For the past couple of months I have been absolutely fed up with my blackberry. No one develops apps for it any more, and it is always going ridiculously slow and I’m always getting their equivalent of the hour glass of things loading.
I counted down the days to April 15th, when I would be eligible for a new phone upgrade. (Once every 2 years with AT&T). I saw a new android phone was coming out, HTC One X and I decided that was the one I wanted.
I pre-ordered it through AT&T – it was $299.99 with a $100 “instant” rebate. Of course, to me instant means the $100 comes off at the time of purchase but to AT&T this means that you fill out a form a week or so after the phone arrives and then mail it in to get the $100. (How is that “instant”? That is a mail in rebate, you’re not fooling anyone AT&T)
I ended up seeing that it was $149 through Amazon Wireless – $50 cheaper than AT&T (after the rebate) and no hassle of dealing with this mail in rebate. I called AT&T and was able to cancel the phone order since it was a pre-order and then I went and ordered it on Amazon.
Fast forward – the phone came the day before I was going to be leaving for Tulsa. I needed a case. I pre-ordered one on Amazon but they had no idea when it would be coming. So I stopped at the AT&T store. Apparently you now need to “sign in” when you arrive and get put on a list and then you wait for someone to be available. I picked up a hard case for the back of the phone for $30 and picked up a screen protector. I didn’t see a price on it. My total came to $60. The screen protector was also $30.
WHAT. A. RIP. OFF.
(Fortunately the screen protector has a lifetime warranty so if anything happens to it, I can replace it at no cost but shipping)
Of course I was in a bind and didn’t want to travel to Tulsa with the phone completely caseless. And now I canceled the order with Amazon because even though I liked that case more (and it was only $15) now that I am in $60 with these AT&T cases they will be sticking around until I completely break them.
The kicker was that Amazon sent a car charger FOR FREE with my order. When I made my purchase at the AT&T store I got asked if I wanted to BUY a charger in addition to the ridiculous amount I was spending on a case.
So to make a long story short, AT&T is a big fat rip off and now I am locked in with them for another 2 years since upgrading extended my contract with them! Awesome! (And Amazon rules)