I really like your answer!
It is really, really difficult to protect ourselves from every abuse to which a corporation might subject us.
It's important in this conversation to understand that batteries have limited lifetimes, perhaps as little as 2 years, or less if defective.
I was standing in a store thinking of buying a top-of-the-line unlocked HTC phone for $750. Then the salesperson told me that the battery is not replaceable! That caused me to try to avoid buying anything from HTC. I don't like helping abusers.
I never would have guessed that an expensive phone would be considered a throwaway.
HTC CEO: If you learn that I have joined the board of directors of HTC, I will try to convince the other board members that abuse is bad practice. If I am successful, leave the building immediately. You are fired! It's unlikely I would be asked to join the board of directors, but that is a way of expressing the intensity of my dislike for abuse.
Why buy an unlocked phone? Travelers in other countries buy local SIM cards for GSM phones. That means anyone you meet can call you at a local number while you are in the area.