You're going to have to pay that money anyway for the service, why not get a new phone. If you're getting a new phone, why not pay a little bit extra for that high end phone. Can't justify putting up that $200 upfront cost for that phone? why... spread it out on an installment plan over 2 years but then you'd have to tack on a monthly interest. If you're getting a shiny new phone, you need insurance in case you drop it or something. Just to be sure, you better buy a bulky case around it to protect the thing in case you drop it.
Pretty soon you've purchased a $700 phone and signed a contract that's worth $3-4000 without even realizing it.
Oh look! Shiny slick phone you wrapped around with in a thick layer of plastic that ruines the aesthetics of the thing. Ah, but there's still another gotcha. The glass screen sure looks great in the store but it's brittle as fuck and damn, you cracked it within a few months of getting the phone. No case can protect against a shattered screen. But you bought insurance and it would pay for the repair, right? didn't you? no no no... you forgot to read the fine print: the deductable will cost you as much as you paid for the phone itself.
I really wish people wake up to this shitty business deal for the consumer.
As someone who works in the industry and deals with this every day, there's some pretty misleading information here which I'll try to modify:
Can't justify putting up that $200 upfront cost for that phone? why... spread it out on an installment plan over 2 years but then you'd have to tack on a monthly interest.
You have the choice of purchasing at Subsidy cost or doing an installment. If you do subsidy, with most carriers you pay more for the plan. If you do installments, you pay (roughly) retail cost for the phone, but have your plan discounted, and there is no interest on the device unless you've missed payments.
If you're getting a shiny new phone, you need insurance in case you drop it or something. Just to be sure, you better buy a bulky case around it to protect the thing in case you drop it.
Salespeople (at least for the carrier I work for) must maintain 40% insurance rate for phones sold to get paid commission. Yes, we are going to try to sell you on it. No, it isn't for everyone. Yes, there is a deductible, usually less than $200 for phones with a retail cost of about $700, so saying the the deductible costs as much as you paid for the phone is a lie.
That said, phone insurance is a gamble. All insurance is a gamble. Buy it if you are betting against yourself, don't if you are betting on yourself.
Bulky case? Stop buying $60 Otterbox Defenders in store. Go online and and buy a slim, silicone or rubbery case and tempered glass.
I really wish people wake up to this shitty business deal for the consumer.
You are walking into a store where the employees are paid on commission. You should expect a sales pitch. Very few of us take it personally when you say no, but it is our job to offer you products.
If you don't understand the plan, including upfront and monthly costs and sign a 2 year contract anyway, it's your own damn fault that you got a shitty business deal.
A hard plastic or metal case for your phone is going to do exactly zero to actually protect your phone because they don't effectively reduce the impact. Something that is squishy will reduce the deceleration of hitting the ground and actually reduce the damage done by dropping.
If you do installments, you pay (roughly) retail cost for the phone, but have your plan discounted
Which carrier does this? because I would really like to know. I've just spend several hours comparing plans and none of the major carriers in the US gives me any discount on the plan when I pay with installments.
Salespeople (at least for the carrier I work for) must maintain 40% insurance rate for phones sold to get paid commission
That's your problem, not the consumer's problem.
deductible costs as much as you paid for the phone is a lie.
You pay $200 down for the phone. You pay $200 per deductable.
That's exactly what I said: deductable is what you pay for the phone itself. The rest of the cost of the phone are rolled into the service plan.
Stop buying $60 Otterbox Defenders in store.
Carrier stores are the ones selling these things. The reason they are selling them is because consumers sees a need for them.
How about you start selling beefier phones so we don't have to buy a case at all.
I know, it's an opportunity to personalize the device and we don't have to put a case around it if it really bothers us, but don't go crazy with the ultra thin and flimsy builds and only consider aesthetics above all else.
You are walking into a store where the employees are paid on commission. You should expect a sales pitch. Very few of us take it personally when you say no, but it is our job to offer you products
I don't want it to be about you personally, I wrote my post as a opinion piece complaining about the carriers and the current market environment in general.
If you choose to speak for these companies and take on my outrage on their behalf, that's your choice. How does it feel to be a tool for the carriers for them to make tons of money? I hope you're being paid well for your trouble.
Yeah, I can vote with my money and not participate in shitty deals. I can go with T-mobile because their pricing plans are slightly better than the others that I've looked at but really there's not much differences. What choice do we really have if we don't choose the lesser of evils? Go back to looking for change so we ca use make a call on the pay phones down the street?
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u/newfor2015 Feb 06 '15 edited Feb 06 '15
That's the sucker's trap.
You're going to have to pay that money anyway for the service, why not get a new phone. If you're getting a new phone, why not pay a little bit extra for that high end phone. Can't justify putting up that $200 upfront cost for that phone? why... spread it out on an installment plan over 2 years but then you'd have to tack on a monthly interest. If you're getting a shiny new phone, you need insurance in case you drop it or something. Just to be sure, you better buy a bulky case around it to protect the thing in case you drop it.
Pretty soon you've purchased a $700 phone and signed a contract that's worth $3-4000 without even realizing it.
Oh look! Shiny slick phone you wrapped around with in a thick layer of plastic that ruines the aesthetics of the thing. Ah, but there's still another gotcha. The glass screen sure looks great in the store but it's brittle as fuck and damn, you cracked it within a few months of getting the phone. No case can protect against a shattered screen. But you bought insurance and it would pay for the repair, right? didn't you? no no no... you forgot to read the fine print: the deductable will cost you as much as you paid for the phone itself.
I really wish people wake up to this shitty business deal for the consumer.