By Matt Wiley | September 14
In our current technological age, it’s easy to forget that the computers many of us carry in our hands actually are what were once referred to as “telephones.” With the ongoing addition of more technology and services that these “Smartphones” are capable of offering, it’s good that there is a place in New Tampa to find the phone and the wireless service that meets your needs.
Consider Cellmasters, Inc., a new, independendtly owned T-Mobile store that opened in June of this year in the New Tampa Center shopping plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Cross Creek/New Tampa Blvd. Inside, a myriad of the latest in phone technology and accessories line the showroom walls. It is here that owner Alex Hamed, a Cross Creek resident, and store manager Joe Dimian, who lives in West Meadows, fit customers with the plans and phones that best suit their lifestyles. Whether it is a contract plan with an expensive phone or a cheaper phone with a prepaid plan, Cellmasters has something for you and your family.
“We are a T-Mobile ‘exclusive’ store,” Hamed explains. “What ‘exclusive’ means, is that instead of it being a T-Mobile corporate store, where T-Mobile owns the whole store, we own the store with the corporation, which allows us to provide additional services and do our own thing. So, this basically is a T-Mobile store, except that instead of it being owned by the corporation, it’s owned by an individual.”
Those additional services Cellmasters offers include the ability to buy, sell, trade, repair and unlock phones, even if they are from another cell carrier.
“We get to do all of the extra stuff, but of course, we still offer all of T-Mobile’s plans, including their secondary, cheaper, pre-paid mobile phone company called GoSmart Mobile,” Hamed explains.
Hamed adds that, due to the way the store is owned, Cellmasters can offer GoSmart Mobile plans as well as T-Mobile monthly 4G pre-paid plans, as well as the traditional, credit-based plans, just like the ones most other major cell-phone companies provide. But, Hamed says that having the ability to offer all of these plans isn’t something that can be found at just any T-Mobile store.
“Usually there are either pre-paid plan T-Mobile stores or regular plan T-Mobile stores,” Hamed explains. “We’re all across the board, which makes our store unique.”
In addition to numerous options for cellular plans, Cellmasters carries the latest in today’s smartphones, including both the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy 4, with unlimited call, text and data plans starting as low as $50 per month. Need two phone lines? No problem. Your cost is just $80 per month for “the works,” unlimited. Need four lines for the family? The cost is just $100 per month.
Hamed says that, besides the price, the best part about the T-Mobile contract plans is that the customer never has to worry about overages of any kind. In fact, customers can get unlimited 4G LTE service for just $20 per month.
Although the store offers several different types of plans to fit almost any budget, Hamed says that he is most proud that his store can focus on repairing phones, which isn’t typical of a normal T-Mobile store.
“We can fix anything from broken screens to charging ports on your iPhones, Androids, and even tablets,” Hamed says, adding that Cellmasters can even fix water damage to phones. All repairs are done with original, manufacturer parts.
Dimian is the lead repair tech at Cellmasters and he says he has been working on phones for four years, a skill he learned while working at a local Metro PCS store, before leaving to open Cellmasters with Hamed. The two actually met at the other store.
Hamed says that he got into the cell phone industry for a change. Before working at Metro PCS, he had been working as a manager at a convenience store for three years. He bought his first T-Mobile store in Town N’ Country last December, a location which already had been open for eight years. Looking to expand, he chose to open a second store close to his home in Cross Creek.
“The first month, business was tough,” he explains. “But, since then, business has been good.”
Hamed says that the positive trend in business is due to Cellmasters’ commitment to customer service.
“We never put our customers on any plan that they don’t want,” Hamed explains. “I could probably convince a customer that he or she needs four lines and make it sound like a great idea, but when your first bill comes, you might decide that you really don’t need that and cancel your plan. We don’t want that to happen.”
But don’t just take his word for it.
“I was looking for a phone that would fit my needs and be practical to use at the same time,” says Demi-Marie De Silva, a happy Cellmasters customer. “The T-mobile staff was able to provide all the specs of the iPhone 5 and describe how it would best fit my needs. I felt no pressure to upgrade my phone and my questions were answered accordingly. After receiving my new phone, their staff was able to help set up my e-mail and also a required ‘Apple ID’ so that I can utilize the Apple App store. After previously using the Android system on my old device, I was not sure how to maneuver the iPhone system; however, the staff was more than willing to assist me with whatever I needed to know about my new device.”
Hamed says that he hopes people will look at Cellmasters as a one-stop-shop for their cellular needs.
“When the store is privately owned and the owners are working in the store, it’s easier to make sure that customers leave the store happy,” he says.
Still not intrigued? Hamed says that until Monday, September 30, every new customer will receive a free stylus pen that works on touch-screen phones and tablets, plus 25-percent off all accessories and repairs.
If a new cell phone or data plan is in your future, stop in to Cellmasters at 19024 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in the New Tampa Center shopping plaza, or give the store a call at 631-1111.
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