"Free" Shadows!

[Guest mmmaiki]

Last night I was at Fry's Electronics, in Manhattan Beach, CA, and I was very surprised at the price I saw on the Shadow--$349 minus $300 instant rebate minus $50 mail-in rebate=free!

I had never seen the Shadow at any price close to that before, including for new customers.

I thought that price must be only for new customers, but I might as well ask. I asked the girl working there, if existing customers could also get that price, telling her that my contract had expired. She said yes, with a two year contract extension. (I asked her what about with a one-year contract, she said they didn't have that available.)

I don't know if she might have been mistaken about the existing customer thing. Worth trying though.

I almost purchased one on the spot, but there were a couple of things that made me uncertain about it, so I left undecided. I may go back and do it though. For one thing, the only color they had was the brown, which I find really ugly. I would want to get the metallic green color. She said they didn't have that, and didn't know if they would get it.

Also, when I mentioned 30 day return policy, which I thought was mandated for cell phones in California by state law, she said no, the store has only a 14 day return policy on cell phones. (Does anyone know anything about this--does the 30 day law only apply to phone sales from the carriers themselves? Can retail stores set any return period they wish?)

Well, at such a great price, it still might be worth it, despite the ugly sh*t-brown color , and the shorter return policy, and the two year contract. (Upgrading in another manner, I was thinking of paying $50 more to get a one year contract instead. With 3G coming out in upcoming months, and probably many much-improved phones, I don't like the idea of locking into a two year contract (with 22 months before upgrade price again)at this time. But for this price--can't beat it.)

Still--I thought they might get in the green color later--and other vendors might soon offer similar prices. (It's hard to imagine how one vendor could have it so much less than others. What kind of a deal is T-Mobile giving them?)

Anyone here purchased a Shadow at this price from Fry's? Any existing customers do it as an upgrade? If anyone went to a different Fry's, did they have the green color available as well, or also only the brown?

If anyone could answer my question above about the California 30 day return policy on cell phones, whether all vendors have to honor that, I would appreciate it.

Also---has anyone seen any deal like this at other places?

[Guest Honestly77]

About your 30 day return policy...up here in washington...no matter where you go it is 14 days. But I think that Authorized or 3rd party dealers like those in retail stores like wal-mart fry's and best buy can set it to whatever they want....they pay full price for each phone because the phones aren't given to them like at corporate stores. They can sell the phone at whatever price they choose because they buy the phones out right and aren't locked into a selling price like corporate stores. I work for a T-Mobile Authorized dealer if you're wondering how I know this. We sell our sidekick LX's at 260 (with new 2 year agreement) instead of 300 like the corporate stores. So I am almost guaranteed that you will never see that price anywhere else...and if you don't buy one and re-sale it on ebay...then well your foolish. A free 350 dollar phone....? Do it...I think you can get over the fact it is brown if your saving 350 dollars. Plus...brown isn't THAT bad...it could be something like a purple...or even worse...yellow.

T-Mobile is giving them NO deal. They are giving you the deal. I think they just need to get rid of the Brown ones before the manager will order green and brown ones. We do that sometimes...push the ones we have left and sell them for cheap so we can just get a whole new order of new ones.

Also your probably going to only find that price at THAT fry's. Seems all fry's are owned by different people. Which means all the vendors are owned by different people. Usually. The closest one here is in Renton. So it is a 6 hours drive from Spokane. Thank god for best buy. But fry's is so cheap.....sigh.

[Guest mmmaiki]

About your 30 day return policy...up here in washington...no matter where you go it is 14 days. But I think that Authorized or 3rd party dealers like those in retail stores like wal-mart fry's and best buy can set it to whatever they want....they pay full price for each phone because the phones aren't given to them like at corporate stores. They can sell the phone at whatever price they choose because they buy the phones out right and aren't locked into a selling price like corporate stores. I work for a T-Mobile Authorized dealer if you're wondering how I know this. We sell our sidekick LX's at 260 (with new 2 year agreement) instead of 300 like the corporate stores. So I am almost guaranteed that you will never see that price anywhere else...and if you don't buy one and re-sale it on ebay...then well your foolish. A free 350 dollar phone....? Do it...I think you can get over the fact it is brown if your saving 350 dollars. Plus...brown isn't THAT bad...it could be something like a purple...or even worse...yellow.

T-Mobile is giving them NO deal. They are giving you the deal. I think they just need to get rid of the Brown ones before the manager will order green and brown ones. We do that sometimes...push the ones we have left and sell them for cheap so we can just get a whole new order of new ones.

Also your probably going to only find that price at THAT fry's. Seems all fry's are owned by different people. Which means all the vendors are owned by different people. Usually. The closest one here is in Renton. So it is a 6 hours drive from Spokane. Thank god for best buy. But fry's is so cheap.....sigh.

I know most of the country has a 14 day return policy for cell phones, but I believe it is 30 days here in California. T-Mobile certainly has a 30 day policy here (although it used to be 14 days), and I believe 14 days everywhere else, like where you are.

I believe I have read that this is CA state law. Therefore, i was surprised to be told of a 14 day policy. Unless that law applies only to the carriers themselves, and to their stores, and not to 3rd party dealers. Since you work at a T-Mobile store, you might ask your boss about it. He might know about the policies in other states. (I know for sure if I buy a phone from T-Mobile, either online, by telephone, or at a T-Mobile store, there will be a 30 day return policy, although a couple years ago it was 14 days. Someone from Washington would call the same T-Mo number to order a phone, or go to the same web site, and only have a 14 day return policy. So, there is something different here in California, regarding cell phone returns.)

Fry's isn't always cheap. They sometimes have good deals. Often the best price I can find on something is not at any retail store, but on the net somewhere. But they do sometimes have good deals, including this one.

I just called another Fry's, in Woodland Hills, CA. I asked the price of the Shadow. I was asked if already had service, and I told him I was already a T-Mobile customer, but my contract had expired, and I was willing to sign a new one. He said the price was $349. I said "what about with service"? He said that they do not sell service to existing customers, but only to new customers.

I guess I could have gone further and asked him "out of curiosity, what is your price for the phone for new customers signing up for a two year contract"?, but I didn't. He had answered that the price for me would be $349, without service, and that was that.

So---I don't know if they have the same price listed for new T-Mo service customers or not, that I listed above. It could be that they do, but that they won't give the price to an upgrading customer. Or--the salesgirl at the one in MB could have been mistaken, in telling me that I could get that price for a contract extension. Or--this sales guy might have been mistaken, and he could have sold it to me at the new service price. I don't know. I also didn't ask, having been stopped at the $349 price tag, whether they have it in green, or also only in brown.

If anyone else wants to call that WH Fry's, ask for the cell phone dept., and ask what the price for the Shadow is with new T-Mo service, the number is: (818) 227-1000. Or call any Fry's--then we can find out if that price is only at that store, and see what another clerk's perspective is, on whether an existing customer can get that price for a contract renewal.

Sell it on Ebay? I doubt I would. I have never sold on Ebay (although I have bought there several times), and probably wouldn't bother. Anyhow, I'm looking to get a Shadow. I would probably keep it, and as you say, get used to the ugly brown color. (Always wishing I had the other color instead.) Anyone here with a new green one, who would prefer brown, who might like to trade? (I guess then I shouldn't call the brown one "ugly", but instead call it "beautiful", so someone would want to trade. :( )

I probably should have gone ahead and done it yesterday in MB. Coming again, they might not still have that price, or a different clerk might tell me I cannot get that price as an upgrade.

You say they pay full price for the phones? Then why would they sell it at such a loss as that, where the customer would only pay them $50? Even if they have too many brown ones, that they want to get rid of, I'd be surprised if they would sell the phone at a loss to themselves of $300 per phone, over their cost!

Anyhow--if anyone else looks into this, at any Fry's, please let us know about it.

[Guest mmmaiki]

Also your probably going to only find that price at THAT fry's. Seems all fry's are owned by different people. Which means all the vendors are owned by different people. Usually.

Well, it seems that price is not only at THAT Fry's. Someone on another forum saw it at that same price in a different Fry's. They told him, however, that only a new customer could sign up for service there. An existing customer could only purchase the phone full price for $350.

The question is---was the rep in the store I went to mistaken, in telling me I could get it at that price for a contract renewal, or was the rep in the other store mistaken, who said only for new customers? Or, is it possible that different Fry's have different policies regarding T-Mo service for new and existing customers, etc.?

Also, if I am able to buy it at the store I was at last night, who only had the brown one, could I take that brown one right over to another Fry's who has the green one, and exchange it?

[Guest mmmaiki]

I'll point out that I also started this discussion on Howard Forums, at

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php...23#post10401923

The discussion continued a little farther there, and I wrote about some further inquiries of mine. Rather than write the same info over again here, check out that thread above, and you can reply to it here or there.

Has anyone here got a Shadow yet through this "free" Fry's deal, (the best deal I've heard of by far, for purchasing a Shadow--pay $50 + tax, and get $50 mail-in rebate)? If so, please tell us about it. Any trouble getting it as an upgrade? At which Fry's? What colors did they have?