4 ms·

Then the companies should not extend that loan/credit

by dv_dt 2y ago

toomuchtodo 2y ago
Then a lot of folks who finance phones on cheap or free installment plans currently won’t get phones, simple as that. If regulators are fine with that, that’s a reasonable position I suppose. Carriers aren’t a charity to take on aggressive credit risk in these financial consumer populations. Incentives->outcomes.
- normaler 2y ago
  What are free installment plans? Currently the most used phones in the US are iphones. If the actual cost is not hidden behind monthly payments anymore, but some users can not afford iphones, people might start to consider cheaper phone options.
- 999900000999 2y ago
  Alot of folks won't have iPhones. You can get a darn decent Android for 200$ unlocked, and if your really struggling a 50$ phone will get the job done. No one will suffer if they can't get an iPhone. A lot of folks also can't do math. I pay about $20 a month for my phone plan, and I paid $700 for my phone up front. AT&t isn't giving phones away, you end up on a more expensive plan that's around $80 or so and then they'll tack on 30 bucks for the phone. If you're lucky the bill credits will cover the entire cost of the phone, but over two years you've still spent an addition 700$.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- SR2Z 2y ago
  Most Americans can afford a $300 phone, and that's enough to buy a pretty solid Android phone or a used iPhone. Carriers will just make people sign two-year contracts at a guaranteed rate, plus an early exit fee. This is how all kinds of predatory scams work; the carriers will do just fine and low-income people will continue to get the newest iPhone.
  - dv_dt 2y ago
    Yup, arguably in the wider scale, more accessible unlocked phones will become available on the used market, serving low-income people better. Right now there are many locked phones on the used market, both wasteful and difficult to navigate.

4 ms·

Then the companies should not extend that loan/credit

by dv_dt 2y ago

Then the companies should not extend that loan/credit

toomuchtodo 2y ago
Then a lot of folks who finance phones on cheap or free installment plans currently won’t get phones, simple as that. If regulators are fine with that, that’s a reasonable position I suppose. Carriers aren’t a charity to take on aggressive credit risk in these financial consumer populations. Incentives->outcomes.
- normaler 2y ago
  What are free installment plans? Currently the most used phones in the US are iphones. If the actual cost is not hidden behind monthly payments anymore, but some users can not afford iphones, people might start to consider cheaper phone options.
- 999900000999 2y ago
  Alot of folks won't have iPhones. You can get a darn decent Android for 200$ unlocked, and if your really struggling a 50$ phone will get the job done. No one will suffer if they can't get an iPhone. A lot of folks also can't do math. I pay about $20 a month for my phone plan, and I paid $700 for my phone up front. AT&t isn't giving phones away, you end up on a more expensive plan that's around $80 or so and then they'll tack on 30 bucks for the phone. If you're lucky the bill credits will cover the entire cost of the phone, but over two years you've still spent an addition 700$.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- SR2Z 2y ago
  Most Americans can afford a $300 phone, and that's enough to buy a pretty solid Android phone or a used iPhone. Carriers will just make people sign two-year contracts at a guaranteed rate, plus an early exit fee. This is how all kinds of predatory scams work; the carriers will do just fine and low-income people will continue to get the newest iPhone.
  - dv_dt 2y ago
    Yup, arguably in the wider scale, more accessible unlocked phones will become available on the used market, serving low-income people better. Right now there are many locked phones on the used market, both wasteful and difficult to navigate.