I was just looking at their web site.  Check this out:

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Cell-Phone-Detail.aspx?cell-phone=Nexus-4

Suggested retail:    $549.99
Instant discount:   -$300.00
Mail-in rebate card: -$50.00
Free Shipping          $0.00
                      $199.99

They did give me the $50 rebate card.  But it's hard to understand how 
Google is promising to sell it unlocked for $350, but T-Mobile has a 
"suggested retail" price of $550.

Harder still to understand is how they would charge me the $300 instead of 
giving me the instant discount.  Is it just incompetence?

I called T-Mobile and talked to a rep -- just got off the phone.  They say 
that the price I was charged is correct.  I told them I would return the 
phone.  They said OK.  The problem is incompetent and poorly-trained 
staff, I believe, and probably a really crazy and foolish team planning 
their discount schemes.  Just weird.

They might feel like they have me because I transferred my old Sprint 
number, killed my Sprint account and now I'll have no cell phone.  But I 
have no real need for a cell phone.  I mostly use Google Voice numbers 
that will ring in my home or office, so I get calls, and if I miss them, 
Google Voice will show me the message on my computer, or tablet, or 
whatever, so I'll get it.

Mike


On Wed, 16 Jan 2013, Yaron wrote:

> I would definitely go over to t-mobile and give them some crap for that 
> because, yeah, that makes ZERO sense.
>
> On Wed, 16 Jan 2013, Mike Miller wrote:
>
>> I ended up buying the Nexus 4 today, but it looks like T-Mobile charged 
>> me $500 for it even though I was signing a 2-year contract.  I probably 
>> should have said "no" to that "deal," which in retrospect makes no 
>> sense. If Google sells an unlocked Nexus 4 with 16GB memory for $350, 
>> how can I be paying $500 *and* signing a 2-year contract?  Isn't the 
>> contract supposed to bring the price down?  I might just return it, on 
>> principal, pay their $50 restocking fee, and live without a phone for 
>> awhile to see if I really need one.
>> 
>> Mike