Quote:
Originally Posted by Ankh
But, auspex, that "deduction" from the tab, it isn't free. If there was no "tab" system whatsoever, but we had an option of pure "BYO phone", the service should be cheaper, no?
And that is what I said, I found no service where they offer a "sim-only" discount. None of them tells us "it costs X dollars with phone purchase plan, Y dollars if you bring your own phone".
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I didn't say it was free - I said I, and many others, were in fact buying the phone, when you said that Canadians don't usually buy the phones.
In fact, they do tell you it costs a different amount if you bring your own phone. If you take a phone, you either pay for it, or sign a contract - and except at the bottom end, you still pay something up-front for the phone. If you bring your own phone, you won't have to sign a contract, and you get the SIM for nothing.
I don't see that the service itself should be any cheaper - I looked at buying unlocked phones, and couldn't find a them appreciably cheaper than getting one of the ones Virgin offered (that is, I could find Chinese knockoffs for about 2/3 the price, but then you have no guarantees). Which implies that the telcos are selling the phones at approximate cost to get us to use their overpriced service.