Database Info

Vodafone (UK) falsely sold me a contract

any advice on how to proceed with this one?
apologies for the length and also if its in the wrong forum... couldnt really work out where to put it
Sometime at the beginning of March i called and spoke to a guy in the Vodafone Cancellations team. I explained that i was looking to leave as they didn't have any data bundles.
He explained to me that I could change my contract to a new one which, for the same amount a month (£25) i could have 150 mins (instead of 125... but i would be losing the stop the clock, which i didn't much use anyway) and it would include a text message bundle.. which includes data. Now, I was aware that this USED to be the case (i even questioned him), but he assured me that this was the case as it was a new package. I explained what i use data for so he knew that it should be ok for me.
So i went along with it as it offered me a new phone for a reasonable cost.
I checked my bill for March and my Unbilled charges and it appears i have been charged for Data usage... to the sum of about £30.
To be honest i have little use for the contract if it doesn't include data... i use data for email (not vodafone) and general "emergency" surfing.
In my eyes i have been sold this contract under false pretenses and is tantamount to fraud. I am locked into a contract for 18 months which doesn't include the main selling point for me.
I've called them a couple of times now last week and all they have said is "ooh no the txt msg bundle doesnt include data"... which serves no purpose other than to wind me up. and tell me that the guy who sold it to me should ring me back.. (but he hasnt yet since last week)
:update: just called them again as they have yet to reply to an email i sent them laying out all the details. having explained it all about 3 times to various people i spoke to a woman who went off to check with manager (wouldnt let me speak to them though) and told me there is NOTHING they can do.. they just dont offer any data packages... she doesnt have access to recorded phone conversations and they dont record them all anyway! oooh but she said she would get the 30quid fee wavered from last month.
i asked just what use is that , i'm now stuck in a 18 month contract which i could have took out with a different company and had included data.. she sounded not particually bothered and offered no solution. i can cancel if i like and pay £350 cancellation charge. which is nice.
any ideas on how to proceed?

Well unless you signed a contract, they are trying to nail you to it by agreeing to a verbal contract, and acceptance of service.
You have used the services, and they have charged you for something you were told would be part of the bundle.
Now, on the face of it, that's still breach of contract, since you made a verbal agreement.
Unless they have evidence of this via a recorded call (which they should have to be honest) then tell them you are going to cancel the agreement due to their breach of contract unless they are willing to honour it.
If it means going to small claims court, then do it, I am fairly certain you would win either by cancellation of the remaining 17 months, or by them agreeing to give you the data.
If you are more interested in the data, then you can always write to their data protection governance officer, and request any and all information they hold on you, including recorded voice calls, it would be helpful if you could tell them the dates, and if this exists, they have to provide it to you by law.
Then you can use that as evidence to make them agree to the terms, or to cancel the contract.

I had a problem with T Mobile going back last year, and they would not cancel my contract, they only way I could get them to shift was to go to Trading Standards and get them involved - funny they seemed to be able to cancel the contract then.
I would suggest to sending the a letter (not email) and send it Registered Delivery (this always seems to suggest to them that this is the first stage in legal action).

interesting point about contacting the data person.
i've just called up Otella (is that spelt right?) the phone ombudsman and they told me to write an official letter explaining the problem and what i would like to get it resolved. then depending on the reply they would like to help me get it resolved. the fact i was going to leave and the cancellations team sold me the package to which i stayed with vodafone seems to slant to the positive for me..
i'd be too much of a wuss to be taken to court over it

thefunkygibbon said:
any advice on how to proceed with this one?
apologies for the length and also if its in the wrong forum... couldnt really work out where to put it
Sometime at the beginning of March i called and spoke to a guy in the Vodafone Cancellations team. I explained that i was looking to leave as they didn't have any data bundles.
He explained to me that I could change my contract to a new one which, for the same amount a month (£25) i could have 150 mins (instead of 125... but i would be losing the stop the clock, which i didn't much use anyway) and it would include a text message bundle.. which includes data. Now, I was aware that this USED to be the case (i even questioned him), but he assured me that this was the case as it was a new package. I explained what i use data for so he knew that it should be ok for me.
So i went along with it as it offered me a new phone for a reasonable cost.
I checked my bill for March and my Unbilled charges and it appears i have been charged for Data usage... to the sum of about £30.
To be honest i have little use for the contract if it doesn't include data... i use data for email (not vodafone) and general "emergency" surfing.
In my eyes i have been sold this contract under false pretenses and is tantamount to fraud. I am locked into a contract for 18 months which doesn't include the main selling point for me.
I've called them a couple of times now last week and all they have said is "ooh no the txt msg bundle doesnt include data"... which serves no purpose other than to wind me up. and tell me that the guy who sold it to me should ring me back.. (but he hasnt yet since last week)
:update: just called them again as they have yet to reply to an email i sent them laying out all the details. having explained it all about 3 times to various people i spoke to a woman who went off to check with manager (wouldnt let me speak to them though) and told me there is NOTHING they can do.. they just dont offer any data packages... she doesnt have access to recorded phone conversations and they dont record them all anyway! oooh but she said she would get the 30quid fee wavered from last month.
i asked just what use is that , i'm now stuck in a 18 month contract which i could have took out with a different company and had included data.. she sounded not particually bothered and offered no solution. i can cancel if i like and pay £350 cancellation charge. which is nice.
any ideas on how to proceed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have exactly the same problem as you last month as well, vodafone told me my contract include data, but my bill ends up with £137!!!! I phone up a few time and they told me the data bundle only include 50mb, and they say i use 98mb so they charge me the extra, i wanted to cancel the contract as well, but they say i can't......unless i pay £350. Great, stuck with this useless contract now....should have gone to T-mobile.
Anyway, they also told me Vodafone is coming up with new data package on may, so hopefully the plan is good then i will change my price plan.

Well, I hate it when I need to cancel a contract. I always get those X months free contracts I can get from whatever companies that is able to offer that. As such, I usually cancel my contract every 12 months (yes, I mass SMS all my friends the new number, good way to filter out friends ). And I had enough of their silly efforts of trying to stop you from getting off their contract, and now, after few years of improvements, it seems that the good 'reason' to tell them is that you are leaving the country Pretend that you are from somewhere else, pretend that you are going else where to get a job. It is easy for them (I think they may get into trouble if their call/leave rate is too high) and easy for you.
As for your current contract, it is unlikely they do not have their phone conversation recorded. In that case, there is no proof that you are actually in a contract anyway. I think you need to find some organization that deals with consumer affairs.

I had some problems getting an XDA Exec repaired with O2 - they kept wanting to give me a basic Nokia as a loan phone while it was done (and that's simply no substitute for an exec).
I eventually paid for an insurance claim when they said I could get it swapped that way but when that one was faulty too, I played merry hell with them...and got absolutely nowhere. I talked to loads of different people and managers and just ended up going round in circles - either I made another claim on the insurance or accepted a basic nokia for the weeks my phone would be being repaired.
So, I found out who the CEOs of O2 UK and O2 worldwide were and emailed them. My phone was replaced free of charge the next day and they refunded my insurance claim excess.
Major kudos to O2 for sorting out the problem, bad that it took them so long.
The point though is not to let them push you around. You're paying them for a service. They *need* the business of people like you. Don't be....
too much of a wuss
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....and let them get away with it. All the laws of the land are on your side. There's nothing to be scared of

I understand there's a section of their contract that says that if they increase a price and your monthly costs rise by more than a certain amount (without your usage pattern changing) you can cancel.
Someone on DigitalSpy.co.uk was having a similar problem with Voda's data charges.

hmmm.. just checked their new data tarriff. and its complete crap. making out that its such a great deal. £1 a day for up to 15mb usage. thats £30 quid a month then just for data.. sod that. tmobile's web and walk is only 7quid and no upper limit (not that i would use more than a meg or two a day anyway)
grr

thefunkygibbon said:
hmmm.. just checked their new data tarriff. and its complete crap. making out that its such a great deal. £1 a day for up to 15mb usage. thats £30 quid a month then just for data.. sod that. tmobile's web and walk is only 7quid and no upper limit (not that i would use more than a meg or two a day anyway)
grr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, where do you see the new data plan? do you mind to post a link?

Hi,
I had problems with service providers in the past as well (TV companies, phone companies and ISP's).
They all work with the following objective: to get the maximum profit, serving the worst possible service/support. If you look at this fact from an economic point of view, you will find that this is really the most profitable way of doing it, though the end-user probably will not be very satisfied with it.
Anyway: the best thing to do are the following rules:
1) Write them a registred letter explaining the facts.
2) Explain them what contract you where talked into.
3) Explain them that you only accept exactly that service.
4) Explain them that you give them two weeks to sort things out.
5) Explain them that after those two weeks, you either get an acceptable answer (i.e. they cancel the contract or provide you with the service they promised), or you cancel the contract because they where not able to provide you with the promised service.
6) Explain that in this last case you will cancel all payments.
7) DO NOT PAY. YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CONTRACT, UNLESS THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH a) a signed contract or b) a recorded call.
Don't be a wuss, because they are sharks. Treat them like a hunter!
Cheers,
vma

some great tips the only thing is if you dont pay as some peeps suggest you might get a default credit against you and if you have bad credit you might not be able to get credit with another operator in the worst posible case.

If it would get that far, legal advice should be mandatory.
Cheers,
vma

cheers guys.
the vodafone tariff details is at www.vodafone.co.uk/dataprices

touch pro for $450??? Is this REAL?

http://www.metrocellinc.com/htc-touch-pro.html
was the first listing on google.
Anyone know????

ekerbuddyeker said:
http://www.metrocellinc.com/htc-touch-pro.html
was the first listing on google.
Anyone know????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta be a crock tbh.
Cheapest ive seen it around and according to our vendors list is £490 (notice pounds).

mrvanx said:
Gotta be a crock tbh.
Cheapest ive seen it around and according to our vendors list is £490 (notice pounds).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna have to agree this seems like a crock. I paid £424.80 without VAT at hantech.co.uk

Umm stay clear is my advice......with a "business email that is a yahoo email address. In the uk i always check for a VAT number, not sure if its the same over there, but there seems to be very little info about them......

What the hell is VAT? I see that on all the Europian sites. What exactly is it.

Vampire2800 said:
What the hell is VAT? I see that on all the Europian sites. What exactly is it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Value Added Tax. see the wiki description here.

VAT
Value Added Tax,
It's the equivalent of the State Sales Tax, however for the UK it's a massive 17.5% - OUCH

All sites in the UK show their registered VAT number, which is unique to that business. I purchased cheep software (MS Office) from a site once, didnt have a vat number, and the software turned out to be hacked.

The Real Deal Or Not!
Anybody know about this website, is it the real or not? uhhh! I think I will do some research on this website tomorrow............!

I call BS. If you think it's too good to be true, it probably is.

total BS! think about it.

Kitchicus said:
It's the equivalent of the State Sales Tax, however for the UK it's a massive 17.5% - OUCH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Duh
In the Netherlands the legal thieves (government) take a humungous 19%
And they were even considering to raise it to 20%, but that had so much economic consequences that they didn't dare to do so.
But on-topic now: It has to be fake.
I bought the Raphael (HTC Touch Pro) for €602.= , est. £400,= or $870,=
That was almost the cheappest price possible in the netherlands.
So $450,= is almost 50% off, can't be legit.

checking It Out Now
ronh said:
Duh
In the Netherlands the legal thieves (government) take a humungous 19%
And they were even considering to raise it to 20%, but that had so much economic consequences that they didn't dare to do so.
But on-topic now: It has to be fake.
I bought the Raphael (HTC Touch Pro) for €602.= , est. £400,= or $870,=
That was almost the cheappest price possible in the netherlands.
So $450,= is almost 50% off, can't be legit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my peolpe checking it out now!

Metrocellinc?
Well I was suprised too ...and I e-mailed them,so that's what I was told:
***************************************
ME: "I would like to buy Xperia X1, but before that I have a few questions:
First of all I would like to ask why are those cell phones so cheap and are they clones?Are they woking properly and can I use them to Europe?
Second how can you sell Xperia when the world premiere of that phone is in November?
How can I be sure that is secure? And what is the cost of delivery to Williamsburg VA? And how can I return it (if I'm not pleased) and have the full price back?"
Metrocellinc: "Thanks for your Inquiry.
We have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 available in stock, Brand New, Unlocked, Factory Sealed and comes with a 1 year warranty.
You have been able to find phones at this price due to our Summer closeout sales (offer valid while stock last) We are Authorised sony dealers and we are currently on introductory sales into the market.
You will be getting a 3days return policy and a 1 year warranty. The X1 is compatible with any carrier anywhere in the world as it supports triband and quadband.
Delivery is $40
How many units do you intend to purchase?
We accept payments via Money Gram. Do you know where a Money Gram Agent is located?
Regards,
Jean."
Me: "Can I Pay with Visa?"
Metrocellinc: "At this time we are unable to accept payments via Credit Cards as we are currently facing problems with our credit card processor.
Money Gram is the only payment alternative."
*********************
Althought there's no note about that paying problem in their site!!!
Also...
do they look familiar?
http://www.cellconet.biz/htc-touch-pro.html
http://phonecot.com/index.html
http://weberstores.us/mobile-phones.html
http://market-actionsltd.com/electronics.html
http://www.electronikstore.com/mobile-phone.html
http://pacificproductsltd.com/ -the last one has Registered No.05990322

JOJIA said:
Metrocellinc: "At this time we are unable to accept payments via Credit Cards as we are currently facing problems with our credit card processor.
Money Gram is the only payment alternative."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI wire transfers are bad ...
http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/mrkt_safety/instantcashtransfer.html#moneygram
even they tell you it can be bad
http://moneygram.com/MGI/EN/ConsumerProtection/index.htm?CC=US&LC=EN

now down to 484 inc vat at expansys

This is a scam...like jodia I emailed them for validity. Never heard back after I told them COD only!
MetroCellInc:"Hi, Thanks for your Inquiry. We have the Htc Touch Pro available in stock, Brand New, Unlocked, Factory Sealed and comes with a 1 year warranty. This is a worldwide unlocked version. 100% compatible with T-Mobile. How many units do you intend to purchase and where will you be shipping to?
For payments we can only accept Money Gram at this time as we are currently facing technical problems with our Credit Card processor.
Regards, Jean."
Me:"Hi Jean, Unfortunately, our Company is not authorized to use Moneygram. We can only use MC, Paypal, or Cash On Delivery (COD). Since your MC Card processor is broke, you can mail it COD to complete this sale."

...so the last reply is:
*************************
Metrocellinc:
"At this time we can only accept payments via Money Gram. Below are the details needed to send funds via Money Gram:
Receiver's First Name: Emma
Receiver's Last Name: Depoe
Address: 20330 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33133
Amount: $440
Once payment is sent, you are to send the Reference Number, Sender's Name and Address as it appears on the payment receipt for confirmation.
Regards,
Jean."
**************************
I don't feel secure about this!!!Although the prices are fantastic....
....again too good to be true

Hmmm heavily underpriced, Payment exclusivly MoneyGram? Definite Scam. This kind of thing is often all over ebay. Has anyone actually gone through with a transaction with this crowd and got anything?
If yer looking for a cheap Raphael take a look at the Raphael Vendor Wiki
I keep that up to date weekly and at this time the top 3 cheapest sellers are Tiga Dua Cellular in Indonesia for €497.43 , 2Call from Netherlands for €576.00 and DigiTec of Switzerland for €585.60.
The most expensive I've seen is €739.00 in Portugal by Fnac.
Anyways Head to the Vendor Wiki at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Raphael_Vendors
If you know any other retailers add them to the wiki

From http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17890:
I was scammed by an electronics seller which offers iphone 3G, Nokia, and all phones of the moment. (they say they are located in the US but i´m not sure of this!)
DONT BUY ANYTHING FROM HIM !! THIS IS A BIG SCAM !!
the link :http://my-diversitydepotinc.com/
but also
http://www.cellphoneltd3g.com
and for sure other ones powered by e-yahoo which allows anyone to create a store on the internet. They also have a cart system...
Big scammer !!!
And of course, the money was send via Western Union to a certain :
Emma DEPOE
139 High Road
FL 32304 Tallahassee
My so called customer´s contact was: Patrick M. Peters.
Dont make the same mistake as i did and just be aware that companies which have an account by e-yahoo, even with a good looking site, may be a scam. Be sure not to pay with Western Union or unsecure ways.
SCAM SCAMMER :
cellphoneltd3g.com
solution-connection-mart.com
phonesuperstoreinc.com
phonecitytelecommunications.co
metrocellinc.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Potential Vodafone Scam

I would like to bring to your attention to what I understand may be a scam.
I have received about 4 phone calls over the last month or two from an Indian sounding voice, claiming to be from “Vodafone Business”
They first of all introduce themselves, and also seem to know my name. No security checks are asked. Alarm bells were ringing pretty much instantly, however I asked them to confirm my address, to which they were able!
They asked if I have upgraded my handset in the last 12 months. Strange question I thought! This is something I would expect Vodafone to know. I basically said that to the caller. They ignored what I said, and carried on asking “so do you have a Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson Handset” at which point I just hung up!
My partner also receives these calls, as does one of my colleagues at work. All three of us have small businesses, and I am convinced that they are trolling Google for basic personal info. As when you type the name of my photography business into Google, it actually displays my name, address, and mobile phone number. I think this is how they were able to confirm my address.
Anyway, just thought you should be aware of this, as who knows what personal information they could have tried to ask me for had I not been on the ball.
Looking forward to your thoughts and responses. I have sent Vodafone an email.

I believe all retailers are able to check when contracts are due for renewal.
All they do is scan the database for when this comes up and call you hoping to get your business rather than you sticking with your current provider (ie Vodaphone directly or another retailer such as CPWH).
I used to get them all the time on Voda.

Dont belive this is the same thing, for the following 2 reasons.
1. im 6 months into my current contract with Vodafone. (been a customer for approx 7 years, so this is obvioulsy an upgrade.
2. They said they were from vodafone business, not someother company. in other words, they were pretending to be Vodafone! thats not right!

It was probably a Vodaphone reseller. We have tons of them for TMO here in the states. IF this was the case he would have access to all your info from vodaphone. He basically makes money when he resigns you, upgrades you, or sells you a smartphone.

I used to get them throughout the contract when I was with voda.
thinking about it I've had none on o2, maybe voda sell their customer database hence more chance of being called.
another reason I'm happy to be rid of them!

[Q] GSM Acivation Precautions

Hi,
I am considering buying one of two used Galaxy Notes off craigslist for use with a T-Mobile SIM. One is AT&T and one is an international one.
From some of the research I've done, if buying the ATT one, I should run the IMEI by ATT to make sure it's clean, then make the seller sign a document stating that he's transferring ownership of the phone and IMEI to me to prevent him from reporting it stolen in the future, resulting in the blacklisting my IMEI, right? Also, how do I confirm he's the original owner? Will running the IMEI by ATT tell me that info?
Is it safer to pay more and go with a used international one? In other words do carriers tend to ever blacklist IMEIs of phones not sold by them?
Thanks

Good luck getting some random person from Craigslist to sign that kind of thing (which would have tenuous legal bearing, anyway).
I prefer to buy on eBay so that instead of having to deal with the police / legal system, eBay will handle it if they state something false about what they're selling.
Even if you run the IMEI by ATT, it can take some time for it to have entered their database - and that's assuming the seller already reported it stolen or defaulted on it. Most people trying to do that are smart enough to wait until you have the working phone, then report it - that way your phone works for a while and by the time it doesn't - what... you have a piece of paper they signed ? That's great, but then you have to either get the phone company to believe you or enter a legal dispute with this seller - with a document that's likely not notarized, from a person you probably have no idea where they can even be found - who might have given you a fake name and ID.
Plenty of people take the chance and it turns out okay. Some get burned - taking the chance is up to you. I prefer to go through eBay or a friend - because I know where friends live and generally they're actually friends and don't want to screw me over.

Hi Pennycake,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. The signed document was a suggestion I received from an ATT rep, who said it would show I was the owner and she would unblacklist it for me, and worst case scenario I have something instead of nothing if police are involved. Also both sellers have agreed to sign the documents, but thanks for the good luck
So again, my original questions: how do I identify the original owner of a phone sold by ATT, and secondly, do carriers ever blacklist IMEIs of international phones not sold by them?
Thanks in advance

I'm not sure if ATT and T-Mobile use the same company to manage blacklisting - that it's actually the same list (ie - if you're removed from the ATT list, will you be removed from T-Mobile's list or would they need to do it separately) . So you might have to convince T-Mobile reps - who by and large aren't that well (or at all) trained about the blacklist. I've never dealt with ATT reps, but they sound a whole lot better than the ones at T-Mobile when it comes to the IMEI blacklist (I've had great customer service from T-Mobile, but their training concerning the IMEI blacklist was sub-par, at least when I was on the market a few months ago).
I don't think T-Mobile will personally blacklist international phones. I know that USA carriers are starting to work together more and more - but I don't know about international.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

The largest GSM carriers in America, T-Mobile and AT&T, are collaborating on efforts in maintaining a national IMEI blacklist for GSM phones to help stop thefts, and began implementing policy beginning last month. This is why I am extra cautious as I have never been over the purchase of a used GSM phone. Which led me to a new question I would never have thought to ask, which was, again, "Do US carriers blacklist IMEIs of international phones not sold by them?"
So an example is if an ATT customer activated an int'l phone sold by Samsung, not ATT, and defaulted on payments. The relevancy of this, if the IMEI was blacklisted, would be that T-Mobile would not activate the phone. Carriers have had incentive to blacklist phones sold by themselves to protect against their investment in subsidizing the phones, but I am unclear on phones not sold by them. Anyone with little or great information would be very helpful in posting.
Thanks
Edit: I feel I may have been unclear, but this is the question I'm mainly trying to get answered: "Do US carriers blacklist IMEIs of international phones not sold by them?" I'm not seeking advice on how to be unblacklisted if my phone is reported stolen or where I should buy my phones from, I am seeking those with experience buying international phones, such as an unlocked iPhone from an Apple Store, for instance, and have defaulted on payments. These phones would never be blacklisted for being reported stolen as they weren't sold by carriers, but have the potential to be blacklisted for a bad account. If the potential is not there then this would be the path I would choose from here into the future when purchasing used GSM phones. If the potential is there then there would be no added benefit of choosing int'l over carrier-sold used phones. Thanks again and I apologize for any ambiguity

I know that, the problem is that if ATT and T-Mobile aren't using the same IMEI blacklist, they would have to each remove the number individually. They could maintain a national list, but still input those values into separate systems.
I'm not really sure where you're going with the example of, "So an example is if an ATT customer activated an int'l phone sold by Samsung, not ATT, and defaulted on payments. The relevancy of this, if the IMEI was blacklisted, would be that T-Mobile would not activate the phone."
Why would they blacklist that phone ? That phone must have already been paid for, to Samsung. If you buy an international phone outright, there shouldn't be any "payments" to default on - sure, maybe you bought it with a credit card, but in that case it was still fully paid for - and if you stop paying the card, they're going to send you to collections and trash your credit score. The phone is your property even if you stop paying for the service it's connected to. If they ARE doing this, it strikes me a slightly illegal unless you sign away property rights under contract or something.
I'd be more worried about the hypothetical international phone's IMEI being reported stolen - since it looks like the FCC efforts are concerned primarily with theft, not with where the phone was purchased - like if you report a car stolen. Their efforts are motivated by preventing phone theft and related crimes - not on carrier subsidies or carriers making money (because, really, carriers stand to lose money by blocking stolen phones).
"T-Mobile USA prevents use of stolen devices internal to its network, and has established connectivity to the GSMA Global IMEI database that is ready for use by other carriers as recommended in the GSMA-NA Report (entitled “Analysis and Recommendations for Stolen Mobile Device Issue in the United States”), and as set forth in the Industry/FCC Agreement"
So I imagine that in the future, if not already, T-Mobile will have the capacity to block stolen international phones.
So, I agree - there's probably no added benefit since IMEI blacklists are on the path to converge with the focus on theft as the goal, not subsidy.

They are using the same blacklist. When they run the IMEI and it's on the list shared by both companies, they don't activate the phone.
Can anyone else please chime in with knowledge and experience with international phones? Thank you much.

Carriers getting Money

Hi,
I have a weird question. I even don't know whether I'm posting in the correct section or not. Admins, please move this question to the correct section.
In the US, most of the cell phone sales are through Carriers. But its not in the developing countries. Its a more prepaid market.
That means, we go to Walmart, and buy grocery and similarly, we buy cell phones and recharge cards and refill our account.
Mostly it is prepaid market. But in the US, its mostly postpaid market and contracts.
Is there any way, I can get some details, about the carriers, on the whole, - not of each individual carriers, source of income.
Example : Lets say 100 people need cell phones. How many are walking into any of the carrier's stores and signing up a contract and how many are going online on amazon or ebay or craigslist and buying their cell phones and plans online?? and how many are going in for walmart, target, bestbuy, frys, and buying a cell phone and plans available there.
Does a report of this nature exist?? I'm not sure.
I'm trying to find myself online, but cannot find one.
Thanks a lot for the help. Its for one of my school work's project. I need to develop more on that, with graphs, pie charts, and strategies/suggestions.
Thank You and peace.