In an earlier post you wrote;.
"Once I sign on as a Cingular customer, ANY cingular location had better answer questions or help resolve any issues, regardless if I bought the phone from them or not. The retail sale of the phone is only one small part of being a Cingular customer. Besides, 99% of any billing issues can be handled by the Toll-Free customer service number. You don't HAVE to go in to the retail store for that.
As far as the rebates go; when we got my wife's phone it was free. No rebate to mail in. The current deal on the W810i is $139 up front with a $90 rebate so it ends up costing me $49. I've never heard of a rebate that you don't get until you've had the service for 6 months. "
hmmm...get your stories straight.
"Once I sign on as a Cingular customer, ANY cingular location had better answer questions or help resolve any issues, regardless if I bought the phone from them or not. The retail sale of the phone is only one small part of being a Cingular customer. Besides, 99% of any billing issues can be handled by the Toll-Free customer service number. You don't HAVE to go in to the retail store for that.
As far as the rebates go; when we got my wife's phone it was free. No rebate to mail in. The current deal on the W810i is $139 up front with a $90 rebate so it ends up costing me $49. I've never heard of a rebate that you don't get until you've had the service for 6 months. "
hmmm...get your stories straight.
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I was referring to issues with Cingular service, not the phone. If I don't buy the phone at the store, I wouldn't expect them to "fix it". If a customer walks in to your store (who bought his phone from somewhere else) and you flat-out refuse to help him or answer questions, I would think you should get in trouble for that. I would think that Cingular wants any store which displays their name and logo to be polite and helpful to Cingular customers.
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That may make it so people don't want to buy online but it is also going to put customers off when it comes to the next service provider they want to go with. I actually enjoy helping customers who purchase online and usually if I help them and show that I care I can win their business for the future. But if I am a jerk to them it is going to make them hate online and me and the company i represent. I just really make customers scared to buy online again and make them trust me!
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chainsaw said:
That may make it so people don't want to buy online but it is also going to put customers off when it comes to the next service provider they want to go with. I actually enjoy helping customers who purchase online and usually if I help them and show that I care I can win their business for the future. But if I am a jerk to them it is going to make them hate online and me and the company i represent. I just really make customers scared to buy online again and make them trust me!
That's a great attitude and a great way to do business. I would hope that anyone who bought on-line would have enough sense not to tie up yor time when you're busy.
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The problem is most don't.
This is at least your second thread on this subject. You have been given all the facts. As I said before, the phone is the smallest portion of your very large wireless investment. Amazon doesn't ask questions to potentially find ways to save you money, a good store will do that. If I had a nickel for every "online" or national retail (Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Radio Hack) customer for whom I saved them money on their bill I would be able to retire. Those folks just don't receive the training we receive and don't have the experience we do. THEY WILL MISS SOMETHING and soon enough you will have paid an extra $5 to $10 (or more) and made up for the small up front savings. You are a number, a box to Amazon and othe...
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This is at least your second thread on this subject. You have been given all the facts. As I said before, the phone is the smallest portion of your very large wireless investment. Amazon doesn't ask questions to potentially find ways to save you money, a good store will do that. If I had a nickel for every "online" or national retail (Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Radio Hack) customer for whom I saved them money on their bill I would be able to retire. Those folks just don't receive the training we receive and don't have the experience we do. THEY WILL MISS SOMETHING and soon enough you will have paid an extra $5 to $10 (or more) and made up for the small up front savings. You are a number, a box to Amazon and othe...
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