Refused to sell to me off contract at Pentagon City store

[hasasimo]

I just went to the very last step on ordering a 920 cyan online, no commitment and it didn't make it me add a plan to it. (I'm not ordering until next week) It showed my current plan and that's it. Go to the phone page, click on order, choose upgrade, log in and that's it. All I had to do. Now if you don't have an AT&T account at all and just want the phone, then yeah I could see that being an issue but that makes sense.

Yeah, I'm not an AT&T customer. I use MVNOs like Red Pocket and StraightTalk and pay less than half the price every month. You have to already be a customer for it not to make you add a plan.

 

[MrTimSmith]

Yeah, I'm not an AT&T customer. I use MVNOs like Red Pocket and StraightTalk and pay less than half the price every month. You have to already be a customer for it not to make you add a plan.

Ah, gotcha. Makes sense. Do you know anyone with AT&T? In theory couldn't they just buy the phone for you and you give them the money?

 

[theeboredone]

No 1 makes sense but for no 2, I'm already an at&t customer and only for about 6 months so I'm not eligible for an upgrade hence why I have to buy it off contract. I guess the logic is I will break my current contract, pay the ETF and sign a new one for the 920 but only a complete fool would do that, so reason why I wanted to buy it off contract, which lets remember they advertised. If they're not prepared to sell it off contract why even say its available that way?

As the saying goes, there's always other fish in the sea. So they don't mind you finishing up your plan if it means a new customer or one who is eligible wants to sign 2 years away.

It's AT&T though. The way the launch has been handled + every store is doing something different should tell you enough about how things are supposed to be handled.

 

[TheBadGuy_88]

I can't wait until we live in a country (USA) where we could buy devices from phone manufacturers and connect them to whatever carrier we choose!! I've been in constant contact with Nokia and they apparently don't like money either!!!.. they won't even sell me a build 2012 version of the device that they gave away for free!!! Smh how does that even make sense? To be honest I don't want to buy the device from negri... I want Nokia to sell it to me for full price so I can use it on any GSM Carrier of MY choosing.

 

[anon(5335877)]

Buying a phone off-contract through a carrier is stupid. Get it from the company direct or SIM free from Amazon, etc. AT&T wants to sell to current customers, whether they are tying it to a service contract or they go month to month. No, in theory there is nothing preventing you from buying a Lumia 920 from an AT&T off-contract with a rate plan and calling later to cancel. You paid full retail. There is no ETF.

Because the current crop of inventory is for current and new customers of AT&T, I bet stores are preventing people from buying the phones for $450 off contract and selling them for $800 on Craigslist. What's to stop someone getting their phone for $99 (or less) and selling it for $450 themselves?

Who's going to buy it for $800? I think you can get an unlocked one (Rogers version) for less. This one's locked to AT&T for six months and you can get it yourself from AT&T for $450 with a wireless charging pad. And if the store's giving you trouble, just order it online (cancel the plan as soon as you get the phone) or just have a friend who has AT&T buy it for you at the no-commitment price.

I can't wait until we live in a country (USA) where we could buy devices from phone manufacturers and connect them to whatever carrier we choose!! I've been in constant contact with Nokia and they apparently don't like money either!!!.. they won't even sell me a build 2012 version of the device that they gave away for free!!! Smh how does that even make sense? To be honest I don't want to buy the device from negri... I want Nokia to sell it to me for full price so I can use it on any GSM Carrier of MY choosing.

Maybe as part of the exclusivity agreement with AT&T, Nokia might have agreed not to sell any unlocked versions of the 920 in the US. =/

 

[wamsille]

Who said the Lumia 920 off-contract and sim-free is $800?

Right now the only allure to signing a two-year contract minus the price cut is a device with the proper LTE radios for use in the US. If the Nexus 4 that is coming out next Tuesday had LTE in it and still cost under $400 that would be one heck of a deal. LTE on AT&T isn't available everywhere I'm at, but I only have to drive ten minutes from my house to get into decent LTE coverage. If that wasn't the case, I might have considered picking up the Nexus 4 from the Google Play Store and using it.

Right now I'm just impressed with the build quality of my 920 and its black matte finish. I could see the benefit of having bought a more vivid color - yellow certainly comes to mind - but it's just loud. I like the muted appearance of the matte finish and how it just blends in with my workstation at the office. The cyan of my 900 just gave off the vibe to people I had my phone on my desk. Right now people cannot distinguish it from another phone model. (And that is OK)

Once someone sees that gorgeous screen power on and the camera in action I'm sure there will be no mistaking what kind of phone this is. Now, if Nokia releases gel cases like they did with the 900 and you can swap out for a red, yellow, black, etc and go with another accent color I'm game.

 

[anon(5335877)]

Who said the Lumia 920 off-contract and sim-free is $800?

Right now the only allure to signing a two-year contract minus the price cut is a device with the proper LTE radios for use in the US. If the Nexus 4 that is coming out next Tuesday had LTE in it and still cost under $400 that would be one heck of a deal. LTE on AT&T isn't available everywhere I'm at, but I only have to drive ten minutes from my house to get into decent LTE coverage. If that wasn't the case, I might have considered picking up the Nexus 4 from the Google Play Store and using it.

Right now I'm just impressed with the build quality of my 920 and its black matte finish. I could see the benefit of having bought a more vivid color - yellow certainly comes to mind - but it's just loud. I like the muted appearance of the matte finish and how it just blends in with my workstation at the office. The cyan of my 900 just gave off the vibe to people I had my phone on my desk. Right now people cannot distinguish it from another phone model. (And that is OK)

Once someone sees that gorgeous screen power on and the camera in action I'm sure there will be no mistaking what kind of phone this is. Now, if Nokia releases gel cases like they did with the 900 and you can swap out for a red, yellow, black, etc and go with another accent color I'm game.

I thought you said people were going to resell it on eBay and Craigslist for $800.

 

[TheBadGuy_88]

Well I'm going try something brave, since Nokia can't SELL it I'll see if I can trade the one I'm about to buy from best buy Commitment free and trade it for a developer one from build 2012 if not I'll use straight talk until I can unlock it and go back to tmobile who's network reform should be live by then... whatever it takes I will have this phone!!!!

 

[Kacey Green]

This is what I'm planning too, hopefully they're unlocked like the Rogers ones

 

[theefman]

Ok, here's an update: called the MS store in pentagon city and they said they had none but came down anyway to check best buy as their system said its available in store, sadly bs. Popped into the MS store and they said they have them! Waiting now to see id this is BS or not.

Edit: SUCCESS!!!! Got it!!!! Say they have all colors but Yellow. Thanks to the guys who mentioned the store, lifesavers!

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=2E5A9386D7D5FC49!4475&authkey=!AArwlKO4F77YKEs

 

[sketchy9]

Weird. I walked into the at&t store in Santa Monica when they opened this morning and bought a black 920 off contract. The guy was a little surprised that I was buying it full price but gave me no hassle. Honestly it's a big step up from the 900. Happy hunting.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[John Maynus]

Title says it all, stood in line, then got told only on contract. Bunch of tossers.

Sprint did me the same way over the EVO 4G LTE months ago. Walked in asked to pay full price and was told NO! They said since it was a new phone they only sold them to those doing a new 2 year contract or upgrades. Funny thing is they sold me phones in the past at full price with no problem.

But believe AT&T in my area will sell them at full price... well they did not long ago not sure about now tho.