Renewing my cell phone contract is one of my least favorite activities.  A necessary evil.  Up until this past experience, I’ve always gone straight to the service provider’s kiosk or store to upgrade my phone and renew the plan.  This time around, however, I ventured into my local Best Buy (on a friend’s advice) to deal with the anticipated hassle.



I’m a frequent Best Buy customer, but I’ve rarely visited their mobile department.  To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what the purpose was if all providers now have their own locations.  I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.



Even though the store was busy, I was offered assistance right away.  Because the store carries many different providers, they stock a wide variety of phones and accessories.  I decided to stick with my current provider, but the clerk was very helpful in explaining competing deals and bargains.  He let me test different phones, listened to my complaints about previous phones, and recommended a few varieties that met my criteria.



My husband, who was also looking for a renewal and an upgrade, received the same friendly and informative service.  His preferences are almost the complete opposite of mine, and yet the same sales associate was able to make recommendations to meet his needs.



The whole experience was quick and painless.  Best Buy Mobile’s computer terminals allow the associates to renew our contracts on site.  We walked out with two brand new, working phones with transferred data and address books.  A few days later, we received a follow-up phone call to be sure we were satisfied with our choices.  The associate also reminded us that we had 30 days to return the phones, no questions asked.  Neither of us did return the phones, but it was great to know that we had the freedom to change our minds!



Best Buy also offered an affordable warranty that will cover the phones until we’re eligible for our next upgrades in 15-18 months.  The sales associate walked us through this plan and told us where we could get information on tracking our upgrade eligibility.  In fact, the Best Buy Mobile website allows you to do much of these changes and check-ins online.  You can check for upgrades, find accessories for your phone, read reviews of the latest products, and even access your own mobile account information online.



After this first experience with Best Buy Mobile, I’ve already recommended shopping there to friends and family.  One friend, a customer of a different service provider, had a very similar and equally positive experience when she went in one week later.  I found the service to be friendlier, the selection to be much greater, and the salesclerk to be more knowledgeable.  Best Buy Mobile’s sales staff does not work on commission, so I could trust that their opinions weren’t biased to one service provider or manufacturer over another.



They also offer Best Buy Mobile gift cards in several amounts so you can give the gift of a new cell phone without locking the recipient into only one phone model or service provider.  I would have loved a new cell phone for my last birthday and it is a gift that will be appreciated once they walk through the whole experience.



All in all, this was a wonderful experience that I’ll be happy to repeat when my next upgrade comes around.

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