''Don't make the Mall Mistake !'' Posted Friday, March 23, 2007 at 12:56:33 AM     Alexandria Bay, NY 1000 Islands  Comments  Unique Views 1615/Total Views 1616

       I'm getting a new cell phone.  Again.  For those of you who know my cell phone habits, I go through a lot of phones.  I put them through quite a bit of abuse whether it is dropping them out of cars, boats, or into the toilet.  My current phone, an LG7000, has suffered that last fate twice.  Both times it has made a recovery.  It's not 100% but, it does work.  This particular phone has also fallen into a bucket of anti-freeze while winterizing my boat this past December.  It has definitely been above average in the durability department.  It is now a year and a few months old which is a new record for me.  I rarely make it past six months.  So I really am quite happy with this phone.  But, my 2 year contract just ran out so I figured I would see what discounts are available.
 I was at Sams Club in Watertown, and I thought since I was there I would stop at Universe Cellular & Dish on my way out.  They are the ones that always advertise Don't make the mall mistake etc.  Verizon came out with a new phone a little bit ago called the GzOne.  It is shock, heat, and water resistant.  I thought it would be perfect for kayaking, working, whatever.  You can find out more about here Verizon Wireless - G'zOne Anyway, this sounded like a good candidate for me.  I went in and looked around a little.  Their selection of phones wasn't any worse than the mall's, but it wasn't any better either.  They had several phones that have been discontinued and nothing new.  Of course they didn't have the G'zOne.  I figured I would ask about it anyway to see how much it would cost.  I gave him all my information so he could see what discounts I was eligible for.  After waiting for about 15 minutes I found out it would cost $219.  That was only if I signed a two year contract.  It would be significantly higher with a one year or no contract at all.  If I ordered it right then I could have it by Friday, but probably not until the following Monday.  This was on Tuesday.  I figured it would make more sense for me to just go home and order it directly from verizon so they would ship it to my house.  Then I wouldn't have to make another trip.
 When I got home I logged into verizonwireless.com to check on the phone there.  I found the G'zOne and guess what it cost?  Nothing.  With my eligible discounts I got the phone free.  It doesn't even cost me anything in shipping.  That's free too.  And it will be fedexed to my office Thursday.  So I saved $219 plus tax on the phone, a trip to Watertown, and I will be getting it sooner.  I still had to sign a two year contract for that price though.  I guess the moral of this story is Don't make the retail or mall mistake.  Just get it direct from verizon. 
 Also another cell phone related item I came across.  I wish verizon would add this feature.  I know it sure could have helped avoid some problems.
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-5472053.html

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