[rainbeaudais]

Hi....I recently signed up with AT&T and got the Curve 8900. I decided to go with the Bold after comparing a few things with 2 other live Bolds. Was going to just upgrade through AT&T, where I signed up, then ran across this site:

cellulardeals.com

Sounds too good to be true. Spoke with them twice and they assure me it's a new phone that comes directly from AT&T, with same warranty, etc.

Anyone familiar with this site, or one like it? There's a lot of them.

It's hard to imagine paying $300(after $100 rebate) directly through AT&T when I can get it for $49.99......BUT, I am skeptical.

[pbflash]

I've never heard of them but you can get one for free from letstalk.com. A few people here have gotten them.

[rainbeaudais]

Thanks pbflash, I will check them out. That's mainly what I wanted to know....if these sites are for real, or if they hook you some kind of way that you don't know till the end....:-)

[rainbeaudais]

Anyone else that's bought from one of these sites?

[rainbeaudais]

ok, checked out the letstalk.com, and you actually have to pay $99 for the phone and get a rebate.....but not for 4 months, as you have to send a copy of your 4th bill as paid from your carrier. So, free eventually, but not right up front.

[LuisT]

You can check out wirefly.com too. They have very trustworthy, but make sure you read the fine print and stuff. I've had family members buy from wirefly.com and had no problems.

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[rainbeaudais]

Thanks LuisT.....BTW, how is the sound on your 8900? Mine is awful, and I've read so many times how great it is. Very staticky, and I can't find a way to adjust the bass, treble, etc.

That's one of the things I compared to a Bold, and the Bolds sound was crystal clear.

[Tiassa]

You can check out wirefly.com too. They have very trustworthy, but make sure you read the fine print and stuff. I've had family members buy from wirefly.com and had no problems.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I will second the Wirefly.com recommendation. I got my Pearl Flip from them and they were "100% as advertised". Got the Flip for free (with T-Mo signup), got a free charging stand, and a $50 rebate (but that was a general T-Mo thing). T-Mo stores at the time were selling the flip for (I think) $75 with the $50 rebate.

[Californium89]

Let's talk and wire fly are the legit deal but just remember your in contract with the third party retailers if you change your acount the will ding you with a breach of contract but if you have no plans on changing your plan then you won't have any problems

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[Aristotles]

I managed to buy mine really cheaply. $300AUD NIB & untouched. Great deal!

[fabuloso]

Those sites offer great deals. Just remembee that they only offer them to new customers or new lines. If you are upgrading, the price might be different, just like contract renewals or extensions on one single line. They also don't offer the same deals on family lines. So read between the lines if you have to.

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[rainbeaudais]

Thanks for your replies....would love to hear more.

Last night I talked at length to:

letstalk
cellulardeals
wirefly

cellulardeals and firefly are apprently the same company, as their sales pitch and PRESSURE to order were identical. (Thought I was going to have to hang up on the guy at wirefly.) That turns me off. I want to be able to call and ask questions without feeling obligated to buy.

They also had the best deal, IMO....the Bold for $49.99, but you must get the 900 minute plan with the Bold. No choice, and you are unable to downgrade your plan for 6 months, or all of tht fine print kicks in, just as if you've broken the contract. The plus is that they offer a one time flat insurance fee of $49.99/year that has no deductible, and you can make 3 claims a year.

letstalk, you either get the phone totally free after instant rebate IF you go with the 900 minute plan, OR pay $99 up front that is reimbursed with a rebate after 4 months if you go with the 450 minute plan. Clearly a better deal if you don't need the 900 minutes, and don't mind dealing with rebates.

letstalk does not offer any insurance, but told me within a few days of purchase AT&T would be sending me an offer to buy the standard $4.99/mp insurance from them.

There was absolutely NO pressure with letstalk....and, not to be snarky, but I could understand the guy, and didn't feel like I was on the phone with Dell tech Support.....LOL.

Yup, the difference in buying from these sites versus directly from AT&T is that you are dealing with a 3rd party, and have a separate contract with them, so if you have to bail before 180 days, then you are looking at penalty fees for them as well as AT&T. Same as buying from an authorized store.

And BTW, they do offer these prices as contract extentions/renewals......so you don't have to be a new customer, and also have the same family plans. You can also buy more than one of the same phone for that price.

[fabuloso]

Good to know people can read between the lines. Good info chap!

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[pkcable]

Yea the main flaw (and for some this may not be an issue) with these places is that they make you sign a more restrictive contract and generally require you to have higher minute plans. Of course if you use a lot of minutes then this may not be an issue.

It CAN be a good deal, but make sure you read the fine print and know what kind of contract you are signing. Often there are 2 ETFs, the carrier's AND the web site's when you cancel early.

[deejayc74]

Got a Curve 8900 on amazon wireless for $50 (w/ contract extension but keeping my current plan). I have it in my hand!

[krashtalk]

Honestly folks, the saving money thing is very important...BUT, remember when you do these deals through a 2nd or 3rd party and not directly with ATT, you risk certain aspects of being an ATT customer. When i have situations with my Bold, i get in contact with ATT directly and then its theyre fault if it is theyre issue. What i am trying to say is, when u sign up with these 2nd and 3rd parties, u have to deal with theyre policies which are usually rediculous and demanding and may not be something you can take up with ATT! Trust me, i have been on every carrier here in the US and ATT has the best customer service overall...IMO! Buyer Beware of 2nd and 3rd party companies...SEE YAZ!!!

[thebluedot]

I had a nightmare experience dealing with Wirefly in the past. They will answer most of your questions up front but as soon as they get you on the sale there is no voice support thereafter.

You will be forced to talk with a barely speaking, sorry typing customer service rep through Text Chat that resides in India.

I through over 12 hours of my life away dealing with them.

Curious to hear who you ended up going with?

[rainbeaudais]

Hi thebluedot...

Curious you should say that about wirefly. Nightmare, plain and simple.

The best way I can describe dealing with them is to ask if you have ever spent hours on the phone with Dell Tech Support?

First, I made probably 4-5 phone calls to them before deciding on them.

Each call, I had a heck of a time understanding the rep.

Second, they kept "drifting" away from the phone....fading. I would tell them they were getting hard to hear, then they would get louder for a minute or 2, then start drifting again. Very frustrating. When they would put me on hold, the music was loud and clear.....so it was simply that they were displaying a lack of interest in being loud and clear when they spoke, IMO.

Third....they couldn't seem to understand certain questions *I* was asking. And when they didn't understand, they either repeated what they had said last, or would ask tell me that they can go ahead and process my order....totally ignoring my question.

Still, I kept with it...ordered...paid by CC....paid an extra $20 for overnight shipping......until I got an email telling me I needed to contact them before my order could be processed. I call them....and they make me verify several thing, several times.....then they tell me they need to ask me 4 security questions. I'm like.....ok, what the heck is going on?

They just keep telling me I need to verify some info. I refuse to say any more until they tell me what's going on. Turns out my billing address to my CC is off by one digit....so apparently they thought I was trying to scam them.

But they wouldn't tell me that, so I hang up after telling her I would call my CC co and call her right back... call my CC co....it's ALL correct. I call wirefly back, and they are closed....10 minutes later. Had to wait until 9am today to call them back....and then lost the overnight option. Fuming by then, of course.

Instead of just telling me the zip is not matching up, they felt the need to run me through the ringer. My zip was right. THEY had it wrong. Plain and simple.....communication problems because of poor English speaking/comprehension sales reps. I cancelled right then and there.

Let's just say, the pre sale service gave me a pretty good indicator of what the post sales service would be. I think anyone that has bought from them and not had a problem after.....or buys from them and can get through the pre sales part and actually end up with a phone with NO problems would be considered fortunate.

I wasn't willing to risk it.

Oh....two more things. I asked wirefly point blank questions about warranty. What if I have a problem with the phone immediately.....as in DOA, or 2 days....one week....2 weeks after receiving it loses sound, dies, etc. Then same questions after 30 days.

Their response was we deal with them during the first 30 days and the manufacturer after that. So I call Blackberry to confirm. Blackberry says absolutely not....that when they sell the phones to these websites, the websites assume 100% responsibility for the phone. I call wirefly back and tell them this.....they stick to their story. LOL.

Soooo, I call letstalk.com, and ask them same questions. THEY say that it's AT&T that handles any problems with the phone after 30 days. NOT them, OR Blackberry.

So, I call AT&T warranty department and tell them all this. Believe it or not, they confirm that they will cover the manufactures warranty for one year after purchase, even buying the phone from any of these sites.

All very confusing, and makes me very leery......because as we all know, you can't EVER get the same person despite having a name, or even phone number.

And I would have called AT&T back just to ask another person to confirm that, but I just ran out of steam....LOL.

Can anyone confirm that AT&T does in fact cover the phones warranty when buying through these sites?

[thejgeffect]

When I talked to Wireless.Amazon they told me they deal with the phone for 30 days and then AT&T takes over, AT&T confirmed this for me. I would check out wireless.amazon.com. I called, everyone spoke perfect english (surprising) and they were all very helpful, I called 3 different people at amazon and this was the case the entire time. Amazon also lets you keep you current plan unlike some of the other 3rd party retailers. I highly recommend wireless.amazon.com

[rainbeaudais]

Thanks thejgeffect....I'll check it out right now.....:-)

[thejgeffect]

Thanks thejgeffect....I'll check it out right now.....:-)

Here are the stipulations:

$250 Equipment Discount Terms and Conditions

The purchase price of your device reflects an equipment discount of $250 per device that has been provided to you by AmazonWireless based on your agreement to (a) activate a new, or extend an existing, line of service in connection with this device, and (b) maintain this service with the selected rate plan in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days.

By accepting this equipment discount, you agree that for a period of 181 days after your new equipment is activated, you will not:

* disconnect this line of service
* change your service plan to one with a lower monthly rate (e.g.: from $59.99 to $29.99)
* cancel required plan options such as BlackBerry or PDA/Smartphone data features
* fail to pay your balance due each month

If you do any of the above you will be subject to additional charges by AmazonWireless of up to $250 per device, plus applicable taxes.

I just bought my sister an 8900 for $50 via upgrade while keeping my plan. The Bold is $125, a little more expensive but worth it IMO to keep your same plan and peace of mind using a reliable company.

[rainbeaudais]

Thanks.....yes, that's the exact same stipulations for all 3 of the sites I checked out.....and truly, it makes sense. If you cancel out before six months, then you are basically paying the difference in their price and AT&Ts price.

Probably an even better deal, because you are only limited to that stipulation for 181 days, versus 2 years. Yet, you still have the penalties of early contract cancellation with both the carrier, and the site you buy from. Lots of catches which are no big deal if you are sure you won't need to cancel......as in my case.

My problem is I travel a lot and stay some places 6-9 months, and have been places where there is zero Verizon coverage (here), and other places where there was zero AT&T coverage. (small town in Oklahoma).

The thought of all the penalties concerns me.

I've decided this for now, as my mind has become saturated and I'm spending way too much time on this.

I have a buyer that wants my Storm....we are supposed to meet this afternoon. (Craigslist). If he buys it, then I will just stick with AT&T and upgrade to the Bold.

If he doesn't buy it, then I will cancel the AT&T contract and use the Storm as a Go Phone while I sit back and take my time regrouping....AND trying to see if I can get the Storm programmed for all of it's functions with the guide here. At least I know it works as a phone, as I put my Sim card from my Curve in it to test it.

Thanks for all of your input.....:-)