ETF

Early Termination Fee Be Damned — I Want My iPhone

John Paczkowski in Mobile on November 30, 2011 at 5:25 am PT

How badly do some folks want a new iPhone?

AT&T’s New Early-Termination Fee for the iPhone: $325

John Paczkowski in Mobile on May 21, 2010 at 11:18 am PT

A word of warning to AT&T subscribers who would switch carriers when the company’s iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple finally ends: The cost of doing so will soon rise–substantially. Come June 1, AT&T is raising its early-termination fee on smartphones to $325 from $175.

FCC to Google: A $350 “Equipment Recovery Fee”? What’s Up With That?

John Paczkowski in News on January 27, 2010 at 6:02 am PT

The Federal Communications Commission, which has sent letters to all major carriers regarding their wireless early-termination fees, has expanded its investigation to include an industry newcomer: Google. On Tuesday, the agency sent a letter to the search company inquiring about the $350 “equipment recovery fee” it has attached to its new Nexus One phone.

And if You Think $550 in Nexus One Early-Termination Fees Is Bad, Just Wait Until Verizon Gets Involved

John Paczkowski in News on January 12, 2010 at 8:32 am PT

Caveat emptor: Purchase a subsidized Nexus One from Google and you’ll pay dearly if you cancel service early. According to the device’s terms of sale, the search company charges an “equipment recovery fee” of $350 in the event users cancel service before 120 days have passed. This, in addition to the $200 in early-termination fee that carrier T-Mobile assesses.

Is Verizon’s New Early-Termination Fee Anti-Consumer?

John Paczkowski in News on November 6, 2009 at 11:06 am PT

Beginning Nov. 15, Verizon subscribers looking to get out of their smart-phone contracts early will pay $350 for the privilege. That early-termination fee is double the current one, but Verizon insists it’s justified because of the higher prices of today’s phones. An interesting move for a carrier that just last year agreed to pay $21 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by California consumers over the very early-termination fees it is now increasing.