Anyone else charged full $499 for 16GB 3G? AT&T scam?

[tags26]

I have a family plan. Yesterday went to buy 2 new 3g phones which when the sales associate rang them up came to $1,000. He said his computer was telling him I wasn't available for the discount pricing on the new phone. I said, well i am renewing my ATT contract, what would make me eligible? And the sales guy said to call AT&T to straighten it out, that he can only charge what his computer comes up as. I couldn't get a clear answer as to who's not eligible for the $299 price and why...nobody knew. So he replied, you have to ask them to reduce it, and i said, "what is this, let's make a deal?". I got the feeling that this has happened to many others, bc he said, listen just call them.

So the other supervisor in the Apple store called the merchant support at AT&T who also told me i wasn't eligible because i needed to have my first iphone for 21 months. Meanwhile, nobody on this planet has had an iphone for 21 months obviously so how does that one make sense? Also, if i logged into my ATT wireless account it clearly stated that both iPhone lines were eligible, but ATT was telling me it wasn't and there was nothing they can do. I was livid at this point and asked the sales associate, "You mean to tell me that anyone who's eligibe for the discount must be a new ATT customer?" and he said, no of course not..and the only people who were being charged full price for the phones were bill delingquents or others who had their first iphone discounted.

So then, the Apple genius called customer service at ATT for me who miraculously confirmed i was eligible for the discount, and the "try scanning them through again". This time they came up mysteriously as $299/each.

I also heard from a friend that this happened to him as well...that they were first being charged the full price.

Has this happened to anyone else? What are your experiences? I must say though the sales guy i dealt with at apple patiently took care of this issue for me in a professional manner. It's AT&T which seemed to drop the ball on this one.

 

[greenmymac]

I didn;t have this problem

 

[Aiphanes]

Dude the computer had some account information not update...you caught it and did the right thing...if others are not as smart as you, then it is their lost.

Congrats on beating the system...or should I say not getting scammed by ATT.

 

[dlamin517]

before i bought the iphone i had another year left on my contract. so i was told a few days before i would have to pay the 499 price for the 16gb. It was confirmed i would have to pay that price with three different att represenatives. i was kinda fine with it but when i got it yesterday they only charged me 300. i was like wtf? but extremely happy i saved 200 bucks. more money for apps and cases.

 

[tags26]

before i bought the iphone i had another year left on my contract. so i was told a few days before i would have to pay the 499 price for the 16gb. It was confirmed i would have to pay that price with three different att represenatives. i was kinda fine with it but when i got it yesterday they only charged me 300. i was like wtf? but extremely happy i saved 200 bucks. more money for apps and cases.

You see, that's the kind of nonsense that just annoys me... i still don't even know what the rule is for receiving the upgrade price or not? Is it you must be less than a year left on your contract? 1st Gen iPhones weren't reduced or subsidized by ATT (meaning we paid the full price) so why wouldn't 3g not be discounted.

I understand now that we got the reduced rate, if they come out with another next year at this time, we are going to pay full price since this one was subsized, just like any other carrier. But the first we all paid full price!

 

[FarSeide]

before i bought the iphone i had another year left on my contract. so i was told a few days before i would have to pay the 499 price for the 16gb. It was confirmed i would have to pay that price with three different att represenatives. i was kinda fine with it but when i got it yesterday they only charged me 300. i was like wtf? but extremely happy i saved 200 bucks. more money for apps and cases.

what did your OLAM tell you ? were you eligible when you checked online ?

If you look through this forum, you will find a thread where AT&T was updating a lot of current iPhone users eligibility status. Perhaps your status was updated before you went up to the counter to make your purchase

 

[fireb0x]

You see, that's the kind of nonsense that just annoys me... i still don't even know what the rule is for receiving the upgrade price or not? Is it you must be less than a year left on your contract? 1st Gen iPhones weren't reduced or subsidized by ATT (meaning we paid the full price) so why wouldn't 3g not be discounted.

I understand now that we got the reduced rate, if they come out with another next year at this time, we are going to pay full price since this one was subsized, just like any other carrier. But the first we all paid full price!

You are surrounded in misinformation and suffer greatly for your extreme lack of the ability to do simple research.

First generation iPhone users are eligible for the subsidized pricing BECAUSE the first iPhone was not subsidized. Since you payed for the phone, ATT took no hit on the cost. With a subsidized phone, ATT takes a hit on the phone immediately, but makes it up over the course of 24 months (2 years) with the contract you sign.

You are ineligible if you purchased a subsidized phone from ATT within the last 24 months (some people will qualify at 21). Since the iPhone first generation was not subsidized, you did not fall under the ineligible category to begin with (if you had a first gen phone and still did on July 11th).

 

[TimothyB]

You are surrounded in misinformation and suffer greatly for your extreme lack of the ability to do simple research.

First generation iPhone users are eligible for the subsidized pricing BECAUSE the first iPhone was not subsidized. Since you payed for the phone, ATT took no hit on the cost. With a subsidized phone, ATT takes a hit on the phone immediately, but makes it up over the course of 24 months (2 years) with the contract you sign.

You are ineligible if you purchased a subsidized phone from ATT within the last 24 months (some people will qualify at 21). Since the iPhone first generation was not subsidized, you did not fall under the ineligible category to begin with (if you had a first gen phone and still did on July 11th).

The bold part is not true, maybe half true. I can't imagine that's why "all" 1st iPhone owners are eligible. Sure it wasn't subsidized, but that doesn't mean an existing customer didn't already owe for a subsidized phone on their current plan before their iphone.

Even their online FAQ says the iPhone purchase doesn't effect your current eligiblity. So if you bought 1st gen iPhone and were 4 months away from a discount, you'd still be 4 months away. Or if you were 18 months away, it would still be 18 months. Thus, there were plenty of iPhone owners that have had a subsidized phone in the last 2 years that would have made them ineligible for the 3G.

It's only after the 3G announcement they made all iPhone owners eligible as a bonus, regardless of their eligibility status. I took advantage of this. I wasn't eligible until November. So I borrowed a friends iPhone, activated it with my sim on iTunes 2 days before the 11th, gave the phone back to owner right away. I got in line and bought the 16gb for $299, no questions asked.

There are 4 or so categories.

1: Eligible for all people that have activated a 1st gen iPhone before the 11th. No matter what, you are eligible, even if you got a free phone first from ATT to sell on ebay and then bought the iPhone a day later off craigslist. Just as long as you activate your sim with it and still had the data plan.

2: Eligible around 4 months before your 2 year contract ends that you got a subsidized phone with. They let you get the discount early probably so you don't shop around when you contract is completely up.

3: Eligible new customer, or existing customer that never bought a subsidized phone.

4: Not eligible because you haven't been in your subsidized 2 year contract long enough to get another equipment discount.

 

[TsuaSai]

Okay just to get clear on everything my account says this.

"This line is eligible for equipment discount pricing when you sign up for a 2-year service agreement. You can take advantage of our no-commitment pricing option, with the exception of iPhone which requires a 2-year commitment."

So what is att going to try and do when I go in. I am giving it a week or so. But I don't want to get screwed around.

 

[TimothyB]

Okay just to get clear on everything my account says this.

"This line is eligible for equipment discount pricing when you sign up for a 2-year service agreement. You can take advantage of our no-commitment pricing option, with the exception of iPhone which requires a 2-year commitment."

So what is att going to try and do when I go in. I am giving it a week or so. But I don't want to get screwed around.

That means you get the lowest price, $199 or $299(16gig).

Basically saying if you agree to 2 more years, you are eligible for an equipment discount.

Currently the iPhone can only be bought with a 2 year contract.

Next month or possibly later, there will be a no-commitment pricing for the iPhone, but it will be priced at $599-$699

The no-commitment pricing basically means full price of the phone, no discounts.

I don't see the point of the iphone at that no-commitment $599 price. As it's still locked only for use with ATT, and no news of the 3G being unlocked unofficially yet. I mean if you are going to use it, and some how you can't stay with ATT anymore for whatever reason, or it's unlockable by then, paying the early termination fee, $175 minus $5 for each month pro-rating that you had it. So if you paid $199 discount, then in a year cancel the 2 year contract, about $115 after pro-rating, that's about $315 before, compared to the no-commitment $599 price that you have to use with ATT anyway.

 

[Michael CM1]

Sounds like typical phone upgrading procedure.

This isn't native to the iPhone nor AT&T. This is just the hoops you are made to jump through because of all the contract mess. I also know that AT&T has a lot of Windows machines in their stores, so what do you expect?

 

[dlamin517]

what did your OLAM tell you ? were you eligible when you checked online ?

If you look through this forum, you will find a thread where AT&T was updating a lot of current iPhone users eligibility status. Perhaps your status was updated before you went up to the counter to make your purchase

ya i checked online on att, gizmodo, engadget, and three att customer representatives(by phone). very strange. i am sure that i was not eligible for that price. 100%

Btw i did not have a 1g iphone. i had a subsidized motorola razr. Got it last year with two year contract. somehow the guy screwed up.

 

[smartinez2008]

Jobs and ATT look like asses, a diservice to existing customers

I stood in line for an hour to find out my wife, whom I was buying the phone for, wasn’t eligible for the discount. The stupid apple genius couldn’t even tell me why. As a service they should inform people. What a bunch of robots.

They told me to call att. So I did. They (att) were closed as it was 930 on a Sat. Apple and ATT advertise a 200 phone but they forget to clearly disclose eligibility requirements. They penalize existing customers and want to charge us the 399 prices.

Its get better…

I take my screaming 2year old home. Call att in the morning to get the details. Turns out when I bought an iphone back in June, which I returned the phone a couple of days after I bought it, the att dimwit who returned the phone did not revert the contact back. ATT told me I had to go back to the store where I returned the iphone and have them revert to my original contract, and then I should be able to have the discount.

So I do. Soooo.. The moron at att said my wife is still not eligible because she has 17months left on her contract!! We have been att customers for over 7 years. She just happened to buy a blackberry the winter before. Oh by the way, that same guy who told me the news, took my phone, because he said he needed to change the contract back, switched the simm cards between my wife’s and my phone! Dumbass! I had to go back and have them fix it.

I put two and two together. ATT and APPLE want existing users to complete their contract $$$ get all there money out of you, then rope you into a new 2 contract! Oh if you want to get out of that contract YOU WILL PAY! **** you steve jobs! How many more billions to you need? Im not gonna buy that piece of ****.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

The computer said 499 for me but i saw -200 discount as well.

 

[tags26]

I stood in line for an hour to find out my wife, whom I was buying the phone for, wasn’t eligible for the discount. The stupid apple genius couldn’t even tell me why. As a service they should inform people. What a bunch of robots.

They told me to call att. So I did. They (att) were closed as it was 930 on a Sat. Apple and ATT advertise a 200 phone but they forget to clearly disclose eligibility requirements. They penalize existing customers and want to charge us the 399 prices.

Its get better…

I take my screaming 2year old home. Call att in the morning to get the details. Turns out when I bought an iphone back in June, which I returned the phone a couple of days after I bought it, the att dimwit who returned the phone did not revert the contact back. ATT told me I had to go back to the store where I returned the iphone and have them revert to my original contract, and then I should be able to have the discount.

So I do. Soooo.. The moron at att said my wife is still not eligible because she has 17months left on her contract!! We have been att customers for over 7 years. She just happened to buy a blackberry the winter before. Oh by the way, that same guy who told me the news, took my phone, because he said he needed to change the contract back, switched the simm cards between my wife’s and my phone! Dumbass! I had to go back and have them fix it.

I put two and two together. ATT and APPLE want existing users to complete their contract $$$ get all there money out of you, then rope you into a new 2 contract! Oh if you want to get out of that contract YOU WILL PAY! **** you steve jobs! How many more billions to you need? Im not gonna buy that piece of ****.

That's the same experience i had. They said i would be eligible for a discount on the new iphone in Jan 2009. Meanwhile, we didn't get a subsidized phone, we paid full price $599 when iphone initially was released. So when i told the Apple sales guy, "so all customers who signed on to AT&T when iphone first came out have to pay full price?" he said, No, that nobody paid full price the whole day. But ATT said otherwise, and then eventually reduced it after the 3rd person i spoke with.