Originally Posted by
weekilter
Unless you paid the full price for your handset you've got no reason to grouse about the carrier locking the phone so you don't use it with another service. That "free" or discounted phone you got is not free from the manufacturer. The US is not the only country that subsidizes the cost of the handset by any means. Also dual SIM phones aren't sold by carriers and also you'll note that no dual SIM phones (usually made in China) are sold under the name of any major manufacturer such as Motorola, HTC, LG or others. Also, contracts happen in Europe as well so that "nonsense" happens there as well.
I disagree.
I have every reason to be annoyed. If I buy a car in California from Ford I am not prevented from driving it in Arizona. I am still paying the lease and still have a contract to pay for the car and any services I contracted for. The same thing on the cell phone. I am still obligated to pay for the monthly service contract, still pay a portion of my bill to fund the subsidized price of the phone, I should have the ability to drop in a sim card in another country and have a local cell number. The phone is mine, not the cell company's, and locking a phone to a carrier should be illegal.
This is why I bought my iPhone in Canada, so it was officially unlocked. Screw AT&T, they lost out on my phone purchase and I only use them with a prepaid sim card when I need to. Their loss. Stupid business plan.