Phones from Letstalk.com vs. Cingular Retail store?
If you've ever surfed Letstalk.com, you know how great the deals are compared to what the retail stores offer. When we got my wife's Samsung D-807 it would have been $149 at the local Cingular store. She got it for free through letstalk. Next month, I'm going to be getting a W810i for myself and a W300 for my son. If I go to the local store, it will cost me $99 for mine and $20 for his. At letstalk, it will be $50 for mine and his is free.
My question is, are there ANY drawbacks to using letstalk vs. a retail store? So far, I haven't seen any.
My question is, are there ANY drawbacks to using letstalk vs. a retail store? So far, I haven't seen any.
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well for one thing god forbid you have a problem with the phone in the first 30 days because you cant return it to a cingular store you would have to mail it back and be without a phone while they mail you another one
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THE BOX said:
well for one thing god forbid you have a problem with the phone in the first 30 days because you cant return it to a cingular store you would have to mail it back and be without a phone while they mail you another one
That's a valid point. I guess I didn't think of that because in the 14 years that my wife and I have had cell phones, I have never had a problem with a phone where it needed to be returned or exchanged. Let's Talk claims they will exchange it, but you're right....that could take a while.
It's just very tempting when you look at spending $50 instead of $120 for the same two phones.
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Also if you have a problem with the phones or your bill i wouldnt expect a retail store to be very forthcoming as far as customer service goes. Do you get mail in or instant rebates? Usually you dont get ur rebates for 6 months of service. And if you change a feature, plan, pay ur bill late expect them to charge ur credit card full price for the phones.
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wirelesscom1 said:
Also if you have a problem with the phones or your bill i wouldnt expect a retail store to be very forthcoming as far as customer service goes. Do you get mail in or instant rebates? Usually you dont get ur rebates for 6 months of service. And if you change a feature, plan, pay ur bill late expect them to charge ur credit card full price for the phones.
Once I sign on as a Cingular customer, ANY cingular location had better answer questions or help resolve any issues, regardless if I bought the phone from them or not. The retail sale of the phone is only one small part of being a Cingular customer. Besides, 99% of any billing issues can be handled by the Toll-Free customer service num...
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Well im sure the store would help, just not as helpful as they could be. If a customer bought a phone at wal mart and they messed their bill up i wouldnt call in customer care for them i would tell them to do it. if i did it or someone here at this location we would make it right for them. You get what you pay for. And again you may not even come into any problems so who knows.
Im not sure if the rebates are the same there as it is say at wirefly or wherever but ive read that you ahve to wait 6 months to send in your rebate. Reason being is agents can get backed out of commission if service is interupted or canceled or changed within 6 months.
Im not sure if the rebates are the same there as it is say at wirefly or wherever but ive read that you ahve to wait 6 months to send in your rebate. Reason being is agents can get backed out of commission if service is interupted or canceled or changed within 6 months.
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You have given me a few things to think about...thanks. I would much rather do business at my local Cingular store (face to face). I just wish they offered better deals on the phones. I guess they have to pay that high, mall-space rent somehow!
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Another thing to keep in mind is termination info... God forbid you decide to cancel, going through any agent, online or store, will cost you and additional termination fee, as you have to pay one to them as well as to Cingular.
There's a lot of VERY fine print that you should read before using any of those sites... they may not necessarily be out to screw somebody, but when something does happen, Cingular's hands are tied because we have no affiliation with them.
There's a lot of VERY fine print that you should read before using any of those sites... they may not necessarily be out to screw somebody, but when something does happen, Cingular's hands are tied because we have no affiliation with them.
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It's hard to imagine a free D 807 with no rebate attached. Knowing what these things cost I wonder where they are getting the phones because I don't believe they are stupid enough to lose money. Could they be less than new phones?
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the only thing that you also have to keep in mid is the fact with the third parties you are signing a contract with them and with cingular..so if you ever wanted to cxl early then you will be paying letstalk.com and cingular and early termination fee
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This completely WRONG! I have dealt with LetsTalk and returned and cancelled a line of service (Nextel) without any problems, except from Nextel, which had nothing to do with LetsTalk. Through some 3rd parties, you will have issues and may even have to pay another termincation fee if you cancel, but in regards to LT, you are just purchasing a phone. The contract goes through Cingular (or Verizon, Nextel or who ever else). Even the credit check it through the wireless company.
Now, not to say that LT is perfect. There is one major crack in the road. If you read the fine print, the phone usage (including internet access) must be under 30 mins to return the phone and within the 14 day time frame (or 30 days for the lucky people in CA).
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Now, not to say that LT is perfect. There is one major crack in the road. If you read the fine print, the phone usage (including internet access) must be under 30 mins to return the phone and within the 14 day time frame (or 30 days for the lucky people in CA).
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Why is it you feel entitled to have ANY Cingular store help with issues? If they are Cingular created (and in MY 14 years in this industry I see that far more are customer or sales rep created than carrier created) sure we are all glad to help. YOU need to realize we make money when you BUY something. If you come in for our service and buy elsewhere next time I will tell you to call Let's Talk, especially when the issue is either due to their screw up or their lack of forsight.
I can't tell you how many times Wal-Mart/Online/Best Buy fails to ask the right questions and fails to fully educate their customers that results in overage and/or missed opportunities for savings. Factor in free memory exchange, free sim exchange (even for PUK...
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I can't tell you how many times Wal-Mart/Online/Best Buy fails to ask the right questions and fails to fully educate their customers that results in overage and/or missed opportunities for savings. Factor in free memory exchange, free sim exchange (even for PUK...
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Hmm.. your right. If you come into my store, and you got your phone at Letstalk, bestbuy, walmart, or any other place than a Cingular store, I will help you.
I'll help you dial the phone to customer service... I might even provide VERY MINIMAL answers, but that's the limit.
Even corporate stores operate on a budget, which is provided by making sales. Not to mention the commissions we'd lose if you went somewhere else, not only would we lose that commission to them, but any other commissions we'd have made while helping you fix a problem. Now... if you bought from us (or another corporate store), you will get taken care of. And yes, we can see where you bought your phone, even the person who sold it to you.
I'll help you dial the phone to customer service... I might even provide VERY MINIMAL answers, but that's the limit.
Even corporate stores operate on a budget, which is provided by making sales. Not to mention the commissions we'd lose if you went somewhere else, not only would we lose that commission to them, but any other commissions we'd have made while helping you fix a problem. Now... if you bought from us (or another corporate store), you will get taken care of. And yes, we can see where you bought your phone, even the person who sold it to you.
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And for those of us that work for Indirect Agents (like many of the kiosks in the all) we are payed on 100% commission. We will try to help you, yet still find it incredibly rude that you are willing to shortchange us on our commission and then demand that we put your phone numbers into your address book for you for free.
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As long as your are informed and aware of what you're agreeing to, there shouldnt be any differences that will cause issues. This biggest complaint from people who go through outside company's like LetsTalk is that they dont realize what they are agreeing to. A lot of times, you sign a seperate agreement with the agent, with restrictions like keeping the same plan, or an extra ETF, or needing to make payments on time to get the rebate, etc. As long as you know what you're getting into and agree to it , you should be home free!!!
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asiatic1982 said:I guess I need to read all the "fine print" and ask a lot of questions before jumping into anything with Let's Talk. Paying on time is never an issue, but any ext...
As long as your are informed and aware of what you're agreeing to, there shouldnt be any differences that will cause issues. This biggest complaint from people who go through outside company's like LetsTalk is that they dont realize what they are agreeing to. A lot of times, you sign a seperate agreement with the agent, with restrictions like keeping the same plan, or an extra ETF, or needing to make payments on time to get the rebate, etc. As long as you know what you're getting into and agree to it , you should be home free!!!
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I think the biggest drawback to online retailers is that you're putting your service stores out of business. eTailers do not provide support or service on the products they sell. Even if they did, you'd be calling in to a call center.
By not shopping from a store, you are telling the service provider that you don't need any help and can do it all on your own. From working in a store, I can tell you that's not true.
America will be begging for the "good ol' days" when stores like wal-mart are all that make up the marketplace.
By not shopping from a store, you are telling the service provider that you don't need any help and can do it all on your own. From working in a store, I can tell you that's not true.
America will be begging for the "good ol' days" when stores like wal-mart are all that make up the marketplace.
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Let me ask you something...If you are shopping for an item (let's say a DVD recorder) and all of your local stores want around $375 for the model you want, but you can order it on-line from somewhere like Buy.com or J&R.com for $310, where would you get it? Would you spend $65 more for the item just so that your local Sears store doesn't go out of business? Be honest. Not many people will.
Besides, I don't think I've ever seen a more competitive or flooded market than the cell phone market. I live in an average size town. Our local mall is nothing great, believe me. Yet in that one little mall, there are at least 4 separate places that I could go to and sign up for Cingular service and buy a phone. There is the Cingular retail stor...
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Besides, I don't think I've ever seen a more competitive or flooded market than the cell phone market. I live in an average size town. Our local mall is nothing great, believe me. Yet in that one little mall, there are at least 4 separate places that I could go to and sign up for Cingular service and buy a phone. There is the Cingular retail stor...
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I personally would buy the dvd rec. from the web. I would make sure I bought it from a big retailer (amazon, best buy etc.) where I would be assured I can return it if it wasnt working properly. I wouldn't buy any electronic device from like Joes online store.
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george25 said:
I personally would buy the dvd rec. from the web. I would make sure I bought it from a big retailer (amazon, best buy etc.) where I would be assured I can return it if it wasnt working properly. I wouldn't buy any electronic device from like Joes online store.
I agee. That's kind of my point though. As long as the on-line place is reputable and can be dealt with in case of problems, most people will go for the big savings. That's kinda where I'm at with this cell phone stuff. Let's Talk has been around a while. They're pretty established as a reputable place to do business. I would rather deal face-to-face with my local Cingular store, but it will cost me an extra $75 to do so. âšī¸
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Your're absolutely right! A majority of cell phone company employees have a negative outlook on outside agents like letstalk, because they are the ones who the cutomers complain to. But a majority of the complaints are because consumers didnt realize what they were getting into, they just saw a free phone and signed away, you don't seem like that kind of person, so personally, i think you have nothing to worry about đ
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Matt,
I would check with your local agent or corporate locations. I own a couple of stores and I always cut deals to make the sale. On new activations I can price match the wal-marts and Best Buys, if you are willing to wait 4-6 weeks for the Cingular rebate. I would rather subsidize a little more for a phone to have you as a lifetime customer. Since I would take care of you, you would refer folks to me, which helps me recoop some of the money I lost to sign you up.
One thing to your advantage is Cingular is very heavy on numbers. The more activations a store does, the better we look. Having you do two more activations in my store would help the greater good. I could make that deal on the w810, but the w300 is an online/Best Buy exclus...
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I would check with your local agent or corporate locations. I own a couple of stores and I always cut deals to make the sale. On new activations I can price match the wal-marts and Best Buys, if you are willing to wait 4-6 weeks for the Cingular rebate. I would rather subsidize a little more for a phone to have you as a lifetime customer. Since I would take care of you, you would refer folks to me, which helps me recoop some of the money I lost to sign you up.
One thing to your advantage is Cingular is very heavy on numbers. The more activations a store does, the better we look. Having you do two more activations in my store would help the greater good. I could make that deal on the w810, but the w300 is an online/Best Buy exclus...
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Iselltheshitoutofphones said:...
Matt,
I would check with your local agent or corporate locations. I own a couple of stores and I always cut deals to make the sale. On new activations I can price match the wal-marts and Best Buys, if you are willing to wait 4-6 weeks for the Cingular rebate. I would rather subsidize a little more for a phone to have you as a lifetime customer. Since I would take care of you, you would refer folks to me, which helps me recoop some of the money I lost to sign you up.
One thing to your advantage is Cingular is very heavy on numbers. The more activations a store does, the better we look. Having you do two more activations in my store would help the greater good. I could make that deal on t
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Matt,
Thanks for the kind words....I am sure there is a dealer out there who will take care of you. If you have any questions....don't gesitate to ask.
Will
Thanks for the kind words....I am sure there is a dealer out there who will take care of you. If you have any questions....don't gesitate to ask.
Will
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I have a personal feeling about this situation. I myself work for a premier agent that ONLY sells Cingular phones. Everyday I work in my kiosk I deal with customers who come in and say "well I can get this phone for half price or FREE on the internet." So I politely tell them that internet prices generally always undercut retail locations. Usually I end up explaining plans and features etc. to them and they always end up purchasing from an online source. Then every once in awhile they run into a serious issue and decide to bring their phone, bill, contract etc into my kiosk and sometimes they are polite and other times they act like I caused a problem. This seriously PISSES me off because I make money by selling phones, and I am very...
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I feel ya man, it frustrates me too but thats competition and it sucks lol!
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