Costco - Black Friday Sale - Samsung Galaxy S3 - All Carriers - $29
 

FYI, stopped by Costco before closing today and found out that all Samsung Galaxy S3 phones will be on sale for $29. Not sure about other phones, but then I don't care about them other phones.

Do you know whether it will be available online as well? Did you talk to someone in the store or did you get the paper ad? Are you sure it not for $129? It says so online.

I wish there was a way to check to see if this was true..

Just to pile on the questions, new accounts only, or did the guy suggest upgrades also?

If that is correct then it seems that they will extend the promotion that was on Nov 16-17
http://www.tmonews.com/2012/11/co...-sale-fun/

The disadvantage is that you need to get the Classic plan with Unlimited Nationwide 4G data which increase my monthly bill out of what I was looking for.

On the other hand TmoNews mentioned that the Tmobile promotion for Value plans will be extended begining on Nov 23.
http://www.tmonews.com/2012/11/t-...lue-plans/

I think this is something unrelated to TMobile deal. TMobile's is $100 + $50 MIR and is currently online on a $149 phone. So its basically free not for $29.

For some reason I'm very confused as to what you're trying to say. Can you rephrase please? Maybe add a link as well? Thank you.

The current Costco TMobile deal is here http://membershipwireless.com/ind...uctId/5366.

If you look at the rebates, the total rebates come to $150 and the cost for the phone is $149.99. So the phone is basically free and not for $29. Hence, I think, what the OP mentioned might not be something similar to the TMobile deals as one of the posters pointed out.

Ah~ Okay. Thank you for clarifying. Makes perfect sense now. =)

On Verizon, is it going to be new accounts only or upgrade also? Well the same question for all other carriers too.. $29 for all upgrade customers would be sweet.

Is there a costco specific ETF? Or just t-mobile ETF ($200 + $50 ETF tax)?

does costco charges termination fee like amazon wireless?

Can anyone else confirm? Can the mods merge this into the main S3 deals thread?

is this good for adding a new line as well?

I spoke with the person manning the cell phone booth. She said the information was only released to her a few hours before closing. Unless she was lying to my face (twice), all carriers for $29. She was in a rush to close up, so I didn't get a chance to clarify whether that meant only new customers or upgrades, but I'll take my chances and assume both.

Hmm, Don't know if I should wait for Costco to open at 9:00 or go to Walmart at 5:00.

nevermind...turkey coma :P

so this would be 29$ for the phone + 30$ upgrade fee + 35$ activation for verizon line? o.o thats pretty expensive haha

I thought they didn't charge activation? Is that only for new contracts?

I will check it out tomorrow.

You are correct: $30 upgrade fee for existing customers, $35 activation fee for new customers

I think it is one or the other, not both

Ah my mistake. So it would technically be 59$ for an upgrade I guess. Wonder if I should go for the costco one or sign up for a sam's club membership and basically get it for 71$ phone+membership...

What advantage does this have over buying it at BestBuy in that case? BB has the S3 for $50, and it includes upgrades too.

So my verizon upgrade date is 12/1 so I am not technically allowed to get a phone before then, wonder if they will make an exception as I am one week and and 1 day out. I heard they may make exceptions for 1 week. Wonder if the extra day will screw me?

You're still paying the $35 or $30 new customer/upgrade fee at BB on top of the $50 phone.

I bought a verizon s3 a month ago with 2 year plan. can i return it and get this?

That's what I was thinking :lol:

Correct me if I'm wrong someone but I think 1 month is too long. Within 14 days is full refund.

I know in California it is 14 days to return it and cancel out the contract and 30 days to return the phone for refund or exchange of device ONLY. Meaning that if you go over 14 days and you want to take back your phone for FULL refund, the contract will not cancel and you will pay the deactivation fee of $350 plus whatever you owe them for usage.

costco has the best deals anyways, so you know all the Black Friday Deals are going to be amazing.

Very excited for this deal tomorrow....lets hope the OP is right.... will be hitting up Costco at 9am to upgrade my mom's dumbphone then switch the s3 onto my line to keep my unlimited data. Will post back at 9 to see if the deal is legit

Costco's return policy on phone's is 90 days, though.

I believe Costco gives you 90 days to return the phone, but carriers only give you 14 days to cancel your new or upgraded plan. So if you return the phone after the 14-day window, you still get a bill from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint each month.

Costco.com has Samsung Galaxy SIII for 29.00 (after $100 MIR) + tax
http://membershipwireless.com/ind...uctId/5290

I pulled the trigger on this one after having little success with the retention reps earlier. I was out of contract, so eligible for an upgrade. I believe doing this qualifies for the waived activation fee, and while I saw the footnote "4 An Upgrade Fee of $36.00 applies to each Upgrade Line," it was never cited on the itemized invoice. I'm assuming the contract renewal is what waives it?

It's especially nice, because this deal comes with a free accessory kit:

Hard Shell Carrying Case
2 Leather Cases
3 in 1 Charger
Screen Protectors

All in all, $140 out the door with a $100 mail in rebate. Awesome.

It also appears that VZW is giving a $40 statement credit to any person who activates a smartphone or mobile hotspot on a share everything plan. This doesn't appear to be limited to purchases through Costco even though it's the only place I've seen it.

http://membershipwireless.com/Mar...Credit.pdf

So u purchased this already? I think u may be able to answer a question for me as it may be possible that we might be in the same situation. I am out of a contract, eligible for an upgrade, currently paying a classic unlimited everything plan. If I pull the trigger, this is a phone upgrade and new 2 year contract only correct? I will still be able to keep my existing plan correct? Thanks.

Isn't Sams 96 cents?

Yes, but I believe you have to go in for it, and I don't know if they will waive activation (still not 100% it's waived on mine, but it looked like it). This one also comes with the accessory kit.

I believe so, though I did have a grandfathered unlimited iPhone data plan, and when I added the phone it asked if I wanted to keep my current plan, or choose a new one. This must have only been referring to my minutes, because when I chose to keep my current plan, it DID make me select a new data plan (3gb or 5gb LTE). A quick Google shows that some have had success with getting their unlimited plans back after the fact, but it's certainly a calculated risk I was willing to take.

oh ok thanks. I want to get it in store but I don't want to get all the way there just to be disappointed you know. thanks again.

I work for the wireless company inside of Costco, so i may be able to answer some of your guys questions.

Yes, this is true, but T-Mobile's is 30 days in california. Select Costco's will also pricematch WITHIN 30 days. My Costco does, but its up to the store manager if they want to or not.

Yes, not only we waive activation fees (always have), we also will be giving $40 bill credit 11/23 - 11/25. Activations= New Accounts Upgrades = Previous Verzion Customers. FYI The taxes are also only on the wholesale price you see on membershipwireless and not the retail you would normally pay on it california atleast.


Classic unlimited...so T-Mobile. You would have to move the $30 truely unlimited data plan instead of the $20 (2GB High Speed then slows down) to get any MIR's from TMobile.

Nah im sorry its the old iphone plan with att similar to the guy above me

Thanks.

Have a question - I see that here [membershipwireless.com] it says

Does this mean that if I were to get a phone from Costco and then cancel it after a month I'd have to pay the carrier ETF and return the phone to Wireless Advocates? That's different that going through the actual carrier where after paying the ETF I'd be able to keep the phone.

[edit]

More info here [membershipwireless.com] [PDF file]. Looks like that's correct. If cancelling within 90 days the equipment must be returned. At least that's what it says on Costco.com and I'm assuming it's the same company for the in-store kiosks.

[/edit]

not a costco member, if we bought thru membershipwireless.com, would activation fee be waived? thanks!

I guess you bought it for AT&T. Online the option for lowest data plan is $30. Does that mean that we cannot get the $20 data plan with this device through Costco for AT&T?

answering my own question....need to be a member to get activation waived.

So if I bought my s3, and it has been more than 14 days (sprint), I am screwed?

I'm grandfathered in with the unlimited data plan on AT&T. This deal is interesting but I don't want to lose that. Is it a fact that you can keep your original data plan and just switch over?

You will not loose that. Just make sure you do not activate your phone through their automated process. Infact call them and talk to CSR and tell them I want to keep my existing data plan. They will activate it with no questions asked and you will keep your existing data plan. Even if costco/walmart/bestbuy forces you to select a data plan, you may select one and just call the ATT and they will honor your grand father account.

I purchased a lumia 920 on its launch day and confirmed with CSR before buying it. Infact, I have twice upgraded my device and ATT never changed my data plan.

Good luck

Have Verizon unlimited data on my smartphone and a family plan with some dumb phones, all eligible for upgrade. Can I buy this for one of the dumb phone lines and then switch it to my smart phone line? Or will Costco charge me ETF? I don't see anything about it in the agreements, but I know other stores do charge the ETF.

Trying to pull the trigger on this and I keep getting an error message. Anyone else?

Wanted the Black SIII for Verizon, looks like it went OOS while I was moving through my cart.

same boat, black seems to be OOS everywhere i've looked.

Don't really want white or blue, tempted to go brown. I like it now, but worried about how I will feel about it in 6 months.

Black is available again. Hit refresh and was able to add to cart and complete the order!

same here. if no black available, going to do blue, as not sure how brown will look with all the different cases out there.

Really want to go in and purchase this.

I already get charged the $30/mth fee. Is it still gonna charge me that on top of that? Reluctant to pull the trigger...

White only AT&T left on Costco.com. . .I am regretting not doing this now. . .on to the store in a bit to give it a try. . .

I was trying to refresh the page for the phone I wanted and it never changed. Go back to the main list of all the phones and try finding the one you want there. Mine came back in stock and I was able to checkout.

So I'm confused. The T-Mobile S3's are FAR right? $149.99 - 100 - 50

I'm also confused.. someone mentioned keeping their unlimited plan... I have verizon and an unlimited plan. So I buy the phone through costco and upgrade but then call verizon and say I want to keep my phone?

Finally got it to let me check out with the blue for Verizon after going back and forth about 10 times.

So.... if you're 1 year into a verizon contract and don't have an upgrade available, will this deal not work out in any way?

In 4 1, thanks OP repped

I just ordered a red ATT one, maybe check again later.

I used an upgrade and ordered a white one on AT&T. The site didn't ask me for any info regarding my costco membership. After checkout there is fine print that said I will see the $36 upgrade fee on my next bill. I put in a call to the wireless guys at the local costco, they said that is a AT&T imposed charge and they have no way to waive it on their end.

Is everyone else who upgraded a line on AT&T seeing the same message after checkout?

Went into local Costco, and had no issue purchasing for $129 + tax on $129, so like $141 out the door. No activation fee (covered by Costco). Upgrade fee applies for AT&T and I will try to get waived, but that is taken on the bill.

****REBATE CONCERN****
If you read the online rebate, it says AT&T service must be active at time of redemption and activation must be made on Friday, November 23. Not sure how that works online.
********************************

My Costco had about 25 phones per carrier he said.

Yes, I saw exactly the same message. Will try to call AT&T before activation to convince them to remove the fee

yeah i ordered mine online and i obviously won't be able to activate it until i receive it.

Hope there is no issues with getting the rebate... i hate them.

I bought a Galaxy SIII with AT&T upgrade activation a week ago. There is a price warranty for 30 days. I bought for $129.99 plus tax. What is process for obtaining any adjustment today at Costco as it is reported here that the phone from all providers are selling for $29.99 today? Or is this for activation on Black Friday only deal? Information is confusing.

it's still being sold for $129.99 - it just has a $100 MIR if you buy today. i don't think that your price warranty is going to work in that situation.

i am still confused on how to get this phone and keep my verizon unlimited plan. i am not a costco member so i can't just call em up...

What if I bought the phone with the T-Mobile Unlimited Classic plan, but then decided to change to the cheaper, Unlimited Value plan? Would I be charged full price for the phone?

Just called Costco and asked this question. Deal is real but for today (black Friday) only and only for purchases made today. He said you cannot obtain a price adjustment under the 30 day price warranty unless you return the entire phone and all additional materials and repurchase a new phone. What a hassle! He was apologetic though. So, purchase and activate today and you have a good, clean deal on a nice phone.

costco/best buy says im not eligible for an upgrade on their sites even though T-mobile says I can upgrade. Any way around this?

One final note I neglected to post... phone is still $129.99 but you obtain a voucher for a mail in rebate for $100. So, that is how they get around the price matching feature of their warranty I suspect. Sorry for the oversight as I should have added this fine point to explain how the price matching is not an option. :confused::rolleyes::mad:

my local costco charges activation fee but they said it will be credited after 2 bill cycles

If you order it on costco.com how are you supposed to activate it today?

Not sure why you are asking. I purchased mine at a brick and mortar Costco and had it activated within 20 minutes. I have no idea how this works for Costco.com as I spoke today to the phone representative at the store site where I purchased my phone. My only problem was I bought it a week too soon.

Maybe I am belaboring this too much but at our local Costco, you pick up the phone at their secured storage at the front of the store and an employee will actually escort you back to the phone sales location to have you activate it there on the spot. I asked why I could not go back there myself with the phone and I was told that people have purchased their phone and neglected to have it activated and evidently were dumfounded when they went to use it and have found it did not work! So, I said "purchase and activated" as that is the way it happened for me at the store. They seemed to be determined for me to have it activated. Maybe at Costco.com you can get the MIR deal without activating the phone since it is simply a different transaction You could always call and find out as I am certainly not an authority as to how Costco.com operates.

I've the same question and have been trying to get through to get more information and clarification from their support number. Been waiting for 1 hour to speak with anyone.

They updated the rebate form to clear up the activation confusion! Make sure you print the new one here http://membershipwireless.com/mar...Rebate.pdf

The rebate form has been updated to state this:

2. Purchase OR Activation must be made on Friday, November 23rd.
3. (your carrier) service must be active at time of redemption.

Looks like add-a-line doesn't qualify for the $100 rebate.

It should for Verizon, I added a line this am and it had a rebate

The rebate form says for new activation and qualified upgrade, does not mention an add-a-line.

"1. A Samsung Galaxy S III 16GB must be purchased and activated on a VERIZON New Two Year Activation
(Lines 1-10) or Qualified Upgrade (Lines 1-10) on Costco.com"

I just called Verizon and asked if I could keep my existing unlimited data plan if I were to do the upgrade option on this phone and they said no. =/

I wonder how much money Verizon has lost by screwing people over with this grandfathered plan bs.

Hmm, ordered online but I think they overcharged me on the tax. The wholesale price is 249 but they charged me almost $54 in tax. Trying to get through on the phone but just getting a busy signal.

Are you in California? The same thing happened to me. I'm going to call them, too.

To the poster who asked if the activation fee footnote appeared on their invoice, this is from the PDF they make you agree to:

I am assuming that someone with ATT service, but out of contract, would be treated more as a new activation or qualified upgrade, which should be eligible to have the fee waived. The key is that this process can take 2-3 months, so just make sure you remember to check.

If anyone knows better, I'm all ears. Even with the activation fee, this deal was good enough that I jumped on it. Only thing I am having doubts on is that I chose blue instead of black lol.


EDIT. Now I'm not so sure. I just went back and added the phone as if it were a new 2 year plan, rather than an upgrade, and it does explicitly state that the fee will be waived, so it looks like I'll be paying, unless I can convince ATT otherwise.

Yeah I'm in CA. I'll let you know if I get through. Let me know if you get through first :)

anyone have luck with this?

Adding a line is considered a new activation. Costco waives the activation fee for its members

Same boat here...will post if I get anything.

California Tax Regulations for Wireless Devices
 

I tried to check out with Costco online and was also charged $53.92 tax in CA. I don't think Costco can do anything about it, and Amazon does the same thing since it's a CA regulation. More tax revenue for California to mismanage :mad:


From Amazon's site:

The state of California has specific tax regulations regarding the sales of cellular phones and other devices like tablets or mobile hot spots that use wireless service. These devices are often subsidized (sold at a discount) with a requirement that the customer enters a contract with a wireless service provider. For example, a phone that sells for $599.99 without a contract may sell for $0.01 with a two-year contract for wireless service. California requires that devices sold at a discount with a wireless service contract are taxed on the full, undiscounted price of the device without a contract. So in the example above, a phone sold for $0.01 with a two-year contract would be taxed on the $599.99 no-contract price.

The regulations described above for wireless devices sold at a discount with a contract are not applicable to the sale of devices that are end-of-life or obsolete.

Your estimated tax will be displayed when you review your order during checkout. For additional details on California tax rates and to see what rate applies to you, please visit the California State Board of Equalization Website.

http://wireless.amazon.com/help/201013260

On a side note, when I spoke to a Costco CSR earlier, a guy named Chris said I can call back after purchasing the phone and they can grandfather my unlimited data plan. I'm pretty sure Verizon always says no to this, but I guess we'll see.

That's true in CA but for Costco the wholesale price of the phone is $249 not $599.99 so you should only get taxed on the $249. It's like that in Costco stores in CA so it should be online also, I figure it's an error somewhere in their system.

I checked out in AZ and was only charged tax on the $129.

I just spoke to somebody at Costco's Wireless Advocates and she said that the in-store CSRs who said tax would only be charged on the wholesale price were incorrect, and that the tax they're charging on the full price is the way it's supposed to be done.

Anybody else get a different answer?

Interesting. Has someone confirmed that in a CA store they were only charged tax on $249?

Also, what tax rate should they be using for online sales? Cause $53.94 on $599.99 is almost a 8.99% tax rate. The tax rate in my county/city is 7.75%, so I'm guessing that's what I'd pay if I went down the street to my local Costco. I want the Black S3, which appears to only be available online.

http://i.imgur.com/D1YD3.png

This is in Texas, charged 8% tax on the Warehouse price of $129.99.

I went into a costco store today...harrisburg pa. and was told that the sale price was ALL weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed it is and I can upgrade on Sunday/

I found the receipt for my in-store Costco purchase of a Droid 2 in 2010. I was charged tax on Costco's price, which was $200. I think full retail for that phone was about $400 at the time.

I don't know if the tax laws have changed since then, but something seems fishy here. Sales tax should not be different online vs. in-store, should it?

If anybody who bought one today in-store in CA could tell us what tax they were charged, that would be great.

Went to costco today and here's a summary of my experience--

Went in at 9am--there was a huge line but everyone seemed to just be grocery shopping as I was the first one to get to the kiosk. Asked the guy for a white S3 and he said he would need my mom there (she was at work) since she is the name for the account (Verizon btw). I waited until she got off for lunch and by the time I got there, they only had the blue S3 left so I took one. They had a total of 19 (I asked before I left to wait for my mom) white S3 and probably about the same for blues as well as Verizon only offers blue and white.

They write you a ticket and you pay for the phone at the normal register then the supervisor will bring the phone to the kiosk as a poster stated above. I have no idea why the guy couldn't write me the ticket for the white S3 this morning and just add the plan when my mom got there but whatever, frustrated me a bit.

My mom has a dumbphone so I just activated the S3 on her line so I can switch it over to my line (and put back my moms old dumbphone on her line) since I have unlimited data grandfathered in. I will be doing this shortly after I finish up some work.

The CSR at the kiosk said they should have more white S3s later on next week so I can just bring in my blue one and exchange if I wanted.

Do I have to keep the $30 data plan or can I downgrade to the $20 when I get the phone? Are there rules of keeping the plan to get the price and rebate?

You have to either open a new line and transfer the phone to your line or use an upgrade available to another line already on your plan. If you use the upgrade available to the line with unlimited data, you will be switched to the 2GB plan.

I went to Costco B&M and I was charged tax only on $279. Mine is AT&T upgrade. And, I was able to get $20 data plan which wasn't available online.

Not to discourage you. The rebate form clearly says you have to purchase it on 11/23/2012 and the beauty @Costco wireless booth confirmed the same saying it's only for today.

I can't get through on the phone to ask about the tax. Getting a busy signal. Got through once before but it hung up. The guy at the Costco store near me said the tax is only on 249 since that is there wholesale price and also the wholesale price on the website. On the website there is no $599 price.

Even at $599 the tax is still wrong, it's not 53.92.

Called my Costco in Ontario ca,sales person said it is for $149.00 +tax & NO REBATE...I asked her 3 times and she said NO REBATES. Dose anyone in Ca has found this to be true. BTW I was asking for a new activation on T-Mobile.

the costco in chino hills CA has a sign that specifically states what the deal is. the verizon deal is $250 base price - $120 instant rebate - $100 mail in rebate.= $30 in the end. since i'm on verizon i didn't check the other carriers but i'm pretty sure the sign for ATT had a big "$29" price tag on it too.

Is this offer still eligible for the $50 port in credit for tmobile?

I apologize for not getting back to you guys sooner.

Yes, that is correct. Sorry :(

As long as you make sure the person that is helping you is aware of this and make sure they keep it then you will always keep your unlimited on AT&T.

Yes, this is the ONLY way to not lose the Unlimited data plan on Verizon, most people/employee's dont know this secret trick. And no you wont be charged an ETF. Phones you buy and activated can be moved around.

Is this an issue--

On the rebate it says "Eligibility of this rebate may be contingent on your wireless phone, rate plan, or data enhanced service purchase. If your contract is altered or cancelled in part or full within 12-14 weeks following activation, your rebate will become ineligible and will not be honored."

Does this mean that my method of signing up on a dumbphone line, switching to unlimited data line, cancelling data on the dumbphone line, and putting the dumbphone back on, is "altering my contract" and therefore I won't get the mail in rebate?

can someone help a confused senior?
i currently have a t mobile prepaid dumbphone but want a smartphone. l need help with choosing a plan with the samsung III phone. l hear good things about verizon & at&t. l also would like a plan which provides the most data for the least cost. any suggestions, recommendations?
thank you!

NOOOOOooooo. Man I feel like I got screwed over big time. I thought 175 for an S3 through sprint was ok. Next time I am waiting until BF to see whats on sale.

EDIT

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate the info you provided.

I went today to Tustin Costco at CA and they told me that the T-mobile promotion will be available all weekend. The difference relies on the Costco cash Card. The Tmobile promotios is
$100 T mobile Rebate + $50 Costco Cash Card. The Costco cash card is only available today 11/23/2012

http://membershipwireless.com/ind...n/GSIIITMO

In order to get the rebate and Costco cash card you need to get the Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plan. In my case we will need the Classic Unlimited Family Plan (2 lines) which is $159.98/month (too much for my budget)

Quick question. The only ones they had available were blue, the only one I didn't want. Will I be able to go in store and exchange for a different color if I don't open the package?

is the sales tax on $279?


per my local store...there is 90 days to exchange to a diff phone or same phone (diff color)

Awesome news. Thanks a lot!

All sold out at my local Costcos. Was actually willing to break my unlimited data plan for this deal too.

Can anyone let me know if this will work for the following? -

We want to use line 1 (which currently has a smartphone) upgrade eligibility to order the S3 and then use the phone on line 2 (which currently has a basic phone). Would we have any problem qualifying for the $100 Rebate?

If you're not in a hurry, give a couple months and they won't be forcing you too much. I'm not changing my minutes for a phone because I don't need the minutes and I don't need any single specific phone. Doesn't matter how thin, sexy, and desirable the phone is, I still don't need it, just want it badly :drool:

Poop, I tried to swap the my upgrade to my dumb phone line, but after i do that on Verizon's site, Costco Wireless won't let me upgrade cause not enough months. even though i'm well out of contract on my line. Not having any luck trying to keep unlimited and getting a cheap S3.

I wanted to upgrade a dumb phone and swap lines, but I was worried about this. Thanks for the heads up! Was it that it must stay 180 months on the same line? Stupid Verizon may just lose my business out of spite for this "no upgrade without losing your plan" crap.

Anyone know a third party seller that does not have this "phone must stay on the same line X months" thing? I figure if Amazon Wireless has it, they all must.

I think the previous poster meant that he could only transfer his upgrade through Verizon wireless, Costco would not recognize it.

As far as I have researched Costco does not charge for switching the device to another line on the same plan.

I think the previous poster meant that he could only transfer his upgrade through Verizon wireless, Costco would not recognize it.

As far as I have researched Costco does not charge for switching the device to another line on the same plan.

I was at Sam's club and they told me i could swap lines and upgrades and do everything to get what i wanted. but i couldnt get into the store today to get a phone before they sold out. I'm sure going into Costco and you could get it to work.

I was at Sam's club and they told me i could swap lines and upgrades and do everything to get what i wanted. but i couldnt get into the store today to get a phone before they sold out. I'm sure going into Costco and you could get it to work.

Question from those who ordered the phone online today

Did your order confirmation show the phone itself or just adding a line/ upgrading? My order status just shows "add a line"with zero total and no mention of the phone.

since CS is closed till Monday I want to make sure nothing is wrong. Thanks!

Anyone? A little worried that something went wrong. Can I go into Costco to discuss with them?

Did you guys play sales tax on $279 in CA? What did the total come out to be excluding the rebate? I was at Costco early in the morning in CA around 9:30 and their systems were VERY VERY slow. It took the rep around 30 mins to open up a page and look at the quantity, they did not have white in stock for AT&T and said they need to order and ship it to me. He got back saying white was sold out. I went to Walmart and got it for around $138.50 with ($100 on the spot Walmart gift card). So the tax was on $129 at Walmart.

I went today. Got a Verizon S3. $129.99 + 19.xx tax...about $149 total...rep kept my unlimited plan. $100 mail in rebate. Also said I'll get billed $30 for upgrade on my next bill. Got 2 leather cases, screen protectors and a car charger for free. Great deal.

is the deal dead? how do i get it online?

The deal was available only on 11/23 and is now dead. you can get $40 off your bill for new activations though and that is available through 11/25.

Can anyone post a copy of the AT&T rebate? I forgot to save one... TIA!

I believe this is the updated one from yesterday.

Verizon S3 costco 11/23/2012 rebate form
 

Here is the PDF for the Verizon Costco Rebate

Anyone figure out the CA tax with them? I tried calling today but they're only open Mon-Fri. For being affiliated with Costco they are very un-Costco like.

What about CA tax? I paid $19. I'm assuming that's based on $129 purchase price.

Price Match and 100 MIR for ATT S3?
 

I bought an S3 in mid-october for $179. I was hesitant to buy then since I thought the price might go down soon, but was told by the wireless kiosk rep that I could price match (or return it) if the price goes down within 90 days, especially aroung Black Friday. I went into the store on Black Friday and saw the $29 deal (with MIR) and asked the rep about doing a price-match. After waiting over an hour for help from the Kiosk rep, I was able to get the Costco manager to do a return and re-purchase for the $129, but the Kiosk rep said he would not give me the form for the $100 rebate since it was not a new purchase on black friday (even though I now have a receipt for November 23rd)? Does that sound right? He then said I would need to talk to his manager if I want to contest it.

I was so mad I looked into just returning the whole thing and found out that Costco may refund my $179, but AT&T will not re-instate my upgrade eligibilitly (after 30 days) so I am stuck???

Any advice?

Stupid Costco, they cancelled my order due to "technical issues". Anyway, searched for another deal, found one on Amazon wireless that I actually like better, no rebate to hassle with. Details here:

http://slickdeals.net/f/5577082-A...st55283954

CA tax is based on the wholesale cost, for AT&T & Verizon 249.99, T-Mobile 389.99. About $19 and change is about what you should have been charged.

Price match's are based on 2 things, 1. Whether costco wants give you a pricematch within 30-90 days depending on location. 2. For any mail-in rebates, the reciept has to show that you bought it within the eligible days, else the rebate is invalid. It sucks I agree, but with mailin rebates you cant pricematch unless you get a VERY VERY nice manager to re-ring up up your purchase and give you a new reciept, and in the 3 years ive been working there, only 1 of the costco managers have ever been able to do that.

So, you should have got the mailin rebate form from the kiosk, they should have given you the form. Go back ask for the kiosk manager and get the form, have them fill it out, and if they wont help you get a costco manager, MANAGER, not supervisor, to come help you it. It doesnt hurt the kiosk at all if they spend 1 min of their time to fill out a form.

I went to wireless kiosk and upgraded. They were unable to print the rebate form and they gave me a yellow form to fill it up and send. It has the same address as the online one has but there's no attention to AT&T BlackFriday Wireless on that form.

Anyone handled Costco rebates earlier? How fast they send you the check?

did you buy it today? Is the promotion is still on? Is there any additional ETF from Costco than ATT?

I went back to Costco today and no luck. Even though I returned and re-purchased the phone on Nov 23rd, Kiosk rep said it did not qualify for rebate since I did not activate on Nov 23rd. Costco manager went over to Kiosk with me and sympathized, but said there was nothing he could do. I still do not like that I was mislead about price adjustments during the 90 days after purchase. It really is not 90 days since you really can't get your upgrade put back on your AT&T account after 14 or 30 days after activation. The rep even acknowledged that the 90 day sign is a bit misleading. This is the first time I have had a bad experience at Costco.

Leason learned is that I will not be buying any more cell phones from the Costco Kiosk. I will probably keep my S3 until my upgrade eligibiily is up again and get another iPhone.

Nope. I bought it on Friday.

So I ordered online and they charged me too much tax (in CA). $53.92 which isn't the right tax rate whether the phone is $129, $249 or $599 or whatever. Tried calling today and emailing them but no response since Friday. I got confirmation of the order but nothing since, no successfully processed or shipped email.

Their website no longer has any Verizon Galaxy S3 phones on it either.

I was porting my number but since the order hasn't gone through yet, can I get a phone from somewhere else and port and then just return this phone if the order ever goes through? Or do I have to wait to get this order cancelled before I can order anywhere else?

Mine just got cancelled for verizon :(

Why did Verizon cancel it?


I got a payment receipt and another copy of my order confirmation from Wireless Advocates. I was hoping that the CA tax would be fixed on this confirmation, but it's not.

I also received the payment receipt and order confirmation with the incorrect tax. I'm sending them an email and trying to call again.

I had great success with this deal through Costco. Activation fee for AT&T waived, and upgrade fee went through. Contacted AT&T Wireless and being a long time customer, they credited the Upgrade fee. . confirmed today but YMMV. Also, changed my entire plan over to the new data share plan, and they credited me about $100 for my existing roll over minutes. Rebate form is in the mail today. Now just waiting for the case I ordered from Newegg. Loving the phone.

Ordered my S3 phone online Black Friday at around 7pm. I haven't received a email about a ship date or when I would receive it, I only received a invoice email when I ordered it. Anybody get a email or know when your phones are coming? Or maybe received your phones through the mail already?

Also since I am in CA my tax for the online order was $57.98 for a total of $187.97. Is it too high? Anybody else in CA get this tax rate?

Thanks in advance

I ordered on Friday. My tax was $59.68. My location is in San Gabriel. How did they even come up with this number?

Not sure what or how everyone got charged tax, but for those that purchased B&M, what you should have been charged is your local tax rate based on the wholesale phone price of $249.99. For me, I purchased mine at the La Habra, CA location and was charged $20.62 tax ($249.99 x 8.25%). If you purchased online, my assumption is that you should have been charged tax based on the stated "normal" price.

I finally got through and they kept insisting that is the tax rate for CA. I kept trying to show them the math that even at a $599 price the tax rate was too high but they just kept repeating that the tax rate is correct for CA. I guess my only options now are to either hope enough people call in to convince them their math is wrong, just pay their crazy arbitrary tax rate or cancel the order.

Did you call Wireless Advocates or Costco?

I called Wireless advocates, costco has nothing to do with the cell phones. Costco uses wireless advocates as an affiliate to handle it all.

If i exchange the S3 for another color S3, how MIR is gonna get impacted, if MIR form has been submitted? MIR form has IMEI as a parameter..

Wont matter, mail out the mail-in rebate within 30 days else it will expire.


I will contact Merchandising tomorrow when I work and figure out how they tax online orders, because in-store in CA you get taxed on the whole sale, and it seems you guys are getting taxed on the retail, which IS wrong.

Anyone's phone ship yet? I got my order invoice Friday at 8:15 and other than that nothing.

Mine should arrive today according to online tracking. I ordered the phone at 00:10AM on Friday.

On Friday around noon I saw a notice on the site that AT&T Galaxy SIII will be shipped on Friday, November 30th.

I got an email last night that it shipped from WA via UPS. Supposed to arrive to me in the Bay Area on Friday.

Ok I called and here's what I got.

Taxes & fee breakdown: 57.82 for the phone and 1.86 for the free kit. That's how they got $59.68. The customer svc rep said they are taxing on the retail price of $279.99. If that was the case it is still 24.50$ if it was 8.75%. Because I'm from CA there was a law that passed in July that allows online taxing between 18-22%. Due to that I got dumped w/that percentage on the retailed price (listed on ATT for $549.99).

This STILL doesn't add up even at 18-22%.. my tax right now is 10.5%. Something doesn't look right.

I got the same basic answer when I called but the math still isn't right. Even with a list price of $549.99 I got charged more tax than I should have, around 10%.

I got an email saying mine will ship out this Friday, 11/30.

So, quick question:

the rebate says that you need to purchase AND activate your phone on 11/23.. but if we ordered via wireless advocate.. It's obviously impossible for us to activate them on 11/23. Will this be an issue? I also noticed an "activated date" field on the rebate form.

Are we screwed?

There is a newer version of the rebate form that changes the "AND" to an "OR". It should be attached in an earlier post in this thread, just download and use that one.

I also got a email earlier today about the phone being shipped Friday.

For those that bought online in CA.. they are going to issue a check 30-40 days after shipment for the difference. They insisted that they are right and told me to call my local board of equalization. I did and even the BoE said it was wrong. Although it is for a few bucks the principle and the fact that they keep insisting it is California Law is what got to me. My shipment is now backordered till Dec 3 when I got the original Ship date of 11/30.

I can't believe they are even affiliated with Costco.

Something fishy with them. I received the phone today, but sales invoice said Wireless Advocates - Staples, not mention about Costco. At the bottom said, thank you for shopping Staples. No refer to order id or order date 11/23/12, and the invoice date is 11/27/12.

Same exact deal here - Invoice says Staples and has the wrong date. I wonder if that would screw up the rebate application, too, since the rebate form says the purchase date must be Nov 23.

I talked to them today and they told me that CA law says online cell phone purchases are subject to 18% - 20% tax on the full retail amount. 20% on $500 would be $100, so none of the numbers add up. I asked if he could tell me what tax rate and what retail price they used to get to $57.38, and he couldn't. He told me to talk to the State Board of Equalization, which I haven't done yet.

Either way, I ain't activating the phone till this get straightened out.

What does the online invoice say? I have not received my phone yet, but my online invoice has 11/23 and Costco on it. Maybe you can send that in?

On the rebate form, it asks for Item #. What is that?

Got my AT&T Galaxy SIII phone. Printed invoice says Costco.com and shows $55.xx tax (I am in Califonia)

What is the item # on the rebate form? Is it the IMEI #?

Mine was supposed to ship out on 11/30, still haven't received any notifications of it shipping out. They did however charge my credit card on 11/26 which I believe violates my credit cards rules for charging before shipment.

Did they admit the tax issue for everyone automatically or do you need to call again and ask for it?

Also anyone figure out the invoice issues with it being labeled Staples? Mine hasn't even shipped yet but am anticipating more problems.

I called Costco Customer Service on Friday to basically tattle on Wireless Advocates and the way they have handled the CA tax issue for online purchases. They said they’d look into it and get back to me. Yeah, sure, right?

Well, today I got a call, followed by an email, from Wireless Advocates confirming that they are going to adjust the tax based on the in-store rate at my local warehouse. In my case, it's 8.25% tax on the $279 Costco price, making total tax $20.62 instead of the $57.38 I was originally charged.

She said and the email confirmed that I will receive a refund check a few weeks after my 14-day buyer's remorse period with Verizon is over.

So my advice at this point is to call Wireless Advocates and ask to speak to a supervisor. If that doesn't work, then go through Costco and get them to put the pressure on their contractor.

Interesting that they gave you tax on $279. They sure didn't give that to me even though I called. I am definitely going to go to Costco.

I got an UPS tracking number today and my card was charged on 12/1. On my invoice it says paid with Visa when I paid with Discover. This has got to be the most bizarre company ever.

I spoke to Wireless Advocates twice before today and got nowhere with them. Like others here have reported, they couldn't even tell me how they calculated the $57.38 tax. It took a call to Costco (1-800-955-2292) to get things rolling.

So do you ask about the invoice with Staples thing? they have affiliate with Staples, too

Here's a question..

Do I need to submit 3 seperate rebate forms or just a single one if I have three phones I'm trying to get the rebate for?
Never done this before so please forgive the novice question..

Any luck? I called and the rep at costco.com said there was nothing they could do. I was hoping costco.com would fix it for all CA orders if enough people called in but my rep didn't sound like she was able to do anything or knew what to do and kept referring me to wireless advocates.

Anyone have better luck?

Did you ask for anyone or any dept in particular?

No luck. I called Costco and the guy basically said that has nothing to do with them but for me to call Wireless Advocates.

So I called Wireless Advocates and they said they will investigate and call me back tomorrow. I already have a $10 check coming but since greenbird got them to adjust it to tax on $279 I called them to pricematch. From their responses I don't think they'll do any better.

I didn't ask about the Staples invoice. Somebody in this thread pointed out that the emailed invoice on the day of purchase is the one to use for the rebate anyway. The invoice that came with the phone only reflects the shipping date, not the purchase date.


I didn't ask for any department. I explained the situation to whoever answered their 800-number and told her that even though Costco couldn't refund my money (the money was paid to Wireless Associates, not to Costco), I wanted to file a complaint about their vendor. When I was called yesterday, I thought it was Costco calling me back, but after I got the email I saw that it was a supervisor from Wireless Associates. So it seems as though Costco lit a fire under Wireless Associates and told them to fix it.

I've been an Executive Member with Costco for more than 10 years. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, or if I just got lucky with the Costco rep I spoke to.

anyone has the PDF of the Sprint rebate form for Costco black friday Samsung galaxy s3?

Got the phone and am loving it. What I'm not loving is AT&T customer service. The day of the phone delivery (monday) I called and transferred my grandfathered unlimited data plan to it by speaking with a manager. The very next day they switch it without my permission or knowledge to the 3gb/month plan. I find a thank you for changing your plan or some derivative email at 10:30pm this morning. I call back and complain they say ok here is a case number and it will take a week to switch you back to the unlimited plan. Long as they DO it I won't mind but very frustrating them trying to wheel and deal down to F customers over.

Anyone figure this one out yet? I sent an email to the rebate processor (stuartleerebates.com) but their turn around is 5-7 business days.

I got a response from Stuart Lee Rebates:

just called stuartlee, got it taken care of

any one who has submitted rebates, able to look up status of rebate from stuartlee website yet?

I just got $200 back in rebate checks for 2 phones purchased. Thanks OP!!!

I got my $100 rebate a couple weeks ago and *finally* got my sales tax refund check for $36.76 yesterday, nearly two and a half months after they said they'd send it.

This was more of a hassle than it was worth. I hope Costco finds a new vendor before it's time to upgrade this phone in a couple of years.

Pretty sweet phone, though.

Where did you find the number , because I haven't received my rebate after 12 weeks and I contacted customer service and I keep getting this message:

Dear Wireless Advocates customer:






This is an automatic response e-mail. Do not reply, this account is not monitored.

Your rebate check(s) were issued and then sent in the form of a postcard check first class mail on 1-24-13. Please allow sufficient time for the U.S. Mail. To date they have not been returned in the mail. If you have moved after we issued your check and completed an official change of address form at the post office your rebate check will be forwarded to your new address. Please remove the yellow sticker before depositing your check.


You may receive your checks on different days as the Post Office sometimes sorts and routes mail on different dates.


For your convenience we offer the ability to view your rebate status online using our website. Information about your rebates will be updated every four to six weeks. To check the website use your zip code (the same one submitted on your rebate form), and enter the qualifying wireless phone number(s). You can also check your rebate status by using your rebate ID. This number is located on your rebate form; it may also be reference above in the subject line of this email.

www.StuartLeeRebates.com


Please note that issued rebate(s) come in the form of a postcard check that will expire 90 days from the date of issuance. Please cash this rebate as soon as possible.


If you have lost or destroyed your rebate, or if you never received your rebate we can further process for re-issuance if your rebate has not cleared our account within the last 60 days. Please wait 60 days to contact us through our website to request re-issuance. This allows sufficient time for mail forwarding and recovering lost mail.


Stuart Lee will not automatically process re-issuance. If you do not receive your rebate please contact us again after 60 days from the date above to re-issue.


Thank you for contacting Stuart Lee Rebates,