When it comes to AT&T's recent press release on how they're limiting new and existing customers to just one iPhone 4, you have to question if they're limiting themselves on purpose.
I don't believe there's any amount restrictions on Apple's website.
Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist, but I talked to a lot of AT&T reps in a lot of stores and asked them why AT&T, the exclusive wireless carrier in the US for the iPhone, gets a handful of these devices at every launch, and are sold out for days, even weeks at a time, when the Apple store right across the way in the mall can be stocked with hundreds or thousands and get replenished every single day?
Many of the ones 'in the know' gave a viable explanation: Commission.
You have to remember two things. AT&T store reps work on commission. They get paid on activations, contract extensions, accessories, etc. Apple store reps get paid hourly. One Apple rep can sell and activate 100 iPhones in a day and get paid the same amount, which is why the prices don't fluctuate, and their demeanor is strikingly calm, friendly, and almost Disney-like.
So, if you were a head of a big corporation like AT&T, would you be so inclined to order half a million iPhones for all your stores across the country, so that your each of your store's reps could make commission, or would you hand Apple over a bunch of activation servers and access to AT&T's customer database so that the Apple store reps can perform the sales and activations for you for free?
I was there at each of the launch days, and the AT&T store at my local mall had no more than 80 iPhones at launch. To add insult to injury, the AT&T manager allowed them to line up in front of the store with a count of over 400. So, when they finally sold out in the first 90 minutes and he came out to announce they were sold out, everyone else on line began to riot and the police had to come.
Meanwhile, I stood on the Apple line and strolled in, got greeted by a handful of employees, and the mood was casual and relaxed. I even got an applause as I was leaving the store.
I stayed in the mall for several hours that day, and the AT&T store was completely deserted, except for the employees who were leaning on the counter, staring out into the mall, and across to the Apple store, where they continued to sell well into the closing.
If you can see that AT&T doesn't give a **** about their own employees, what really makes you think that they give a **** about you as a customer?
Of course, the rules have changed a bit, now that they're finally offering preordering for iPhones. Otherwise, I would steer clear of any AT&T store for launch day, unless one was guaranteed a preorder or sale, or if you know someone that works there that you want to help out with some commission.
I don't believe there's any amount restrictions on Apple's website.
Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist, but I talked to a lot of AT&T reps in a lot of stores and asked them why AT&T, the exclusive wireless carrier in the US for the iPhone, gets a handful of these devices at every launch, and are sold out for days, even weeks at a time, when the Apple store right across the way in the mall can be stocked with hundreds or thousands and get replenished every single day?
Many of the ones 'in the know' gave a viable explanation: Commission.
You have to remember two things. AT&T store reps work on commission. They get paid on activations, contract extensions, accessories, etc. Apple store reps get paid hourly. One Apple rep can sell and activate 100 iPhones in a day and get paid the same amount, which is why the prices don't fluctuate, and their demeanor is strikingly calm, friendly, and almost Disney-like.
So, if you were a head of a big corporation like AT&T, would you be so inclined to order half a million iPhones for all your stores across the country, so that your each of your store's reps could make commission, or would you hand Apple over a bunch of activation servers and access to AT&T's customer database so that the Apple store reps can perform the sales and activations for you for free?
I was there at each of the launch days, and the AT&T store at my local mall had no more than 80 iPhones at launch. To add insult to injury, the AT&T manager allowed them to line up in front of the store with a count of over 400. So, when they finally sold out in the first 90 minutes and he came out to announce they were sold out, everyone else on line began to riot and the police had to come.
Meanwhile, I stood on the Apple line and strolled in, got greeted by a handful of employees, and the mood was casual and relaxed. I even got an applause as I was leaving the store.
I stayed in the mall for several hours that day, and the AT&T store was completely deserted, except for the employees who were leaning on the counter, staring out into the mall, and across to the Apple store, where they continued to sell well into the closing.
If you can see that AT&T doesn't give a **** about their own employees, what really makes you think that they give a **** about you as a customer?
Of course, the rules have changed a bit, now that they're finally offering preordering for iPhones. Otherwise, I would steer clear of any AT&T store for launch day, unless one was guaranteed a preorder or sale, or if you know someone that works there that you want to help out with some commission.
