I'm sure no one really wants to hear about this, but I'm going to bring it up anyway. I've been a T-Mobile customer for the past year and a half (before that, I didn't even have a cell phone. EGADS!). And I've been very happy with the service. My phone was nice when I bought it and thanks to an Amazon.com rebate, quite cheap.

Now that I've been with them for over a year though, I'm eligible for a phone upgrade discount. Although my contract was up last August, I didn't get a new phone right away because there wasn't really one that I wanted. Right before Christmas though, T-Mobile became the exclusive reseller of the Samsung T809. For some reason I just really like the look of that phone. I know I don't want another Motorola one (because the OS on that is kind of lame). I also don't really feel like switching networks though since I've had really good luck with T-Mobile.

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I went into a T-Mobile store a couple weeks ago and talked to the salesman, he said that the T809 would be $250 with a 1 year contract renewal or $200 with a 2 year contract. Naturally I was like, "No thanks," and walked out. Since I'd gotten a good deal on my phone through Amazon.com before I began checking each week to see if they were carrying it. I just found over the weekend though, that Amazon.com has it for $200 with $150 rebate.

Unfortunately for me, the rebate specifically says that you've got to be a new activation and that if you're a current T-Mobile customer that you'd have to get a new line of service AND not cancel your old line of service. Now I don't really mind canceling my service and getting a new one that much, but since this is my only phone and I use it as my home phone in all of my billing things, I'd rather not have to update all of that stuff.

With this in mind, I called T-Mobile up on Sunday and talked to a CSR about what I could do. Unfortunately, they weren't very helpful and the only suggestion they had was, try getting it off eBay.

That's when I came up with the great idea of just buying a really cheap Pay As You Go phone from Cingular, switching my number over to that one (and canceling my service with T-Mobile) then buying my new phone and switching my number back. It will cost me like $30 for a phone from Cingular and there may be a dumb activation fee. If that's the case, I may just say screw it, and not bother.

But still, this is very annoying that I have to go through all this just to stay with a company that I actually like. If they'd just say that keeping their existing customers is worth as much to them as acquiring new customers, this wouldn't even be an issue.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll let everyone know how it will work out.

At 1/31/2006 8:17 AM,  Chuckles said...

I switched to V and they gave me one of those, after one year you get $100 credit to a new phone. T-M won't even do that? That's lame. And you can't use them in the metro.

 

At 1/31/2006 9:09 AM,  dontEATnachos said...

they give you a discount on the phone. The list price for a T809 on Amazon without a service contract is $400. SO at $250, T-Mo is giving me $150 off list anyway.

It is a brand new phone (it's been out for maybe a month now) so I can understand it still being expensive. I just wonder about the rebate deal they give Amazon.

 

At 1/31/2006 9:26 AM,  Chuckles said...

Yeah, the market strategies of the mobile communications companies do not encourage an sort of loyalty once your contract is up. Everything is geared towards new customers and not returning clients. My parents each received a $100 voucher for new phones after a two year contract, but that was it. They renewed for at least another two years and got dick. They could have switched and gotten more than $200 total off of two better phones if they had switched and even if they had kept the old numbers. Where is the intelligence in that?

 

At 1/31/2006 10:56 AM,  Unknown said...

Nacho, I feel your pain as a Verizon customer. I have decided I am done with paying 800 dollars a month for about $2.50 worth of calls. If anyone wants to reach me, they can call the cell phone that I have decided my work needs to pay for. My colleagues all have one, along with a company car. I have none of this and I decided that I have a nice office, more respect than boi Bitch and I am Queen of the world. So, it's time to go all T and A in the HR Department. Until then, email me at home.

Let's declare war on the cell phone companies! They are about as bad as the airlines. The Jet Blue of cell service has yet to arrive, but when she does, look out!

 

At 1/31/2006 12:47 PM,  Chuckles said...

Can I get some pictures of you going all T&A on the HR department? I, umm, need them so I can, umm, learn how to, uhh, whup ass.

 

At 1/31/2006 1:55 PM,  Unknown said...

You wish cowboy. Only UC can have those and he's not even getting them. T and A works in the office when you need stuff. Sorry you don't have the T's to make it happen boys.

 

At 1/31/2006 2:31 PM,  fulsome said...

I live in SF where A can be suffient without T (all accorded respect as persons as persons)

 

At 1/31/2006 3:00 PM,  Chuckles said...

Fwiends, Womans, Countwymen, I come not possess Ts, but to fondle them!

 

At 1/31/2006 4:31 PM,  Unknown said...

I am not 100% convinced that A is enough even in SF, Fullie. However, if you post a picture of your A like Chuckie duck did, I can let you know with 99% confidence of the possibility.

Chuckster, how good at you at fondling the cantalopes?

 

At 1/31/2006 7:53 PM,  Chuckles said...

Well, I can't elope with a cantaloup, but if we were talking watermelons...

I have never heard any complaints about my melon selection.

 

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