The moral of the story is, I guess, read the fine print, ask lots of questions, and if you don't get answers -- go somewhere else.
Vishal Sheth wrote: > They are all sales guys and are trying to do their sale bit. One of the > credit card guy tried to sell me a credit card saying I'll get discount of > 2% on my mobile bill. On asking more questions, I learnt that I would get 2 > points for Rs. 100 spent, which he converted as 2% discount. I did not take > the card, but was shocked to hear this. > > > > Vishal > > > > _____ > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of J > Messeder > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 5:52 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Treo] Rebates and The Single Most Important Question > > > > I was about to upgrade my 650 to a 680. After much discussion, > contemplation, and browsing the boards, that seemed the way to go. > So I stopped at the Cingular store, where the guy said if I'd bring > him a print of the online deal, including any mail-in rebates, he'd give > me all the rebates up front. That clinched it. On the Cingular site, I'm > eligible for an upgrade. I went through the entire ordering process, > stopping only at the final button to place the order. The list said I'd > get a $150 instant rebate, a $100 mail-in rebate, and use my existing plan. > Went back to the store. Turns out there's no way around the mail-in > requirement. And BTW, the $100 mail-in requires me to increase my data > plan by $20 a month. Somehow, Cingular gave me a $19 plan (which has > unlimited data and 200 text messages and works really well for me) but > Treos and Blackberries have to be on the $39 data plan to qualify for > the $100 rebate. > So for an additional $20 a month, I can have a $100 rebate. In five > months, they've got their money back. Not exactly a good deal for me. > The salesman agreed. > I called Cingular. The nice lady agree on the requirement, about > which she also agreed I would have found out when I ordered the phone > and two weeks later got the rebate form in the mail. She also agreed > that the system basically lied when it said I'd be on my existing plan, > and get the $100 mail-in rebate. > Here's the problem with rebates: we pay taxes on $100 we're not > really spending (since we will get it back), the company get's to claim > the $300 sale instead of only a $200 sale, then claims the loss when > they give back the $100. > And in five months, it has recovered in fees for service I neither > wanted nor needed, the money it "lost" by giving me the purchase rebate. > And I'm left with the remaining 19 months of a two-year contract at $20 > more than I needed or wanted. > I wish there were a way to roll back the whole rebate scam. We The > People jump on rebates like they're a discount, when all they are is a > way for the state (taxes) and banks (finance fees on the credit cards) > to make money on what we, in the end, are not spending. > > BTW, the lady who agreed Cingular was lying by appearing to say I > could keep my existing service and get the $100 rebate, then told me the > difference between the $39 plan and the $19 plan was the less expensive > one would go only to MEDIA web sites, where I could buy ringtones and do > a few other minor things. > Another lie, at least so far. I have been able to go anywhere I want > on the browser. I haven't found a site yet I can't access. Of course, I > don't spend a lot of time browsing from the Treo. My data mostly is used > for email and IM. > > Carl W. Brooks wrote: > >> I have never been restricted to the sites I visit via the Treo (outside of >> > flash or youtube.com type sites). > >> I simply use http://www.mlvb. <http://www.mlvb.net> net or >> > http://www.skweezer <http://www.skweezer.net/> .net/ to view most sites, > especially those which automatically sense I am on a PDA and present the WAP > version. > >> Both sites allow you to go to the main site and then use the form to enter >> > an URL or search word or term. > >> You can also use them as standalone links such as >> >> http://www.skweezer <http://www.skweezer.net/skweeze.aspx?q=freep.com> >> > .net/skweeze.aspx?q=freep.com > >> or >> >> http://mlvb. <http://mlvb.net/nfl.com/> net/nfl.com/ >> >> Using the freeware app Shortcut5, you can setup shortcuts to type the URLs >> > for you. > >> Typing .skw >> can produce >> http://www.skweezer <http://www.skweezer.net/skweeze.aspx?q=> >> > .net/skweeze.aspx?q= > >> Typing .mlvb >> can produce >> http://mlvb. <http://mlvb.net/> net/ >> >> This work for most sites. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Carl W. Brooks >> (Sent from my Sprint Treo 650) >> >> http://www.Palmloya <http://www.Palmloyal.com> l.com >> Palm Podcasts, News, Software, Hardware, and More! >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: "Craig Froehle" <craig.froehle@ <mailto:craig.froehle%40gmail.com> >> > gmail.com> > >> Date: Tuesday, Apr 10, 2007 9:49 pm >> Subject: Re: [Treo] The Single Most Important Question >> >> try www.treobits.com >> >> On 4/10/07, Paul Blumstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:pbandj%40pobox.com> >> com> >> > wrote: > >> {Not really, but I did get your attention} >> >> >> >>> Our browser works well with WAP sites and sites designed for mobile use. >>> >>> >> >>> Is there a directory of such sites? >>> >>> >> >>> If not, perhaps Joel will let us use the database feature or links >>> >>> >> feature of this group so that we may start one. >> >> >> >>> Paul >>> >>> >> >> >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > -- /The erasure of a human subspecies is largely painless -- to us -- if we know little enough about it. A dead Chinaman is of little import to us whose awareness of things Chinese is bounded by an occasional dish of chow mein. We grieve only for what we know./ A Sand County Almanac, /Aldo Leopold, July 1949/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
