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 MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | Loyal? said by Karl :
In other words, iPhone customers are so eager to keep their devices and/or are so loyal to Apple they're not leaving AT&T, an act that rewards the carrier for sub-par customer support and network performance.
Or we don't want to pay an absurd ETF fee that never cycles to 0 dollars. When my contract is up, technically, I'll still have $50 left on the ETF (per line I might add) because it only decreases by $5 per month. Add to that the expense of having to purchase all new phones and it quickly becomes too costly while in contract to migrate.
I agree with the rest of the study however, as I came from Verizon and I think a 64% is about right for AT&T if Verizon is in the 90% range.
--
"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?" - Abraham Lincoln | |
1 edit | Good point on the ETFs, yes, I need to reword that. | |
 ropeguruPremium
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA | reply to Matt
said by Matt:Or we don't want to pay an absurd ETF fee that never cycles to 0 dollars. When my contract is up, technically, I'll still have $50 left on the ETF (per line I might add) because it only decreases by $5 per month. Add to that the expense of having to purchase all new phones and it quickly becomes too costly while in contract to migrate. Do the ETF's really work that way?? I thought they reduced it by $5 per month and you have to pay unless your contract is up. In other words, even on the last month you will have $50 left per line as you stated. But wait until after the contract end date and that $50 drops off completely. So you will always be dinged at least $50 before the end date but afterwards it is immediately $0. | |
glinc
join:2009-04-07
New York, NY | nope, each month that goes by it less...so yea if you cancel 1 month away from your contract is $5-$10 depending on the carrier....I believe Nextel/Sprint and T-mobile still are the ones who doesnt pro-rate your ETF | |
MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | reply to ropeguru
said by ropeguru:said by Matt:Or we don't want to pay an absurd ETF fee that never cycles to 0 dollars. When my contract is up, technically, I'll still have $50 left on the ETF (per line I might add) because it only decreases by $5 per month. Add to that the expense of having to purchase all new phones and it quickly becomes too costly while in contract to migrate. Do the ETF's really work that way?? I thought they reduced it by $5 per month and you have to pay unless your contract is up. In other words, even on the last month you will have $50 left per line as you stated. But wait until after the contract end date and that $50 drops off completely. So you will always be dinged at least $50 before the end date but afterwards it is immediately $0. Thanks for the clarification, yes that is what I meant. You don't have to pay the $50 if your contract has expired.
What I was trying to illustrate, is that your ETF doesn't decrease proportionally with your contract like the other carriers. Technically, you should have a $5 ETF the month before your contract expires, but they structure it so that would be a $55 ETF fee. Verizon's ETF expires 1-2 months before your contract is up actually, so you can cancel a month or two before your contract end date with no penalty. $50 doesn't seem like much, but when you are talking a family plan with 2, 3, or 4 lines it becomes a significant expense ...
--
"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?" - Abraham Lincoln | |
bemis
join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA Reviews:
 ·Comcast
 ·Verizon FiOS
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Matt
said by Matt:Or we don't want to pay an absurd ETF fee that never cycles to 0 dollars. When my contract is up, technically, I'll still have $50 left on the ETF (per line I might add) because it only decreases by $5 per month. Add to that the expense of having to purchase all new phones and it quickly becomes too costly while in contract to migrate. I don't agree w/ the ETF complaints when it comes to devices like the iPhone.
These are subsidized and the ETF ensures that you stay on contract long enough to pay off that subsidy.
So your choice is pay +$200 at purchase, and probably not see a decrease in your monthly fees ... or see a $200 discount on your phone and have to pay it back if you end up leaving the carrier.
When you're looking at the cheaper phones it starts to get ridiculous however--the ETFs ought to be related to whatever actual monetary value you get from signing up to the contract--i.e. get a Nokia low end phone in a 2-yr contract and your ETF is $75, or whatever the MSRP of the phone is. | |
MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | I'll happily give the iPhone back. | |
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | reply to Matt
said by Matt:Or we don't want to pay an absurd ETF fee that never cycles to 0 dollars. When my contract is up, technically, I'll still have $50 left on the ETF (per line I might add) because it only decreases by $5 per month. Add to that the expense of having to purchase all new phones and it quickly becomes too costly while in contract to migrate. What ever happened to buying used/refurbed phones off ebay? Most phone models only last a year nowadays with todays must have the "coolest" phone on the block. Phones depreciate faster than cars (the moment you drive a car off the lot, it just lost $5K in value) or laptops these days.
Just buy 1 or 2 generations before.
Just picking some Verizon models.
»cell-phones.shop.ebay.com/Cell-P···.c0.m282
Or this smartphone, released 2007, now under $50
»cell-phones.shop.ebay.com/Cell-P···.c0.m301
Or this phone, launched July 2008, $51 bid, wont sell at $100 now, $129.99 after $50 rebate with 2 year contract, $299 retail.
»desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=8···2&_rdc=1
»www.engadget.com/2008/07/11/lgs-···ands-on/
»www.phonearena.com/htmls/LG-Choc···947.html
Cellphones are a commodity nowadays. Much more supply than demand. Demand (sheeple/proles) only buys new, and all the almost-brand-new used handsets are going straight into the garbage after 1 or 2 years. Its a bit like PCs and laptops and printers nowadays, when you get a virus, just throw it out and buy a new one, cheaper than to pay someone 1-2 hours to get rid of all the toolbars and bonzi buddy you loaded on your system. What happened to keeping a product until its obsolete or physically breaks down? My cellphone from 2005 has had all of its paint/fake chrome chip off. It has 3G, bluetooth, speakerphone, 1 MP camera, flash, memory card, plays mp3s on card, 2-3 days of battery with extended batt, and its perfect for me. Works perfect to this day for me (except for a LCD replacement because of water damage). My old folks use a 2001 era model, speakerphone, analog (useless now), color display (first color display phone sold by Verizon too), contact list. Meets all of their needs. 1 of the 2 phones had a screen failure from a splash of water in 2006, I replaced the LCD from a donor phone for $10, phone still works to this day. My house still has Western Electric rotary phones in most places, those phones are decades older than me and will last until I'm dead or beyond. A washer and dryer built in the early 1970s (washer got 1 belt replacement and 1 new timer dial in its life, timer dial is destroyed if you turn it counter clockwise, dryer no repairs ever, except a duct cleaning once a decade). The toss away culture is insane in the USA. | |
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