screwed on cell phone deal

[Crashoran]

Hey guys. My cell phone recently died on me so I went into the AT&T store to get a new one. I already have a plan set up. I told them I just needed a basic phone - just give me the cheapest.

I ended up paying $300 for an LG cell phone. I realized I got screwed after seeing the phone $150 online or at other stores.

Will I be able to go back tomorrow and return it and get a refund?

[dbphotos]

Generally you have 30 days and you can probably find a really cheap phone on eBay if that is all you are looking for. No need to extend your service if you are wanting a cheap phone.

[Crashoran]

When I take it back for a refund, do I have to drive all the way back to the same store?

[Crashoran]

Also, I just take it into a store after I have bought one online and they will activate it? Does that cost anything?

[ecommerce813]

You could probably also find a cheap second-hand phone (compatible with cingular/att) on ebay or craigslist. Then, you could switch the sim card from your old phone to your "new" one. That should be much cheaper than $300 (or even $150).

[photonewb]

Originally Posted by Crashoran

Also, I just take it into a store after I have bought one online and they will activate it? Does that cost anything?

you shouldn't have to take it back to the store you purchased it from so long as your contract was actually with AT&T and not something like wirefly or amazon etc.

As for activating a new phone, the only thing you should have to do is put YOUR sim card in it and the battery and you're good to go.

The only issue I can forsee is that cell phone companies have it written in that you're only eligible for upgrades a certain number of months apart. You may not have been eligible for an upgrade.

[JamesB]

take it back to the store where you got it from. A secondary store may be an "agent" and not an actual AT&T store and they wont take it back. ir it could be the other way around.

the cost you paid was the No-commit price which is the full retail cost of the phone with out a 2 year contract. if you would have signed a 2 year contract it would have been the $150. be carefull when looking at online retailers for cell phones, pricing can be misleading


James

[Ropinamoment]

I sell cellphones for my day job, but I'm an agent, not a rep for the Cellular company themselves. I'm not an agent for AT&T.

They definetly didn't sell you the cheapest retail phone. There are low end phones out there that are as low as $99 out right. If you bought it from an agent, take it back to that agent. If you bought it from a AT&T store or from them online, take it back to any of their stores. Most dealers have a 14-30 day guarantee on their phones, but you have to return it in new condition and sometimes you have to pay a re-stocking fee because although it looks new, you used too many minutes on the phone for it to be considered new. That $150 you saw could very well be the contract price for that phone. You can get that price if you are not in contract or close to the end of your contract and want to sign a new one.

If you buy one off of the internet, make sure it is unlocked or works on the AT&T network. All you do is put your sim card in it. You don't have to take it to the store. Be wary of buying off the net. If you buy it in the store, you get the full one year warranty by the manufacturer, on the net you never know what kind of warranty they will stick to if they aren't a cellular airtime dealer like AT&T or Cellular One.

Good luck!