I am unsure if ATT is making money on these devices (or rather how much?) Isn't it a third party providing the loans?
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AT&T no longer matching Sprint's 20GB for the price of 10GB promo
- Thread starter Roland Deschain
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I am unsure if ATT is making money on these devices (or rather how much?) Isn't it a third party providing the loans?
All I can say is you are going to pay full price with either Next or Subsidized. You have choices. What you choose is what is right for you. This debate, just goes on an on. People are going to believe what they want to believe.
Every carrier has this Next type plan because T-Mobile started the un-carrier type plan that was tempting people to switch. Other carriers had to conform or lose customers. During this iPhone launch carriers are really fighting to keep customers and thus giving deals and changing plans, giving customers options to keep them as customers. NEXT is not a rip off or a scam or a lease or you have to give it back. It is just a transparent way of seeing what you are really paying for, where as the subsidized plan wasn't. People still believe they are only paying $199-299 for their $800 phone when they upgrade for 2 yrs. Not the case, but no matter how many times it is explained to them, they just don't get it.
That's ok, let them do what they want. It doesn't matter because I don't pay their bill, but, it still bothers me when I see a thread or comments saying NEXT is a rip-off. I just have to move on to something else because they aren't going to get it. It is already a preconceived notion and nothing is going to change their minds. So, I will be happy with my choices and let others be happy with theirs.
Every carrier has this Next type plan because T-Mobile started the un-carrier type plan that was tempting people to switch. Other carriers had to conform or lose customers. During this iPhone launch carriers are really fighting to keep customers and thus giving deals and changing plans, giving customers options to keep them as customers. NEXT is not a rip off or a scam or a lease or you have to give it back. It is just a transparent way of seeing what you are really paying for, where as the subsidized plan wasn't. People still believe they are only paying $199-299 for their $800 phone when they upgrade for 2 yrs. Not the case, but no matter how many times it is explained to them, they just don't get it.
That's ok, let them do what they want. It doesn't matter because I don't pay their bill, but, it still bothers me when I see a thread or comments saying NEXT is a rip-off. I just have to move on to something else because they aren't going to get it. It is already a preconceived notion and nothing is going to change their minds. So, I will be happy with my choices and let others be happy with theirs.
Of the $40/month that you pay for each phone, $15/month goes towards access fees, which leaves the remaining $25/month going towards the cost of the phone.
That $25/month works out to $600 per phone over a 2-year contract.
So adding that $600 back into the price you paid up-front, you paid:
$824.82 for a 128GB iPhone 6. Would have been $849 on Next.
$922.10 for a 64GB iPhone 6. Would have been $749 on Next.
$673.91 for a 64GB iPhone 6. Would have been $749 on Next.
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$2,420.91. Would have been $2,347 on Next (or if you had just bought the phones out-right).
The prices above don't include that free month that retentions gave you. But it's just amazing to me to see that even though trade-ins brought the up-front price of all three of the phones down, that $25 monthly fee on 2-year contacts quickly inflates the total cost of those phones right back up. Thankfully retentions gave you that free month, so that puts you a little bit under the Next 18 plan (which is a 24-month contract).
FWIW, you can use trade-ins with Next accounts. This was my first year using Next to upgrade 4 phones on my account, and I traded all four of the old phones in. Since there is no up-front phone cost to apply the trades towards, the $900 went forward as a credit on my AT&T account, used against the balance of the data plan/service fees for a few months.
IIRC, AT&T Next 18 has a 24-month term.
None of the Next contracts have pre-payment penalties, so even if you were on their 30-month term and wanted to upgrade at month 24 (and retain your phones), you simply pay off the balance, keep your old phones, and then upgrade to new phones.
Calling it a lease means that you won't own the phone at the end of the contract, which isn't the case.
In this situation, you're giving AT&T your phone in return for AT&T wiping out the balance of money that you still own on your Next contract. So while you'll personally never handle a dime of the money that you got for the phone you have been paying for, you did receive monetary compensation for it. Probably nowhere near as much as if you had sold it yourself (which you have the option to do), but you did receive money (i.e. "you got a lot of dimes") for it.
I don't recall saying that the next plan was a rip off, I explained in my previous reply the reason behind my choice.
Either way you are going to pay almost the same, given $200-$300 here and there.
The promos is what makes AT&T Next worth it in my opinion like what they were doing such as $150 bill credit for each line you switch. Now that could be a very good deal if you switch few lines.
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True, that's another way to look at things.
I will consider the NEXT option as I said in two years when I am ready for the next batch of upgrades (HELLO iPhone 7) For now there has been a lot of confusion with the NEXT option.
I have two phones on the 2 year contract and the third one which I added yesterday, I have 12 days to make up my mind. I could go back to best buy and request to cancel and repurchase the phone with next instead of the contract, but I highly doubt it will benefit me since I only had to pay $99.13 (includes case and tax) for the new iPhone 6...so either way things are going to be evening it out for me. It would have made a difference possibly if I had all three lines on the next.
Looks like "AT&T Mobility LLC" is providing the loans?
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I think you did a great job -- it's rare to see a 2-year contract <on a 10GB+ Mobile Share plan> that beats a Next contract!
Looks like "AT&T Mobility LLC" is providing the loans?
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I think you did a great job -- it's rare to see a 2-year contract <on a 10GB+ Mobile Share plan> that beats a Next contract!
Thanks for that!
Looks like "AT&T Mobility LLC" is providing the loans?
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I think you did a great job -- it's rare to see a 2-year contract <on a 10GB+ Mobile Share plan> that beats a Next contract!
Trust me, I had to work for it, I was considering selling the 3G iPhone last week on ebay for few bucks if it was worth that much...until I saw the Best Buy ad, the first day I went there they wouldn't take it, so I reached out @ their social media site and they gave me a $100 GC (being mailed), then I went back the following day back to Best Buy and they finally took my iPhone 3G 8GB and gave me $100 for it and also took my iPhone 5 for $180, I was super happy with it. Since I scored a free $100 GC from BB I will probably use to get the new iPad Air 2 while its still on sale probably.
See this thread: http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Holiday-Shopping-Support/Black-Friday-iPhone-Trade-in-Deal/td-p/881656
About AT&T Retention, I never called them before so this was the first time I contacted them, I had the unlimited data plan, the lady offered me the free month by switching me to the Mobile Share 30GB plan for both of my lines, gave up unlimited, but in the end I gained a service that is much better!
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Looks like "AT&T Mobility LLC" is providing the loans?
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I think you did a great job -- it's rare to see a 2-year contract <on a 10GB+ Mobile Share plan> that beats a Next contract!
16GB?My previous iPhone 5 was 16GB and I had to constantly delete things to add stuff, this time around I was tired of deleting stuff so i decided to go with the 128 for my iPhone, I was going to go with the 64GB but it was out of stock everywhere and the Apple store had only this one available...
I didn't quote you and wasn't directing it towards you personally. It was a general statement. No worries.
This thread has gone off course and is really about the double data plans promo. Hope everyone was able to take advantage of it while they could.
Sorry, I should not have derailed the thread. Mods please forgive me!
I logged online today and noticed the 15GB plan was gone, but it was a good deal! I hope more and more carrier competition happens, its always good for the consumer when there is high competition. Thank you T-Mobile for starting this.
Sorry, I should not have derailed the thread. Mods please forgive me!
I logged online today and noticed the 15GB plan was gone, but it was a good deal! I hope more and more carrier competition happens, its always good for the consumer when there is high competition. Thank you T-Mobile for starting this.
Good thing I upgraded my 10gb to 15gb on Friday!
*ponders what to do with the 5 extra gigs*
I would call and try. It just ended yesterday I believe.
It might depend on the rep that you get, but I would give it a shot.
Totally agree with this. I went on NEXT this summer and am very pleased with my choice.
However, AT&T has to shoulder some of the blame for NEXT's poor public perception. When they originally launched it, it didn't automatically come with the mobile share plan so in most cases, people would have been paying for their phones twice. Also (IMO), AT&T pushed a little too hard on the "trade the phone in after x months" option, which also works against the customer sometimes.
There are definitely some people who have made up their minds and won't take a moment to understand how it works, but AT&T could have done a better job educating it's customers.
I wanted to reply here to give a resolution to my solution.
I was offered the 20gb promo on the last day before it was pulled. Had it set to start my next billing cycle (mistake). Next cycle I had 2gb instead of 20. After chatting/talking to like 20 people they finally said a month later they'd give me the 20gb but had to do an IT ticket since it didn't exist anymore.
2 weeks later I got a text saying "Your request for 20gb has been denied, thanks". I called and was told IT said it was physically impossible. Despite my text as proof of being offered and others having luck I was told it was over.
I filed a claim with the BBB. Yesterday someone from the ATT executive team called and our convo went like this:
Him: I understand you were offered 20gb and not given it? It sounds like it was because the rep offered it but the deal was already over.
Me: Oh, I was given a text and confirmed the deal.
Him: Ok, let me try to give you 20gb for price of 10 effective today. (he typed for 10 seconds) Ok, done. Is this situation consider resolved?"
Me: yes, thanks
I have 20gb now. Apparently this exec team has super power and can do in 10 seconds what the retentions manager and IT team said was impossible.
In summary, if anything, this told me att is full of BS and everything they told me is bs if it was this easy.
I did sign up for a tmobile prepaid plan but left my att open while this was resolved. I'll probably still switch to tmobile because my perception of att really changed after all this.
I was offered the 20gb promo on the last day before it was pulled. Had it set to start my next billing cycle (mistake). Next cycle I had 2gb instead of 20. After chatting/talking to like 20 people they finally said a month later they'd give me the 20gb but had to do an IT ticket since it didn't exist anymore.
2 weeks later I got a text saying "Your request for 20gb has been denied, thanks". I called and was told IT said it was physically impossible. Despite my text as proof of being offered and others having luck I was told it was over.
I filed a claim with the BBB. Yesterday someone from the ATT executive team called and our convo went like this:
Him: I understand you were offered 20gb and not given it? It sounds like it was because the rep offered it but the deal was already over.
Me: Oh, I was given a text and confirmed the deal.
Him: Ok, let me try to give you 20gb for price of 10 effective today. (he typed for 10 seconds) Ok, done. Is this situation consider resolved?"
Me: yes, thanks
I have 20gb now. Apparently this exec team has super power and can do in 10 seconds what the retentions manager and IT team said was impossible.
In summary, if anything, this told me att is full of BS and everything they told me is bs if it was this easy.
I did sign up for a tmobile prepaid plan but left my att open while this was resolved. I'll probably still switch to tmobile because my perception of att really changed after all this.
No.
What it says is that a super executive has the ability and authority to do things that a retentions rep does not have the ability to do.
That is the way it should be.
If you don't understand that and you are so embittered the go to tMobile where the reps are allowed to do absolutely anything that their execs can do.
We disagree on a lot of things but this is not one of them. I was about to type this same thing but you did it for me.
I will add that it is unfortunate that Att didn't really attempt to resolve anything until the BBab came into play. But that's the way things go sometimes.
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Either way, I wasn't given the customer service I expected. This should not have taken 2 months and a complaint to the BBB to give me what I was promised.
Yes I understand the execs can do things that reps can't but upper management also they could do nothing . I was told they couldn't do the plan because it doesn't exist. It obviously does since I'm now on it.
You should have known that was BS solely from the fact that other people are still on the plan.
The only question was who had the authority/ability to put the plan on your account.
Good on you for continuing to push until you got the result you wanted. Just realize that all the carriers general bad customer experience stories; don't get fooled into thinking the customer service grass is really greener.
You obviously didn't understand what they were saying.
It doesn't exist in that they have no access to it and can't sign you up. So for them, it doesn't exist - there was nothing they can type into their computer to make it appear. For people who have the plan, it obviously does.
The UDP doesn't exist anymore either, but an exec can still get you on that plan.
I am really, really sad that you didn't get the customer experience you wanted. This has totally harshed my buzz and my weekend is ruined.
When Next first launched it was a terrible option. There was no monthly discount for going that route like there is now and to even do Next you had to be a new customer or your two-year contract needed to have been fulfilled.
The changes they made since then really made the program. So they're entirely responsible for the poor public perception because it was ****ing terrible.
Don't forget activation fees. You pay $35 per line for activation on subsidized phones, on Next you pay $0 for activation.