If consumers paid out of pocket for their phones then they would be more picky about upgrading and plan prices. It would also make upselling shitty plan features harder so the carriers would loose a lot of money.
Then I tell them they'd be better served by switching to an MVNO offering significantly better rates and they come back and tell me they're locked in for a while because they just financed new devices.
I'm souring on the ways we create systems where you have to be super savvy and walk on eggshells with how you use the service and utter the right incantations or else you get hosed.
These systems rely on intentionally leaving people in the dark to manufacture legitimacy under the guise that well-educated consumers can avoid the hidden fees and restrictions. It's the expected end state when these shady schemes are allowed to exist.