Got hit with a $325 Early term fee from AT&T

[threed61]

GSM is used exclusively in Europe. Cdma is also used in Japan, Korea, China and other Asian countries. Cdma signal travels farther than GSM which means you can cover with less towers. GSM has been identified as easier to hack by numerous security experts, though I don't remember why.

 

[jimski]

Just playing consumers advocate, if a company says 30 day trial then there should be no sneaky games played. It's a part of doing business and no different than all customers having to pay for advertising, giveaways, etc.

Fair enough. So guess I should be doing this then, as I am already paying for it every month. Point is, it sounds like a policy that can easily be abused.

Would like to see a carrier that does not; subsidize phones, handle returns, offer try before you buy, and all the other "free" perks we pay for. Could probably get unlimited everything for about $29.99/month. Anybody got a couple $B to loan me for a startup.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[threed61]

Fair enough. So guess I should be doing this then, as I am already paying for it every month. Point is, it sounds like a policy that can easily be abused.

Would like to see a carrier that does not; subsidize phones, handle returns, offer try before you buy, and all the other "free" perks we pay for. Could probably get unlimited everything for about $29.99/month. Anybody got a couple $B to loan me for a startup.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

I fear you'll have to relocate to Europe for that, and even some of their carriers subsidize phones.
There is one important reason US carriers have a try it approach. Each carrier does not have the same coverage, and new customers have the ability to make sure that their new phone will work where they need it to work. Unhappy customers and roaming charges can add to the carriers costs too.
Since you're only allowed to change once, I don't see why anyone would abuse it, though I suppose some would.
The minimal approach has been tried by smaller carriers without much success, Americans just seem to like the subsidized phone model better.

 

[Kon-Aitor]

Playing devils advocate for a minute. What happens when a few million users a month do this, "try a phone on another network and return within 30 days" thing. Who pays for that (returned phones, connection fees, setup costs). The answer is all of us on our monthly bills. Curious, do other countries have policies as flexible as the US. Monthly costs are lower so I am guessing no.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

The cost of doing business. If you want customers to switch, or to upgrade their accounts, than they need incentives. But if your hardware can't keep them, then its your fault for not having good phones. If you offer a 30 day money back guarantee then you have to stick with it. This is why I always buy things with my AMEX. The merchant does something like this, call Amex, 10 min alter charge back processed and I'm of the hook.