Cellular GSM Technology - Amazon equipment discount charge

Author

Amazon equipment discount charge

El Jefe

2006-10-21, 10:33 am

The following was url is from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...1860428-5981633
The way I read this is that if I order service via Amazon and then ask to
port my T-Mobile number to Cingular Amazon will charge me $250.
If anyone has definite information to the contrary please post it.

This equipment discount information also appears with the other carriers not
just Cingular

Thanks
Eljefe

Your price paid includes an equipment discount of $250 that has been
provided to you by Amazon.com for activating a new non-substitute line of
service with Cingular and maintaining this new line of service with the
selected rate plan in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days.

By accepting this equipment discount, you agree that for a period of 181
days after your new line of service is activated, you

1. will pay your balance due to Cingular each month;
2. will not disconnect this Cingular line of service;
3. will not transfer this equipment to another Cingular line of service;
4. will not transfer an existing phone number to this new line of service;
5. will not change your Cingular service rate plan to a lower monthly
service rate;
6. will not use this new line of service to replace an existing account with
Cingular.

If these conditions are not met, you herein agree to a $250 reimbursement to
be paid to Amazon.com. This reimbursement of the $250 equipment discount
will only be charged if the above conditions are not met.

Todd Allcock

2006-10-21, 10:33 am

At 21 Oct 2006 13:22:04 +0000 El Jefe wrote:
> The following was url is from Amazon.
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-
/1173901/ ref=amb_link_3772812
_1/002-1860428- 5981633
> The way I read this is that if I order service via Amazon and then ask
to
> port my T-Mobile number to Cingular Amazon will charge me $250.

Correct. See:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-
/508597/ ref=amb_link_3409342
_36/002-6672447-4128058

"If you choose to purchase a Cingular phone through Amazon.com and port
your number with Cingular, you herein agree to a $250 reimbursement to be
paid to Amazon.com...

"We hope to offer a porting option in the coming months, so please check
back."

It sounds like Amazon and Cingular basically haven't figured out how to
handle porting systemically without it cancelling Amazon's commissions
from Cingular, so the penalty is passed on to you.

> This equipment discount information also appears with the other
carriers not
> just Cingular

I'm guessing the part about porting your number is not there for the
other carriers, however, since only a $250 penalty with Cingular is
mentioned in the link I posted...

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

El Jefe

2006-10-21, 10:33 am

"Todd Allcock" < elecconnec@AmericaOn
Line.com> wrote in message
news:453a239a$0$1966
5$88260bb3@free.teranews.com...
> At 21 Oct 2006 13:22:04 +0000 El Jefe wrote:
> /1173901/ ref=amb_link_3772812
_1/002-1860428-5981633
> to
>
> Correct. See:
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-
> /508597/ ref=amb_link_3409342
_36/002-6672447-4128058
>
> "If you choose to purchase a Cingular phone through Amazon.com and port
> your number with Cingular, you herein agree to a $250 reimbursement to be
> paid to Amazon.com...
>
> "We hope to offer a porting option in the coming months, so please check
> back."
>
> It sounds like Amazon and Cingular basically haven't figured out how to
> handle porting systemically without it cancelling Amazon's commissions
> from Cingular, so the penalty is passed on to you.
>
>
> carriers not
>
> I'm guessing the part about porting your number is not there for the
> other carriers, however, since only a $250 penalty with Cingular is
> mentioned in the link I posted...

I just looked at Verizon and T-Mobile and Amazon has the same disclaimer
with these carriers also.

2006-10-23, 4:33 am

In article <0ap_g.10293$Lv3.3494@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
eljefe@37.com says...
> The following was url is from Amazon.
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...1860428-5981633
> The way I read this is that if I order service via Amazon and then ask to
> port my T-Mobile number to Cingular Amazon will charge me $250.
> If anyone has definite information to the contrary please post it.
>
> This equipment discount information also appears with the other carriers not
> just Cingular

The $250 fee applies only to Cingular, not to other carriers.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/508597/ is Amazon's
summary of number portability procedures. You can port a number to any
carrier they deal with other than Cingular without paying the fee.
(Just recently went through Amazon when I left Cingular. No big fee for
porting my number, still got the free phones and rebate, etc.)

A workaround if the switch is worth $10/month: you could buy new
Cingular service through Amazon to get the phone you want. Then, after
you have a new number at Cingular, call them up and switch plans to one
of their family plans, get their cheapest phone for the added line, and
port your old number to the new line. Use your good phone for your old
number, and just let the new number sit there 181 days until you can
cancel it without the fee.

--
josh@phred.org is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html>

LEM

2006-10-23, 10:33 pm

"El Jefe" <eljefe@37.com> wrote in
news:SAq_g.16967$UG4.14691@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net:

>
> I just looked at Verizon and T-Mobile and Amazon has the same
> disclaimer with these carriers also.
>

There's a very small but significant difference between the disclamer on
T-mobile contract vs Cingular contract (haven't looked at the others):

In Cingular disclamer:
4. will not transfer an existing phone number to this new line of
service;

In T-mobile disclamer:
4. will not transfer an existing phone number from another T-Mobile
account to this new line of service;

Or in other words T-mobile won't allow you to transfer a number from
another *t-mobile* line, while Cingular won't let you transfer any number
(without a penalty).

And to the original questions - I don't think there is a way to unlock
your phone through Cingular. T-mobile is the only carrier that does it,
AFAIK. You can, of course, unlock it for a few bucks in the nearest
chinatown, but that will probably void your warranty... And I keep
hearing the horror stories about Cingular's CS... So you decide.

One thing you CAN do - get a replacement phone from t-mobile, unlock it,
then sell it on eBay (you may have to use it for a few times on your line
before selling to meet service requirement, especially if you are getiing
mail-in rebate for it -- read the fine print carefully). With money you
make buy an unlocked phone of your liking (perhaps on eBay again, or back
in chinatown)... Do check out independent resellers. Last year when I was
upgrading my T-mobile phones I got a far better upgrade deal from an
independent kiosk in local mall than anything T-mobile corporate store
(in the same mall) could offer (or their web site). But be careful and
read everything you sign - some independent resellers are crooks indeed,
and things may not work the way they promise, but by the time you find it
out you'll be stuck with them!

LEM
(remove all digits from address for e-mail reply).

P.S. Just short of 3 years ago I bought 4 t-mobile phones on Amazon, each
with individual plan, the day they arrived converted them all to one
family plan (Amazon didn't sell family plans back then) and ported my 4
sprint pcs lines to them. No hassle at all. Ended up making some cash
after all rebates came in. I've heard since then it became much harder to
do similar tricks... But I'm not about to switch anyway!

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