[abbyroad]

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...

[KCM]

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!

[abbyroad]

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...

[Kriz]

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

[dizzle247]

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.

[hexproject]

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

[xxdjrayxx]

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!

[abbyroad]

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?

[takeshi]

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).

[abbyroad]

Great -- thanks takeshi!