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Jayjew

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 11, 2015
428
193
Minneapolis
So they had an iPhone x in stock today, In front of me. And they wouldn't let me buy it off contract!? Why? Does anybody know???
 
I would assume they only get paid by the carrier if they sell it in a way that ties the customer into a contract. You buy it outright and they don't get that.
 
This isn't uncommon at all for target. You can ask them to see if a manager will override the rule but generally speaking target won't sell hot phones outright. Their entire compensation scheme is tied to contracts. You're better off just doing a carrier financing and paying it off immediately if you can swing that. Edit: this is precisely why best buy upcharged $100 for phones off contract. After they got all sorts of heat for that, they just took away the purchase option entirely. Question whether that's good for the consumer or not. I'd prefer the choice.
 
This isn't uncommon at all for target. You can ask them to see if a manager will override the rule but generally speaking target won't sell hot phones outright. Their entire compensation scheme is tied to contracts. You're better off just doing a carrier financing and paying it off immediately if you can swing that. Edit: this is precisely why best buy upcharged $100 for phones off contract. After they got all sorts of heat for that, they just took away the purchase option entirely. Question whether that's good for the consumer or not. I'd prefer the choice.
I would have appreciated the option, it would've put a bit of a dent in scalping.
 
This is the same reason Best Buy charged a $100 premium on unlocked, contract-free iPhones. Without selling a contract or locking a customer into a device payment plan, Best Buy (and Target) makes no money from the carriers.
 
I would have appreciated the option, it would've put a bit of a dent in scalping.
I completely agree with you. What if they said, sure, we'll sell it to you but the price is $100 more because we don't make money on the phone when we sell out of contract? Well, you can make the informed decision as to whether you want to pay, buy on contract or walk away. I see nothing wrong with this and like you said, way better than buying on craigslist.
 
I completely agree with you. What if they said, sure, we'll sell it to you but the price is $100 more because we don't make money on the phone when we sell out of contract? Well, you can make the informed decision as to whether you want to pay, buy on contract or walk away. I see nothing wrong with this and like you said, way better than buying on craigslist.
Same here, I just called again it was a different worker. No budge... Wish scalpers weren't a thing. :(
 
Why is this so hard for people to deal with? The get some help from the carrier, so that is the model. Buy it on payment plan, then pay it off.

My brother will not get a new phone for this reason. It moans and groans that he would rather just pay for it. Not gonna be stuck with a carrier, etc.

1 - He has been on the same carrier for 10+ years.
2 - There is no extra charge to defer payments.
3 - You can pay it off soon after buying if you want.

Why is this so hard for people to understand?
 
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If I buy it from Verizon or tied to Verizon they want to charge me to “activate it on their service”
If I pay for a phone out right not hooked to a service and unlocked I simply pop in my sim and it doesn’t cost me an extra $30 Or whatever their activation fee is these days. The fact phones got tied to carriers here in the US is ******** to begin with. I buy most of my phones unlocked and used for that reason
 
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Why is this so hard for people to deal with? The get some help from the carrier, so that is the model. Buy it on payment plan, then pay it off.

My brother will not get a new phone for this reason. It moans and groans that he would rather just pay for it. Not gonna be stuck with a carrier, etc.

1 - He has been on the same carrier for 10+ years.
2 - There is no extra charge to defer payments.
3 - You can pay it off soon after buying if you want.

Why is this so hard for people to understand?

For those with low credit scores, the only option is to pay in full. This represents about 30% of the US population.
 
Why is this so hard for people to deal with? The get some help from the carrier, so that is the model. Buy it on payment plan, then pay it off.

My brother will not get a new phone for this reason. It moans and groans that he would rather just pay for it. Not gonna be stuck with a carrier, etc.

1 - He has been on the same carrier for 10+ years.
2 - There is no extra charge to defer payments.
3 - You can pay it off soon after buying if you want.

Why is this so hard for people to understand?
My issue is that I am on Verizon prepaid. I was looking to score a new 8 this past week from Sam's club when they were offering their 300 dollar gift card with purchase. I called the day of and no dice buying without a contract, which would raise my monthly cell phone bill about 30 dollars. Verizon has much better prepaid plans then they do postpaid. Was not about to give them more money and just break even on the deal. I'll buy from Apple at full price first.
 
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