Best Buy vs. Sprint vs. Wirefly vs. Amazon

[manonmoon49]

I'm just curious as to how people are going to pre-order/purchase their Evo 4G LTE. I personally am pre-ordering at Best Buy because I prefer their insurance compared to Sprint. Plus, there have been some talk about getting a $50 Rebate gift card although I have not confirmed that myself. Which route is everyone else going and why?

 

[Auzo]

If I buy it, it will be from Amazon!

sales tax on a $600+ device becomes noticeable... but not at amazon.

 

[smc333]

Best Buy... I got my 50$ discount from the promotion they had going a few months back for any upgrade in 2012... Thrn turning in my og evo for 50 gift card and 50 cash. Getting my EVO LTE for 50$ + Tax

 

[ibleedbloo]

I'm leaning toward Sam's Club because they charge tax only on the price I pay, not the retail value. That will probably save me $40+ here in California. I would go with Amazon but I'm going to have to buy on one line and move to my line and have been told that can get tricky with Amazon.

 

[harold42483]

I'm going with amazon. They have the low price guarantee and launch day delivery for preorders. As well no tax.

 

[JayWill]

I bought my release day E4GT from Wirefly, which was my first time using them, and the experience was very good. They had the phone $50 cheaper than Sprint's $199 on a new 2 year, plus Bank of America's AddItUp program provided another $50 off (I don't know if they still have the Wirefly deal). There was no sales tax ordered from California and free shipping. So in the end I paid $99 net which was quite the deal.

Online sites like Wirefly, Amazon and Walmart online have additional restrictions for the first 6 months, but it's not that big of a deal unless you make a lot of line changes on a family plan or something. My biggest concern was the additional hassle of having to return the phone for a replacement during the first 14 days if there was a problem with it. Thankfully it was perfect. I added TEP from Sprint and all has been good.

 

[anon(680971)]

I got my Epic 4g Touch at Best Buy and basically love I can walk into there and get help with phone. Also I got the buyback in case I wanted to get the S3 or now this HTC LTE phone but at the end of my 2 years the $30 for the buyback will get me $150 towards a new cell at renewal rates, so I will have no issue getting the best phone out there.

 

[Crispy]

When the Evo 4G launched, it was in short supply. I remember people placing orders at Sprint and various other sites. I decided to order from Wirefly for $149 plus some rebates, it took me longer to get the phone but I had a very smooth experience.

This time I'll look for either Amazon Wireless/Bestbuy/Wirefly, whoever gives me the best deal as well as buyback price for my phone.

Someone in another thread mentioned some trick with Bestbuy where you can get the plan price reduced - you add an extra line which ends up being free basically and BB removes restrictions Sprint has. Anyone have more details on this?

 

[fhnguyen]

I preordered the last 2 EVO's from Best Buy. I e-mailed amazonwireless.com and asked if they would have it for pre-order, but the rep said this:

Hello Frank,

Thank you for the interesting question!

We do sometimes offer pre-orders. When we do, they appear on our site, so keep checking. As of this email, the HTC EVO 4G LTE is not yet offered.

If you've any further questions, please call us at 877-429-8502. We are open seven days a week, 8 AM to 12 PM Eastern time. Or you can email us at amazonwireless@amazon.com.

Best regards,

Hank H.
AmazonWireless: Cell Phones, Cell Phone Plans, and Accessories

I would love to order it from them, especially as it is tax-free. But seeing as they don't have the nexus up for preorder yet, I think they will release the phones on release day.

 

[NicksGarage]

What about Radio Shack? Are they doing anything these days with Sprint? That's where I pre-ordered my launch day EVO 4G and had a good experience.

 

[dadavises]

If you signed up for the Phone Freedom program at Best Buy last year, you'll get a $50 gift card after you upgrade by the end of 2012. And its for any line you registered.

 

[philb#AC]

I will be getting the Evo LTE in July from Amazon, two reasons a) no tax b) I am on family plan and I'll be getting it for another member, if I use Amazon I can switch it to my number and give my phone to that member. They get my hands me downs.

 

[manonmoon49]

I will be getting the Evo LTE in July from Amazon, two reasons a) no tax b) I am on family plan and I'll be getting it for another member, if I use Amazon I can switch it to my number and give my phone to that member. They get my hands me downs.

I'm pretty sure you can do that wherever you buy it. I did that with my Evo 3D and I got it at Best Buy.

 

[limdoug]

I will be getting the Evo LTE in July from Amazon, two reasons a) no tax b) I am on family plan and I'll be getting it for another member, if I use Amazon I can switch it to my number and give my phone to that member. They get my hands me downs.

Amazon doesn't have some type of clause where you have to activate the phone on the line for a month or something?

 

[limdoug]

Just did a little more checking...

AmazonWireless

I need a new phone, but my line isn't eligible for an upgrade. Another line in my family account is eligible. Can I get a new phone for my line by using the upgrade of the other line in my family account?
While carriers may offer the option to swap upgrades between different lines on the same family account, this option isn't available through AmazonWireless. Phones purchased from AmazonWireless must remain on the line upgraded for 181 days. If you move the device to an alternate line within the first 181 days, you'd be subject to additional charges by AmazonWireless of up to $250 (per phone), plus applicable taxes.

 

[fhnguyen]

Just did a little more checking...

AmazonWireless

I need a new phone, but my line isn't eligible for an upgrade. Another line in my family account is eligible. Can I get a new phone for my line by using the upgrade of the other line in my family account?
While carriers may offer the option to swap upgrades between different lines on the same family account, this option isn't available through AmazonWireless. Phones purchased from AmazonWireless must remain on the line upgraded for 181 days. If you move the device to an alternate line within the first 181 days, you'd be subject to additional charges by AmazonWireless of up to $250 (per phone), plus applicable taxes.

So has BestBuy created a clause like this recently? I did this with my EVO --> EVO 3D, and I want to do it again going to the E4LTE. Crossing my fingers here...

 

[jlo8720]

for later

 

[takehull]

So has BestBuy created a clause like this recently? I did this with my EVO --> EVO 3D, and I want to do it again going to the E4LTE. Crossing my fingers here...

Best Buy doesn't do this, which is why we don't price match Amazon in store. You shouldn't have any issues switching over, as there is no mail-in rebate. Takes a five minute phone call to Sprint and its done.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mikeadonis]

Bestbuy doesnt either. Sprint store used make you wait because the rebate was mail in. Now its instant rebate so im not sure what they do.

 

[Mikeadonis]

Definitely getting my evo lte from bestbuy mobile. I preorder and even set a time to pick up and activate.choose a time as soon as they open .On the evo4g , if i remember correctly, sprints servers were swamped by all the activations. I also prefer their no copay insurance and their awesome buyback program. They give you back a percentage of the retail price and not what you paid. So you can buy it for 199 and sell it back 6 months later for 350 if the retail price is 699.