"Sprint now has the most compelling lineup of smartphones..."

[utropicmedia-karl]

Originally Posted by gullzway

And what's up with their pricing. The Touch Pro 2 is the only phone I would consider and it is $349.99 WITH a contract renewal, come on really. I can but it right now on ebay NEW with no contract for $349.99.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-new-Sprint...item2a039babbe

I just got a sprint TP2 for 199. No one pays the prices listed on the site. Also with sprintbuyback.com I'll net out around 120 for the TP2.

[gullzway]

Originally Posted by utropicmedia-karl

I just got a sprint TP2 for 199. No one pays the prices listed on the site. Also with sprintbuyback.com I'll net out around 120 for the TP2.

Great, so how and where did you get it for $199??
Why do they put prices on their site if no one pays that.

I do see the $65 for a Diamond on buyback, that would be fine with me.

Edit: I just spoke with Reps at two different stores here in Tulsa and they basically laughed and said I'm not going to get it for less than $350 ($100 mail-in.) I said that is rediculous! So I assume you went through Retentions.

[utropicmedia-karl]

Originally Posted by gullzway

Great, so how and where did you get it for $199??
Why do they put prices on their site if no one pays that.

I do see the $65 for a Diamond on buyback, that would be fine with me.

Edit: I just spoke with Reps at two different stores here in Tulsa and they basically laughed and said I'm not going to get it for less than $350 ($100 mail-in.) I said that is rediculous! So I assume you went through Retentions.

I've been a corporate customer for almost 10 years. I went to the Sprint store closest to my house, though they had to order it as they don't stock them.

[InvincibleLiving]

Originally Posted by utropicmedia-karl

I've been a corporate customer for almost 10 years. I went to the Sprint store closest to my house, though they had to order it as they don't stock them.

besides being a corporate customer for 10 years, how did they come to offer it to you for that price? What did you say? I'm CERTAIN you didnt just walk in and they said "Here have it for $199"...

[champ052005]

Originally Posted by InvincibleLiving

besides being a corporate customer for 10 years, how did they come to offer it to you for that price? What did you say? I'm CERTAIN you didnt just walk in and they said "Here have it for $199"...

I'm sure if you ask the retentions department nicely then I wouldn't be surprised if they give it to you for that price. Remember that every Sprint rep will tell you something else so if it doesn't work the first time, then try again.

I've heard of several people who have gotten this deal.

[monkeyboy]

Originally Posted by InvincibleLiving

And why in the world is there such a price difference between Android devices and WinMo's?!!!! You can get a Hero for $180 after upgrade/rebate... but the TP2 is $350 after upgrade/rebate... and $100 more than what any other carrier is offering for the SAME device running the SAME specs?

the obvious reason is that Sprint's subsidy for the TP2 is at least $100-150 less than for a Hero and therefore Sprint can afford to let it on a legacy F&C or even SERO. A Hero, Pre etc OTOH is sold at such a low price (high subsidy) to compete with the $200 iPhone, that Sprint MUST recoup that subsidy by forcing the Everything plans with these phones. Verizon can sell the TP2 at $200 because its forced plan rates *are* also higher than SERO/F&C to allow recouping that subsidy (but take note of its outrageous ETF).

These kinds of devices like the TP2 actually cost $600-800. Supposing you do sell them contract for $200. You need to recoup at least $500-600 before you break even. That's $20-25/mo for 2 years. Exactly how can Sprint actually earn any money on $30-20=$10/mo for voice/text/data? That's why a $500-600 subsidy (Pre, Hero, etc) NEEDS to go on a $50-70/mo plan.

[InvincibleLiving]

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

the obvious reason is that Sprint's subsidy for the TP2 is at least $100-150 less than for a Hero and therefore Sprint can afford to let it on a legacy F&C or even SERO. A Hero, Pre etc OTOH is sold at such a low price (high subsidy) to compete with the $200 iPhone, that Sprint MUST recoup that subsidy by forcing the Everything plans with these phones. Verizon can sell the TP2 at $200 because its forced plan rates *are* also higher than SERO/F&C to allow recouping that subsidy (but take note of its outrageous ETF).

These kinds of devices like the TP2 actually cost $600-800. Supposing you do sell them contract for $200. You need to recoup at least $500-600 before you break even. That's $20-25/mo for 2 years. Exactly how can Sprint actually earn any money on $30-20=$10/mo for voice/text/data? That's why a $500-600 subsidy (Pre, Hero, etc) NEEDS to go on a $50-70/mo plan.

I follow the logic of what you say except for where you say " These kinds of devices like the TP2 actually cost $600-800." Thats the entire problem right there, there's no reason these devices should ever retail for such an amount! I can now buy 2 PS3's for that same amount lol. And therein lies the problem with the whole celluar system, the costs are grossly over-inflated for the services rendered.

[Dr.8820]

the $199.99 deal is strictly for corporate or business owners only. you might catch a rep on a good day that will give this price to regular folks.

[monkeyboy]

Originally Posted by InvincibleLiving

I follow the logic of what you say except for where you say " These kinds of devices like the TP2 actually cost $600-800." Thats the entire problem right there, there's no reason these devices should ever retail for such an amount! I can now buy 2 PS3's for that same amount lol. And therein lies the problem with the whole celluar system, the costs are grossly over-inflated for the services rendered.

I can't really agree with you, although I also can't lay out exact the costs involved. But first, you should realize that the retail price of a PS3 is also HEAVILY subsized by Sony. PS3 are sold at a loss, I believe at least at a $200-300 loss, with the intention of gaining that back with game sales (4 game sales easily brings back $200). So the unsubsidized retail price of a PS3 would be closer to $600-700. Here is a sample news item:

Pricing the PlayStation 3 below its production cost caused Sony to lose $2.16 billion in 2007 and $1.16 billion in 2008, the company revealed today. Sony's fiscal 2008 annual report delineated potential risk factors to its investors, outlining that "the large-scale investment required during the development and introductory period of a new gaming platform may not be fully recovered."

Also consider that these smartphones like a TP2, are every bit as capable and sophisticated as a modern laptop, but in miniature form, which itself adds to the cost. Hesse has been quoted as confirming these prices and subsidy levels publicly, so the numbers I presented are not fiction.

Lastly, you seem to be conflating the cost of devices with the cost of wireless services. In any case, the bottomline is that Sprint has been losing money bigtime, so it is difficult to argue that they are overcharging in the broad scheme of things...

[robertrulez]

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

the obvious reason is that Sprint's subsidy for the TP2 is at least $100-150 less than for a Hero and therefore Sprint can afford to let it on a legacy F&C or even SERO. A Hero, Pre etc OTOH is sold at such a low price (high subsidy) to compete with the $200 iPhone, that Sprint MUST recoup that subsidy by forcing the Everything plans with these phones. Verizon can sell the TP2 at $200 because its forced plan rates *are* also higher than SERO/F&C to allow recouping that subsidy (but take note of its outrageous ETF).

These kinds of devices like the TP2 actually cost $600-800. Supposing you do sell them contract for $200. You need to recoup at least $500-600 before you break even. That's $20-25/mo for 2 years. Exactly how can Sprint actually earn any money on $30-20=$10/mo for voice/text/data? That's why a $500-600 subsidy (Pre, Hero, etc) NEEDS to go on a $50-70/mo plan.

completely untrue

touch pro 2s sell for 380 on ebay and thats without a contract, these people need to make a profit so obviously they retail way less

http://catalog.ebay.com/HTC-Touch-Pr...=p3286.c0.m271