> jump to another carrier and abandon the one with the finance plan. What’s the recourse for the carrier?

Subprime auto lenders use “electronic devices to remotely shut down vehicles” [1].

Carriers could install remote management profiles on phones financed for subprime borrowers. If a borrower defaults, the loan is sold to a collector and phone erased and put in lost mode.

It isn’t pleasant. But neither is being locked into a phone plan you don’t want.

[1] https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/03/14/car-lenders-...