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3dEvo: Pre-release miscellany

I just went to a sprint corporate store to inquire how this preorder will work. I paid for a preorder, but I am concerned about the whole mail in rebate thing. I asked the guy working if I buy a phone now and return it when the e3d comes out how will that work. He said they discourage people from doing that, as it makes the sales reps look bad. He also told me if I did that I would have to pay the mail in rebate if they don't extend it again. Can anyone out there confirm this?
 
BlackDynamite said:
Well it would be completely new account, in someone else's (my wife's) name. And it would be a family plan with 3 lines.

So let me see, even if it stayed active for 30 days, the plan would be what, around $150 for a month? Plus $600 for 3 new Evo 3Ds, and $600 in ETF fees. That makes a grand total of $1350. If I buy those same 3 Evo 3Ds full retail at $550 each, I'm looking at $1650.

Is there any reason why I should not go this route? It seems silly to me to pay an extra $300 for the exact same thing.
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I see. Based on what I pay, your numbers are pretty darn close, except I don't know what state you're in, so I couldn't really estimate the tax.

Nontheless, unless there's some sort of small print preventing you from doing this, I really can't see any issues with it, if you're willing to go through the time and effort to do it.
 
sikclown said:
Ok so next year all 4 of your lines will have 150.00 discount plus the 200.00 instant rebate. So the next latest and greatest will only cost 800.00 which is 500.00 cheaper. Just talking out loud here, I see your point but there has to be a headache in there otherwise a ton more would do it.
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Yeah, I agree, there has to be a headache in there somewhere. That's what I'm trying to find out- what exactly is the headache?

If I didn't have some discounts and stuff on my aco**** right now I would just port my numbers to google voice right now, pay my 4 ETF fees (which are only like $100 each right now), sign up with some prepaid or month to month provider, open a brand new Sprint account and buy 4 Evo 3Ds on contract, and then use Google Voice to route all my calls to my new Sprint number.

But since I have a reoccurring monthly credit that won't expire for another year, I might as well keep this account open and wait for that credit to expire before I do all that. And then next time I need a new device mid contract, I'll just open a new account, have Google Voice route my calls and stuff to the new account, and then cancel the old account.
 
marctronixx said:
now a week after launch day we will start to see the "what hardware version do you have.." threads followed by "im returning my evo 3d because of (insert reason here) so I can get hardware version 003..."


ooh good times are a comin'... de` ja vu all over again...
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That's why I'm getting a NS4G on the 23rd and exchanging it for a 3vo a month later, after all the kinks have been discovered and worked out :)
 
BlackDynamite said:
I asked about this in another thread, but it relates here too.

If the rumored $550 full retail price is accurate, and you don't qualify for a full upgrade, why wouldn't you just open another Sprint account, buy the Evo 3D on contract, cancel that account the same day and pay the $200 ETF, and then activate the new Evo 3D on your regular Sprint account?

If you save $350 buying the device on contract ($550 full retail versus $200 on contract) and the ETF is only $200, you could pay the ETF and still end up paying $150 less than full retail.

Why wouldn't anyone want to do this? Is there something in the fine print that prevents this?
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Retail is only $500, unless you're counting tax.

Don't forget to count tax on the $199 as well if you buy it with contract.

Add $35 for activation fee.

Add $200 for breaking ETF.

Add one month of service = $69.99 + $10 + ~$5 in fees and tax.

= $220~ + $35 + $200 + $85 = $540

Not worth the hassle IMO.
 
drexappeal said:
I see. Based on what I pay, your numbers are pretty darn close, except I don't know what state you're in, so I couldn't really estimate the tax.

Nontheless, unless there's some sort of small print preventing you from doing this, I really can't see any issues with it, if you're willing to go through the time and effort to do it.
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Well I would have to pay taxes for the phone purchase regardless. The taxes for the plan are not significant enough for me to really worry about.

So now the question is, should I start a new Sprint account right now, buy 4 Nexus S or some other phones, preorder 4 Evo 3Ds, and then exchange the 4 Nexus S phones for Evo 3Ds on the 24th? If I did it that way, assuming I have to keep the phones for 30 days before I can put them on my real account, does that 30 days start today (or whenever I open the account) or on the 24th when I exchanged them for Evo 3Ds?
 
ebolamonkey3 said:
Retail is only $500, unless you're counting tax.

Don't forget to count tax on the $199 as well if you buy it with contract.

Add $35 for activation fee.

Add $200 for breaking ETF.

Add one month of service = $69.99 + $10 + ~$5 in fees and tax.

= $220~ + $35 + $200 + $85 = $540

Not worth the hassle IMO.
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Where do you see the full retail is $500? Everything I have read says it is $550. $200 instant savings (per the premiere email fine print), + $150 upgrade discount, + $200 new customer price = $550.

Anyway, there is an activation fee and tax no matter how or where I buy them. It's not like it's tax free if I pay full retail, and Sprint has been pretty adamant that there will be activation fees on every device now.

As for the plan, it would be a family plan, probably with 4 lines, but at least 3.

So, per Sprint's website, it would be $130 for the plan, plus $40 for the 2 extra lines, plus $40 for the premium data fees. So the total would be $210 for the plan for a month, plus $800 for the phones, and $800 for the ETF fees. That would leave me with 4 devices, no contract extensions.
So the total would be $1810 plus tax.

If I do it the "normal" way, I would pay $200 for the device on the main line, and then $550 for each of the 3 secondary lines. That would be $1850 total, and I would be under contract for 2 years on the main line.

If I were to take the upgrade on the main line, and do the new account thing for the other 3 lines, I would be looking at $800 for devices, $600 in ETF fees, and $180 for the extra plan ($130 for the plan + $20 extra line, and $30 for the 3 premium data fees.) So that would be a grand total of $1580, and I would have a 2 year contract on the main line.


I think I am liking either the first option (no contract extensions) or the last option (cheapest and get the phone early through premiere).
 
I would imagine that breaking contract on a new line or lines would require you return the phones as well. The phones are subsidized by the contract so I can't see that you'd just be able to keep them unless you then paid the full price of the phone(s).
 
CanDMan said:
I would imagine that breaking contract on a new line or lines would require you return the phones as well. The phones are subsidized by the contract so I can't see that you'd just be able to keep them unless you then paid the full price of the phone(s).
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Well then why is there an ETF fee?
 
that is why. I would think the ETF comes in only if you go over 30 days. Under 30 days, no ETF but you'd probably have to return the phone or buy it outright.
 
yes with sprint you get 30 days to try it out. if you dont like it, you return it. the only ting you pay for is the plan/data/minutes you have used up to that point. no other hidden fees.

if you go beyond 32 days then you are on the hook for the ETF fee PLUS restock fees/other fees, etc etc... :D
 
marctronixx said:
yes with sprint you get 30 days to try it out. if you dont like it, you return it. the only ting you pay for is the plan/data/minutes you have used up to that point. no other hidden fees.

if you go beyond 32 days then you are on the hook for the ETF fee PLUS restock fees/other fees, etc etc... :D
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Actually, I think its even better than that... I don't think that Sprint will even charge you for the minutes/texts/data you use, so long as you dont exceed whats in your plan. If you're a new customer or an existing customer adding a line, you can pretty much walk away paying nothing if you cancel within 30days.

Sprint 30-day Return and Exchange Policy
 
CanDMan said:
I would imagine that breaking contract on a new line or lines would require you return the phones as well. The phones are subsidized by the contract so I can't see that you'd just be able to keep them unless you then paid the full price of the phone(s).
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Not if you keep the account open for over 30 days. If you do that you keep the phones and the discounts and pay the ETFs.
 
BlackDynamite said:
Where do you see the full retail is $500? Everything I have read says it is $550. $200 instant savings (per the premiere email fine print), + $150 upgrade discount, + $200 new customer price = $550.

Anyway, there is an activation fee and tax no matter how or where I buy them. It's not like it's tax free if I pay full retail, and Sprint has been pretty adamant that there will be activation fees on every device now.

As for the plan, it would be a family plan, probably with 4 lines, but at least 3.

So, per Sprint's website, it would be $130 for the plan, plus $40 for the 2 extra lines, plus $40 for the premium data fees. So the total would be $210 for the plan for a month, plus $800 for the phones, and $800 for the ETF fees. That would leave me with 4 devices, no contract extensions.
So the total would be $1810 plus tax.

If I do it the "normal" way, I would pay $200 for the device on the main line, and then $550 for each of the 3 secondary lines. That would be $1850 total, and I would be under contract for 2 years on the main line.

If I were to take the upgrade on the main line, and do the new account thing for the other 3 lines, I would be looking at $800 for devices, $600 in ETF fees, and $180 for the extra plan ($130 for the plan + $20 extra line, and $30 for the 3 premium data fees.) So that would be a grand total of $1580, and I would have a 2 year contract on the main line.


I think I am liking either the first option (no contract extensions) or the last option (cheapest and get the phone early through premiere).
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My head hurts just thinking about what could go wrong here and the hassles that could arise. You will probably be fine though. It just sounds like so much to save so little but again I see the benefit.
 
sikclown said:
My head hurts just thinking about what could go wrong here and the hassles that could arise. You will probably be fine though. It just sounds like so much to save so little but again I see the benefit.
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Well if I go with option 3, I will save $270 off the "normal" way, and all my lines will be eligible for the full upgrade in 1 year.

The only hassle I am seeing is me opening a new account and then cancelling said account a month later. If I do this at the time I preorder, it's not much extra work at all. It would just be instead of preordering 4 on my current plan, I preorder 1, and then have the wife preorder 3 on a new plan. Then try to ESN swap the next day. If it works, great. if not, setup call forwarding for a month.

That seems well worth $270 to me, but I know not everyone will see it that way.

I am more concerned with something that I may not know about coming up and biting me. Some semi secret policy that nobody knows about requiring me to keep the phone active for several months on the new account before I can move it to my regular account, or something crazy like that.

But if it's as simple as paying for a plan for 30 days, then cancelling and paying the ETF, that's almost a no brainer to me.
 
I have a question that I'd like to get answered ASAP before I move on with this. I bought a NS4G for my mom for mothers day via Sprint online and she joined my family plan. We've both been underwhelmed with it. The speaker volume is disappointing, the 4G antenna doesn't work as well as my EVO, and, most importantly, her phone signal is very weak. I'll call it from my EVO or the house phone, and her phone won't even ring (even though its ringing on the caller's side). So, I talked to customer service, and they said that their tech support would first troubleshoot it over the phone and, if no difference is noticed, they'd exchange it out for a new NS4G and give me another 30 days to try that phone out.

Now, if I go another 30 days and am not impressed with the phone signal on this phone either and/or just don't like the NS4G enough to keep it, can I then exchange that phone for the newly announced EVO3D which comes out in 2-3 weeks? Is there a certain amount of exchanges you get before you can't do it anymore? I know you don't get unlimited exchanges, but was hoping you weren't limited to just one.

Thanks in advance!
 
BlackDynamite said:
Well if I go with option 3, I will save $270 off the "normal" way, and all my lines will be eligible for the full upgrade in 1 year.

The only hassle I am seeing is me opening a new account and then cancelling said account a month later. If I do this at the time I preorder, it's not much extra work at all. It would just be instead of preordering 4 on my current plan, I preorder 1, and then have the wife preorder 3 on a new plan. Then try to ESN swap the next day. If it works, great. if not, setup call forwarding for a month.

That seems well worth $270 to me, but I know not everyone will see it that way.

I am more concerned with something that I may not know about coming up and biting me. Some semi secret policy that nobody knows about requiring me to keep the phone active for several months on the new account before I can move it to my regular account, or something crazy like that.

But if it's as simple as paying for a plan for 30 days, then cancelling and paying the ETF, that's almost a no brainer to me.
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Yup that is the concern that would stop me. Probably gonna be fine though.
 
sikclown said:
Yup that is the concern that would stop me. Probably gonna be fine though.
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Well it's looking more and more like nobody has actually done this, or at least isn't posting about it. Guess I'll be the forum's guinea pig, lol. SO now I guess the question is, do I do this at Radio Shack, Sprint, or Best Buy? Do they all have the same rules and ETF?
 
but they said they'll exchance my current NS4G for a new NS4G to see if that one is better, and give me another 30 days to try it out....
 
BlackDynamite said:
Well it's looking more and more like nobody has actually done this, or at least isn't posting about it. Guess I'll be the forum's guinea pig, lol. SO now I guess the question is, do I do this at Radio Shack, Sprint, or Best Buy? Do they all have the same rules and ETF?
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They all live by Sprint's rules on Accounts and ETFs. I would stick with Sprint (Corporate) rather than a reseller. Also worth noting the price for buying them outright will probably (according to history) be more expensive at a Best Buy. The Best Buy page has it at 599.99 currently.
 
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