The always aggressive T-Mobile is adding more marketing programs to entice users to switch to their network. The latest campaign is a cheekily-named "7 Night Stand" that lets potential customers test drive a new iPhone 5s for a week. This should give wary users a decent chance to test the phone and the coverage where they live and work. I know Verizon and AT&T customers that regret their decision, based on coverage in their house or office. It's a neat idea that T-Mobile hopes will turn those one-week stands into at least starter marriages if not something longer!
There are some caveats. The phone has to be ordered online, so you can't just walk into a T-Mobile store and start calling. So make sure you're not going to be out of town during the time it could arrive. If there's any damage to the phone, like a cracked screen or water damage, you're on the hook for $100 (which is actually reasonable for such damage.) But if you don't become a customer, you have to return the phone, or face a $699 replacement fee.
T-Mobile intends to keep the program going with the next generation iPhone as well. This could be a good way to determine if you like the larger screen of the rumored iPhone 6 before committing. One test drive per year is allowed, per customer. This is a creative way to get iPhones into the hands of more users, and to let people determine if the T-Mobile network works where they need it to.
