I heard that if you buy the 3G iPhone and then cancel the same/next day, and you do NOT return the iPhone back to the store, they will bill you $175 (ETF fee)... Is this correct?
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3G iPhone: Buy Then Cancel, Consequences?
- Thread starter legaleye3000
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No, they'll bill you the full price of the iPhone. You can choose not to pay it if you don't like credit scores.
will my plan work?
I am an exchange student and will go back to my home country in september.
I know that there is a non commitment option announced by ATT but nobody knows when. It says "coming soon"....
I play with open cards:
I want to go to an att/apple store, sign a two year contract and get the 16GB phone for 299$ + 36$ activation. After 30 days , I will cancel my contract and pay the ETF of 175$ + plus 70$ rate for the first month and keep the phone.
If I calculate right, I can get the phone without any contract for 581$.
No commitment option will be 700$ anyway, so its a safe of money and I can be sure to have the phone on the day when Ill leave.
Do you think my plan will work out?
I am an exchange student and will go back to my home country in september.
I know that there is a non commitment option announced by ATT but nobody knows when. It says "coming soon"....
I play with open cards:
I want to go to an att/apple store, sign a two year contract and get the 16GB phone for 299$ + 36$ activation. After 30 days , I will cancel my contract and pay the ETF of 175$ + plus 70$ rate for the first month and keep the phone.
If I calculate right, I can get the phone without any contract for 581$.
No commitment option will be 700$ anyway, so its a safe of money and I can be sure to have the phone on the day when Ill leave.
Do you think my plan will work out?
If you're an exchange student, do you have a US credit history? If not, you'll probably be required to put down a very big deposit to get the phone. So that phone will end up costing you about $1,000. If they'd even give you one at all.
To the OP: From what the AT&T folks said yesterday, phone has to be returned or they'll charge you "the full price" of the item. So I'm guessing you'd owe them another $400.
I may just get one and cancel it after 30 days. I got royally screwed for listening to an ATT CSR. She told me I had to get another phone through her in order to keep my Maryland numbers with another billing address (I need this because my wife tele-commutes). Of course this was before they came out with the method to activate. Now, I have two Curves that I haven't had long enough to even qualify for the early upgrade and they won't sell me a phone at all (the account is under my SSN). The way I understand it, my wife can start an account and we can cancel after 30 days. It will end up costing similar to what the early upgrade cost is. If I wouldn't have listened to the CSR I wouldn't be in this situation, but I still don't know if they would have been able to allow me to keep my numbers if I did this in the store. I really feel like I got punked. I try to do things above board, but this lets me know that isn't always the best way.
Early Termination before 30 days
I tried just that. I bought it Friday and tried both yesterday and today to cancel it. Yesterday, the nice CSR told me because it was before 30 days and due to commissions and stuff, I would need to call the store where I bought it. I told her I was not available to physically go back to the store (I'm in SF, bought it i IL on a trip I just got back from). She said calling them should be able to get it cancelled. (with the Early Term Fee of course). Of course with the craze, the local store isn't answering their phone.
I called CS again today to tell them I couldn't get ahold of the store. She had a completely different story than the CSR yesterday. She said that until I physically returned the phone to the store they could not close my account. I yelled and said I have my credit card for you to charge me the 175.00 early term fee as my contract states. She said absolutely not. If the local store doesn't get the phone back, they can't cancel it. She said I will have to wait 30 days to cancel my service (with 175 fee) if I wasn't returning the phone.
That is NOT what the contract says but whatever. I will try again tomorrow or just wait 30 days and cancel it on day 31. In the mean time, I've got some minutes to use up. In the end, still worth it to buy it as a new account and then move it to my old account which wasn't eligible for an upgrade rather than pay the same price (499) and have to extend my current contract another year.
I tried just that. I bought it Friday and tried both yesterday and today to cancel it. Yesterday, the nice CSR told me because it was before 30 days and due to commissions and stuff, I would need to call the store where I bought it. I told her I was not available to physically go back to the store (I'm in SF, bought it i IL on a trip I just got back from). She said calling them should be able to get it cancelled. (with the Early Term Fee of course). Of course with the craze, the local store isn't answering their phone.
I called CS again today to tell them I couldn't get ahold of the store. She had a completely different story than the CSR yesterday. She said that until I physically returned the phone to the store they could not close my account. I yelled and said I have my credit card for you to charge me the 175.00 early term fee as my contract states. She said absolutely not. If the local store doesn't get the phone back, they can't cancel it. She said I will have to wait 30 days to cancel my service (with 175 fee) if I wasn't returning the phone.
That is NOT what the contract says but whatever. I will try again tomorrow or just wait 30 days and cancel it on day 31. In the mean time, I've got some minutes to use up. In the end, still worth it to buy it as a new account and then move it to my old account which wasn't eligible for an upgrade rather than pay the same price (499) and have to extend my current contract another year.
I haven't seen the contract yet, but everything I've seen published by AT&T or Apple so far has said that if you cancel in the first thirty days, you are required to return the hardware for a refund.
AT&T's policy has always been like that.
You cancel before the 30 days, you give back the phone.
Nope not completely true..
This is how it is all all Cell providers..
After 30days...you can cancel and not give the phone back...but they will charge you the early termination fee (ETF)
they can not charge you the full price after 30 days...read the contract...its in the contract...sprint...att, verizon...they all pretty much have the same type of contract...
Plus none of them can force you to pay the full 24 months...you can cancel at anytime...but you will have to pay the ETF which is now prorated by the months left in your contract.
We don't have the concept of early termination in the UK - you'd have to pay 18 * the monthly fee you are contracted for.
well, it's 13th of july
does anybody know if it's possible to buy an iphone3g without a contract? and how much does it cost?
and if only american citisens could buy it? or what do you require to buy one w/o the contract?
do you need to sign a contract in the store if you're buying iphone (the older version)? if not, how much does the older iphone cost? i know they have said the older iphone will be available until its out of stock...
does anybody know if it's possible to buy an iphone3g without a contract? and how much does it cost?
and if only american citisens could buy it? or what do you require to buy one w/o the contract?
do you need to sign a contract in the store if you're buying iphone (the older version)? if not, how much does the older iphone cost? i know they have said the older iphone will be available until its out of stock...
So you started a new line, to get the $299 price, then after one month, $70+$8 in taxes and fees, possibly a $36 activation fee, then $175 ETF, that's about $588.
Not bad for being out of contract, or atleast not extending it 2 years. So do you know for sure when using it on your existing account they won't force you to sign up for another 2 years, and you can add a $30 data plan as you please just like any smartphone?
well I have been living here since 9 months now and I have a vaild SSN and bank account with enough money on it and a monthly salary. Do you think they will give it to me without deposit?