Life Lessons: How To Replace A Lost 32GB iPhone 3GS For $300

| Feb 18, 2010 | 4 comments

As you know, on Tuesday, I lost my iPhone 3GS.  After accepting that it was gone, I called up Apple, who informed me that replacing it would cost $700.  That’s insane.  I wanted another iPhone but not for $700.  Here is how I got my refurb black iPhone 3GS (32GB) replaced with a new white iPhone 3GS (32GB) for $300 with an option to upgrade my phone in November.

Obviously, $700 for an iPhone is outrageous.  For half that cost, I could eat the ETF, which at this point was down to $130, and go over to Verizon or T-Mobile and get an Android handset.  I had been eyeing the Nexus One until I saw the upcoming HTC Legend.  Upon seeing it, I had pretty much decided that the Legend was going to be the Android handset for me.  Unfortunately, it won’t be available for a while (it goes on sale in the UK in April) and if it hits the US, it probably won’t be around until Holiday ’10.

I did my homework as to which smartphones would be options.  I kind of wanted a Bold a year ago. But that desire has passed and no other RIM handset was really screaming out to me.  The Droid interested me a first but I’m not a big fan of slider-phones and something in my gut was opposed to it.  As for the HTC handsets, they looked okay, but they weren’t the Legend and if I was going HTC, I’d wait for that.  However, waiting half a year for a cellphone was not an option.

I went on eBay as well and the only non-skeevy listings for an iPhone 3GS were also for $600.  That doesn’t help.  I might as well have bought one from the store.

Every time I think that I'm out, they pull me back in.

So, I went to AT&T and asked them.  Same thing: $700 because I’m not Early Upgrade eligible.  So I thanked the sales rep and told him I’d go down to Verizon.  I went back in about 45 minutes.  At that time, the sales rep offered me an option.

I was on the iPhone plan with 900 minutes for $59.99 per month and was also spending $9.99 for the Early Nights & Weekends (Night starts at 7:00 p.m. instead of 9:00 p.m.).  Not only that, because of Rollover, I had more minutes than I could ever hope to use.  So for an additional $9.99, I could add a line and get a new iPhone 3GS at the new subscriber price.  Additionally, I dialed my minutes back to the 450 minutes per month plan, saving $9.99 per month.  The net loss to me was only the $300 for the new iPhone.

Not only that, unlike at the Apple Store, where if you break your iPhone, they will replace it with a refurb unit of the same color for $200, the iPhone is new and I got to select white, which wasn’t available way back in July when I originally bought my iPhone 3GS.

On top of that, I wasn’t using the Early Upgrade credit (which I had used when I went from my iPhone 3G to the 3GS).  That means in November, I will have an Early Upgrade credit.  Given that the HTC Legend is to be on the O2 network in the UK, it’s not unreasonable to think that it may be on AT&T when it hits the US.

The drawback (other than having to shell out $300 for my bad luck) is that you are tied into a new two-year contract.  I had told myself at the beginning that this was a condition I could live with.  T-Mobile has 3G problems of its own in New York and Verizon didn’t really have any handsets out there I liked.

On top of that, I am already invested in iPhone apps. The ones that I have bought are good solid apps that I’m used to and I like the UI. Obviously, if you are going from an iPhone to Android, those apps are going to be worthless (at least the Zune will play AAC-unprotected music, making the switch of PMPs somewhat painless).

In the end, it actually may be worth ponying up the $300 for a new iPhone.  You will get to keep your apps and accessories.  If you were to switch to Verizon or T-Mobile or Sprint, there would be activation fees and you’d also still be locked into a two-year contract.  Moreover, you wouldn’t have an Early Upgrade credit left over.  Your mileage may vary, but the best result for replacing a lost iPhone is to add a line and purchase at the new subscriber rate.

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Matthew Baron

About the Author

Matthew Baron fought in the Console Wars. He is the best starpilot in the galaxy and a cunning warrior. For years, he played video games on PCs, before the consoles... before the dark times. When he's not wasting time playing video games on his consoles, he's wasting time on blogs, wasting time with gadgets, and wasting time at clubs. You can contact Matthew via electronic mail at matthewbaron@mobilelocalsocial.com and follow him on the Twitters @OMG_Ponies
  • http://intensedebate.com/people/identify_urself identify_urself

    Very smart! When I had my Blackberry I was a genius at getting new phones, but now that I have switched to the Iphone I have been nervous about how I will handle that if/when the day comes. Now I know. THANK YOU!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Matthew_Baron Matthew_Baron

    Always glad to be of service. An added bonus is that, because it's a new iPhone, you also get a charger, cable, and headset. Apple charges $29 for the charger and $29 for the headset. If you don't have a travel charger for the iPhone, now you do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TravisWright.teedubya Travis Wright

    This was pure badasses. Smart and savvy. The Frugal Fanboy.

  • http://twitter.com/MVPSusi @MVPSusi

    Your AT&T rep was one good guy to at least give you the options. We recently purchased 2 iPhones on new plans and promptly dropped one of them into a hot tub the same day. I wrote a blog about that here: bit.ly/iPhoneShame . I wish that our rep had told us about the re-furb option or the add a line option. Apparently, he had incentive not to – as he knew we were over a barrel and had to have the phone that day. I guess another $600 must have lined his pocket pretty nicely. I'll have to do a little more research next time and thanks for giving me this heads-up. And I'll also have to be less of a klutz and not trip on a step near water. B)