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What does AT&T ask you when you buy a iPhone from their store?

nickspohn

nickspohn

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 9, 2007
3,592
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I'm buying phones and selling them on ebay, and was curious to know what they actually ask you when purchasing.

I'm going to say it's a gift, but i can't be running to the ATT store everyday and buying phones and saying they are all gifts. lol

THanks.
 
Will that be cash or credit card?

Pretty sure both Apple and ATT limit the amount you can buy. Get others to buy for you.
 
rdowns said:
Will that be cash or credit card?

Pretty sure both Apple and ATT limit the amount you can buy. Get others to buy for you.
Click to expand...

Credit Card.


I doubt they limit you on purchases when you go back another day and buy more. IE, just buying 1 at a time.
 
nickspohn said:
I'm going to say it's a gift, but i can't be running to the ATT store everyday and buying phones and saying they are all gifts.
Click to expand...

Is it possible to buy them at an AT&T store without signing a contract? I thought, this would only work at Apple stores...
 
cvahl said:
Is it possible to buy them at an AT&T store without signing a contract? I thought, this would only work at Apple stores...
Click to expand...

No. You get in, you buy, you go home, and do the activating there.
 
nickspohn said:
Credit Card.


I doubt they limit you on purchases when you go back another day and buy more. IE, just buying 1 at a time.
Click to expand...
Apple limits a credit card to 5 iPhone purchases. Doesn't matter over how many days you spread your purchases out; once you hit 5, that card isn't buying any more. Don't know if AT&T does that, but I'd assume so.
 
Well i can also order iPhones on Apple's website. i just tried ordering 10 of them and i got no error.


problem is there is no one here in the day to receive the package
 
Why would anyone buy them off of ebay from you? Are you pre-unlocking / jailbreaking them or something? Unless you plan on selling them for 10% less than what Apple charges, well... good luck to you...
 
PoitNarf said:
Why would anyone buy them off of ebay from you? Are you pre-unlocking / jailbreaking them or something? Unless you plan on selling them for 10% less than what Apple charges, well... good luck to you...
Click to expand...

Obviously.... Thanks for the assumption

I'm sending them worldwide as well.
 
PoitNarf said:
Why would anyone buy them off of ebay from you? Are you pre-unlocking / jailbreaking them or something? Unless you plan on selling them for 10% less than what Apple charges, well... good luck to you...
Click to expand...

They actually go well over retail on eBay when unlocked. People are just dumb, and don't wanna search google. It's so simple to unlock it :p
 
Yeah, but i also sell around the world. Something you can't really do yourself if you live in a part of the world that doesn't sell iPhones. People also don't want to take the risk of messing up their phone. They aren't experts like us.


Just called Apple, and there IS NO LIMIT on how many iPhones you can buy at once. She said it used to be limited, but they lifted that.
 
in my case

They asked for drivers license number, name , social security number, billing address. I am fairly confident all the representative did was run a credit check.
 
I bought two iPhones from AT&T and both times they asked me for my email and the second time they asked me what my AT&T phone number was. I'm not sure why they asked for my email because they have never sent me anything anyways.

That pretty much it, just paid with my card and left.
 
yeah they can be sold for more than retail, even here in Canada they go for round 600-650... you can find them for cheaper sometimes but that is the "street value" up here..
 
FoxyApple said:
no aTT does that.


must have been an apple store
Click to expand...

Bakersfield, CA AT&T Mall View Road store DOES run a credit check. The receipt includes a "Pre-Approved Credit Check Number" in lieu of an "Activation Deposit".

Not the best retail experience. Unfortunately, our closest Apple store is in Fresno, about two hours away.
 
mschmitt said:
Bakersfield, CA AT&T Mall View Road store DOES run a credit check. The receipt includes a "Pre-Approved Credit Check Number" in lieu of an "Activation Deposit".

Not the best retail experience. Unfortunately, our closest Apple store is in Fresno, about two hours away.
Click to expand...

If you forwarded to AT&T corporate that they were making people do this, they would stop them.
 
Here is why AT&T is a bit different then the Apple store:

AT&T will ASK you if you want to pre-qualify for service while your in the store. The reason they do this is- If you purchase the phone, take it home, and have such bad credit they could deny you service or require a large deposit. If your not happy with this- when you take the phone back to AT&T they WILL charge you a restocking fee because you have opened the box. If your pre-qualified at the store there is no risk of you not being accepted and you will not have to eat the restocking fee.

They can't do this kind of check at the Apple store so that is why they never ask if you purchase one there.

BUT- you can go to the AT&T store and refuse the pre check or tell them its a gift and you can walk out with one - no questions asked.
 
I bought one at an ATT store, and they started asking for e-mail and such.... and I just told them no, I would not give it to them. They said fine and sold it to me anyway. ATT just needs to be told who is boss. You don't want to give them any info, don't. It is NOT required for purchase.

If you want to buy a whole bunch, get one of those one-use redit cards, I know AMEX has them. Buy a few phones, get a new card number, buy some more.

I swear, these Gestapo tactics from both "A" companies is a bit much. They need to remember, they are service providers, and we are the customers. Without us, they go away. They could really learn a few lessons from companies with good customer service- like Disney or AMEX. When you want something from Disney, they figger out how to do it for you, and get it done, not restrict you or shoot you down. Remember when Apple knocked two bills off the iPhone price? It was AMEX who first- and with no questions- made that good to customers. Apple only did it when forced to by public opinion. Apple may design a good product, but they suck at CS.... and even then they are miles ahead of ATT!
 
carfac said:
I bought one at an ATT store, and they started asking for e-mail and such.... and I just told them no, I would not give it to them. They said fine and sold it to me anyway. ATT just needs to be told who is boss. You don't want to give them any info, don't. It is NOT required for purchase.

If you want to buy a whole bunch, get one of those one-use redit cards, I know AMEX has them. Buy a few phones, get a new card number, buy some more.

I swear, these Gestapo tactics from both "A" companies is a bit much. They need to remember, they are service providers, and we are the customers. Without us, they go away. They could really learn a few lessons from companies with good customer service- like Disney or AMEX. When you want something from Disney, they figger out how to do it for you, and get it done, not restrict you or shoot you down. Remember when Apple knocked two bills off the iPhone price? It was AMEX who first- and with no questions- made that good to customers. Apple only did it when forced to by public opinion. Apple may design a good product, but they suck at CS.... and even then they are miles ahead of ATT!
Click to expand...

I beg to differ on the AMEX comment. I read that at several sites right after the price drop and called them. I have been an AMEX cardholder since 1973 and they told me NO. Several others I know who used their AMEX to buy their iPhones had the same experience. The price drop had NOTHING to do with customer service, it was a business decision and nothing more. I appreciated Apple's rebate, but I neither expected it or demanded it as some did. It is the price you pay for being an early adopter. Furthermore, I have had AT&T cell service since the old Bell South Mobility days, 1989, and have always had excellent customer service from them. NO activation fee on my iPhone or my wife's. I don't know why some people who have a bad experience, for whatever reason, brand a company's customer service as horrible for the duration. I suppose it is the nature of the titty baby society we live in today. :cool:
 
Hey Banjo:

Glad you have had a good time with ATT, but there are a lot of people who don't, too. As evidenced by this tread. I compare that to what I get as a T-Mo customer (in store and on the phone), and there is a world of difference, in my experience. I have always had good experiences with T-Mo, and have had a few CS reps go out of there way to do things for me. Same with my experience with AMEX. I am sorry yours was different.

Perhaps we can agree that both ATT and Apple (and, I will throw in AMEX for you!) have a ways to go in the cs department? Perhaps Nordstom and Disney would have been a better example!

Anyway, I have steered this thread off topic, and I apologize.
 
Att is quite evil. My theory(non-scientific :p) as to why the rep required so much information from me is this:
He wanted the commission from the sale. He entered his sales ID with my account so that he would get the sale when I activated with ATT, which never occurred. Or maybe he was just upset that I let it slide that I was going to "activate another way".
 
chrozz said:
Att is quite evil. My theory(non-scientific :p) as to why the rep required so much information from me is this:
He wanted the commission from the sale. He entered his sales ID with my account so that he would get the sale when I activated with ATT, which never occurred. Or maybe he was just upset that I let it slide that I was going to "activate another way".
Click to expand...

Sales people at AT&T and every other mobile provider in the US do get their commissions when you activate the phone. Its always been like this since the beginning of time. Why do you call someone that is trying to get paid their wage "evil"? I'm sure the sales people that work in the store are paid minimum wage (or very close to it) plus their activation commissions. You don't think these people deserve to make a living wage? They have rent to pay and food to put on the table too!
 
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