Does this make any sense?

Hi everyone. I just joined the forums to ask a question. It's kinda lengthy, but kinda interesting...

I been with at&t since March 2009. I started with the Palm Centro, and went through 3 of those before they sent me a new brand, which became the Samsung Jack. My first one had a malfunction error within the 3 months, so they sent me a new one. It's been 4 months, and my phone keys just went whack (my previous phones all had system malfunctions which is why I was covered). So I called at&t and because I'm 30 days over warranty, I would need to pay $60 for a refurbished phone. But I refuse to invest any more money into such a terrible phone. I am not eligible for an upgrade, and my only option is to purchase a phone at non-commitment price. I asked about canceling my contract, which would only cost me $100.

Here's the kicker of the story. The phone I want is $399 non-commitment price...so I don't think I want to do that. However, that same phone is being advertised for $99 with a 2 year contract. So here's what I'm thinking...I cancel my contract for $100, then immediately start a new one and get the phone I want that would cost me $99. Which would cost me total $199, not including the $50 rebate I would get back. So overall it would cost me about $149 compared to the $399 they want me to pay.

I don't get it...would at&t go through the hassle of doing all this instead of just giving me an early upgrade for the same price? The first customer service rep I talked to offered me the phone for $149, but I didn't shop around so I couldn't make a decision. She gave me her name and told me to call her back, but these other service reps said they couldn't connect me with her.

So what do you think? Will at&t go through with this plan? Or is there some sort of stipulation that will block me from doing this? Its either this, or they lose a customer to Verizon. The only reason I don't want to leave, is because Verizons plan would cost me nearly $90 a month and I only pay $70 with at&t

Any thoughts, comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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› See More: Does this make any sense?

If you cancel an account and pay the Early Termination Fees, your old account will be reinstated if you rejoin the network within 59 days. Your ETF would be credited back to your account. Since you would be still under the old contract, you would not be entitled to a new phone. If you are not concerned about your phone number, open a new line to get a new phone. Once you are satisfied with your new phone with the new number, cancel your original contract and pay the ETF. You could also use the new phone on the old number if you do not mind paying for two lines. Compare the $9.99 for the second line for the remainder of your first contract with the ETF for cancelling the first line now. The ETF on the second line would be much higher than that on the first line.