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Businesses The Almighty Buck

Ask Slashdot: Is Leasing a Smartphone Better Than Buying One? (cnbc.com) 311

Posted by msmash from the what-to-do dept.
An anonymous reader writes: The biggest benefit with a lease program is you have the option of upgrading to a newer phone model, usually after just a year. You don't get that option when you buy. But with a lease program, although it may be cheaper, you have to return the phone at the end of the agreement or when you upgrade -- meaning you can't pass it off to your child or sell it. So rather than leasing, buying may be a better option. But a New York Times column makes case for why leasing is the right way to go about it. I wanted to check with Slashdot readers, what do you prefer and why?
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Ask Slashdot: Is Leasing a Smartphone Better Than Buying One? More

Ask Slashdot: Is Leasing a Smartphone Better Than Buying One?

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  • ...because phones, like cars, come out with new models every year. It really depends on the person, and how in tune with the cutting edge of technology one is.

    • Re:I almost always lease... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by cayenne8 ( 626475 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:19PM (#55104601) Homepage Journal
      I find that the upgrades each year...really aren't that groundbreaking or earth shaking....

      And as opposed to the article, I don't find my phone trashed in 2 years....I dunno what is with most people, but I tend to try to take care of all my possessions,including my phone.

      It is in a case, and I am not careless how I handle it and I rarely if ever drop it.

      Right now I'm not in a hurry to trade phones, in that I have some interesting lens attachments [moondoglabs.com] that likely wouldn't work on a new phone...so, I'm not in any hurry.

      Does everyone else abuse their phones so badly that it requires annual replacement?

      Do some people actually still consider XYZ phone to be some sort of status symbol?

      To me, a smart phone, no matter the brand is pretty much a commodity item.

      • Yeah, sadly they are, or, instead of them being called slim, sexy, stylish, in designer colors, they would be a black slab of glass, plastic, metal with a LARGER battery, and a CHEAPER price, but, because they make them "status symbol-ish", we're stuck with phones that are so thin, you can easily bend/break them, have small batteries, and stupid expensive prices. Heck, it amazes me, you can walk in a mall, or around a college campus, and 3/4 of the people? Are they carrying it in a bag or case? Nope, gripp

      • Re:I almost always lease... (Score:4, Informative)

        by Wycliffe ( 116160 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @03:10PM (#55105119) Homepage

        Does everyone else abuse their phones so badly that it requires annual replacement?

        Even if they do, that's still a point in favor of buying. Most lease programs and tradeup programs I've seen require the phone to be defect free. If you have a phone with a small crack, you can still use it, hand it down, or sell it. If you are in a lease program, you're likely going to be forced to pay to have it repaired.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mspohr ( 589790 )

        I agree.
        I have a 4 year old Nexus 5 which connects to everything with the latest protocols and runs every app I use. Plenty fast... no waits for anything.
        I'll replace it with something newer when they have a new protocol, etc. which I just have to have but until then, I have a phone which costs me nothing.
        My wife's Nexus 5 died after being dropped one too many times. I replaced it with a "refurbished" model (looked new to me) for $75.
        New phones are for suckers.

    • I look at it this way: Apple gives you a 2 year, 0% loan on a phone. At the end of a year (or anytime thereafter), you can turn in the the phone and get the next model.

      Let's say you got last year's phone on the Apple Upgrade Plan. This year, you have a few options:

      1) You like the new phone this year so you want to get it. You check what your current phone is selling for.
      1a) Your current phone is selling for more than you owe on it (~50% its purchase price). But out the rest of the loan immediately, sell pho

      • Re:I almost always lease... (Score:4, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:38PM (#55104803)

        I look at it this way: Apple gives you a 2 year, 0% loan on a phone.

        How sweetly naive. They're not giving you a 0% loan, silly, the interest is incorporated into the exorbitant price in order to make you think that you're getting a free loan.

        • I look at it this way: Apple gives you a 2 year, 0% loan on a phone.

          How sweetly naive. They're not giving you a 0% loan, silly, the interest is incorporated into the exorbitant price in order to make you think that you're getting a free loan.

          And yet I paid the exactly the same price as a cash customer. So, my 0% interest is incorporated into the cost of everyone's iPhone, credit, cash or lease paying customer alike. So, score 1 for me.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Teun ( 17872 )
            Yes but you bought an Apple product, good hardware but at a ridiculous price.
            Those calls can just as well be made on an Android phone at a quarter of the price.

    • And like cars, you'll be loosing more money if you lease. Keeping a car for 10+ years saves a lot of money compared to leasing a new one every 4 years. And both of them will get you from point A to point B.

      • And like cars, you'll be loosing more money if you lease.

        Hmm...I've never had many problems with "loose" money. It I were too loose with my money, I'd risk losing it.

        ;)

      • And like cars, you'll be loosing more money if you lease. Keeping a car for 10+ years saves a lot of money compared to leasing a new one every 4 years. And both of them will get you from point A to point B.

        I agree. The two areas where it might make sense to lease is if you can expense it for business (from a business perspective it looks better if you are driving a newer vehicle) or if you drive a ton of miles and drive cars into the ground.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mspohr ( 589790 )

          I keep my cars over 10 years. I pay cash. I never lease. Leasing is always more expensive (especially if you drive a lot of miles).
          Same with phones. New phones aren't much better than last year's model. Buy your phone. Pay cash. Keep it until it breaks.
          (If you're a fanboi, disregard this advice and shell out for the latest bling. It will cost you a lot but you'll be the envy of your friends.)

  • Too little, too late (Score:5, Insightful)

    by darkain ( 749283 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:10PM (#55104557) Homepage

    At this point, it is too little, too late. Phones are not changing frequently enough to really need to upgrade all that often anymore. Being on the Galaxy S5 right now and looking at the S8, there is only marginal increases over the past three years. Sure, it has a little more processing power, a little more RAM, and a little more storage, but that isn't all that needed.

    • At this point, it is too little, too late. Phones are not changing frequently enough to really need to upgrade all that often anymore. Being on the Galaxy S5 right now and looking at the S8, there is only marginal increases over the past three years. Sure, it has a little more processing power, a little more RAM, and a little more storage, but that isn't all that needed.

      Quite often, the only real argument to buying newer models would be support.

      Given the kind of information these devices hold, the cost of being compromised due to an insecure device can be quite high.

      • Quite often, the only real argument to buying newer models would be support.

        But even that isn't a major issue. For instance, on the iphone, the iphone 5S and the iphone 6 get all the security updates that all the newer models do. The only reason the older ones don't is because they are 32bit instead of 64bit. I paid $50 for a like new iphone 5S and it runs all the same apps as the $700+ iphones.

    • +1. bought a Nexus 6 when it was on sale a couple years ago for $400, have it on a cheap plan, and it has been going strong. I am likely to still be using it in another year. Eventually I will repeat the process by buying last year's well reviewed phone on close out and use it for 3+ years.

      Spending a lot every month for a phone and plan just seems a waste of hard earned money. I got off the new-shiny every year treadmill of financial disaster years ago and have not looked back. I'll be retired in a few

    • I dunno, I think every other year is fine for Android. Mostly because after 18-24 months post-release, stock phones are crippled by software updates and newer versions of Android that don't seem to be optimized for older hardware anymore. My S5 (at&t) was given to me by my job. When it was new, it was slow and buggy as hell. And somehow the at&t S5 got super locked down after 4.0, which was on it when I got it, and so I'm stuck with a crappy phone until they replace it. Really all I care about

    • If I had a replaceable battery, I'd be keeping my Nexus 6P for at least another year. Unfortunately, the battery life is getting worse and the other night the phone shut down at 30% and I had to plug the charger in.

  • sure why not? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by avandesande ( 143899 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:13PM (#55104563) Journal
    If you don't care about your money it is great.

  • When to say no. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:18PM (#55104591)

    Lease or buy? Are we serious with this shit?

    When a phone gets so fucking expensive I have to debate whether to lease or buy it, it's time to buy a cheaper phone.

    Sadly, many people feel otherwise, and will sacrifice a lot in order to maintain the "celebrity" status of owning fashionable hardware.

    • Sadly, many people feel otherwise, and will sacrifice a lot in order to maintain the "celebrity" status of owning fashionable hardware.

      Well, it may not even be that.

      There are actually a LOT of people out there with disposable income, where an upper tier smart phone really is not all that expensive to them.

      I'm not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but every few years a new top of the line smart phone isn't going to break the bank or make me miss a meal.

      Then again, I'm the type that doesn't often

      • The difference between a new $800 phone and a new $400 phone is one model year. Is the newest one really that much better?

        I can afford either, but all costs are opportunity costs. I have higher priorities. Financial freedom (in many cases, the ability to say 'no') didn't come easy, the habits involved are difficult to break, even if I really wanted to.

        Being able to say 'no' actually makes it easier to earn more money. Fuck 7 series BMWs etc, own your ass, get out of all debt. Returns of freedom are hig

    • My parents bought cheap, $100 Android smartphones. They are constantly having issues with them. They reboot, their slow, they run out of storage, you name it.

      If you use your phone more than a few times a day, those kinds of issues get really old really quickly. Just think of how many times a typical modern adult checks/interacts with his/her phone over the course of the day. Spending and extra $500 on a phone that you'll have for 2 years (or more) is well worth the cost. Think of it. At a 2 year life, spen

      • Re:When to say no. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ZorinLynx ( 31751 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:36PM (#55104795) Homepage

        This mirrors my girlfriend's experience. She was buying cheap prepaid Android phones before we met and ALWAYS having problems with them.

        I gave her my previous iPhone 5 and she was trouble free for nearly two years until the phone developed some issues (at that point it was nearly FIVE years old), then we got her an iPhone 6. No problems at all since.

        "You get what you pay for" definitely applies when it comes to phones. Premium phones are better built, have better manufacturer support and last far longer.

      • I have a leon that i bought my son two years ago for 150$ that he gave to me when he was done with it. It works great.....

  • What am I missing here? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by PmanAce ( 1679902 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:19PM (#55104603) Homepage
    My phone is 4-5 years old and still works great. I'm paying less than if I had a new phone (with a balance on it) considering the same plan for both. How is constantly paying for the phone better than not constantly paying for the phone? Phones today don't change enough to warrant the getting of the next model, unless you like throwing away your money or want to be seen with the latest technology. In that case you are materialistic and that's that.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zlives ( 2009072 )

      chances are your smart phone can no longer get the latest security updates...

      if you have a non-smart phone, you are good.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 )

      My phone is 4-5 years old and still works great.

      5? years old??? Sheesh new kids these days. I'm still using my original RAZR. Its 10 this year. And it still makes phone calls.

      Now get off my lawn.

      • And it still makes phone calls.

        What is this magic? You have a mobile device that can make phone calls? I thought that all that phones do was text, browse the Internet and run lots of apps. But actual voice calls? I'm not sure anyone knows how to do that these days.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mspohr ( 589790 )

        Loved the RAZR!

  • Never a borrower nor a lender be. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by BasilBrush ( 643681 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:19PM (#55104609)

    I always buy outright. Never borrow money or rent. With leasing, someone is providing you with a service over and above the simple purchasing of a thing, and you'll pay for that service. Save money by buying.

    • I always buy outright. Never borrow money or rent. With leasing, someone is providing you with a service over and above the simple purchasing of a thing, and you'll pay for that service. Save money by buying.

      Apple's iPhone Upgrade Plan is a 0% loan that you have the option of terminating after a year. Even if you never plan on upgrading, using a 0% loan is financially better than using your own cash.

      • Re:Never a borrower nor a lender be. (Score:5, Informative)

        by BasilBrush ( 643681 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @03:01PM (#55105007)

        Nope. That scheme requires that you take out Applecare+ insurance. That's where you are paying extra.

        • I'd assume that you'd want some sort of insurance on a large slab of glass and electronics that you remove from your pocket dozens of times a day and hold in one hand when using. But maybe that's just me.

          • I certainly don't want insurance for my phone.

          • Of course I don't want insurance. Insurance is simply a bet. And the insurance broker is the bookmaker who's making the profit out of your bet. In the long run, over a lifetime, you save money by not insuring for risks you could easily cover yourself.

          • It is just you. My 3 year old phone is good enough to do everything that your insured phone does, including posting this message.

        • While I haven't owned an iPhone ever, Applecare was well worth it for the MBPs I bought. I more than got my money's worth on those. Hell, on my one model, the replacement power cables that frayed next to the magsafe part got replaced free every 6-9 months. Terrible design, but without Applecare, I'd have been on the hook. Enough other times they fixed things for free that I always bought it without hesitation. It might be different for the iPhone, but I always found Applecare to pay for itself, unlike most

      • It's not 0% because someone else is lending you the money and no one stays in business lending at 0%. It's like the 0% car loans. In this case you pay back $649 or whatever the phone costs but the lender is paying Apple less than that per phone and keeping the difference

        • It's not 0% because someone else is lending you the money and no one stays in business lending at 0%. It's like the 0% car loans. In this case you pay back $649 or whatever the phone costs but the lender is paying Apple less than that per phone and keeping the difference

          If the lender is paying Apple less than the phone, why would I (as the consumer) care? The loan is exactly 0%. I can either but the phone for $X right now or I can pay $(X/24) over the next 24 months. Either way, it's the same money out of my pocket and I can use my money on anything else (including investing it) in the meantime.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Mitreya ( 579078 )

      I always buy outright. Never borrow money or rent.

      I think there is a case to be made that if you don't plan to own that car, then leasing is easier than buying and re-selling later.
      Also, sometime you actually can't afford to buy. Have you ever rented an apartment or a house?

      • That's the one exception. When I need something now that I can't afford. But that's in the knowledge that I'm losing money, and losing freedom.

  • Consumer Leases Are A Scam (Score:3)

    by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:20PM (#55104617) Journal

    Like the subject says, in almost all use case scenarios consumer leases are a scam. They great for the leasor, who gets a constant cash flow because most consumers can't afford or are unwilling to pay the buyout at the end of the lease, and thus create a perpetual rental situations.

    It's different for businesses, because while actually purchasing a capital asset means you can only write off the asset via depreciation, which can take a few years even for a phone, a lease is a regular write off. Unless your self-employed, and thus can gain some benefit from the monthly write off of the lease, it's better just to buy the bloody phone, either outright (which is what I do, I don't do phone contracts) or as part of a contract.

    • It's different for businesses, because while actually purchasing a capital asset means you can only write off the asset via depreciation, which can take a few years even for a phone

      I don't get this....

      I have a S-Corp I work through, and I write off my purchase like phones, computers, etc...in full each year in which I purchase them.

      You don't have to amortize them over time any more...at least my CPA says I don't.

      • Perhaps some of the purchases, like a phone, fall below the line where they'd be considered an asset. That may work, but, for instance, go out and buy an expensive multifunction copier/printer/scanner/fax machine, and you're looking at well over $1500, and there's no way you're going to be able to write that off as an expense.

        • Perhaps some of the purchases, like a phone, fall below the line where they'd be considered an asset. That may work, but, for instance, go out and buy an expensive multifunction copier/printer/scanner/fax machine, and you're looking at well over $1500, and there's no way you're going to be able to write that off as an expense.

          I've written off a lens purchase that was about $2400....

  • They're missing a very important part of the equation in that many phones these days are good enough to last for at least four years. I suppose there's some reason to be pessimistic about that if you have one of the Android handsets that isn't going to get updated after a year to two, or if the newest version of iOS makes your older iPhone incredibly sluggish, but from a financial point of view you end up saving a lot of money over leasing.

    If you make the flawed assumption that a phone is only good for t
    • You pay it all off in two years with the lease though.
      • Yes, it's break-even at two years, but it makes the implicit assumption that you need a new phone after two years. This is not the case so there's this hidden cost that you may not need to incur. My current phone is two years old at this point and I have no need at all to upgrade. I paid the full price at the time of purchase, so every month I hold on to it beyond that two year point is money I'm saving.

  • No (Score:3)

    by nukenerd ( 172703 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:20PM (#55104633)

    FTFA :-

    ... there is a certain comfort to always having the latest.

    That's a givaway - it's an entirely emotive reason, just wanting shiny. I don't give a shit. I have a dumb phone that's about 7 years old and I'll use it until either it fails or they change the network technology.

  • If you lease, your option, if you want, to "do with it as you please" can be or may be limited. Can you root it? Can you install a custom rom without the block/lockdown/features removed? Plus, leasing will most likely be more expensive than outright purchasing it. Also, it puts you on an endless treadmill. Granted, if you are one of those that "has to have a new one every year", leasing it probably better for you, but, I typically buy a new phone, AFTER a new one comes out, then buy last years new model,

  • If you just don't care about money why not buy a new phone every year outright? Heck you could by a Galaxy S[n] in the spring and a Note [n] in the fall and have two new phones per year.

    It is all about how much you are willing to spend. I'm willing to spend $700 for a phone every other year ($900 price - $200 trade in) because I think it takes 2 years for a phone to start having glitches and after 2 years there are usually new features I am interested in. I'm not willing to pay $1200 every other year ($1800

  • No. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by fred6666 ( 4718031 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @02:25PM (#55104675)

    If you can't afford a $1000 phone outright, you can't afford a $1000 phone, period. No matter how you finance/lease it.
    Sane personal/family financial planning should allow you to save in order to be able to afford that phone, or simply choose a less expensive phone to begin with.

    • This is true.

      Hell, even Apple offers less expensive iPhones now (like the SE) that people can buy if they can't afford the latest and greatest.

    • I agree that sane financial planning is preferred. Unfortunately, only a slim minority can actually do this. A lease (plus insurance) shines in one area: You never get a large, unexpected bill. For all the people out there with decent cash-flow and no ability to do financial planning, this works.

      I'm in a minority in that I've got a half-dozen savings accounts that get automated monthly deposits to tamp down big bills in the future. (Appliances, Electronics, Car, Pets, etc.) When something dies or n

      • It may help them, but at a cost. In the end they pay more for the same stuff than we do. Which doesn't help their case.

  • I like owning things, vs perpetually renting them.

  • Leasing is always more expensive than buying. Rental is the base of a feodal system, etc. etc.
  • I'm planning to buy my leased iPhone 6s and reduce my monthly bill from $80 to $50. As a phone and a video camera, the iPhone 6s isn't obsolete. As a Sprint customer for 20+ years, Sprint will always offer me a new iPhone if I decide to stop using the 6s as a phone in the next several years.

  • I prefer to wait until someone I know ditches his current phone for a newer one and gives me the old one for free.

  • I'm surprised by how many commenters here are saying they're fine using a several year-old phone. I get a new one every year (currently Pixel XL), but my employer pays for it. I would have thought many (if not most) of the tech workers at /. would be in the same boat.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by enjar ( 249223 )

      I am not part of an on-call rotation, nor support anything that's expected to be available outside business hours. Therefore, I have no reason or desire to be contacted by my employer outside of business hours. I can also not install work-related apps or connect my phone to work email/IM. That's worth the price I pay for the phone -- I can be in contact with friends/family and ignore work entirely when I'm not there.

      What would you do if you had to pay out of pocket for a phone? What would you do if your em

    • I would avoid replacing my cell phone every years even if I get the replacements for free. Changing cell phones is a pain in the ass, and the benefit of getting a new one has to outweigh that cost.

  • I made a spreadsheet and compared my options, leasing through Apple, leasing through AT&T or buying it outright. Here's what I discovered, if you're buying the AppleCare plan they're all the same price. Apple's lease came with AppleCare, the other two did not. If you're like me, and hang on to an iPhone for two years since AT&T dropped the early upgrade option then you're going to need AppleCare because iPhones always break in some way within that first year. But here's the best part, I pitted AT

  • I used to give a shit about the latest and greatest and spent accordingly. Then I came to my senses and realized I could pay half price for top of the line phones a year old. So I buy my phone at half off, then run it for a few years till it gets twitchy, then upgrade to another used handset. I also gave up on contracts a long time ago, too, and have saved thousands as a result. My bill runs around $30/month and I have a fairly recent Android model. All phones now are pretty much a rectangle with rounded co

  • If you're thinking about handing the phone down to your kids, you're going to see the phone differently than the do. You see it as a lifeline. They'll see it as a casual gaming and social media terminal.

    And here's the problem with that: you run afoul of the finite lifespan of li-ion batteries. Flagship phones these days are built to be thin as possible, and that means when the battery life starts going south, you've got to replace them or avoid using them too much. Basically a phone with non-replaceable

  • Since I avoid replacing my cell phone for as long as possible, leasing doesn't make any sense for me at all.

  • As I've said more than a few times around here I just don't give a shit about the latest shininess consumer hardware. I can't find any use AT ALL for most of the latest features they try to push. I just use my debit card or cash for all purchases, I don't use the cloud, I don't use any 'fitness apps', I hate all mobile games (PC gamer), and both audio and video quality are so bad on most phones to just be annoying.

    Maybe they're just fine for all of you people, but I've got too much serious work to do that

  • With the lease, the Phone MUST be in resellable condition. So if you drop it, have scratches, etc, they may not take the phone back to upgrade. Also, even though it is a "Lease", they still treat it as if it is YOUR phone, especially with the fact that newer phones are so expensive. I have had a lot better experience just buying the phones over the last 4 years now.
  • I know this is the opposite of the advice that was forced upon us by realtors and bankers but don't forget where they each made their money (both before and after the housing bubble burst). Buy the items that you are going to consume - all the way from your lunch to your car - and lease the items that should still be there when you're done using them (your house). Anything else and you're going to lose even more money.

    You don't use up your car, you say? Then you're doing it wrong. You should keep your

  • No (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Miamicanes ( 730264 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @03:22PM (#55105219)

    No, because if ANYTHING happens to the phone during that year, you're totally at the lessor's mercy. They can charge you the full original MSRP (and probably a penalty on top) if the phone gets lost/stolen/broken during the year, or if you return it in less than shrinkwrap-pristine condition (their official definitions of "normal wear & tear" almost certainly deviates from YOUR understanding of what it means). And if you DO need to buy a replacement at some point during the year, there's usually a clause requiring that you purchase that replacement FROM THEM, at WHATEVER PRICE THEY DICTATE... if you bought an identical replacement from Amazon or Newegg, they'd be entitled to refuse it (since the phone's serial number wouldn't match the serial number of the one they sent you), charge you some inflated shipping & handling fee to send the refused phone back to you, AND charge you their official inflated replacement price (plus some penalty) anyway. The fact that they're probably going to turn around and sell the returned phones to someone like Asurion for $10/pound as scrap doesn't matter... there's almost certainly a mandatory arbitration clause, and you'd spend 100 times the phone's purchase price on a lawyer attempting to PROVE it to the arbiter.

    With consumer-item leases, the deck is totally and hopelessly 100% stacked against you. Sure, you might get lucky... but if you lose the dice roll, you're going to be in a world of pain by the time they're finished throwing arbitrary penalties at you. Especially if there's no language allowing you to purchase the item at the end of the lease.

    If you truly intend to keep the phone for a year, buy it outright, then sell it yourself using swappa.com, craigslist, or ebay after buying your new one. At least then, you'll be able to fix it if it breaks, and buy replacements from whomever gives you the best deal, instead of being totally at the lessor's mercy.

    Just to give you a small idea of how evil some companies can be, after Hurricane Wilma, I got a letter that was sent to me by mistake by Enterprise Rent-a-Car (I'd rented a car from them a few weeks earlier, and their loss department fucked up and sent the letter to me by mistake) demanding the immediate payment of almost $7,000 for damage to a rental car caused by flooding (Wilma caused extensive flooding in Miami). Anyway, they admitted it was sent to me by mistake, but what I'll never forget was the first paragraph of the letter, which basically said, "the Loss Damage Waiver doesn't include coverage from flooding", then conceded in the next sentence that the language in the brochure might have been "confusing" since it implied "total coverage" (you know, the usual excuse of corporate America... "total" on the marketing materials means "total coverage for what we decide it covers, subject to any exclusions incorporated by reference into the fine print of Article VIII, section c(iii), page 84, on file with the state Department of Commerce). A few months later, I remember seeing a story on the evening news about thousands of complaints filed by consumers against rental car companies who tried doing that exact thing. From what I recall, the state eventually ruled against most of the rental car companies, but the only penalty was that they had to eat the loss and refund any amount already paid. In other words, it was a totally safe gamble for them... "heads they would have won, tails they merely broke even".

  • Samsung J1 $140 CDN works just fine and if I break it once a year no big deal.

  • You don't get top-of-the-line specs or features, but you have to ask yourself - does it really matter?
    If that's the kind of person you are, and you have to have the latest and hopefully greatest, then you've pretty much made your own decision and you're willing to be parted with your money for techno-cred.

    Personally, I like control over my phone went with an unlocked BLU Life One X for $150. It has been pretty darn good, and they even did an update to the OS earlier this year which was shocking! Maybe I g

  • Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @04:03PM (#55105541)

    "The biggest benefit with a lease program is you have the option of upgrading to a newer phone model, usually after just a year. You don't get that option when you buy. "

    Sure you are, you just sell the old one on ebay and buy another one, but you actually have to _buy_ it, not use the ripoff 'buying' that the providers use.

  • Why not just get a phone that does what you need, at a decent price, instead of getting the latest and greatest, at an extortionate price, which you do not need anyway for anything other than showing everybody how cool and rich you are? Let me rephrase that: to show everybody how pathetically stupid you are?

  • The answer is simple to anyone who puts any critical thought into it. You buy a used phone that's one year old and sign up for a pre-paid plan. If you want the new shiny, lease, but I like my new shiny in the form of currency in the bank (or invested properly where it turns into more shiny). I like buying things that go up in value, not down. So I drive a $2000 (reliable) car and use a 3-year old phone. I'll replace either one when they stop working.

    Any good financial adviser will tell you to pay cash for e

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