Starting September 24, China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom have suspended their financial installment services for purchasing mobile devices. This move effectively ends the '0 yuan handset' marketing campaigns that were previously offered by the three major carriers.
The services affected include China Mobile's Hebao Credit Purchase, China Telecom's Orange Installment, and China Unicom's Wo Installment. Under these programs, customers signed loan contracts while purchasing devices, with repayment amounts bundled into their monthly mobile bills.
The suspension applies only to new applications, while existing contracts remain valid and will continue to be executed according to their original terms. Customer service representatives from all three carriers have confirmed the suspension, citing ongoing product and service experience upgrades.
The decision follows numerous consumer complaints regarding these installment plans. Offline retail outlets often marketed these loans as 'free device' offers, sometimes leading to situations where users were unaware of the loan agreements or faced credit issues due to missed payments.
