AT&T's iPhone FAQ and Policies

[MacRumors]

AT&T has posted a FAQ for the iPhone and service activation. Much of the information was known, but clarifies activation policies:

- $499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB iPhone
- 2-year service agreement required
- iPhone is not eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance; iPhone is covered by Apple Warranty
- No business discounts
- iPhone must be activated before it can be used. Pre-installed SIM card.
- Activates "within a few minutes"
- 14 day return policy. If opened, there is a 10% restocking fee.
- Existing AT&T wireless customers will need to add an iPhone Data Plan.

[joshuajestelle]

Boring news

Although I suppose these clarifications are somewhat helpful.

[Aperture]

Hopefully this will help cut down on threads in the iPhone forum. & Yes, it does shed some light on certain topics.

[loudestnoise]

Pre-installed SIM eh? Works for me.

[Beaner]

As long as you can UN PreInstall it thats Ok

[loudestnoise]

Originally Posted by Beaner

As long as you can UN PreInstall it thats Ok

Yes, I would like to switch with my RAZR (aka the "crap" phone) when I don't want to take my iPhone out and about.

[DMann]

Originally Posted by Beaner

As long as you can UN PreInstall it thats Ok

Yes, the SIM appears to be both removable and replaceable.

[Beaner]

Hmmm Pre-Installed Sim Card does not bode well for those who wanted to unlock it and use on another network.

[aiongiant]

preinstalled sim card... means no unlocking i guess

[Le Big Mac]

Originally Posted by aiongiant

preinstalled sim card... means no unlocking i guess

Not necessarily-they're just saving you the step of popping the SIM out of the little card and installing it in the phone. My guess is if you're a current ATT subscriber, you could install your existing SIM.

As for unlocking, separate issue. Presumably the phone can be unlocked, but it's going to be difficult to do so. Most phones need at least a code supplied by the cell co. Why would this be different?

[pjo]

Originally Posted by joshuajestelle

Boring news

Although I suppose these clarifications are somewhat helpful.

Considering the varrying opinions on the other threads, I wonder if ATT staff skim this (and other) forums.

[bignumbers]

- iPhone is not eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance; iPhone is covered by Apple Warranty

I'm on Sprint right now - their optional insurance covers loss of the phone, dropping, etc, in addition to standard warranty issues. Does this mean I cannot (for that added fee) protect myself from loss the same way?

- No business discounts

A question remains on if this "no discounts" policy extends to the service. This statement is vague, but appears to say that there are no discounts on either the hardware or the service. I qualify for a 15% discount off AT&T's services. This "no discounts" policy would make my phone $216 more expensive over the two-year contract period. Why the heck would they do this? I will drop by a store and confirm. This may be a reason for me to at least wait a while.

- 14 day return policy. If opened, there is a 10% restocking fee.

The Apple policy said 30-day policy, and only the loss of the $36 activation fee. Did this suddenly grow to $16 + $50 = $66, and the time cut in half?

These policies are along the lines of "We don't want your business."

[SirOmega]

Originally Posted by bignumbers

The Apple policy said 30-day policy, and only the loss of the $36 activation fee. Did this suddenly grow to $16 + $50 = $66, and the time cut in half?

That does disappoint me as well - 30 days seems like a reasonable time to test drive a phone, 14 days not so much. Perhaps AT&T wants to stem the tide of returns by shortening the window from 30 days to 14.

Edit: Yea, AT&T is singling out Apple hardware - their return policy states 30 days and $25/50 fees for returning equipment. Except for Apple hardware, which is 14 days and 10%.

[Johnner1999]

Originally Posted by SirOmega

That does disappoint me as well - 30 days seems like a reasonable time to test drive a phone, 14 days not so much. Perhaps AT&T wants to stem the tide of returns by shortening the window from 30 days to 14.

Edit: Yea, AT&T is singling out Apple hardware - their return policy states 30 days and $25/50 fees for returning equipment. Except for Apple hardware, which is 14 days and 10%.

Just my 2 cents worth... but isn't that the standard Apple return policy?

14 days and 10% restocking fee if opened... Not saying I like it but they are treating it like an Apple iPod more then a AT&T phone.

[Whotheheck]

Originally Posted by bignumbers

A question remains on if this "no discounts" policy extends to the service. This statement is vague, but appears to say that there are no discounts on either the hardware or the service.

It is not vauge. It says:

iPhone and associated wireless service are not eligible for corporate discounts.


I wonder if that applies to military discounts too? The system saw it as a business, so...


I'd also like to point out 2 things:

1. Say someone buys the iPhone, takes it home, and faisl the credit check. I worked for Cingular before and something like 10-20% of the people did not pass the credit check at our store. What happens to these people when they try to activate the phone? Unless they want to pay a deposit that can be $750, they have to return the phone. Too bad opened boxes have a 10% restocking fee! Cingular did not have a restocking fee at all when I worked for them, as long as everything was returned (box, manuals etc.). What a crappy policy to have.

2. I did not know this until I read the FAQ so I don't know if it is old news but it says that anyone, ANYONE, even if you just upgraded your phone a month ago, can upgrade to a iPhone. Only thing is that your contract starts over again when you buy the phone.

[xterratop]

Ok, so the iPhone is the biggest hype right now. I've read that critics are saying although its an expensive phone they're sure that Apple will bring the price down after all the hype. Apple's main objective is to get more people to switch over to their world of Apple products. As for the phone subscriptions through ATT, I think that may change over time for the better. My concern are the other carriers like Verizon and Sprint/Nextell. I wonder how much they'll be making with people who will want to break contract and pay their huge fees to get out of contract? And will they survive in the cellphone market now that they may lose customers. And I think this iPhone should have some incentives that would bring the price down for new subscribers like their other phones. All this hype is temporary and once its all over, you'll see price drop and updated versions of the iPhone.

Don't get me wrong, I like the iPhone. I think its an incredible product BUT there are concerns regarding battery life and other features that I would like to see in the phone. I have Sprint and although their coverage is quite good, their customer service is rated the worst in the cellular industry. With this new iPhone, I hope ATT will do the following for their network:
1- more bandwidth
2- better coverage throughout the west coast
3- incentives for new customers

It'll be interesting to see what happens to that industry. They'll be very competitve with each other regarding plans. I just hope the iPhone will live up to its name and that it becomes very successful- just like the iPod.

[Yankees 4 Life]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

AT&T has posted a FAQ for the iPhone and service activation. Much of the information was known, but clarifies activation policies:

- $499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB iPhone
- 2-year service agreement required
- iPhone is not eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance; iPhone is covered by Apple Warranty
- No business discounts
- iPhone must be activated before it can be used. Pre-installed SIM card.
- Activates "within a few minutes"
- 14 day return policy. If opened, there is a 10% restocking fee.
- Existing AT&T wireless customers will need to add an iPhone Data Plan.

awesome!!! all i have to do is add a data plan.... Well hey its better than having to buy a new plan right? i'm also shocked about the so called "sim tray" that was pronounced at the beginning. I wanted to be able to swap out sim cards... However, i will be buying my iPhone friday, and wait till Gen 3 to upgrade again. Hopefully by then they will have a true sim tray.

Thanks !! I Can't wait any longer!

[dr_lha]

To me the most interesting thing about this FAQ is that there is no limitation on who can buy an iPhone, even if you are currently under contract to AT&T. I'm currently on AT&T and out of contract, I get upgrade to a new family plan, get 2 free phones today, then buy the iPhone next week and migrate the plan to that iPhone for an extra $20 a month.

The benefit of me doing this of course is that I can sell the 2 new phones I got for free on Ebay for close to $300 and put that money towards the iPhone, essentially creating my own phone subsidy.

Yep, this is definitely what I'm going to do.

[Macmaniac]

Does anyone know if I will be able to use the iPhone if I travel abroad in England? Assuming I buy it in NJ and use it for 5 months before hand will ATT allow me to use it while out of the country. I am studying in London for 6 months so I would really love to have the iPhone work while I am there.

[slffl]

I know it says no Business Discounts, but can we still add iPhone to a Business Account?

Or does it have to be a Personal Account?

[macridah]

What if I want to turn a individual plan into a family plan and make the iPhone that new line ... I didn't see how that can be done on iTunes?

[CJD2112]

So what if you already are a Cingular/ATT Wireless customer and just want to drop in your SIM card? It should work, assuming all ATT SIM cards are the same (and from what I understand the SIM card on the iPhone opens in the same manner as an Apple IR Remote).

[dr_lha]

Originally Posted by CJD2112

So what if you already are a Cingular/ATT Wireless customer and just want to drop in your SIM card? It should work, assuming all ATT SIM cards are the same (and from what I understand the SIM card on the iPhone opens in the same manner as an Apple IR Remote).

No. It comes with a SIM card, you have to activate the iPhone online through iTunes and it will extend your AT&T contract by 2 years. By all accounts slipping in an old AT&T SIM will not activate the phone.

[bytethese]

Originally Posted by dr_lha

No. It comes with a SIM card, you have to activate the iPhone online through iTunes and it will extend your AT&T contract by 2 years. By all accounts slipping in an old AT&T SIM will not activate the phone.

From what I have been told by 2 CingulAT&T Customer Service Reps (not from stores but their 1-800 number), it will not extend your contract by 2yrs, it will disolve your current contract the day you activate the iPhone and it will be 2yrs from activation of the iPhone.

[sminman]

How long does it take to activate my new iPhone?
"Activation times can vary, but if you’re setting up a new line, it may take as little as a few minutes. If you’re porting a number from another carrier, it could take longer. While you’re waiting, you can make calls but not receive them."

What do they mean when they say that you can make calls but not recieve them?

Does that mean the iPhone will let you make emergency calls when you don't have your sim card in?

Or are they talking about making and receiving calls with your old service provider?

I didn't quite understand what they meant...