Best Buy stops selling full-price iPhone X following backlash
Last Friday, when the iPhone X became available for preorder, would-be Best Buy customers found that to buy the phone upfront through the retailer, they would have to pay $100 more than what Apple itself was charging. Rather than $999 or $1,149 depending on what amount of storage was wanted, Best Buy was charging $1,099 and $1,249. Now, as Bloomberg reports, Best Buy has stopped selling the iPhone X upfront and is only offering it through carrier-specific billing plans.
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Last week when customers began complaining about the increased prices of the already expensive phones, a Best Buy spokesperson told Bloomberg, “Our prices reflect the fact that no matter a customer’s desired plan or carrier, or whether a customer is on a business or personal plan, they are able to get a phone the way they want at Best Buy. Our customers have told us they want this flexibility and sometimes that has a cost.” They added that having multiple purchasing options “has a cost” and the different prices were a reflection of that.
The customer backlash appears to have had an effect. “Although there was clearly demand for the un-activated iPhone X, selling it that way cost more money, causing some confusion with our customers and noise in the media,” a Best Buy spokesperson told Bloomberg today. “That’s why we decided a few days ago to only sell the phone the traditional way, through installment billing plans.” Now, customers can only get the iPhone X from Best Buy if they do so through Verizon’s, AT&T’s or Sprint’s plans.
Apple’s iPhone X hits stores on November 3rd.
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