# The scourge of "Commitments" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157 "2010-03-03T17:50:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/21 "2010-03-06T19:01:22Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > I’m not talking about nuptials. I’m talking about these “service agreements” that are now seemingly all the rage in businesses. Cell phones. Land telephones. Every fucking thing in this fucking economy now requires a minimum yearlong commitment/contract in order to get even marginally competitive rates for service. > Seriously. FUCK THEM AND THE FUCKING COMPANIES THAT DO THIS. > yes, I understand there’s a right-to-contract in a free society, and if I don’t like it I can magically take my money elsewhere and hope that the local telephone provider buckles under the oppressive weight of my singular decision not to utilize their services. Unfortunately, this effect is somewhat dampened by fucking morons who a) don’t even realize they’re entering into these contracts and b) don’t care that their power as a consumer is effectively castrated and sign up for these contracts anyway. > > so, fuck you too, consumers 😛 I don’t care if they call it a contract or a “commitment”. If I don’t like the terms, they don’t get my money. Just like you. I prefer cash n carry. I’ll pay for “your” services until I don’t want/need/like your services anymore. If the service sucks, I don’t want to be “locked in”. So, I don’t sign up for that sort of deal. Nope, I don’t have a cell phone (a good example). I didn’t like the terms. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/22 "2010-03-06T19:54:06Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I don’t care if they call it a contract or a “commitment”. If I don’t like the terms, they don’t get my money. Just like you. I prefer cash n carry. I’ll pay for “your” services until I don’t want/need/like your services anymore. If the service sucks, I don’t want to be “locked in”. So, I don’t sign up for that sort of deal. > > Nope, I don’t have a cell phone (a good example). I didn’t like the terms. not that i disagree with you, but my problem with this is that most of the providers of these services are given government-blessed oligopolies or the barriers to market entry are so high that there are natural oligopolies. and these services are somewhat vital in today’s modern world. so you put these two things together, you get oligopolies effectively pseudo-colluding with each other to force consumers into said agreements. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/23 "2010-03-06T20:33:02Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > not that i disagree with you, but my problem with this is that most of the providers of these services are given government-blessed oligopolies or the barriers to market entry are so high that there are natural oligopolies. and these services are somewhat vital in today’s modern world. so you put these two things together, you get oligopolies effectively pseudo-colluding with each other to force consumers into said agreements. Ahhh, but I still have the Final Option - I can refuse to play. If you have a monopoly or oligarchy on something I don’t absolutely need for survival, I can simply opt out. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/24 "2010-03-06T21:04:42Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Ahhh, but I still have the Final Option - I can refuse to play. If you have a monopoly or oligarchy on something I don’t absolutely need for survival, I can simply opt out. I don’t disagree, but I make a further distinction between “necessities for survival” and “things that are virtually mandatory in a given culture/society” i need a telephone, for example. not need like i’ll die if i don’t have it, but need like you can’t really do diddly if you don’t have one. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/25 "2010-03-06T21:06:59Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > I don’t disagree, but I make a further distinction between “necessities for survival” and “things that are virtually mandatory in a given culture/society” > > i need a telephone, for example. not need like i’ll die if i don’t have it, but need like you can’t really do diddly if you don’t have one. I’m guessing it has to do with your job, in which case you may be stuck. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157/26 "2010-03-07T01:44:59Z")
As far as cable and satellite tv service, both my adult kids bailed on this service in the past couple of years because of the price. Kids who thought that life without sat tv wasn’t worth living a couple of years ago. We are also canceling our service as soon as our present contract is up. We had a signal problem with our Directv installed a year ago Dec. Guy comes out and finds that the original installer failed to adequately attach the sat to our roof. Our choice was pay $45 for the house call to fix what was improperly installed in the first place or sign on to an insurance plan for a couple of bucks a month and reup with Directv for two more years. Uh, no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-scourge-of-commitments/531157.md?page=1)