RANT: To everyone complaining about their upgrade dates, and cost of their iPhone 4

[Eddyisgreat]

[/troll] hey guys I never pay my bill on time, pay $5 dollars a month, just got a 3G last month and a 3G on tuesday and ATT is letting me get the iP4 a day early for free with no contract extention! [/troll]

Don't worry. If you don't get what you want, complain on ATT's forums and after about 100 pages of whining they'll probably bend over backwards like they did last time. Then next year ATT will say "screw it" and not let anyone upgrade @ any sort of discount, though the number of people hollaring "but apple releases iPhones every year and this is a 2 year contract waaaaaaaaaaaa" will still remain large.

 

[stisdal]

I find it hard to sympathize with those who expect special treatment every year a new iPhone comes out.

However, one would think that by now ATT would have realized the fact that a majority of iPhone customers will upgrade each and every year. Thus, I think that ATT should introduce some sort of plan/ contract/ option that will allow one to upgrade every year that a new iPhone is introduced. Whether this scheme calls for a higher initial device price or other method of recovering the cost over a period of a one year contract, I think that it is high time that ATT addresses this problem in a reasonable way that takes into account the 'loyalty' of the iPhone crowd.

You CAN do this; just get a one year contract. BUT, you WILL pay more for the phone...

 

[chris975d]

Their policies are consistent, it just varies on the amount your line bills every month. $0.00- $69.98- You get an upgrade every 20 months. $69.99-99.98- upgrade every 18 months. And $99.99 or above and upgrade every 12 months. Thats why he would have an upgrade in 2010, while you have one in 2011. If you had an upgrade in 2010, and had an iPhone on your plan on June 7th then you too would be able to pay $199. Instead you only have to pay the higher price. Again, they are trying to bring in business by offering this accelerated upgrade. There out to make money, just as a business should do.

Where people are bitching is that AT&T IS NOT going by this rule this year. For example, I purchased a 3GS on launch day last year, and my bill has NEVER been above $99 any month, even after taxes (it's $96 every month after taxes), yet I qualify for the full upgrade discount price at 12 months. I was fully expecting and even prepared to pay the full retail price to get the iPhone 4, yet I was pleasantly surprised by this bump in upgrade eligibility date I received.

You CAN do this; just get a one year contract. BUT, you WILL pay more for the phone...

According to both my local AT&T corporate store, and Apple store, AT&T doesn't allow a 1 year contract on the iPhone. I've asked and asked for this, as I'd prefer that, even knowing it'd cost more for the phone initially. I used to do this annually with AT&T on other smartphones before the iPhone, since they allow a 1 year contract with higher initial equipment cost with all other smartphones, but have been told by even the regional manager at my AT&T store that it's not an option on the iPhone.

 

[Jman14]

I have a 39.99 voice plan, 30 data plan, and a 5 text plan, which is under 100. I understand that I should not be eligible for the 199/299 discount, but I feel I should be eligible for the 399/499 discount exactly as last year. However, other members have reported that they are on the SAME exact monthly plan as I am on (voice, data, and text) but are eligible for the 199/299 pricing, while I am only eligible for the full retail pricing of 599/699. This is where the inconsistencies lie.

It specifically states in the AT&T early upgrade policy, only one early upgrade is allowed every 12/18/ or 20 months (depending on how much your line is billed) You can't expect them to do this every time a new one comes out. Again, this policy only is applied to the iPhone, not every other phones, so again AT&T is giving you a break by allowing this once per 12/18/20 month period. All in all- AT&T is helping out some people, and others already used their "break" on price, and are paying full price just like their contract states.

I love when AT&T offers people a break on price once per contact, they get greedy and expect it all the time. Just imagine you paid $399/$499 price last year, this year you pay $599/$699. Its better than paying $599/$699 both years. Take the money you saved and run, instead of bitch and say they are ripping you off, because they wont make a special exception just for you.

 

[UnseenLlama]

It specifically states in the AT&T early upgrade policy, only one early upgrade is allowed every 12/18/ or 20 months (depending on how much your line is billed) You can't expect them to do this every time a new one comes out. Again, this policy only is applied to the iPhone, not every other phones, so again AT&T is giving you a break by allowing this once per 12/18/20 month period. All in all- AT&T is helping out some people, and others already used their "break" on price, and are paying full price just like their contract states.

I love when AT&T offers people a break on price once per contact, they get greedy and expect it all the time. Just imagine you paid $399/$499 price last year, this year you pay $599/$699. Its better than paying $599/$699 both years. Take the money you saved and run, instead of bitch and say they are ripping you off, because they wont make a special exception just for you.

According to this info, AT&T is saying that any current iPhone owner not eligible for the full subsidized price, can pay the early upgrade fee instead. So the 12/18/20 month period is not true for the iPhone.

http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/files/iphone/pricing_fact_sheet_ip4.pdf

"“Early Upgrade” for Existing iPhone Customers
For existing AT&T customers who are not yet eligible for our best iPhone 4 pricing, AT&T offers a special program exclusively for iPhone – early upgrade pricing. This gives customers who do not yet qualify for an upgrade the opportunity to upgrade at a special price. Two-year term agreement and eligible voice and data plan are required."

 

[sarcosis]

Props to the OP. You signed a two year contract. You said that you would buy the phone at a subsidized price and have service for that for two years. Feel lucky that you get to upgrade as often as you do since they don't have to do anything of the sort. The dates are computed by a complex variable based on how fast your phone is paid back. Check this article out by the NYT and it explained it amazingly. It had been so long since I remembered that it worked that way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue-email.html

 

[caligurl]

However, one would think that by now ATT would have realized the fact that a majority of iPhone customers will upgrade each and every year. Thus, I think that ATT should introduce some sort of plan/ contract/ option that will allow one to upgrade every year that a new iPhone is introduced. Whether this scheme calls for a higher initial device price or other method of recovering the cost over a period of a one year contract, I think that it is high time that ATT addresses this problem in a reasonable way that takes into account the 'loyalty' of the iPhone crowd.

YES YES YES! is at$t were a bit smarter they would have a special 1 year iphone contract that did get their money in some way...

ya know... back when i got my last phone before getting the iphone.... i did have that option.... it was one price (cheaper) for a 2 year contract and a higher price for a 1 year contract... the consumer chose... unfortunately we chose the cheaper 2 year at that time so had to wait until last year to get our iphones.... since having an iphone... knowing they are going to come out out with something newer and better every year i'd pay the higer price (heck... i'm doing that now with my phone as i'm only early upgrade eligible whereas hubby's phone is the full on cheap upgrade price)....

 

[Built]

 

[jasperk99]

Their policies are consistent, it just varies on the amount your line bills every month. $0.00- $69.98- You get an upgrade every 20 months. $69.99-99.98- upgrade every 18 months. And $99.99 or above and upgrade every 12 months. Thats why he would have an upgrade in 2010, while you have one in 2011. If you had an upgrade in 2010, and had an iPhone on your plan on June 7th then you too would be able to pay $199. Instead you only have to pay the higher price. Again, they are trying to bring in business by offering this accelerated upgrade. There out to make money, just as a business should do.

So according to this if I am on a Business Plan as the primary user; my part of the bill is $80+ $30 unlim data +$15 enteprise data + $30 family unlimited text. So my part of the bill is $155 per month and I purchased the 3GS on the release date as a first time iphone owner, shouldn't I be eligible for the upgrade? Yet according to AT&T small business I won't be eligible for the full discount until 3/11; Note they say I am eligible for the 399/499

 

[RichL]

All I hear is QQ.

 

[PaulieORF]

According to this info, AT&T is saying that any current iPhone owner not eligible for the full subsidized price, can pay the early upgrade fee instead. So the 12/18/20 month period is not true for the iPhone.

http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/files/iphone/pricing_fact_sheet_ip4.pdf

"“Early Upgrade” for Existing iPhone Customers
For existing AT&T customers who are not yet eligible for our best iPhone 4 pricing, AT&T offers a special program exclusively for iPhone – early upgrade pricing. This gives customers who do not yet qualify for an upgrade the opportunity to upgrade at a special price. Two-year term agreement and eligible voice and data plan are required."

I've quoted this line to multiple AT&T employees and they have no answer, except "I see what it says but that's not the way it's actually working" is what one told me.

 

[UnseenLlama]

I've quoted this line to multiple AT&T employees and they have no answer, except "I see what it says but that's not the way it's actually working" is what one told me.

Then you need to tell them that this is what ATT has published and this is what the public is reading. I was on a call for an hour talking with the rep (who was a very nice lady!). At the end, she let me speak directly with her manager who made a note on my account that I would be eligible for the early upgrade price.

 

[184550]

You CAN do this; just get a one year contract. BUT, you WILL pay more for the phone...

Yes, while I am aware of this, I get the sneaking suspicion that a majority of people are not. Perhaps ATT needs to do a better job of pushing this option. It might abate a lot of the complaints that people have around this time of year.

 

[UnseenLlama]

Props to the OP. You signed a two year contract. You said that you would buy the phone at a subsidized price and have service for that for two years. Feel lucky that you get to upgrade as often as you do since they don't have to do anything of the sort. The dates are computed by a complex variable based on how fast your phone is paid back. Check this article out by the NYT and it explained it amazingly. It had been so long since I remembered that it worked that way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue-email.html

Excellent article. With Pogue would clarify that he is talking about the 16gb iPhone in all those prices.