Exciting time trying to buy 8x

[smerfy01]

I've been waiting for the HTC 8x since I heard about the windows 8 platform some 7 months ago or so. I had been on a Motorola Droid X (terrible phone), and I was getting very tired of the android platform as a whole...so I was looking forward to changing to a better-defined UI.

Fast forward to this Saturday, I had picked up plenty of OT in the past week to afford the off-contract price as I didn't want to lose my unlimited. So, with money in hand, I head out.

First store: 50 minute wait, all but 2 people were checking out the 8x and the nokia 822. My turn finally comes up after I talk a couple people into really considering the phone and the platform....sold out.

Second store: another ridiculous wait, I think it was about an hour. The last blue 8x walked out the door right before me.

Third store: not as long of a wait, but after 3 hours of searching and calling stores I was getting a little frustrated. The salesman pulled me to the side after telling me that most of the stores in the area are sold out to call the Verizon store near the microsoft campus.

I did, and luckily they had about 25 left in stock. 45 minutes of driving and there I am...and there's a line out the door. Luckily, since I called ahead of time, I got to skip ahead and get the phone quickly. Blue. Also, since I pay for 2 other lines, the salesman used one of their upgrades and knocked $400 off my total. Picked up some great stuff (case, headphones, wireless charging plate) and now I'm loving this phone.

Anyone else have an interesting story in regards to finding this thing, or am I just the sucker who doesn't know how to shop?

 

[GreekboyD]

I think you mistyped the word "frustrating" in your thread title.

How this phone can be marketed/advertised with four colours and sold in only one of them is beyond me.

Somebody needs to get fired.

 

[mjfadaway]

I think you mistyped the word "frustrating" in your thread title.

How this phone can be marketed/advertised with four colours and sold in only one of them is beyond me.

Somebody needs to get fired.

That wasn't very helpful

 

[VDubb22]

Are you sure the salesman didn't add a line or use an upgrade from your line or another line on the account. It sounds a bit fishy for a store to take a hit when you were willing to buy at full price.

 

[Rhodie469]

Sounds like you screwed one of the other people who are on your family plan out of their upgrade. Ouch.

 

[Rhodie469]

I just called to check on the status of my order and the automated system says that I already received and activated my phone. Funny because I still haven't received shipping confirmation and when I check the status of my order on the verizon site it just shows it will ship by 11/13.
I'm on the phone with a rep now and she said she shows the phone received and activated....... yet on the sight it still shows my thunderbolt as my active phone, and I've been receiving calls / texts on the thunderbolt. After being on hold for 10 minutes the rep comes back and says the phone will be shipped tomorrow before 3:30 (random). The local best buy near my work has the black available for $100. They wouldn't cancel my order, they told me I can deny the phone when it comes in and it will be shipped back to verizon. At that time they will credit my card back the amount I paid. I even asked to speak to a supervisor. When she got on the phone it sounded like there was a party going on behind her, people all talking and laughing. She said there was nothing she could do to help me. I expressed my anger at this whole situation, and she said she's sorry, but can't do anything. I then told her this was terrible customer service and I'm amazed that they run their company this way......silence on the other end of the phone. At that point I just hung up. Clearly they don't give a crap about their customers. It's sad, but really there is nothing we can do about this big corporations except bend over. I will be reluctantly refusing the shipment from Verizon and buying a black phone from Best Buy.

 

[smerfy01]

Two quick things: No, it wasn't frustrating...somehow it was actually exciting. I never go through lines or go on a hunt for a product so it was a new experience. I decided to enjoy it rather than let it frustrate me. Also, they (when I finally got there) had it available in black and blue...so 2 colors.

Yes, I screwed someone out of an upgrade. I pay for 3 lines. I pay for my parents' lines. My father will most likely never upgrade, and if he does it will not be to a smart phone, so I took the best course of action that I could.

I agree that it doesn't make sense that a store would be willing to lose money on a sale when I was willing to pay full retail, but I made a bit of a stink about the ridiculous policy of screwing over unlimited customers. Also, the salesman was fantastic. I still wound up dropping about $400 in the store on accessories, so the loss wasn't too bad on their end I'd imagine.

Edit: Yes I am sure that the salesman didn't add a line. I went over my policy 3 times after I did it, once on the phone with a customer service rep. He also showed me what he was doing on a crappy looking tablet.

 

[GreenScrew]

Also, since I pay for 2 other lines, the salesman used one of their upgrades and knocked $400 off my total. Picked up some great stuff (case, headphones, wireless charging plate) and now I'm loving this phone.

Wait a minute... you bought "off contract" so as to not lose your unlimited plan, but still got the "on contract" upgrade discount? How is this possible? If they knocked $400 off that would be the same $200 that I paid but you weren't forced to move to a shared data plan like I was, right? <confused>

 

[smerfy01]

Wait a minute... you bought "off contract" so as to not lose your unlimited plan, but still got the "on contract" upgrade discount? How is this possible? If they knocked $400 off that would be the same $200 that I paid but you weren't forced to move to a shared data plan like I was, right? <confused>

what he did was upgrade one of the other lines, then after i paid for that phone he switched that phone to my line and turned back on that line's phone.

no shared data plan, no change to the plan at all.

 

[lordofthereef]

what he did was upgrade one of the other lines, then after i paid for that phone he switched that phone to my line and turned back on that line's phone.

no shared data plan, no change to the plan at all.

that's still not off contract. You extended the contract of the line the phone was added to.

 

[smerfy01]

that's still not off contract. You extended the contract of the line the phone was added to.

yes, but that line had no data. im paying for my parents' phones and they cell phones as phones. so he extended that contract line and then after it was paid switched the 8x to my line and re-added the original phone to that other line.

i can look up my plan right now and tell you that nothing has changed on any of the lines, especially important is that it reads unlimited data and i'm in a new month.

i'm not saying that what i did was off-contract...just that the salesman used an interesting loophole to get around the fact that i hadnt upgraded phones in 3 years (and by extension, my parents hadnt either) and being unwilling to lose my unlimited data. i bought the phone there, and about 150 in extra stuff...so the store got what it wanted. i look at it as a win-win. everybody is happy in this scenario, including the parent that lost their upgrade discount since their phone is a brick and they are happy with it that way. i cant even teach them how to text xD

 

[lordofthereef]

yes, but that line had no data. im paying for my parents' phones and they cell phones as phones. so he extended that contract line and then after it was paid switched the 8x to my line and re-added the original phone to that other line.

i can look up my plan right now and tell you that nothing has changed on any of the lines, especially important is that it reads unlimited data and i'm in a new month.

i'm not saying that what i did was off-contract...just that the salesman used an interesting loophole to get around the fact that i hadnt upgraded phones in 3 years (and by extension, my parents hadnt either) and being unwilling to lose my unlimited data. i bought the phone there, and about 150 in extra stuff...so the store got what it wanted. i look at it as a win-win. everybody is happy in this scenario, including the parent that lost their upgrade discount since their phone is a brick and they are happy with it that way. i cant even teach them how to text xD

I am not disagreeing that nothing changed on the lines. I do this same thing every year because we have a dumb phone line on the plan. The point is, this wasn't done by the goodness of the salespersons heart. He used an available contract on your line. A contract I'd an agreement to use att, with said line, for 24 months. They allow you to change, remove, and alter features on that line throughout the contract.