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Already activated iPhone -- Any Better?

S

spectrablue

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 9, 2007
4
0
I'm a current Cingular/AT&T customer, If I walk into the my friendly AT&T store with an iPhone that has already been activated, by someone else who cancelled their account, does that help me from signing a 2-year contract?

I mean, the other person signed the contract on this paticular phone, and then paid the $175 cancellation fee. So why should I have to sign a 2-year contract?

Has anyone done this with say, a used, already activated iPhone from eBay?.

Thanks in advance!
 
spectrablue said:
I'm a current Cingular/AT&T customer, If I walk into the my friendly AT&T store with an iPhone that has already been activated, by someone else who cancelled their account, does that help me from signing a 2-year contract?

I mean, the other person signed the contract on this paticular phone, and then paid the $175 cancellation fee. So why should I have to sign a 2-year contract?

Has anyone done this with say, a used, already activated iPhone from eBay?.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

just buy a refurbshed....349 for 8gb...thats so cheap
 
Eric Lewis said:
just buy a refurbshed....349 for 8gb...thats so cheap
Click to expand...

I agree that the price point of $349 is much more attractive than $599 but...

My goal is to have an iPhone without the contract. If Apple has already slashed the price less than 3 months after it's release, why would I want to sign a 2-year agreement when who knows what the next 3 months will bring.
 
spectrablue said:
I agree that the price point of $349 is much more attractive than $599 but...

My goal is to have an iPhone without the contract. If Apple has already slashed the price less than 3 months after it's release, why would I want to sign a 2-year agreement when who knows what the next 3 months will bring.
Click to expand...

dude, the current price for the iphone is 299.00 for the 4GB and 399.00 for the 8GB!
 
spectrablue said:
I agree that the price point of $349 is much more attractive than $599 but...

My goal is to have an iPhone without the contract. If Apple has already slashed the price less than 3 months after it's release, why would I want to sign a 2-year agreement when who knows what the next 3 months will bring.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately no. If you are activating on your account you'll need to sign up with ATT again. The only way out is if the iphone you have is already activated. Then you'd just need a media max plan and an ATT plan. HOWEVER you will not get visual voicemail unless you are on an iPhone plan.

Chances are if future iPhones are sold like the current ones you'll be able to buy it unsubsidized and re-up your 2 years again anyhow when they come out.

And I 100% understand your reluctance to commit to 2 more years, but unfortunately it's the case regardless of what cell company.
 
Yes, you pretty much cant do anything with it unless you sign a 2 year contract with them.
Once you activate it automaticly enrolls you.
Unless you wait for the unlock software and try to hack it.
 
Wow so no matter how it's acquired you must sign a 2-year contract? Say you have an existing contract with cingular, you can't just add the data plan onto your existing plan and then use the sim card with the iPhone?
 
Nope, no way around it.
You want an Iphone you're stuck with them for 2 years :D
 
Go pre-paid. No contract. However you get next to no minutes for the same price as a regular plan.

edit - If he is already an ATT customer, why would he have to sign on to a 2yr contract just to go with the iPhone if he buys elsewhere??
 
I agree, if he goes prepaid then there no contrats.
If he wants a monthly bill even though he's already an AT&T customer he has to sign a contract to active the phone thru Itunes/AT&T

VoodooDaddy said:
Go pre-paid. No contract. However you get next to no minutes for the same price as a regular plan.

edit - If he is already an ATT customer, why would he have to sign on to a 2yr contract just to go with the iPhone if he buys elsewhere??
Click to expand...
 
Cell carriers make it almost impossible to dodge their 2 year contract bullet. Just know that in the end, you're getting a great phone with a lot of great functions. And that it can only get better.
 
spectrablue said:
I'm a current Cingular/AT&T customer, If I walk into the my friendly AT&T store with an iPhone that has already been activated, by someone else who cancelled their account, does that help me from signing a 2-year contract?

I mean, the other person signed the contract on this paticular phone, and then paid the $175 cancellation fee. So why should I have to sign a 2-year contract?

Has anyone done this with say, a used, already activated iPhone from eBay?.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

If you walk into an Apple store, you can buy an iPhone and never do anything with it.

If you want to use it, you have to agree to the 2 year contract.

Think about it -- if you didn't have to do that, all you'd have to do is buy an iphone, sign up, pay $175 to cancel, then "sell" it to a friend or someone on ebay for $1, then go activate that "used" phone and not have a contract.

Essentially it's a $176 contract opt out, and that's simply not going to happen.
 
Thank you everyone for your input.

Basically I'm trying to grasp that if I bring in a used, already activated by someone else, iPhone into the store and say I want to change one of the phones on the plan to be an iPhone, it wouldn't need to be activated by me since it was already activated.

Is what you are telling me that the first owner has to sign a contract and every subsequent owner has to sign a contract as well? What a racket for AT&T! Especially on a phone that is not subsidized!

If I walk in with a new from eBay Black Razr and want to switch it out with the old worn silver Razr that I've had for two years it shouldn't be any different. They aren't subsidizing the new phone in any way so why can't I switch?

Is it as simple as putting my current SIM into an already activated iPhone and adding the iPhone data plan ($20)?
 
For the last time its not as easy as swapping a SIM.
You sign a 2 year agreement when you activate the phone thru Itunes.
AT&T doesnt activate it for you, you gotta plug it into your PC with the latest version of Itunes installed. Or you can use a PC at the AT&T store.
But this phone does not work like every other you can buy an unlocked cell from ebay or use a phone that your cousin had that is not using just by sticking in your sim. Its alot more involved and locked down
 
What would happen if I upgraded from my 4gb to an 8gb phone. Would I have to by out my old contract? Would they add two more years (a total of 4)? Or would I just start a new 2 year contract.
 
If its the same phone number it just lets you transfer your number to the new iphone without signing up for another 2 year agreement.
 
Canuck4 said:
If its the same phone number it just lets you transfer your number to the new iphone without signing up for another 2 year agreement.
Click to expand...

Isnt that what the OP is trying to do?? He wants to take an exsisting ATT # and use that account with an iPhone. Why would be be expected to sign a 2yr agreement?
 
Are you people really this ignorant?

You CAN NOT activate the iPhone through AT&T. Not over the phone, not online, not in the store, not anywhere. The ONLY way to activate this phone is through iTunes, and the ONLY way to activate it through iTunes is to add on a 2-year contract.
You CAN NOT put your existing SIM card in the iPhone. It will not work and will be deactivated when you transfer you number to the iPhone.
 
JBaker122586 said:
Are you people really this ignorant?

You CAN NOT activate the iPhone through AT&T. Not over the phone, not online, not in the store, not anywhere. The ONLY way to activate this phone is through iTunes, and the ONLY way to activate it through iTunes is to add on a 2-year contract.
You CAN NOT put your existing SIM card in the iPhone. It will not work and will be deactivated when you transfer you number to the iPhone.
Click to expand...


Hello?:rolleyes: Did you read through the thread. The op is saying that the phone has already been activated. He would not have to activate it through itunes because the phone has already been activated through itunes buy someone else and that person has just cancelled the AT&T account. The are calling them "unlocked" iphones on ebay but basicly they are just iphones that can be used as everything but a cell phone. The OP wants to know if he takes one of these phones into an AT&T store will he have to sign a 2 year contract. My answer would be this. If you are not currently with AT&T then yes you would have to sign a new 2 year contract to start service. If you are already an AT&T customer they may let you just transfer over the number to the new iphone without extending your current contract. Here's an idea just give AT&T a call to find out for sure.:D
By the way if you are already an At&t customer are you under contract right now. Just curious.
 
No, you get nothing! You lose! Good day sir!

I have read through the thread and am aware this phone was already activated before he purchased it.
But it was deactivated, meaning he must ACTIVATE IT THROUGH ITUNES JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER IPHONE ON THE MARKET.

There is no sympathy from AT&T because it was already activated once and he already has a contract with them. You CAN NOT put any SIM card into the iPhone other than the one that it came with. AT&T can not possibly do anything to reactivate the phone. It MUST be reactivated with a 2-year contract through iTunes; no ifs, ands or buts about it.
 
if this were not the case nobody would have a contract, and everyone would have a "used" iPhone.

Buy iPhone.
Activate it
Cancel it, pay ETF
Give to friend, they get iPhone w/o contract.

Friend does same for you.

2 new iPhones without contracts. Hooray! AT&T goes bankrupt.
 
The ETF ($175) is so they can recapture the "discount" given on subsidized phones. You walk in and they give you a Razr for free, they are really giving you it for payments included in your 2-year contract (or $175 if you cancel).

The way I understand the iPhone works (or doesn't) is that there are two different "states" to it:

Unactivated --> right out of the box, basically does nothing but stare you in the face saying "Thank you for choosing Apple, please connect to iTunes and sign 2-year contract with AT&T, blah, blah"

Activated --> has been connected to iTunes, activated by someone, 2-year contact signed, basically flipping a software switch inside the device enabling features such as WIFI, iPod features, EDGE network features if still connected to appropriate AT&T wireless plan, phone features if still connected to appropriate AT&T wireless plan, etc.

What I'm hearing from all the helpful people on this thread is that if I take this "activated" iPhone into the store, one that works fine as an iPod, one that works on WIFI, but doesn't have any raising the bar icons in the upper left corner, and tell them that I want to replace my Razr on my current (and no contract time remaining plan), they won't do it. The phone is already freaking activated, there is no UNACTIVATION! All I'm needing is a iPhone SIM reprogrammed with my account info and number. The phone doesn't care, it has already been properly activated, Apple has already received their cut of the profits from the first guy...
 
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