Best T-Mobile Upgrade Price on Shadow?

[Guest trickinit]

i don't think it's clever. it's just business. t-mo doing wat is best for them, which is trying their best to persuade the customer to stay, by offering goodies. just like when i called my dialup company to cancel their service they offered 1/2 price, blah blah blah, why did they not offer me and other customers that 1/2 off deal to begin with?

what i don't understand is the 2 year contract customer is the "better" customer since they "have" to stay with T-mo for 2 years. Then why do they have to wait a year longer to upgrade their phone? I don't get it. Again, T-mo knows you are stuck with them for 2 years so they wont be nice until you are about to leave them.

The reason they have to wait longer is because they initially got a bigger discount on the price. On a 1 year contract, any given phone costs $50 more than a 2 year. Since most people think about "now" rather than "later," they would rather save $50 and commit to an extra year. Honestly, a 1 year contract is a much smarter decision.

[Guest hallwal]

I was told that one cannot port a number between two T-Mobile lines, that porting numbers is only allowed when you change carriers.

Many many people, including myself, have done this recently, so the rep you spoke to was wrong. The problem is that you are asking T-Mobile too many questions about a process that they allow but do not like, in other words it is a little "gray" or "sketchy." You should not ask them about it beforehand, because it technically is only for brand new customers; there is a loophole, which they will allow AFTER the fact, but not BEFORE the fact -- Surely you are familiar with the phrase "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" ? Anyways, the process is: you order new line or lines from that 800 number, and only after your phone arrives do you then call 611 and tell them you want to "msisdn reuse" by cancelling your old line and porting the # to your new line. They may fuss for a minute but they will do it.

Also, I wouldn't be eager to give up my grandfathered rates on my current line.

I doubt there is any way to avoid this, so you will have to decide if the phone discount is worth losing your discounted monthly rates. I would think it might not be worth it.

Has anyone else got that promotional price ($130 plus $50 rebate) ...

The generally preferred notation is "$79.99 after $50 rebate"

[Guest elfloj0]

I ordered 2 Copper& Sage T-Mobile Shadow, at Cost Price ($349 each) without Contract Renewwal since I did that about 8 Months ago for the 2 T-Mobile Dash.

I may say, they are very nice, I love my new phone, my only complaint is Battery life.

Cheers,

-elfloj0-

[Guest mmmaiki]

The generally preferred notation is "$79.99 after $50 rebate"

Generally preferred by whom? By the people involved in such deceptive advertising. When you have to pay $140 for a product, I don't think it's honest to advertise it as $90, even if there is a mail-in rebate available (which are extra hassle, you have to wait months for, and don't always come). (An "instant rebate" is a different matter.)

That is why I purposefully did not use the "after-rebate" deceptive pricing description, even if commonly "preferred" by advertisers, and chose to list the actual price one pays, while also mentioning the mail-in rebate.

[Guest kjboss]

I was Tmobile customer for 12 months + few days and I was OOC ( I had 1 year deal ). I wanted to keep my number, so I:

1) This Monday order online at att.com GO Phone for $9.99 (phone + sim card + 10$ calling card + free shipping) + TAX. Over 10$ :(

2) I got GoPhone on Wednesday. Called to activate and port my number from Tmobile to ATT. My Tmobile account was closed once number was ported.

3) On Wednesday I also ordered new Tmobile Shadow + new service for 79$ after rebate.

4) On Thursday morning I got Shadow and I called to port my number from ATT to Tmobile.

5) After 2hours I had my original number back to Tmobile for low price of 10$.

[Guest trickinit]

I was Tmobile customer for 12 months + few days and I was OOC ( I had 1 year deal ). I wanted to keep my number, so I:

1) This Monday order online at att.com GO Phone for $9.99 (phone + sim card + 10$ calling card + free shipping) + TAX. Over 10$ :(

2) I got GoPhone on Wednesday. Called to activate and port my number from Tmobile to ATT. My Tmobile account was closed once number was ported.

3) On Wednesday I also ordered new Tmobile Shadow + new service for 79$ after rebate.

4) On Thursday morning I got Shadow and I called to port my number from ATT to Tmobile.

5) After 2hours I had my original number back to Tmobile for low price of 10$.

Ha ha! Way to beat the system! :D

[Guest Rastafaripete]

Pretty awesome Kjboss!!!

I got mine for $90, possibly for $40 after rebate.

Got the upgrade calling customer service. Told them I wanted to cancel my account. They gave me the Shadow for $90. I picked it up at a local Tmobile corp store. Went home and found the $50 rebate online and I just mailed it out. Hopefully I get it. But either way, I'm happy so far with this phone.

[Guest mmmaiki]

Pretty awesome Kjboss!!!

I got mine for $90, possibly for $40 after rebate.

Got the upgrade calling customer service. Told them I wanted to cancel my account. They gave me the Shadow for $90. I picked it up at a local Tmobile corp store. Went home and found the $50 rebate online and I just mailed it out. Hopefully I get it. But either way, I'm happy so far with this phone.

Thanks for the info. I think I'll do that.

I actually did the same some weeks ago, but the price I was given (before rebate) (although they said the rebate isn't available through that retention deal, but I'm not sure if that's true) was $139, with a two year contract, or $189, with a one year contract. I was undecided, and said I would think about it, and haven't acted on it since.

It sounds like the retention price (that's the department you get, when you say you want to cancel) has gone down now to $90. (From what I understand, they don't bargain at all (I tried to bargain lower at the time), but have a fixed price they can offer for retention.) I assume that $90 is with two year contract, correct? If so, it's probably $140 now with one year contract. (I think I would be willing to pay the $50 more to get a one rather than two year contract.) With all the changes in phones bound to come in the next year, 3G, etc., I don't think I would like to be excluded from upgrading again for two years.

Does anyone know--does the retention department function on weekends, or should I wait until Monday?

[Guest shadowrtype]

Pretty awesome Kjboss!!!

I got mine for $90, possibly for $40 after rebate.

Got the upgrade calling customer service. Told them I wanted to cancel my account. They gave me the Shadow for $90. I picked it up at a local Tmobile corp store. Went home and found the $50 rebate online and I just mailed it out. Hopefully I get it. But either way, I'm happy so far with this phone.

Is there a link to the rebate somewhere? I found a form via tmobilerebates.com but no where on the form does it indicate any $50 rebate value or any value at all.

[Guest trickinit]

Is there a link to the rebate somewhere? I found a form via tmobilerebates.com but no where on the form does it indicate any $50 rebate value or any value at all.

Some phones have different dollar amounts associated with the rebates, but as a T-Mobile sales rep, I can tell you for sure that the Shadow's rebate is for $50.

[Guest shadowrtype]

Some phones have different dollar amounts associated with the rebates, but as a T-Mobile sales rep, I can tell you for sure that the Shadow's rebate is for $50.

Thanks!

[Guest mmmaiki]

I got mine for $90, possibly for $40 after rebate.

Got the upgrade calling customer service. Told them I wanted to cancel my account. They gave me the Shadow for $90. I picked it up at a local Tmobile corp store. Went home and found the $50 rebate online and I just mailed it out. Hopefully I get it. But either way, I'm happy so far with this phone.

Rastafaripete,

Are you sure this was the price you paid? $90 before rebate. One year or two year contract? Please give more details.

I tried the same thing back in December. I have been a continuous, always paid-up T-Mo customer for well over 5 years, and have been out of contract for two years now. I also called, said I wanted to cancel, as ATT had better smartphone selection, etc. I was also given a deal price on the Shadow, as incentive to stay with T-Mo---$139.99 with two year contract, or $189.99 with one year contract. (Actual price to pay, not "after rebate".) I said I would think about it.

I read your post in January, and assumed that the retention price for the Shadow had dropped to $90 (probably two year contract, meaning perhaps $140 with one year). (From what I've heard, the retentions dept. has a fixed retention price they can offer for each phone--they don't bargain.)

I called again yesterday, again said "cancel" at the prompt, so I assume was again brought to the retention dept. I said I was thinking of canceling, as ATT has the Blackjack for sale for $49, and the Blackjack II for sale for $99. I asked what deal they could give me for the Shadow. I assumed, from reading your post, that I would be quoted a price of $90.

Instead, they gave me the same price as before--$140 with two year contract, or $190 with one year contract. I said I had read on the net from someone who had been offered a price of $90 for sticking with T-Mo, I'd like to get that price. The rep said he had never heard of such a price, the best price they could offer me was the $139 for two year contract. I argued a bit, but he did not budge. I asked to speak to his supervisor. The supervisor said the same thing, and also wouldn't budge.

So, Rasta Pete, please explain a little more about the price you paid for the Shadow, and how you got it.

Also, anyone else here bought a Shadow through retentions recently? What price did you pay?

Any T-Mobile insiders here, who would like to share info regarding retention price for the Shadow?

Thank you for your feeback.