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Question on buying S3

H

hybucket

Newbie
Sorry if this is not the correct forum for this question...but I was about to buy a new Galaxy S3 at AT&T for $199, and discovered today that Staples is selling them for $149. My question (which I asked to an AT&T rep but got a vague response) is...what's the deal? Why would I buy direct from AT&T when I can get the same phone for 50 bucks less at Staples? Someone said it could be because you're tied into a different deal if you buy from a second party (I currently have a plan that is no longer being offered, but I am grandfathered). Are there other hidden reasons to not buy at an ATT store?
Thanks.
 
waternut13134 said:
Nope,I would recommend going to best buy since they will price match it for you.
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They make the phone for different carriers and they also make it with both 16 and 32GB memory.

So as long as it is the version of the phone (ATT in your case) and the same sized ram version then get the cheapest place you can find to sell it to you.

Best buy ran a special on-line for $99.00 the other day for the 16GB version.
 
Costco has a coupon for the S3 now. It might be worth checking out. They give you a free exchange for 90 days even for a different phone for the same carrier. You also just pay sales tax on the price you pay - not on the no contract price like at Best Buy. They include a few free accessories and maintained my grandfathered unlimited data plan.
 
artbytes said:
Costco has a coupon for the S3 now. It might be worth checking out. They give you a free exchange for 90 days even for a different phone for the same carrier. You also just pay sales tax on the price you pay - not on the no contract price like at Best Buy. They include a few free accessories and maintained my grandfathered unlimited data plan.
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Where do you live that Best Buy is charging you the sales tax on the outright and not the no contract price? I've bought most of my phones there and never once paid a penny over the 6% PA sales tax on the subsidized price...
 
I live in California. The sales tax on a phone can be a real shocker. The ATT store also charges sales tax on the unsubsidized price.
 
This is nothing new; retail stores almost always have lower prices than AT&T stores. The craziest thing is that AT&T stores usually don't price match either (at least the ones by me don't). They'd rather you go down the street to Best Buy than drop the price for you by even $1.

Get it price matched at Best Buy. When you buy from BB, you keep whatever plan you're currently on, thus no danger of losing your unlimited data. That said, $150 is overpaying for the GS3. BB recently had them on sale for $100, which is more inline with how the GS3 should be priced.
 
Thank you all for your help. I picked up the Galaxy S3 at Staples today for 149.95. This being Mass., they charged the tax on the full retail price, the b*******. It's the law here. Anyway, the sales person was great...spent close to 2 hours explaining it all (coming from iPhone, it's a big change),and I look forward to figuring it all out. Like, for example, how to move the "Messaging" app to the home page. Thanks again.
 
UserName872 said:
Ouch, that's crazy! Do you get his with online retailers like amazon wireless the same way?
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We don't have to pay sales tax at Amazon. The problem for me with ordering a phone from them is that they can't preserve my grandfathered unlimited data plan.
 
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