Sprint is trying something that car manufacturers have figured out a long time ago. Let people trade in their old model and upgrade to something new. Then take those old models, fix them up, and sell them with a stamp of approval saying that they’re good to go for another round of use. With their new “certified pre-owned device program“, one of the most unoriginal names ever, and probably lifted from BMW or Honda, Sprint is offering three devices that existing customers will be able to pickup without having to sign a contract extension and without impacting their future upgrade eligibility. First there’s the BlackBerry Tour, priced at only $80, then the Samsung Reclaim in green and the Sanyo 2700 in pink and blue, both for $50. New customers can pick up the BlackBerry Tour on a 2 year contract for $30 and the Sanyo devices for free.
“The Sprint certified pre-owned device program enables our customers to purchase innovative devices at an exceptional value,” said David Owens, vice president of marketing for Sprint. “Each of these certified pre-owned devices meets Sprint’s rigorous quality standards, and is backed by the 30-day return policy. The Sprint pre-owned device program also supports Sprint’s goal to reuse and recycle more of our devices. Ultimately, giving phones a ‘second life’ is a win-win for Sprint, our customers and the environment.”
Ah yes, the green angle. Operators are starting to pick up on that trend. Recently T-Mobile put up their first solar powered cell tower in Pennsylvania to see how well they operate in a real world environment. Trouble is those towers cost 3x as much as a normal one. This Sprint program is more practical and hopefully more operators start picking up the same concept. It’s a shame to leave a device all cold and alone in a kitchen drawer, forever lost and forgotten.