The 2 year phone agreement, a.k.a. the sucker agreement

Why is it that cell phone companies require you to sign a 2 year agreement when purchasing a new phone, but the phone and parts, specifically the battery, only carry a 1 year warranty?  My guess is so that the phone carriers can say the phone is guaranteed, but they know they are selling you a guaranteed piece of shit.  In the words of Tommy Boy "I can shit in a box and mark it guaranteed if you want, I have some spare time."  I've had my Samsung Galaxy phone through sprint for 21 months, 3 months shy of my contract expiring.  All of a sudden my phone won't hold a charge, the wifi is constantly trying to connect to something even though I turn it off 5 times a day, if I turn on my GPS for directions the phone dies immediately (regardless if it has 90% or 15% battery life), and finally it just turns off on its own 2-3 times a day.  Sometimes it does turn itself on, but recently it just dies.  I am now forced to ensure that my battery constantly has 55% or greater battery power, or it's just a paper weight.  

I've just returned from my local Sprint store, and have been told it's my battery that's causing my current problems.  But don't worry they can fix it, I just have to buy a new battery.  The cost?  A mere $55.  So I need to spend $55 to use my phone for 3 more months, when the phone only cost me $50 on the day I bought it.  I don't think so.  Oh wait, you're eligible for an upgrade, you can buy a new phone today.  Hooray!!!  Lets pop the champagne and drop balloons and confetti from the ceiling.  Oh wait, that's right I don't want to buy a new phone today, I want to use my current phone for the next 3 months because Sprint is quite possibly the worst carrier in the history of cell phones.

And that is why they make you take the 2 year agreement, or you can pay out the ass for a new phone, but why would anyone want to do that?  I guess maybe the rich kids of beverly hills would, but I'm not some spoiled little snot with more money than sense.  The 2 year agreement ensures that you will need to upgrade your phone before the agreement expires, which his horse crap.  You should not be forced to enter an agreement for longer than the phone or the warranty on phone parts are worth.  You only want to guarantee the battery for 1 year, fine I'm only signing a 1 year agreement.  That is the only fair way to do business.  But cell phone carriers don't play fair.  They don't give a rats ass about you, all they care about is money.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a champion of our free market society, but at some point in time enough is enough.  

So I will spend the next 3 months cursing Sprint and Samsung everytime my phone turns off when it shouldn't.  Yes that's me the crazy guy standing on the corner, staring at his phone, shaking his head and muttering phrases that would make Hitler blush.  

But I'm just one man and these are my thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

Dustin Dominiak