AT&T Shortens Device Return Window to 14 Days > Does it take more than 14 days

reply to nothing00

Re: Does it take more than 14 days

As I explained to tshirt (above), more than 14 days is nice to make sure the phone has adequate performance in all the signal areas you frequent. If you are a business traveler with a certain territory, it'll be pretty hard to visit that entire territory in 14 days. It's probably still difficult in 30 days but you stand a much better chance of discovering an area where its performance is significantly less than a previous phone.

Personally, I've had significant difference between phone models regarding dropped calls and call quality.

Then you as a business user should work out a longer trial (perhaps renting several phones, and testing them at different locations on your monthly loop, before choosing ONE) with one of their BUSINESS reps.
Businesses have long accepted the higher cost of goods and services they pay for, in return for the higher level of care they recieve.
Only the race to the lowest price(walmartization) by consumer has lead some business to expect the same care at the "we don't care" price.

Business users usually negotiate significant discounts for a large quantity of phones. Even non-essential employees typically enjoy 20% and sometimes as much as 25% corporate discounts on monthly plans.

Even though my example cited a business user, this issue isn't limited to business users. It could be anyone who owns a cell phone and discovers too late that 14 days wasn't long enough to know their new phone sucks (and their old phone didn't) at a friends house they haven't visited in a few weeks.

I agree with folks that 14 days is long enough to determine whether or not you like a phone -- assuming you start with it on day one. If parents give their kids cell phones for Christmas, it now becomes more like a 7-day return window since they'll have to buy them the week before Christmas and before the kid finds out the phone sucks, they cannot return it.

I'm not sure why folks DEFEND this loss of privilege as if it's just not that big a deal.

Regarding race to the bottom, this is a margin rich business with stellar profits. We're not talking Wal-Mart who makes a few cents on a can of green beans or even prices milk below cost as a loss leader.