Activate Yourself

[geekydude]

So I know many folks on here probably know how to activate your metro phones manually, it's 15 bucks in store for a 2 minute automated phone call. It's not illegal to do and if you buy a phone online, they give instructions how. So was metro store today, the lady claimed she couldn't sell me the phone without activating. I told her it was being shipped to my college brother he was going to get it activated and she still refused. I know there are some metro employees here, do they really have to activate it or does it not matter? How's it make sense..business wise.. to not to sell me the phone and take the 15 buck hit than rather me go to wirefly and not get a sell at all?????

 

[the hulk]

So I know many folks on here probably know how to activate your metro phones manually, it's 15 bucks in store for a 2 minute automated phone call. It's not illegal to do and if you buy a phone online, they give instructions how. So was metro store today, the lady claimed she couldn't sell me the phone without activating. I told her it was being shipped to my college brother he was going to get it activated and she still refused. I know there are some metro employees here, do they really have to activate it or does it not matter? How's it make sense..business wise.. to not to sell me the phone and take the 15 buck hit than rather me go to wirefly and not get a sell at all?????

we don't make money off of the phones, it's like not there is a mark up involved, we are told by corporate, the phone cannot leave the store(as dealers) without activating it first.

 

[geekydude]

good to know, thanks

 

[strutter67]

Actually this is a bad business practice to quibble over a few dollars. I bought my phone from Metro and activated it myself. It really depends on the store. When I had verizon I did the same thing. When you switch phones you can go to the Metro web site and activate or just call 228 from the phone your activating. So to tell a potential customer that they can't buy the phone unless they activate right then is moronic in my opinion. Just saying.

 

[the hulk]

Actually this is a bad business practice to quibble over a few dollars. I bought my phone from Metro and activated it myself. It really depends on the store. When I had verizon I did the same thing. When you switch phones you can go to the Metro web site and activate or just call 228 from the phone your activating. So to tell a potential customer that they can't buy the phone unless they activate right then is moronic in my opinion. Just saying.

might be your opinion, but thats what they tell us, and if the dealer does decide to sell the phone without activation, on a frequent basis, they could potentially be in alot of trouble. BYOD is a whole different thing though

 

[dulal18]

The hulk is right, its a Metropcs policy like thing. Some dealers does overcharge though but that is a whole different story.

 

[the hulk]

The hulk is right, its a Metropcs policy like thing. Some dealers does overcharge though but that is a whole different story.

from what I've understood, the dealers that do it, up charge the upgrade free on top of the phone then sell it, but that's just hearsay I honestly don't know.

 

[notserpmh]

This caused me trouble recently. I ordered a Nexus 4 to use as a BYOD. I ment to order the SIM kit online, but forgot. The tracking showed it was going to show up at my house one day, so I went out of my normal way home from work and stopped by the only corporate MetroPCS store in the general area to pick up a SIM kit. I had chatted online with a rep on the MetroPCS site and they didn't think it would be a problem.

I went in the store and they refused to sell me the sim kit without the phone on me to activate it. I told them I didn't have it on me and would just activate through chat or over the phone, but they refused. I went out to my car, called MetroPCS 611 number, got a rep, asked the rep again if I should be able to buy the sim kit in a corporate store, they said yes, walked in with them on the phone and the store rep said no, he doesn't care what they say, they don't know how the stores work.

I ended up having to drive back 30 mins the next day to get it activated, plus pay an extra $15.

I guess it was lesson learned though because when I got my wife an iPhone recently for BYOD, I made sure to order the SIM kit online that day. Got it in 2 days FedEx, activated through chat in about 1 minute, no extra fee.

 

[the hulk]

This caused me trouble recently. I ordered a Nexus 4 to use as a BYOD. I ment to order the SIM kit online, but forgot. The tracking showed it was going to show up at my house one day, so I went out of my normal way home from work and stopped by the only corporate MetroPCS store in the general area to pick up a SIM kit. I had chatted online with a rep on the MetroPCS site and they didn't think it would be a problem.

I went in the store and they refused to sell me the sim kit without the phone on me to activate it. I told them I didn't have it on me and would just activate through chat or over the phone, but they refused. I went out to my car, called MetroPCS 611 number, got a rep, asked the rep again if I should be able to buy the sim kit in a corporate store, they said yes, walked in with them on the phone and the store rep said no, he doesn't care what they say, they don't know how the stores work.

I ended up having to drive back 30 mins the next day to get it activated, plus pay an extra $15.

I guess it was lesson learned though because when I got my wife an iPhone recently for BYOD, I made sure to order the SIM kit online that day. Got it in 2 days FedEx, activated through chat in about 1 minute, no extra fee.

if you have an existing line with metro, bottom line, if you go to any store, corporate or independent dealer, there is a $15 "upgrade" fee, just so your aware.