T-Mobile wins accolades from J.D. Power again

"M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote in message
news:MP6Xj.3479$7k7.1694@flpi150.ffdc.sbc.com...
>>> Most unlockable AT&T phones are available to T-Mobile users.
>>
>> True, but that'd be hard for T-Mo to market wouldn't it? "Buy your
>> phone at AT&T for full price, then come to us for service! For a
>> limited time, we'll pay the unlocking fee!"
>>
>> I wouldn't hold my breath...
>
> T-mobile doesn't have to sell that feature at all. Many T-mobile users,
> including myself, purchased an AT&T phone to use with T-mobile service.

Define "many"? Most cellular customers choose from the handsets in the
glass case at the cellphone store/kiosk. Generally those that shop for
unlocked (or unlockable) handsets elsewhere are certainly a tiny minority.
Mostly because it makes little financial sense- why spend, say, $500 on an
AT&T Tilt to bring to T-Mo, when you could pay $200 for it with contract and
just use AT&T? While T-Mo is a bit cheaper than AT&T, you'll "burn" that
difference easily overpaying for the handset.

I, too, have bought unlocked handsets to use on T-Mobile, but generally just
to avoid renewing a contract because I was waiting for an upcoming, but yet
unreleased, subsidized handset to show up.

M.L. wrote:
>>>> Selection certainly could be one factor- their selection is piss
>>>> poor, unless you want one of there seeming endless "limited
>>>> edition" Sidekicks, the quasi-PDa for the slacker generation.
>>>> High-end handset selection is one of the worst.
>>>
>>> Most unlockable AT&T phones are available to T-Mobile users.
>>
>> True, but that'd be hard for T-Mo to market wouldn't it? "Buy your
>> phone at AT&T for full price, then come to us for service! For a
>> limited time, we'll pay the unlocking fee!"
>>
>> I wouldn't hold my breath...
>
> T-mobile doesn't have to sell that feature at all. Many T-mobile
> users, including myself, purchased an AT&T phone to use with T-mobile
> service.

Same here, I buy my phones overseas usually and just pop in my TMo SIM.
The whole concept of buying a phone from the carrier is really quite odd
and pretty much limited to the USA & Canada. I don't buy lamps, bulbs
and appliances from the electric company or my BBQ or water heater from
the gas company, I don't buy plumbing fixtures from the water company, I
don't buy TV's from the cable company or even phones from the phone
company (since the Carterphone decision of 40 years ago anyway) so why
would one buy a mobile phone from a mobile operator?

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.cellular.verizon.]
On 2008-05-14, Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:

> I'd have thought the same, but who launched unlimited for $99 first? ;-)

Verizon might have, but they all did it at about the same time anyhow. I
suspect Verizon saw it coming and just positioned themselves that way to
make them look more competitive.


--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com
Geek-for-hire. Details: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesobol

"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote in message
news:z%6Xj.202$qQ5.79@fe091.usenetserver.com
> "M.L." <me@privacy.invalid> wrote in message
> news:MP6Xj.3479$7k7.1694@flpi150.ffdc.sbc.com...
>>>> Most unlockable AT&T phones are available to T-Mobile users.
>>>
>>> True, but that'd be hard for T-Mo to market wouldn't it? "Buy your
>>> phone at AT&T for full price, then come to us for service! For a
>>> limited time, we'll pay the unlocking fee!"
>>>
>>> I wouldn't hold my breath...
>>
>> T-mobile doesn't have to sell that feature at all. Many T-mobile
>> users, including myself, purchased an AT&T phone to use with
>> T-mobile service.
>
> Define "many"? Most cellular customers choose from the handsets in
> the glass case at the cellphone store/kiosk. Generally those that
> shop for unlocked (or unlockable) handsets elsewhere are certainly a
> tiny minority.

The number of unlocked AT&T phones for sale on ebay will give you some
idea of the popularity, in addition to the number of cellphone unlocking
businesses on the Internet and ebay.

> Mostly because it makes little financial sense- why
> spend, say, $500 on an AT&T Tilt to bring to T-Mo, when you could pay
> $200 for it with contract and just use AT&T? While T-Mo is a bit
> cheaper than AT&T, you'll "burn" that difference easily overpaying
> for the handset.

Much of the unlocking business is for used cellphones, and for those
wanting to avoid getting a phone with a contract..

> I, too, have bought unlocked handsets to use on T-Mobile, but
> generally just to avoid renewing a contract because I was waiting for
> an upcoming, but yet unreleased, subsidized handset to show up.

At 15 May 2008 17:19:19 -1000 BruceR wrote:

> Same here, I buy my phones overseas usually and just pop in my TMo SIM.
> The whole concept of buying a phone from the carrier is really quite odd
> and pretty much limited to the USA & Canada. I don't buy lamps, bulbs
> and appliances from the electric company or my BBQ or water heater from
> the gas company, I don't buy plumbing fixtures from the water company, I
> don't buy TV's from the cable company or even phones from the phone
> company (since the Carterphone decision of 40 years ago anyway) so why
> would one buy a mobile phone from a mobile operator?

Because they're heavily discounted. If the gas company offered me a water
heater for $1 I'd buy it from them instead of a home improvement store.

razrbruce@NOgmailSPAM.com (BruceR) wrote in
news:482cfd38$0$30197$4c368faf@roadrunner.com:

> ... so why would one buy a mobile phone from a mobile operator?

In return for a 1 or 2 year contract obligation, the providers offer
discounts on the hardware.

My Verizon contract expires today, and I just received an email from
them offering me deals on all sorts of nifty phones, all requiring
contract extensions.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | bert@iphouse.com

Steve Sobol wrote:
> Ha. Verizon won't do anything like that, since they have never felt the need to
> compete on price.

I don't know about that, they seem to be working actively to be the most
expensive on the market.

--
Barack Obama, May 9: "I've now been in 57 states? I think one left to go."

On 2008-05-16, BruceR <razrbruce@NOgmailSPAM.com> wrote:
> M.L. wrote:
>>>>> Selection certainly could be one factor- their selection is piss
>>>>> poor, unless you want one of there seeming endless "limited
>>>>> edition" Sidekicks, the quasi-PDa for the slacker generation.
>>>>> High-end handset selection is one of the worst.
>>>>
>>>> Most unlockable AT&T phones are available to T-Mobile users.
>>>
>>> True, but that'd be hard for T-Mo to market wouldn't it? "Buy your
>>> phone at AT&T for full price, then come to us for service! For a
>>> limited time, we'll pay the unlocking fee!"
>>>
>>> I wouldn't hold my breath...
>>
>> T-mobile doesn't have to sell that feature at all. Many T-mobile
>> users, including myself, purchased an AT&T phone to use with T-mobile
>> service.
>
> Same here, I buy my phones overseas usually and just pop in my TMo SIM.
> The whole concept of buying a phone from the carrier is really quite odd
> and pretty much limited to the USA & Canada.

It is hardly limited to the USA and Canada, it is also common in
countries in Europe and Asia I'm familiar with. The carrier will
sell you a discounted, branded phone in return for you signing
a contract. The discounts are often much deeper than in the US
in fact. In the UK they'll give you very high end phones for free
in return for signing a sufficiently high priced contract (there are
people who have never paid for a phone) since there is no such thing
as an Early Termination Fee there and contracts commit you to pay for
the full term.

It is the case that in most of those countries it is much easier
than in the US to find a store selling unbranded phones, but buying
discounted phones from the carrier is still popular.

> company (since the Carterphone decision of 40 years ago anyway) so why
> would one buy a mobile phone from a mobile operator?

Because the operator will sell it to you cheap? That's the exact
opposite of the situation after Carterphone when it was the equipment
from third parties that was cheap.

Dennis Ferguson

At 16 May 2008 03:26:47 +0000 Steve Sobol wrote:

> > I'd have thought the same, but who launched unlimited for $99 first?
;-)
>
> Verizon might have, but they all did it at about the same time anyhow.

Yes, but all in response to Verizon. They set the bar, and boy was _I_
surprized! ;-)

>I
> suspect Verizon saw it coming and just positioned themselves that way to
> make them look more competitive.

From what I read in the trades, they came up with it and blindsided
everybody.

BruceR <razrbruce@NOgmailSPAM.com> wrote
> M.L. wrote

>>>>> Selection certainly could be one factor- their selection is piss
>>>>> poor, unless you want one of there seeming endless "limited
>>>>> edition" Sidekicks, the quasi-PDa for the slacker generation.
>>>>> High-end handset selection is one of the worst.

>>>> Most unlockable AT&T phones are available to T-Mobile users.

>>> True, but that'd be hard for T-Mo to market wouldn't it? "Buy your phone at AT&T for full price, then come to us
>>> for service! For a limited time, we'll pay the unlocking fee!"

>>> I wouldn't hold my breath...

>> T-mobile doesn't have to sell that feature at all. Many T-mobile users, including myself, purchased an AT&T phone to
>> use with T-mobile service.

> Same here, I buy my phones overseas usually and just pop in my TMo SIM. The whole concept of buying a phone from the
> carrier is really quite odd

Nope, not if the deal is good value.

> and pretty much limited to the USA & Canada.

Completely wrong.

> I don't buy lamps, bulbs and appliances from the electric company or my BBQ or water heater from the gas company, I
> don't buy plumbing fixtures from the water company, I don't buy TV's from the cable company or even phones from the
> phone company (since the Carterphone decision of 40 years ago anyway)

You didnt buy the phone, you rented it.

> so why would one buy a mobile phone from a mobile operator?

Because it can be good value.