“Oh Yeah, You Can Get That For Free Now…”

So I was in the Cingular store trying to find a case or holster for my Samsung Blackjack (failed to find any decent one) and by chance I found out from chatting with a knowledgable sales guy that there’s a free offer out there right now to get a free extended battery for the Samsung i607 Blackjack.  (All new Blackjacks come with the extended battery now)

Sweet! But why does this have to be uncovered randomly in my conversation with the guy at the store?  Shouldn’t Cingular/Samsung just send them out proactively to the billing addresses on everyone’s account?   Or announce it on the monthly invoice statement?  Or….Anyway, here’s the details of the deal — which I verified with customer service over the phone as well just now when I got back to the desk:

1. Go to http://www.web-rebates.com/cingular/blackjack
2. Find and enter your IMEI #
• under the battery printed on your phone
• type *#06# on phone keypad
• on the original Cingular receipt if you purchased from a Cingular company store
3. You can find your IMEI # on the Blackjack box that it came in
4. Enter your Cingular mobile tel #

Notes about this battery “rebate” offer:

• The replacement battery should come with a separate new battery cover / door since it’s a different fit that the regular one that came originally with the cell phone. 
• You’ll have to wait 2-4 weeks for delivery (this offer is fulfilled by the same guys that are doing the $100 Visa Card rebate for the $299-$100rebate=$199 final price for the Blackjack offer —> NOTE, the Blackjack is now completely free after rebate from http://www.adviceonewireless.com/)
• Replacement battery site went live on February 14th
• If your Blackjack came with an extended battery, you’re not eligible for this offer (meaning, your IMEI # should be between 352794010030189 to 352794012269959)
• You can check the status of your “rebate” claim at http://www.web-rebates.com/cingular

Seeing that I just received my rebate $100 gift visa card in the mail this week from the same fulfillment company, I’m looking forward to the extended battery so that I can play more video and more importantly use the phone as a modem for my laptop longer before it shuts down.

What is this worth? (Besides the ability for more talk TIME on your phone, and TIME=$, right?)  Well, a quick search finds the Extended Battery WITH the new battery cover — important! since some sites are selling the battery without the cover — for about $35 + shipping.

If anyone successfully receives their battery, please leave a comment here to verify what exactly you get in the package!