[WolfpackFan]

I have been a satisfied Treo 300 user for over a year now with Sprint. I would really like to get a new Treo 600, but don't want to pay the full price. What would happen if I were to cancel my current Sprint account and then purchase a Treo 600 and create a new account? Would I qualify for the $150 credit? Likewise could I do this in conjunction with purchasing from Amazon and get their $200 rebate? By doing this I'd save $350 off the $599 price. The question is - would Sprint let me do this?

[IGoDwnTwn34]

You have to either extend your present contract for another 1 or 2 years with Sprint. Make sure you tell them that you bought the Treo 600 also. Then ask about extended E&W (evenings and weekends). Plus 5% off every bill from now on.


IGO

[wheresmy600]

sprint would let you do it. I know because I was prepared to do it to get the Treo 300 that way-- as long as your agreement has expired. For some reason they look on this as threatening and offered me an even sweeter deal to stay with the number AND get a better, cheaper plan not listed in their usual plans.

[tjd414]

But let me tell you my story ...

I was on my 4th Treo 300 in about a year. When they send you a refurb model, it comes with its own 6 mo. warranty. Keep this in mind.

My hinge started to crack and I called *2 ... they told me to take it to a store. The store said call *2. Well this went back and forth between the store and *2 for about a week. After getting totally exasperated, I called *2 one last time saying that my 4th Treo300 was breaking and all I wanted to do was get a Treo600 and pay the difference. Can't do it I was told, warranty was up. I informed the rep that no, my warranty expired on Nov 13. No, she said, it expired on Oct 10. Back and forth on this. So, I asked for her login id (write it down, you'll need it to complain and it does not sit well with the rep that you know to ask for it) and to speak to a supervisor.

Thirty minutes on hold later talked to a supervisor that went over everything. Yes, my warranty was up on Nov 13 because we last replaced your Treo on May 13. We can do a T300 for T300 exchange for you today. Only the store can do an upgrade, IF THEY SO CHOOSE. Got his login id and had him make sure that this was in my account notes. He also told me to tell them to look for a V01 message ... my understanding was that it was a higher priority comment in the file.

Anyway, back to the store, except this time the 300 won't even turn on, even when plugged in -- yeah !!!

Spoke to a guy that knew what he was talking about and understood, still wouldn't upgrade. But I was polite and didn't get angry with him. I just stated the facts, as I understood them. Asked him to check my account notes ... he does ... disappears and comes back inside 2 minutes.

OK, you can upgrade he tells me. You have to extend by a year, get a 5% discount and keep my current plan (2000 AT National, AYCE Vision, Biz Conn, etc. for $85/mo). He got a Treo 600 from stock, provisioned it and I walked out with my new Treo 600! All within 30 minutes.

Oh, you want the financial details ... I paid $100 + tax for it.

Be nice, explain things in a rational manner and you will probably get pretty much what you want.

[Tribalenvy]

You do not want to cancel and then start another plan...unless you wait 3 months in between (that is the time period it takes to be considered a new customer again.) You'd also lose your number and would have to pay another activation fee.

Work with them to find out what upgrade path they have if you sign another contract. They should either allow you to do it now, or wait until around Nov. 17th (when new plans come out and just before WLNP) as they should have good offers for existing customers then.

If you cancel your plan now, you will lose that plan and have to take one of the ones they are offering now. Chances are your plan from last year is better than the ones they are offering now, but perhaps (time will tell) not as good as the plans they will be offering this holiday season.

If you threaten to cancel there is always the chance they will call your bluff and simply cancel you. It is all in the wording. I'm thinking of canceling, what can you do to keep me is better than I want to cancel. I wouldn't use this card if you don't have to...just tell them you're willing to resign a contract for money off the price of the phone.

Of course you'll be in the best position to bargain around the 24th of this month.

[WolfpackFan]

Thanks for the replies. I may just wait until towards the end of the month and see if any new deals surface. I have another thing going on that may or may not effect my account. I have an account with AllTel also and have three phones under that account. I've been thinking about moving those three phones to Sprint somehow (getting new phones) because our AllTel service has been terrible in our area, but Sprint has been excellent. I don't know how/if this change could effect my getting a 600 or not. I plan on getting a 600 sooner or later, just trying to figure out the least expensive way to do it.

[dsdxp]

Originally posted by WolfpackFan
I have been a satisfied Treo 300 user for over a year now with Sprint. I would really like to get a new Treo 600, but don't want to pay the full price. What would happen if I were to cancel my current Sprint account and then purchase a Treo 600 and create a new account? Would I qualify for the $150 credit? Likewise could I do this in conjunction with purchasing from Amazon and get their $200 rebate? By doing this I'd save $350 off the $599 price. The question is - would Sprint let me do this?

There's no need to do that, Sprint actually has a Treo 300 user upgrade program now (similar to the one Handspring had). If you are a previous Treo 300 user, all you do is bring the Treo 300 to the store and they "buy it back" so-to-speak. You'll end up getting $150 off the Treo 600 overall. There is also a way to save an additional $50 - making the total savings $200 (same as Handspring upgrade program). Just ask a sales rep or CSR, we all got emails on it.

[Scott R]

I think a lot of people are confused here (or maybe I am). The original poster (WolfpackFan) said that he was a Treo 300 owner for over a year and was willing to cancel his existing account. So, it sounds to me like he's no longer under any contract. If that's the case, what's this about having to wait three months to be considered a new customer? Sprint doesn't care. If you buy from Amazon, you just have to activate it with a new contract (which I had assumed was a one-year contract, but someone recently posted that Amazon's deal may require a two-year contract - something I don't recommend). So, if you're not married to your existing phone number, yes, the best deal for you is to cancel your existing account, sell your Treo 300, and find the best new customer deal available (not necessarily in that order). You should consider TreoCentral's offering when doing your shopping (which is about the same as Amazon's deal).

One question: Why didn't you take advantage of the Handspring loyal customer deal when it was available?

Scott

[Scott R]

Quick update: I just checked the Amazon rebate form. The rebate is from Amazon, not Sprint, for $200 and requires that you sign a minimum one-year agreement. So, you get the $400 deal from Amazon this way. Now, can you combine this offer with the Sprint offer for Treo upgraders? Good question. I got a card in the mail yesterday from Sprint telling me about the Treo 600 and telling me that if I buy one and extend my contract, I would get $150 (the card made mention of a two-year agreement, but I imagine you could get $100 for just a one-year). But how do you combine both offers? It could be tricky. You may need to call Sprint up and see if you can get their $100-150 if you buy your Treo 600 and open up a new phone number for it. If so, you should be good to go. If they only give you the $100-150 for transferring your existing number to the Treo 600, you'll end up not getting the Amazon rebate (which, at $200, is the better of the two).

Any way you slice it, the Handspring loyal customer deal was the best deal, and I'm beginning to regret not having taken advantage of it.

Scott

[IGoDwnTwn34]

Originally posted by DSDxp


There's no need to do that, Sprint actually has a Treo 300 user upgrade program now (similar to the one Handspring had). If you are a previous Treo 300 user, all you do is bring the Treo 300 to the store and they "buy it back" so-to-speak. You'll end up getting $150 off the Treo 600 overall. There is also a way to save an additional $50 - making the total savings $200 (same as Handspring upgrade program). Just ask a sales rep or CSR, we all got emails on it.

Not necessarily true. I went to a SPrint store when first looking to buy the 600. They stated that they could only give me 50 bucks off. That next week I bought my 600 from HS...called Srint using the "877" I listed about. Sprint gave me 150 bucks off b/c I bought the 600.

GO figure!!

IGO

[WolfpackFan]

Originally posted by Scott R

One question: Why didn't you take advantage of the Handspring loyal customer deal when it was available?

Frankly, I didn't know about it. I hadn't even thought about a 600 until over the weekend when my 300 started acting real weird. It wouldn't hold a battery charge for any length of time and then Sunday morning it went into a cold reset and I lost everything. Now it seems to be working fine though. I started looking around some after it died though and read more about the 600 and decided I have to have one. I think my first step is to do as one poster suggested and just take my 300 to my local Sprint store and see what kind of deal they will work me. If I could get $200 off, I'll probably do it. It would be nice to keep my current number, but it wouldn't kill me either to change numbers.

[WolfpackFan]

You know, I've been thinking about this a little bit more. What it amounts to is I'm being penalized for being a loyal customer to Sprint. I can't do the $150 product update because I haven't had my 300 for 18 months (I've had it just a week short of a year). Nor can I get the $200 new account credit because I am currently a customer. It seems that the only discount I "really" qualify for is $50 off if I add a second line. So I am left in the position of having to figure out how to finagle the system to get some kind of discount. When you think about it - it is ridiculous. Just venting a little after reading all the small print.

[Scott R]

Originally posted by WolfpackFan
Nor can I get the $200 new account credit because I am currently a customer.

Just to point out again...You should be able to get the Amazon / TreoCentral deal for new activations, which brings the phone down to $400-450 after rebate. You just won't get to keep your old phone number.

Scott

[kinghavociv]

Your not being penalized because you got a significant break on whatever device you purchased when you first activated your account. This is just good old fashion marketing. Kind of like "no money down" or "no interest payments for 6 years". The fact that new deals come out every 6 months does not discriminate against current customers, it just marks new technological advances in devices and the fact that you can't cash in on them is just bad timing. No campany can give away the latest toys to their customers every 6 months and expect to stay in business. There's a trade off. Contract for toys. If you don't want the toy, don't sign the contract. If you want the toy, buyer beware. The company is entitled to hook you as deeply as they can so they can project some sort of constant revenue stream. Again, buyer beware.

In the beginning the business was about 80% attracting new activations and 20% retention (keeping current customers). It was build your customer base as fast as possible. That's why you'd get a new phone or a deep discount when you agreeded to the service. Now the focus has shifted to 80% retention and 20% new activations, because of the numbers portability act. Cellular companies need that base to survive, so now you'll begin to see more deals for current customers. That's why Sprint has come out with the handset upgrade program, which you would have never seen if numbers portability wasn't passed. This program came out in mid October...coincidence? I think not.

Just be aware of what your signing and what you're getting in return. These companines don't really "owe" you anything. They provide a service and you utilize and pay for that service. It really is that simple. All the rest is just window dressing. I gurantee you in 6 months, someone who just got the Treo 600 for $450.00 is going to be wondering why he/she can't get the new Treo 9xx for $300.00 like a new customer. Ahh, the circle continues...

[WolfpackFan]

Hum, not to beat a dead horse to death (probably too late) - but I was just looking at the Handspring website and maybe everyone else understood this, but I didn't - I can still take advantage of the Treo 300 to 600 upgrade price at $399, I just have to switch to Cingular though from Sprint. Am I understanding the Handspring page correctly? In fact, I entered my 300's serial number in the form and it said I was eligible for the $399 upgrade. I went and looked at the various Cingular plans and wasn't too impressed, when compared with what I have been getting with Sprint BUT it says that AT&T will be available in a little while and I do like their plans. So I may just sit tight for a few weeks and when the AT&T plan is made available I might just do the 300 to 600 upgrade and jump ship from Sprint to AT&T. I hope I am understanding the website correctly. Please let me know if I'm wrong. Thanks.

[Scott R]

WolfPackFan, yes you are reading that correctly. Even though you own the Sprint Treo 300 now, you can use its serial number for the discount on the Cingular Treo 600. Note that many have been told "off the record" that the Cingular Treo 600 is unlocked and can be used on T-Mobile or AT&T. If this is true, there's something else to consider. This quad-band global-friendly GSM model should, in fact, be worth more on eBay. So, you could also take advantage of this deal, sell it on eBay, and use the money toward a Sprint Treo 600, perhaps even coming out better than had you bought the Sprint Treo 600 from Handspring at that $399 price. This is something I've been considering doing, but I'm a bit concerned by the recent talk of this phone being "optimized" for Cingular.

BTW, I actually like Cingular's coverage in my area, and the voice plans seem OK. My problem is with the data plans they offer. Like AT&T, they're very expensive, as they charge by the MB.

Scott

[dsdxp]

Originally posted by IGoDwnTwn34


Not necessarily true. I went to a SPrint store when first looking to buy the 600. They stated that they could only give me 50 bucks off. That next week I bought my 600 from HS...called Srint using the "877" I listed about. Sprint gave me 150 bucks off b/c I bought the 600.

GO figure!!

IGO

The Treo 300 upgrade offer just started earlier this week...