Can premier account holders buy 3gs from Apple stores?

[Khurram]

I was told by a friend of mine who said that if you have a premier account (FAN) account that you need to buy the 3gs from the ATT store and that it could not be bought from the apple store.

Is this true? Sounds wrong me to me. Also...do you have to have the FAN number removed from the account before activating the 3gs in the store as was the case with the 3g?
Thanks

 

[navigates]

I was told by a friend of mine who said that if you have a premier account (FAN) account that you need to buy the 3gs from the ATT store and that it could not be bought from the apple store.

Is this true? Sounds wrong me to me. Also...do you have to have the FAN number removed from the account before activating the 3gs in the store as was the case with the 3g?
Thanks

There is a workaround. Call up AT&T and note the FAN#(Premier Discount) and ask them to remove it to make your account a non premier account. Then get the phone from Apple and then call AT&T back and add your FAN Discount.

Note: You can add the discount online from your work in most cases. If you login form your work where you are discount eligible then a Enroll in Discount link will appear. That will add the FAN back to your account. If not you can just walk up an AT&T store and take your business card, they will re associate the discount back.

fyi: Last year I went up to the apple store and called AT&T from there and had them remove my FAN# and told the rep to be on the line. After the phone was purchased, I told AT&T to add it back.

Hope the process is clear now. So in short, you CAN go an buy it from apple with a workaround which is silly in my case.

 

[ClemTiger0408]

I was told by a friend of mine who said that if you have a premier account (FAN) account that you need to buy the 3gs from the ATT store and that it could not be bought from the apple store.

Is this true? Sounds wrong me to me. Also...do you have to have the FAN number removed from the account before activating the 3gs in the store as was the case with the 3g?
Thanks

I might be a special circumstance because I added by premier status less than a week before iPhone 3G S came out. However, my account does show the discount.

I bought mine from the Apple Store with no problems at all. Did not have to remove premier or anything.

 

[actorkid]

i get a student discount through the premier site

i added the discount about three weeks ago. I just walked into an apple store and bought the 3G S with no problems at all. I even called AT&T about 3 days later to ask if the discount was still there. They said that my account still showed my discount and there were no problems.

 

[joro]

Yes, during launch premier customers were having trouble buying the phones from Apple but now, post-launch, you should be fine to buy directly from Apple through the store. Though I don’t know if you’ll be able to do it online at this time.

 

[r6girl]

This has been discussed in this thread.

I had no problems buying an iPhone 3GS at an Apple Store and maintaining my FAN discount.

 

[CLH32]

dang... I wish I would have known this before I ordered from Premier.

I've had nothing but problems so far.

The latest is... overnight last night my order status magically changed from "Processing" to "Canceled." (I ordered on 6/18)



On hold literally right now trying to get someone to figure out what is going on.

 

[aristobrat]

As long as your line is IRU (individual responsibility user, .. i.e. the account is in your name, even though you're receiving a business discount), you shouldn't have any problems. I heard of a few on the 3GS launch day, but there were random issues with all sorts of things that day. Apple's been selling to IRU customers for months now (without that customer having to call AT&T and remove the discount).

If your account is in the name of the company you work for, then you have to go to AT&T.

 

[Khurram]

Thanks guys.
I get my FAN discount through my university-NYU.

So I should be ok without removing the FAN first?

I am the primary account holder.

I suppose if it doesn't work I can just call up ATT from the store and have it removed.

 

[dave006]

Thanks guys.
I get my FAN discount through my university-NYU.

So I should be ok without removing the FAN first?

I am the primary account holder.

I suppose if it doesn't work I can just call up ATT from the store and have it removed.

It will work just fine this year for you since you have a basic school National Account Discount (NAD).

There are two types of customers that may still have trouble at the Apple store: Small Business shared accounts "AT&T Business Talk and a few Enterprise accounts.

Dave

 

[Rodimus Prime]

There is a workaround. Call up AT&T and note the FAN#(Premier Discount) and ask them to remove it to make your account a non premier account. Then get the phone from Apple and then call AT&T back and add your FAN Discount.

Note: You can add the discount online from your work in most cases. If you login form your work where you are discount eligible then a Enroll in Discount link will appear. That will add the FAN back to your account. If not you can just walk up an AT&T store and take your business card, they will re associate the discount back.

fyi: Last year I went up to the apple store and called AT&T from there and had them remove my FAN# and told the rep to be on the line. After the phone was purchased, I told AT&T to add it back.

Hope the process is clear now. So in short, you CAN go an buy it from apple with a workaround which is silly in my case.

Do remember if you can not cause you account to become premier again DO NOT do this method. For example I currently have a premier account but that is only because I got before I was laid off. Now technically I should no longer have it but like hell am I going to tell AT&T that. They have to figure it out for themselves.

I will not remove the premier from my account because I know I could not get it again.

 

[thecooler99]

I was turned down Saturday for being an authorized user on a FAN#. I then asked if I could then call at&t and have it removed. They said it didn't matter, they don't allow AU's to buy from apple store. Had to get the manager to confirm this...Anyway, ordered from at&t online 6/20, still "in progress". I called another apple store about an hr. away and asked them about the AU issue. They weren't sure but said it shouldn't be a problem, didn't want to drive an hr. to find out though.

 

[joro]

Do remember if you can not cause you account to become premier again DO NOT do this method. For example I currently have a premier account but that is only because I got before I was laid off. Now technically I should no longer have it but like hell am I going to tell AT&T that. They have to figure it out for themselves.

I will not remove the premier from my account because I know I could not get it again.

You will have to go back through the “activation” process for the FAN discount which usually is by sending an e-mail to you’re work e-mail and then you responding back. I also know, if you follow this process and remove your discount, it takes about 60 days before the discount shows up on your bill according to AT&T and their website. So you’re giving up two months of discount to buy from Apple online? Just go to an Apple store and you won’t have a problem.