Living in a six story condominium building in San Francisco requires a semi-sophisticated front door entry system that can accommodate all of the owners' and tenants' phone numbers, both local and long distance, and as such, has forced us into a perpetual contract with AT&T. Our rate has fluctuated over the years - for a while it was low because we were recognized as residential but at some point that shifted to a business account which significantly spiked our rate. Not sure how or why that rollover occurred but ever since I've been in fairly constant contact with AT&T to ensure our rate remains low-ish.
A couple of weeks ago, I received the annual letter that explained that I must call the business support line to renew our contract or I would face yet another spike in monthly dues. Always a stickler for due diligence, I phoned in. This time, I was greeted by a young-sounding woman who was eager to help. She quickly launched into a roundup of promotions and bundle offers that I am eligible for and I explained (again) that we are a condo building and only need AT&T for our front door entry system. We don't want to bundle it with anything else because every homeowner/tenant has their own internet and mobile plan separate from the building.
I was told that AT&T is eager to support every small business with mobile options and that I could reduce my monthly obligation by ~$50 if I accept a free 8th generation iPad with my renewed contract. Always the skeptic, because we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch (er, iPad), I point blank asked what the catch was. No catch I was promised. I then humanized the conversation and explained that as Treasurer of the HOA I did not want to compromise my position by making a poor decision on behalf of the whole building. I wasn't looking for trouble, after all. It felt like I had just ported myself into a high stakes Lifetime movie of the week.
Again, I was told that there is no catch and that my bill would come down from ~$130 each month to approx. $80. How could I argue with that? The nice gal then went on to explain that some people just put the iPad away (unopened) in a drawer and never use it, just to realize the significant savings attached to this promotion. Huh. Assuming it was a recorded line, I said "Well, if you're assuring me that there are no strings attached and that by accepting a FREE IPAD I will be lowering my monthly AT&T bill by $50, then yes, I will take the device."
Within a couple of weeks, the brand new, unopened, latest gen iPad arrived at the building in the name of the condo association (obvie, because that's the name on the phone bill). Still wary, I grabbed it and opened the box in the privacy of my apartment. And there it was. A device that normally runs $600ish, mine for just renewing a contract that would reduce our bill in perpetuity. Hooray!
Truthfully, I'm eagerly awaiting my first phone bill, but for now, it does seem like the best contract renewal I've ever engaged in.
If you're a small business or in a similar situation as what I've described above, I urge you to explore this bundle with AT&T or the provider you are currently in contract with. Too good to be true? We'll see. I'll keep you posted!
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