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Other Why do people buy iPhones from AT&T, Verizon, Best Buy and not Apple directly?
- Thread starter Kendo
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This feels like the thread from last year where someone complained that buying on a carrier plan(installments) hurt those who bought outright. Boy did that person get blasted, I have every right to own a XS Max 512GB just because I can't afford 1500 upfront doesn't mean I don't "deserve" to buy or own one, I hate that argument.
Its hard for most people to Justify tbh. Theres no local applestore in New Zealand but both my iphone and new macbook pro came within 24 hours of ordering to arriving at my door from sydney.
Does apple not ship across the US / Europe or are people just impulsively buying
Does apple not ship across the US / Europe or are people just impulsively buying
I used to buy through the carrier and have everything with a monthly plan, I was happy when it was around £35 a month. These days however they tie you into ludicrous packages with features I don't want (Like 40GB data etc.), and the price is getting on for £100+ I think? So you'd pay something like £2400 (Usually plus a £100 down payment) over two years for a £1000 phone, so that's £1400 extra, and generally I don't use texts or minutes and only around 4GB of data a month.
Therefore, I am not paying that for a phone so now I just buy directly from Apple. This also gives me the peace of mind that I can just walk into any Apple store worldwide if I have an issue. You can do this anyway, however the warranty is held by the retailer, so if it does require something major then they can just direct you back to them. There's also no such thing as a 0% payment plan where I am now, and why on earth would I get a bank loan for such a small amount?
Anyway it's a lot of money, I don't bother with these plans, or deals, or anything of the sort. I grew up with the phrase "nout for nout", so I don't believe I can buy an iPhone with £200 off, or get any financial gain in any way other than a few quid at a third-party retailer.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Therefore, I am not paying that for a phone so now I just buy directly from Apple. This also gives me the peace of mind that I can just walk into any Apple store worldwide if I have an issue. You can do this anyway, however the warranty is held by the retailer, so if it does require something major then they can just direct you back to them. There's also no such thing as a 0% payment plan where I am now, and why on earth would I get a bank loan for such a small amount?
Anyway it's a lot of money, I don't bother with these plans, or deals, or anything of the sort. I grew up with the phrase "nout for nout", so I don't believe I can buy an iPhone with £200 off, or get any financial gain in any way other than a few quid at a third-party retailer.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
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It's classism. The more money you have than everyone else is self-evident proof that you are better than they are. Which means you can look down at everyone else self-righteously and make comments like that.
Nah it's not classism, just arrogance. Generally the wealthy don't behave like that, it's poor wanting to self elevate a lifestyle. Those who spend large amounts on 'stuff' so that other people will think higher of them, generally have large amounts of debt... 'Wealthy people' don't tend to get wealthy from spending every penny on expensive stuff after all.
The more the merrier when it comes to these things, the more they sell the better the price. If they only sold a few hundred thousand, it'd be a lot more expensive.
"Would you rather live in the castle and stare into the slum, or live in the slum and gaze upon the castle?"...
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I don’t remember the context of that thread, but “interest free” payment plans just mean the overall cost is more expensive for everyone. Essentially, those paying outright are subsidizing those on payment plans.
IMO the “fairest” solution would be to charge a modest interest rate for payment plans. That’s how most loans work. Also my car insurance offers a discount for paying in full for the year vs. paying monthly. Is this unfair to those who pay monthly?
But, obviously carriers/phone manufacturers have determined which pricing scheme is most profitable, so my definition of “fair” is moot
I don’t remember the context of that thread, but “interest free” payment plans just mean the overall cost is more expensive for everyone. Essentially, those paying outright are subsidizing those on payment plans.
IMO the “fairest” solution would be to charge a modest interest rate for payment plans. That’s how most loans work. Also my car insurance offers a discount for paying in full for the year vs. paying monthly. Is this unfair to those who pay monthly?
But, obviously carriers/phone manufacturers have determined which pricing scheme is most profitable, so my definition of “fair” is moot
What are you talking about? How are interest free payment plans being subsidized by those paying outright? If the phone cost is $1000 and both people are paying $1000 how is anything subsidized?
i think he means that if the operator sells phone without taking interest someone else needs to pay the interest for example a higher cost of the monthly bill or so.. there is no free meal and the operator takes the money from somewhere else when they are offering the phone for the same money as you pay it now or during 24 months or so...
The phone hypothetically could cost $900 if paid in full or $1100 total if broken out into 24 monthly payments.
Instead it’s just $1000 for everyone.
Apple/the carrier is getting their interest either way.
Except that is not true. Apple is not the financing company in any of the purchases.
The phone costs X for everyone. Manufacturers don’t care how it is paid for as long as it is paid. Apple is not financing anything they are just the seller. They set the price at $1000 and then however you pay is how you pay.
If you put the purchase on a credit card then you could be paying a much higher interest rate.
If you use carrier financing you are paying 0%
If you are using iPhone Upgrade Program then you are paying 0%
It does not matter to Apple how you pay and they are not going to discount a phone just because they received the payment a different way then the other guy.
The example you used with your insurance company is because of the way insurance companies work. At a basic level they can only pay out money in claims if they have money. By getting you to give them a years up front that means they have more money for claims that other people will inevitably have.
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I just found out that some Verizon business customers can get the new phones at a significant discount. For instance, the XS 256 is only $700. However, the phone and associated plan is tied to the business account. I'm going to see what AT&T has to offer and maybe switch all my family phones to a business plan through my LLC.
Ok, you’re right, whoever is financing the phone gets the interest. Apple gets the base price.
So the phone costs $1000 for everyone. Do you really think Citizens is not getting paid anything? Of course they are collecting a cut, or “interest”. Who do you think is paying it?
Of course citizens is getting paid. They make money the same way your bank makes money off of your free checking account. Fees!
Assuming you have already decided that not purchasing isn't an option, the less money you have the more it makes sense to take the interest free loan.
Yeah, but is not purchasing truly ever not an option? I would at least try to wait for some of the inevitable deals they offer as sales slow down a bit
Yeah, I'm paying $60.37 a month for a 512gb XS Max, which is about $1449.00 the cost outright for the phone, through AT&T, it gives people who can't fork over $1500 upfront a chance to own the newest phone.
1) The closest Apple Store is 2 hours away from me
2) I can't order/preorder online from Apple because because my dad's the wireless account holder (we have grandfathered unlimited so I just pay him my portion), he uses his office PO Box as the AT&T billing address, Apple won't allow you to use anything but the carrier's billing address as the shipping address (stupid), and Apple won't ship to a PO Box (also stupid)
3) More often than not, I've been able to get a phone at or near launch day via walk-in at a carrier store/Best Buy/Target without having to worry about the stresses of pre-ordering.
2) I can't order/preorder online from Apple because because my dad's the wireless account holder (we have grandfathered unlimited so I just pay him my portion), he uses his office PO Box as the AT&T billing address, Apple won't allow you to use anything but the carrier's billing address as the shipping address (stupid), and Apple won't ship to a PO Box (also stupid)
3) More often than not, I've been able to get a phone at or near launch day via walk-in at a carrier store/Best Buy/Target without having to worry about the stresses of pre-ordering.
You can now select the option to activate later and not enter any carrier account info when ordering from Apple. You don’t need to be a subscriber at all.
Not sure how it works if you’re on a payment plan (I assume you have to pay in full if you’re on grandfathered unlimited?)
Yes, while I am sure there are many that can't afford to buy their phone outright by walking into a store and handing them almost $1000-$2000 with tax (of course, depending on which phone you get) but for others (myself) choose to take advantage of a 0% loan. I figure, why not? I could pay it all up front but it is not costing me anything extra and it lets me use my money over 24 months instead of the retailer.
Carriers offer deals and one retailer in the UK John Lewis offer a standard 2 year warranty which is a year longer than Apples. I could never be bothered travelling to the Apple store when I can simply order online which means it doesn’t matter where it comes from as it’s the same product anyway.