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AT&T Mobility Dumps Flat Early Termination Fees

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I do not think that AT&T and others should prorate the ETFs, but should increase.

nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 10:20 AM
With a contract situation and to break the contract I think the fee to do so should be a lot more than they actually prorate of the ETF and even with the standard ETFs. I think the carriers should charge more if the consumer stays longer than those 30-day trials. See how much it would cost to break a contract with a lease of a car or an APT or something of that variety and compare it to the ETFs of the phone companies. Customers in the wireless and wire line services are very luck to even get a low ETF or in this case a prorated one. If I was the carrier, I would not do this and/or I would increase the ETF. If they started to give all these kind of goodies to the customer then they would take advantage and the carriers CPGA and other costs ...
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SystemShock

Oct 16, 2007, 10:28 AM
The next logical step, nextel18. Muhahahaha! 🤣
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 10:39 AM
They should have a taser built in to the phone. 🤣 Hey then actually TASR can make money.
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dublea

Oct 16, 2007, 10:43 AM
Talk about theft deterrent
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 10:45 AM
Exactly.
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BigShowJB

Oct 16, 2007, 3:32 PM
DON"T TASE ME BRO!! DONT TASE ME....KAJICJICJICJICJCIJCIJCIJYAAAAAAAAAA!!!! !
😳 😳 😳 😳 😳 😳
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beeferjay

Oct 16, 2007, 10:29 AM
I conpletely agree.

The company is not liable or responsible for comsumers choosing something that is "not right" for them.

We here in America should not take a technology hit or nice phone hit because we cant seem to stay with our service provider.

But hey this is america
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h_aguilar84

Oct 16, 2007, 10:54 AM
Personal responsibility is gone in the U.S. You spill coffee on my lap: I get $1 million. I smoke cigarettes and get cancer: I sue the tobacco industry. I get fat from eating McDonald's every day: I blame the fast food industry.

I love when people come to my store and say, "I bought this phone and it has been giving me problems since I got it"

I ask, "How long you had the phone?"

Customer responds, "Oh, about 4 months ago, but I never got the time to bring it back."

So you didn't want to take advantage of the 30 day return policy and exchange the phone for the same or different model? You couldn't find time between Starbucks runs and going to the gym? By not doing so, that meant you were satisfied with the performance of the pho...
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chucks

Oct 16, 2007, 11:09 AM
🤨 Nextel 18 i would have to disagree with you... as you know, technology is not perfect and at any given time or point, your wireless carrier could start having major issues for some reason or another which causes customers to be upset! I should know, i work for three major cellphone companies in a call center! let's think about this for a minute... let's say in the area you live in, you start getting drop calls for 2 months straight.. you've called your wireless company severals times about the issue and technical care support has advised you that they are doing everything they can to fix the problem... you are upset yet you continue to have patience because if you end your contract, you have to pay $200.00! then the day comes to where u ...
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 11:55 AM
Well, it is the same with anything when you sign a contract even not with wireless. Look at the wire line divisions. Some of them charge an ETF for leaving but with your logic, you would say that because its technology consumers should be given a break because it might not work all the time. Unfortunately, there are clauses in these contracts and 30 day polices that consumers should try before they start to complain. You can also get informative information by asking people how their experience was. What happens if someone is paying a note for their car and all of a sudden, their car has issues, you think that the company holding the note would say well it is a car there could be issues so we are going to issue some sort of relief for you? I...
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chucks

Oct 16, 2007, 12:12 PM
lol, your car note example it not convincing me at all! you should know that when you buy a car you are either buying it "as is" or with warranty... if the car fails and if you have warranty then the dealer will fix it! if you buy it "as is" you know exactly what you're getting for your money! the wireless providers try to cell you a phone and it works perfect and it may be everything you need but a couple of months later you start having issues... is that your fault? OF COURSE NOT! so why should you pay for something that's not your fault?! i want to see it happen to you when you want to make an emergency call and you don't have any service... let's see how you feel. i'm pretty sure you wouldn't even want to pay the ETF to switch companies....
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 12:29 PM
I am not trying to convince you to go with my argument. Maybe that was not the best example but it does have some parallels, and I was not talking about as is, I was talking about the actual note on the car and its payment method. Ok what if you buy power for your house and there was an issue and the power was out in your house, you think 1. The power company should say well due to this issue especially since power can go off sometimes, that they would issue some kind of relief, and 2. Do you think the companies’ products and service you have will issue you credits because your power went out? These things happen and on the carrier side, if a wireless company sold you a phone that worked for a while more than 2-5 months and all of a sud...
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chucks

Oct 16, 2007, 12:41 PM
i wasn't talking about the phone not working, i was talking about the service not working meaning the tower is down, etc. and yes my electric company has given me a credit for the one and only time that my light was disconected for issues that they had with their services. remember that i am not saying that i WANT TO CANCEL MY ACCOUNT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH THE COMPANY ANYMORE, but because the service does not work! and you have to understand that if you're going to be paying for something that doesn't work because it's not your fault you're wrong.. i at least don't like to waste my money on things that don't provide anything in exchange to me. and let's just say that thank god you are not the carrier because if you were to set ETF ...
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 1:04 PM
Towers can go down any day of the week at any time and if that is the issue then obviously, like I said earlier have the field technicians go out to that site, which they do, to see what is the issue. remember, it could also be the phone too and if the troubleshooting leads to that conclusion that the phone is an issue then get a replacement or exchange it for the other device. also, mentioned earlier, some carriers issue credits for those types of issues. Putting caps does not help by the way; it just makes me skip over. well, that electric company appeared to be desperate then. I had some issues at my houses and they did not give me credits since I did not ask for it but also because I figured these things happen from time to time. I would...
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wombough

Oct 16, 2007, 1:37 PM
I don't agree. 2 years is a long time and so much can change in someones life in that time. It is much different then a new car or what not. However since you brought up the car lease thing. Maybe other carriers can buyout your contract like the car dealers do with leases when you want a new car before its up!
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 1:44 PM
Then what there should be for those contracts are changes in the actual duration of the contract and language allowing you to change the phones certain times for certain price points. Interesting idea about the rate plan buyout. Alternatively, perhaps they can work with the customer to see how they can stay and if they cannot devise a strategy, in which the customer can leave cost effective for both. whether it is the buy option or any other ones. Yes, two years is not that much but they only charge an ETF of let us say $175 and the ARPU is $50. Therefore, you are paying an ETF for 3.5 months of potential usage, which is a lot less then what the carrier actually paid to get you. I just think that consumers should be aware more of these contr...
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wombough

Oct 16, 2007, 1:51 PM
I agree that most sign up and then want to get out of it for the grass is greener thing. And that is wrong. However if say carrier A was cheaper last year and then carrier b is no this year I think that is a good reason.

I think the carriers have to many outs in the contracts and the customers don't have many at all. If they went with your idea then the customers should have just as many outs as the carrier does.
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 1:56 PM
Very interesting points, but I disagree on the whole outs situation and remember who is on the line here. The customer is not, while the carrier is because they are spending billions of dollars on the infrastructure alone and obviously, maintaining it costs a lot so they are actually doing a service to the customer by offering a low ETF. They do no know whether or not the customer will leave or stay.
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wombough

Oct 16, 2007, 2:40 PM
true and if they are spending the money right then they should have no worries the customer will leave or not. Spend right and offer the best deal you can.
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 2:48 PM
Exactly my point. Of course, things will happen because life and technology are not perfect but the customer needs to give the carrier/company a chance to redeem themselves. Of course, if the carrier or company is maliciously doing bad behavior then the customer can be irate of the situation and leave without paying the ETF, but chances are that happening are very slim especially given in this highly competitive marketplace. The carriers/companies will do everything in their power to keep you especially since it costs about 3-4 times as less trying to keep you than signing up a new customer. Word of mouth will inflate that cost too.
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BigShowJB

Oct 16, 2007, 3:37 PM
but even when a dealer pays off your old car loan if you are "upsidedown" as they call it (owe more than the trade in actual value) the dealer just tacks it on to what your new loan will be.
Don't be fooled by the dealer saying they'll make the trade equal to the payoff. All they've done is take the difference of what you owe and increase the price of the car by that much.


anyone who needs further clarification can reply to the post asking for it..
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retrolike

Oct 16, 2007, 4:27 PM
Nextel-very good explanation, from my experience in a wireless store I totally agree with you, now as consumer I am happy with the prorated fees, but I think cheaper escapes are dangerous for AT&T.
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 4:36 PM
Basically it will be a lose situation for either party in this case whether to increase the ETFs or to lower it the way that any company does. If they increase the ETF then chances are the consumers would be unhappy and would complain and if they lower the ETF that means that the carrier won’t be happy and the consumers would be which could hurt the consumers in the long run if that lower ETF would increase the pricing points. I just still say that if you enter a contract and break it you should be forced to pay up until the law allows. Just look at what you can get under a breach of contract for remedies. Compensatory damages, consequential damages, attorney fees and punitive damages. Depending on the situation could be in the thousand...
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alpha1

Oct 16, 2007, 11:08 PM
its just a publicity stunt to keep regulation at a minimum..

btw, i dont believe your point that the price points will increase significantly without big time contracts.

after all the logic is simple, the US is a saturated market and by increasing the prices too much, all they are going to do is rush to the Nokia/US model of direct sales sooner than later. This cannot be in the carrier interest as then they loose a lot more control of devices on their network and hence ultimately their revenue streams would get affected.
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 4:51 PM
Well if costs go up for the carriers they will need to offset it with something and the ideal is to increase different service plans and add and increase the options.
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 7:56 PM
it doesn't matter if costs go up.. the question is do they (the big bad att,vzw) have the ability to pass it on in a market where new customers are increasingly difficult to find..

the answer is not clear that they can pass on the costs.. It is a corporate argument of predicting gloom and doom saying costs will rise if things are not the way they are.. They have to do this (infact they should act like that.. after all, thats what protects their revenue streams)..

however, the consumer interest doesnt necessarily match up with the corporation policies.. and its time to see what happens if contracts evaparote in a country where cell users are addicted to free cheap phones.
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 8:09 PM
It doesn’t matter if costs go up? Of course, it does because then that is what defines the price points for their additions and regular plans. They always can pass it onto the customer.
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 8:13 PM
nextel18 said:
It doesn’t matter if costs go up? Of course, it does because then that is what defines the price points for their additions and regular plans. They always can pass it onto the customer.


where is the proof that they can
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 8:32 PM
For example, AT&T gets charged per Iphone sold so that is why they have upped their own price points to cover those fees. I can go on and on. pda devices, pc-cards. It is all like that.
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 9:15 PM
iPhone is an exception.. its an inspirational (or in other words, a cult-following) product.. so people will pay for it..

how many of such phones come out in a year... maybe one or two.. the last was the original razr (much maligned & "colored" now after reigning on the wishlists for a while)..

most of the things you mentioned are for biz users.. people are not spending their own money so they do not care.. but the majority of peoply have to be individual customers.. they care about price along with a freedom of contract (and would be happier if they can find something which doesn't make them choose betn price and really long contracts)..

att and vzw etc cannot increase prices too much on the individual customers or else they w...
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 9:24 PM
reading my post,, one correction.. iphone is an "aspirational" product.. though inspirational might not be that off.. it inspires you to see that you can really set yourself apart from the crowd if you want to. :-)
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 9:28 PM
An exception? You asked for an example and I told you and now it has doesn’t count due to your statement? Come on.

(I didn’t read the rest. )
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Versed

Oct 16, 2007, 11:11 PM
Why? Don't have a contract for my home phone? And please don't talk about phone subsidies? I'm talking if I bring my own unlocked phone to at&t and tmobile, why should I be enslaved for 2 years or even 1? Or I decide to pay full price for their phone, the same.

They get their costs back with the activation fee, I pay my monthly bill, they keep me happy, I stay, they piss me off I leave. Not a hard concept. I don't have a contract with my home phone, why should this be different?

Customers aren't here to keep these companies bottoms lines up, they are here to provide service to the consumer.
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sangyup81

Oct 17, 2007, 12:29 AM
you don't like the pre-paid price plans? they have to be more expensive for a company to make any decent money off you

no company is going to waste time with customers who don't make a profit
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algorithmplus

Oct 16, 2007, 5:17 PM
nextel18 said:
With a contract situation and to break the contract I think the fee to do so should be a lot more than they actually prorate of the ETF and even with the standard ETFs. I think the carriers should charge more if the consumer stays longer than those 30-day trials. See how much it would cost to break a contract with a lease of a car or an APT or something of that variety and compare it to the ETFs of the phone companies. Customers in the wireless and wire line services are very luck to even get a low ETF or in this case a prorated one. If I was the carrier, I would not do this and/or I would increase the ETF. If they started to give all these kind of goodies to the customer then they would take advantage and
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nextel18

Oct 16, 2007, 5:34 PM
Everyone knows about their ways to re-coup the losses. They give clauses also in those contracts with regarding a percentage of their roaming minutes.
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alpha1

Oct 16, 2007, 11:01 PM
pls wake yourself up and recognize. the carriers are not doing this out of compassion and heart for their customers.. these are the same bullies who in lockstep all agreed to almost abolish the 1 year contracts .

They have to do this to keep govt out of their biz.. there was too much noise recently about trying to bring in bills that would do things similar to this.

sorry, but I absolutely have no liking for the phone and the cable companies which basically operate as monopolies ..... i wld hope that the next logical step would be the ability to
1> get phones unlocked (maybe the phones might become a little more expensive, but in a saturated market such as the US, it cannot result in a catastrophe for customers)
2> third part...
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 5:06 PM
Good then they should up the ETF to around $500+ then for breaking this contract.
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 8:12 PM
nextel18 said:
Good then they should up the ETF to around $500+ then for breaking this contract.



they cannot.. there is no market appetite for this..
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 8:27 PM
Of course, they can. They can do whatever they want.
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alpha1

Oct 17, 2007, 9:18 PM
nextel18 said:
Of course, they can. They can do whatever they want.


no the telecom comps cannot just raise prices,, they wish though that they could.. if they try to, all that will end up happening is a new Google of Telecom coming up.. and thats just not conducive to a long term future of the companies in the business now.
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nextel18

Oct 17, 2007, 9:31 PM
Some can but some cant due to mergers and stipulations put on by the FCC. They have raised some price points. Data plans, text message plans, voice plans, additional line fees. I can keep on going. That obviously gives the customer an out but it can still be done.
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