Sprint would have failed without the merger and we would have had three carriers anyway so it doesn’t matter whether they merged or not and in fact it’s probably better that they did because it caused T-Mobile’s service to improve dramatically since then. I knew friends who had T-Mobile back in 2012 and it was a joke. I had T-Mobile in 2016 and it was only okay.
Comment on FCC proposes ending cellphone carrier locks after 60 days
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months agoIn the US, almost no one buys their phones outright. They “lease to own”. Anyone whe does buy their phone outright can just buy the unlocked ones.
So I’m not sure what this rule would actually change. You’re already not Carrier locked if you bought your phone. You’re only Carrier locked if you lease it.
The big fuck up was eliminating competition by allowing t mobile to buy sprint. Too many pieces of shit were in charge 2016 to 2020.
shortwavesurfer@monero.town 3 months ago
RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Not always true, I bought a tracfone for my kid and the phone was paid in full at the time of purchase. It’s still carrier locked 5 years later because they say “it wasn’t in service for x amount of time and therefore isn’t eligible”. I even reported this to the FCC, opened a case, and they did fuckall and closed the report.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Did you have it active for 2 years? I’ve never had an issue before. Only done it like twice, though.
RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It was active for about 3 months, until she broke the screen. I replaced her device and put the phone on the shelf. I replaced the screen and digitizer a year later when I needed a spare handset and they told me “it had never been on network” and was ineligible for being unlocked. Which is bullshit because the phone was bought and paid for at the time I purchased it in a box at the store with a prepaid card. As far as I’m concerned, straight talk still owes me 200$. Even if the phone was NEVER activated, I still own it outright, making it mine to do with what I please.
TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee 3 months ago
The merger is still something that I’m 50/50 on because it made T-Mobile’s service so much more reliable, and iirc Sprint was genuinely struggling.
It still sucks that Boost isn’t going anywhere
cm0002@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Sprint was genuinely struggling.
They were on the verge of bankruptcy, really the 2 options were
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Let T-Mobile (a distant third competitor to the big 2) buy them
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Let sprint die, the big 2 buy large chucks of sprint anyways for pennies on the dollar post-bankruptcy and make their distance from T-Mobile even bigger.
If you need another reason, AT&T was very against the deal, so you KNOW what they think is bad is probably actually good for consumers
aStonedSanta@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I have amazing fiber internet from ATT. I’m using it to make this post. FUCK ATT AND FUCK EVERYTHING THEY STAND FOR. I MEAN THIS PROFESSIONALLY TOO. I HAVE TO TRY TO CALL THESE FUCKING ASSHATS DAILY.
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ripcord@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I wonder what the percentage is these days. Almost everyone I know bought their phone outright.
aStonedSanta@lemm.ee 2 months ago
And I’m on the opposite side of that. Lol everyone I know just does the pay as you go 0% Apr option usually.
locuester@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
Same
Strykker@programming.dev 2 months ago
In Canada even if you lease to own a phone it’s not carrier locked anymore, you have to pay the remaining balance if you leave, or possibly can return the phone (but that’s just throwing your money away)
towerful@programming.dev 2 months ago
I remember during COVID, trying to reduce my bills. Called my mobile operator. For £200 fee I could buy out early, and pay £15 per month. Or I could continue paying something ridiculous like £60 per month.
Absolute no-brainer, and I would never get a contract phone again.
RaoulDook@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I know lots of Americans who buy their phones without those stupid contracts. It’s not uncommon at all. I have never have a phone on a contract.
bdonvr@thelemmy.club 3 months ago
In your circle maybe, I’d love the statistics on this though because I’m pretty sure the overwhelming majority are paying for their phones on installment through their carriers.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Yep. Or quasi installments. They usually make it where your paying like $20 a month on the phone for two years, but they’re deducting $20 a month off your monthly service at the same time. That way if you try to break contract, you have to pay for the rest of your phone that you still owe.
bdonvr@thelemmy.club 2 months ago
Yep. “Free phone” via bill credits for 2 years but they’ll proudly proclaim they don’t do contracts and there’s no ETFs. Technically true, but realistically no difference.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
I’ve had a couple. The issue is that you don’t save any money on their service if you have your own. So it’s basically “you can pay us $70 a month and buy your phone yourself, or you can pay us $70 a month and have this phone under contract for two years that we’ll give you.”
Tygr@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Never heard of an MVNO huh? I bought my phones outright and have enjoyed having 4 lines for $105/mo.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
I have cell tower priority, unlimited data, and 40GB hotspot per month.
Thetimefarm@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I’m the only person I know who buys their phones unlocked. I think a lot of people rely on the store where they buy the phone to set it up and get all their stuff transfered over. Just getting a new phone in the mail is a recipe for disaster for like a solid 60% of the US population.
kbotc@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’m getting my phone on a loan at 0%. If I want to switch carriers, then I’ll pay off the rest of the cost of my phone and they unlock it for me, but considering we’ve been running rather insane inflation over the last few years, I’m glad I made AT&T pick up that tab. I see no point in buying outright as I’m not changing carriers multiple times in a year.
locuester@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
You should really check out an MVNO if you can afford to pay off your phone. You’ll save a LOT. I personally use Helium Mobile (uses Tmo and consumer decentralized network) but there are carriers that use AT&T if you prefer their coverage.
The major carriers overcharge for service since they lock people in with 0% financing.
fishos@lemmy.world 2 months ago
So then you buy the unlocked version, just like the person said. This applies more to people leasing it who are locked in, like they said. Do you not have any reading comprehension?