Best upgrade price

[wildman]

Wanting the Rezound to replace original Droid, Where's the best price on a upgrade, keeping my current plan.

 

[droidxd00d]

I think its around 200 at verizon probably 150 at amazon or other stores.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[wildman]

I checked Verizon and amazon both were $249 upgrade price, Costco showed $169, but I'm mot a costco member.

 

[Lenagainster]

So join Costco for $50, enjoy the benefits, have a 90 day return policy, get accessories for less, what's not to like?

 

[infantrytrophy]

So join Costco for $50, enjoy the benefits, have a 90 day return policy, get accessories for less, what's not to like?

Are you sure about a 90-day return policy at Costco? I'm pretty sure that I was quoted a 14-day policy as recently as last October. Also, I think that Costco formerly offered a "free" 2nd year of warranty but they do not have that policy now.

Does anyone know for sure about Costco's current return policy? 14 days or 30 days? Either way, it's better than Verizon in one respect - no restocking fee.

 

[Lenagainster]

Are you sure about a 90-day return policy at Costco? .

Google is your friend. From the Costco website

Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. The following must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund: televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, touch screen tablets, MP3 players and cellular phones.

 

[njs502]

It's either 14 days or 30 days to return the phone AND still maintain your upgrade. (One sales person told me 14, another told me 30 days). You CAN return the phone after 90 days but you lose your upgrade price when you buy a new phone somewhere else.

However, you can exchange the phone for any other phone they carry for 90 days. You have to pay the difference (or get a refund) depending on the price of the new phone. Also if the price of the phone goes down during the 90 days they will give you a refund of the difference reportedly.

I purchased the Droid razor 2 months ago and exchanged it for a Nexus yesterday at Costco. I can still exchange this for another phone eg. Razor maxx if I wanted to before the 90 days from the original purchase is up.

Also, if you are not a costco member, you may be able to get a refund of membership price if not satisfied for any reason. Just saying that is what I have read others do.

Hope that helps. And hopefully this Nexus radio is better than advertised otherwise I will be exchanging for a Rezound if the next latest and greatest phone is not released in 1 month.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums

 

[infantrytrophy]

Google is your friend. From the Costco website

Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. The following must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund: televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, touch screen tablets, MP3 players and cellular phones.

Thanks for the info - I was not able to find it when looking earlier.

However, check the following, just after the above quote:

Within 90 days you may receive a refund on the handset itself. However, you will still be responsible for any applicable early termination fees if service is canceled after the Trial Period. The Trial Period varies by carrier and State. See carrier Cancellation Policy for details.
​

So, it would appear that you certainly can get a refund from Costco after 14 days, buy you are still obligated under contract to Verizon. When you buy a new phone at a Verizon-authorized retailer (Costco - actually Wireless Advocates), there are two transactions - the purchase at Costco and the service contract with Verizon. Verizon has subsidized the purchase price to Costco (Wireless Advocates) - this is the reason for the mandatory 2-year service contract.

My interpretation of this is that you can return the phone to Costco within 90 days for a refund of the purchase price, but if the return is after 14 days (Verizon's "trial period" of 14 days) you would be on the hook to continue paying the monthly service charges under the contract or to pay the early termination fee of $350.

If I returned the phone after 14 days, exchanged for another phone (Razr Maxx) and continued paying on the contract, I assume that the early termination fee would not apply because I would still keep the service contract. The key word is assume. But there is another "gotcha". Can Verizon be counted on to "play nice" with Costco in terms of staying on the contract while still being eligible for the discounted price on a new phone (the Razr Maxx)? In other words, I'm already under contract from having purchased the 1st phone. Then I return the phone to Costco for a refund. Now I have no phone, but I'm still under contract to Verizon. Costco (playing under Verizon's rules) would not allow me to buy another phone at the discounted price - I would have to pay the full retail price. Oops.

If I return the phone to Costco after 14 days and then re-activated and used an old ("off-contract") phone, then no harm, no foul - I would just paying the monthly service charges while using the old phone. However, I would now be under contract for the remainder of the two years because I purchased a new phone at the discounted price. And I couldn't buy a new phone at the discounted price for almost two years.

Remember the two transactions. The phone purchase at Costco was reversed when the phone was returned within Costco's mandated 90 days, but the contract agreement with Verizon can be reversed only by returning the phone within Verizon's 14-day Trial Period.

I think that this line of reasoning is why the lady at my local Costco phone kiosk informed me that the effective return period is 14 days.

Am I wrong here? Do you know someone who has returned a phone to Costco after 14 days and was able to buy (or exchange for) another phone at the discounted price, not the full retail price of $650 or more?

Verizon is holding all the cards - they control access to the phones and lock you down tight with the contract.

 

[njs502]

I think you are correct. If you return after 14 days, you may still be on the hook for a 2 year contract with Verizon. I would also assume that as long as you have your old phone, you could continue paying your monthly fee. But based on what the wireless advocate told me yesterday, you would lose your upgrade price and have to pay full price if you just got your refund after the 14 days in that scenario.

As I detailed in my post, I exchanged my Droid razr for a galaxy nexus yesterday 2 months after purchase. And i can continue to exchange phones for up to 90 days from the date of original purchase if I purchase from Costco.

Hope that helps.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using DroidForums

 

[joeb1]

I got my Rezound at Fry's Electronics w/2 yr upgrade for $159.99.