In this case, the manager certainly did seem to lie to my face. He told we I did not have to pay an ETF to the carrier when he knew:
1) I'd already had to do so 2) All major US carriers with contracts charge ETFs 3) That ETF statement precedes the Radio Shack fine print on the receipt he referenced.
When I told he I though he knew better than that, he didn't deny it and looked away.
I don't think my statement was unfair given my personal experience. I am certainly not saying every employee lies, and I'm sure many of them don't. But some may lie and it can be to the customer's financial detriment when they do.
-------------------- Lisa Gade Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview