AT&T is going to start a phone trade-in program starting Sunday, January 23 according to some leaked documents. Customers who want to purchase a new phone can bring in their old ones for credit toward a new device, or they can take a check or donate the money to charity. I’m not sure what kind of personal dilemma I’d face when posed with the question, “So, do you want to donate these funds to charity or apply it to your new smartphone?”
According to the documents, as long as the phone can make outbound calls, isn’t water damaged and generally in good shape, the carrier will likely be able to give you a small wad of dough or some credit for it. It certainly beats the hassle of shipping or haggling when dealing with eBay or Craigslist – though you’d undoubtedly fetch a little more green with those options.
At any rate, this is sort of like the rumored Best Buy “Buy Back” program we heard about earlier this month, only the details are slightly different. Other carriers and retailers have been offering buy-back or trade-in programs for some time now, so it’s nice to see AT&T extending the same deal. Coupled with the new text messaging plans rolling out the same day, maybe the carrier is slowly, but surely, rolling out more perks and incentives for customers to stay. That Verizon iPhone sure is looking a lot more attractive to those who are becoming fed up with AT&T’s service.
[Via: BGR]