Monday, March 31, 2014

T-Mobile's latest UnCarrier move: removing employer discounts

Over the past year, T-Mobile's new policies have ushered in a new wave of changes to the way the US wireless industry works. It was the first national operator to introduce phone-financing plans, early upgrades and free international roaming; additionally, it also offers to pay your cancellation fee if you break another carrier's contract to move over. It appears that such practices must come at a cost: CEO John Legere announced that beginning April 1st, T-Mobile will no longer offer its Advantage Program, which features monthly emp loyer rate plan discounts, to new customers. Existing beneficiaries will see the deduction removed from their accounts on April 25th. As a consolation, affected subscribers will now receive a $25 reward card every time they get a new phone.

First, we'll dive into what this entails. Most wireless operators broker deals with corporations in which employees of that company get a percentage Coupon Code on their monthly rate plan -- often, the discount increases as more employees sign up for service. Typically these incentives will range from 5 percent to as much as 30 percent. By removing them, many customers may find themselves with a noticeable change to their bill. If you're a government employee (including military), you're exempt from this transition and you'll continue to receive your usual discount.

In a blog post, Legere explained his reasoning behind the change:

"The old programs were designed to help big carriers close big corporate contracts, with employees as bargaining chips. We aren't playing that game anymore. This change is about simplifying wireless for everyone ... including employees of small and large companies alike."

Legere maintains that despite this move, the value of T-Mobile's Simple Choice plans are still much better than "the other guys." Unsurprisingly, he's positioning this modification as another in a string of UnCarrier initiatives to prove that his company's changing the game by separating itself from the rest of the industry. In a series of tweets to disgruntled customers, Legere answered concerns by saying that not all of T-Mobile's customers could take advantage of these discounts, and he wanted to apply the cost savings to the entire subscriber base instead of reserving them for exclusive deals.

Many of the company's earlier changes have been immensely successful -- Simple Choice, Jump! and unlimited international text plans are just a few examples. But there are also a few recent policy changes that haven't been as popular: Last month T-Mobile adjusted its Jump! early upgrade plans so you could only upgrade once you've paid off half of your phone, and earlier this month it bumped unlimited data rates up $10.

Arguably, these aforementioned changes may simply be side effects of those UnCarrier moves that have proven quite successful. After all, incentives (such as free international data) come with their fair share of costs, and T-Mobile needs to compensate for those losses somehow -- especially since Legere announced that the company would continue adding more UnCarrier plans in the future. "This is just one more step in the [UnCarrier] movement," he said. "And, we're not done yet."

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 Trade Ins: Lock In Before the Galaxy S5 Release

Now that we know the Galaxy S5 price and the official U.S. release, it is time for buyers to look at the Deal Of The Day Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 trade in values. By trading in a Galaxy S3 or Galaxy S4 users can often earn more than enough to pay for the Galaxy S5, and don't need to deal with the hassles of eBay or Craigslist buyers.

Depending on the condition of the phone a Galaxy S3 trade in could be worth $100 or more and a Galaxy S4 trade in could bring as much as $200, which would pay for an on contract Galaxy S5.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 release is three weeks away, and pre-orders are already live at prices from $199 to $0 down depending on your choice a contract or payment plan. Trading in the Galaxy S4 or Galaxy S5 will allow you to fund your new phone and accessories.

Buyers can lock in a Galaxy S4 trade in today, and keep the phone until the Galaxy S5 arrives, ensuring the best deal possible. Prices drop dramatically after the release date. ItSelling on eBay or Craigslist does not allow users to hold on to the phone for weeks before selling it.

Gazelle and NextWorth are the most popular Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 trade-in locations, though services like Amazon Trade in, Glyde and eBay's Instant service are other good options. We prefer Nextworth and Gazelle because they both offer a 30 day price lock, so even if the Galaxy S5 takes a few days to arrive, buyers don't need to go without a phone.

Here are some of the trade in prices available on Gazelle and Nextworth. Click through to check the price for your Galaxy S4 or Galaxy S5 as prices vary by carrier, condition and storage size.

Gazelle - AT&T Like New Nextworth - AT&T Like New Glyde - Like New

With NextWorth and Gazelle you deal directly with a company that evaluates your Galaxy S4 trade in and sends you cash. Glyde is a more like a traditional sale, but the company will send you a shipping package to send to a buyer. This can result in a higher price, but it isn't an instant and assured price like on the other trade in services.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 5.1-inch 1080p display with new brighter and dimmer modes to work in the sun and in a dark room with easier viewing. Users can choose a white or black model in the U.S. with 16GB of storage. The Galaxy S5 focuses on health with a pulse reader and new S Health app that helps users get in shape. There is a fingerprint reader on the hoe button for easy unlocking without entering a passcode.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Suffolk OTB finalizes casino deal

WOODBURY - News 12 Long Island has learned that Suffolk OTB has finalized a Discount with a Buffalo company to run a casino.

The casino would have 1,000 slots, a horse betting area, restaurants, bars and parking for 1,500 cars.

There is no word yet on a location.

READ MORE: Long Island Top Stories

The company, Delaware North, guarantees Suffolk OTB will get $4 million the first year.

Be the first to rate:

Click to rate

Friday, March 7, 2014

Weather blamed for disappointing retail sales

Weather in February was once again a roadblock for retailers, who said sales figures for the month missed already modest expectations.

One gauge from Thomson Reuters found that same-store sales rose 1.8% last month, falling short of a projected 2.8% rise at stores open a year or longer.

Without the effect of drugstores, retailers turned in a 0.3% sales increase, the worst showing since a 2.4% decrease in August 2009. Analysts had expected a 1.9% boost.

Some segments, however, showed surprising health, or at least the promise of it. The clothing sector, not including Gap, beat estimates by swelling 1.3%. Teen apparel, while still struggling, turned in a 0.1% sales decline that beat forecasts.

Companies such as Zumiez beat predictions after a tough January, but Zumiez noted that although more store visits and post-holiday clearances helped lift sales, margins were tightening.

Thomson Reuters said that "retailers were severely affected by bad weather" in the first two weeks of February but were buoyed by improving temperatures and the arrival of tax refunds as the month progressed.

Another measure from Retail Metrics Inc. had sales at reporting retailers up 2.7% Thursday morning, with the inclusion of Gap expected to push the figure down to 2.6%.

Sales ticked up 1.7% without factoring in drugstores, according to Retail Metrics.

Extreme climate fluctuations caused many retailers to close stores, cut back opening hours or offer discounts to boost lagging demand for spring clothes, executives have said in recent weeks.

Retail analytics firm Euclid reached the same conclusion. Researchers there found that foot traffic in stores declined 3% last month from February 2013.

The best shopping day of the month was Monday, Feb. 24, when shoppers stayed in stores for more than 25 minutes Coupon Codes average. The worst day for retailers came Wednesday, Feb. 19, in the post-Presidents Day slowdown.

And uncooperative weather and the growing convenience of e-commerce drove more Valentine's Day purchasing online, resulting in a 10% drop in in-store visits.

"Overall, retailers did well to keep shoppers engaged in physical stores during a month that typically sees less interest in robust browsing, yet consumers kept nonessential trips to a minimum during spells of cold weather," Euclid concluded.

Retailers will face difficult comparisons in March to the same month in 2013, when Easter fell on March 31. The holiday - "a catalyst for spring family apparel demand" - lands on April 20, "shifting that demand," according to a statement from the International Council of Shopping Centers. The trade group said it anticipates a 3% same-store sales boost in March.

"A later Easter is actually more favorable on a net basis for driving sales, largely because it is warmer, which is a reason to expect even stronger sales in April," said Michael P. Niemira, the group's chief economist.

tiffany.hsu@latimes.com Twitter: @tiffhsulatimes

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Text for Redbox promo codes

<Promotional Codesp>

Now through March 3 Redbox customers can earn promotional codes for rental discounts just by sending a text message.

When you text DAYS to 727272 you'll be rewarded with one of three codes: 50 cents off a one-day rental, $1 off a one-day game rental, and rent one DVD, get one free.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Windy, wet weekend forecast for Las Vegas Valley

Windy, wet weekend forecast for Las Vegas Valley

Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2014 4:34 PM ESTUpdated: Thursday, February 27, 2014 4:50 PM EST

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -

Thursday's strong winds is just the beginning of a stormy end to the week for the Las Vegas Valley, according to forecasters.

The National weather las vegas Service issued a wind advisory for the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas until 6 p.m. Thursday, saying winds could gust as high as 55 mph in some locations. Outside of the mountains, gusts to nearly 40 mph will not be uncommon Thursday.

FOX5 Morning Weather Anchor Cassandra Jones said the winds will be joined by rain on Friday. She said showers arrive in Southern Nevada by late morning and stick around through the afternoon. Some of the rain could be heavy at times, with a few claps of thunder not out of the question, she said. Nearly an inch of rain is possible Friday, with up to 4 inches of snow possible in the mountainous areas, Jones said.

On Saturday, the day will start and end with rain, according to Jones. She said a break in the precipitation is likely around lunch time, before chances increase in the afternoon. An additional tenth of an inch of rain is possible, she said.

Jones said Sunday's forecast includes a slight chance of showers and less wind.

According to the National Weather Service, the Las Vegas Valley has not seen a significant, area-wide rainfall since late November. Forecasters there warned that the dry conditions have resulted in a buildup of oil and dirt on area roads, and the rainfall will make roads very slick.

Daytime temperatures will hover in the 60s through much of the weekend. Low 50s and upper 40s are expected for overnight temperatures.

Dry weather returns by early next week.

Copyright 2014 KVVU (KVVU Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.

Rentec Direct Property Management Software is Offering $20 Off Tenant Screening For The First Week of March

Rentec Direct Property Management Software is offering $20 off tenant screening for the first week of March 1-March 8, 2014. Just visit Rentec Direct's Facebook page to get the Discount and make sure to "Like" their page to take advantage of any future promotional deals and to hear about the latest improvements to their software.

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) February 28, 2014

Rentec Direct, maker of leading Property Management Software and tenant screening solutions, is offering $20 off all premium tenant screening packages which includes; credit, nationwide criminal, eviction, and an address search. The discount code is good for the first week of March (March 1-8, 2014) to show appreciation of all of our wonderful customers and our raving fans.

The $20 off discount code can be obtained by going to Rentec Direct's Facebook page and getting the promotional code to use at check-out while ordering your tenant screening product.

"Social media sites are a great medium to provide discounts to our clients and to show a commitment to provide the best experience at an affordable price to our customers," says Rentec Direct founder, Nathan Miller.

You can find Rentec Direct on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/rentecdirect The Facebook page features information about Rentec Direct's products and updates, promotions, like this one, and industry related news.

About Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct provides cloud based rental software solutions for property managers and landlords. Other popular solutions offered by Rentec include tenant ACH payment processing, tenant screening, and online syndication of vacancies to more than twenty popular websites.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/03/prweb11624380.htm