I just don't get it. It looks like everyone thinks it's normal to pay for their phone even when they are already going to pay for a two-year contract. In Holland, we get the HTC Touch for free with a two-year contract of about 20 euros a month. (https://www.t-mobile.nl/persoonlijk/htdocs/page/shopping/product/postpaidoverview.aspx look at the bottom of the page)
All Dutch mobile phone carriers give you something for free when you sign a contract with them. You can either choose to take a crappy phone and a cool gift or a cool phone or no gift.
Is Holland the only country that has something like this?
Before the iPhone launch, i went to look for other phones that AT&T offers in America and I saw that you had to PAY for a Motorola RAZR v3 even when you would take a two-year contract while we get them for free with a very cheap one-year contract here.
We have free phones here in the states too - carriers usually give you $200 off the price of a phone for a new 2 year contract, or $100 off for an upgrade (that's how Verizon does it i think). So just like holland, the "cheap" phones are free, but we have to pay for nicer ones. With the iphone, you have to pay full price, because that's what apple wanted, but that is not normal.
The reason why you still have to pay for a Razr in the states even WITH a contract is that our phones suck, so the razr isn't a "cheap" phone compared to most garbage they sell here.
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I just don't get it. It looks like everyone thinks it's normal to pay for their phone even when they are already going to pay for a two-year contract. In Holland, we get the HTC Touch for free with a two-year contract of about 20 euros a month. (https://www.t-mobile.nl/persoonlijk/htdocs/page/shopping/product/postpaidoverview.aspx look at the bottom of the page)
All Dutch mobile phone carriers give you something for free when you sign a contract with them. You can either choose to take a crappy phone and a cool gift or a cool phone or no gift.
Is Holland the only country that has something like this?
Before the iPhone launch, i went to look for other phones that AT&T offers in America and I saw that you had to PAY for a Motorola RAZR v3 even when you would take a two-year contract while we get them for free with a very cheap one-year contract here.
I just DON'T get it.
We have free phones here in the states too - carriers usually give you $200 off the price of a phone for a new 2 year contract, or $100 off for an upgrade (that's how Verizon does it i think). So just like holland, the "cheap" phones are free, but we have to pay for nicer ones. With the iphone, you have to pay full price, because that's what apple wanted, but that is not normal.
The reason why you still have to pay for a Razr in the states even WITH a contract is that our phones suck, so the razr isn't a "cheap" phone compared to most garbage they sell here.
Check out verizon's phones here:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneOverviewByDevice&deviceType=Phones&sortOption=priceSort
(if it asks for a zip code, use 95050 or something)
They have free phones, but they are beyond terrible...
-Taylor