The other big issue with cell phones is that NO ONE will sell you a new phone at a decent price without signing multi-year contracts. Even for people like me who've been with the same company for years (7 with sprint), they treat you like dirt.
That's not true, I'm with T-Mobile, and have been since the days of Voicestream and they have great CS and even have a CIHU (Customer Initiaded Handset Upgrade) program where you can buy a new phone for pretty cheap without having to extend your contact. Of course, if you want the rebate and get it at the price of a new customer, you'll have to extend your contact, but even that's only for a year
