The End of Cancellation Fees?!?!
Recently some wireless carriers were getting sued for trying to collect a cancellation fee. The suit is good and bad for us as consumers. First of all the obvious bonus is if you cancel there would be no cancellation fee. This is great If you want to jump ship after 8 months you will not be penalized. What kind of drawbacks might this have?
The first one I can think of off the top of my head, is a huge difference in the price of phones. To put it simply the “Free” phone or cheap phone is normally in the $200 range with no contract. It is unbelievable for those of us that have never had to buy a phone at retail cost, but that is actually what phones cost. When we sign contracts Verizon, ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Helio give us the phones at a discounted rate because we will generate enough revenue to warrant that.
Now let me tell you I love my Blackberry 8830 as most of you know and I can’t really imagine functioning well without it. As much as I love my Blackberry and all I do not know if I can warrant paying $500-$600 for it at retail price. Most carriers offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee which is a fair enough time to tell whether you like the service or not. I am for contracts! With contracts we get discounted phones, cheaper plans, and bonuses for remaining long time and loyal customers.