Big Carrier 2 Year Contracts for a new phone

[CalGun]

I really don't have any trouble with a 2 year contract for a new phone. My wife and I pay the price because we are
on the road so much and I don't want her to be without...now for my students its important for them to reach me
too so we have two phones. I got a notice the other day that I'm eligible for an upgrade, but why would I with new
phones on the horizon very shortly?

My littel gripe is simple. When we signed up we got a discount on a new phone and agreed to a 2 year term. We've
been paying properly about $60 a month per phone - $120 total. Now that the 2 years is up why don't we get a break
if we don't buy a new phone? I've completed the 2 years - the 2 years included the discount we got so now whatever
share of that was applied to buying the phone should be dropped off? Why doesn't any carrier do this?

 

[SmokeAndMirrors]

I really don't have any trouble with a 2 year contract for a new phone. My wife and I pay the price because we are
on the road so much and I don't want her to be without...now for my students its important for them to reach me
too so we have two phones. I got a notice the other day that I'm eligible for an upgrade, but why would I with new
phones on the horizon very shortly?

My littel gripe is simple. When we signed up we got a discount on a new phone and agreed to a 2 year term. We've
been paying properly about $60 a month per phone - $120 total. Now that the 2 years is up why don't we get a break
if we don't buy a new phone? I've completed the 2 years - the 2 years included the discount we got so now whatever
share of that was applied to buying the phone should be dropped off? Why doesn't any carrier do this?

Because they're scams. Plain and simple. Yes, you got a discount on the phone, but if you actually sat down and did the math, you will find that you have paid dramatically more than what they discounted, if you take the average of what non-contract companies charge for service.

Verizon tried to screw me out of $400. After I had to file with the BBB to get it back, I canceled my contract and never looked back. I was with Virgin for a while. They were ok. Now I'm on Ting, which I like. Yeah, I paid over $500 for my phone (which was a high-end Android), but I pay so little for service (between $25 and $40 depending on my use) that it will have paid for itself within a year or so over what a contract would have cost.

So imagine how much you're overpaying, since your phone probably cost less than that at full price, and your contract is for 2 years. You won't just be overpaying when your contract renews. You've already been overpaying for probably more than a year.

It is a complete rip-off for you to continue paying a "subsidized" phone bill when your phone was probably paid off within 6 months.

My advice? Drop them and move to non-contract.

 

[tech30528]

I won't take a phone contract either. If the service was good enough they wouldn't have to lock you in to a contract.

 

[CalGun]

We travel between Idaho, NV, and SF to LA in Calif....nothing works for us but ATT. We tried tmobile but it was really sad in the areas I need my wife to have service in...safety wise. I just don't get why, after two years, you don't get a lower rate.

 

[SmokeAndMirrors]

We travel between Idaho, NV, and SF to LA in Calif....nothing works for us but ATT. We tried tmobile but it was really sad in the areas I need my wife to have service in...safety wise. I just don't get why, after two years, you don't get a lower rate.

That doesn't mean you have to deal with ATT's contract scam.

List of United States mobile virtual network operators - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Any company that lists ATT as the host network will work exactly the same as what you have now... minus the through-the-nose contract.

 

[Superfly]

I really don't have any trouble with a 2 year contract for a new phone. My wife and I pay the price because we are
on the road so much and I don't want her to be without...now for my students its important for them to reach me
too so we have two phones. I got a notice the other day that I'm eligible for an upgrade, but why would I with new
phones on the horizon very shortly?

My littel gripe is simple. When we signed up we got a discount on a new phone and agreed to a 2 year term. We've
been paying properly about $60 a month per phone - $120 total. Now that the 2 years is up why don't we get a break
if we don't buy a new phone? I've completed the 2 years - the 2 years included the discount we got so now whatever
share of that was applied to buying the phone should be dropped off? Why doesn't any carrier do this?

I thought the major carriers did this. I have Verizon and have been with them for years. I have great coverage, and other than a few minor skirmishes that they ended up resolving on their end, I've had no major issue with them. They kind of bend over backwards to make me happy, for the most part. Every two years, you are eligible for a new phone. It may or may not be as cheap as a brand new contract, but for the most part, it usually is the same price as a new contract. Now, of course if you want the newest, and the best, you'll have to pay more. Like an iPhone 5s is like $650 brand new, but if you get it as a new contract or an extension of your 2 year contract, you get it for like $199. If you go with the iPhone 4, or a lot of other different kinds of phones, you get it for free.

Honestly, I just pay it and don't complain about it. It is worth the expense to me to know that I have a phone no matter where I go, and if I forget to pay the bill on Saturday it won't be turned off on Sunday.

 

[CalGun]

I totally understand, but why; after crossing the 2 year point of your contract should your rate be the same if you don't exchange your old phone for a new one? My iPhone 3s lasted until the 5s came out. I didn't need a new one, and it was the year before I got into the last contract that I tried tmobile and one other carrier - and they just didn't have the coverage we needed. Its not a lease on a phone for 2 years - its paying for it over 2 years. Yet you don't really pay for it - you keep paying even after its paid for.

I thought the major carriers did this. I have Verizon and have been with them for years. I have great coverage, and other than a few minor skirmishes that they ended up resolving on their end, I've had no major issue with them. They kind of bend over backwards to make me happy, for the most part. Every two years, you are eligible for a new phone. It may or may not be as cheap as a brand new contract, but for the most part, it usually is the same price as a new contract. Now, of course if you want the newest, and the best, you'll have to pay more. Like an iPhone 5s is like $650 brand new, but if you get it as a new contract or an extension of your 2 year contract, you get it for like $199. If you go with the iPhone 4, or a lot of other different kinds of phones, you get it for free.

Honestly, I just pay it and don't complain about it. It is worth the expense to me to know that I have a phone no matter where I go, and if I forget to pay the bill on Saturday it won't be turned off on Sunday.

 

[Gipper]

I pay less than 45 a month for unlimited (do 6 months at a time for a discount rate) with Straight Talk. I paid 100 for my phone (a Samsung Centura).

Is it the greatest phone out there? No. Does it do everything I need and lots I don't need? Yup. Is my signal good enough? Yup.

Do I miss my Verizon contract? Lol...