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AT&T doesn't understand their own rules for iPhone 4 upgrades

jimsowden

jimsowden

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 6, 2003
1,766
18
NY
So I'm hoping you guys can give me some perspective on this. I want the iPhone 4, obviously.

My line, which has had an iPhone on it off and on for a year, was originally set to get the upgrade in September 2010. That was pushed forward to immediately. Not a problem.

My other line, which started with an iPhone that later got stolen, is set to get the upgrade in December 2010. That didn't get pushed up. I called AT&T and quoted them some of their own site, which says "Great news for existing iPhone customers. Any iPhone customer eligible for an upgrade in 2010 qualifies for our best iPhone 4 pricing!". The man other end told me that what at&t means by that is that that's not immediate (which makes it a worthless statement, since it's obvious that when you can get an upgrade you can get an upgrade. No point in putting that on their website.)

That didn't sit well with me, since Jobs said on stage at&t was being very generous and pushing upgrade eligibility up to 6 months early. That has to mean if you're upgrade eligible in 2010, that you're upgrade eligible immediately (He said contract ending, but that only allows for a maximum window of 1 month early figuring on the standard 20 month full upgrade cycle on a 24 month contract).

So I dug. And I found this:
Eligibility
Existing iPhone customers eligible for an upgrade between today and the end of this year, have been made immediately eligible for AT&T’s best pricing for iPhone 4 with a new two-year term commitment

That's from their press release available here: http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=18004&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=30863&mapcode=consumer|Wireless


So obviously when that dude said it wasn't immediate he was completely wrong. Am I crazy, or am I totally right on this, that this line should be able to get the full pricing now?
 
you are right
if your upgrade eligibility date ends in 2010 you should be able to upgrade to the iPhone 4 now
 
Either try and call for a different employee, or go into the store with printed materials to show them youre right.
 
Yep, exactly the same thing happened to me, on and off iphone/blackberry user. At the time of press release my blackberry was on the account (playing with a new BES server @ work). Kicked me out from the early upgrade.

Totally lame. I even asked, ok let me switch back to my iphone and they said nope doesn't matter.

My last contract was signed with an iPhone. My date is in 2010 too.
 
Just called and they read me the boilerplate that they can't do anything to change upgrade dates, even though, and that they're "not going form any press release".
 
jimsowden said:
...My other line, which started with an iPhone that later got stolen, is set to get the upgrade in December 2010....
Click to expand...

If that line doesn't have an iPhone on it then it doesn't qualify as an iPhone account, even if it did once upon a time. Makes perfect sense to me!

Trying to push an iPhone between different accounts (sounds like what another poster was suggesting) doesn't seem like it would cut it either. Either you are, and have been, an iPhone customer or you were not. Making your account an iPhone account at the last minute to try and qualify should be a non-starter.

Be real.
 
hansenc said:
Yep, exactly the same thing happened to me, on and off iphone/blackberry user. At the time of press release my blackberry was on the account (playing with a new BES server @ work). Kicked me out from the early upgrade.

Totally lame. I even asked, ok let me switch back to my iphone and they said nope doesn't matter.

My last contract was signed with an iPhone. My date is in 2010 too.
Click to expand...

I was in the same position, except I had a dumbphone on there because my 3GS is broken. I just put an old 3G that I was using back on the line and my date switched to upgrade eligible for the full subsidy. No calling needed.

Maybe try another Rep? I actually work IT in a call center that handles several accounts (sprint, AT&T, Comcast, Hughes net, etc..) and you can get several different versions and answers from several different people. And know that if you stay calm and work with the rep they will more than likely work with you.

* Edited >> BTW, the EVO launch for Sprint was a ****in meltdown. ATT is getting crushed right now and their reps are just as strained. These guys want to help you but there are limits to what they can do. Like I said, be calm and just try to explain.
 
LFSimon said:
If that line doesn't have an iPhone on it then it doesn't qualify as an iPhone account, even if it did once upon a time. Makes perfect sense to me!

Trying to push an iPhone between different accounts (sounds like what another poster was suggesting) doesn't seem like it would cut it either. Either you are, and have been, an iPhone customer or you were not. Making your account an iPhone account at the last minute to try and qualify should be a non-starter.

Be real.
Click to expand...

So, that account was purchased with an iPhone. That's all you need to be to be an "iphone customer". That's a simple idea. It got stolen and replaced. So did the iPhone on my first line which is eligible.

Read the press release again. It doesn't say "lines with iphone on them". It says "iphone customers". There's no argument against me being an iPhone customer on that line.

Where does that iPhone at the last minute stuff come in? I'm not adding anything to anything, haven't tried to and haven't been for months.
 
iUser4Lyfe said:
And know that if you stay calm and work with the rep they will more than likely work with you.
Click to expand...

When it comes to changing a customer's upgrade eligibility; there's nothing any rep can do over the phone to change that date.

It doesn't matter how many times you call in, or who you speak with... The date literally cannot be changed in the system and all you're going to accomplish is a huge waste of time.

The rep was not being mean... Or "hard to work with," it just that the rep literally can't do anything to change that date so that you can be eligible to upgrade to an iPhone at the price you want.
 
jimsowden said:
Read the press release again. It doesn't say "lines with iphone on them". It says "iphone customers". There's no argument against me being an iPhone customer on that line.
Click to expand...

confused.jpg


If you don't have an iPhone on the line, you are not an iPhone customer. That'd be like saying I used to drive a Chevrolet and attempt to take your Ford and claim to be a Chevy customer.
 
renewed said:
confused.jpg


If you don't have an iPhone on the line, you are not an iPhone customer. That'd be like saying I used to drive a Chevrolet and attempt to take your Ford and claim to be a Chevy customer.
Click to expand...

That analogy is specious. If I bought a chevy, sold it, then someone asked if I was a chevy customer, would I say no? No, I'd say yes, but I sold it.

Ask if I'm a user, and I'd say no. PR people are exacting. If they meant user, they'd have said current user. They didn't. The state of being a customer isn't changeable.
 
jimsowden said:
So I'm hoping you guys can give me some perspective on this. I want the iPhone 4, obviously.

My line, which has had an iPhone on it off and on for a year, was originally set to get the upgrade in September 2010. That was pushed forward to immediately. Not a problem.

My other line, which started with an iPhone that later got stolen, is set to get the upgrade in December 2010. That didn't get pushed up. I called AT&T and quoted them some of their own site, which says "Great news for existing iPhone customers. Any iPhone customer eligible for an upgrade in 2010 qualifies for our best iPhone 4 pricing!". The man other end told me that what at&t means by that is that that's not immediate (which makes it a worthless statement, since it's obvious that when you can get an upgrade you can get an upgrade. No point in putting that on their website.)

That didn't sit well with me, since Jobs said on stage at&t was being very generous and pushing upgrade eligibility up to 6 months early. That has to mean if you're upgrade eligible in 2010, that you're upgrade eligible immediately (He said contract ending, but that only allows for a maximum window of 1 month early figuring on the standard 20 month full upgrade cycle on a 24 month contract).

So I dug. And I found this:
Eligibility
Existing iPhone customers eligible for an upgrade between today and the end of this year, have been made immediately eligible for AT&T’s best pricing for iPhone 4 with a new two-year term commitment

That's from their press release available here: http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=18004&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=30863&mapcode=consumer|Wireless


So obviously when that dude said it wasn't immediate he was completely wrong. Am I crazy, or am I totally right on this, that this line should be able to get the full pricing now?
Click to expand...

I was having a horrible time trying to get my upgrade situation fixed. I tried CALLING multiple times. I went into an actual ATT store ONE time and it was handled in minutes. The rep (in person) told me the phone reps don't deal with as many day to day simple situations that just require a simple override. He asked the manager to override and I had my upgrade. Simple 5 min solution.

Moral of the story, go in and talk to a person face to face.
 
Middiebear said:
When it comes to changing a customer's upgrade eligibility; there's nothing any rep can do over the phone to change that date.

It doesn't matter how many times you call in, or who you speak with... The date literally cannot be changed in the system and all you're going to accomplish is a huge waste of time.

The rep was not being mean... Or "hard to work with," it just that the rep literally can't do anything to change that date so that you can be eligible to upgrade to an iPhone at the price you want.
Click to expand...

Physically go into an ATT store and they may override the upgrade time. That's exactly what I had to do.

Took 5 min. Phone reps are worthless for sure tho...
 
jimsowden said:
That analogy is specious. If I bought a chevy, sold it, then someone asked if I was a chevy customer, would I say no? No, I'd say yes, but I sold it.

Ask if I'm a user, and I'd say no. PR people are exacting. If they meant user, they'd have said current user. They didn't. The state of being a customer isn't changeable.
Click to expand...

I can understand how you think that argument is specious, however, your argument isn't free of fallacy either. They say that *current* iPhone customers are eligible for an upgrade, not past customers. So if you are not *currently* using an iPhone on that line (it seems as if it has been quite some time since you did) then you, in fact, are not an iPhone customer.

That was the point of the analogy to point out that although you once were a user of a certain product, you can't still be considered a user if you are not currently using it.
 
renewed said:
...*current* iPhone customers are eligible for an upgrade, not past customers. So if you are not *currently* using an iPhone on that line (it seems as if it has been quite some time since you did) then you, in fact, are not an iPhone customer...
Click to expand...
Yep, so obvious even most lawyers can see that ... :rolleyes:
 
What does the account show currently as your plan? If you originally had an iPhone and it was lost/stolen and you changed the plan, you're no longer an iPhone customer. If you made no changes to the plan, you'll be good.

I had my iPhone stolen right before the 3G came out (3-4 weeks) and I decided to wait for the 3G, so I used a crappy Motorola for that time. I just got a new SIM and never changes anything on my plan. I got the immediate update for original iPhone users.
 
i-John said:
What does the account show currently as your plan? If you originally had an iPhone and it was lost/stolen and you changed the plan, you're no longer an iPhone customer. If you made no changes to the plan, you'll be good.

I had my iPhone stolen right before the 3G came out (3-4 weeks) and I decided to wait for the 3G, so I used a crappy Motorola for that time. I just got a new SIM and never changes anything on my plan. I got the immediate update for original iPhone users.
Click to expand...

You got the update because it was like becoming a new customer. The original iPhone could be purchased, it wasn't until the 3G that subsidies became the norm.
 
renewed said:
You got the update because it was like becoming a new customer. The original iPhone could be purchased, it wasn't until the 3G that subsidies became the norm.
Click to expand...

If I had to change my account, it would have been a fresh 2 year contract... therefore I wouldn't have been eligible.
 
jimsowden said:
My other line, which started with an iPhone that later got stolen, is set to get the upgrade in December 2010. That didn't get pushed up. I called AT&T and quoted them some of their own site, which says "Great news for existing iPhone customers. Any iPhone customer eligible for an upgrade in 2010 qualifies for our best iPhone 4 pricing!". The man other end told me that what at&t means by that is that that's not immediate (which makes it a worthless statement, since it's obvious that when you can get an upgrade you can get an upgrade. No point in putting that on their website.)
Click to expand...

If you don't currently have an iPhone on that line then you are not an iPhone customer (on that line). Plain and simple.
 
Okay it's pretty simple if your a CURRENT iPhone customer * Meaning you have to currently have one*with an upgrade coming sometime in 2010 then you can upgrade at a discount.

Now i know what your saying OP but it's semantics and If you don't currently have an iPhone on your line then you don't qualify unless they left the IMEI on the account for the iPhone.
 
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