Samsung lists phone as in stock, but puts it on backorder for the free half of a BOGO deal

Recently we told you about Samsung's decision to apparently tighten up which phones it would accept on a trade-in deal it has for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+. The original deal required that the trade be in working condition without a cracked or broken display, and be able to hold a charge. That led some to use cheap phones purchased at Walmart as trades. Apparently, Samsung caught on because a model like the $9.99 Alcatel OneTouch Pixi Eclipse was both accepted and rejected for the trade credit of $200. 

Today, one of our loyal Phone Arena readers told us about his experience with a Samsung deal that revolved around a BOGO offer for the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S8+. He purchased an arctic silver Galaxy S8+ and a midnight black Galaxy S8 for the free unit. The complaint is that the silver phone shipped immediately (which he activated within 14-days as per the rules) and he expected the free black Galaxy S8 to arrive in one to three business days. After all, a listing for the same exact phone showed that it was in stock and would ship during that time period. But to his dismay, our source received a notice that the midnight black Galaxy S8 was being backordered.

Our source says that the special team that Samsung has dedicated to this deal seems to have no information, and he considers this a ploy for Samsung to get two phones ordered. As he notes in his email to us, why would Samsung list on its site that a phone is in stock with shipping in 1 to 3 business days, and when used as the free second model on a BOGO deal, put that model on backorder?


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