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Costco Nexus?

My wife inquired at our local Costco (North Seattle) today.

The guys in the kiosk claimed not to know anything about when they might be getting their alotment.

They did add that they would expect to be selling them the same day as VZW stores, if it is in fact this Friday.

At least they new of the phone and are very excited, as we are.
 
I work in electronics at costco, so I'm pretty close to the wireless people. They got 2 dummy phones on monday, and are saying that we should have the phones on friday. I looked in the computer and it showed none on order for my store :/ . I'm hoping they come UPS...
 
I work in electronics at costco, so I'm pretty close to the wireless people. They got 2 dummy phones on monday, and are saying that we should have the phones on friday. I looked in the computer and it showed none on order for my store :/ . I'm hoping they come UPS...

Price? Bundle?
 
Hey everyone! I'm the member in question that works for Costco so I suppose I should start addressing these myself. lol And as a similar thread was such a big hit in the Bionic forum, I'll have to keep it strong here as well. ;)



That is actually Verizon's doing. We also sell AT&T which taxes the warehouse price (the price before the IRC or instant rebate code is applied), and T-Mobile which taxes the entire price of the phone.



You will not lose your grandfathered data by upgrading through Costco. We will not make any changes to your plan, just extend the contract for 24 months.



We can only do qualified upgrades. NE2s and annual upgrades must be done at a VZW corporate store. And even if you have a NE2 credit, we're still gonna beat the price, plus give you accessories for free. ;)



Verizon lets you upgrade your phone 20 months into the contract, which we can do at our kiosk.

Now, the question I always kept getting in the Bionic's forum was about the return policy, no matter how many times I answered it. So let's just go ahead and open that can of worms. lol

The return policy is you have 14 days to exchange your phone for a diff one or go back to your old phone and get your upgrade back. After 14 days, that upgrade is lost. You can get your money back, but not your upgrade. If you have a defect in your phone, Costco gives you 90 days to exchange the phone for the SAME phone.

This is where I hear, "But my cousin's roommate sat next to a guy on a bus who read on a forum that this guy was able to do it." Yes, it does happen. Generally, it's because the person is having probs with a phone and we no longer carry that phone. Are there some kiosks out there that just don't give a darn? Sure. But none of our carriers or Costco is going to give you a new phone every 3 months. lol

Aight, so there you have it. I'm sure there's plenty of questions, so go ahead and let them fly. I'll answer them as quickly as I can. Yes, even if you ask the same questions over and over again. lol


What about the current vzw extended return for the holidays? Does that apply through costco too?

In other words, would I now be able to return a Razr I got a few weeks ago (outside the 14) w/o losing the upgrade, thereby being able to move to the nexus at upgrade price?

It would suck if I can't do that as I then would've been better off going through vzw...

I held off on mailing for my rebate pack in case the thing finally dropped.
 
Thanks, YankeeDudeL! You answered a few questions that I had been looking for credible answers to. You seem to be a credible source and I thank you for your time and willingness to share your knowledge with the rest of us anxious Android nuts/Costco fans. :)

Thank you, and I'm glad to help.

Hi YankeeDudeL,

I sent a PM but should have posted here.


If I re-new my contract @ Costco can they do so keeping my company discount and unlimited data in tact?
Are there scenerios where they cannot?

We would also love to see you over at the Galaxy Nexus pre-release thread to hear wheat you hear.

I'm glad you PMed me. I had been so busy lately that I haven't made it to the forums, but it made me aware that some love was needed here.

Now that we're a few days away, any update on the Costco price and/or accessory bundle?

As of yesterday morning, we were told that we were officially getting the the GNex on Friday (the 9th). Then we heard about the nationwide 4G outage. Then came news of the delay. So now, I don't know, but I do work later so I'll find out.

As far as a bundle it's going to be offered with the leather carrying case and screen protectors as per normal, as well as an all-in-one charger (home, car, computer) and come with a fancy lil carrying case. There was something else, but I don't remember what. I'll look at it again today. The price has been set at $289.99.

Are phones sold at full retail as well?

Sorry, no. You need to have a qualified upgrade as we can only sell Verizon and AT&T phones at the contracted, subsidized price.

We do sell the Montly 4G plans on T-Mobile, and we can sell certain smartphones for the full retail price, as that's the only way to purchase one with that plan.

My wife inquired at our local Costco (North Seattle) today.

The guys in the kiosk claimed not to know anything about when they might be getting their alotment.

They did add that they would expect to be selling them the same day as VZW stores, if it is in fact this Friday.

At least they new of the phone and are very excited, as we are.

They didn't know anything that close to the home office (kiosk #1 is in Seattle, where Wireless Advocates is based out of)? Might have to fire out a mass email later how the East Coast is where it's going on. lol

It was slated to launch in VZW corporate stores on Thursday. We were to get it on Friday. I'm pretty sure that's VZW's doing.

I work in electronics at costco, so I'm pretty close to the wireless people. They got 2 dummy phones on monday, and are saying that we should have the phones on friday. I looked in the computer and it showed none on order for my store :/ . I'm hoping they come UPS...

We love our Electronics peeps. We help each other get through the day. lol

Yup, stores started receiving mocks on Monday (we got ours yesterday, for whatever reason). They're not going to show up on order for the week prior like other Costco items in ISI. The phones don't have to process through the warehouses, so there's a two day turn around. If you were to look today, they would appear, but that was before the delay.

What about the current vzw extended return for the holidays? Does that apply through costco too?

In other words, would I now be able to return a Razr I got a few weeks ago (outside the 14) w/o losing the upgrade, thereby being able to move to the nexus at upgrade price?

It would suck if I can't do that as I then would've been better off going through vzw...

I held off on mailing for my rebate pack in case the thing finally dropped.

That's a VZW promotional return policy that, at least to my knowledge, has not been extended to us. Now, I'm not entirely sure that their policy says that you'll get your upgrade back within that time frame, but you can exchange phones. I'll have to check that out to make sure, as that's a handy bit of information.

Sounds like your WSE was thorough in explaining it, as you're familiar with our return policy. If you purchased your RAZR after Verizon started their holiday return policy, and you only wanted the phone to keep the phone until the GNex came out, then perhaps going through VZW would have better met your needs as a consumer. But if you purchased your RAZR before Verizon implemented their holiday return policy with the intention of keeping the phone you upgraded to, then you made the best decision in purchasing through us. Especially when you consider you got the best phone on the best network for cheaper than the cost at VZW, plus got $200 worth of accessories completely free. Not to mention that when we sell you a phone, we're always there to answer questions and help you get the most out of your device without having to check in and take a couple hours out of your day for someone that just wants to sell you a phone, and get you out the door and pass you on to someone else. ;)

See how I went all salesman there. lol


In closing, to reiterate, I'm not entirely sure what exactly they plan on doing from here with the delay, but when I know you'se will know.
 
Thank you, and I'm glad to help.



I'm glad you PMed me. I had been so busy lately that I haven't made it to the forums, but it made me aware that some love was needed here.



As of yesterday morning, we were told that we were officially getting the the GNex on Friday (the 9th). Then we heard about the nationwide 4G outage. Then came news of the delay. So now, I don't know, but I do work later so I'll find out.

As far as a bundle it's going to be offered with the leather carrying case and screen protectors as per normal, as well as an all-in-one charger (home, car, computer) and come with a fancy lil carrying case. There was something else, but I don't remember what. I'll look at it again today. The price has been set at $289.99.



Sorry, no. You need to have a qualified upgrade as we can only sell Verizon and AT&T phones at the contracted, subsidized price.

We do sell the Montly 4G plans on T-Mobile, and we can sell certain smartphones for the full retail price, as that's the only way to purchase one with that plan.



They didn't know anything that close to the home office (kiosk #1 is in Seattle, where Wireless Advocates is based out of)? Might have to fire out a mass email later how the East Coast is where it's going on. lol

It was slated to launch in VZW corporate stores on Thursday. We were to get it on Friday. I'm pretty sure that's VZW's doing.



We love our Electronics peeps. We help each other get through the day. lol

Yup, stores started receiving mocks on Monday (we got ours yesterday, for whatever reason). They're not going to show up on order for the week prior like other Costco items in ISI. The phones don't have to process through the warehouses, so there's a two day turn around. If you were to look today, they would appear, but that was before the delay.



That's a VZW promotional return policy that, at least to my knowledge, has not been extended to us. Now, I'm not entirely sure that their policy says that you'll get your upgrade back within that time frame, but you can exchange phones. I'll have to check that out to make sure, as that's a handy bit of information.

Sounds like your WSE was thorough in explaining it, as you're familiar with our return policy. If you purchased your RAZR after Verizon started their holiday return policy, and you only wanted the phone to keep the phone until the GNex came out, then perhaps going through VZW would have better met your needs as a consumer. But if you purchased your RAZR before Verizon implemented their holiday return policy with the intention of keeping the phone you upgraded to, then you made the best decision in purchasing through us. Especially when you consider you got the best phone on the best network for cheaper than the cost at VZW, plus got $200 worth of accessories completely free. Not to mention that when we sell you a phone, we're always there to answer questions and help you get the most out of your device without having to check in and take a couple hours out of your day for someone that just wants to sell you a phone, and get you out the door and pass you on to someone else. ;)

See how I went all salesman there. lol


In closing, to reiterate, I'm not entirely sure what exactly they plan on doing from here with the delay, but when I know you'se will know.

YankeeDudeL-

One more for you- I got the Razr with the HD Dock bundle- When I bought it I was told that I'd be able to swap it for a Nex, within 90 days, if I like it better when it comes out. He also told me that after 14 days however, I would not be able to get any promotional bundle if it's available on the Nex. Does this ring true?
 
Just got off the phone with my friendly local Costco Verizon rep, Nate.

Me: Hey, I'd like to come pick up the Galaxy Nexus and switch to Verizon.
Nate: Cool, come in tomorrow and I'll take care of you.
Me (starting to sweat): Uh, really, tomorrow, you say?
Nate: That's correct, tomorrow.
Me: You mean tomorrow, like in tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 9th?
Nate (Laughing): Yes, sir.
Me: Uh, you're absolutely positive about this?
Nate: Yes, we can sell it tomorrow.
Me: Er, do you have it now?
Nate: No, we're expecting our shipment today.
Me: Sweet...what's your name?
Nate: Nate
Me: Thanks Nate! See you tomorrow!
Nate: Goodbye
 
just got off the phone with my friendly local costco verizon rep, nate.

Me: Hey, i'd like to come pick up the galaxy nexus and switch to verizon.
Nate: Cool, come in tomorrow and i'll take care of you.
Me (starting to sweat): Uh, really, tomorrow, you say?
Nate: That's correct, tomorrow.
Me: You mean tomorrow, like in tomorrow, friday, dec. 9th?
Nate (laughing): Yes, sir.
Me: Uh, you're absolutely positive about this?
Nate: Yes, we can sell it tomorrow.
Me: Er, do you have it now?
Nate: No, we're expecting our shipment today.
Me: Sweet...what's your name?
Nate: Nate
me: Thanks nate! See you tomorrow!
Nate: Goodbye

sweet!
 
That's a VZW promotional return policy that, at least to my knowledge, has not been extended to us. Now, I'm not entirely sure that their policy says that you'll get your upgrade back within that time frame, but you can exchange phones. I'll have to check that out to make sure, as that's a handy bit of information.

Sounds like your WSE was thorough in explaining it, as you're familiar with our return policy. If you purchased your RAZR after Verizon started their holiday return policy, and you only wanted the phone to keep the phone until the GNex came out, then perhaps going through VZW would have better met your needs as a consumer. But if you purchased your RAZR before Verizon implemented their holiday return policy with the intention of keeping the phone you upgraded to, then you made the best decision in purchasing through us. Especially when you consider you got the best phone on the best network for cheaper than the cost at VZW, plus got $200 worth of accessories completely free. Not to mention that when we sell you a phone, we're always there to answer questions and help you get the most out of your device without having to check in and take a couple hours out of your day for someone that just wants to sell you a phone, and get you out the door and pass you on to someone else. ;)

See how I went all salesman there. lol


In closing, to reiterate, I'm not entirely sure what exactly they plan on doing from here with the delay, but when I know you'se will know.

First of all, thanks! It's great to have someone like you here to answer questions.

When you say exchange phones, you do mean RAZR for RAZR, right? I'd appreciate it if you did make sure, as while i'm certainly happy with the RAZR I think I would definitely take the opportunity to move to the Nexus. I did actually ask the kiosk rep if that was a possibility and they seemed to agree that I could do that, but since then it's been pretty unclear. Like you said, that was originally my intention and had thought the 90 day would allow an exchange for a Nexus when it released, but outside of the VZW promo being extended to you guys, it sounds like I may end up having to wait for the RAZR to update to get some ICS goodness. :(

That being said, I definitely enjoyed the buying process through you guys above the corporate store and basically told Sylvia at my office that we're getting all our phones through Costco now. :)
 
I can concur with the above post that Costco was initially going to launch them tomorrow, however, received an email today regarding the delay....I gave the kiosk a call just now, and she said just to check back with her tomorrow morning....

The Costco employees are so much nicer than the Verizon Stores!!!

I'm also new by the way, been lurking around for a while, decided to post since I made the phone call and got an honest answer.
 
I visited the kiosk at my local Costco a couple hours ago and they said it is absolutely not going to launch on Friday and that they had no idea when it was going to launch, or even why it was delayed. They said they didn't even have them in stock yet! :(

They also said it was not going to have a special bonus package, either. Just the phone, a cheap case, a car charger, and a screen protector. :rolleyes:
 
Would someone be willing to concisely explain Costco's 90-day return and warranty policies for cell phones? I think I've got a pretty good handle on the former from reading through various threads here, but haven't found a consistent answer on what their warranty policy is (someone mentioned they extend it to two years).

Thanks!
 
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Not real helpful but completes the story.
 
Would someone be willing to concisely explain Costco's 90-day return and warranty policies for cell phones? I think I've got a pretty good handle on the former from reading through various threads here, but haven't found a consistent answer on what their warranty policy is (someone mentioned they extend it to two years).

Thanks!

Hi guys, long time lurker here, figured I'd try and help out also. Like Yankee, I'm a WSE for Wireless Advocates at Costco. Regarding the 90 return policy, it begins from the original date of purchase. From my experience, each Costco has their own rules for exchanging the phone. Some will let you exchange for a different model during the 90 days while others may not. During the first 14 days you can return/exchange for any model with no issues at all. After that, it just depends on that particular Costco/kiosk and how they do it.

The 90 return policy covers all hardware defects. If the phone is damaged physically, Costco doesn't cover that and will most likely not take it back.

As far as I know, there is no 2 year warranty extension at Costco. You have a 1 year manufacturer warranty, which you can use if your 90 day return/exchange window has passed by calling the carrier (in this case VZW).

I'll try to answer everything to the best of my ability and will try to get back to questions as soon as I can. Hopefully with me here also, I can take some of the load off Yankee :D FYI, like everyone else, I want this phone really badly too! :p
 
Hi guys, long time lurker here, figured I'd try and help out also. Like Yankee, I'm a WSE for Wireless Advocates at Costco. Regarding the 90 return policy, it begins from the original date of purchase. From my experience, each Costco has their own rules for exchanging the phone. Some will let you exchange for a different model during the 90 days while others may not. During the first 14 days you can return/exchange for any model with no issues at all. After that, it just depends on that particular Costco/kiosk and how they do it.

The 90 return policy covers all hardware defects. If the phone is damaged physically, Costco doesn't cover that and will most likely not take it back.

As far as I know, there is no 2 year warranty extension at Costco. You have a 1 year manufacturer warranty, which you can use if your 90 day return/exchange window has passed by calling the carrier (in this case VZW).

I'll try to answer everything to the best of my ability and will try to get back to questions as soon as I can. Hopefully with me here also, I can take some of the load off Yankee :D FYI, like everyone else, I want this phone really badly too! :p

If you purchase with your American Express @ Costco it add a year.
 
Other than the year extension with the generic type accessories and the $289.99 price tag does not thrill me.
Unless the accessories are Samsung specific like a Desktop Dock or Car Dock and the like I'll just go Verizon on line with my American Express and do it for the $249.99 I get with my loyalty discount.

I am hoping for a Costco/WA cool OE accessory package like the Bionic had though.
 
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