Best Buy to sell HTC Hero for $180, no rebate needed
updated 09:30 am EDT, Fri September 4, 2009
HTC Hero costs less at Best Buy
Best Buy late Thursday said it would undercut Sprint's pricing for the HTC Hero when it goes on sale October 11th. In contrast to the official pricing, which has the phone selling for $180 only after the combination of a $50 immediate discount and a $100 rebate, the third-party chain says it will match the price without needing the special discounts. The price is still attached to a two-year contract.
The tactic matches a similar approach with the Palm Pre and shows an increasing discrepancy between Sprint's own pricing and those of its resellers. Rebates are often regarded in the cellphone industry as a way of boosting phone profits as the carriers depend on a significant number of buyers forgetting to claim the rebate or doing it improperly, letting them pocket the pre-rebate amount.
