Hi -- I'm new here. I have a contract with Cingular for another year and a half and my phone isn't upgradeable for another year. But I want to buy a BB 8700c. Cingular's price (since I'm already in contract) is $449. Is there anywhere else to buy it cheaper? I've seen lots on eBay but is that sketchy? I want to make sure it has a warranty. And if I don't buy it through Cingular, will they charge me to activate it or do I just pop in my SIM card?

TIA...

Hi there! I'm in the same position, with T-Mobile though. Here's what I'm doing...I bought an MDA about 3 months ago and hate it. For the last 2 weeks it's been nothing but trouble so I'm going for a BB! I'm in the middle of a 2 year contract with TMO and spoke with customer service. The first rep I tried told me an 8700 would cost $480 since I'm not eligible for an upgrade either for about 8 months. I tried someone else and they were awesome! I explained my trouble with the MDA and they said since I've been a loyal customer for 5 years they'd give me the 8700 for $349 with a $50 mail in rebate = $299! That's the same price new customers get. I'm waiting for the new Pearl to come out in a week and will then decide which to get.

Maybe you can try something similar. What phone are you using now and how long have you been a Cingular customer?

Good luck!

Right now I have the LG F9200. It's the kind with the slide-out keyboard. And it's great for text messaging, but the email app stinks. Maybe I'll try your idea and call them back to see if someone else will give me a better deal. I just switched to Cingular in January, but I switched to be on a family plan with my husband, who has been a Cingular (well, formerly AT+T) customer for over 5 years. So technically the account is under his name so maybe they'll help me out on the price. I don't see why they wouldn't -- I'm signing up for another $30/mo so they should want my business, right?

Well if anyone else has any ideas, please post them...

Look in the for sale here...most people are honest just ask alot of questions and use Paypal. Used is not all that bad.

whenever you buy a phone 3rd party, you rarely get a warranty. Look on craigslist in your area for people selling a bb .. i got my bb for $250, 2 weeks old on craigslist. Good luck with your search.

i am going to sell mine after i get the vodaphone 8707V from ebay.

i am switching because i travel a lot and need the 3G.

phone is brand spanking new.

i turned it on to activate and unlock the phone only to it will work with all services.

anyways, PM if interested.

Thanks

BEST TIP I CAN Say if to find a person either at T-mobile or Cigular Coporate office and become buddy'es with them. I got my bb from a friend (he a manager at a cingular copr) for just $149 NEW! with NO CONTRACT!

So I ended up buying a new 8700c on eBay. There were lots of used phones for less, but I wanted the warranty (and the one I bought has a 1-yr warranty) so I went with a new one.

But now I have another question...Do I have to activate it when I get it? I know I have to call Cingular to add the monthly plan, but is there also an activation fee? Or do I just put the SIM card from my other phone into the Blackberry?

Just put the SIM in and have Cingular add the Blackberry data plan. You don't activate GSM phones -- you activate the SIM (since you have an active SIM there's no need for this step).

Great -- thanks takeshi!