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How to buy a contract free iPhone 3g 16gb for $499

T

TEAinBRI

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Theoretically, based on what Apple stores and ATT stores have told me and my friend, I could get an iPhone 3g 16gb for $499, if, my friend reports his iPhone 3g as lost or stolen, then I give him $499, and finally he walks into an Apple store and buys a replacement iPhone 3g and gives it to me (or his old iPhone 3g, of course) and he keeps the other one. Sounds simple enough, right?

Finally, no more need to pay ridiculous eBay prices!

-Kim
 
TEAinBRI said:
Theoretically, based on what Apple stores and ATT stores have told me and my friend, I could get an iPhone 3g 16gb for $499, if, my friend reports his iPhone 3g as lost or stolen, then I give him $499, and finally he walks into an Apple store and buys a replacement iPhone 3g and gives it to me (or his old iPhone 3g, of course) and he keeps the other one. Sounds simple enough, right?

Finally, no more need to pay ridiculous eBay prices!

-Kim
Click to expand...

If it were that simple then most people would be doing that.
 
if he reports it a lost or stolen AT&T will most likely blacklist the IEMI code on the phone and you could not use it
 
Regardless of that working or not, does anyone else have any sort of problem with blatantly lying to get around contracts?
 
NiroshanMan said:
This is basically fraud. Its not that easy anymore.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is fraud.

Why would you want something like this on your record simply for an iPhone? Don't get me wrong, I have an iPhone 3G and love it dearly; however, I would never do anything illegal for it. 😛
 
TEAinBRI said:
Theoretically, based on what Apple stores and ATT stores have told me and my friend, I could get an iPhone 3g 16gb for $499, if, my friend reports his iPhone 3g as lost or stolen, then I give him $499, and finally he walks into an Apple store and buys a replacement iPhone 3g and gives it to me (or his old iPhone 3g, of course) and he keeps the other one. Sounds simple enough, right?

Finally, no more need to pay ridiculous eBay prices!

-Kim
Click to expand...

Sorry, will not work that way. Your friend would have already used his "upgrade" eligibility in order to by the iphone at the 199/299 or the "early upgrade eligibility" 399/499 price. He/she would not be re-eligible for that price. They would have to pay the full no commitment price.

If your friend wanted to buy another iPhone 3g he would have to pay the full price of 599/699 and right now, they will not let anyone even buy the no contract buy.
 
How to buy a contract free iPhone 3g 16gb for $499

You don't need to file a police report for a lost item (what sense would that make?). They simply pull up your ATT account with a contract listed, and replace it for $499 (just the same basic procedure you would do with any other subsidized smartphone). Ask any Apple rep for details.
 
$599/$699 because you have already used up your subsidy discount for that line. It's a one time discount. I've lost other phones and replacement is full "non-contract" price (unless there are special arrangements for iPhones).
TEAinBRI said:
You don't need to file a police report for a lost item (what sense would that make?). They simply pull up your ATT account with a contract listed, and replace it for $499 (just the same basic procedure you would do with any other subsidized smartphone). Ask any Apple rep for details.
Click to expand...
 
rKunda said:
Regardless of that working or not, does anyone else have any sort of problem with blatantly lying to get around contracts?
Click to expand...

It is not just lying. Lying to break a contract is as someone above mentioned fraud. It is a criminal act.
 
TEAinBRI said:
You don't need to file a police report for a lost item (what sense would that make?). They simply pull up your ATT account with a contract listed, and replace it for $499 (just the same basic procedure you would do with any other subsidized smartphone). Ask any Apple rep for details.
Click to expand...

Have you done this before?
 
But they aren't breaking a contract, that's the thing. His friend would just say he lost the phone go in, and pay the unsibsidized price for a new one.

No one is getting out of any contract.

Another good excuse which they couldn't question would simply say he broke it. IE dropped it in the toilet or on concrete. It's not really something they can question, unless they will only give you a new phone if you present the old one.

And a police report would only need to be filed if he claimed the phone was stolen. And it would be even more fraudulent if they then tried to claim it on homeowners insurance, but that's a whole other topic.

Let your friend just say he broke it or lost it, see what happens. It's not fraud because no one is breaking a contract or anything.
 
How to buy a contract free iPhone 3g 16gb for $499

Exactly onlycopunk. A simple way to buy an iPhone 3g for a friend or family member without breaking a contract.

Apple gets paid, ATT gets paid, no one gets hurt.

Why do you people have a problem with someone getting a good deal?

-Kim
 
TEAinBRI said:
Exactly onlycopunk. A simple way to buy an iPhone 3g for a friend or family member without breaking a contract.

Apple gets paid, ATT gets paid, no one gets hurt.

Why do you people have a problem with someone getting a good deal?

-Kim
Click to expand...

Because its fraud? Your lying and being dishonest? Just a start!

Edit: now if this was as easy as you say it would flood the market with unlocked iPhone 3G! Unless you get a video of you walking into a shop and walking out with a new one i will never believe it!
 
Nipz said:
Because its fraud?
Click to expand...

How is it fraud? Its not like you would be claiming a new iphone on your insurance, you are still having to pay for it.

Nipz said:
Your lying and being dishonest?
Click to expand...

Lying and dishonest?...thats fair comment but I don't see the illegality. Bearing in mind that Apple and the Telco are making millions out of the iphone customer I wouldn't have much of a problem redressing the balance by getting an iPhone in this way as long as it was within the letter of the law.
I would note that it would probably be "safer" to say the iphone had been lost rather than stolen as this would give you the possibility of "finding" the original iphone if it became necessary.
 
You guys are pretty oblivious...what's the point of lying and wasting time thinking "inside" of the box.

To get a contract-free iPhone for $499 is actually quite simple. Ask that same friend of yours to go in Apple and just buy the phone using the same line he just upgraded. Apple system should show that he's eligible for $499 pricing while renewing the 2 year contract again. Since he just signed a two year contract, it won't matter if he renews again...

It's plain and simple, just look up the pricing for people that are non-eligible for upgrade.
 
TEAinBRI said:
You don't need to file a police report for a lost item (what sense would that make?). They simply pull up your ATT account with a contract listed, and replace it for $499 (just the same basic procedure you would do with any other subsidized smartphone). Ask any Apple rep for details.
Click to expand...

1. what kind of stupid juvenile crap is this?
2. you will be paying full price for the phone, which isn't $499, more like $699
3. why would you ask an Apple rep about a "1 off" scenario that has nothing to do with their company or any policy they make, it is ATT that you have to deal with not Apple
4. this is an old scam people use to do to claim phones off of insurance, over 10 years old now. and carriers know the scheme
5. it is fraud and it is against the law, why would you risk possible jail time over a few hundred bucks, seems like a dumb thing to do, if you're going to commit fraud then do it for something worthwhile like 10mil, not to save $200

if you think about it, a lost phone is pretty much a stolen phone eventually, if you leave the phone at a public place and then go back to find it, and check the lost and found of the place and it isn't there and the place you lost it and can't find it, then it is safe to say someone has taken it and not planning to give it back, which means it is stolen. in which case you would have to file a police report, since the item is now stolen

now unless you want to walk into an ATT store and tell them you lost it in your own house, or in your car, in which case the guy behind the counter would probably wonder why you aren't looking for it instead of standing there trying to convince him to sell you another one.
 
tritonj said:
1. what kind of stupid juvenile crap is this?
2. you will be paying full price for the phone, which isn't $499, more like $699
3. why would you ask an Apple rep about a "1 off" scenario that has nothing to do with their company or any policy they make, it is ATT that you have to deal with not Apple
4. this is an old scam people use to do to claim phones off of insurance, over 10 years old now. and carriers know the scheme
5. it is fraud and it is against the law, why would you risk possible jail time over a few hundred bucks, seems like a dumb thing to do, if you're going to commit fraud then do it for something worthwhile like 10mil, not to save $200

if you think about it, a lost phone is pretty much a stolen phone eventually, if you leave the phone at a public place and then go back to find it, and check the lost and found of the place and it isn't there and the place you lost it and can't find it, then it is safe to say someone has taken it and not planning to give it back, which means it is stolen. in which case you would have to file a police report, since the item is now stolen

now unless you want to walk into an ATT store and tell them you lost it in your own house, or in your car, in which case the guy behind the counter would probably wonder why you aren't looking for it instead of standing there trying to convince him to sell you another one.
Click to expand...

That's ridiculous. Say you go out one night and the phone slips out of your pocket and you don't notice until the next morning because you're probably pretty drunk. You can back to the bar the next day and ask if anyone has turned anything in. No one has. The phone is lost! If you wish to claim insurnace then you may do, but you don't file a police report for your own negligence!

The situation would change if someone was able to snatch it out of your pocket, that would be theft. Misplacing an item is not theft. What are you going to do? File a police report? What would it say?

"I lost my phone at said bar last night, no one turned it in, it is now stoln"

The police would laugh at you! And regardless if someone found your lost phone, it wouldn't be stolen, it would be found, they just aren't giving it back. Finding something is fair game, it's whether or not the person finding has morals that they would return it. If you found $50 laying on the ground, you would pick it up and put it in your pocket. Would you then be stealing the $50? Doubtful you would tell all of your friends "Hey I found $50 today!"

There is nothing illegal about his plan at all. It is simply a loophole in the system.
 
Try honesty. I got a second iPhone 3G for $499 this way.

Bought one at the Apple store, ordered one from AT&T.

When I went to AT&T I said my friend had offered to buy my old one and would activate it and everything, I took the SIM card out, and was wondering if I could just have a new one activated. They did it for me (after a little convincing).

At first they weren't going to let me because she said I already used my discount, but the conversation went like this...

"Let's say I lost my iPhone, does that mean I could never get another iPhone?"
"You could, but you'd have to pay the full price."
"Which is?"
"$500"
"Which is what I paid for both of the iPhones."
"..."

I think they mainly gave in because it was a direct fulfillment order, so not only was my name on the phone's box, but I had already paid for it as well.
 
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