[bad_user]

> Americans allow this because in general it's much cheaper to buy a phone subsidized over contract

Subsidized phones are very popular in Europe, but the phone doesn't really enter the equation when choosing a network.

I actually think Europeans are cheaper than Americans ... over here people choose networks based on reliability and monthly bill, which is influenced by included minutes or bandwidth / area or demographic popularity (since voice minutes in the same network are cheaper).

I also have an iPhone, and in my country iPhones are still exclusive to a single carrier. But I did what every one of my acquaintances did ... bought one with a cheap monthly contract for 199 EUR; then unlocked it. And I didn't even pay my last 2 monthly bill (haven't used it, so I felt like it was unneeded); so they can sue me, but I don't really care because lock-in is not seen favorably in Europe and they've got customers with actual debts to worry about.

Of course, I wouldn't give this advice to other people ... just saying that the phone doesn't enter the equation; and the marketing campaigns are reflecting that.

[McP]

My brother skipped paying a tiny amount like that - he received a letter from a debt collection agency demanding payment of the £20 bill, plus £100 payment for the cost of hiring a debt collection agency. He then payed immediately before it got any worse but his credit rating is still poor many years on.

[StavrosK]

I'm not sure if the iPhone is sold locked here in Greece, but I would be surprised if it did; it would be the only one. You can get a subsidised phone with any carrier, and they don't lock it or otherwise restrict you. The basic view is "you promise to pay us X money per month, we give you a roughly X12[1] subsidy on your phone now". They don't even care what phone, if any, you decide to get with the subsidy.

Also, this happens every year. Once a year passes, you're eligible for a new subsidy of X12 euros.

[1] I'm not at all sure if the multiplier is as much as 12, but it's at least 6. The main point, anyway, is that they don't care what phone you get.