[Sunshyn]

OK, this question certainly belongs in the newbie forum. I haven't really dealt with cell phone contracts and such, and the wording keeps confusing me. When a store advertises free phones with new contract deals, they mean people who just aren't on a current contract with that provider as opposed to just those who are with other providers, right?

So if you've had a phone on AT&T for years with the contract long gone, and you wanted to get a new phone, you're not stuck with the much less attractive renewal "deals". You'd still be eligible for the good deals w/new contract, I hope. Otherwise they'd pretty much be begging people to leave them for another provider after 2 years.

[John Clark]

Yes, most providers give you the same deals if you are out of contract.

[orle8050]

You are correct on both statements.

You can typical renew a contract for any promo pricing.

One thing I never understood, why do people feel like they are stuck in a contract. The typical ETF is like $200 most times it is cheaper to do that than a bill/carrier you don't want every month.

[John Clark]

One thing I never understood, why do people feel like they are stuck in a contract. The typical ETF is like $200 most times it is cheaper to do that than a bill/carrier you don't want every month.

Totally agree!!! And some carriers will pay that for you to get you to switch.

[boss4life#AC]

With ATT service your cost to cancel is pro-rated on how long you have left on your contract. So I totally agree. If your carrier isnt providing the service you expect give them a chance to fix the problems. If they don't,find a more suitable carrier.

I contacted customer service from ATT a couple of days ago and had my bill reduced almost $40.00 a month. I based my displeasure on rival TMobiles excellent BB plans. I gave them the price difference between the two carriers and they acknowledged that I had a reason to be upset. It took about an hour of negotiations but they called me back and gave me the discount. If they hadn't I would have made the switch to TMobile that day. I told them if they werent able to work with me on such a huge price difference that they could immediately cancel my contracts(2 BB plans and 2 additional lines of service).

Be knowledgable, be prepared, and communicate your displeasure in a productive way and you never know. It costs nothing to try.

[castlerock611]

*Yeah but are they going to keep discounting your bill every moth to match tmo's pricing?

[Sunshyn]

Thank you all for your responses. I keep learning so much here.

Yes, most providers give you the same deals if you are out of contract.

So I'll have to go directly thru AT&T rather than a 3rd party like Newegg? Aside from a great deal on the BBs, they had good prices on some accessories I wanted when bought with the phone. Since I've always been thrilled with Newegg's customer service, I was kind of hoping we could sign up for the family plan through them instead of trying to get AT&T to match the deal on the phones.

BTW, switching providers isn't an option. My husband currently has a phone on AT&T and swears it's the only one with coverage in the far reaches of the state that he travels to for work.

[renegade37918]

this is the best place for learning about your berry..

[boss4life#AC]

Yes ATT will discount my bill $40.00 every month. If they didn't I would now be a Tmobile customer which would be ok with me.

[castlerock611]

Yes ATT will discount my bill $40.00 every month. If they didn't I would now be a Tmobile customer which would be ok with me.

Thats sweet,good deal you worked out.

[boss4life#AC]

It took some effort, but yea it worked out. They had to do something because they were actually shocked when they heard the price difference between the two carriers. If they don't stay competitive with T-mobile I will be joining you thats for sure.