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Fireman52SFD

macrumors member
Original poster
May 31, 2008
42
0
Louisiana
I was in my att store yesterday looking for a charger for my iphone that is 5 months old and couldnt help but overhear an att employee telling some poor lady that they had plenty of iphones that he thought she should go ahead and spend 100$ more for a 16g. she was getting it for a present. now im not a nosy person but i was behind her in line and once i heard her getting screwed i finished listening. so he went to the back and got a 16g and she shelled out 550$. I kept my mouth shut because it wasnt my business and just shook my head. Now i know that there are no new iphones already out but me and everyone else are almost certain there will be a new one. apple stopped selling about two weeks ago and i just feel that they are WRONG for selling the others at full price and knowing full well that there is going to be another one in a week. Apple is so secret and concerned about keeping it under wraps that they will keep screwing people and drop the price as soon as the new one comes out. i know there is nothing that can be done about it i just think it is bad business.
 
At&t employees don't know for sure when the next phone is coming out so they can't tell people one might be out next week if they aren't sure and kill current sales. Even though we all think that the iPhone will be out next week it isn't definate (might be announced and then shipping in one month, who knows)

I think its also the consumers job to do their homework and if she did some online research she would find out there might be a new one in a week and wait until then (if she can wait)

just my .02 :)
 
At&t employees don't know for sure when the next phone is coming out so they can't tell people one might be out next week if they aren't sure and kill current sales. Even though we all think that the iPhone will be out next week it isn't definate (might be announced and then shipping in one month, who knows)

I think its also the consumers job to do their homework and if she did some online research she would find out there might be a new one in a week and wait until then (if she can wait)

just my .02 :)

Exactly. The person was doing their job by making a sale for their employer. As of right now, officially, there is no new iPhone coming out.

And as he mentioned, it's the consumers job to make sure they're not getting screwed over.
 
I dont see why this is a big deal, how do you know this person wasnt happy with their purchase? How do you know if she even cares about 3G or a new iPhone. How do you know anything of what this customer was thinking? Kind of arrogant to ASSume you know what that consumer wanted....You obviously didnt care so much since you kept your mouth shut, so since you didnt step up and be a good fellow consumer why complain, youre at fault too!
 
Not everyone needs 3G, GPS, or whatever else monkey business the next iPhone will bring.

This is the same stupidity as the "oh no, the iPhone is cheaper now!" crap. Pay what you think a product you want is worth, and if it works well for you, mazal tov. AT&T and Apple aren't your friends or your mom - they don't need to be telling you what you should do with your money.
 
she was getting it for a present.


I cant make any assumptions on who the lady was but intuitively thinking I have to say she was probably not a typical apple customer nor internet savvy. Im just reading between the lines of Firmans post however.

I would have said something just because I am a huge activist for consumer rights and think customer service is abysmal in almost every company in the U.S. now. I agree, the AT&T rep was simply doing their job but it is a bit shady.

Think of it this way.....what if it were your 90 year old Grandmother that was buying you a gift?
 
Apple has not stopped selling iPhones, they are still available at a good number of retail stores.

i know there is nothing that can be done about it i just think it is bad business.

If its bad business, than why do you own so many apple products?? There is something you can do, stop buying their stuff.
 
That sucks that she had no idea that a new one might be coming out in less than a week. But if she finds out about it, I suppose she will be within her 14 day return policy :D
 
Buyer Beware.

Then again, if you were the employee and some old lady walked in handed you her credit card and said I want a 16gb iPhone. You as the employee aren't going to turn away their business by saying "oh wait, there's a new model coming out soon"

No what are you cazy? It's not an employees place to turn away business because of rumors circulating on the web.

That's like someone going to buy a new car in September, and the salesmen saying oh you should wait for next year's model, it's coming out soon.

Not to mention, if it was me buying something like that and some guy telling me about rumors he's heard on the internet and how he's suddenly my personal shopper, I would just think you were some huge nerd and tell you to get away from me. I've had it happen to me before at like Best Buy and Gamestop people try to tell me about better things I should be spending my money on. It bugs the hell out of me and tell those nerds to keep their mouth shut.

You may as well go hang out at the Apple store with the Buyer's Guide from this website and tell people what products to buy!
 
At&t employees don't know for sure when the next phone is coming out so they can't tell people one might be out next week if they aren't sure and kill current sales. Even though we all think that the iPhone will be out next week it isn't definate (might be announced and then shipping in one month, who knows)

I think its also the consumers job to do their homework and if she did some online research she would find out there might be a new one in a week and wait until then (if she can wait)

just my .02 :)

WOuld you have thought the same if it was your mother??? I think not.. If any of you are in line behind my mom, please give her the benefit of your knowledge so she can make an informed decision...As she doesn't surf the net, get email oe subscribe to any techy mags, who is at the mercy of a salesman who would sell their souls for a buck....:mad:
 
WOuld you have thought the same if it was your mother??? I think not.. If any of you are in line behind my mom, please give her the benefit of your knowledge so she can make an informed decision...As she doesn't surf the net, get email oe subscribe to any techy mags, who is at the mercy of a salesman who would sell their souls for a buck....:mad:

Yes, but as it's been mentioned, the salesman was doing his job. He'd get whipped if he'd turned away a customer by telling them a new iPhone *may* be coming out.

And I personally think you've over-exaggerated this. "Sell their souls for a buck?" He was selling a damn iPhone! It's not a life-or-death situation! I mean, most kids (Well I would, and my friends would) be bloody pleased if we got given an iPhone, of any generation.
 
An iphone purchased today will still function perfectly after the new iphone is released. So what is the problem? The people reading these rumor boards are in the vast minority of customers... say 1% of all consumers. The other 99% are blissfully unaware that a new iphone is even in the works. Since Apple hasn't announced a new iphone, it officially doesn't exist. So why wouldn't all retailers who have current iphones continue to sell them normally?
 
I have an iPhone. I bought it last month. Do I care about the 3G iPhone? No. Not in the slightest. Possible that Apple will sell the older ones at a discount? Not really, have they done this before? To my knowledge the previous model was EOL when the new one comes out.

I'm happy with my 8GB :) Paid $400 for it and that's what I thought it was worth.
 
Maybe the person receiving it as a gift will know that there's a new one on the horizon and ask for it to be returned and wait for the newer model whenever it's gonna be released....

The guy was just doing his job.
 
WOuld you have thought the same if it was your mother??? I think not.. If any of you are in line behind my mom, please give her the benefit of your knowledge so she can make an informed decision...As she doesn't surf the net, get email oe subscribe to any techy mags, who is at the mercy of a salesman who would sell their souls for a buck....:mad:

And next time I'm behind your mom at Safeway, I'll make sure I tell her that peaches are on sale down at Fred Meyer. I'll also point out that the toothpaste in her basket isn't the best brand, in my opinion. Then I'll tell her there are better coats out there than the one she's wearing.

P.S. I will not do any of these things. I'm adding this disclaimer because to do the above would be profoundly creepy, pretentious, presumptuous, and douchebag-y.
 
apple normally sell their products at full price even the day before an announcement

the general way to get around it is to return the first and buy the new one

apple never normally stops selling a product before the update it
they are doing people a favour

but the same cant be said for AT&T stores
 
If anyone is going to be blamed for this, its Apple for being absolute crybabies about product release secrecy. If they were a normal company who announced things more then 2 seconds before they came out; then we wouldn't have this problem.
 
Clearly Apple should stop selling products 3 to 6 months before an update comes out. That way everyone will be informed and happy.
 
This kind of thing happens all the time. It's just because we have all heard the rumors ad nauseum that we think there's something wrong with it. If Sony is releasing a new 32" TV next week, is it wrong to sell someone the one on the floor now? While we'd like to think salespeople know a ton, they know as much as we do about this: Nothing. Apple has made no official announcement.

As far as it being your biz, you could've just said something to her about waiting a week and then coming back to the same store to get a bargain. If the salesperson has a problem, tell him your contract is up and there's a Verizon store nearby. :)
 
Yes, but as it's been mentioned, the salesman was doing his job. He'd get whipped if he'd turned away a customer by telling them a new iPhone *may* be coming out.

And I personally think you've over-exaggerated this. "Sell their souls for a buck?" He was selling a damn iPhone! It's not a life-or-death situation! I mean, most kids (Well I would, and my friends would) be bloody pleased if we got given an iPhone, of any generation.


Not blaming the salesman. I wouldn't expect anything different from a salesman...I asked if any of the know better crowd that would be behind mom tell her wassup....
 
And next time I'm behind your mom at Safeway, I'll make sure I tell her that peaches are on sale down at Fred Meyer. I'll also point out that the toothpaste in her basket isn't the best brand, in my opinion. Then I'll tell her there are better coats out there than the one she's wearing.

P.S. I will not do any of these things. I'm adding this disclaimer because to do the above would be profoundly creepy, pretentious, presumptuous, and douchebag-y.

Well you right...But if she was plopping down a couple a c notes..Aw never mind....Whats a Fred Meyer...??
 
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