Remember that stupid fee wireless carriers hand out like free lollipops when you try cancel your contract early? Yeah, it’s the early termination fee. T-Mobile is reducing the lame-factor of its ETF, but I’m still shaking my head in disgust at the company for having one.

In fact, I shake my head in disgust at the whole industry for tolerating ETFs above $20, though, T-Mobile’s new ETF plan is arguably one of the more fair early termination policies among wireless carriers.

The new ETF only applies to new or renewing one-year or two-year agreements starting on June 28th, says the Washington Post, and it’s reduced during the course of the customer’s contract. This means that the more time a customer spends under contract, the less-punishing the ETF will be if the contract is canceled early.

If there’s more than 180 days, or six months, left on the contract, the early termination fee is $200.

If there’s 91 to 180 days left, the fee is reduced to $100.

If there’s less than 91 days left, the fee is $50.

With 30 days or less left, the fee is $50 or the standard monthly charge, whichever is less.

Before wireless carriers began changing up their early termination policies, customers — as I’m sure you all know — had to pay a flat fee no matter when they canceled. It’s not really fair that customers have to pay the same ETF on the first and last day of their contract, so change, at least in this case, is pretty good.

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Entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 pm under Cell phones.

Read more entries by Danny Mendez.
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