TL;DR version available at the bottom.
I am a T-Mobile customer using an ADP2. My contract expires on June 6th, 2010. As I was following the rumors and speculation thread, the main consensus was that the release date would also be June 6th and I was happy as can be at the prospect of getting an EVO on the first day and avoiding an early termination fee. When the release date was announced for June 4th, I was slightly bummed that I would have to wait two extra days in order to have my number ported over (and still avoid an ETF). However, I decided to contact T-Mobile customer support and see if they had a grace period or something. I know two days isn't that big of a deal, but I want that phone ASAP!
I used the online chat method to contact T-Mobile (I wish I had saved the chat transcript, but I didn't). I was told that there is no grace period, but that ETFs are reduced to only $50 or the price of one monthly recurring charge, whichever was lower, when there are 30 days or less left on your contract. I already knew that, but didn't feel like paying an extra $50 to get it two days early, and as a smartphone user my monthly charge with T-Mobile is about $66.
He then explained something to me that I did not realize: The ETF represents the entirety of your remaining financial obligations to T-Mobile. You don't have to pay the ETF and your monthly bill as long as there are 30 days or less left on your contract. The cool part, which I had him specifically acknowledge as true, is that if I port my number to Sprint on June 4th (which auto-cancels my T-Mobile contract), my final bill from T-Mobile will only be for $50. I actually save $16 by switching to the EVO on release day rather than by waiting tow more days for my contract to expire. I love loopholes!
Some people might have already been aware of this, but for those that weren't (like me) this means that on contract folks can get their EVOs thirty days sooner than expected. If you are a smartphone user on T-Mobile, you will probably even make money. If not, the worst you can do is break even (the ETF is $50 or the value of your monthly charge, whichever is lower).
TL;DR Version: T-Mobile customers wanting to switch to the EVO should do it 30 days before their contract expires rather than wait for the actual cancellation date.
I am a T-Mobile customer using an ADP2. My contract expires on June 6th, 2010. As I was following the rumors and speculation thread, the main consensus was that the release date would also be June 6th and I was happy as can be at the prospect of getting an EVO on the first day and avoiding an early termination fee. When the release date was announced for June 4th, I was slightly bummed that I would have to wait two extra days in order to have my number ported over (and still avoid an ETF). However, I decided to contact T-Mobile customer support and see if they had a grace period or something. I know two days isn't that big of a deal, but I want that phone ASAP!
I used the online chat method to contact T-Mobile (I wish I had saved the chat transcript, but I didn't). I was told that there is no grace period, but that ETFs are reduced to only $50 or the price of one monthly recurring charge, whichever was lower, when there are 30 days or less left on your contract. I already knew that, but didn't feel like paying an extra $50 to get it two days early, and as a smartphone user my monthly charge with T-Mobile is about $66.
He then explained something to me that I did not realize: The ETF represents the entirety of your remaining financial obligations to T-Mobile. You don't have to pay the ETF and your monthly bill as long as there are 30 days or less left on your contract. The cool part, which I had him specifically acknowledge as true, is that if I port my number to Sprint on June 4th (which auto-cancels my T-Mobile contract), my final bill from T-Mobile will only be for $50. I actually save $16 by switching to the EVO on release day rather than by waiting tow more days for my contract to expire. I love loopholes!
Some people might have already been aware of this, but for those that weren't (like me) this means that on contract folks can get their EVOs thirty days sooner than expected. If you are a smartphone user on T-Mobile, you will probably even make money. If not, the worst you can do is break even (the ETF is $50 or the value of your monthly charge, whichever is lower).
TL;DR Version: T-Mobile customers wanting to switch to the EVO should do it 30 days before their contract expires rather than wait for the actual cancellation date.
