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This is true for phones as well. In my country there is a trend: people go to their network operator of their choosing, they get a subscription for maybe 2 years, with a phone that is only paid a starter fee (not sure if this the right term) which is generally about 5% or less of the value of the phone. Now, after they get the phone, they "forget" to pay the subscription, they sell the phone at about 80% of the original price. The warranty comes from the manufacturer so the operator that sold it has no say in this. And.. in some time, possibly a month, maybe 2, the phone will be banned in the network via IMEI. I'm not exactly sure if this is a global ban on all operators - could be true since the authorities are involved. Still..
Well, here contract phones stopped being sold with SIM locks once carriers realized they could place you in a debtors list after you vanish, and therefore prevent you from buying anything on credit again.