Best Buy Mobile employee here! Feel free to ask me questions :)

[Aookay]

If I opt out of the in-store activation and choose to do it myself, how much time am I looking to spend at BB on the 15th since I was number 1 on the pre-order list?

It's been told to me it's an in store policy to activate the phone on the account. That's how you get the pricing for 199.99 (it says with activation on the pricing).

We do have to activate the phone and make sure it works before you leave. Saves us both some time later in case there is anything wrong

I would say, within 10 minutes you should be good. Are you in a rush to get it home? Do the people in your Mobile Department smell?

 

[Aookay]

Not sure if that has been covered before but I remember seeing a few people say the gift cards are not returnable. Here is the 'official' best buy post on it which states that they are refundable:

BBY - UPDATED 7/6: Droid X by Motorola Pre-order FAQ - Best Buy Forum

I'm not going to return mine even if they fail my preorders as there's always something to buy at best buy (even though they aren't always the best buy), but figured I'd post it in case people were not sure.

I didn't post this, but did mention you can get a refund for the gift card, as long as you don't use it. But thanks! This link is very helpful

 

[Aookay]

I've read this entire thread and think you are incredibly patient, answering all these questions - some of them the same - over and over with very articulate answers. Any way you can call the San Marcos, Texas store and see if you have a clone working there? LOL!!

I am moving into the smart phone realm for my personal phone for the first time, but have a HTC Hero as a work phone. So, I am vaguely familiar with Droid's (haven't spend a lot of time getting emotionally invested in it, since it's not technically mine) and am looking forward to upgrading my own phone. But I'm not sure if I should go witht the Droid X or the HTC Incredible. I think the Incredible would be less of a learning curve, but I'm intrigued by the X.

I am also eligible for the NE2, so I know I'll get a better price at the Verizon store (the whole $150 credit thing is appealing) but like the idea of being able to exchange it at BB if I get an X and it's not to my liking. Also, how long is the wait on the Incredible for BB right now?

Thanks again for being here to answer questions!

I wish. I could totally go for some of those crazy texas foods you guys make at your state fairs

The NE2 is not always able to be applied to your purchase, but depending on your department and the manager, you would have to talk to them about it. Not saying they will all honor it, but worth a shot

The Incredible...hmm. 2 weeks. That's the last time I saw one...

And thanks for your kind words, it's good to know I'm doing some good work here. I just looked at how many posts are in this thread and did this face

I don't remember typing all that.

 

[Aookay]

Agreed! He's more helpful than the actual employees on the clock at my local stores! Most of them don't want to be bothered or seem to even know anything. I hope someone from corporate sees his posts here and makes him the best buy 'social media and forum adviser' and pay him for his help!!!

That would be all kinds of awesome. Doesn't social media cover farmville though?
I don't want to have to worry about which cows need their milk collected

 

[Wake4x4ptball]

almost 5 days left

-still cant find answers for retail price and one year contract price at BB

-i pre ordered and think number 1 or 2 on the list
-i talked to BB local and said i come at 10am first person when the store opens

-

 

[Aookay]

OK guys, not sure if someone has beat me to this yet or not, but the full retail price for the X will be $699 at BB. The 1yr price still doesn't show up yet, but I checked today when I got in and the full price is up

I hope that's a place holder, because that's almost like Touch Pro 2 territory!

 

[Aookay]

The woman at verizon told me I'd have to pay $20 to close my contract (New every2 comes due in Oct) then the phone would be $299.99 and i would get $100 mail in rebate. Does that sound right? Can I do better with BB?

At Best Buy the phone is 199.99 with the mail in rebate not needed. So you would pay less up front. So yes you could

 

[Aookay]

from what my local best buy said they cannot honor this....it has to show up in the system as due for upgrade

Well, they can honor it, it just has to be flagged on your account in eRoes. Methinks they didn't look in the right place. I brought that flyer into work today and my coworker was like "duh, that's been going on for months" so I punched her in the face. Not really though, I just shrugged and sold a ton of EVOs.

I swear, people have like built in EVO detectors.

 

[Aookay]

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I just called my local Best Buy and they said they don't know if they'll be getting their phone shipments on launch day at all because of issues with Motorola/Verizon?? Is there anything behind this, or is this just my local Best Buy?

My take away from this is that they just want to be super safe after what happened with the Incredible. There was no company wide information on this, so it's not a Best Buy thing, maybe just your local one trying to be safe.

Or an employee who didn't know.

 

[Aookay]

And for the promotion you have to get a 2 year.contract can't get 1 year just spoke with vzw rep

Correct, the smartphone promotion is for 2 year contracts only. As in you can only sign a 2 year contract with it.

 

[Aookay]

Odd that they told me I could do 1 year contract...

If you mean by "they" you mean Best Buy, maybe they were confused. We can do 1 year contracts, but not with that promotion, as it's only good for an early upgrade if you sign a 2 year contract.

Sorry for the confusion either way.

 

[Aookay]

would you know if the droid x media cradle that is being shipped with the droid x will have speakers? and also what kind of case would you think would fit the droid x best? i.e. hard, soft, leather, silicone, maybe brands?

Won't have speakers, but you can run it out to external ones as always using a 3.5 cable.

Well, each person is going to be different, they are going to want different things in a case. I would hop into the accessories section of this forum and see what they say over there

Though, I know the Platinum series are pretty good. Made by Seidio.

 

[Aookay]

almost 5 days left

-still cant find answers for retail price and one year contract price at BB

-i pre ordered and think number 1 or 2 on the list
-i talked to BB local and said i come at 10am first person when the store opens

-

I think my fellow Best Buy Mobile employee posted a 699.99 price earlier in the thread that he found. I'll check tomorrow to confirm as well, but the 1 year pricing we are still not able to find.

Sorry we haven't been able to confirm it for you yet, just want to make sure it's in there and it's official before telling you something that might not be correct =/

 

[Aookay]

I just got fantastic news!

I'm actually working the Launch of the phone now, so I'll be responsible for making sure it goes smooth. I'm pretty excited about this, and I'm glad I've been able to participate in this thread. Now I can get everything from this thread and be able to apply it to the launch day, everything from opinions to information, to just general musings

I want to thank everyone so much for contributing to this thread and asking questions, as it helps me learn valuable information as well as how to gather feedback and deal with problem solving. I appreciate it a lot, this has been a wonderful learning experience for me

Let's keep it rocking.

 

[screenamesuck]

We got our mocks in today and it makes me want the phone even more. It really isn't as big as I thought it would be. Its just slightly taller than the Evo, but not as wide

 

[92slammer]

Well, they can honor it, it just has to be flagged on your account in eRoes. Methinks they didn't look in the right place. I brought that flyer into work today and my coworker was like "duh, that's been going on for months" so I punched her in the face. Not really though, I just shrugged and sold a ton of EVOs.

I swear, people have like built in EVO detectors.

so how do i get that done? also is BB still doing preorders?

 

[gadgetmonster]

is there any way to get out of the activation fee at bestbuy? I'm facing a ETF on at&t to switch to the DX.......i'd like to at least get free activation.

 

[benjiedude]

If you mean by "they" you mean Best Buy, maybe they were confused. We can do 1 year contracts, but not with that promotion, as it's only good for an early upgrade if you sign a 2 year contract.

Sorry for the confusion either way.

Correct. "They" as in Best Buy...or BB Mobile sales girl anyway. I understand I can do $199 w/ 2 year contract but wanted to know what the 1 year contract price for the phone is.

 

[Aookay]

Hey best buy mobile employee! Whaddya think of the best buy mobile employee that was almost fired over making that video about iPhone customers? The best buyer dude was offered his job back after being suspended, but says that he doesn't know if he even wants to come back after this. I'd probably feel the same way.

Ironically enough, my Mobile Manager was the one to show me the video.

I think it's dumb, obviously if there was a reference to Best Buy in there I would understand, but the only reason we found out was because they found out...and then it leaked he might be fired.

It's a funny video, and I don't think it's in bad taste, it's just for fun. We all need to lighten up a bit in this world.

 

[screenamesuck]

is there any way to get out of the activation fee at bestbuy? I'm facing a ETF on at&t to switch to the DX.......i'd like to at least get free activation.

We have no control over activation fee's. That is entirely up to the carrier. Its very rare that I can get activation/upgrade fees waived. There has to be a really good reason for them to credit you and just switching carriers isn't a good enough reason. It can be done though, but it isn't easy.

 

[Aookay]

so how do i get that done? also is BB still doing preorders?

I would go into Best Buy and have them check your account, they will see it in there, and they will be able to do it through there. If it's not flagged...that's more of a verizon thing, because they are running the promotion and we can't change it on your account. Customer service would be your best bet for that.

And yes, we are doing them till sunday.

 

[Aookay]

is there any way to get out of the activation fee at bestbuy? I'm facing a ETF on at&t to switch to the DX.......i'd like to at least get free activation.

We can't waive the activation fee at Best Buy, we don't have any control over what goes onto your bill/account. You would have to talk to Verizon, seeing as how you are switching from ATT, they might be willing to work with you

 

[Aookay]

Correct. "They" as in Best Buy...or BB Mobile sales girl anyway. I understand I can do $199 w/ 2 year contract but wanted to know what the 1 year contract price for the phone is.

oooo.

Well, normally, you can do a 1 year contract with the phone.

But if you are getting your upgrade early due to the smartphone promotion, you can only early upgrade by signing a new 2 year contract.

 

[benjiedude]

There's a big problem here if Verizon's MSRP of the DX is $569 as confirmed on the Droid Landing scavenger hunt rules page and Best Buy's MSRP confirmed by screenamesuck @ $699. WTF? My local BB said they always have the cheapest price...

 

[screenamesuck]

There's a big problem here if Verizon's MSRP of the DX is $569 as confirmed on the Droid Landing scavenger hunt rules page and Best Buy's MSRP confirmed by screenamesuck @ $699. WTF? My local BB said they always have the cheapest price...

Yeah, but BB will match anyways lol. I don't think I've even had a handful of people come in the store in the last 2 years to buy a phone strait out, so I don't think BB is to worried about having the lowest "retail" price. Our phones are cheaper up front with contract and thats how most customers buy them