14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Sprint has finally decided that the Palm Pre can be offered to its customers via more channels than before, and now the mobile phone can be acquired through the operator's website, as well as via TeleSales. While available online, the device still features the $199.99 price tag (after $250 instant savings and a $100 mail-in rebate), yet it comes with free shipping and free activation.
At the same time, now users can also purchase the high-end smartphone through Sprint's TeleSales. The handset was available for acquisition this way before, yet Sprint ended the process quite fast. This time around it seems that the TeleSales are up and running for an unlimited period of time, as showed in a recently leaked memo that surfaced on SprintGurus.
“Big news! Sprint has decided to open up the selling of the exciting new Palm Pre device to Telesales starting 07/20/09 and Sprint.com and Wireless Manager on 7/22/09,” is what the Internet document states, while also unveiling the fact that the sales via these channels are permanent. The move seems to have been made so that the carrier would manage to meet the sales expectations for the device.
The document in question also shows what employees should do: - Care agents can now transfer customers to Telesales to purchase the Palm Pre instead of referring everyone to stores. - Continue to use your support documents for questions: Palm Pre Tips and Tricks (for troubleshooting and tips learned from the initial launch) and Palm Pre Questions and Answers (for general information provided before the initial launch).
There are a few other things that should be noted here. One is that the Palm Pre is still not available for “employees or their Advantage Club accounts.” At the same time, the move suggests that Sprint and Palm are now able to meet demand for the Pre, both due to increased production capacity and because of a weaker demand for the handset. For the time being, neither Sprint nor Palm have unveiled details on sales figures, so anything is possible, especially since some of the latest estimations show a decline in Pre's sales.