Sprint is a hot mess over the Pre
So Sprint/Palm finally released the Palm Pre release date yesterday – June 6th is d-day. I’ve been looking forward to this phone since CES earlier this year. It certainly looks like an amazing phone, it’s feature set meets all of my needs, and it is on my carrier — so I was definitely looking forward to that announcement. However, it seems Sprint is very unprepared for the barrage of attention.
The announcement released two price points: $299 and $199 after $100 mail-in rebate. That’s it, despite the very simple and consistent price structure Sprint uses:
- New customer price
- 1-year upgrade ($75 upgrade credit)
- 2-year upgrade ($150 upgrade credit)
- No upgrade credit / Off contract (retail price)
Sprint released the new customer/2-year upgrade price, but failed to release the other two, which has led to much speculation.
I thought I had a clear answer yesterday when Sprint rep Justin Goldsborough posted pricing details for 1-year upgrades on Twitter:
So with that info I backed out some pricing that came up with an end price of $449:
- $449 – $150 instant rebate – $100 rebate = $199 for new…
- $449 – $100 rebate – $75 upgrade – $274.99 for 1 year customers
- $449 – $100 rebate – $150 upgrade = $199.99 for 2 year customers eligible
But that all changed this AM after I contacted Sprint to verify the price I would be paying and begin the process of changing my SERO account over to Everything Plus in order for it to work with the Pre (which is another story all together.)
Here’s what I got back from a Sprint rep via email:
It is still not clear whether the Palm Pre can be used with the old SERO plan or not. We have received a lot of inquiry regarding the same and have already forwarded this concern to the appropriate department for clarification. As soon as we receive any response regarding the plan required for the Palm Pre handset, we will get back to you.
The retail Price of Palm Pre handset is $549.99. As both the lines on your account are eligible for $75.00 handset upgrade rebate and will be eligible for $150.00 rebate in October 2009, the Palm Pre handset will cost you $474.99 as of now. You can purchase this handset at the price of $199.99 in October 2009 when your phone lines will be eligible for $150.00 rebate.
The Twitter is a third party retail store and we do not conform the price offered by them. If they are offering the Palm Pre for $275.00, you can purchase it from there.
The $549 number was floated on many Pre news sites and forums this AM, so that seems legit, but the price she said I would pay is $200 more than the one quoted by Justin on Twitter. Not to mention “The Twitter is a third party retail store”! (I did link directly to Justin’s Twitter profile in my email, which includes many references to the $274.99 price.) And the SERO info, which was debunked by Sprint themselves yesterday. This, combined with all of the “I talked to a Sprint rep” posts and comments that are all over the web spouting misinformed and contradictory information, has left me thoroughly confused.
So, which is it Sprint? No way I am paying almost $500 for a phone and be forced to almost double my monthly plan charge to do so… I was ready to wait in line on June 6th to get the phone at $275 and do all the leg work to get my account ready before then, but now I am thinking I’ll wait until October. And who knows what the landscape will be like then, especially with rumors of wireless plan pricing wars happening this year. AT&T already looks like they are making moves to increase iPhone market share and five months is a long ways away.
