Someone explain to me what is so bad about cell phone contracts

[Drekce]

Unless you are the type who wants to buy new phones regularly (say once every six months) what is the disadvantage to being in a contract? When the Nexus One came out people were all excited that it could be bought unlocked with no contract. But, since it is basically (currently) restricted to T-Mobile anyway due to 3G frequencies, and because T-Mobile does not give a discount for not being in a contract, anyone who buys the phone without the contract subsidy and keeps it for two years has spent hundreds of extra dollars unnecessarily.

 

[PepePeru]

nexus one is supposedly coming to AT&T's 3G network. So, you could just sign up for a data service and use voip to make your calls. you spend 500 bucks on the device and then x amount a month for data service, ( I really don't know how much 3g data service with a wireless carrier is) but it should be less than spending 75.00 a month minimum over the course of 2 years for voice + data services...plus the 199.99 + tax you fork over for an Iphone.

It doesn't seem like it would take long to come out ahead on that deal.

 

[FoBoT]

i have no problem since i am not moving and have no reason to change companies

we have been with tmobile since before it was tmobile, i think it was called voice stream before the german phone company bought them or whatever, we got voicestream in 2001 and have no reason to switch , so i don't care if i have a contract with them

 

[SirStev0]

Since companies have gotten better and coverage significantly so, I think most of the Cell Contract hate is just residual bad taste in the mouth from the years of deplorable service and a general shit on the customer attitude.

Thankfully enough competition started up that they had to start treating the customer like a person and offering remedies to problems they placed in the system.

 

[lxskllr]

Being in a contract is a disadvantage because it limits possibilities. It's like joining the Army. It's not necessarily bad, but you're stuck for a period of time. Sweet job offer, tough shit. Don't want to go to Germany? Too bad....

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Because you're automatically stuck paying one company for however long. If you hit a bad patch with the company, you're still stuck

Luckily here, prepay is the same value as contract, so the only reason to get on contract is to get a free phone.

 

[rockyct]

nexus one is supposedly coming to AT&T's 3G network. So, you could just sign up for a data service and use voip to make your calls. you spend 500 bucks on the device and then x amount a month for data service, ( I really don't know how much 3g data service with a wireless carrier is) but it should be less than spending 75.00 a month minimum over the course of 2 years for voice + data services...plus the 199.99 + tax you fork over for an Iphone.

It doesn't seem like it would take long to come out ahead on that deal.

I don't think you could just sign up for a data plan on your smartphone. Maybe if you tricked AT&T into thinking it was a broadband card or something, but it seems like you would still be forced to buying the entry level calling plan. Also, especially with the iPhone raping AT&T's network, I'm sure they're going to stop VOIP only as much as possible, and I wouldn't even want to rely on AT&T broadband to make calls.

 

[speg]

I don't think you could just sign up for a data plan on your smartphone. Maybe if you tricked AT&T into thinking it was a broadband card or something, but it seems like you would still be forced to buying the entry level calling plan. Also, especially with the iPhone raping AT&T's network, I'm sure they're going to stop VOIP only as much as possible, and I wouldn't even want to rely on AT&T broadband to make calls.

You could go pre-paid and have a data plan.

 

[Schadenfroh]

If their service quality drops, like ours did when CellularOne was bought out by Alltel (they shutdown / stopped leasing many towers to save money), you are SOL.

 

[waggy]

i have no problem with them. i know i will be in the same house for 2 years (heh probably die in this house) so saving a few hundred on a new phone is worth signing a 2 yr contract.

 

[0roo0roo]

well somethings wrong with a system that is so uncompetitive that text message prices are like a couple thousand percent of cost.

 

[Jeff7]

They're guaranteed to get an early-termination fee out of you, or else they'll automatically get $XX/month from you.
Their motivation to not screw you as frequently and as roughly as they are able to get away with is nowhere to be found.

Unf, uunff, yeah, gimme more of your money! Mmmm, oh yeah, tell me you like it too. More money.
What's that? Pull out? Right now? Fine, I will. Gimme more money.

 

[Drekce]

Being in a contract is a disadvantage because it limits possibilities. It's like joining the Army. It's not necessarily bad, but you're stuck for a period of time. Sweet job offer, tough shit. Don't want to go to Germany? Too bad....

That is a terrible analogy. It is more on par with taking a job that provides a signing bonus, which has to be repaid if you don't stay for a certain minimum amount of time. If a better job comes around you can leave, but you have to pay for it.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

The disadvantage is whiny bitches come on forums or take up time on podcasts bitching about how shitty their AT&T service is but they can't ditch their Jesus phone because they're "locked in" on a contract. It's annoying.

 

[Drekce]

They're guaranteed to get an early-termination fee out of you, or else they'll automatically get $XX/month from you.
Their motivation to not screw you as frequently and as roughly as they are able to get away with is nowhere to be found.

Unf, uunff, yeah, gimme more of your money! Mmmm, oh yeah, tell me you like it too. More money.
What's that? Pull out? Right now? Fine, I will. Gimme more money.

But I'm going to pay for cell service somewhere. As I said in the op, there is no monthly cost savings by going month to month.

 

[Drekce]

The disadvantage is whiny bitches come on forums or take up time on podcasts bitching about how shitty their AT&T service is but they can't ditch their Jesus phone because they're "locked in" on a contract. It's annoying.

Yeah, but most of those people just complain about AT&T because it is the thing to do right now. Do you really think they would give up the status that comes by being an iPhone user?

Actually, I did back in November, and love my Droid way more than I ever did the iPhone.