French less liberal than Americans?

Posted by Jim on October 29, 2007

US cell phone carriers screw their customers over ever day by selling locked devices. The carriers say it is to reduce costs and other excuses. But it comes down to the carrier wants to restrict your freedom and keep you sucked into their business. Now I always want customers to stick with me because of good service and taking care of their needs at a fair value that results in a win-win situation for both of us.

Can I call AT&T and buy an iPhone? No, because I never would do this.

Can you call AT&T? Yes, but they will only sell you a locked phone, restricted to their network. Great that allows them to sell it to you at a lower cost in anticipation of you staying with them and their network. And what if I want to leave early? Termination fees. So if you stay to term, they get their investment or discount prices to entice you to do business with them. And if you leave early, they hit you with the termination fees.

So how much does an iPhone cost from AT&T that is unlocked? Nothing, because they will not sell it to you. Why? Because they do not want you to have any flexibility.

In order to comply with French law, Apple will have to sell an unlocked version of the iPhone when the gadget goes on sale in France in late November, possibly creating another source of iPhones for customers in the rest of the world.

French law? Forcing businesses to be more open and friendly towards their customers? Well maybe the French passed this law by saying it fights a big evil corporation trying to make money. Whatever it did to pass the law, we need it here. But we need it done by the cell phone carriers of their own will, not a law. Sadly, the US cellular carriers do not want to do it. And we need the people who make the laws, citizens who vote and cry to their politicians, to get them to write a law to force the issue. Maybe if it comes down the pike, the carriers will get off the fence and do it before a law becomes necessary.

Capatilism and consumer choice are always good things for a free and open competitive market.

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