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Transfer of ownership - NEW CONTRACT???

pranu

Mar 1, 2004, 1:07 AM
I got my T-Mobile line couple of years back under someone else's name as I didn't have an SSN then.

At that time I was under a 1 year contract and they had told me that due to the contract if I switched the line to my name I would have to sign a new one year contract rather than finish the existing one. Fair Enough. That I could understand.

At the end of the first year they offered me a super deal on a phone, I took it - and kinda forgot about changing the name on the line and signing a new contract.

Anyway 13 months since then - my line is not on any contract - but now if I want to switch the line to my name, despite good credit standing (although I believe that to be irrelevant to this cause) they refuse to let me just transfer...
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Aleq

Mar 1, 2004, 10:15 AM
A change of responsibility is, in effect a whole new transaction, as the original contract is with the person responsible for the account, whereas you are still an unknown quantity to T-Mobile, credit wise. Therefore, no matter how long the line has been active, a change to a different billing name will require a credit check and a new one year contract. That being said, it doesn't matter whether the line is under contract when it's moved to a different account, and if you have discount available toward handset upgrade, there's no reason why you shouldn't upgrade with your current discount, put the line under contract, and then transfer the line to your own account. That way, it all works out, see?
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pranu

Mar 1, 2004, 10:25 AM
I totally agree with the credit check.

The credit check should satisfy the "unknown quantity" question that you raise.

My point is that - why the one year contract? I am not taking anything away from T-Mobile - its not like they are subsidizing a handset for me.

Now you suggest an option of taking a handset under the current owners name as an upgrade and then switching contracts - I would love to do that - if only there were half decent phones in the market. (Read - i am waiting for the Nokia 6230)

So my logic is that if I am not expecting T-Mobile to give me any special favors except change the name on the account from X to Y - why should I give them a 1 year contract?
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hanz

Mar 2, 2004, 12:48 AM
The reason why is you are starting a brand new service, and depending on retailers you should get what promos they are offering. no activation fee and if the old line was under contract no ETF, just b/c you used that line for over a year, it wasn't under your name and the persons name that the line is under looks great to t-mobile but you don't exist to them technically. the same applies for every other person that a transfer of ownership (COR) 😁
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pranu

Mar 2, 2004, 9:47 AM
So you are saying that I should get the promos that are being offered?

I went to to a T-Mobile store - they flatly refused.

The only give and take was
1. I get the line in my name
2. They get a one year contract.

What I would be fine with if in the deal above I got a new phone at new customer rates too!

Then that makes sense! Fair Enough?
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hanz

Mar 2, 2004, 4:42 PM
well let me tell a thing about dealers: THERE SAVAGE BASTARDS! you should be able to get what promos they have but a dealer does not get a commission and its up to the dealer. and thats what a dealer is all about they do some lame stuff when a cust just wants to upgrade there phone the dealer will tell them that they have to start a hole new line just so they can get more money they make my life hell as a cust care rep
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pranu

Mar 2, 2004, 5:08 PM
😁 😁 😁

OK! So I basically need to get to the T-Mobile shop - tell them to give me the Nokia 6610 for 74.99 (after rebate) and do the change of line.

If they disagree then I call one of you nice Cust care Reps and have you talk some sense into the head of the dealer!


1. Its a pity I can't make use of the amazon.com discounts

2. Would it be better to go the T-Mobile upgrade route and then just transfer the line over?



3. Of course I still wont have my Nokia 6230 😉
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Manwithastick

Mar 2, 2004, 7:59 PM
OK, heres how that would work cusomercare cant tell the dealer to charge less for a phone. Retail price for the 6610 is 229.99. With discounts existing cust can get it for 149.99 depending on thier discount. I know new cust can get it for less. Only thing i can say to make you feel any better is that the existing cust upgrade program is getting revamped and deals should be better very soon!! My unoffical guess would be 1-2 months
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pranu

Mar 3, 2004, 12:52 AM
So maybe I am a bit confused here - T-Mobile shops are dealers? And I mean the shops that literally say T-Mobile, NOT other chinatownesque or in the middle of the mall wheel cart shops!

They would not give me what T-Mobile Customer Care or T-Mobile otherwise offers?

I am very excited by your information of a new customer upgrade program! I do hope they bring the Nokia 6230 - I am willing to pay decent money for that phone!

Problem is I owned a 6610 for some time gifted it to mom and am back to my 3390 - which honestly SUCKS! 😢 😢
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chicago21

Mar 3, 2004, 11:55 AM
i love old good 3390 😁
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pranu

Mar 8, 2004, 12:41 AM
I owned the 3390's counterpart the 3310 back in Singapore as long back as 1999 I think!

5 years is way tooooooooooooooooooooo long to have a phone! I need a new one every second quarter!!!
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dtownsound8

Mar 6, 2004, 12:02 AM
Not so true... Dealers sell phones at less than retail to new customers which means they sell it for less than they paid. They don't mind taking the hit because they get it back.. and then some from kickbacks. If someone were to just come in and get a phone at a new customer price, the dealer would then take a hit on the phone and not get it back. How would that at all make sense for a dealer?
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pranu

Mar 6, 2004, 12:04 AM
Hmmm...tell me this - is Amazon making money on pure volume?

If not then how come their prices are SOOOOOO different from the prices of the "T-Mobile" shop dealers??


(Alright fine lets add some cost for actually having the shop!) - but even then the cost difference is staggering!!!
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dtownsound8

Mar 6, 2004, 12:25 AM
well yeah. that's the nature of business. the more volume you do, the lower your prices can be. think about it.. you have an online store selling thousands of phones in a month vs one store that probably does 200 at most, obviously amazon sells them cheaper AND makes a heck of a lot more money
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JDigital

Mar 6, 2004, 4:04 AM
Being an indirect T-Mobile dealer and knowing what I pay for phones and what T-Mobile's commissions are, I KNOW that Amazon isn't making much if any money. I think their strategy with the cell phones is to sell them at no profit or maybe even a little loss as a really good advertising campaign so people will buy other things on their site, maybe even accessories. However, if any of you are thinking about buying from Amazon, you must realize that number one, those "Amazon rebates" often never come. From hearing all the sheepish people that come in to me for help after trying to buy a phone on Amazon, I would say maybe only 20-30% of those Amazon rebates get paid. They make up some excuse about you doing the paperwork wrong, or simply don'...
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dtownsound8

Mar 6, 2004, 11:23 PM
have you considered the kickbacks they get from the high volume of phones they activate?

also the commissions we at t-mobile deal out vary per store based on the amount of volume they promise us.

for instance.. i couldnt believe the amount of activations wireless retail told us they'd manage in december. i've never seen numbers so high (even in decembers of past years) and sure enough they did it and their commissions per activation were a lot higher than in other months
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dtownsound8

Mar 5, 2004, 11:58 PM
The main reason why they ask for a new contract is because you are a new customer to t-mobile. New customers have contracts, plain and simple. Otherwise, all anyone would have to do is find someone that is done with their service and transfer the account into their name, that way they avoid a contract. The fact that you had the phone for a year or so is irrelevant because the phone wasn't under your name. How is t-mobile to know that you were using it?
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mlwhite2

Mar 6, 2004, 8:12 PM
Ha! I was thinking about switching my service from my mother's name to mine, but not with a new contract. If I am signing a new contract it is going to be with Verizon or Cingular. I would have dealt with the sudden drop in coverage in my home that has left my phone unusable if I didn't have to sign a new contract. Of course customer service had no explination but did give me 50 bonus minutes because of my loss of a signal. I am the only one who thinks that is ironic? I was also going to get an upgraded phone that would pull a better signal until they wanted to sell it to me from more than a new customer would get.
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