Insane retail prices

[theSHAH]

Well, I took a trip to my local Verizon store today after my current cellphone took an unfortunate dive into the toilet and began acting wonky. I tell them about what happened and these were the options they gave me. My upgrade isn't available for another year so I could either A. Add a new line and get a phone at a discount (pointless option, another lines is worthless to me) or B. purchase a new phone at retail. Ok, no big deal, how could another ol' flip phone like mine cost at retail?
Turns out their cheapest flip phone (keep in mind when I say flip phone I don't mean the new rugged shock/water resistant ones, I am referring to the most bare bones cellular device my carrier offers) they had to offer me was $250.00. This is no typo, they're selling a flip phone for more then the price of my new ipod touch. Simply ludicrous. I understand they do this to encourage customers to add new lines or buy new plans, but $250.00 isn't encouragement, it's robbery. This isn't simply "business". Another response I was given was to purchase a $50 insurance next time, once again ridiculous. The phone itself is worth half that. Hasn't the government split up these companies to prevent outrageous prices such as these?

 

[evilneko]

Phones are expensive when not subsidized by a plan. Still, 250 is ridiculous for a plain phone. Ebay that shit. Seriously, get a phone off ebay.

Hell if you're just using your phone for a phone, tell VZW to shove it and go get yourself on T-Mo Prepaid: $100/1000 minutes/1 year expiration. 10c text send/receive.

course I donno how good T-Mo is in your area. For me, it's the only one that has good reception at my house.

 

[Zeckt]

It all barrels down to the uneducated consumer paying 45$ for an ethernet cable at best buy. Man it was hard to word that without wanting to be offending about it!

But definitely get your phone off the net. Same with shoes, boots, clothes etc etc.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Tell Verizon to go fuck themselves, then go on craigslist and buy a brand new (possibly stolen) smartphone off someone for $100.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yup that is ridiculous. The phone shore over there in the UK, the regular phones are less than £100 while the smartphones are over £100 starting with the cheap android smartphone. Sure when converted to US dollar it will be a tad more expensive but it won't be $250!

 

[DoPo]

Tell Verizon to go fuck themselves, then go on craigslist and buy a brand new (possibly stolen) smartphone off someone for $100.

Well, no need to be so rude. Be classy about it:

And then buy a cheap phone.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

People buy retail? News to me. I thought we as a society had moved beyond feeding lecherous middlemen.

 

[LongAndShort]

Mate, come down to Australia, walk around our shops, see the prices, then fuckin complain to me. Christ, our retailers are going down the tube and they don't seem to understand that lousy service and prices two or three times what the rest of the fuckin world pays discourages us from paying them a visit.

But yeah, internet shopping is your friend.