AT&T has confirmed in a press message that it has raised the Early Upgrade fee for smartphones to $200 from the previous $75 rate as of last Sunday.
The reasoning given for the increase was due to the increased subsidies and increased complexity compared to other devices. The increase only applies to smart devices (the iPhone is excluded) and does not affect other phones, while the fee actually reduces the cost of certain smart devices (Ex. BlackBerry Torch at $199.99 + $200 Early Upgrade = $399.99 compared to $499.99 No Commitment pricing) and is applied when a customer needs to purchase a phone either due to damage or loss, but is outside the eligibility timeframe for upgrade pricing.
Did anyone say– Sprint here I come? Not only are they releasing crippled phones and have bad signal coverage but now they are making it more expensive to own their shoddy 3g service. Unbelievable.
But who knows, sprint might be next in raising their cancellation fee.