Comment by RubberDuck@lemmy.world on AT&T tries to defend why it shouldn't let you unlock your phone sooner

Just make carrier locking illegal and have customers pay the actual price, now it’s just hidden costs to the consumer.

It isn’t been a hidden cost for a while. Phone companies sell the phones at full price, but consumers want the 2 year 0% APR financing.

If consumers bought the phones from a third party, there’d be absolutely no reason to lock the phone to a carrier. But when carriers also provide the financing, there’s an incentive to keep them on the service until the bill is paid. Screw that.

If I could drop $1000+ for the device all at once, I already would be getting them carrier unbranded.

Then don’t buy a $1k device, and instead buy something you can afford?

Otherwise, there are tons of buy now, pay later services, so you could just use any of those.

Not go into debt to upgrade something that actually in most cases doesn’t need upgrading. What a amazing thought.

Yup. I upgraded my phone because it ran out of software updates (had for >3 years). My new phone cost <$400 and has >5 years of software support, if the hardware lasts that long. A $1k device is not necessary and is a luxury item, and you shouldn’t go into debt for luxuries…

Until you realize that things like wifi calling have to be an at&t phone. Unless they’ve changed this in the last few years.

But who is going to provide the financing otherwise?

PayPal credit is an option. No interest if you pay it off in 6 months.

There are tons of buy now, pay later services, and they make money through revenue sharing w/ the retailer, as well as when people fail to pay back the loan on time.

But ideally, this would just put downward pressure on phone prices as people look to buy phones w/ cash instead of going into debt.

Just like Smart TV’s.

Honestly any moderately expensive item can be purchased through installments. Go to any electronics store and they’ll have offers like that, and they use different services to provide that financing.

It’s a non-issue, carriers don’t need to be a party to that at all. I can literally go to BestBuy or Apple and get 0% financing on a new phone and take it to any carrier I want.

You’re going off of phone contracts that haven’t been around for a decade. The cost of the phone up front, and has been for a long time.

Then carrier locking should just be plain illegal.

They lock it so you’ll pay for the phone. That’s the only reason.
Should requiring people to pay for things be illegal?

Frankly you’re being ignorant, and expect to somehow get a thousand dollar device for free. That’s not how the world works.

You can continue paying at&t for the phone after moving to a different carrier.

How do you think people will steal phones like this?

When did that become possible?
Last I knew is when you cancel your account (which is what moving to another carrier is) they billed you for the remaining balance of the phone.

No I mean thats what’s proposed. I’m saying leaving the companies service has nothing to do with a loan they gave you. They are separate things. Its possible they would stop with no interest but I believe they can still make money without interest in some cases.

Wha? The guy I responded to said the customers now pay full price up front. If a device is bought it should be unlocked.

Additionally giving away a phone for a determined time contract means that the company is technically giving you a loan and it should be on your credit record, require the company to do a proper credit check and be allowed to give out loans.

Bottom line, it’s predatory and should not be allowed. Noone is advocating giving 1000 dollar phones for free… it was a strawman you stuck me with… but I don’t want it.

Wha? The guy I responded to said the customers now pay full price up front.

No. I never said that. I said the cost of the phone is upfront. There are no 2 year contracts anymore, and haven’t been for at least a decade. You see the full price of the phone, and decide how much a month you want to spend to pay it off.

If a device is bought it should be unlocked.

I agree with you. And that’s how it works. The question is how long after paying off the phone should it be locked.

Additionally giving away a phone for a determined time contract …

Again, they haven’t offered contracts like that in ten years. But yes you do need to pass a credit check to have a phone financed.

Bottom line, it’s predatory and should not be allowed.

What exactly should not be allowed?

OK so you buy the phone on a payment plan… and credit check. Then once it’s paid off it should be unlocked.

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AT&T tries to defend why it shouldn't let you unlock your phone sooner(www.androidauthority.com)

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