BB Buy Back v. Verizon 1-YR Contract

[project.in.process]

Thank you for clearly illustrating the options financially. BTW, the Buy Back program runs through 2/28. I talked to the BB people yesterday (2/20) and that's what they told me. So you could still get the Buy Back program for free on that day.

If you sell your phone after 1 year, I take it you are selling it on Craigslist or Ebay. What safeguards are in place about selling the phone? Plus, you need to calculate the shipping costs, etc. I've never done that before and it seems like a hassle. If you could enlighten me (how to ensure your personal info doesn't get transferred to the new person in the process, etc.), that would be great. You can pm me if you want. Thanks.

as stated above, there is a factory reset/data wipe on most phones
for instance, on the HTC Evo, there is an option to Factory Wipe the phone. it removes all of your contact info from the phone & makes it Factory Fresh-----though some people still suggest rebooting into recovery mode and clearing all Caches just to make sure it's brand new for the next user

in terms of shipping---figure it's a FlatRate box from the post office. take it, weigh it, buy the box & then just add that into the cost of the phone to recoup your losses.

 

[Filinator13]

Personally, I want to give the industry a chance to settle down. Tablets, dual-cores, quad-cores, Gingerbread 2.3/2.4, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich -- with the surge of interest in Android, a lot of things are changing very quickly and the phones that are HOT now could easily be NOT HOT in 6-8 months. I want a new phone now because the internal storage of my current phone (a Nexus One which I bought on launch day) is crippling me. Even with apps2sd, the load time for apps is beginning to make many of them unusable. So, to address this, I intend to buy a new phone now and upgrade in 8-10 months. I've been weighing the options and if I can buy from VZW on a 1-year, I think I will -- I'm willing to pay a $70 or $100 premium for the phone if that means I can upgrade AT UPGRADE PRICES in about a year. If there's no 1-year option then it'll have to be BB.

I am in a similar boat, my G1 is pretty much unusable at this point.

I also have a feeling that these nex-gen handsets won't all be at $749 retail. I mean isn't the Atrix at $599? Even $50-150 difference is key when considering buying a phone off contract (at least for me).

Since I was looking to create a family plan with an existing VZW customer, but they are about 7 months into their 2 year contract, I may not be able to do a 1-yr plan.

Is it possible to do a 1-yr plan as another individual line and then combine them into a family plan later on down the line?

 

[Howie]

I'm not sure about the add-a-line, but if you go into a VZW store, it's a mail-in rebate (if applicable.) Generally, on Verizon's website, it's an instant rebate. There are a few exceptions to that, but for the most part, instant rebate.

I thought Verizon got rid of the mail-in rebate crap (at least for smartphones). Verizon Getting Rid of Rebates For Devices More Than $150 | Android Phone Fans
Hope I didn't miss the "sorry, we were only kidding" follow up, haha

 

[lamoglinsgal]

I thought Verizon got rid of the mail-in rebate crap (at least for smartphones). Verizon Getting Rid of Rebates For Devices More Than $150 | Android Phone Fans
Hope I didn't miss the "sorry, we were only kidding" follow up, haha

Well, dang. If there's no price/rebate different in-store vs online, I'll be first in line at my store on release date.

 

[Filinator13]

Since a 1-yr contract seems to be out of the question at BB, I am currently leaning toward getting the TB at VZW.

But that could all change if I can't add a line on a family plan for just 1-yr.

I wish I knew when this stupid phone was going to come out already. So I could actually go into a store and figure this all out.

 

[HighHandicap]

Can you not do a 1-YR if it's an add a line?

I was looking to start a family plan with the gf (who already has VZW)

you can only do a 1yr Add-A-Line if the primary line on which you're looking to jump is @ the end of their contract into the month-to-month portion and looking to renew.

that's, at least, what i was told by a rep...
so...i'll take that with a grain of salt at this point

If you already have VZW, log in to your account online and go through the "add a line" action under your account. You should be able to model it from there.

I have two lines on my account and the primary line is still on contract (9 months left) and I was able to add a line at the 1 year contract. I didn't actually go through with the order because I'm waiting for the TB, but it did let me go all the way up to checkout with a 3rd line on a 1-year contract.

 

[project.in.process]

If you already have VZW, log in to your account online and go through the "add a line" action under your account. You should be able to model it from there.

I have two lines on my account and the primary line is still on contract (9 months left) and I was able to add a line at the 1 year contract. I didn't actually go through with the order because I'm waiting for the TB, but it did let me go all the way up to checkout with a 3rd line on a 1-year contract.

awesome--i hope you're right.
as i said, i was told the information from a rep---and was skeptical as usual of any info from a rep

man, now this complicates it! i was all set on a 2yr, too. darn you!
oh well...back to calculating the finance scenarios for this

 

[liquid ice]

Thank you for clearly illustrating the options financially. BTW, the Buy Back program runs through 2/28. I talked to the BB people yesterday (2/20) and that's what they told me. So you could still get the Buy Back program for free on that day.

If you sell your phone after 1 year, I take it you are selling it on Craigslist or Ebay. What safeguards are in place about selling the phone? Plus, you need to calculate the shipping costs, etc. I've never done that before and it seems like a hassle. If you could enlighten me (how to ensure your personal info doesn't get transferred to the new person in the process, etc.), that would be great. You can pm me if you want. Thanks.

Oh really? Thats really good info to know. Thanks! My BBuy told me it was only through 2/26.

I would be selling the phone through eBay or Craigslist.

I think if you call Verizon when you switch phones, you can verify with them that the old phone can be sold and would be usable by a new user (usually you verify that the IMEI / EMI akin to the SIM card is clear and usable. If you already stopped using the phone and have your phone number associated with a new phone, then the IMEI/EMI should be free to use and it is up to the buyer to register the device with their Verizon account (or some people buy it for different CDMA carriers). Obviously you would also wipe the phone clean to protect any information. Perhaps even re-install the Operating System clean using a stock ROM.

Shipping and eBay / PayPal fees is one of those things you need to figure into the price. Shipping is easy - just charge a flat fee for shipping and handling that covers your shipping charges and some of your time to mail it out. eBay / PayPal - you may want to increase the selling price a bit. For Craigslist - you usually meet the person locally and only take cash - so there is less overhead fees, but also increased risk (meeting in person leaves the potential for you to be physically harmed in the transaction - even if it is unlikely it is still a risk).

Hope all this helps!

 

[jhsu123]

I thought Verizon got rid of the mail-in rebate crap (at least for smartphones). Verizon Getting Rid of Rebates For Devices More Than $150 | Android Phone Fans
Hope I didn't miss the "sorry, we were only kidding" follow up, haha

That's excellent news! I don't like the mail in rebate game. It seems like it would be better to go in person then to the VZW store and walk out with a phone in hand! Thanks!

 

[jhsu123]

Oh really? Thats really good info to know. Thanks! My BBuy told me it was only through 2/26.

I would be selling the phone through eBay or Craigslist.

I think if you call Verizon when you switch phones, you can verify with them that the old phone can be sold and would be usable by a new user (usually you verify that the IMEI / EMI akin to the SIM card is clear and usable. If you already stopped using the phone and have your phone number associated with a new phone, then the IMEI/EMI should be free to use and it is up to the buyer to register the device with their Verizon account (or some people buy it for different CDMA carriers). Obviously you would also wipe the phone clean to protect any information. Perhaps even re-install the Operating System clean using a stock ROM.

Shipping and eBay / PayPal fees is one of those things you need to figure into the price. Shipping is easy - just charge a flat fee for shipping and handling that covers your shipping charges and some of your time to mail it out. eBay / PayPal - you may want to increase the selling price a bit. For Craigslist - you usually meet the person locally and only take cash - so there is less overhead fees, but also increased risk (meeting in person leaves the potential for you to be physically harmed in the transaction - even if it is unlikely it is still a risk).

Hope all this helps!

Thanks! I think since I live in Silicon Valley (California), it would be easy to find someone to do a local tradeoff in a public place. I also like the flat rate shipping idea with eBay/PayPal. Now, just to wait for the TB announcement date!

 

[thecrimedawg]

why is everyone already talking about selling their thunderbolt? the phone doesnt even have a release date yet

 

[noble.four]

There was a picture posted of the price tag stuff for the Thunderbolt. The fine print said "One year pricing available, ask associate for details."

 

[Filinator13]

There was a picture posted of the price tag stuff for the Thunderbolt. The fine print said "One year pricing available, ask associate for details."

Yeah I saw that in another thread. Anyone have any other details on this?

 

[liquid ice]

why is everyone already talking about selling their thunderbolt? the phone doesnt even have a release date yet

We're just trying to evaluate the best purchasing option!

 

[Filinator13]

If you already have VZW, log in to your account online and go through the "add a line" action under your account. You should be able to model it from there.

I have two lines on my account and the primary line is still on contract (9 months left) and I was able to add a line at the 1 year contract. I didn't actually go through with the order because I'm waiting for the TB, but it did let me go all the way up to checkout with a 3rd line on a 1-year contract.

I actually did this last night. While the TB isn't on their site, I was able to create the family plan and add any android phone on a 1-yr contract. So in theory, this could work for the TB.

Anyone know how ordering online works if I have to port my number from TMO? Do they ship the phone and then I call customer care to activate and port the number?

 

[lamoglinsgal]

When you go through the ordering process, it will ask you if you want to bring a number or have one assigned. When you get the phone, it will walk you through the activation process on the handset.

 

[HighHandicap]

I actually did this last night. While the TB isn't on their site, I was able to create the family plan and add any android phone on a 1-yr contract. So in theory, this could work for the TB.

Anyone know how ordering online works if I have to port my number from TMO? Do they ship the phone and then I call customer care to activate and port the number?

Yay! I'm not completely full of it. I guess my wife is wrong!

Glad it looks like it will work for you. I just hope they actually offer the TB on a 1-year contract.

 

[Filinator13]

Glad it looks like it will work for you. I just hope they actually offer the TB on a 1-year contract.

Yeah, my fingers are crossed there as well. Also hoping that if they offer a 1-yr, that they don't gouge us on the price. As it is, the retail of this phone is redic. high (IMO)

 

[project.in.process]

When you go through the ordering process, it will ask you if you want to bring a number or have one assigned. When you get the phone, it will walk you through the activation process on the handset.

awesome--i'll be porting a number from Sprint, so this is what i needed to know.
isn't Activation waved if you order online?
Would the store (be it VZW or BB) waive the activation if you simply state you could just as easily order it online and not have to deal with those finger print smudges from the rep trying to set it up for you? anyone have any luck with this before?

(edit: obviously i wouldn't mention the finger print smudge issue to the rep, juuuuust sayin' it here cos' i always seem to get the rep that just got back from eating Cheetos or a philly cheese steak)

 

[lamoglinsgal]

I just did a mock order online and it showed the $35 activation to be on the first bill. Hmm.....

ETA: OK. I just re-did a mock order while logged into my account and there was no activation fee. I guess it's a new customer thing....

 

[project.in.process]

I just did a mock order online and it showed the $35 activation to be on the first bill. Hmm.....

that's just diabolical.
i've always heard that the activation is waived for ordering online (as an incentive of some sort) and that was going to compel me to order online since i couldn't make it to the store Thursday (pending release date)
now i just don't know what to believe...among the release date & skype & data pricing, and---oy...

 

[Filinator13]

I just did a mock order online and it showed the $35 activation to be on the first bill. Hmm.....

ETA: OK. I just re-did a mock order while logged into my account and there was no activation fee. I guess it's a new customer thing....

Now that I think of it, I was logged into my gf's account and still saw the $35 activation fee. I really don't want to have to pay an activation fee. Especially with the high price of this phone compared to some other devices like:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/atandt-motorola-atrix-4g-now-on-sale-149-99-at-amazon/

 

[project.in.process]

Now that I think of it, I was logged into my gf's account and still saw the $35 activation fee. I really don't want to have to pay an activation fee. Especially with the high price of this phone compared to some other devices like:

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart) -- Engadget

yeah this price is basically slapping Verizon in the face.
and it's even $129 @ Walmart...

i mean, what the french, Toast?!

 

[dr00]

HOPEFULLY, this is the delay? maybe they're trying to decide if they want to lower the price to $200 because of the atrix... wishful thinking...

 

[Filinator13]

HOPEFULLY, this is the delay? maybe they're trying to decide if they want to lower the price to $200 because of the atrix... wishful thinking...

Knowing VZW and knowing that they can get away with charging higher prices in general, I don't see it happening either.