Who can guide me thru getting new plan/phone?

I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a 'new
service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I did
a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2 years.
I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.

Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?

I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the easy
out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can drop
my current service with no problem.

But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it for
business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can I
pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to another?

Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
on how to pull this off.

thanks.

--

Number portablity is from one provider to another, not within one
company phone to phone. What you want is considered an Upgrade and
what is offering is a rebate for NEW contract account. Visit a
Cingular store, tell them what you want and they will explain what
they can offer.


On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:03:45 -0500, "Herb Kauhry" <tiptoe@tulip.me>
wrote:

>I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a 'new
>service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I did
>a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2 years.
>I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.
>
>Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
>approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?
>
>I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the easy
>out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can drop
>my current service with no problem.
>
>But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it for
>business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can I
>pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to another?
>
>Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
>on how to pull this off.
>
>thanks.

Comparison shop, try cnet.com, phonescoop.com. Cnet gives you a nice link
to comparison prices. Although you might want to use us as well for better
prices for phones with a new line of service as well. My first suggestion:
cnet.com, followed by phonescoop, and then free.better-price.biz dr
--
dr.news Better Price? (not better than you deserve, just more than you are
used to)
If I can help: dr.news@better-price.biz.nospam or thru this notes forum.
home of the better priced phone and service:
http://free.better-price.biz

"Herb Kauhry" <tiptoe@tulip.me> wrote in message
news:5oWdnadd4JOM1DPfRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
>I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a
>'new
> service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I
> did
> a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2
> years.
> I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.
>
> Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
> approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?
>
> I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the
> easy
> out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can
> drop
> my current service with no problem.
>
> But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it
> for
> business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can
> I
> pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to
> another?
>
> Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
> on how to pull this off.
>
> thanks.
>
> --
>
>
>

OK, thanks. I'll have the 'ol 'hey, I'm thinking about cancelling my
service' conversation with the Cingular rep and see if they will do
anything. I don't suppose I'm alone thinking it's prejudicial to offer a
free, nice, phone to new customers and charge me, the loyal longstanding
customer, $200 for the same arrangement. I realize, of course, they'd be
hard pressed to do that for millions of current subscribers.

It's still not clear how they'd view me, customer long past the minimum
service comittment period who wants to upgrade from a now-obsolete plan to a
new one that has more minutes and gets them $10 more per month from me.

I did threaten cancellation to DirecTV last year and they sent me a new
receiver for free to keep me from cancelling.

--

"Herb Kauhry" <tiptoe@tulip.me> wrote in message
news:5oWdnadd4JOM1DPfRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a
'new
> service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I
did
> a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2
years.
> I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.
>
> Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
> approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?
>
> I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the
easy
> out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can
drop
> my current service with no problem.
>
> But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it
for
> business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can
I
> pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to
another?
>
> Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
> on how to pull this off.
>
> thanks.
>
> --
>
>
>

Suggested to someone just today that an upgrade is best. They were
insistent that only the new customers get the good deal. Not one to argue,
he wanted to sign-up for a new line (with the same carrier) and then port
his number. No Way. If that is your approach: port to verizon, then under
the 15 day gaurantee, cancel and go back to your carrier. You keep the
number, you get the new customer deal. You shouldn't have to do this, but
it is an option for people who like "pain." dr
--
dr.news Better Price? (not better than you deserve, just more than you are
used to)
If I can help: dr.news@better-price.biz.nospam or thru this notes forum.
home of the better priced phone and service:
http://free.better-price.biz

"prc2u" <prc2u@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news0vsa1pfee6ei17sjteb4g4mtv9rl1mto0@4ax.com...
> Number portablity is from one provider to another, not within one
> company phone to phone. What you want is considered an Upgrade and
> what is offering is a rebate for NEW contract account. Visit a
> Cingular store, tell them what you want and they will explain what
> they can offer.
>
>
> On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:03:45 -0500, "Herb Kauhry" <tiptoe@tulip.me>
> wrote:
>
>>I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a
>>'new
>>service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I
>>did
>>a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2
>>years.
>>I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.
>>
>>Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
>>approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?
>>
>>I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the
>>easy
>>out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can
>>drop
>>my current service with no problem.
>>
>>But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it
>>for
>>business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can
>>I
>>pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to
>>another?
>>
>>Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
>>on how to pull this off.
>>
>>thanks.
>

Check out http://www.simplywireless.com - they allow upgrades and offer a
great price on the silver RAZR and a not so bad price on the black RAZR.
They may require that you accept one of the new service plans which offer
more minutes but cost more $$$ to get the good subsidized phone deals.

In that case just go to http://www.myworldphone.com and just buy the black
RAZR for about $400 shipped. Sure, it's a lot of cash to lay out at once
but you get an unbranded, unlocked RAZR that can be used anywhere in the
world with GSM so long as you get the prepaid SIM for wherever you are
travelling. This means that you don't get the Cingular version with some
menu items locked out. It will require some extra work on your part to get
it configured correctly to work perfectly on Cingular's network but you can
find all the info you need at http://www.howardforums.com .

If you allow yourself to be hooked into a 2-year contract that costs you an
extra $10/month, but don't even use all your minutes now, it's a better deal
to buy the phone outright than to pay Cingular $200 for the phone now plus
another $240 over the next 2 years. Additionally when you get to the end of
that 2 years the RAZR will be very obsolete on Cingular's network since it
doesn't even offer EDGE (fast data speed) and by then 3G/UMTS may be the de
facto standard anyway. If you don't do web surfing or data-related stuff on
your phone then this shouldn't be a concern. From all reports the RAZR is
great at being a phone and it's on my short list as I'm due for an upgrade
soon.


"Herb Kauhry" <tiptoe@tulip.me> wrote in message
news:5oWdnadd4JOM1DPfRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
>I saw the Amazon deal for a $150 rebate ('free' phone) on a RAZR with a
>'new
> service plan". Well, I have Cingular already, been on it for 10 yrs. I
> did
> a phone upgrade 3 yrs ago, so I've gone well past my comittment of 2
> years.
> I have the $29.99 plan and want the 450 mins plan for $39.99/mo.
>
> Before I start down the road, anyone able to offer me advice for how to
> approach CSRs, etc. to be sure to get the $150 rebate?
>
> I really don't want to give up my current number, although I guess the
> easy
> out would be to buy the new plan and get a new number. I obviously can
> drop
> my current service with no problem.
>
> But, there's that part about keeping my current number. Since I use it
> for
> business, I really can't live with dropping the number for a new one. Can
> I
> pull off a 'number-portability' transfer from one Cingular phone to
> another?
>
> Please, someone who knows the 'tricks of the trade', give me some pointers
> on how to pull this off.
>
> thanks.
>
> --
>
>
>