is it illeagal to sell in contract iphone

[C DM]

They can also (AFAIK, since I'm not an AT&T customer) black-list the phone internally and refuse to activate it on their network if there's money owing on the subsidized amount. And they can stop it from being unlocked. Basically making it a nice iPod.

C

They can certainly take some steps in relation that that, but not really to that degree.

 

[CNeufeld]

They can certainly take some steps in relation that that, but not really to that degree.

To what degree, then? Just out of curiosity.

C

 

[C DM]

To what degree, then? Just out of curiosity.

C

They can refuse to unlock the phone, but that doesn't stop third parties from being able to get it done.

 

[CNeufeld]

They can refuse to unlock the phone, but that doesn't stop third parties from being able to get it done.

Except the third parties all seem to be shut down... He's already tried a bunch of those.

C

 

[mulatosnarf]

Contracts are not tied to the phone so doing whatever you want with the phone that you own is perfectly fine.

You got the phone for that price because of a contract how is it not tied to that phone

Explain in detail

 

[C DM]

You got the phone for that price because of a contract how is it not tied to that phone

Explain in detail

Because the contract is for your account and service, you can do what you want with the phone itself as long as you hold up the terms of the contract which are related to your service (rather than the device).

 

[mulatosnarf]

All in all not worth the hassle

 

[mulatosnarf]

Because the contract is for your account and service, you can do what you want with the phone itself as long as you hold up the terms of the contract which are related to your service (rather than the device).

Got a link to that?

 

[C DM]

Got a link to that?

To how cell phone contracts work? I mean you can take a look at terms and conditions for various providers, like Verizon or AT&T.

 

[mulatosnarf]

To how cell phone contracts work? I mean you can take a look at terms and conditions for various providers, like Verizon or AT&T.

Yes can you post a section in att tac that supports your claim?

 

[C DM]

Yes can you post a section in att tac that supports your claim?

Pretty much the whole thing. Is there something there that says something about not being able to do what you want with your device?

 

[mulatosnarf]

Pretty much the whole thing. Is there something there that says something about not being able to do what you want with your device?

That's what I'm looking for can you point to the section that does say it? As ignorance is not an excuse

 

[C DM]

That's what I'm looking for can you point to the section that does say it? As ignorance is not an excuse

All of it talks about it. For example, the leading part of it at https://m.att.com/shopmobile/legal/terms.wirelessCustomerAgreement.html#whatIsTheTermOfMyService discusses it all in specific terms of it being a "Service Commitment" discussing the details of what's involved in fulfilling it. It's attached to service, not device. Like I said, the whole thing is about that.

If you think there's something that goes against this, please point that out.

 

[CNeufeld]

That's what I'm looking for can you point to the section that does say it? As ignorance is not an excuse

AT&T doesn't care if you sell your phone, if you throw it off a bridge, or stick it in your drawer and change to using a Blackberry. They just care that you pay your bill for the period of your contract.

However... If you don't pay your bill and fulfill your contract, guess which phone is going to get blacklisted (and rendered useless) on AT&T? Not your Blackberry that you're currently using. It's going to be the iPhone that you obtained at a discounted price. The fact that the iPhone is in 17 pieces or no longer in your possession doesn't matter.

C

 

[mulatosnarf]

AT&T doesn't care if you sell your phone, if you throw it off a bridge, or stick it in your drawer and change to using a Blackberry. They just care that you pay your bill for the period of your contract.

However... If you don't pay your bill and fulfill your contract, guess which phone is going to get blacklisted (and rendered useless) on AT&T? Not your Blackberry that you're currently using. It's going to be the iPhone that you obtained at a discounted price. The fact that the iPhone is in 17 pieces or no longer in your possession doesn't matter.

C

Where can I find this in writing?

 

[C DM]

Where can I find this in writing?

Already linked earlier.

 

[mulatosnarf]

Already linked earlier.

I get it you assume the absence of such wording is a go ahead? Gotcha

Just because it doesn't say not to jaywalk doesn't mean you should as you may still get a ticket

All in all OP not worth the hassle.

 

[CNeufeld]

Where can I find this in writing?

What part are you questioning? Whether the phone will be blacklisted? Or that they don't care if you throw your phone off the bridge?

C

 

[C DM]

I get it you assume the absence of such wording is a go ahead? Gotcha

Just because it doesn't say not to jaywalk doesn't mean you should as you may still get a ticket

All in all OP not worth the hassle.

Nice generalization, but that's not how contracts work. The question was whether or not anything makes selling the device "illegal" as in against some law, regulation, rule, terms, etc. There are no such provisions in the terms or rules or regulations or laws. Therefore it is not against any of them.

(And there are laws/regulations against jaywalking. And if somewhere there aren't then you won't get a ticket for it or would have grounds to challenge one should you come in a rare situation that you would somehow get one in a place where no such law/regulation exists.)

 

[CNeufeld]

Just had a long chat session with an AT&T rep. Bored at lunch, I guess. I covered the OP's situation with her, and she concurred that the OP has likely bought a nice paperweight, and "Sometimes a deal is too good to be true".

She said the disabling of the phone would be covered under the "fail to make payments" section below:

1.2 What are AT&T’s Rights to Cancel My Service(s) and Terminate My Agreement?

AT&T may interrupt, suspend or cancel your Services and terminate your Agreement without advance notice for any reason including, but not limited to, the following:

• Any conduct that we believe violates this Agreement or AT&T’s Acceptable Use Policy;
• Any conduct that involves the use of abusive, derogatory, insulting, threatening, vulgar or similarly unreasonable language or behavior directed at any of our employees or representatives whether it be in person, over the phone, or in writing;
• Any abusive use of our network or Services;
• You use your Device/Equipment and/or our Services for an unlawful or fraudulent purpose;
• You use your Device/Equipment and/or our Services in any way that: (a) is harmful to, interferes with, or negatively affects our network, other customers, or the network of any other provider, (b) is harmful to, interferes with, or negatively affects our Services or operations, (c) infringes intellectual property rights of AT&T or others, (d) results in the publication of threatening, offensive or illegal material, or (e) generates spam or other abusive messaging or calling, a security risk, or a violation of privacy;
• You resell our Services either alone or as part of any other good or service;
• You fail to make all required payments when due;
• Your credit has deteriorated and/or we believe that there is a risk of non-payment;
• You refuse to pay any required advance payment or deposit;
• We discover that you are underage;
• You provide inaccurate or misleading credit information; or
• You modify your device from its manufacturer’s specifications.

She also confirmed that the phone wouldn't be unlocked by AT&T until the commitment has been met, and it wouldn't be activated on AT&T systems if the commitment was in default.

C

 

[S.T.A.R.]

From AT&T Next Plan:

 

[mulatosnarf]

Thank. You