Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times

Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times: "Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive
By DAMON DARLIN

The two-year contract. It is the bane of a cellphone owner’s existence, especially one who must have the latest hot phone at a discounted price.

Two years is a long time, and few other marketers can get away with demanding it, much less adding to it. Every time you walk back into the cellphone store or call the customer service operators, it seems, the contract is extended. Lose the phone or ask for a replacement, and the contract is extended. Sign up for a family plan, same thing.

But try getting out of a contract early? You can do it, but you will have to pay an early termination fee of as much as $240. "