AT&T's prorated ETF is live for new / renewing customers
By Darren Murph 
posted May 27th 2008 6:27PM
posted May 27th 2008 6:27PM
We really, really hope you didn't ink a contract with AT&T over the weekend. If so, casually close your browser and attempt to avoid this post forever. Right on cue, AT&T has implemented its consumer-friendly prorated early termination fee, which enables new and renewing subscribers to have their $175 ETF drop by $5 each month they stick with the carrier and pay their bill. Yeah, the burn rate isn't exactly the greatest -- after all, you'll still owe $60 if you cancel with a month remaining -- but it's certainly a move in the right direction.[Via phonemag]
I signed a contract today so this better apply!
Hooray!! And only 18 MONTHS after Verizon Wireless did too, congrats AT&T!!!
Actually Cingular used to have it back before they were ATT. And now they have it back. Sorry to burst your bubble, but technically Verizon copied Cingular.
I'm gonna call BS on that... not only does my former Cing emp co-worker say that's bull but 18 months ago when VZW first started pro-rating ETF's they were the only ones doing it at the times, and Cingular was still just Cingular at the time as well.
You don't have to call BS, all you gotta do is Google
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cingular+prorated+etf+%24240&btnG=Search
...18 months ago...that's just before the ATT merger. Sounds right to me.
Where is SPRINT's prorated ETF? They announced in Nov 2007 that they were going to do it "sometime in 2008" and it currently late May 2008!?!
Damn, I hate Sprint!!
This is sorta good news I suppose..... But I heard on the news today there was a bill going through congress to have the government regulate ETF's so that they are more fair and all the same. :)
personally i dont think it was that unfair, but i may be naive on this subject. you get the phone for cheap in exchange that you gonna stay for quite some time.
Actually Cingular was the first with pro-rated ETF. Theirs was setup at $240.00 and deducted $10.00 a month for each month completed.
So to the poster that said it wasn't true:
YOUR WRONG!!!!!!!
I have been holding out T-mobile bb bold of the effin Iphone 2 if I must I can't hold out much longer, first come +best price can have my business
You know It really irritates me how much people complain & whine about termination fees.
You are receiving a huge discount on your phone when you initially sign up, usually more than $200 considering those free phones so many people go for. Well look at the outright price at your local Radioshack or Best Buy. Usually $199 on up just for that phone your getting for free for signing on a new two-year agreement.
Like it or not, it's business. I think it's more than fair that these companies have these fees. It protects them as a company from getting screwed over. So people who love to complain about every possible thing under the sun don't buy five lines with five free phones, cancel 4 months down the road for free, turn around and sell those five phones on ebay for $100 a piece.
Look you can't just cancel your mortgage or cancel your car payment without any consequences. So why should you expect to cancel your cell phone all of the sudden and not expect to have some kind of consequence.
There is a reason for these fee's. Besides, you have 30 days! RISK FREE with all the major carriers. You should be able to tell within 30 days if service is substantial.
It's two years not two decades.
If you don't like the service, sell your phone on ebay, use that money to pay your termination fee and go to another carrier.
It's not rocket science.
Or, the really simple solution... pay full price for your phone.
Oh wait, they get you with a contract anyway? Looks like I just found a loop hole to your rant.
While I agree with you for the most part, the problem lies when you come in with your own phone to AT&T and they make you sign a 1-year contract anyway (at least, that's what happened to me, 1 year ago). If you pull out of that, you (previously at least) still had to pay the enormous cancellation fee.
Where is the logic in that? What did they lose? Nothing! They didn't prorate my phone, and they made money off of me for the months I stayed on the service.
If you don't subsidize you pay month to month (at least with vzw)
AT&T let's you bring your own phone and just gives you a SIM card and you can pay month by month, no contract.
looks like you went to an authorized dealer or a lazy employee. the no cotract activation was not setup in the activation system that att uses. it took them a while to implement the change. if you call att customer service they can easily fix that after researching the fact that you brought your own device. the employee that activated you did not care about you enough to submit a form to cancel the one year contract with out cancling your service...anyway call att ( don't go to a store and expect them to help you with such a thing because they are not customer service) and they can fix it for you
@conor: So how does that work? I have never seen that happen before nor heard of that.
I think Conor means that with VZW, if you pay for a phone at full retail price, they dont make you sign a new contract.
I bought a phone a couple of times at full retail and didn't have to sign a contract.