• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Options/opinions on where to purchase the EVO 4G LTE

I have to say I got a great deal at BB. I originally was going to buy it at CompUSA because they had it for $150.00 but I've never bought a phone from BB so I thought I would stop over there on my way to CUSA and just check out their prices.

Turned out BB was running a promo where they gave you a $50.00 gft card to use towards the phone plus they price matched CUSA, then they gave me $50.00 for my old Evo 4G (which was in terrible shape, cracked screen and the jack was messed up). So the phone was $50.00 plus I bought a Pt case with holster (I think these are a BB house brand but was told they are made by Seidio).

So with taxes and fees it all came out to $110.00, not a bad deal IMO. I did sign up for that BB Black Tie protection plan, not sure I'm going to keep it though. But considering I put my original Evo through the ringer it may be worth the money since it covers damage even if your at fault.

I know it may vary from store to store but I was really surprised with the service and knowledge the BB Sales Associate had and may continue buying phones from that BB.
 
I had never bought from BB neither before but with the 50 dollar gift card that came with the phone to use towards the phone plus I had signed up for Best Buys Phone Freedom in Feb for another 50 off so I paid a 100 which wasn't bad neither. But then of course I sold my 3D to a friends son with lots of nice accessories so I came out ahead. I love this phone beside having a few texting issues which I am hoping are worked out soon.

bearballz said:
I have to say I got a great deal at BB. I originally was going to buy it at CompUSA because they had it for $150.00 but I've never bought a phone from BB so I thought I would stop over there on my way to CUSA and check out prices.

Turned out BB was running a promo where they gave you a $50.00 gft card to use towards the phone plus they price matched CUSA, then they gave me $50.00 for my old Evo 4G (which was in terrible shape, cracked screen and the jack was messed up). So the phone was $50.00 plus I bought a Pt case with holster (I think these are a BB house brand but was told they are made by Seidio).

So with taxes and fees it all came out to $110.00, not a bad deal IMO. I did sign up for that BB Black Tie protection plan, not sure I'm going to keep it though. But considering I put my original Evo through the ringer it may be worth the money considering it covers damage even if it's your at fault.

I know it may vary from store to store but I was really surprised with the service and knowledge the BB Sales Associate had and may continue buying phones from that BB.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah I always bought my phones directly from my mobile provider (or the Apple store when I using an Iphone). When I was at the Sprint store looking at the new Evo the sales associate didn't have a clue. Plus they wouldn't price match other retailers which is vexing. I remember when I bought the original EVO (at the same store BTW) I told the asscoate that BB had a sale going on and she set me up with a credit on my first bill.

Must be a new policy or maybe it varies from store to store because to me that's not an incentive to buy directly again from Sprint.
 
PattiCakeUS said:
Wow, there are still some CompUSA stores around?? I thought they went out of business, ours disappeared a few years ago.
Click to expand...

Tigerdirect bought the naming rights to CompUSA as well as Circuit City. So all of Tiger's retail stores are now renamed CompUSA. Tigerdirect.com is still around but online and CircuitCity.com is online only as well. They're pretty much all the same site with the same stuff, same prices etc.

I believe all the retail stores for the exception of Chicago are based down south, including Texas. Believe there are 4 stores here in the Chicagoland area.
 
Went and picked up my LTEVO yesterday from Best Buy. I didn't want to give up my OG Evo yet so the only credit I thought I would get was the $50 that expires on July 7.

So as I'm talking to the lady at BB I asked, "Are you gonna price match Walmart, cus the Ltevo is only $150 there."

She said "Sure, we can do that".

:) I got the phone for $100 + tax + buyback + first month insurance = $147

Seems like a deal to me :)
 
Add me to the list of the happy Best Buy customers.

I bought my LTE on 6/6. I planned to happily buy it from the Sprint Store in Emeryville, CA for $199. I drove to the store, waited in line, got to the register…where the CSR hit me with no less than 37 upsells for various services and BS. I smiled as I told her no over and over and over.

Then I asked her about the return policy, since I'd heard some things about various problems people were having with their early phones. She said there was a $35 restocking fee…"same as Best Buy and Radio Shack", she said.

WTF???

She lost me there. On principle and with the general vibe. I asked her, "what is something is wrong with the phone?". "$35 restocking fee", she repeats. Wow. Ok, so I walked out…and said sorry to my OG EVO.

Got on the forums, and decided to try Best Buy (which I don't like to buy from in general). Emeryville BB had one, so I smashed down there and scooped one up for $199. They did give me the $50 gift card which I applied to…well, basically the TAX, since it was $56.79 (on the full price scam).

Out the door for $206.78

I figured I'd play with it for a week or so and return it if it was defective or didn't "WOW" me enough. My decision was pretty close come to the end of my 14-day return window. I figured I'd give the pricematch with Target/Walmart/Amazon/whomever for $150 a shot. If they denied me, I'd return it…since I was having some problems and doubts about the phone.

Well, I came armed with a printout from Targetmobilestore.com for $149.99 and the pricematch went smooth as silk. I was expecting a lil fallout "we don't pricematch online", but nope.

So how much did I get back? I was expecting around $55…$199.99-$149.99+tax.

Nope. I got $93.67!

Somehow, the tax part of the refund came up to $43.67 (I have a printout of my receipt in my Evernote acct). So I guess the ridiculous "tax on the full price" came full circle for me.

Final total out of pocket = $103. And I kept my OG EVO as a very nice multimedia game music playing web video machine & emergency backup phone.

Of course, this is a YMMV story, but bottom line…it shouldn't be a problem getting BB to pricematch to $150. The rest is a crapshoot. ;)
 
drexappeal said:
Man, apple is trying desparately to make a dent in Android, but I think they're going to keep losing. I just hope that by the time I decide which phone I'm upgrading to, Best Buy will be receiving enough stock to fulfill the order

http://www.mobileburn.com/19943/news/apple-sues-htc-over-alleged-abuse-of-4g-lte-essential-patents
Click to expand...

LoL Apple sues claiming that HTC won't license things that they need, but cut HTC no slack over a troll patent?

I probably shouldn't have commented here, that's a thread unto itself.
 
EarlyMon said:
LoL Apple sues claiming that HTC won't license things that they need, but cut HTC no slack over a troll patent?

I probably shouldn't have commented here, that's a thread unto itself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, EM, it probably should be a whole new thread, just shared here because of all the delays with the LTEvo release, all due to Apple's "scare" tactics...and yet, general consumers won't care that they're just trying to pull them into the b.s. without their knowing it.
 
PattiCakeUS said:
I bought online directly from Sprint, when I placed my pre-order on May 15th there was no activation fee added so I thought there was a promotion going on - but now one showed up on my account. I called 2 nights ago and was only able to get them to reduce it by $15 "since I've been with them for so long" (which I have.... but still.... :( )
Click to expand...

FYI I just looked up my bill online and saw this credit:
ERROR - ACTIVATION FEE $-38.62

:dancing:

It's not tons of money but I like getting money back!
 
Thinking of buying an LTevo but I'm not up for renewal just yet. I was just wondering what kinds of deals you guys are finding and what the best upgrade route would be. I can either trade in the E3d or sell it outright. TIA.
 
ovrrdrive said:
Thinking of buying an LTevo but I'm not up for renewal just yet. I was just wondering what kinds of deals you guys are finding and what the best upgrade route would be. I can either trade in the E3d or sell it outright. TIA.
Click to expand...

I would assume buy it on Ebay and then sell the 3D on Ebay. I found most phones can fetch more money there vs any trade in site. Saw a 4G around $400 on there and a 3D selling for 140ish. So for around $300 net you can get a 4g. See cheaper ones with bad ESN #. Not sure if that is fixable to use on Sprint though
 
omiller315 said:
I would assume buy it on Ebay and then sell the 3D on Ebay. I found most phones can fetch more money there vs any trade in site. Saw a 4G around $400 on there and a 3D selling for 140ish. So for around $300 net you can get a 4g. See cheaper ones with bad ESN #. Not sure if that is fixable to use on Sprint though
Click to expand...

Bad ESN is a killer. Once it's flagged you might as well give it to the kids as a WiFi gaming device. ESN is the Electronic Serial Number and once it's been flagged it can't be reactivated.

It's kinda like trying to polish a turd. No matter how long you polish that sucker, it's still just a turd. ;)

I know there are deals to be had on ebay and Amazon, but with all of the shenanigans going on out there, I'd be reluctant to buy something of this magnitude from either site. I'd just as soon save up and get it from a corporate store or an authorized vendor like BestBuy. This way, you've got a better chance at a warranty / RMA if the thing is indeed a turd.
 
I was thinking the ebay thing too but for some reason most of the sellers have pretty new accounts with marginal feedback. Sprint is offering it for $549 and I think $90 for trade in so that would net $450 for it and a guaranteed good phone. Unless Bestbuy is doing something under the counter they're asking $699 for it. I usually get my phones from there when they're an upgrade under contract but it seems like they don't want to sell many outright.

I was more wondering about anywhere else that's legit that may be cheaper than Sprint. With the way things are going I'd like to keep my contract with an early expiration date if I can. Contract is up in December and I'd like to keep my options open.

I have a little extra cash right now anyway so why not? :p
 
ovrrdrive said:
I was thinking the ebay thing too but for some reason most of the sellers have pretty new accounts with marginal feedback. Sprint is offering it for $549 and I think $90 for trade in so that would net $450 for it and a guaranteed good phone. Unless Bestbuy is doing something under the counter they're asking $699 for it. I usually get my phones from there when they're an upgrade under contract but it seems like they don't want to sell many outright.

I was more wondering about anywhere else that's legit that may be cheaper than Sprint. With the way things are going I'd like to keep my contract with an early expiration date if I can. Contract is up in December and I'd like to keep my options open.

I have a little extra cash right now anyway so why not? :p
Click to expand...

There is an option to buy out the rest of your contract and get a reset on your upgrade. I can't remember where I read it, but it couldn't have been more than a few weeks ago. I'll dig around and see if I can find it. :)

EDIT:
Found it. ;)

It was from ISN in one of the email notifications I was getting from his site. New program is like this:

Advanced Devices
09-11 mos. RLOF: $275 UPGRADENOW; CSM charge code: BUY275
12-14 mos. RLOF: $225 UPGRADENOW; CSM charge code: BUY225
15-17 mos. RLOF: $175 UPGRADENOW; CSM charge code: BUY175
18-21 mos. RLOF: $100 UPGRADENOW; CSM charge code: BUY100

The month listed is the amount of time you've been on your contract. So if you've been on for 6 months, you'll pay $275 + $199.99 to get the El TEvo = $474.99 which isn't that much less than just getting it outright. That is of course the worst case scenerio.
You are probably in a better position, so you'll need to decide what you're willing to pay, and how much time you want to spend talking to customer service. :p
 
That's an interesting option... Thanks.

I'm thinking though that I don't want to extend the contract on any of my phones for now. The wireless game is changing and although Sprint seems pretty solid for now they've been in pretty dire straights lately and I'm thinking it might be smart to keep my options open. Who knows what will happen in this game 2 years from now. I doubt I'll leave sprint anytime soon but 2 years is a long time.

I'll keep that in mind though.
 
Anyone ever use Amazon Wireless? Was checking prices to take to BB to see if they would match, and Amazon has this phone for $49.99 with a new contract. Not sure that BB would match that but am leery of not having someone local to go to with any problems.
 
H0ND0 said:
Anyone ever use Amazon Wireless? Was checking prices to take to BB to see if they would match, and Amazon has this phone for $49.99 with a new contract. Not sure that BB would match that but am leery of not having someone local to go to with any problems.
Click to expand...

I have bought/upgraded all of my phones at Best Buy and have had nothing but positive experiences. Yesterday, I used my last sprint premier upgrade to get the LTEVO. I knew that amazon was selling for $149.99 so I asked for a price match. No hesitation - done.

I also was able to use the phone freedom promo I signed up for for $50, plus the $50 off special they are running until July. I also had the phone buy back deal I got with my original EVO for $180. All together I had $280 in credit, plus the price match. Walked out the door with $ in my pocket. Well, store credit. :)

I would take the new contract offer from amazon into a Best Buy and see what they will do. I would bet they will match it. Good Luck!
 
H0ND0 said:
Anyone ever use Amazon Wireless? Was checking prices to take to BB to see if they would match, and Amazon has this phone for $49.99 with a new contract. Not sure that BB would match that but am leery of not having someone local to go to with any problems.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't you always be able to go to a Sprint store if you had problems with either the service or the phone?
 
I'm in a funky quandary.

My 2 years with TMo ends next Friday, July 6th.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to order the LTEvo now (since it's down to $49.99 on amazon wireless) and just let it sit there until July 7th before I activate it. Cuz I'm thinking the account doesn't transfer until I actually turn on the phone and activate it.....

So here's what I'm not sure of:
When I order it from amazon wireless, I'm going to want to port my current number and they're going to take that information down at the time of the order.

  • Does the change of accounts take place when I actually power up the phone and activate it? (I'm thinking so)
  • Does anyone know why the sudden price drop on Amazon? Is there a sale that's going to end?
I'm like itching to do it, but hesitating at the same time.
 
emerilnut said:
Wouldn't you always be able to go to a Sprint store if you had problems with either the service or the phone?
Click to expand...

I have no idea. I'm about as new to all this as you can be. I'm still rockin' an LG Voyager with no data on Verizon. I just figured between the LTEVO and the SG3 now would be the time to jump in. And $49 for the LTEVO was the best deal that I've seen. I just wasn't sure if anyone had any problems with signing up thru Amazon or not since I've read that Best Buy generally doesn't like to match online prices.

I may take Desert Dog's advice and wander into Best Buy to give it a shot.
 
H0ND0 said:
I have no idea. I'm about as new to all this as you can be. I'm still rockin' an LG Voyager with no data on Verizon. I just figured between the LTEVO and the SG3 now would be the time to jump in. And $49 for the LTEVO was the best deal that I've seen. I just wasn't sure if anyone had any problems with signing up thru Amazon or not since I've read that Best Buy generally doesn't like to match online prices.

I may take Desert Dog's advice and wander into Best Buy to give it a shot.
Click to expand...

Hey there Hondo. When I price matched at Best Buy, I just mentioned the online price and was given the $149.99 price. It is always good to take a print out, I just didn't have access to a printer. I did have it queued up on my phone though :). Let us know what happens.
 
So, I went to Best Buy and asked the guy what the best deal they could do on an off contract phone was and at first he was like "We have a $50 gift card and that's about it." I asked if they would at least match Sprint's price on the phone at $549 and he asked around and the answer was that they couldn't do it on an off contract deal, and they couldn't even give me the $50 card either. I went to sprint and bought it for $549 and traded in my wife's epic 4g for $60. Out the door at $522 was the best deal I could find locally.

Best Buy is going to go out if they think they can sell phones like this for $699. What a joke.

Lovin' the phone though. It's what HTC has been trying to make for several years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom