 | | Wait and see? Wait and see till you are out of business.
I would rather buy an unlocked phone and go with the best price for service.
I think your phone subsidies are a fraud. | |
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 | | | Re: Wait and see? Hey Lowell, doesnt VZwireless have their own CEO? Lets talk about FiOS expansion.... | |
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| | | said by Billmnfl:Wait and see till you are out of business.
I would rather buy an unlocked phone and go with the best price for service.
I think your phone subsidies are a fraud.
Not fraud. I like them just fine. No way I'd pay $600 for a phone. I paid $50 for my phone. It would have been $450 full price. I'll take the $50 and a 2 year contract I have no intention on breaking anyway.
Verizon going out of business? Try looking at their quarterly repots. they have been gaining more customers then the other 3 COMBINED and have the lowest churn in the industry.
Also no such thing a truly unlocked phone. Since Verizon and Sprint still use CDMA for calls and texting and at&t and T-mobile still use GSM who makes this magical unlocked GSM/CDMA device that works on EVRY frequency used by the 4 major carriers? Heck you can even use Sprint device on Verizon and vise verse even though both use CDMA because they use different frequencies. | |
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| | Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·MegaPath
| Re: Wait and see? Sprint had huge amounts of money too at one point and look at them. The bigger you are the harder you fall and all that goes up- must come down. Customers/Consumers will stop paying for the high fees/prices that VZW and AT&T want (and now with Sprint) and will move to MVNOs and other contract free services such as with T-Mobile. Have you seen that contract free subscriber rates are actually going UP and contract customer counts are coming down? Customers are tired of the contracts, tired of the credit issues and BS and are looking for true options. VZW and AT&T will see it or will pay for it later.
BTW- the BB Storm 2 was a GSM/CDMA phone and could be used on TMO and AT&T along with CDMA networks. It was a world phone. VZ just didn't want you unlocking it to take else where. And actually Sprint will refuse to use a VZW phone and VZW will refuse to use a Sprint device. You can however take those devices to other budget carriers that are CDMA - Revol/Metro and they'll flash/unlock them and use 'em. | |
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| | | | I would expect, like all things electronic, that if the you weren't required to maintain a 2 year agreement, for which you pay dearly, and if the phone company with billions behind them weren't paying for the cell phone, then, like the microwave and desktop computer, prices would come down. But hey, if the cell company wants to pay me $600 per phone as a manufacturer, why not. If they can't move their stock, the price will come down, just like the clone phones and tablets that do the same as your $600 phone but only cost me $149. | |
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| Reviews:
 ·ooma
 ·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| said by Billmnfl:Wait and see till you are out of business.
I would rather buy an unlocked phone and go with the best price for service.
I think your phone subsidies are a fraud.
Cellcos telling manufacturers what to charge for handsets is the BIGGER fraud.. those price gouging high prices for the phones upfront are the BAIT to lure customers into making a deal with the devil cellcos for 24 month contracts. Seriously.. when did you see handsets go from $99 all the way upto $600 and more until the Iphone & Android handsets? Metro PCS revealed how low handset prices for an entry level android phone could go to $40 versus $300+. This only adds to the anti-competitive dysfunctional marketplace.
BTW, this is talking about mainstream mass produced handsets.. not the early analog days where you had to be a rich fat cat or criminal (drug dealer) to afford analog service pricing.
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| | | said by Billmnfl:Wait and see till you are out of business.
I would rather buy an unlocked phone and go with the best price for service.
I think your phone subsidies are a fraud.
From what I've seen T-Mobiles plans are not that great when you add in 4G service. So you are really not saving anything by forgoing the subsidy. | |
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 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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| | | Re: Subsidies are good 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 | Re: Subsidies are good 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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| | IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA | Re: Subsidies are good 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
| Re: Subsidies are good 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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| | | | IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA | Re: Subsidies are good 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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| | | | | | | Re: Subsidies are good 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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| Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
·MegaPath
| 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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| | | | Re: Subsidies are good 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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| Reviews:
·Comcast
| 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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| | IowaCowboyWant to go back to IowaPremium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon Broadban..
| Re: Subsidies are good 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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| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: Subsidies are good 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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| | | | bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | Re: Subsidies are good ST also uses Verizon towers for the CMDA phones. Yes, they have both. | |
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|  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T DSL Service
| 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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|  RobIn Deo speramus.Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:3 | 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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| | | 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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 jazzy_
join:2004-01-27
Charleston, SC |  if it were an option
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| | They'll still force you to buy a Verizon branded phone Won't be worth it... they'll still force you to buy a Verizon branded phone, doubt they would let you bring a phone and pop a Verizon LTE sim in it, so you'll be paying their $600 retail price instead of getting a phone directly from something like the Google Play store... | |
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| | | Re: They'll still force you to buy a Verizon branded phone said by lakerfan82:Won't be worth it... they'll still force you to buy a Verizon branded phone, yeah and?.............
doubt they would let you bring a phone and pop a Verizon LTE sim in it, | |
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| | | | Re: They'll still force you to buy a Verizon branded phone Iphone 5 does, no reason to think others can't or won't. VoLTE will support SMS and voice late 2013. Google Voice too. | |
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| | | | The Galaxy S4 looked like it had two SIM card slots. I'm hoping this is for all of the LTE offerings by all the carriers. Hopefully it has a CDMA radio in it too. Basically what I'm trying to say, this may be a true world phone. My Verizon Galaxy S3 is, I can put a SIM in it from any carrier and use it. Of course I only get edge speeds on T-Mobile, but 3G speeds will work on AT&T. The SIM isn't locked either.
Hopefully LTE will simplify things though. Voice over LTE will hopefully allow the manufacturers to make one device for all carriers. If the carriers allow it... The manufacturers are certainly getting more powerful and it seems they don't have to cater to the carriers so much. | |
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coma9
join:2013-02-05
Lehi, UT | Bloatware? I wonder if his phone is loaded with bloatware and Verizon garbage software.... or did he root and throw a custom rom on his phone like me? | |
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| | | Re: Bloatware? said by coma9:I wonder if his phone is loaded with bloatware and Verizon garbage software.... or did he root and throw a custom rom on his phone like me?
Hope your phone never breaks because you violated your warranty. | |
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| | | | Re: Bloatware? Installing a custom ROM does not VOID the manufacturer's warranty. | |
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| | | | | Re: Bloatware? said by fenix_jn:Installing a custom ROM does not VOID the manufacturer's warranty.
If you have a locked bootloader and brick it you're screwed. If that custom ROM messes something up, you're screwed too.
Then again, I gave up on the mess that is Android so it may be different now. | |
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| | coma9
join:2013-02-05
Lehi, UT | lol, violated it. With the $40 case and screen protector it's got, I hope it never breaks either. GS3 YOLO! | |
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XJakeX
join:2005-03-05
Coventry, RI | Phone costs are made up The real fraud here are the stated full costs of cell phones. Since more than 90% of these phones are sold in subsidized plans, the makers have no real reason to complete on price. Create an environment, where Apple, Samsung, Motorola, etc. have to battle each other in the marketplace instead of in the courtroom, and you will see the full un-subsidized prices of these phones down where they should be, between $200 and $300. | |
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 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY | Leap Leap Wireless has no one to blame but themselves for their pile of iPhones. They are selling locked down iPhone's at an unlocked price (as noted here a few weeks ago). You would be better off going directly to Apple and buying an unlocked iPhone for the same price. Perhaps the idiots at Leap will wake up and realize their stupidity (I doubt it). They'll spin it as being a business model that does not work.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. | |
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| | Split it out? Verizon Wireless does not want to draw a line between subsidized and unsubsidized pricing on their plans. They have never done it and I don't expect they ever will. | |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | F-U VZ How about "I buy my own phone retail full price and you drop my bill $30 a month since you don't have to subsidize me?"
Oh, you won't...well then I guess I get a contract free Iphone from Apple direct and put a prepaid SIM in there. | |
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| | Wait and see... Verizon would be more than happy to drop subsidized phones with a bi-yearly price hike.
Consumers may be more than willing to drop their $200 mfg cost subsidized phone for $800 valued on their bill cell phone. But but that would require math.... Na they'll just pay $800.
New Special Next Week! New "till end of time" contract offers $50 off existing new phones! Consumers flock in droves! {ETF: first born}
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A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the corporations discover that money can elect representatives to vote themselves a monopoly, buy media to blame 'The Godless' and forced price inflation on the public. | |
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