  Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4 |  Not impressed with Amazon's efforts here
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
|
 | | | Re: Not impressed with Amazon's efforts here They have a wide audience but people still want to "touch" the phone.
My favorite review of a cellphone:
"It doesn't have all the fancy gizmos but I could make a call in the middle of nowhere on 1 bar. My friends IPhone dropped the moment we headed into the hunting area. He had 300 emails waiting once we hit the highway. Me? That's what computers are for I think. I've dropped it down a flight of stairs, run over it with the truch and it keeps on ticking. Sorta like my Timex. Got two bucks too! Awesome phone for those that don't need a camera or anything fancy." | |
|
| | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Not impressed with Amazon's efforts here Was that the Nokia 6010 by any chance?  | |
|
 aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA | Much easier than going to different carrier sites Works fine for me. I enter my zipcode and it tells me what plans are available in my area and the carriers. Nothing in my cart. | |
|
| Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4 | Re: Much easier than going to different carrier sites said by aaronwt:Works fine for me. I enter my zipcode and it tells me what plans are available in my area and the carriers. Nothing in my cart. Have a link? Or Screen capture? Because I don't see any plan COSTS until going thru checkout.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
|
|  BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | said by aaronwt:Works fine for me. I enter my zipcode and it tells me what plans are available in my area and the carriers. Nothing in my cart. I agree with Liam it does NOT show you any plans until you add the phone to your cart. | |
|
| | aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA Reviews:
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Re: Much easier than going to different carrier sites said by BF69:said by aaronwt:Works fine for me. I enter my zipcode and it tells me what plans are available in my area and the carriers. Nothing in my cart. I agree with Liam it does NOT show you any plans until you add the phone to your cart. I clicked on the phone I was looking at and then I picked select this phone. And then it shows the plans available. But If I look at the cart, there is nothing in there. in the cart.
Although If I do it a different way then there is an add to cart buttton, which will have the phone show up in the cart. | |
|
| | | Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4
3 edits | Re: Much easier than going to different carrier sites said by aaronwt:said by BF69:said by aaronwt:Works fine for me. I enter my zipcode and it tells me what plans are available in my area and the carriers. Nothing in my cart. I agree with Liam it does NOT show you any plans until you add the phone to your cart. I clicked on the phone I was looking at and then I picked select this phone. And then it shows the plans available. But If I look at the cart, there is nothing in there. in the cart. Although If I do it a different way then there is an add to cart buttton, which will have the phone show up in the cart. OK, I see what is happening.
I accessed the new main wireless web page thru »wireless.amazon.com (which they are now advertising) and not thru the old way off of the main Amazon web page »www.amazon.com/s/?%255Fencoding=···e=301187
If I went thru the 2nd link above, it works as you describe. Strange that Amazon is providing 2 entirely different ways to access cell phones & plans.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
|
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA Reviews:
 ·SONIC.NET
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Global Norm? I'm not sure why we should follow the rest of the world over a cliff, but I don't see how anyone is prevented from buying a phone at retail today, and shopping for service later.
As for Amazon's foray, it certainly not a competitive offering - as they only sell AT&T and Verizon, skipping the dozen or so prepaid, regional, and MVNO carriers that provide much greater value dependent on usage.
Perhaps if they offered a 25% or more discount on the big-2 carrier's plans (comparable to volume contract) and found a way to nullify half the taxes and fees one finds on a postpaid bill, it would be newsworthy. | |
|
| | | Re: Global Norm? said by elray:I'm not sure why we should follow the rest of the world over a cliff, but I don't see how anyone is prevented from buying a phone at retail today, and shopping for service later...... That's not really true, ATT, VZ, Sprint, etc, all decide what phones they want on their network, and what firmware funcions they will allow. So the phone you will buy is branded and will typically operate only on the intended network. In return, consumers here pay less as the carriers subsidize phones on a contract basis.
Other countries where carriers don't have these controls, phones are more expensive in general, and carriers are forced to put up with phones like some of the Sony-Ericsson line where 8 mega-pixel camera phones trounce the carriers networks. None of which are available here. | |
|
| |  pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Re: Global Norm? said by JasonOD :
That's not really true, ATT, VZ, Sprint, etc, all decide what phones they want on their network, and what firmware funcions they will allow. While this is true of Sprint and Verizon, it is not true of AT&T and T-Mobile. You can pay full price for an unlocked GSM phone that works on US GSM bands, pop in a SIM and you are off and running.
Most people in the USA couldn't give 2 rats' rear ends about cell phone exclusivity. They just want service that works. It doesn't matter who provides the service or what equipment is used, just that it works.
--
Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
|
| | | | | Re: Global Norm? What consumers "want" is simplicity. Contracts that "subsidize" phones, rebates applied after the purchase, multiple plans with complex restrictions, etc. all serve to confuse the consumer and obfuscate their ability to buy the cheapest plan that best serves their needs. | |
|
| | | | While perhaps more expensive, they are technologically more advanced and their monthly plans are significantly cheaper. | |
|
| | |  tiger72SexaT duorPPremium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1
 ·T-Mobile US
| Re: Global Norm? said by sonicmerlin:While perhaps more expensive, they are technologically more advanced and their monthly plans are significantly cheaper. In exchange for cheaper monthly plans, they provide far less minutes... Or segregate calls to landlines and mobile phones... Or have varying rates depending on which mobile network the other caller is on... Or lack ubiquitous Mobile 2 mobile... or lack plans like MyFaves or Friends and Family... Or have EVEN LOWER data caps.
I used to envy the euro market for their lower prices and better quality phones, but when you actually do the math - we're getting a better value here.
--
"What makes us omniscient? Have we a record of omniscience? ...If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."
-United States Secretary of Defense (1961-1968) Robert S. McNamara | |
|
| | Contract Extension Will buying a Verizon phone at Amazon extend my Verizon contract? | |
|
 joakoPremium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
kudos:5 | Not new Amazon has been selling wireless (at pretty good handset prices, too) since at least 2003. And they used to sell Sprint and T-Mobile...
--
PRescott7-2097 | |
|
|  cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Not new From the 2nd paragraph of the press release: quote:
“We've taken our eight years’ experience selling cell phones to create a new site that makes a potentially confusing transaction much easier for customers,” said Paul Ryder, vice president of Consumer Electronics for Amazon.com.
I think this is just a PR announcement of the launch of wireless.amazon.com, a sub-store/3rd level domain specific to wireless. The previous "store" was more or less just like any other product page with a few added features for cellular products. | |
|
| |  jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA | Re: Not new Yes, it looks like they are just in the process of migrating things over to the new site. They just started with the biggest players first, AT&T and Verizon. They are simply setting things up in order of subscriber number ranks, which makes sense if everything can't be transitioned almost immediately. | |
|
| |
| |  gar187erI do this for a living
join:2006-06-24
Dover, DE
kudos:1 | Re: Not new yea i was quite curious cause the news post here made it sound like this is something brand new for amazon to do.... | |
|
|
1 edit | I first bought a cell phone from Amazon with a 2 year contract with one of the major cell phone provider in 2004 and believe you could always buy new phones @Amazon
I am not sure what is new here? | |
|
| | Beta The web site says "Beta". Which I guess means "we can screw up your transaction or lose your money, but it's not our fault because it's beta." No thanks. | |
|
 AbBaZaBbAPremium
join:2002-07-10
Wildomar, CA
kudos:4 | . for most states there's no sales tax. | |
|
 dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Fine print Are there contracts, ETF's?
why should one go through amazon instead of the actual carrier?
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
|
| gar187erI do this for a living
join:2006-06-24
Dover, DE
kudos:1 | Re: Fine print no mail in rebates...free phones, some with cash back! | |
|
|
|
