Isn't T-Mobile supposed to be contract free now?
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New customers = no contract
Existing contracts = valid
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So if I want to go to t-mobile and want to get the Galaxy s 5 but I only have like $200 how can I get that phone and a plan with T-mobile?
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Not sure if serious 🙄
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If you want to activate a regular account, they have to run your credit. When you have a good credit score, you are qualified for $0 down on phone which means you do not pay for account deposit, you only have to pay for taxes and shipping fee (over the phone/online order)
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So I have to make monthly payments on the phone. Isn't that a contract?
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technically no because its an agreement thats being made not signing a contract
and not being locked to that phone for any period of time
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It is a terms of agreement between provider(tmo) and customer. It is a contract. Not in the traditional sense, but yes it is a agreement, that you will pay off the phone in said time (24months) (also assuming you do not upgrade prior.) I mean it isn't conventional, but none the less yes it is.
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Well with Verizon and AT&T they are called service argreements and not contracts. Basically this is just a contract for the phone not the service.
But with AT&T and VZW you aren't locked into the phone for any period of time either. You can always buy a new phone.
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Contract is different from installment plan. You can pay the remaining balance of your phone anytime and cancel your service without paying the termination fee.
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But it is still a agreement, Paying the remaining balance. It went from duration contract to device contract.I mean there is leinency a lot more with it. But a spade is still a spade.
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Isn't that the same thing. Its still a contract and you have to pay to get out of it.
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you not paying to get out of it though your paying fo the phone, you paying for the phone if you decide to leaveyou just pay the rest of the phone thats it, your not terminting any contract just fulfilling your end of the agreemnt and paying off the device
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So just like with Verizon and AT&T you fulfill the service agreement by paying some amount of money that goes down every month you complete in teh service agreement.
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I hate to get into this, but i couldn't resist when reading the responses. The difference between the traditional contracts and equip installments is very simple:
On contracts: I can prepay all i want for the monthly plan, but i still have to keep it for 24 mo or get charged 175-350 etf (even though plan was paid). With equip installments there is no etf. So, if you pay the equip off early, there is no additional fee to pay.
Honestly I feel all of us know this but it seems some want to argue, just to try to show tmo isnt as good as advertised..i could be wrong, but that is the feeling i get from the angle of the questions. And i have vzw, so it isn't like im defending tmo
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OK so let's do some math. If I buy the galaxy s5 with t-mobile. And assume I have good credit and I finance $650. At the end of 1 year if I want to cancel I still owe $325. If I have Verizon and want to cancel after one year the ETF is $220. $10 off every month you complete in the contract.
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But how much you pay upfront for the phone on each carrier?
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And besides the normal price difference between the 2 carriers, remember, with equip installments, the voice plan is even cheaper because the subsidy was removed from the price of the plan. Calculate that each mo too. There is no way that removing equipment subsidy, removing contracts, etfs, lowering the plan due to no subsidies, but having equipment installments is a worse deal for the consumer.
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ZpikeApr 15, 2014, 10:16 AM
It can absolutely be more expensive. If the reduction in plan cost over two years is less than the amount of discount previously given for the phone, then it will be more expensive. The only way to know for sure is to calculate the total cost of plan and device over a 2 year period and compare the two. Then you will know which one is cheaper.
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that has nothing to do with any type of etf o cancellation though, you monthly bill doesnt affect anything
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ZpikeApr 15, 2014, 3:15 PM
Presumably, if I sign up for a service I know before the trial period is up if I want to keep it or not. So, if the total cost of monthly service and device over 2 years is cheaper than the other guy's then it's safe to say that's the cheapest option.
But if you want to talk ETF, lets say I find a really good deal that lets me get a $600 phone for $99 with a 2 year contract and I sign up for a $49.99 plan, which I cancel after one month. I will have paid $99 for the phone + $49.99 for one month's service plus a $350 termination fee, for a grand total of $500.
Now, if I buy the same phone from T-mobile, let's say I qualify for $0 down and I cancel after 1 month. I will pay $0 for the phone up front + $49.99 for one month's service, + th...
(continues)
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ok that may be true but the plan itself and the SERVICE your paying for still has nothing to do with anything when it comes to the difference between a the contract and an angreement
so the fact you may pay 150 less doesnt matter
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ZpikeApr 16, 2014, 10:52 AM
>>still has nothing to do with anything when it comes to the difference between a the contract and an angreement
That's like saying that you're really concerned about the difference between cars and automobiles. It really doesn't make sense because all cars are by definition automobiles. Likewise, all contracts are by legal definition agreements. However, there are also agreements which are not legally enforceable and which are not legally contracts. But those agreements which are enforceable by law are contracts. I'm pretty sure T-mobile's device agreement is enforceable by law, and thus, a legal contract.
>>so the fact you may pay 150 less doesnt matter
Sure it does. T-mobile's whole premise is that by ditching your contract you ...
(continues)
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I never said there wasnt a difference between the two, i was just saying that the actually plan, the price you are paying for the phone and the sevice are unrelated to differences there are between that 2 yr contract and the installment agreements
so the fact that you may have a $50 plan dos not change anything with anyt typ of difference there is between a 2 yr contract and a installment agreement
ok and thats what they want people to think whn you get a highend phone like everone here prety much does you really dont save anything and you were going by cancelling after 1 month, how often dos that really happen, and if it does its gonna b within the first couple weeks, which is the remorse period
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ZpikeApr 16, 2014, 12:27 PM
I'm sorry. I'm sincerely unable to follow what you're saying. I'm not even sure which one you think is better at this point.
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theres really one point, youre including things that have nothing to do with each other
your service plan has nothing to do with whatever difference there is between a 2 yr contract and an installment agreement, simple as that
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ZpikeApr 16, 2014, 2:29 PM
Ok, then you really don't make sense. A 2 year contract "is" a service plan, so it's impossible to talk about a 2 year contract without talking about a service plan. Furthermore, it is also impossible to compare a 2 year contract (service plan) to an installment plan without discussing the elements of the service plan, namely the price. If you don't recognize this, it is utterly impossible for us to have a rational discussion.
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the plan itself does not matter. theres no difference what someone is paying
the contract itself is not a sevice plan because that contract is saying that you will keep the service for that many years, does not give you the service itself so you have to have an actual plan if you want to use hat phone you just signed a contract with
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ZpikeApr 22, 2014, 10:40 AM
>>the contract itself is not a sevice plan because that contract is saying that you will keep the service for that many years
You're going around in circles. I'm not interested in playing.
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didnt realize we were playing anythig specially something from almost a week ago
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DarkStar said:
So just like with Verizon and AT&T you fulfill the service agreement by paying some amount of money that goes down every month you complete in teh service agreement.
My understanding is that T-Mobile has only stopped issuing service agreements. They still offer hardware purchase agreements (contracts).
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