Thursday, July 5, 2012

WIND Mobile "Special Offer" for Samsung Galaxy S III customers

WIND has sent out notifications that Samsung Galaxy S III sales are restricted to new customers only - for the moment.  They have promised a "special offer" to make up for it.

I lost the link, but the rumor is the "special offer" is $25 off the cost of the phone.  So it'll be in the low-$600 range, instead of the mid-$600 range.

(Or around $500 on a WINDtab with the $25/mo plan, or around $400 on a WINDtab with the $40/mo plan.  Or something like that.)

Not that impressive, really.  People are kind of steamed about not being able to purchase the GS III, and $25 is not a lot for the inconvenience.

The Tab pay-as-you-go plan is basically just a deferred subsidy.  WIND will end up paying for some of the cost of the handset, but only after you've stuck with them for 3 years.  Sort of an interest-free loan, as it were.

The difference between this and a regular contract seems to be that you can pay it off and leave anytime.  No different from buying the handset outright and leaving WIND later, in that case.

I'm undecided on this.  I doubt I will want to keep the GSIII for three years, but maybe I will.  I don't currently have a "tab" and I'm not sure I want one, either.

[Edit]: OK, here's the link.

[Update]:  OK, "special offer" is $200 credit - which is, effectively, what WIND has been giving all new customers anyway.  Credit has restrictions on how you can spend it, and seemingly does buy-outrighters (like me) no good at all.  Only useful for existing Tab customers eligible for upgrade under the terms of their Tab.

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