vB Easy Archive - Questions about using gophone as contract pone

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Questions about using gophone as contract pone
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Posted by: latichever

OK, I get the general idea. I need a replacement for a broken contract phone.

Buy a gophone under the pay as you go plan, stick you ATT sim in and you're good to go.

But I read on a thread here, that they try to hit you with some kind of fee if you don't activate the phone as a gophone within 28 days. But I also see that the activation fee is waived when buying online. Is this also true for in-store purchases?

I also saw on another thread, I could activate, make one call, and then pop in my contract sim card, and never incur a fee.

Could someone please clarify? thanks.

There should be a "sticky" on these questions that arise all the time.

Posted by: tszefr

It is very simple. Use the phone and make a call just to be sure it is activated. If not, follow the directions. After you are sure, you choose what to do with it including options to use it, keep it, refill it, or flush it. Since it is prepaid there is no ETF.

The recapture thing could be a pain for example on a refurb N2610 for $9.95 with a purported retail value of $170. Can you imagine getting hit with a charge of $160 plus tax for a stinking entry level phone that might be worth $20 on a good day? Just play the game and you are cool. Or be really safe and use a one-time charge number (Discover or MBNA Shopsafe) to make sure. I do both.

There are no other charges than tax on the cost you are paying. I am doing one of these for my dingbat sister who has finally managed to use up her 3590 by dropping it on concrete too many times.

Buy one in a store for cash and there is no way they can recapture. You are anonymous. You get a usable activation kit (sim plus pin) to use or peddle.

Posted by: latichever

Thanks for your reply.

If I understand you, there is a potential fee if you don't activate and use your phone--the recapture fee-- but as long as I make at least one call I'm fine?

I guess I could buy the phone at retail and pay cash too?

(I'm a bit annoyed at ATT. Four lines of service, years of service, paying on time, etc. Phone start malfunctioning within the warranty period, but it's not too bad. Call them just a few weeks after the warranty runs out and they tell me, tough luck.)

Posted by: efparri

Quote:

Originally Posted by latichever

Thanks for your reply.

If I understand you, there is a potential fee if you don't activate and use your phone--the recapture fee-- but as long as I make at least one call I'm fine?

I guess I could buy the phone at retail and pay cash too?

(I'm a bit annoyed at ATT. Four lines of service, years of service, paying on time, etc. Phone start malfunctioning within the warranty period, but it's not too bad. Call them just a few weeks after the warranty runs out and they tell me, tough luck.)

This only applies if you bought the phone online from att.com and there was an online instant rebate. If you bought the phone locally, this does not apply.

Posted by: latichever

Thanks again for your replies. I want a candybar phone with bluetooth and oice dialing. Unfortunately, the cheapest candybar online is the Pantech 150, has bluetooth but no voice dialing for $49. The Nokia 6085 has it all except it's a flip.

I might just spring the extra $50 and buy an unlocked Moto L2 or L6, which has everything I want. But I'll check a couple of stores first.

Posted by: TXLady

Quote:

Originally Posted by latichever

(I'm a bit annoyed at ATT. Four lines of service, years of service, paying on time, etc. Phone start malfunctioning within the warranty period, but it's not too bad. Call them just a few weeks after the warranty runs out and they tell me, tough luck.)

You should be annoyed at yourself. You admit it started malfunctioning while within the warranty period. Did you think it would get better on it's own even if it wasn't too bad? You should have exchanged it then.

Same things happens with your car. If it's out of warranty and you go in with a problem and say that it started while the car was still under warranty but you didn't bring it in until now, you will be SOL.

Posted by: latichever

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrolldf

I'm annoyed at myself that I'm connected to the grid and not living in a cabin in the woods.

That said, the phone is used by my son. The joystick started getting sticky while in the warranty period, but not horrible until after the warranty period expired. ATT said if I had called them two weeks after the warranty expired, I'd be OK. There's a grace period, but they won't extend it a couple of more weeks. It's not like I'm calling them months later.

As for cars, they often will in their discretion do repairs after the formal period ends. They have "hidden" warranties and there's also good will.

BTW, I managed to get a full refund on an IPOD after the warranty period, and I just got Toshiba to buy back a lemon computer from me three years after I bought it--although it was in the warranty period. Because of this, even though the Toshiba was a lemon, I bought a new one and for a lot more money than what they bought back the old one.

One of the reasons I love LL Bean is because they still have a desire to satisfy the customer and will replace defective items forever, no questions asked and we're sorry it happened. That's a company that always gets repeat business from me. When my contract with ATT expires I'll think long and hard about continuing with them--not that they'll care.

I spend a lot of money on consumer electronics and a little bit of reasonableness on the vendor's end goes far with me.

Posted by: Jairzinho

Just to mention that the 28-day activation thing has been removed from at&t GoPhone website, I couldn't find it anymore. Now, that DOES NOT mean it is not being enforced anymore so beware, and play safe (i.e pay with a one-time use CC with a very low limit set, activate phone and use up the $10 that comes with it). Still I wonder if they did remove that restriction for GoPhones bought online. I'm not a lawyer but it smelled not very "clean" to me (e.g. not mentioned in the T&C of fine print and difficult/impossible to enforce in some cases, etc.)

Also, there are many models which list price is the same as the online price (Pantec c150 refub, Nokia 102i, Nokia N75, Samsung A117 & 127) so there is no difference to recapture according to their own rules.