Everybody hates their cellphone company, right?

Want out, because reception's become awful, or because only company "X" has that nifty new mobile phone you want?

New websites, including

Cellswapper
CelltradeUSA
Resellular and
Wirecracker

now help customers get out of contracts with cellular companies without paying the (excessive) termination fee designed to lock you in to their company. Contracts loophole let folks escape those contracts if another person will assume, take over, the contract, and a credit check induces the the wireless operator to approve the new subscriber. There's a fee (said to be $15-$50 as per today's Wall Street Journal), but it's a lot less than what the cellular carrier charges.

That story also noted

47% of cell customers would switch or consider switching cellphone companies if early-termination fees were abolished, according to a July 2005 survey by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. However, because of the fee, only 3% of customers go ahead with terminating the contract, the survey found.