AT&T: No-Contract iPhone on the Way

AT&T said Thursday it will start selling iPhones without requiring a two-year contract, but they will cost $400 more.

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I think this is a rip off from ATT. I would never pay that much for an iPhone and I think that Apple should regulate how much ATT can sell these phones for.

I have always believed that Congress should get involved on this issue of contracts and the ungodly fees they charge for cancelation of a contract. That is price fixing and price fixing is illegal. Everyone should have the right to pick and choose who they wish to use and change when they want to.

ATT is losing so much money that they think they will get rich selling these iPhones for this ridiculous amount of money when the economy is in a slump and a depression is going on. Let's hope they don't sell and ATT lowers the price and Congress will legislate getting rid of contract fees! This is why I bought my last phone at full price at Sprint so I am not obligated to a contract anymore and never will be.

I'll respond to a few things you posted.

Apple does regulate the price AT&T can sell these phones for. What AT&T is doing is selling you the phone for the same price they pay. When you receive an iPhone with a contract for $199 or whatever, AT&T gets the short end of the stick. They still pay the 5 or 600 bucks for the phone. They give it to you for a lower price hoping you will fulfill a contract and they'll make more money in the long run.

Congress and the FCC has already interfered with the contract fees and penalties. Verizon Wireless, for over 5 years, was the first and only wireless provider that would prorate your early termination fee. This means Verizon would lower your termination fee by $5 every month you sustained service with them. After a big lawsuit incident with Sprint, the FCC forced all wireless providers to start prorating the early termination fee by some value. AT&T has just began this. The early termination fee is put into place to give AT&T the money they lost by giving you a phone at a discounted value but you not finishing the contract.

You may be interested in the Verizon Wireless MONTH TO MONTH plans. It's like prepaid and contract combined. You must pass a credit check and all that and be of legal age to hold a contract...but you can end service at any time without penalty. You can also for any reason not pay them one month and they just turn off service until you pay them. You don't get the benefit of getting an upgrade discount or a cheap phone whenever you activate service (this is because there's not a termination fee)...Verizon is the ONLY carrier to offer this--this is not arguable.

Originally Posted by Mnewco

I think this is a rip off from ATT. I would never pay that much for an iPhone and I think that Apple should regulate how much ATT can sell these phones for.

I have always believed that Congress should get involved on this issue of contracts and the ungodly fees they charge for cancelation of a contract. That is price fixing and price fixing is illegal. Everyone should have the right to pick and choose who they wish to use and change when they want to.

ATT is losing so much money that they think they will get rich selling these iPhones for this ridiculous amount of money when the economy is in a slump and a depression is going on. Let's hope they don't sell and ATT lowers the price and Congress will legislate getting rid of contract fees! This is why I bought my last phone at full price at Sprint so I am not obligated to a contract anymore and never will be.