"Buying Unlocked Cellphones -An Expensive Hassle"

It's almost impossible and illegal to buy an unlocked cellphone. The contract is a ripoff in many ways. First off, if you plan on leaving the country, you have to find a special plan to accommodate your needs. Second off, it can't be broken without a price, so if you paid five hundred dollars for the phone, it's another two- three hundred dollars to cancel an existing plan. If you want to buy the phone for a relative, a contract must be instated before you can give it to them. If you want an unlocked phone, it sometimes costs up to triple the price of a contracted phone. Either way, there is an uproar of chaos and uncertainties. The unlocked phone may have been stolen or it could have been broken and you don't know until the SIM card is inserted. It becomes a hassle and headache. So you're screwed in both ways. The moral of the story is, "Be careful and do your research before you invest your money into a cell phone."