I assumed this, but finally confirmed it from an ATT e-mail. Even at the $399-$499 price for the 3G iPhone, your upgrade eligibility will start over.
This means if you thought that after paying full price you'd at least be eligible in time for next year's 3rd Gen iPhone, you won't be anymore, you'd end up paying $399 again unless you wait the 20 something months all over.
That's what I figured. I'd pay full price now and I thought I'd be eligible next year for a new iPhone at $199, so I'd get the same deal in the end as the first gen iPhone owners, paying $399 then a year later, $199. But that's not the case anymore. But now they call the regular price from the 1st gen iPhone as an early upgrade!
A snip-it from the ATT e-mail:
however we are offering
early upgrades with the Iphone at $399/$499 and with either cost it will
require a 2 year agreement and since the devices are discounted this
would reset the upgrade eligibility. If you purchase the device at the
$399/499 cost you will no longer be eligible to upgrade on 11/08/08.
They are really giving us existing customers no break. People who bought the first iPhone for the same price at $399-$499, or even off craigslist, did not have their eligibility reset after activating it. And now they get a instant eligibility even if they got a subsidized phone right before the iPhone, which they can sell and make things even cheaper. Yes, I know, you snooze you lose.
Why then do they still have this on ATT's iPhone FAQ:
Q. Do I lose my discount eligibility on phones or devices other than iPhone?
A. No. Although existing customers are required to sign a new 2-year service contract when activating iPhone, the discount eligibility for other devices will continue from the time of your current contract. For example, if you are eligible for an upgrade discount next month, you will still be eligible for the upgrade discount on a device other than iPhone next month.
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/iphone-faqs.jsp
At least if they are going to charge $200 more for an early ugprade, why isn't it $175 more, the same as ETF. Why are they trying to recover more than you owe on your existing contract, plus $18 upgrade fee, and reset your eligibility. Even more annoying that the pro-rate they started a few months ago, where it's $5 less a month, wasn't retro active for existing customers, another blow. So someone that's 18 months away from upgrade gets the same $399 price as someone 4 months away, and of course the person 4 months away is going to think it's unfair when their eligibility is reset when the other person hardly paid off their subsidy.
Reason I say this, if you are 2 to 4 months away from eligibility, and were planning to early upgrade $399 with the thought you'd be eligible for the next iPhone, think again. It's treated like a full subsidized price, your eligibility will start over for another 20 something months.
NOTE: If all you have to respond with is "stop whining" or "just don't buy the iPhone", please save us the time and not bump a thread you don't seem to care about anyway. I do have a bit of complaining in my post, but I still think some people might not have suspected this issue with the $399 price fully resetting upgrade eligibility when it did not a the same price as the first gen iPhone
This means if you thought that after paying full price you'd at least be eligible in time for next year's 3rd Gen iPhone, you won't be anymore, you'd end up paying $399 again unless you wait the 20 something months all over.
That's what I figured. I'd pay full price now and I thought I'd be eligible next year for a new iPhone at $199, so I'd get the same deal in the end as the first gen iPhone owners, paying $399 then a year later, $199. But that's not the case anymore. But now they call the regular price from the 1st gen iPhone as an early upgrade!
A snip-it from the ATT e-mail:
however we are offering
early upgrades with the Iphone at $399/$499 and with either cost it will
require a 2 year agreement and since the devices are discounted this
would reset the upgrade eligibility. If you purchase the device at the
$399/499 cost you will no longer be eligible to upgrade on 11/08/08.
They are really giving us existing customers no break. People who bought the first iPhone for the same price at $399-$499, or even off craigslist, did not have their eligibility reset after activating it. And now they get a instant eligibility even if they got a subsidized phone right before the iPhone, which they can sell and make things even cheaper. Yes, I know, you snooze you lose.
Why then do they still have this on ATT's iPhone FAQ:
Q. Do I lose my discount eligibility on phones or devices other than iPhone?
A. No. Although existing customers are required to sign a new 2-year service contract when activating iPhone, the discount eligibility for other devices will continue from the time of your current contract. For example, if you are eligible for an upgrade discount next month, you will still be eligible for the upgrade discount on a device other than iPhone next month.
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/iphone-faqs.jsp
At least if they are going to charge $200 more for an early ugprade, why isn't it $175 more, the same as ETF. Why are they trying to recover more than you owe on your existing contract, plus $18 upgrade fee, and reset your eligibility. Even more annoying that the pro-rate they started a few months ago, where it's $5 less a month, wasn't retro active for existing customers, another blow. So someone that's 18 months away from upgrade gets the same $399 price as someone 4 months away, and of course the person 4 months away is going to think it's unfair when their eligibility is reset when the other person hardly paid off their subsidy.
Reason I say this, if you are 2 to 4 months away from eligibility, and were planning to early upgrade $399 with the thought you'd be eligible for the next iPhone, think again. It's treated like a full subsidized price, your eligibility will start over for another 20 something months.
NOTE: If all you have to respond with is "stop whining" or "just don't buy the iPhone", please save us the time and not bump a thread you don't seem to care about anyway. I do have a bit of complaining in my post, but I still think some people might not have suspected this issue with the $399 price fully resetting upgrade eligibility when it did not a the same price as the first gen iPhone
