AT&T hasn't charged me an activation fee in years... yet I also hear people complaining about them from time to time. Maybe it's because I tend to buy direct f

AT&T hasn't charged me an activation fee in years... yet I also hear people complaining about them from time to time. Maybe it's because I tend to buy direct from Apple? Are these sorts of fees randomly applied by carriers? I'd definitely start shopping around for a new carrier if I was on T-Mobile.