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Should Amazon honor the price?

Snow_Fox

Android Expert
Mar 31, 2010
1,498
131
35
So if I am trying to buy a phone without a contract and I go to amazons website and it says "List Price 299.99" Then goes on to say "with contract 49.99 83% off".

This implies a few things. A. This phone is with a new contract is 49.99$ and B. Without the discount should be 299.99$

Now.. I will admit.. 299.99$ is about 79$ cheaper than the nearest full price competitor, so I was already thinking "too good to be true"

Sure enough when I clicked "take me to buy this phone" or whatever the stupid button is it brought up options. *AGAIN* it said "List Price 299.99$ and it asked "upgrade main/new/blah blah blah" and while it assumed I was upgrading or starting a new contract kept the price at 49.99$

Well when I clicked "non contract" the price actually went OVER the list price to 419.9$

I sent an email in to amazon asking why this happened and how can I get the phone for the list price.

It really made my night because, I finally found the more or less perfect phone for my situation.. and the 300$ price tag meant I could actually afford it..

If amazon is willing to let me have one for the 300$ price tag.. or at least give a really good explanation of why it is doing this.. I will be happy..

However, at the moment I'm kinda annoyed..I mean.. I don't want to say my logic is flawless.. but, I did the math.. 49.99 is roughly 83% of 379.99$ so its not like there is a mathematical error here.. There is a clear implication the phone without a contract is in fact 299.99.. Even if "list price" doesn't mean "actual price" the way I am thinking it does..

So when I go to check out, to charge me 419.99 really seems like false advertising..

I am guessing part of the debacle comes from the fact that I'm one of the few people who are even willing to pay fulll price for a phone..

I mean.. I'm not going to sue them either way, and I'm not going in guns blazing making demands.. but, I do think fair is fair..

Think they will work with me?

*edit*

and I actually just checked another phone.. it is LESS than the list price :(

I think they just more or less ignored the "without contract" option .. They figure no one wants to pay full price for a phone, and they make more money off contracts anyway...
 
@Vihzel

check this out.

When you look at the price without a contract is says 49.99.
When you look right next to it, it says "83% off" and 299.99 scratched out above it.

Implying 299.99 is what you pay before discounts.

While the phone does not say its "Off contract" I fail to see why it should have two different base values.. one for people buying a contract and one for people who want to actually pay full price.

I realize that companies actually make more money when you sign a contract.. but, come on..

If they are going to say its one price without a contract, I think that they should stick to it.. Not say "Well, We didn't actually expect you to buy it without a contract, therefore we have to charge you more!"

There is a "replacement (no contract)" option which I think is only fair that it not go above the advertised full price of the phone when clicked..

@Dan.

Yeah.. I am hoping they email me back soon. I have worked retail where every saturday night it was left to 3 associates to take down and put up like 500 tags in the small store I worked.


Some customers loved pitching a fit over incorrect tags. Most of them were cool and understood we weren't walmart with 20 man over night reset crew.. Plus I always hated in the holidays when prices changed pretty rapidly people kicking and fussing over incorrect tags when they could tell we were over stretched to begin with..

So I am really not trying to be one of those pain in the *** customers who feel they are entitled to some god given discount.

On the flipside.. They are advertising a 250$ discount with a contract..

If I'm not getting that discount, logically the phone should be 299.99.

Why should they be able to overcharge me from their own price scheme just because I am not getting a contract?
 
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the response
Hello,

I am very sorry for the confusion with the prices listed on our website. After doing a little bit of research I have found that the $299.99 list price is the list price for the phone with a contract before discounts and the $419.99 is the price without service. Unfortunately we do not have any way of offering that $299.99 price if you are purchasing the phone without service.

I hope this makes sense and if you have any other questions please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Best regards,
 
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At any rate I sent back a somewhat incoherent email.

I ended it with saying I feel there is some bias towards non contract customers.. and that I understand they make more money off contracts but, not everyone wants or needs a contract.

My comments were more while I understood what she is saying.. I didn't understand the logic behind it.

I also outright said that for most of the other phones, the actual price of getting it without a contract is cheaper than the list price.

I understand they want to make money off contracts.. but, I also outright said that if it is 299$ with a contract then it is already discounted once from the 419$ actual price.. then discounted again.

And after googling it.. list price by defintion is the price before discounts.

So..their prices are borked, they can't logically defend it.. and they just aren't going to give me the phone for the price its advertised for is what it amounts to.

-1 rep for amazon..
 
Upvote 0
That actually makes sense. I was thinking that it was the list price for a contract phone but wasn't completely sure. There's nothing really strange now... just a misunderstanding. The phone was kind of on sale in way... The exact same way that Best Buy did with the Samsung Fascinate for Black Friday. The price you saw was indeed for the contract phone and the discount was it being on sale.
 
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I have to agree with Amazon's assessment - if you had not posted their reply I was going to say the exact same thing. The List price is a price with Contract, and they are offering the phone at a deep discount from the regular list price of phone with contract.

Needless to say they will most likely not honor the price at all, but there is nothing wrong with continuing to email them - they might just give in to you to get you off their back....
 
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hm.

I know on at&t's website.. they post the full price of the phone.. the price with contract then the price of the phone with discounts.

At any rate.. I still feel safe in saying amazons system needs to be reworked some..

It seems to me what amazon is trying to do.. is make it look like their sale is better than anyone elses..

Either way...I wish newegg could offer a really good price on this..

If I can manage to afford 400$ I'll probably just go to a tmobile store..

at least by going to a tmobile store.. if I have problems with the phone, I can have it handled in store..

Although it sucks that it is 379$ and after taxes is going to end up being probably about 420$ same price as online..

at least I will be able to return it in store if needed though..
 
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Latest email from them.
Hello,

I'm sorry for the confusion regarding the pricing on the Motorola Defy Android phone without service contract.

The price of $299.99 is the price with discounts for signing up with a contract through other T-Mobile retail locations.
The price on our site as with our other phones is lower than the list price with other vendors, as you see with a contract our price is $49.99 for brand new T-Mobile customers.

The price for the phone without service is currently $419 without a contract with no additional discounts.

I'm sorry for the list price on our site showing the list price of other vendors with a contract and not the actual full list price of the phone without discounts

I feel like that is an outright lie about the price of other vendors. However, I am really not going to chase this anymore..

I brought it to their attention, and as much as I am annoyed, this email was probably about the best answer I am going to get.

I'm not going to keep bugging them because, while I will push an issue.. I try not to be one of "those customers" I am sure anyone here who has worked in retail knows what I am talking about..

If I do try to get the phone, I'll just go to the local tmobile store, that way I can return it in person
 
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