T-Mobile's Latest Deal Is Good News For Users But Still A Slap In The Face For BlackBerry
February 20, 2014
Earlier this week, T-Mobile offered the company’s BlackBerry customers an amazing deal — if they switched to an iPhone 5s. After the BlackBerry CEO cried foul, T-Mobile is out with another deal for those customers, according to iDownloadBlog.
Beginning tomorrow, Feb. 20, BlackBerry users on T-Mobile will receive $250 to upgrade to a new BlackBerry Q10 or Z10. These customers will receive $200 when upgrading to any other smartphone.
According to Mike Sievert, Chief Marketing Officer, T-Mobile:
Starting this Friday, we’re offering $200 credit toward a new device when you trade in your current BlackBerry and upgrade to one of the latest, greatest devices. Purchase any device we offer at T-Mobile. It’s that simple. Bring in your old, working BlackBerry and we’ll give you $200 toward a new BlackBerry or any of our other state-of-the-art smartphones.i In addition, for those existing T-Mobile BlackBerry customers trading-in and choosing a new BlackBerry Q10 or Z10, we’re offering an ADDITIONAL $50 off the purchase price of that new BlackBerry. These offers will be available for a limited time.T-Mobile’s initial offer, an iPhone 5s for $0 down, was advertised as a “great offer for BlackBerry customers” because the Apple handset has the right tools “to do more.” That didn’t sit well with BlackBerry CEO John Chen, who called the move “inappropriate." The revised plan is still good news for BlackBerry users. Although, as iDownloadBlog rightly concludes, “kind of ingenious” nonetheless. They ask:
This seems like less of a ‘we’re sorry’ offer and more of a subtle, clever jab at the folks in Waterloo. Sure, upset BlackBerry owners get a $250 credit for a new one, but they also get $200 to choose something else. It’s like a social experiment: how many customers will take the extra $50?Which deal would you rather take, $250 for a new BlackBerry or $200 for something else? See also: Sprint Is Having Second Thoughts About A Potential T-Mobile Acquisition, and T-Mobile Begins Offering Payment Cards.
