Sorry, not buying the whole "I just called them and asked for an upgrade and they said, sure no problem at all"
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
For those upgrading iPhone 5 to 5S, how are you going about it?
- Thread starter blerns3
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Sorry, not buying the whole "I just called them and asked for an upgrade and they said, sure no problem at all"
it actually used to be that way, I can confirm.
I used to do that every year, no problem.
Last year was different though, some people with large monthly bills got the same deal as before, I had to insist many times and ended up paying $80 or so above subsidized price.
This year should be even harder as they now sell an upgrade service (next) for that very purpose.
I have since switched to TMO...
Note that the "just call and ask" is a proven strategy in many many areas, for some reason people are just too lazy or scared to call.
I personally "call and ask" every 6 months for cable TV/internet, car insurance... every year for home insurance and property taxes. I pay up to half for those things, what my friends and coworkers pay for the same service. They know about it as I tell them to call every chance I get, they just won't for some reason...
Unless you bought your '5' without subsidy, you won't be getting the 5s for $299. Guaranteed.
It ended last year...the 4s to the 5. We've got 11 phones (for our business) and have a pretty substantial account with AT&T, including our personal 4 phone account. Doesn't work anymore. It did up until the 4 --->4s, but not to the '5'
I'll take that bet. I guarantee you will NOT get a subsidized upgrade IF you bought your '5' under subsidy (IE---you didn't pay $749 for your '5') @ $1/2/399. It's over. It's done...stick a fork in it. Same on Verizon. Even the 20 month deal is OVER! Sucks but it's true....sorry bud, you're not going to 'win' this one. Again---I'll take your bet, via PayPal---and Mods, if I'm not allowed to 'accept the bet'---I'm more than happy to move this to the personal messaging system vs. the actual thread
J
Customer service reps for the various carriers have a tough job. Mainly because they're frequently dealing with angry unhappy people. It's thanks to the nasty customers that make it easy for me to get an attractive price when I want to upgrade & may not be eligible.
There's a lot to be said for being nice, clear and concise about what you want. I never threaten to switch carriers or complain. I simply ask for what I want, and usually get it. But first you have to wiling to accept the fact you may get a no. You win some & you lose some, that's life. It's only a phone.
There's a lot to be said for being nice, clear and concise about what you want. I never threaten to switch carriers or complain. I simply ask for what I want, and usually get it. But first you have to wiling to accept the fact you may get a no. You win some & you lose some, that's life. It's only a phone.
It will have a new widgety thing and also more blinky stuff. Also, you will never get laid again if you don't have it.
Switching back to AT&T after a couple years at Verizon..
Plan on getting 3 iphone 5S's...maybe 4
Will take a chance and preorder at best buy most likely..
1 - 64GB - $399
2 - 16GB - $199
Total = $800
Sell my current iphone 5 64GB for around $500 and the wifes for $300-$400 on a quick sale. Should break even.
On a side note it looks like the Galaxy Note III will be announced and released before the iphone 5s so i will most likely pick that up possibly.
Plan on getting 3 iphone 5S's...maybe 4
Will take a chance and preorder at best buy most likely..
1 - 64GB - $399
2 - 16GB - $199
Total = $800
Sell my current iphone 5 64GB for around $500 and the wifes for $300-$400 on a quick sale. Should break even.
On a side note it looks like the Galaxy Note III will be announced and released before the iphone 5s so i will most likely pick that up possibly.
With the money saved from using goPhone on 2 lines I have at least $600 saved up once a year, that's $300 per line. I'll sell both my ip5's on CL, I would assume after the 5s gets released they should fetch what, $300-$350? They are both unlocked. So that pretty much pays for most if not all of my 2 new phones once a year, every year; next year I will do the same thing. And that's without paying the $199 fee for each phone. It's not that much different than having post paid, but I get a new phone every year and am contract free, and still come out on top with a small monthly savings and not having to pay the upgrade fee every year (which they don't even offer that option).
I think next year I will probably have more than $600 saved up, you can find the monthly refill cards for gophone for a good deal less than face value making the monthly savings add up quicker.
I think next year I will probably have more than $600 saved up, you can find the monthly refill cards for gophone for a good deal less than face value making the monthly savings add up quicker.
Last edited:
Unless you bought your '5' without subsidy, you won't be getting the 5s for $299. Guaranteed.
It ended last year...the 4s to the 5. We've got 11 phones (for our business) and have a pretty substantial account with AT&T, including our personal 4 phone account. Doesn't work anymore. It did up until the 4 --->4s, but not to the '5'
I'll take that bet. I guarantee you will NOT get a subsidized upgrade IF you bought your '5' under subsidy (IE---you didn't pay $749 for your '5') @ $1/2/399. It's over. It's done...stick a fork in it. Same on Verizon. Even the 20 month deal is OVER! Sucks but it's true....sorry bud, you're not going to 'win' this one. Again---I'll take your bet, via PayPal---and Mods, if I'm not allowed to 'accept the bet'---I'm more than happy to move this to the personal messaging system vs. the actual thread
J
No need to get this upset! You say that it worked up until the 4 to the 4S, but not from the 4S to the 5...can you please explain how I got my iPhone 5 at a subsidized price halfway through my 2 year contract with my iPhone 4S?
Well it actually took quite some time on the phone, talking to supervisors and such. But that's basically how it went down.
If none of the people who own an iPhone 5 will be able to upgrade to the 5s without paying full price, then doesn't that mean this years 5s sales numbers are going to be significantly lower than previous years where even people within a year got some level of discounted pricing?
I wonder what percentage of 5 buyers were 4/4s owners.
I wonder what percentage of 5 buyers were 4/4s owners.
wow really, and pay like $800 for it? no thx
i love how apple rapes customer on extra storage
Same as every year. Will put my phone on Craigslist for ~ $400 about a week before the keynote. It WILL sell... Go to AT&T, get a full sized SIM, then DARE them to change my iPhone data plan to a standard smartphone data plan thus affecting my eligibility. Listen to them tell me that data won't work on my tacky android backup if I don't, prove them wrong like I do every year. Then pre-order my new iPhone when the Apple Store goes live. Rinse and repeat annually. 
Interesting to hear everyone's take on it. I'm having trouble justifying the price in my head in the end unless Apple throws some feature/specs in that we aren't expecting. I guess I'll just have that two-three day window to decide after it's announced and before pre-orders start when we know the specs in full.
Great question ... My situation is this ... I have been using unlocked iPhones on Tmobile since 2007. Previously I would get launch day iPhones from the local Apple store.
For the original it was walk in and buy the phone no questions asked. Think the 3G was the same way? The 3GS and iPhone 4 was having friends buy under their AT&T account and pay the 30 day cancellation penalty to keep.
Last few releases (4S and 5) I have gotten sim free full price iPhones on launch day (aka factory unlocked).
This will be the first time ever that Tmobile is an official carrier and I don't have to feel like a criminal sneaking around buying an iPhone!
Think I will order straight from Apple again to get Apple care plus added for sure without and hiccups ... That is unless Tmobile does any kind of promotions ... Discounts etc which will be doubtful.
For the original it was walk in and buy the phone no questions asked. Think the 3G was the same way? The 3GS and iPhone 4 was having friends buy under their AT&T account and pay the 30 day cancellation penalty to keep.
Last few releases (4S and 5) I have gotten sim free full price iPhones on launch day (aka factory unlocked).
This will be the first time ever that Tmobile is an official carrier and I don't have to feel like a criminal sneaking around buying an iPhone!
Think I will order straight from Apple again to get Apple care plus added for sure without and hiccups ... That is unless Tmobile does any kind of promotions ... Discounts etc which will be doubtful.
Unless you bought your '5' without subsidy, you won't be getting the 5s for $299. Guaranteed.
It ended last year...the 4s to the 5. We've got 11 phones (for our business) and have a pretty substantial account with AT&T, including our personal 4 phone account. Doesn't work anymore. It did up until the 4 --->4s, but not to the '5'
I'll take that bet. I guarantee you will NOT get a subsidized upgrade IF you bought your '5' under subsidy (IE---you didn't pay $749 for your '5') @ $1/2/399. It's over. It's done...stick a fork in it. Same on Verizon. Even the 20 month deal is OVER! Sucks but it's true....sorry bud, you're not going to 'win' this one. Again---I'll take your bet, via PayPal---and Mods, if I'm not allowed to 'accept the bet'---I'm more than happy to move this to the personal messaging system vs. the actual thread
J
Just got off the phone with AT&T and they have approved an early subsidized upgrade for 2 of the 4 lines on my account, early upgrade fees removed. $299.99 per white 32GB iPhone 5s plus $36 upgrade fee. They will be on my doorstep in 3-5 business days from tomorrow. How did you want to send me my winnings? I accept credit card and PayPal
See above response. Took 57 minutes on the phone. So yeah, basically "I just called them and asked for an upgrade and they said, sure no problem at all."
I'm waiting til I see somebody using a 5s in the color that I want... And I'm thinking about using my sword to chop their entire hand off and using my quick and awesome reflexes to catch the hand and iPhone before they hit the ground... Since that persons hand will be cut off, they're not very likely to try to chase me or anything... Then I will quickly sell THAT iPhone to some unsuspecting person who will then be tracked via find my phone tools and prosecuted!! Then I'll go buy an early upgrade at the AT&T store and wait for the shipment!!