family member has ATT upgrade iPhone option, wants to give to me, can she?

[LRUmansky]

I likely have to replace it a recently lost/stolen iPhone. A family member also has att wireless. She is due for upgrade. She can get online a 16 gig refurb iPhone for $200 with new 2 year contract.

She wants to get the phone and give it to me (I would be paying for it), and she just goes to using her original phone. She will need to still have her original phone plan (it's only like $25 or so a month).

From what I understood from an ATT rep on the phone, I would do this?:

I think the iPhone plan (the data, etc plan) will have to put in place at least for a very short term on her account in order for her to get the iPhone for the $199 price (?). Right after receiving the phone, it will be deactivated and reactivated onto my ATT account. She will reactivate her old phone back to her account, and go back to her old plan. So, she will not be stuck with the iPhone data communication plan for more than a day. The idea is to keep her the same after the process as before, except with a new 2 yr $25/mo contract.

Also, what would the activation fees be involved? Can they be waived if I can show a police report for my stolen/lost phone?

If anyone can list what I need to do, if it's at all different from above, please advise.

Much appreciated

 

[tritonj]

the problem is that if the plan she is currently on is no longer a plan that is offerred then she will lose it when trying to switch back

 

[LRUmansky]

does she have to actually change plans to get the iPhone?

A rep just said that she can keep the plan she has (it's only $20 a month, it's not available any longer), and obtain the iPhone. All that would happen is her plan is extended, but she couldn't actually use the phone, since there is no data plan. And simply transfer iPhone to me.

The other alternative the rep said would be to add the data plan to her existing $20 (Region 50 plan), and then remove the data plan once the phone is transferred to me.

In the end (with either way) she would be back at her original plan, just with new contract.

How do those sound?

 

[patdesignsinc]

Won't work, OP. I tried that with my last iPhone upgrade. They would not transfer my data plan and cancel it out on the line I purchased the iPhone. I was basically stuck with my wife swapping her phone number with my mother so she could have an iPhone. AT&T really screwed the pooch on that one. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did, but when I purchased an iPhone on one upgradeable line and tried to switch it to a different number, I was denied.

 

[LRUmansky]

not sure if I'm doing the same thing you did pat. I talked to several different agents the past few days, including those in an actual store. They all said the same thing. So, my family member just ordered her upgrade (iPhone refurb 16 gig -- which is now avail, so I'm kinda lucky) on her account with the data plan (required to purchase online).

The phone will arrive in a few days. It will be activated on my account (manually over the phone). My iPhone plan has been being paid for since xmas, and has had no breaks in it.

The data plan will be removed from the family member's plan, which will leave her with the very basic plan she had. That plan is not even available any longer, but she will still have it, just for another 2 years.

The iphone ends up $200 + tax + $18 upgrade fee. No other activation fees, etc.

Thanks for all replies, and maybe this experience helps another. I'll reply here when the transaction is totally complete in a few days (activation of iPhone on my account, and my family member staying with only her current plan and nothing more).

 

[dave006]

Won't work, OP. I tried that with my last iPhone upgrade. They would not transfer my data plan and cancel it out on the line I purchased the iPhone. I was basically stuck with my wife swapping her phone number with my mother so she could have an iPhone. AT&T really screwed the pooch on that one. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did, but when I purchased an iPhone on one upgradeable line and tried to switch it to a different number, I was denied.

Sorry you had such a bad experience but your's is the exception. It is very easy to do what the OP is trying to do via an AT&T Online Purchase. It can be more complex in the retail store depending the skill / experience of the RSC. Some reps can do it in under 10 minutes and other's can't do it even with all available help in the store.

For the OP, just put your current SIM into the refurbished iPhone 3G when it arrives and syn with iTunes. If you turn on the phone it will have the "Connect to iTunes message", you do not need to call to activate the new SIM. Just keep it as a spare.

You can even restore your last iPhone backup riight onto the new iPhone 3G. The only thing you should have to do is select your music from your Mac or PC iTunes library.

You're relative should not have already have the iPhone data plan added to her line even thought it had to be selected at checkout. You can always call and confirm that it is not on the line. If you hear anything different just hang up and post here. There is no need for your relative to activate the phone on their line and do a bunch of SIM / Feature swaps. That is most likely to get her old voice rate plan lost if the Customer Care rep makes a mistake.

Dave

 

[LRUmansky]

Thanks Dave
I do not have any SIM card right now, though. My sim card is in my phone, which is lost/stolen, or in police custody right now.
The agent on the phone said, that is fine. Just to call when I get the new phone, and tell the agent a "manual activation" is required. She said a total of two sims will not be needed when I request this.

And I will make sure the data plan is not instilled on relative's plan.

Thanks for the input.

P.S. What is OP?

 

[dave006]

Thanks Dave
I do not have any SIM card right now, though. My sim card is in my phone, which is lost/stolen, or in police custody right now.
The agent on the phone said, that is fine. Just to call when I get the new phone, and tell the agent a "manual activation" is required. She said a total of two sims will not be needed when I request this.

And I will make sure the data plan is not instilled on relative's plan.

Thanks for the input.

P.S. What is OP?

OK, not a problem on the SIM, since you were still paying for service, I thought you had received a replacement SIM and that you were using a backup phone.

Yes, your new refurbished iPhone 3G will come with an instruction sheet that provides two phone numbers to call for complete the activation / provisioning of service. In your case since you don't have an active SIM, you will need to call to complete the SIM activation or you could do it self-service online since you have an existing iPhone 3G rate plan with a valid iPhone 3G data plan and have no risk of anyone making changes to either plan.

Here is the link: https://www.wireless.att.com/activations/ just follow the steps for an "equipment upgrade". It is very easy and should only take you about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Opps forgot the OP question. Original Poster (OP) aka Tread Starter aka You.

Dave

 

[LRUmansky]

THanks Dave and everyone else,

I received the phone a few days ago. The packaging was aweul. The iPhone refurb box was put in a cardboard shipping box with hardly any packing material, so it was just shaking around in the box. Other than that the phone is perfect.

It took about 90 mins total to activate with talking to reps on the phone, etc. PRob because I had to put it on my line, not the family member's. My family member has no data plan (though I should recheck that). SHe is back to where she was + a new contract : ) .

The phone itself is physically perfect, not a single smudge or scratch. And so far works as new. According to the phone there was 0 mins used of airtime. I tink a few online minutes, and that's it (before I started to use it).

Warranty expires end of Feb, 2010. So far so great.