AT&T offers Black Friday WP7 BOGO, but it’s not much of a deal

By on Nov 23, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Retail November 23, 2010

AT&T and Microsoft want to brighten your holidays while simultaneously lightening your pockets, but wise shoppers will likely look elsewhere. AT&T is offering up a free Samsung Focus, HTC Surround or LG Quantum on Black Friday when one of the aforementioned Windows Phones is purchased at full retail, or $199.99. Of course they’re all great phones, but online retailers like Amazon already have that deal beat. AmazonWireless is offering the Focus, Surround and Quantum for $49.99 each and you don’t even have to wait until Friday to order. The retailer also throws free shipping and waived activation fees into the mix. So really, the only reason to go for AT&T’s deal at twice the price of Amazon’s is if the Focus strikes your fancy — Samsung’s WP7 handset is backordered at Amazon and likely won’t start shipping again for a couple of weeks.

Read [AT&T BOGO] Read [AmazonWireless BOGO-buster]

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Comments

Related Articles

  • Michale11111

    Panic in Microsoft land so soon? WP7 hasn’t got a chance against Android and IOS.

    • Dario69

      It is called Black Friday. Like you haven’t seen these kind of sweet deals before with Android? IOS excluded because Apple could never part with their hardware profit margins.

  • sirpaul

    Is the “free phone” on contract?

  • Anon

    But you can only get the $49.99 price if you are a brand new subscriber to AT&T. If you are an existing AT&T customer the price is $149.99 for an individual account. Amazon and other online retailers get paid by AT&T for new subscribers to the company which is why they can lower the price below what is offered by AT&T.

    • Rdpryor

      my local att store let me purchase a Focus for the $49.99 price after I pointed out the Amazon deal. They entered a promo code and it was all good. This was on a family plan with an upgraded line.

    • Anonymous

      Actually, I’ve been with ATT for two years and just now renewed from the iPhone 3GS to the HTC Surround without any problems. I even got my unlimited plan to move over to this phone.

  • Anonymous

    Only Microsoft could have two completely failed mobile launches in the same year. How far the mighty have fallen. Good thing they got Windows and Office to account for their profits.

  • Anonymous

    When do you ever get deal from AT&T?

    • Mgl323

      Whenever a new iPhone comes out.

  • Dario69

    Oh Zach, please stick your head out of the Apple core for at least a few minutes. This headline is so bias and misleading. As Anon states, there are restrictions and like you even stated at the end, good luck getting the best WP7 phone – Samsung – right of the gate from Amazon. Knowing I could walk right into an ATT store and get two new Sammy’s for the price of one as an existing ATT customer waiting to re-up a contract might be just the ticket.

    Yes, and this coming from someone that owns a Captivate and an iPad. I love them both but I also love what I see in WP7 and the new Sammy. And the GPS works flawlessly in this Sammy. Apple doesn’t really impress me when it comes to phones so I think I just might bite on this deal.

    Poor reporting as usual. Get the facts straight first.

  • http://twitter.com/kmbauer Kevin Bauer

    If you qualify for a corporate discount, they often do not apply unless you buy at an authorized at&t store. So you need to weigh what you save on the handset over what you may save over the life of the plan.

    • Scott

      Not true at all. If you upgrade via Wirefly or any other authorized dealer, your corporate discount is applied automatically without interruption. Get your facts straight.

      If you are setting up a brand new account, the authorized dealers can’t apply that to your application for service, but the moment the phone is activated, you can call AT&T and have the discount applied to your account. This scenario is where it may not pay off, because it can take a couple of billing cycles sometimes for the corporate discount to appear.

      Anyway, get your facts straight before you post.

  • http://twitter.com/kengaylord Ken Gaylord

    Make sure to check the restrictions on plan type and features as well. Haven’t checked this specific offer, but one of the phones probably has to be a primary line with a minimum monthly reoccuring charge so you may have to sign up for a higher rate plan. Also you may be required to sign up for the higher data plan and keep that plan for 6 months or more and you may also be required to add other features like Navigator to both lines. You also have to keep these feature levels for six months or Amazon can charge your credit card (which you used to purchase the phones) for the FULL retail cost of the phones, sometimes $600 or more each. All I am saying is these deals aren’t as good as they claim and read the fine print.

  • ktcred

    I would like to buy the phone w/o a contract and receive the other one free. It seems that this offer is only valid for those that sign up for a contract. Anyone find some fine print that says otherwise.

  • Tagg2

    Why do these posts always leave out the fact that to get the ‘Free” or “Discounted” phone you have to change your calling plan ? I pay $29.99 for AT&T 450 Anytime min with free nights and weekends. That works just fine for me. If I buy a phone at Amazon or any other discounted place I have to upgrade to their $39.99 plan. Lets all do the math here. Thats an extra $10 a month over two years equals $240! Why not just buy the phone through AT&T for whatever it costs because in the end it’s cheaper over time or break even. Nothings free!

  • email

    Bad bad bad reporting. Buying a phone fromm Amazon/Wirefly/Costco IS NOT the same as buying it directly from a carrier. That is why there is different pricing. Yes you are receiving the same phone, service and plans, but the terms are completely different.

    I don’t expect the general public to know this, but BGR staff should. Signing an additional 3rd party contract with an additional ETF and restrictions, only available to new lines of service on minimum plans, which you cannot change in the first six months without being charged an said ETF from the third party, is a terrible deal.

    Good luck with that Wirefly rebate. I’m sure you’ll remember to send it in six months from now, and I’m sure it won’t get lost in processing or rejected due to not having the correct boxes checked.

    Considering how much all the ameatur hour bloggers of the world bitched and moaned with snarky comments when the carriers raised ETFs on subsidized high end equipment, this statement is misleading at best and outright hypocritical at worst.

    I expect garbage like this from places like Consumerist. You know better BGR. Do you wonder why most of the comments on this site now are trolls and flamebait? Its because this site has lost credibility outside of phone specs and release dates.

    • Harley

      Mr. Anonymous, please get your facts straight before flaming. Wirefly and Amazon are authorized AT&T dealers. The only additional terms they add are the requirement that you keep the minimum rate plan you committed to when you signed a 2 year contract, for a minimum of six months.

      Yes, if AT&T reports to Wirefly or Amazon that you deactivated your plan, or downgraded to a plan that wasn’t offered at that phone price, then they revoke Wirefly or Amazon’s commission, and you owe them the difference. In other words, you can’t work around the system to get a $400 phone for free and then break the contract.

      In all other respects, it is the same thing, including the phone, the plan, and the warranty service. Honestly I can’t imagine why anybody would pay full price at the corporate store when you can save sometimes $200 or more through an authorized dealer.

      For what it’s worth, Wirefly has a better deal than this. Free phone, plus free activation, plus $30 bill credit from AT&T! That beats Amazon by $70. If anything, Zach and BGR should be criticized for missing that one.

      P.S. You complain about Wirefly rebates. There are no rebates on any of Wirefly’s deals. The carrier is the one with the rebates.

  • email

    You’re missing the point. Yes it is possible topay less money, provided that you meet all additional requirements (New Account, price plan tier, Primary line on Acct) and do not mind having a secondary contract that prohibits changes made to the account. I’m not arguing that. I’m arguing that its lazy and dishonest for BGR to say Amazon has a better deal, while ignoing the drastically different terms required. It would be akin to comparing 1yr contract vs 2yr contract pricing. The terms are different. If I’m upgrading two secondary lines on my acct, I do not get these deals. With ATT directly, I do.

    Price isn’t everything. If it was, ATT and Verizon, the two most expensive carriers, would not control a majority of the market.

    With the carriers you have more flexibility. I can change my plan if I wish. If I receive a defective unit or I am unhappy with the unit, I simply walk into an ATT store and exchange the phone. A carriers service contract effectively states that you must maintain service. Nothing more, and nothing less.

    These are the reasons why direct store will usually sell devices at a higher price. You’re buying different things. For some people third parties area better value; for some carriers, are a better value. It depends on your situation and if you don’t mind trading flexibility for a price decrease. Stating anything else is dishonest.

  • email

    You’re missing the point. Yes it is possible topay less money, provided that you meet all additional requirements (New Account, price plan tier, Primary line on Acct) and do not mind having a secondary contract that prohibits changes made to the account. I’m not arguing that. I’m arguing that its lazy and dishonest for BGR to say Amazon has a better deal, while ignoing the drastically different terms required. It would be akin to comparing 1yr contract vs 2yr contract pricing. The terms are different. If I’m upgrading two secondary lines on my acct, I do not get these deals. With ATT directly, I do.

    Price isn’t everything. If it was, ATT and Verizon, the two most expensive carriers, would not control a majority of the market.

    With the carriers you have more flexibility. I can change my plan if I wish. If I receive a defective unit or I am unhappy with the unit, I simply walk into an ATT store and exchange the phone. A carriers service contract effectively states that you must maintain service. Nothing more, and nothing less.

    These are the reasons why direct store will usually sell devices at a higher price. You’re buying different things. For some people third parties area better value; for some carriers, are a better value. It depends on your situation and if you don’t mind trading flexibility for a price decrease. Stating anything else is dishonest.

blog comments powered by Disqus