Cancelling Your Nexus One Contract Is Pricey

Jan 12 2010, 9:29am CST | by Robert Evans

As in "more expensive than just buying the damn phone unlocked" pricey. Phandroid (among others) has just pointed out that, according to the fine print of the Nexus One contract, customers who quit early are liable to get screwed twice. You'll have to pay an Early Termination Fee to both your carrier, and Google.

While your carrier's ETF may vary ($200 for T-Mobile), Google's is equal to the full price of the Nexus One, minus the service plan and the $180 you paid upon signing up. This ETF only applies if you cancel your line within the first 120 days of service. It appears to be set up to make the idea of scamming carriers for cheap phones even less attractive.

A lot of people are giving Google flak for this, and I can kind of see why. There is nothing wrong with Google wanting to charge an ETF on top of the normal carrier fee. It's odd and not something other manufacturers do, but it isn't evil or anything. However, since a manufacturer ETF is not something customers are used to seeing, Google should have done a better job of informing users of their policies.

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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.