ETG: Early Termination Gouge

Fees for terminating your Nexus One contract: up to $550. The magic part is that Google and T-Mobile each charge you an ETF, meaning you have to pay back the 'subsidy' to both companies. This suggests that one or the other is screwing customers, as the aggregate cost far exceeds the unsubsidized price of the handset. On the $180 discount price you get for buying a Nexus One with a two-year agreement, either Google eats the loss and T-Mobile shouldn't be charging an ETF, or T-Mobile eats the loss (as is normal for carriers) and Google shouldn't be charging an ETF. There is a precedent, however: carriers charge ETFs on data plans for 3G laptops that weren't subsidized by *anyone* at the point of sale. [Consumerist]