In which I try to acquire a new phone from @att.

…How long has that scam been going on?

Short version: I got six months left on my phone before it’s paid off. I figured that I could go into the store, pay what was left (about $60), trade in the phone that-was-now-mine for credit, then go get a phone that was advertised as being $20/month to pay off instead of the $10/month I’m paying now. Simple enough, right?

What they offered to do instead was to let me pay them $60 for the privilege of turning in my phone, no store credit, and that $20/month phone’s strictly online. There was only one cheap-ass $27/month phone available, but they’d be able to upsell me a $30/month one. I looked at the guy, and asked “If I came back in September after the phone was paid off, would I be able to trade it in for credit?” He said yes. So I asked myself, “Moe, what would King T’Challa say?”

Well, when he’s right, he’s right.

Moe Lane

PS: I’m not even mad, exactly. I’m just glad I didn’t actually need that phone. Although I may be flipping to T-Mobile, after this phone actually is paid off.

5 thoughts on “In which I try to acquire a new phone from @att.”

  1. Cell phones and plans are my personal hobby horse, so I occasionally volunteer ideas unsolicited. The following is presented in a cheerful, helpful manner.

    Depending on what you’re looking for/coming from, you may find that buying the phone outside of the carrier is a better long-term deal. Assuming you’ve got the money up front. Both Motorola and Nokia have some decent options in the mid-range. And if you’re considering changing to T-Mobile, you should look at Google’s Fi service (https://fi.google.com/about/phones/).

      1. I got tired of the carrier dance a while ago, and it’s unlocked phones all the way for me. Right now I’m using a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S–basically the same specs as a Galaxy S9–but I paid $430, shipping included, ordering it from China. HALF the price. Plus, it gets updates a bit faster than Samsung tends to.

        Oh, and get this–fully carrier unlocked and supports all 4 major carriers’ LTE bands. Yep, I am using it on Verizon.

  2. Definitely buy the phone outside of the carrier. If it is an iPhone, your best bet is to buy it straight from Apple.

  3. Verizon, baby.
    .
    Yeah, they are *not* the cheapest or the best on customer service, but .. they’re good *enough* on both for my purposes .. and they really, truly do have better coverage in rural areas.
    .
    For a city cat, you’d think this doesn’t matter .. until you’re on a road trip, somewhere between Rushmore and Crazy Horse and Mrs. Cat’s mom needs to talk to Mrs. Cat about Mrs. Cats’ fathers’ health RIGHT NOW..
    .
    Mew

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