So I ordered it, paid for it, it's been shipped, but now I realize that it's not exactly what I wanted. What next?

January 20, 2012 5:52 AM

I just bought a 32 GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, despite the fact that I was trying to buy a 32 GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 3G. What now? Return it and get what I wanted, or root my phone, save some cash, and move on?

Brain fart, cognitive dissonance, either, both, whatever. I knew the price seemed too good to be true, but now what do I do?

I do a bit of travelling here and there, a couple times a year. Sometimes it's by plane, others by car, but it seems like it's almost always outside the range of wi-fi. So I figured I wanted a 3G tablet, despite the fact that 90% of my time will be within range of a decent wi-fi signal. (Yes, I know 3G doesn't work on planes, but it does work in those airports that don't offer free wi-fi, of which I have at multiple layovers in the next few months)

I have a phone that I can probably root for the occasional 3G fix, which I guess would make more sense financially, but it's not without it's drawbacks. I currently have a grandfathered unlimited data plan from AT$T, which I never really even get close to 4 GB of data, but I'd like to not have that taken away. And of course Occam would not be happy about having to maintain multiple devices and their cables while on the go. (dang you micro/mini USB standards) Also, that phone's kinda buggy and is still under warranty, so should I try to get the phone replaced before I try these shenanigans?

So my two part question is whether or not it's worth it to send back what I ordered but didn't want, and if so then can I do that now or should I wait until after it gets here. It was through an Amazon partner, because I'm sure that makes a difference.

So any advice, suggestions, shared experiences, age old wisdom, tall tales, even limericks and/or haikus would be appreciated.

posted by Blue_Villain to computers & internet (9 answers total)

You should be able to return to an Amazon partner, but did you open the device? A big factor to me would be if there is a return/restocking fee.
posted by getawaysticks at 6:00 AM on January 20, 2012

The box hasn't been opened. Heck, the thing hasn't even been delivered yet.
posted by Blue_Villain at 6:13 AM on January 20, 2012

Isn't 3G significantly slower than WiFi? We went with the WiFi Galaxy, and if you're looking for advice, mine is that you should keep in mind the rampant spread of WiFi hotspots. The last time I wished I had 3G was furniture shopping last weekend; I was able to walk two doors down the strip mall and use Dunkin Donuts's WiFi without even walking through the door. The time before that was in a few hotels in Europe, except they all had complimentary WiFi. Lots of airports are adding WiFi as well. Short-term, 3G might seem critical, but it seems to me like it will grow less necessary as cities join the Starbuckses in offering free WiFi.
posted by troywestfield at 6:32 AM on January 20, 2012

Seconding troywestfield - I live in a little village in the boondocks (UK) and can already get free WiFi at 2 pubs (and planning to start a campaign to get the coffee shop hooked up too).
posted by humph at 6:41 AM on January 20, 2012

Ordered through Amazon? Cancel the order and contact the Amazon partner. I think all of them will take back unopened products no questions asked.
posted by devnull at 6:45 AM on January 20, 2012

I bought my wife an iPad 2 AT&T 3G. We never bothered to activate the 3G so the extra $100 for the 3G turned out to be a waste of money. Whenever we are traveling we just use my blazing fast T-Mobile 4g phone (HTC Sensation) as a wifi hub. Far, far better and faster than integrated 4G (imho) and no additional contract.

My point is therefore that your mistake was a good thing: root your phone to use its 3G or get a phone that you can use as a wifi hub. (I always seem to be shilling for T-Mobile but take a look at their prices... they may be a lot cheaper than AT&T in spite of your grandfathered in plan.)
posted by NailsTheCat at 7:51 AM on January 20, 2012

I have a wifi only Android Tablet (Transformer) and I really don't ever need to use it where there isn't wifi. YMMV of course.

I didn't feel like paying for an additional data package. My thoughts were if I needed to connect badly, either root my phone or pay for the hotspot feature through Verizon. Haven't had to do it yet.
posted by PlutoniumX at 7:54 AM on January 20, 2012

I have a wifi only iPad and a 3G Phone. It's never been an issue.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:09 AM on January 20, 2012

I'm not a tablet user so I don't know what the general usage pattern is. From a phone perspective I'm glad to have internet access whether there's wifi or not.

Is your phone capable of wifi tethering? There's Barnacle WiFi Tether if you're running android (assumed, since you said you could root it), or you could pay AT&T for it if rooting makes you squeamish.
posted by rouftop at 10:14 AM on January 20, 2012