 IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
 ·Comcast
 ·Verizon Broadban..
| Subsidies are good Consumers prefer subsidies, look at all the unsold iPhones with Cricket.
If it weren't for the subsidy, I could not afford an iPhone. And I had to use the VZW device financing offer to buy my iPad mini.
As for MVNOs, I would rather do business with a carrier that owns and controls the network. Has VZ, AT&T, Sprint, US Cellular, or t-mobile gone out of business in the ten years that cell phones become mainstream, the answer is no.
Have MVNOs gone under, yes. And the carriers that own the networks can kick an MVNO to the curb without warning and that $649 unsubsidized iPhone becomes an overpriced paperweight.
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I've experienced ImOn (when they were McLeod USA), Mediacom, Comcast, and Time Warner and I currently have DirecTV. They are much better than broadcast TV.
I have not and will not cut the cord. |
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| Consumers prefer having it now, which isn't quite subsidies. Look at what T-Mobile is doing. That's another way for consumers to have it now and still pay for the phone. If we stop paying these stupid prices for these gadgets, maybe their price will go down as well? |
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IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA | Another barrier is incompatible networks. VZ and Sprint are CDMA/LTE while AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM. So an unlocked phone is no good as they are incompatible with each other's networks. And they operate on different frequencies. |
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Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·Mediacom
·T-Mobile US
| reply to IowaCowboy
financing != (does not equal) affordability.
It makes it easier to obtain expensive device earlier for people with less expendable income. But if people struggle to obtain something even for under $600, maybe they should not be buying expensive gadgets in the first place?
Thats why our economy is in trouble because many people borrow to the hilt whether its for cars, mortgage, student loans. Today interest rates on savings account are useless. Stocks and bonds don't offer the same liquidity and guarantee against loss as fixed assets such as cash. |
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IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA | The iPad Mini was $559 as I bought the one with 4G in it + 32 GB of memory.
I live on a tight budget but I have money for the necessities and some luxuries (like pay TV and Internet). My rent and utilities are paid each month. |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
 ·MegaPath
| And again- if you could NOT fiance the iPad you could not buy it- meaning you did a "rent to own" option if you will. The point is; this is only going to cause more problems in the long run. It did not help you. It only spread those payments out. You could have still paid for it by saving.
But as we all know- VZW can do no wrong with you as you are their poster child. |
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·AT&T U-Verse
·MegaPath
| reply to IowaCowboy
I can also show you companies with piles of iPhones that are subsided and are STILL sitting on those same devices. Look at Sprint for one.
And you'd only rather do business with the actual network because you want the "bling" that they offer- only a brand and nothing more. I bet I actually pay LESS than you over a month than what you pay to VZW and have more- by not having their brand name.
And do you realize when the last MVNO went out of business???? (FYI- Page Plus Ceullar- is the oldest VZW MVNO and they're still around). And Cricket/Leap Wireless is NOT a full MVNO- they have their own network and ROAM onto VZW,Spent and Revol. |
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IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA | reply to TBusiness
I financed the iPad with Verizon Wireless. I still had to pass a credit check and while I might have credit issues in the past, I have good credit with VZW (since I pay them on time each month). |
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·Comcast
| reply to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:If it weren't for the subsidy, I could not afford an iPhone. Rent to own companies really want people like you.
Consider the price for a subsidized 32gig iPhone, $299 and $100 a month. Over the course of two years you have paid $2700. Now consider a phone you buy, $750 at Apple, $45 a month with Straight Talk and over two years you have spent $1830. Your two year, can't afford the phone, just cost you an additional $870, the cost of a new phone, again. You have effectively paid for two phones.
Better to save your money for a few months, buy the phone outright, and then go with a prepaid plan. |
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 KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T DSL Service
| reply to IowaCowboy
What you are actually saying is you want it now, but don't have the funds for it, so you'd rather get it now and pay dearly for it over 2 years.
Yes, this is true, many consumers want it now but can't pay now. They can't finance because they are already mortgaged to the hilt and/or have poor credit histories, so they pay a lot more.
What T-mobile is trying is allowing you to finance a phone. IE not they subsidize it, but you finance it, and then you choose the plan you want (or even the carrier you want) and save money. You still have to pay off your phone but you get a much better savings over time then the traditional subsidy model. This works for the "I want it now, but don't have the money." OF course this will not help the people who are deeply in debt and have trashed their credit, but honestly, I don't know how much the these companies want a customer who will probably default on their regular 2 year contract anyway.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon Broadban..
| reply to raythompsontn
And what is the cap on straight talk, they might advertise unlimited but once you hit a gig, you get kicked off the network and lose your phone number. I've had the same phone number since 2009 and I've had the same home phone number since 2007.
Like I said, I'd rather do business with a tier 1 company that owns and controls the network. And with postpaid, you have access to more towers (VZ + partner towers) where prepay you have limited towers (VZ towers only) and I was told that by a VZ employee.
When the iPhone first came out, no subsidy plus two year contract at full price.
If I could buy the phone outright, I'd still go with VZ but on a month to month basis with the freedom to upgrade or switch carriers at anytime.
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I've experienced ImOn (when they were McLeod USA), Mediacom, Comcast, and Time Warner and I currently have DirecTV. They are much better than broadcast TV.
I have not and will not cut the cord. |
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| reply to IowaCowboy
Was it interest free? if it wasn't would you still buy it on "credit" or wait a few weeks or months to get one? |
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 RobIn Deo speramus.Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:3 | reply to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:If it weren't for the subsidy, I could not afford an iPhone. And I had to use the VZW device financing offer to buy my iPad mini.
Or, you would get a phone that is within your budget... and when phone manufacturers such as Apple see a sharp decline in sales, they'll lower their margin.
There's no reason why an iPhone should cost $699.
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CheckSite.us | YourIP.us | Reverseip.us |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:And what is the cap on straight talk, they might advertise unlimited but once you hit a gig, you get kicked off the network and lose your phone number. You get throttled, not kicked off. Your assertion is incorrect. Exceed limits on most carriers, even Sprint, and you will get throttled. The limits are large enough that unless you are streaming video you will likely not hit the limit. Watching video on a phone is torture.said by IowaCowboy: I've had the same phone number since 2009 and I've had the same home phone number since 2007. I have had the same cell number since 2000 and the same home phone number since 1988. What is magical about having the same number? Using Google Voice I can change cell numbers every month if I so desire. Having the same phone number is a non-issue.said by IowaCowboy:Like I said, I'd rather do business with a tier 1 company that owns and controls the network. Your choice.said by IowaCowboy: And with postpaid, you have access to more towers (VZ + partner towers) where prepay you have limited towers (VZ towers only) and I was told that by a VZ employee. Straight Talk uses AT&T towers. Verizon uses CDMA whereas ST uses GSM which is available outside the US. I can travel to another country, buy a SIM, and have phone service while I am in the foreign country.said by IowaCowboy:When the iPhone first came out, no subsidy plus two year contract at full price.
So you paid an extra $55.00 a month for two years for nothing.said by IowaCowboy:If I could buy the phone outright, I'd still go with VZ but on a month to month basis with the freedom to upgrade or switch carriers at anytime. As long as your phone will support GSM and CDMA. Otherwise you will be limited to switching to carriers that only support the protocol that your phone supports.
Had Verizon offered a phone, unlocked, full price, with a prepaid contract for $50.00 I would have taken it. But Verizon did not offer such at the time that I made the switch. All Verizon offered was a subsidized phone at $100 a month as a data plan was mandatory. Tack only all the extra "recovery" fees (ie profit) that Verizon adds and the cost with Verizon can get pricey.
If you want to spend twice what a phone costs over two years, and continue paying that price once the contract is up, it is your choice. Rent-to-Own companies really like people with your way of thinking. Paying double what a product actually costs the retailer provides nothing but profit for the provider. |
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| reply to TBusiness
said by TBusiness:I can also show you companies with piles of iPhones that are subsided and are STILL sitting on those same devices. Look at Sprint for one.
I looked at Sprint. They moved 6.6 million iPhones in 2012. You should find a better example because that one doesn't support whatever point you were trying to make at all. |
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| reply to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:Consumers prefer subsidies, look at all the unsold iPhones with Cricket.
Consumers prefer choices. Have both variants available, subsidized and non-subsidized with a much lower monthly bill.
Though I am having hard time believing that they will not just pack the unsubsidized offer with full of fees to even it out anyways. |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | reply to raythompsontn
ST also uses Verizon towers for the CMDA phones. Yes, they have both. |
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