4 ms·

Why do you assume the users own the phones? There are plenty of business models where the company owns the phones and the user gets to use it by paying a month

Why do you assume the users own the phones? There are plenty of business models where the company owns the phones and the user gets to use it by paying a monthly fee. One of the services being provided may well be the use of the phone itself.

cyxxon 5y ago
That would be something to discuss with the user and the company that then might own the phone. In this case though, someone completely unrelated to the contract locked the phone. Someone in another country. Someone working for some completely unrelated telco company. Someone who just randomly locked some phones by banging out a script to generate phone numbers, without checking if the phones were owned by the user, their telco, or my grandmother.
junon 5y ago
Great so if my employer decides that I shouldn't have the phone anymore I can't even call 911 in an emergency.
karteum 5y ago
Even if/when they don't fully "own" the phones, users ought to always be able to access their data (at least for backup) and call emergency services (which is a legal requirement in many countries). More generally and regardless of time pressure, I can't believe someone can "play" with such test a script (used with a production tool) without even thinking it might fuck up and hit real phone numbers... (and if the developer was aware that his approach might fuck up, then he should make his boss aware that he had no time to fully test the feature rather than play russian roulette. Time pressure is not an excuse for everything...)
- thrashh 5y ago
  I guess some people just don’t make mistakes. Wish I was one of them.
fragmede 5y ago
Because (pardon my language) fuck that business model, that's why. It's reprehensible on a number of different levels, and specific aspects of that have been made illegal, but companies keep trying to bring back the exploitation. Just because there's a business model doesn't mean that we have to support it, or help it be implemented. We can shame our fellow developers choosing to enable scams and write malware/computer viruses. Lets say I start a business and the business model is going to be "every time tcskeptic posts a comment to HN, they give me $1". Sounds pretty great to me! As part of this contract, no objections to this business model will be allowed. There's the small detail that you didn't agree to this contract, but hopefully it illustrates that just because I have a business model doesn't mean anybody has to accept it.
- aunty_helen 5y ago
  Put frankly, you're out of touch with how south america works. Things you would never expect can be paid in installments here. People just don't have heaps of disposable cash. There's litterally lines at the atm 2 times a month, pay day. The rest of the time people are day to daying without cash in their pocket.
  - marcosdumay 5y ago
    The things that you pay in installments do not suddenly and simply die if you miss a payment. There are right and wrong ways to go collect payment, and this one is a wrong one.
- thrashh 5y ago
  That’s a pretty bad metaphor imo. It’s more like either I spend $500 on this device and own it or I spend only $100 but have to deal with ads. Yeah I hate ads but I can use that extra $400 to fix my leaking roof.

cyxxon 5y ago

That would be something to discuss with the user and the company that then might own the phone. In this case though, someone completely unrelated to the contract locked the phone. Someone in another country. Someone working for some completely unrelated telco company. Someone who just randomly locked some phones by banging out a script to generate phone numbers, without checking if the phones were owned by the user, their telco, or my grandmother.

junon 5y ago

Great so if my employer decides that I shouldn't have the phone anymore I can't even call 911 in an emergency.

karteum 5y ago

Even if/when they don't fully "own" the phones, users ought to always be able to access their data (at least for backup) and call emergency services (which is a legal requirement in many countries). More generally and regardless of time pressure, I can't believe someone can "play" with such test a script (used with a production tool) without even thinking it might fuck up and hit real phone numbers... (and if the developer was aware that his approach might fuck up, then he should make his boss aware that he had no time to fully test the feature rather than play russian roulette. Time pressure is not an excuse for everything...)

thrashh 5y ago
I guess some people just don’t make mistakes. Wish I was one of them.

fragmede 5y ago

Because (pardon my language) fuck that business model, that's why. It's reprehensible on a number of different levels, and specific aspects of that have been made illegal, but companies keep trying to bring back the exploitation. Just because there's a business model doesn't mean that we have to support it, or help it be implemented. We can shame our fellow developers choosing to enable scams and write malware/computer viruses. Lets say I start a business and the business model is going to be "every time tcskeptic posts a comment to HN, they give me $1". Sounds pretty great to me! As part of this contract, no objections to this business model will be allowed. There's the small detail that you didn't agree to this contract, but hopefully it illustrates that just because I have a business model doesn't mean anybody has to accept it.

aunty_helen 5y ago
Put frankly, you're out of touch with how south america works. Things you would never expect can be paid in installments here. People just don't have heaps of disposable cash. There's litterally lines at the atm 2 times a month, pay day. The rest of the time people are day to daying without cash in their pocket.
- marcosdumay 5y ago
  The things that you pay in installments do not suddenly and simply die if you miss a payment. There are right and wrong ways to go collect payment, and this one is a wrong one.
thrashh 5y ago
That’s a pretty bad metaphor imo. It’s more like either I spend $500 on this device and own it or I spend only $100 but have to deal with ads. Yeah I hate ads but I can use that extra $400 to fix my leaking roof.