I'm sure they check to see that you have reasonable credit. I have no problem with that. And I don't see why there needs to be a huge catch. I'm essentially "testing" t-mobile right now. I switched this morning using an unlocked Nexus 5. If my service is inadequate, I can just move over to another carrier. That's how it should be.
If their coverage is adequate for my needs, I'll be happy to be with a carrier that is pushing for more consumer-friendly policies in the wireless industry: - no 2-year contract lock-in - no obscuring of phone costs within plan prices - free unlimited international texts in most countries - free international data in most countries (capped speeds at slow speeds of ~128 kbps) - ability to get "full speed" data when abroad at reasonable short-term prices (if the slow, free data speeds aren't fast enough) - Lower prices than my previous carrier (Verizon) [Sadly, voice calls still cost ~20 cents/minute when abroad, but that is less than other US carriers when roaming.]
I'm still a bit worried that their coverage won't be good enough when traveling outside of major cities, but in the meantime their policies make it pretty easy to give them a fair shot.
To be clear, I'm no T-Mobile spokesperson. If their coverage is terrible in the areas where I need it most, I will drop them fast.
So what’s the catch, you ask? Well, there is a bit of fine print worth mentioning. When you sign up for a Test Drive, T-Mobile will place a $699.99 hold on your credit card. If you return the iPhone 5s with a cracked screen or water damage, you’ll need to pony up $100. And if you decide not to return the iPhone at all, you’ll be charged $700 for the unit.
So everytime you go to the store and grab a product off the shelf with the intention of keeping it for yourself, it's a "catch" when the store expects you to exchange money for said product? I think you need to go back to econ 101...
Definitely a great way for people to not only try out an iPhone and potentially land T-Mobile a sale, but to assess the network strength in one's area.
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cmdrdredd - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
There's gotta be a catch to this. I bet most people wouldn't qualify based on credit to just get a phone for a test drive. Something.TrackSmart - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
I'm sure they check to see that you have reasonable credit. I have no problem with that. And I don't see why there needs to be a huge catch. I'm essentially "testing" t-mobile right now. I switched this morning using an unlocked Nexus 5. If my service is inadequate, I can just move over to another carrier. That's how it should be.If their coverage is adequate for my needs, I'll be happy to be with a carrier that is pushing for more consumer-friendly policies in the wireless industry:
- no 2-year contract lock-in
- no obscuring of phone costs within plan prices
- free unlimited international texts in most countries
- free international data in most countries (capped speeds at slow speeds of ~128 kbps)
- ability to get "full speed" data when abroad at reasonable short-term prices (if the slow, free data speeds aren't fast enough)
- Lower prices than my previous carrier (Verizon)
[Sadly, voice calls still cost ~20 cents/minute when abroad, but that is less than other US carriers when roaming.]
I'm still a bit worried that their coverage won't be good enough when traveling outside of major cities, but in the meantime their policies make it pretty easy to give them a fair shot.
To be clear, I'm no T-Mobile spokesperson. If their coverage is terrible in the areas where I need it most, I will drop them fast.
gigahertz20 - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
So what’s the catch, you ask? Well, there is a bit of fine print worth mentioning. When you sign up for a Test Drive, T-Mobile will place a $699.99 hold on your credit card. If you return the iPhone 5s with a cracked screen or water damage, you’ll need to pony up $100. And if you decide not to return the iPhone at all, you’ll be charged $700 for the unit.THizzle7XU - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
So everytime you go to the store and grab a product off the shelf with the intention of keeping it for yourself, it's a "catch" when the store expects you to exchange money for said product? I think you need to go back to econ 101...anandreader106 - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
That's not a catch. That's common sense.Homeles - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
A reminder: this would be a "soft" credit check, that would not affect your credit score.gigahertz20 - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
There's no catch just don't break it and return the phone, details here http://www.tmonews.com/2014/06/t-mobile-unveils-un...ratbert1 - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
I think T-Mo way overbought on the iPhones.Homeles - Thursday, June 19, 2014 - link
Definitely a great way for people to not only try out an iPhone and potentially land T-Mobile a sale, but to assess the network strength in one's area.