Carriers and Customer pricing

mbartel500

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Here is where the carriers are really making the most money. When you buy a new phone from the carriers, you sign on to a 2 year contract. This is so that the carriers can spread the cost of the subsidized phone over the course of the contract. The gotcha, is that after the contract is up, and the carriers have recouped their subsidy costs, your bill does not go down. So if you keep your phone for 3 years, you are still paying the carrier for the subsidy costs that they recovered in the first 2 years.
 

Just_Me_D

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

The carriers, like any business, is making a profit and are getting very creative about making more profits, but if the customer is okay with the arrangement then it's not an issue. We do NOT have to give in to the temptations of wanting a new device every 6 months or even yearly. I understand that not everyone can afford to purchase a device outright and I don't fault companies for providing an alternative method for a profit. Don't banks & finance institutions make a HUGE profit off of a majority of home buyers? The same goes for car buying, especially if your credit isn't great. Know what I mean?
 

dj2big

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

I'm in the car business and I can tell you first hand that the banks make the most money overall but the ones that make the most profit is not the dealer it's the county and city taxes
 

reeneebob

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

I don't know about anyone else but I would pay real money for people (usually guys) to stop using the term 'rape' about something as insignificant as cell phone bills or companies.

It is beyond offensive. I'm sure I will be called a liberal whiner but as a female who walks with one eye always open in case of attack, and who watched her friend in high school recover from being grabbed at knifepoint 10 feet from her front door and had a knife held at her throat so hard she was bruised for weeks after?

It's gross. Stop it.
 

Alli

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

It's a word. We use it. Yes, us women too. Even us women who have lived through it. I can use both the terms rape and cancer in contexts not connected with a human body.
 

ferdi1975

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

well the "r" word is the wrong one to describe it, I would use the term "cow" as I feel like one when the carrier milk you dry......it's crazy I mean in my case I had a contract for 2 Years on which I got an Iphone 4, fine.....but now I'm in the third year (already with another contract) and my carrier (A1 Austria) refuses to unlock that I phone which is good 3years old now.....even here they try to take as much as they can from you.....for a whopping 150EUROS (you heard correct my friend) they would unlock it......I mean WTF......2 years long a loyal customer and then this? how is it possible that AT&T customers accross the ocean can unlock it for 1/10 of that price? Even when scouting the net for an alternative unlock solution I get similiar prices if not even higher for an unlock.
I guess every carrier deals with it differently but it's all about profit.........milk em dry that's the motto!
 

Alli

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

Maybe it's time we all looked at the advantages of purchasing unlocked directly from the manufacturer to begin with. Surely the subsidy isn't worth the hassle.
 

ferdi1975

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

Maybe it's time we all looked at the advantages of purchasing unlocked directly from the manufacturer to begin with. Surely the subsidy isn't worth the hassle.

LoL and there we are again....profit profit profit....it's a never-ending chain, unless you've won in the lottery or have a high fligh job......who could afford an Iphone 5/Galaxy S4 etc. etc. direcly unlocked from the manufacturer? Me unfortunately not......even a used Iphone 5 is a dream to far for me right now.....:p
 
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ferdi1975

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

It's crazy to think about it but maybe the one or the other of you would perhaps remember the day when mobile communication was in it's early days and most of you would have said "I never need that" / "Don't wanna be reachable all the time" and nowadays you will receive a strange look saying "I don't have a mobile device".....kind of beeing alienated lol weird isn't it?
 

Eileen89

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

Maybe it's time we all looked at the advantages of purchasing unlocked directly from the manufacturer to begin with. Surely the subsidy isn't worth the hassle.

No thanks Alli! I paid $400 for my subsidized 64GB iPhone 5 and only $8 to unlock it via a third party unlocking service. The same unlocked version direct from Apple would have cost me over $850. This to me isn't worth the 5 minutes that it took me to unlock my iPhone 5 myself.... YMMV


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2.
 

Alli

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

No thanks Alli! I paid $400 for my subsidized 64GB iPhone 5 and only $8 to unlock it via a third party unlocking service. The same unlocked version direct from Apple would have cost me over $850. This to me isn't worth the 5 minutes that it took me to unlock my iPhone 5 myself.... YMMV


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2.

Keep in mind you will no longer be able to get an unlocking service to unlock your phone now that the laws have shifted back in favor of the carriers, and it looks as though the carriers (who used to unlock phones as long as you were a long-time customer in good standing - for free) will now charge a hefty fee - if they're willing to do it at all.

 

Eileen89

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Carriers Are Raping Customers

Keep in mind you will no longer be able to get an unlocking service to unlock your phone now that the laws have shifted back in favor of the carriers, and it looks as though the carriers (who used to unlock phones as long as you were a long-time customer in good standing - for free) will now charge a hefty fee - if they're willing to do it at all.


Alli, I have heard about the law, however , it is my understanding that there are still 3rd party unlocking services such as the one that I used who will unlock iPhones for as little as $12 or less. This being the case and knowing that once I purchase my phone it is mine to do what I want with it. I will simply take the subsidy every 2 years and have it unlocked by using those services. I believe AT&T is still unlocking iPhones as well for those customers who fit the stipulations that they set. I know they unlocked my 3GS and out of contract 4S for me.

Here is the link to AT&T's unlock policy: https://forums.imore.com/e?link=htt...viceunlock%2Fclient%2Fen_US%2F&token=SztEEMmk

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2.
 

Eileen89

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

An unlocked phone has zero benefit to me. I'd rather get the subsidy.

The main reason why I like my iPhones unlocked is it increases the resale value of them slightly. I always sell my iPhones at the year mark to help pay for the next years iPhone.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2.
 

vietalogy

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

Keep in mind you will no longer be able to get an unlocking service to unlock your phone now that the laws have shifted back in favor of the carriers, and it looks as though the carriers (who used to unlock phones as long as you were a long-time customer in good standing - for free) will now charge a hefty fee - if they're willing to do it at all.

Still able to unlock them easily. I just got another iPhone 5 a month ago and gotten it unlocked.


via Tapatalk
 

cariduros

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Jan 11, 2011
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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

All US carriers are rapey with their plans It's preposterous.


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Eileen89

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Re: Carriers Are Raping Customers

Third party unlockers can unlock any phone purchased before the end of January 2013. After that, it's illegal for them to do it.

And if you still think it's a good deal - check this out:

Wireless Plans just took one step forward, and three steps back | Digital Trends

No, I never did think these new tactics were a good deal. Doesn't bother me anyway, as I will continue to sell my year old phones privately and using that as a means to purchase the next one. I'm guaranteed to get more back this way than I would from any of the wireless carriers new scams....


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2.
 

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