I successfully avoided most stores over the Black Friday weekend. I did have to venture to an outdoor mall as I needed to take advantage of the discount, although somewhat limited, on T-Mobile’s price for the Samsung Exhibit 11 4G. While at the T-Mobile store, I made some observations.
First, I wished I received a better deal. I initially went into a T-Mobile store prior to Black Friday and a sales associate advised me to wait because his boss mentioned T-Mobile would offer free phones during that weekend – T-Mobile fell short in this area. I realize some places offer phones for a penny; however, I did not qualify for those deals. I have also had a bad experience of ordering a replacement phone in the past without going through my carrier. My old carrier could not get the replacement phone running. The seller did provide a quick refund though.
Second, do not assume that “free” means free. In my case, the down payment on my new smartphone was considered free, but only after a rebate goes through. Buyers still need to pay the remaining cost for most phones. T-Mobile does provide the option to pay the balance off monthly.
Concluding Thoughts
I did not find anything truly free at T-Mobile over the Black Friday weekend. I also researched other carriers and I expected to see more deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I like the functionality thus far on the Samsung Exhibit 11 4G – in particular, the ability to run multiple apps at once and the quality of the voice recognition software. The battery life has also exceeded my expectations.
While I would have tried to remain a customer at my old carrier, I did not find any compelling reasons to stay. In general, cell phone providers seem to focus more on obtaining new business rather than providing better deals to existing customers. I ultimately switched carriers because by sharing a plan, I receive more functionality and a better phone for my money.
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