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Watched someone at an Apple Store buy an unlocked iPhone 6 yesterday

Splitbolt said:
I don't actually understand your above post, but it seems like you put real thought into it and found out that upgrading now was a smart decision, not just an impulsive and ill-informed one. That makes sense and IMO you did the right thing.

The person I was replying to only likes it if you don't pay any attention and make care-free purchases.
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I sold my 5s now for £180 and used £100 of it to pay off my device plan on O2 Refresh to upgrade now instead of in February. The 6 was just £9.99 up front on the same tariff I'm on now, so for £109.99 I upgraded to the 6 and had £70 in my own pocket.

In comparison if I wanted the 6s I would have had to still pay that £100 to upgrade early plus around £200 up front for the device to remain on the same tariff. My 5s wouldn't have covered that outlay.

So I got a newer device and money in my pocket instead. All I wanted was a bigger screen and  Pay. The 6 will be fine for both iOS updates and app performance/compatibility for two years, and now my upgrade falls on August 23rd, prime for the September launch window (if Apple keep it there for years to come that is).
 
RebornProphet said:
I sold my 5s now for £180 and used £100 of it to pay off my device plan on O2 Refresh to upgrade now instead of in February. The 6 was just £9.99 up front on the same tariff I'm on now, so for £109.99 I upgraded to the 6 and had £70 in my own pocket.

In comparison if I wanted the 6s I would have had to still pay that £100 to upgrade early plus around £200 up front for the device to remain on the same tariff. My 5s wouldn't have covered that outlay.

So I got a newer device and money in my pocket instead. All I wanted was a bigger screen and  Pay. The 6 will be fine for both iOS updates and app performance/compatibility for two years, and now my upgrade falls on August 23rd, prime for the September launch window (if Apple keep it there for years to come that is).
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Like I said, this makes sense. You clearly thought it out and made the smart decision.

People should admire what you did. They shouldn't be fond of (and ultimately trying to promote) someone literally throwing money away because they made an ill-informed purchased based on impatience and simply being "care-free".
 
I'm a senior rep for a national carrier and I still cringe when I sell iPhone 5c's, iPhone 5s devices, and iPhone 6/Plus models. Have been this way since August. Some customers just don't care or don't want to wait but still in my mind you are screwing yourself. You can wait for the new phone to get the older models at a discounted rate. No matter how much I try to persuade some just won't budge. Live and learn.
 
Rayy42 said:
I'm a senior rep for a national carrier and I still cringe when I sell iPhone 5c's, iPhone 5s devices, and iPhone 6/Plus models. Have been this way since August. Some customers just don't care or don't want to wait but still in my mind you are screwing yourself. You can wait for the new phone to get the older models at a discounted rate. No matter how much I try to persuade some just won't budge. Live and learn.
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I would simply say it's none of your business. You're there to sell people a phone, if they want it now then sell it to them. It's their money, their choice, end of.

Has it crossed your mind that those buying iPhone 5/5c/5s know fine well about the upcoming 6s and 6s Plus but are part of the sizeable portion of the iOS community who DON'T want a larger screen/larger device and are coming from a 4/4s?
 
Devious explanation: He's just sold his one year old iPhone 6 for a premium price and he needs a replacement iPhone 6 to tide him over for 14 days until he buys his new 6s. At that point, he returns this "loaner" 6 to Apple for a full refund.

If this is the case (and I'm not saying it is) perhaps Apple will mail him his refund in the form of a check that will take forever to arrive and subsequently clear. ;)
 
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RebornProphet said:
Has it crossed your mind that those buying iPhone 5/5c/5s know fine well about the upcoming 6s and 6s Plus but are part of the sizeable portion of the iOS community who DON'T want a larger screen/larger device and are coming from a 4/4s?
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I'm sure it has crossed his mind, but as he clearly said: They would still get it cheaper if they waited a couple of weeks.
 
Splitbolt said:
Yes, she was smart by making a uninformed and impulsive decision to make a poor investment. Smart...

So now making care-free decisions is "smart".

I bet when you go buy a car you will offer to pay the same thing for the 2014 leftover as you would pay for the 2015, because being care-free is smart?
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Thank you so much. It's nice to others who are in agreement and share the same mindset. Have a nice Labor Day weekend.
 
Splitbolt said:
Like I said, far too many people have that care-free attitude when spending huge amounts of money and that is why so many people live paycheck to paycheck and are in tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

We need to stop the care-free spending and get people to put some real thought into their purchases.
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I was unaware you knew this person's financial report. Oh wait, you did say this person was a friend.
 
karmatourer said:
I was at Costco this week and moronic sales clown tells middle-aged couple he didn't know when the + would be released. I said there will be an announcement on the 9th.Up to you. They walked away from sales clown. They had no idea regarding + announcement and they had 2 5Ss.
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Good ! That guy wanted some commission I see . Glad they walked away.
 
Splitbolt said:
You are fond of those people while many of us see it as typical ignorance. There are way too many people who are carefree when wasting their money and that is a detriment to society, not something to be fond of.

I'm glad that the guy is enjoying his new iPhone, but you would think someone would put a little bit of thought into a $600 investment. He certainly doesn't need a pat on the back for doing it.
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To be honest, I don't really see how a $650 piece of electronics that depreciates quickly can be considered an investment - at least looking purely monetarily and not in terms of utility. Heck, I wouldn't even consider it a major purchase.

Besides, we don't know their situation (financial or otherwise). You might argue that the newer phone has better resale value but what if he's not looking to resell and just plans on using the device until it dies? Also, what if his current phone is exhibiting problems now? What if he uses the phone for business and not having a reliable phone could cause him to lose clients. Really, who's better off? Someone who buys an older model a week before release but keeps using it for 4 years or more or someone who spends $100-200 in order to trade up every year?
 
rui no onna said:
To be honest, I don't really see how a $650 piece of electronics that depreciates quickly can be considered an investment - at least looking purely monetarily and not in terms of utility. Heck, I wouldn't even consider it a major purchase.

Besides, we don't know their situation (financial or otherwise). You might argue that the newer phone has better resale value but what if he's not looking to resell and just plans on using the device until it dies? Also, what if his current phone is exhibiting problems now? What if he uses the phone for business and not having a reliable phone could cause him to lose clients. Really, who's better off? Someone who buys an older model a week before release but keeps using it for 4 years or more or someone who spends $100-200 in order to trade up every year?
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Thank you for your post! My opinion of it was that - It's a phone, not a car, not a home, not a piece of land/property. I categorize purchasing an iPhone as frivolous spending. You, meaning any one, is allowed to be care-free about certain types of purchases without the need to research, because we don't know the persons financial situation to judge. This purchase may mean nothing to him/her because they may make six figures. We don't know any information of them. To explain, I'm fond of care-free attitudes, because, in general, people who are care-free seem to have less worry and can go about their day even if they shatter their new iPhone. They can move on from it and not obsessed by it.
 
ET iPhone Home said:
It's a phone, not a car, not a home, not a piece of land/property. I categorize purchasing an iPhone as frivolous spending. You, meaning any one, is allowed to be care-free about certain types of purchases without the need to research, because we don't know the persons financial situation to judge. This purchase may mean nothing to him/her because they may make six figures. We don't know any information of them.
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Yup. Interestingly enough, the aunt I mentioned earlier who bought the iPhone 4 after the 4S was announced does make six figures and drives a Lexus. Really, all she cared about was having a working phone again. Me, I like my tech more than I do cars. I know depreciation on tech is brutal but I'd still rather drive a Toyota and enjoy my new iPhone and iPad. :p

There's actually an interesting chapter on The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley regarding two doctors (Dr. South and Dr. North). Dr. South buys a new Porsche every year and spends over 60 hours researching and negotiating to get a bargain price on one. Dr. North's last car was a brand-new Mercedes kept for 20 years and he spends only a few hours researching his car purchase. Guess who has the higher net worth?

Among smartphones, Apple's iPhones are luxury models. If you're buying brand new, you're not gonna save much even if you wait a week or so. Also, there are plenty of incentives/discounts right now that could actually mean the person is getting a $200-300 off the iPhone 6. Those discounts tend to go away once Apple drops prices officially. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, the price of the iPhone is a drop in the bucket compared to the ongoing cost of postpaid cellphone service. Heck, if we're so concerned about complete strangers' financials and purchasing habits, maybe we should recommend that they ditch the postpaid contract, switch to prepaid and just buy a used Android or older model iPhone for cash. :rolleyes:
 
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TypeMRT said:
I was at an Apple Store yesterday and watched someone buy an unlocked iPhone 6 to replace their iPhone 5. I feel bad because I'm sure he'll be quite upset after next week's announcement, but I figure news of a new iPhone in September is basically mainstream knowledge by now. It didn't seem like his iPhone 5 was lost or broken (maybe it was). Would you have interrupted the sale to tell them about the upcoming iPhone event?
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Remember Apple has a 14 day return window. He probably just bought it to use until the 6s comes out then return it. I bought an iPhone 6 few days ago to try it since I'm using android right now but planning to buy the 6s.
 
techiebug said:
Remember Apple has a 14 day return window. He probably just bought it to use until the 6s comes out then return it. I bought an iPhone 6 few days ago to try it since I'm using android right now but planning to buy the 6s.
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Hope you don't drop it. None of my business, but why didn't you just wait for the 6s, if you plan to buy it?
 
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