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| reply to jjeffeory
Re: Whats next? The problem is that when one company gets away with charging a certain amount the rest of them follow suit. Why would they want to miss out of on this windfall? Verizon is doing it now, how long do you think it will be before AT&T, Sprint and T-Moblie jump on the band wagon? Sure, you can say no and not sign up with a certain company, but in this market it won't be long before all four major carriers have adopted the same policy.
I hate that people refer to cellular agreements as "contracts". Contract implies negotiation, that there is some give and take and that the final agreement is beneficial to both parties. That is far from the truth. A cell phone "contract" is more of a mandate. The company sets the terms and conditions and you must agree to them in order to get their service. When is the last time you can remember anyone going into their local cellular carriers store and negotiating the terms of a "contract"? It's their way or the highway.
If a ETF truly is being used to recoup the cost of discounted equipment provided by the cellular provider then I would like to propose a pro-consumer solution (that will never see the light of day): For each phone a provider subsidizes they must also disclose what they paid for the phone. Take that amount, subtract any amount paid by the consumer, and then add 20% and that will be the amount of the ETF for that particlar phone. So if Verizon pays $200 bucks for phone and sells it for $50 bucks, they would be allowed to set the ETF at $180 maximum. This way they could make a realistic profit if a customer leaves early, the ETF is related to the carriers actual cost and the customer isn't paying $175 to leave if the phone only cost the carrier $30 to begin with. | |
 Z80APremium
join:2009-11-23
 ·Cox HSI
| No, how about this pro-consumer solution: You get to read the terms of the contract and CHOOSE whether you agree with them or not. Or alternatively choose to buy a phone outright and pay month to month. There are plenty of people who pick used phones up off eBay and get them activated without a contract.
Think the ETF is a rip, don't sign up. Think buying the phone is a rip, don't buy that phone and get a cheaper one. This isn't rocket science.
And even in the case of Verizon, they have a 30 money back guarantee. You can try the phone and the network for a full month to see if it sucks or not. Don't like the phone and/or the service, cancel within 30 days and walk away. | |
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