Ordering a contract phone through Amazon instead of carrier (AT&T)

[msm0511]

I thought about upgrading through Amazon instead of at my provider because the phone is 100.00 cheaper at Amazon. However, when I called Amazon the rep said that everything went through them, not the carrier. For example, if I wanted to return in my 14 day period to exchange for a different phone I'd go through Amazon, or if I got a bad device I'd send it to Amazon. I'm not sure if it's worth the money savings to have to ship it off if I have trouble rather than driving 5 minutes to the local AT&T. Do any of you guys have experience ordering a contract-based phone through Amazon? How was the customer care? I've never had problems with their customer support, but I wouldn't have a backup phone to use if I had a problem.

On a side note. Amazon is doing trade-ins for way more than other sites. The only problem is the rep said it could be up to a month before getting the gift card. If any of you have experience trading-in through Amazon, does it really take that long?

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Ordering a contract phone through Amazon instead of carrier (AT&T)

The one time I ordered a phone through Amazon, everything went smoothly. Amazon is pretty well-known in general for painless return processes, so I wouldn't be too worried about that. Heck, going to a local AT&T store might actually be more of a headache, if you have to wait in a long line, or deal with an uncooperative rep.