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velocity92c · 02-13-2009, 02:31 PM

(This only works for T-Mobile users)

Here's how it went.

When I discovered the Javelin yesterday (I had considered upgrading to the bold but I love my Curve keyboard, so once I discovered the Javelin it became a must have) I called T-Mobild immediately. I had upgraded 3 months ago and wasn't eligible for even a partial upgrade for 9 more months. It was going to cost 450 per phone, which I didn't mind at first but the bad news was they needed 350 up front, and could split the final 100 up over 3 months. I called back and got several variations of basically the same deal.

Finally I called and told them I wanted to cancel. My reasoning was that I knew they were giving this phone to other customers for much cheaper, not to mention AT&T had offered me a Bold for 200 over 3 months, and a cheaper monthly rate (This was actually true). I was transferred to the "Customer Loyalty" department, where the girl there offered me a supreme deal. 179.99 with nothing due now, split up into 4 installments starting in March. She raised my credit limit, lowered my monthly bill a tad and priority shipped both phones. They should arrive tomorrow as I live in KY.

I have to admit, T-Mobile has really taken care of us. If you're not getting an answer you like regarding the 8900, threaten to cancel your service. I wish you didn't have to threaten to cancel to get the best deals but T-Mobile will take care of you before they lose you as a customer, and I understand they'd be losing money if every CSR could give deals like this. Anyway, if you're not getting an answer you like from a regular CSR, ask to cancel services and go to Customer Loyalty. They will take care of you.

Edit : yes, I did have to renew my contract for 2 years.

tsx281 · 02-13-2009, 03:13 PM

Did you have to extend your contract?

velocity92c · 02-13-2009, 03:19 PM

Whoops, forgot to mention that. Yes we did have to re-extend our contract 24 months. We had 21 months left so it was still a great deal for us.

TheBigNewt · 02-13-2009, 03:47 PM

Wow, that's a great deal. We hear lots of stories of how the Customer Loyalty (aka Retention Dept.) does deals like this. I look at it this way: a 2 year contract for my 2 phones is a total of $3600 including tax. The phones cost about $800 (for 2) they charged you $360, so they eat $440 ($18/mo), which is a 12% discount off the bill. I think that's fair. I just wish they'd do it upfront for everyone.

chbak014 · 02-13-2009, 04:07 PM

YMMV

lol..your title thread sounds like one of those get rich quick schemes.
excellent deal tho.

StanMort · 02-13-2009, 06:37 PM

Rogers does the same things, I got my 8900 for free and my wife got an LG Vue for free as well

strike2tamu · 02-13-2009, 10:35 PM

Threatening to cancel not a good idea. You will likely never get another deal from them and they will be less likely to help you in the future if problems arise.

velocity92c · 02-14-2009, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike2tamu

Threatening to cancel not a good idea. You will likely never get another deal from them and they will be less likely to help you in the future if problems arise.

This couldn't be further from the truth. This is the 4th or 5th time we've done this now. It's just that the Customer Loyalty department is who can offer the best deals. I understand that from a business standpoint, if someone's willing to pay 450 for the phone with no hassle, why not take the money if you're T-Mo? I think it's a good idea. I've never had any problems at all for using the Customer Loyalty department. In fact, you seem to get treated like a king when you speak with them.

strike2tamu · 02-14-2009, 10:22 AM

Guess you never heard about the boy that cried wolf...

TheBigNewt · 02-14-2009, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike2tamu

Threatening to cancel not a good idea. You will likely never get another deal from them and they will be less likely to help you in the future if problems arise.

I doubt that. Maybe the OP's contract for 2 phones is $200/month and maybe he's been with them for 8 years, paying as much as $19k to them. I'd spot him a few phone deals if I were them, wouldn't you? Good business.

strike2tamu · 02-14-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigNewt

I doubt that. Maybe the OP's contract for 2 phones is $200/month and maybe he's been with them for 8 years, paying as much as $19k to them. I'd spot him a few phone deals if I were them, wouldn't you? Good business.

The amount of times he has threatened to leave...I would let him leave...at&t is going to be losing customers left and right after all these outages...I would call his bluff.

TheBigNewt · 02-14-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike2tamu

The amount of times he has threatened to leave...I would let him leave...at&t is going to be losing customers left and right after all these outages...I would call his bluff.

I'm sure there's a limit as to how far you can push them before they say no. He just hasn't gotten there yet. Good for him!

velocity92c · 02-14-2009, 07:28 PM

I have been a T-Mobile customer for 6 or 7 years now, and my monthly rate has always been between 150-200. They've made over $10,000 off of me, so cutting a few hundred off a couple phones a few times is hardly dipping into their pockets. It's not my fault you have to take those measures to get the best deals, but why not take them if they're available to you? It's not like I did anything illegal. AT&T really did offer me a better deal, so I wasn't even lying to them. They have a Customer Loyalty department that can offer these kinds of deals for a reason. It's more profitable for them to give this kind of deal to someone that may be considering leaving the company. If they did "call my bluff", then I'd be with AT&T and get a cheaper rate + a bold for the same amount of money. I'd say that's the definition of a win/win for me, right? It's also win for T-Mobile, because now they have me as a customer for another 24 months. Those 24 months will make T-Mobile 3600 bucks.

Your opposition to this is kind of strange to say the least. It's a win/win situation for both sides. Might be time to take a look at it from another angle.

OstrichSak · 02-14-2009, 07:43 PM

That's nice but I got not one but TWO 8900's on release day from a T-Mobile store that only received 5 and due to some notes on my account from a few calls to customer care I was able to pick them up for $99 each after MIR. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

zGuy · 02-14-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike2tamu

Threatening to cancel not a good idea. You will likely never get another deal from them and they will be less likely to help you in the future if problems arise.

As Clinton's campaign strategist James Carville used to say: "It's the economy, stupid."
Take a good look around: Companies are bleeding money and we, the people, are bailing them out left-and-right. I think T-mobile is smart enough to acknowledge (albeit quietly) that customers' loyalty is far more important than the marginal-profit they make from phones that are subsidized by the phone companies in the first place. If they get a customer to sign up for two years: That's where their real money comes from! And if the customer is happy he/she will sign up for another two-year contract when a new phone arrives. And so on.

strike2tamu · 02-15-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by velocity92c

I have been a T-Mobile customer for 6 or 7 years now, and my monthly rate has always been between 150-200. They've made over $10,000 off of me, so cutting a few hundred off a couple phones a few times is hardly dipping into their pockets. It's not my fault you have to take those measures to get the best deals, but why not take them if they're available to you? It's not like I did anything illegal. AT&T really did offer me a better deal, so I wasn't even lying to them. They have a Customer Loyalty department that can offer these kinds of deals for a reason. It's more profitable for them to give this kind of deal to someone that may be considering leaving the company. If they did "call my bluff", then I'd be with AT&T and get a cheaper rate + a bold for the same amount of money. I'd say that's the definition of a win/win for me, right? It's also win for T-Mobile, because now they have me as a customer for another 24 months. Those 24 months will make T-Mobile 3600 bucks.

Your opposition to this is kind of strange to say the least. It's a win/win situation for both sides. Might be time to take a look at it from another angle.

Eh I could have probably gotten 2 "free" 8900's from T-Mobile, but I don't like taking advantage of a company that has provided me with such great service for 7 years...and under 120 bucks for 2 lines, unlimited data on both lines, all unlimited messaging on both lines, 1000 minutes, free nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile...I have never once gone over my minute usage in the 7 years...I have probably lost service twice during this 7 year period and have no intentions of ever leaving no matter what kind of deal another company offers me(especially at&t)...unless T-Mobile changes and does some really crazy things, which isn't likely. That's my reasoning for not threatening to cancel...no its not illegal...but its not professional either.

Chinookman · 02-15-2009, 11:52 AM

I don't see a business transaction that serves the interest of both parties as taking advantage of anyone. It is a business and I'm willing to guess that the T-Mo folks have done the math and know they will stay with the best balance of setting cash flow. Unless someone in here is a business insider and is willing to speak up, I just saying that it is the consumer that has to look out after their own best interest as well as any business service provider. If the two agree to a business transaction that suits both parties then both will live to pursue their business interest another day.

If it's not your cup of tea and you feel morally wrong about it, cool.....also....each has to live with our own decisions.....lol....and i look forward to upgrading soon as I'm shortly eligible for an upgrade. Plus hopefully many bugs get worked out.....since the Pearl is still working fine........

BTW for those living in the outer fringes of Houston w/ a Pearl does the 8900 have any better connectivity...? Thanks......

strike2tamu · 02-15-2009, 12:00 PM

I dont have a problem with my pearl anywhere in the entire state of Texas, I always have at least 3 bars of EDGE...sometimes I have 2 in bare places.

velocity92c · 02-15-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strike2tamu

Eh I could have probably gotten 2 "free" 8900's from T-Mobile, but I don't like taking advantage of a company that has provided me with such great service for 7 years...and under 120 bucks for 2 lines, unlimited data on both lines, all unlimited messaging on both lines, 1000 minutes, free nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile...I have never once gone over my minute usage in the 7 years...I have probably lost service twice during this 7 year period and have no intentions of ever leaving no matter what kind of deal another company offers me(especially at&t)...unless T-Mobile changes and does some really crazy things, which isn't likely. That's my reasoning for not threatening to cancel...no its not illegal...but its not professional either.

If you could get something free, why wouldn't you? How in any sense of the statement is this taking advantage of T-Mobile? As another poster has already said, this is a business agreement that benefits both sides. T-Mobile now has me locked in for another 3600+ bucks over the next 2 years and I get to save about 600 bucks on the phones. I have been a customer of T-Mobile for 6 or 7 years myself, and given their company thousands of dollars. If T-Mobile didn't see it in their best interests to offer me this kind of deal, then they wouldn't do it, plain and simple. I could understand if I was doing something illegal, or even something frowned up, but this was ENCOURAGED by a T-Mobile representative. I told them AT&T offered me a better deal, which was the complete truth and they gave me a counter offer to keep me as a customer.

The only way I could see you logically disagreeing with this is if it were your pocket the 600 I'm saving was coming directly out of. Even then, you'd make that and 6 times that much on me over the next 2 years. Anyway, this is my last reply to you. I can already tell you're not going to see the logic in this business transaction. You are entitled to your own opinion, it's just in this case I think you're being kind of stubborn by refusing to look at it logically.

strike2tamu · 02-28-2009, 10:12 PM

As it turns out I got a complete refund for my 8900. It was backordered, they refunded my shipping immediately then I got a text message from t-mobile telling me that they were going to refund the entire cost of my device. I got a free 8900, and I didn't even threaten to leave or even speak to a manager for that matter...go figure...

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How I got 2 Javelins for 179 (with nothing out of pocket) and how can you too