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Home > HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?

HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?

August 1st, 2013 at 08:55 pm

Gah, What a Week!!!

Dh's cell phone just DIED. We actually tend to keep our phones for 4+ years, and anyway, have aboslutely *never* had a phone die in contract. The phone is 14 months old; warranty is 12 months.

Dh went over to the Sprint store and they are totally insane over there. They think we want to pay $800 up front to keep our cell phone service. The workaround they offered was we could buy a tablet for $450, and pay an additional $5/month for it. But you know, that is what you get when you talk to sales people.

{Maybe the timing isn't half bad with our huge home repair bill. I think dh was in an extra "Are you Insane?!?" kind of mood. Though I think he is peeved enough anyway, regardless of other factors}.

Plan B is to call the retention department. If they rather us walk away and cancel our contract, then whatever. We were quoted $200-ish for that, which is so far by a mile the best option they offered. I find it hard to believe they rather us walk away than find a more sane solution. BUT... I have been surprised before.

Anyway, so I throw this out just to see if anyone has been in this situation and what they did. ?????????? Or any ideas to just get cheaper service??

I am sending him all sorts of Ting links and yadda yadda, but this is still a tough sell for him. He did tell me a new phone was $600 from Ting. I sent him the link for their used phones and told him the rest of us could switch over without buying any phones. I am still not convinced he is being 100% logical. But this is maybe the best bet I have since he is really backed into a corner.

He is so PEEVED that he is seriously talking about going phoneless. This is probably the cheapest option, but not the most helpful from a *boycott* standpoint since we'd have to keep paying his line.

11 Responses to “HELP!! Cell Phone Wizards?”

  1. MonkeyMama Says:
    1375388023

    Okay. Sprint offered a refurbished smart phone for $100. At least we have entered the realm of sanity.

    We realized no decisions today - will have to do some research of options. So we might think about it for a few days.

  2. ceejay74 Says:
    1375388346

    How weird. I was on contracts with providers for years before we went prepaid, and they ALWAYS had a free replacement phone for me as long as I agreed to a renewal of the contract.

  3. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1375392837

    Wow, that is pretty bizarre the phone dying like that. I was going to suggest checking Ebay or Craigslist for used phones (being sure to check that they work with your network) although it sounds like you found a good solution.

  4. MonkeyMama Says:
    1375399507

    @ceejay - Well, that's interesting!

    @FT - we perused Craigslist a bit, but seems really iffy. I wonder if they sell on ebay (Where you can least get a feel for seller reputation).

    Oh, and my dad insists on looking at the phone. Who knows - maybe he can fix it. *fingers crossed* I am not holding my breath, but who knows...

  5. creditcardfree Says:
    1375410524

    I know my brother in law bought a used phone from either Ebay or Amazon while still on contract for about $100. It worked great for him. I would definitely choose a credible seller.

  6. Caoineag Says:
    1375448435

    Yeah they should have refurbished phones for you to buy. Big fan of switching to Ting as that is what I did but if he is planning on refusing to buy anything other than the $600 phone, I am not sure that is such a great deal either ($400 is common for a fancy new phone but the refurbished models are great and well under $300 for the nice phones).

  7. Joe Says:
    1375451918

    My wife thought her phone died last week. I took a look at it and couldn't get it to work. Our 13 year old asked to see it. She took the battery out, waited 10 seconds and replaced it. The phone worked! I asked her how she knew to do that and she said she saw a guy at the Verizon store do it for a customer.

  8. Just Me Says:
    1375478421

    Like Mr. Money Mustache, I switched to Republic Wireless a few months ago. For me, it's awesome. I love it. Unlimited data, talk, text (No SMS) for $19.00 per month. Phone isn't too expensive. I know the service isn't for everyone, but for MMM and my family, it's perfect.

  9. crazyliblady Says:
    1375489827

    Try checking ebay for a used phone like the one he already has. Just transfer the sim card and it should work.

  10. crazyliblady Says:
    1375490097

    If he needs just a basic phone, check out tracfone. You can buy them at Big Lots, Dollar General, Walgreens, and probably other places. The cost of the phones depends on which one you get, but as low as $5.00 and up. My most recent one was $5.00 and I can call and text. It is a Samsung and I have had it 3 years. Phone cards vary from $19.99 for 60 minutes and up. If all you need is a phone and don't want a contract, prepaid is the way to go.

  11. MonkeyMama Says:
    1375630258

    Thanks for any and all tips. My dad, an electronics engineer, officially proclaimed the thing is dead beyond repair. (We gave it to him as a last ditch effort, and so he would stop telling us that it was "probably just the battery.").

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