Google Adds Nexus One ETF Over Carrier ETF

Tweet

Google is new to the mobile business and one can very well see that! Moving on past the 3G issues of the newly launched and highly acclaimed Nexus One, which are surely going to be fixed soon enough, we encounter another problem with Google’s policies regarding Nexus One sales.

It would seem that Google wants to charge Nexus One buyers that choose subsidized versions of the handset an extra Early Termination Fee on top of the carrier’s ETF. That’s a move that is surely not going to be very popular with the masses and maybe not even with the FCC. The Commission is already investigating Verizon’s new ETF for advanced devices and it might just do the same with Google.

Why in the world would Google do such a thing? Google is not a carrier, at least not yet, and manufacturers don’t exactly charge ETFs. In fact it would be T-Mobile or AT&T or Verizon who would have to get ETFs out of those customers that decide to dump their contracts early.

The issue is even more disturbing as Google’s ETF amounts to $350. That’s on top of the price you already paid for the subsidized device, $179, and on top of your carrier’s ETF of around $200. In the end your formerly subsidized phone will cost a lot more than it should. That only happens if you cancel your contract in the first 120 days of use but after the initial 14 days trial period.

So if you really want to cancel the Nexus One contract, wait 4 months before doing it and then go ahead and terminate it. Before you do, make sure you read all the fine prints in all the Nexus One-related contracts and agreements you have just signed. Maybe you have given your soul away in exchange of a Nexus One and you still don’t know about it!