AT&T Eligibility at Apple Stores, International iPhone 3G Shortages Expected

[Pwned]

I think it's becoming pretty clear that in the Apple stores, the only interface available to the Apple employees for setting up plans and activating the phones is going to be the iTunes interface and whatever changes they have made to that. It doesn't sound like they're going to have access to the AT&T system directly.

Now I think in the old one on launch day, the only types iTunes could handle were new AT&T customers, people buying the iPhone as a current AT&T customer on a contract (with no new subsidy) or just adding it to a family plan, and people who passed the credit check with no deposit. Other people it would send to the store or offer the prepaid.

So I guess it depends on how much they have changed the iTunes interface- how many new situations they have programmed it to handle. It sounds to me that if you don't fall into a real easy upgrade situation, i.e. a new customer, a current customer just upgrading one current iphone to one 3G, or just adding a new one to a family plan, that you should just plan on going to AT&T. At least that sounds like the safe plan to me.

Even though AppleInsider posted this it's still not clear how they will handle the difference situations and it's getting too late in the game so I am just going to stick with going to AT&T to be sure I get one Friday:

"As mentioned previously, Apple retail employees will not be able tell whether an existing non-iPhone AT&T customer is eligible for upgrade pricing before beginning a new iPhone 3G purchase transaction, so customers should determine this on their own first. However, customers unsure of their upgrade status can still upgrade to iPhone 3G at Apple retail stores. Once a purchase transaction for these customers has begun, Apple's EasyPay handheld systems will indeed tap AT&T's account database at a certain point to determine the price to charge the customer for the iPhone hardware. The customer just won't know ahead of time unless they check their account status online, go to an AT&T store, or call AT&T customer service."

 

[islandsnow]

are only people in mexico and new zealand upset about the rate plans? do people not know in the US, its going to cost $15 more per month? thats ridiculous. most times, things like rate plans go down. i was seriously going to get an iphone until i saw the new plans. now i have to seriously reconsider. aren't there any ATT petition sites?

 

[craigverse]

BTW, I just logged into my AT&T account and made myself an authorized user. That was toooo easy

Make sure you know the pin! I'm an authorized user on my account with my g-ma BUT if you don't know the security pin (usually the last four numbers of the main account holders social) you can't do crap!

Haha, I loved the bickering about the gender neutrality you were putting in your date comment (I take my dates to the apple store ^_^). I use they theys and they're and stuff like that with my g-ma all the time cuz she prefers it to hims and he's but when she's drunk she and I slip up and now it's sort of a game to see who can be the most gender neutral when we talk about my dates. hahaha

 

[iP2]

I have. And I've been given a different answer every time I've called. I've also visited the store on several occasions. I was trying to see if anybody has a similar situation and what their strategy is going to be, but thanks for nothing.

According to my call to ATT's Business Care, you can use another line's upgrade eligibility to get the new iPhone at the subsidized (or even open a new 3rd / 4th line) price. However, they were unsure (or not able to confirm) if you can swap the phone numbers. I don't see why you can't do that...you can do that with any other phone.

 

[radiogod69]

kinda sucks to be living in an another country with the iPhone 3g launch. Fortunately for us US buyers apple stores will have replenished stock daily. I wonder if AT&T will be doing this too.

 

[swatchpost]

Went to ATT store

Asked them if I could get a credit check today to speed things up on Friday. I'm an ATT subscriber w/out an iPhone that's upgrade eligible.

They said that I'm totally fine and that they won't need to run a credit check on me being that I'm already an ATT customer.

They basically said if you are absolutely sure you're upgrade eligible, all you need to do is come in (doesn't matter which location, Apple or ATT) and buy the phone.

Excellent news, IMO.

 

[jayducharme]

Special pricing requires purchase at AT&T

I thought this was the case, but I just confirmed it today at my local Apple store: if you qualify for any type of special pricing from AT&T (such as a corporate discount), you cannot purchase an iPhone at an Apple store; you have to purchase it at an AT&T store if you want that discount.

Nothing earth-shattering there, but if I had a choice I'd rather purchase and activate at an Apple store.

Just for the heck of it, I checked Apple's online refurb store hoping to see some 2G iPhones for sale. But of course, there were none to be had. I guess the early adopters haven't done too badly after all....

 

[SacKingJD]

No Fan Discounts!

I just contacted an ATT representative and told them I was going to purchase an iphone 3g for my wife and myself who are both educators. The representative informed me that FAN discounts for education, government, etc. would NOT be applied for the iPhone 3g! I asked her, "are you sure" and with a disgusted tone in her voice she repeated the line she had written right in front of her, "I am sorry sir but once you upgrade to an iphone, your discount will not apply".

I wish apple could run their own phone company so we do not have to deal with ATT.

 

[FuzzMunky]

Rather than have a 32GB model I would appreciate a SDHC micro slot so I can expand at will rather than being locked-in to internal memory. However I believe the only reason has stayed from removable media for its iPhone and iPod line is due to DRM since any restriction that would be implemented on removable media would be cracked and you would have people swapping media as if it was the late 80's early 90's with VHS, Cassette Tapes and the rest.

The reason they don't include an SD slot is not to keep the media rights safe, since you can offload all your iPod/iPhone music to any computer incredibly easily anyway. Instead it is so that there is an even more distinct spec increase with which to persuade consumers to upgrade at specific points.

Apple do this everywhere. Look at the MacBook. The lowest spec doesnt have a Superdrive (dvd burner), which is ten year old technology and dirt cheap nowadays. It is just to further tempt people to splash out on the higher priced model.

The same is true with the iPhone. 32gb will come, then 64gb, and many of us will be duly tempted by this. Why would they let you expand the storage yourself? I for one would not be half as tempted by a future version of the iPhone if this were the case, since the only thing I feel that is irksome and frustrates the perfectionism in me is that I can't put all my music (60gb) on it. When I found an iPod with that storage space I stopped upgrading. (Until now that is).

 

[iPhone3G]

AT&T Business Rep. Order

I don't think I have seen this posted anywhere so thought I would put it out there. My family owns a privately held business, and I am affiliated with their business AT&T account. I called our AT&T business rep. today to clarify some questions I had before launch, and instead she informed me that she could place an order for me on the spot.

She said it won't be able to ship out until the 11th, of course, but she was able to place the order for my White 16GB iPhone 3G, and guarantee it. It will ship Friday pre-loaded and pre-activated to my account.

So, if you have a business account, or know someone who does, I would suggest trying to contact your (or their) AT&T business rep. and see if they can set you up. Sure, I have to wait until Monday now, but I have the iPhone I want with no line-waiting/camping garbage, in-store hassle, or chance of sell-outs (I would have been forced to a small AT&T store rather than an Apple store from where I am located.)

Good luck, hope this might help some people!

 

[celavato]

I think the white version will be in great demand. I hope I'm wrong because that's the color I want.

 

[jbsears]

iPhone purchasing strategy: Thoughts from a loyal customer

I am disgusted by AT&T coming in at the last minute with this kind of segregation for existing customers. If you are an existing customer please let Kathy Dowling Sr. VP for Customer Service AT&T wireless that she is not serving her customers very well.

Dear Ms. Dowling,

I am writing to complain about the pricing of the iPhone 3G in the hope that a change can be made before Friday's launch.

I was until last night a very satisfied AT&T customer for 10 months, and recently raised our family rate plan from 700min to 1400min. In fact, I had taken the phone survey after call a call center, and even spoke with the supervisor of a young man who helped me once, so that he would get some kind of recognition. So, I know the value of good customer service and make it a point to reward it with my remarks to superiors, word-of-mouth advertising with friends and family, and my continued patronage.

Last night, however, I was dismayed to find out the pricing structure of the iPhone for existing customers while visiting a website online. I confirmed the details of the information with a young man at one of your call centers this morning. The terms, I was told, are that existing AT&T customers must sign a two-year contract that will replace their old commitments and "restart their clock" so to speak. This would seem fair since AT&T is subsidizing the cost of the phone. However, I was shocked to find that existing customers are not able to buy the phone at the previously publicized prices of $199 8G, $299 16G. Instead they must shell out an extra $200 for the phone, UNLESS they have reached an upgrade date (determined by AT&T) at which time they "may" be eligible for a discounted price.

I find this strategy patently outrageous because it is grossly unfair on its face, is unnecessary given the uniqueness of the iPhone, and it undermines the very intent of phone subsidies.

First, it is grossly unfair on its face. Instead of rewarding current customers for their loyal commitment to contracts and paying their bill so that it is good standing. AT&T has chosen to instead punish them in a "time out" fashion until their phone upgrade date arrives, at which time the AT&T policy says that a customer "may" be eligible for an upgrade discount. It does not specify an amount. Neither did the customer service representative. This might be okay with normal phone strategies except for the fact that an existing customer is required to sign the same "start-fresh" contract a new customer has to sign. Both customers are making identical commitments to remaining with AT&T. Both customers will pay the same rate plan fees. Both customers are fulfilling the same requirements, and yet a loyal existing customer prior to his or her upgrade date must put down $200 more. Paying more for adopting technology early, as Steve Jobs said, is expected. Paying more for the exact same product and services when the only fault of the individual is loyalty to the supplier is ludicrous.

Second, it is unnecessary given the unique nature of the iPhone. While there have been some hacks of the iPhone to try to use them on other carriers, the majority of the users far and away are actual AT&T customers. Given this fact, charging your loyal customers more to adopt the technology is unnecessary. It would be one thing if existing customers were going to buy them cheaply and then run over to T-Mobile with them, but the numbers don't reflect this. It is illogical for an existing loyal customer to leave AT&T where all of his or her features will work, go through the hassle of changing phone numbers (Porting is not as easy as described.), and then end up on an inferior carrier with a good chance the iPhone will wind up unusable when the next software update rolls around. There is simply no good reason to impinge upon customers who already had the good sense to patronize your company by making them pay more for an identical product.

Third, this pricing structure totally undermines the intent of phone subsidies. The intent of subsidies is to attract new customers, and perhaps keep existing ones. While the price will lure new customers, doesn't the bad word of mouth that this will generate undermine the attraction of what it is to be an AT&T customer. In essence, it says that AT&T works hard to get new customers and only marginally at keeping existing ones. Additionally, in the case of the iPhone, if an existing customer were to buy one, it is the strongest expression of loyalty that a customer can make. Unlike a Blackberry that can use the SIM card from AT&T or can be taken to a rival and used with their SIM card, the fully functional iPhone is an AT&T only device. Anything less than AT&T renders it less than functional and risks it being "bricked." So, more than any other phone you carry, the iPhone both proclaims and commits to customer loyalty. Moreover, making a $200 price difference for the same commitment on the customer's part will certainly cause a slower adoption of the iPhone by existing customers. This again undermines the intent of subsidies to lure new customers. If the iPhone were the same price for existing customers signing a two-year contract then more people would be seen with them and help drive up demand.

In conclusion, I find it ludicrous to the point of being absurd that AT&T would charge existing customers who are required to sign the same two year contract $200 more per phone. I can understand charging full price for new or existing customers who want no contract, but for new and existing customers who make the identical commitment to the company and the product, it is a slap in the face to customer loyalty, it is an unnecessary preventative measure, and it creates slower adoption and a disgruntled customer base that is antithetical to the point of phone subsidies, namely to lure new customers.

I urge you to reconsider this marketing blunder before it happens this Friday. Show your existing and future customers that you will make a profit based on providing the best equipment and service at a valued price instead of at the customer's expense. I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,
JSears
Houston, Texas

 

[johnnyjibbs]

UK: O2 stores will "have loads"

A rep at the Apple Store Regent Street in London tonight told me that O2 stores will "have loads", including the 16GB black version. An official announcement will be made by Apple UK tomorrow, but the Apple Store will be selling phones to new customers only. They will also be handling activations for O2 store-bought phones as O2 cannot provide activation at their stores

There are lots of conflicting reports on this. I really don't think any of the people in the O2 stores know anything yet and that anything anyone has been told should be taken with a pinch of salt. We will find out tomorrow hopefully...

 

[bbbdub]

Unless I am missing something Apple will have to check upgrade eligibility for all current AT&T subscribers, iPhone or not. I don't think Apple employees will be allowed to take on face value that a customer is a current iPhone subscriber. They will have to look at AT&T's eligibility list.

My questions are:

What counts as a Business customer? Just getting a FAN discount through work or actually getting a phone supplied by your employer?

For people like me who have to pay the $399/$499 price does our eligibility stay at the current end date or does it move 2 years out? (i.e. will I be able to get a 32gb iPhone at a discount next April when AT&T says I am due and give my current iPhone 3g (paid in full) to my wife.)

 

[nyarch]

I'm really disappointed with the misleading discount that AT&T and Apple have advertised. I recently switched to AT&T (less than two months ago) and continued to use my old cell phone in anticipation of purchasing the new iphone when it was released. Now I find out that since I'm not a new AT&T customer, I am not eligible for a discounted upgrade until over a year from now and therefore will have to pay the full $499 price. I can't even renew my two-year contract from the day I buy the new iphone to get the discount. Too bad Apple can't expand all phone companies.

 

[Ghibli]

iPhone rates in Italy: customers rage!

TIM and Vodafone have ufficialized their plans for the iPhone in Italy:

TIM ( http://www.tim.it/consumer/o69808/tariffa.do ) presented 5 plans, ranging from 30 euros to 200 euros/month (47-315 US $).

Vodafone ( http://www.areaprivati.190.it/190/t...t_pri_iPromoIPhone_Vodafone_Facile_per_iPhone ) presented plans ranging from 49 to 180 euros (77-283 US $).

The main problem (besides the outrageous rates) is that the DATA traffic is NOT UNLIMITED, but severely limited: only 600 MB/Mo for Vodafone (1 GB for the 180 € plan) and 1 GB/Mo for the TIM ones (5 GB for the 200€ plan)

Users are absolutely enraged ( see here http://lab.vodafone.it/blog/lab/entry/600mb for an example) and a petition has started for move things ( see here http://www.iphoneaffossato.com/ ).

The petition started just 2 or 3 days ago and, as of now, has already reached 5909 signatures from people willing to boicott the iphone until plans will not offer unlimited data).

Vodafone answered to comments with the following statement (translation mine- the original is here in italian http://lab.vodafone.it/blog/lab/entry/600mb ):

"The contract plans proposed by Vodafone for the iPhone 3G let customers use UP TO 600MB of data traffic every month from Italy. The data traffic has been calculated on a high use of the iPhone, that amounts to 500MB/Mo.

To be more precise, with 500 MB/Mo a common user can:

- Browse the internet with Safari every day for 30 minutes a day
- Use Facebook 30 minutes a day
- Use Youtube twice a week, browsing the content and seeing 15 minutes of video every time
- Use Google maps three times a week, 10 minutes each
- Use the e-mail in push mode, with comtinuous check and writing/reading 50 mails/day
- Use the weather forecast on seven cities/day
- Use the stocks exchange service checking 20 quotes/day

Obviously these are mean use data, so combinations of these services can vary a lot from user to user. There remains an overhead of 100 MB of data usage every month."

The statement from Vodafone was not appreciated by customers ( http://lab.vodafone.it/forum/posts/list/500.page has started yesterday and is already at 11 pages of comments - and it is a vodafone-run forum - ).

Ghibli

 

[captain kaos]

worldwide prices

I find it so hard to believe that so many countries that didnt have the original iphone are c**king up the pricing on the 2nd gen! So many tariffs are coming out that dont have unlimited data, and some of the numbers of data included is so low it almost make the whole idea of the iphone useless! It just goes to show what dinosaurs we have as mobile company bosses, they just dont get the idea of the iphone and what it can do.

 

[nyarch]

After speaking to an AT&T representative again, I learned that as an existing non-iphone customer you can't extend your contract another 2 years and purchase the iphone for $199-299. However, you can purchase the phone for $399-499 AND it will renew your contract for 2 years which extends your upgrade discount eligibility another 1.5 years.

So basically when another iphone comes out in less than 1.5 years, you will not be able to get a discount and will have to pay FULL price if you want to upgrade to a newer iphone.

I explained to the representative that this doesn't make sense and she explained back that the iphone is really worth "$800-900" and AT&T is already giving everyone a discount, even the people that have to pay $399-499.