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How to “save” $450 on your Lumia 900… avoid reality

Look at this from Amazon. It’s utterly ridiculous:

The Lumia 900 is Amazon’s #1 (and #2) selling smartphone at the moment. I happened to click on the American Amazon site just to verify that the phone still held this spot. And in doing so, I saw the $499.99 “list price” label. The phone is “priced from” $49.99. Meaning that I will “save” $450.

Ridiculous.

It really bugs me that cellphones are presented in this manner to consumers. It’s not just Amazon. Every retailer is at it. Although I think it’s particularly naughty to claim that you’re saving the consumer $450. You’re not. They still pay the money for the phone, just via a monthly contribution in their service plan. So they’re not saving anything of the sort.

The up front cost is reduced, yes. That’s a different story.

Amazon should be claiming to offer $50 off the list price as their handset only price is $449.

Ah dear.

We move on.

8 COMMENTS

  1. If Amazon was so slick, they would give me the option of saving the $450 from the cost of the phone, or spead out over the first 6 months of the service contract. Just saying, if Amazon and others want to show something different, do that and watch mobile really get disrupted.

  2. I agree.  I work in the industry and fully believe that all technology is being cheapened in the eyes of the consumer by contract pricing and “free” smartphones.  I REALLY wish that the only option was non contracted pricing.  That would make people think before buying the latest gadget and it would FORCE cellular companies to actually compete to acquire and maintain customers.

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