Not as surprised as they are when they realize how much they paid for the expensive phone, in my experience. Regardless of brand, it's baffling to me why people don't just wait a few months and buy a phone outright instead of getting the one with the very expensive contract.
Have you seen that MetroPCS commercial where the dumb kid takes the glittering gold phone only to to find himself swinging from a rope while the presenter admonishes 'Silly Billy! The contract is how the trap is sprung!' They should get some sort of award for promoting financial literacy at the same time as marketing their service.
I pay $50/month for my line and another $35 for my wife. I don't spend a lot of time on the phone and I don't text at all, but I have unlimited data. More importantly, I barely bother to look at my bill because I know what it's going to be in advance. The lack of admin more than makes up for any minor economic inefficiencies - I don't grudge the phone company making a profit off my relative underuse of the voice service.
Have you seen that MetroPCS commercial where the dumb kid takes the glittering gold phone only to to find himself swinging from a rope while the presenter admonishes 'Silly Billy! The contract is how the trap is sprung!' They should get some sort of award for promoting financial literacy at the same time as marketing their service.