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Will you buy your Evo 3D subsidized or outright?

How will you purchase your Evo 3D?

  • 2yr subsidized at $199

    Votes: 63 81.8%
  • $499...forget contracts!

    Votes: 14 18.2%

  • Total voters
    77
A few reason, 1st you dont have to sign up for 2 years, which means you go off contract, which gives you considerable bargaining chip. Secondly, the price difference between the contract price and no contract prices makes it easier just to walk away if you get screwed.

Unless you get the whole 200 dollar discount, it is really pointless to do an upgrade. I personally will buy the phone out right, off contract. Which means if I have a problem with something, they know I can easily walk away and will treat me better for it.

If you are on contract, they really do have you over a barrel.
 
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Now that prices have leaked, will you buy into a 2yr contract for $199 or $499 outright for the Evo 3D?

Contract for me. I will be jumping from T-mobile, mostly due to the whole AT+T thing, but some signal issues as well. I'll have 30 days to test things. If it doesn't work out, I'll head to Verizon. If it does work out, I'll have a great phone at a great price. Then, I'll keep the phone until quad cores start becoming the norm at around the upgrade time in <2 years.

Given all of that, the contract makes sense for me.
 
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Been a satisfied Sprint customer for about 10 years. At one point, I switched to VZW to see what the hype was about, but I did not see enough improvement in the network to justify the price hike, nor was I a fan of the plan limitations; so, I (very) quickly switched back to Sprint. Therefore, I have no problem committing to Sprint for another two years. Subsidized EVO 3D for me.
 
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A few reason, 1st you dont have to sign up for 2 years, which means you go off contract, which gives you considerable bargaining chip. Secondly, the price difference between the contract price and no contract prices makes it easier just to walk away if you get screwed.

Unless you get the whole 200 dollar discount, it is really pointless to do an upgrade. I personally will buy the phone out right, off contract. Which means if I have a problem with something, they know I can easily walk away and will treat me better for it.

If you are on contract, they really do have you over a barrel.

So you are paying 300 dollars for a "perceived" benefit that doesn't really exist??? I have been off contract since October and they treat me no differently. Now if you want the flexibility to jump carriers I guess I could understand that. But they will treat you no differently.
 
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So you are paying 300 dollars for a "perceived" benefit that doesn't really exist??? I have been off contract since October and they treat me no differently. Now if you want the flexibility to jump carriers I guess I could understand that. But they will treat you no differently.
LOL, no they treat me differently.

I have 8 phones on two accounts, unlimited family. I pay about 308 dollars a month total including tax and 2 hotspots, all of them are htc evo's.

Let me see here.

Tell me how I am treated as you are?
 
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LOL, no they treat me differently.

I have 8 phones on two accounts, unlimited family. I pay about 308 dollars a month total including tax and 2 hotspots, all of them are htc evo's.

Let me see here.

Tell me how I am treated as you are?

We are not worthy! But if you could afford me the graciousness of allowing me to speak in your presence... I think he was trying to say that he doesn't believe that Sprint would treat YOU on contract any differently than they treat YOU off contract, not comparing you to him. How on earth could he even know you enough to make a claim like that?

What will you do with your 8 Evos when you have 8 Evo 3Ds? Put them in your 8 mansions to control the climate remotely? Put them in your 8 corvettes as toys for your 8 children? Perhaps hook them together to make a mobile supercomputer? ;-)

Seriously though, no rudeness or ill will toward you. Just being funny :)

<3
 
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When you are off-contract, you DO have way more leverage with Sprint. Take the airave for example. If you're fresh into a 2-year contract, and you have bad reception in your new house/apt, you can ask Sprint for an airave. They will be less inclined to give it to you for free because they know you can't just leave (ETF). But if you're off contract, you can threaten to jump ship right then and there. And then they will give you the airave for free.

I speak from personal experience. In 2007, I was off contract, and I got the original airave for free after I threatened to leave (why should I pay more $$ just to get basic air coverage?). Now that I'm in the middle of my 2-year contract, they refuse to give me the new airave, even though I'm using the same argument. To Sprint's credit, they offered me $50 off. But I'm pretty sure it will be 100% off if I had the leverage to just terminate my account.
 
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Im doing the $199 w/ contract. It's totally awesome because June is when I can renew and get the credit, perfect timing! Got a LG Rumor 2 years ago, and its a decent "phone" and is good for texting. But I am ready to move on to a multimedia device, and it looks like the Evo is the best piece of hardware out there.

Also I cant imagine I could bilk $300 out of Sprint customer reps over 2 years to justify not going with contract. I understand some people just don't like to be tied down, but Sprint has always been quality service for me. Their pricing schemes suck at times, but I am sure Verizon and T-Mobile are no different, and I doubt I am paying $300 more with sprint than I would with the other guys.
 
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When you are off-contract, you DO have way more leverage with Sprint. Take the airave for example. If you're fresh into a 2-year contract, and you have bad reception in your new house/apt, you can ask Sprint for an airave. They will be less inclined to give it to you for free because they know you can't just leave (ETF). But if you're off contract, you can threaten to jump ship right then and there. And then they will give you the airave for free.

I speak from personal experience. In 2007, I was off contract, and I got the original airave for free after I threatened to leave (why should I pay more $$ just to get basic air coverage?). Now that I'm in the middle of my 2-year contract, they refuse to give me the new airave, even though I'm using the same argument. To Sprint's credit, they offered me $50 off. But I'm pretty sure it will be 100% off if I had the leverage to just terminate my account.

The real question is the ETF more than $300(the difference between full price and subsidized)??? I ask that ignorantly because I really don't know. If it is $300 or less, then your point and his is totally moot!!!...since you could jump ship and pay the ETF and have that same leverage. I seem to remember it is not more than $300....and it shrinks as times goes on...pro rata....
 
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When you are off-contract, you DO have way more leverage with Sprint. Take the airave for example. If you're fresh into a 2-year contract, and you have bad reception in your new house/apt, you can ask Sprint for an airave. They will be less inclined to give it to you for free because they know you can't just leave (ETF). But if you're off contract, you can threaten to jump ship right then and there. And then they will give you the airave for free.

I speak from personal experience. In 2007, I was off contract, and I got the original airave for free after I threatened to leave (why should I pay more $$ just to get basic air coverage?). Now that I'm in the middle of my 2-year contract, they refuse to give me the new airave, even though I'm using the same argument. To Sprint's credit, they offered me $50 off. But I'm pretty sure it will be 100% off if I had the leverage to just terminate my account.

Yeah I can understand this side of it too. I do it with Charter all the time. "Oh, the promotional deal is over? Ok, well I guess I'll use Verizon's deal then. Oh, you can extend it? That would sure be great!" But in this case, I have to agree with a couple other people here and say that the $300 discount you get for signing the contract probably wouldn't be regained by off-contract favors from Sprint.

Now if we're talking freedom to switch to another carrier, I can understand how that might be worth not taking the discount for signing your life away. I like to have the newest/best of things, and I can understand wanting to be able to switch to get it. I, however, love my Sprint service, and I love HTC. So as long as Sprint keeps getting awesome HTC phones every year, I have no desire to switch. :)
 
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The real question is the ETF more than $300(the difference between full price and subsidized)??? I ask that ignorantly because I really don't know. If it is $300 or less, then your point and his is totally moot!!!...since you could jump ship and pay the ETF and have that same leverage. I seem to remember it is not more than $300....and it shrinks as times goes on...pro rata....

Yeah I see your point, but I don't think telling Sprint "give me what I want or I'll give you money!" is a good bargaining strategy. Plus, they sort of ban you for, I think, a month. So you can't just sign back up for Sprint service if you end up not liking your new plan.
 
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