[BBGeek1]

Verizon's Edge phone upgrade plan is the same bad ripoff as AT&T Next | The Verge

[SCrid2000]

Um, yeah, obviously.
Verge, meet math. Math, meet verge.

[Taigatrommel]

Surprise, surprise, the carriers want to earn money on this and won't offer nearly free upgrades just for good will. Who would've thought that?
Around here, even common 2-year contracts with devices included are almost "rip-off" contracts. It gets more and more common, you'll be cheaper off with just buying the unbranded device at full-price somewhere and get yourself a cheap, monthly contract.

[Fuzzballz]

The issue is that you don't get to keep the phone at the end of the 6- or 12-month upgrade plan. So you're essentially paying retail for the phone in monthly payments and then have to turn the phone in to get a new phone. And then they turn around and sell the refurbed phone for a discount. They make money coming and going.

It's a complete scam. It's not that they're "earning" money, they're simply dangling that out there to see if there are any suckers who are dumb enough to take the bait.

[Wiki Cydia]

This just in: carriers are STILL not giving phones away.

[bmantz65]

The monthly service rates aren't any cheaper on these upgrade plans either. I'm pretty sure the service charges had device subsidies built in when originally created but with these new plans that baked in extra pricing should go away, in theory. But of course, they won't.

[SCrid2000]

The monthly service rates aren't any cheaper on these upgrade plans either. I'm pretty sure the service charges had device subsidies built in when originally created but with these new plans that baked in extra pricing should go away, in theory. But of course, they won't.

They kind of did on TMO if you have enough lines. But for just one or two phones even TMo is charging more than they should with subsidies removed IMO.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

A friend of mine has been buying his phones online paying whatever the going rate is. And using it with his prepaid account that is only $35 for unlimited everything. He has to make sure it will work on the network he is using and will take his sim card.... but in the long run, he is coming out much cheaper buying a greatly marked down 8 month old phone and paying cheaper monthly rates.

[Taigatrommel]

A friend of mine has been buying his phones online paying whatever the going rate is. And using it with his prepaid account that is only $35 for unlimited everything. He has to make sure it will work on the network he is using and will take his sim card.... but in the long run, he is coming out much cheaper buying a greatly marked down 8 month old phone and paying cheaper monthly rates.

This is what I'll be doing too once my contract is finally finished. I also recommend this to friends, around here it is simply cheaper to buy a device off-contract from a decent (online) store and get yourself a monthly contract. You are much more flexible with that and can always kiss your carrier goodbye without any troubles if you feel like it.

[Fuzzballz]

The issue is that many (most) people don't have the ability to drop $400-500 in one go on a phone.

[Jedi_Blackberry]

So edge is a sham!?

Posted via CB10