It’s been just over a week since T-Mobile announced its market-changing 4th phase of Uncarrier. The deal is the first of its kind to be introduced as a way to help customers (particularly families) get away from their contracts with other carriers by paying their early termination fees, and giving them money towards their old phones. Since then, more than 80,000 customers have posted “Break-up Letters” to social media by people who have made use of the program to leave their old carriers.

Initially, the deal only included customers from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, but from today it’s been expanded to U.S. Cellular and other smaller, regional carriers who require an early termination fee to pay off lengthy contracts. T-Mobile is also going to increase the number of handsets that customers can trade in, and will accept damaged phones. In almost every case, a damaged phone will fetch less trade-in value than full operational ones, but it does help customers with broken phones to make use of the ETF-payment deal.

“This is not just a promotion,” T-Mobile marketing chief Mike Sievert told Re/code on Thursday. “What we are trying to do is bring an end to unfair one-way onerous contracts in this country.”

Although more than 80,000 breakup letters have been posted on social, but Sievert refused to confirm exactly how many customers had signed up to T-Mobile because of the offer. The number of letters would seemingly suggest that a lot of people have switched. We might have to wait a few more weeks yet to find out. Sievert did say, however, that the number of people joining T-Mobile has increased, suggesting the company is having a great start to 2014.

Although this entertaining “Breakup” letters aren’t required to cancel old plans, it does make an event of the whole switching thing. It makes it fun, engaging and gives T-Mobile continued exposure on social media networks.

Via: Re/code