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ThunderApple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 27, 2010
450
34
So basically the people whos early upgrade is in 2011 CANT get the iPhone 4 AT ALL?
Why cant Apple just make it so that we can just pay the price of the phone with a 2 year comminment ($199, $299) but just trade in our 3GS and get the iPhone 4 and still be on our old 2 year contract? Im pretty pissed that theres no way for me to get the phone at a normal price since i cant get a early upgrade till 1/6/2011...

Am i mistaken or something and there IS a way to get it? I dont feel like paying $700 for the phone with no contract.

The only option i see right now is buying one on eBay but those are going to go up to premium price.
 

Ferris23

macrumors 68020
Sep 24, 2007
2,231
0
You can do something, buy the phone at full retail (which if you're willing to pay 300.00 on contract, if you REALLY want this phone 599/699 should not be that big of an issue), or wait 18 months and do an early upgrade.

Stop whining.
 

Marty Macfly

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2010
188
0
Am i mistaken or something and there IS a way to get it? I dont feel like paying $700 for the phone with no contract.

Then I guess you don't feel like getting it, as paying for it is a way to get it. :confused:

Talk to AT&T. I'm sure they'll make hundreds of exceptions on a case by case basis.
 

Revelation78

macrumors 68000
Dec 18, 2008
1,508
11
North Carolina
So basically the people whos early upgrade is in 2011 CANT get the iPhone 4 AT ALL?
Why cant Apple just make it so that we can just pay the price of the phone with a 2 year comminment ($199, $299) but just trade in our 3GS and get the iPhone 4 and still be on our old 2 year contract? Im pretty pissed that theres no way for me to get the phone at a normal price since i cant get a early upgrade till 1/6/2011...

Am i mistaken or something and there IS a way to get it? I dont feel like paying $700 for the phone with no contract.

The only option i see right now is buying one on eBay but those are going to go up to premium price.

First, why would they want your old phone back? You should still be able to get the early upgrade offer of $399/$499 and not have to pay full retail. They surely wouldn't let you stay on your "old" contract, that's just asinine.

My guess for an iPhone 4 you will spend in excess of $900 USD through eBay. With the new ETFs people will have to sell them for more to make profit. You figure a buyer will pay $299 + 325 ETF, I wouldn't accept $700. So either way you are going to pay more now, so pick your poison.
 

treyjustice

macrumors 65816
Jun 14, 2009
1,252
141
TX
Stop whining dude. You signed a 2 year contract to pay for that shiny little 3GS you got a 199. You probably don't pay enough on your bill to have it covered yet. If you want one but it outright and stop complaining.
 

ThunderApple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 27, 2010
450
34
First, why would they want your old phone back? You should still be able to get the early upgrade offer of $399/$499 and not have to pay full retail. They surely wouldn't let you stay on your "old" contract, that's just asinine.

My guess for an iPhone 4 you will spend in excess of $900 USD through eBay. With the new ETFs people will have to sell them for more to make profit. You figure a buyer will pay $299 + 325 ETF, I wouldn't accept $700. So either way you are going to pay more now, so pick your poison.
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.
 

Marty Macfly

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2010
188
0
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone.

I can tell you that (unless you're outside the U.S. and you put the day first) Apple will not be pushing an iPhone on this date or for another six months.
 

elephunkman

macrumors 65816
Mar 27, 2010
1,171
0
Boston
Why don't you qualify for an early upgrade? I am not the primary line on my plan but still get an early upgrade, yet my full upgrade date is in Mar of 2011.
 

Cander

macrumors 6502
Jun 3, 2008
422
1
Why does this come up every year? Is it really that that hard to understand the subsidizing business model?
 

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.

the entitlement you have is amazing.

Guess what - you signed a contract. Guess what else - your whining is exactly like all the (dare I say) cry-babies who posted the same when the 3GS came out.

You can get a 4G - you'll have to pay for it. Or wait to get a subsidized price. Want to know WHY AT&T won't let you trade? Do you need it spelled out for you? It's because you haven't finished paying off the phone you have via the subsidy. So why should they eat the cost of the 3GS you want to give back to them.

Go sell your 3GS on ebay if you want to subsidize your OWN purchase.
 

Revelation78

macrumors 68000
Dec 18, 2008
1,508
11
North Carolina
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.

Read my actual post! "Why would THEY want your old iPhone back?" your not eligible this time due to when you signed your contract for a 3GS and the amount of your bill.

If your bill is $99+ per month before taxes and fees, then you would be eligible every 12 months. At 12 months you would be eligible in Sep 2010 and your upgrade would have been pushed to now.

You obviously don't spend that much in your bill so you are on an 18 month eligibility time-table thus you are not eligible this time around.
 

rorschach

macrumors 68020
Jul 27, 2003
2,269
1,841
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.

Because they gave you a $400 subsidy when you bought the 3GS. They're not going to give you ANOTHER $400 subsidy on the new one when you haven't even paid off the 3GS. Or at least paid off most of it.
 

El Cabong

macrumors 6502a
Dec 1, 2008
620
339
So basically you agreed when you got your first subsidized iPhone that you couldn't get another until 2011. This is not something unique to Apple, or AT&T. If you'd chosen a barebones (yet subsidized) Nokia from Sprint a year ago, you wouldn't get a discounted Evo4G now.

Wait a year for your upgraded iPhone 4. Until then, turn off your wifi so everyone else can use theirs.
 

-aggie-

macrumors P6
Jun 19, 2009
16,793
51
Where bunnies are welcome.
I guess AT&T is supposed to subsidize the iPhone even more than they already have based on how some people feel. Jeez, AT&T even allowed 6 months for an early upgrade and still some aren't happy. I don't know why I'm amazed, since this was the same reaction last year.
 

Truffy

macrumors 6502a
When did i say i want my old phone back?
The question was why would they (the provider) want your old phone back in exchange for new and shiny? Apple release these things pretty much on an annual basis, around this time of year, so it should've been fairly obvious that a new one was around the corner.

And you know something? When you finally get to upgrade to iP4, iP5 will be just around the next corner!

I't a pity that your 3GS no longer works. :rolleyes:
 

TeamDNA

macrumors 6502
Sep 7, 2009
252
0
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isntt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.

why would THEY want your old iPhone??? then give you a FULL upgrade without extending your contract...thats just stupid on their part..
 

Marty Macfly

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2010
188
0
I guess AT&T is supposed to subsidize the iPhone even more than they already have based on how some people feel. Jeez, AT&T even allowed 6 months for an early upgrade and still some aren't happy. I don't know why I'm amazed, since this was the same reaction last year.

You'd think that at least one person would think to themself, "Hmm... Apple releases a new iPhone every year, but AT&T makes me enter a two year contract. Huh, I guess I'd better be pretty darn happy with the iPhone I get right now."

Apparently not. :eek:
 

yg17

macrumors Pentium
Aug 1, 2004
15,027
3,002
St. Louis, MO
I guess AT&T is supposed to subsidize the iPhone even more than they already have based on how some people feel. Jeez, AT&T even allowed 6 months for an early upgrade and still some aren't happy. I don't know why I'm amazed, since this was the same reaction last year.

AT&T could give away iPhones to everybody and someone would still complain that they had to pay shipping and handling on it.
 

Geckotek

macrumors G3
Jul 22, 2008
8,767
308
NYC
When did i say i want my old phone back? I said why cant we trade it in and get the iPhone 4 BUT stay on the same contract that you were on with the 3GS.
And it says im not eligible till 1/6/2011 which isnt even this year. I mean really, by then, Apple will be teasing us with another iPhone. I was just hoping they would let me us all trade in our 3GS on the release date of the iPhone 4 and get one with a fee. Weather or not its $199 or 299. I rather get it on release date then wait another year.

He didn't say you wanted your phone back, he said why would AT&T want it? You can always sell your 3Gs to someone else to help pay for your purchase.

Call AT&T, if we understand the press release correctly you may be able to purchase for the early upgrade price of $399/$499.

Also, you are being unreasonable. Like others said, when you purchased your phone originally, you signed a contract for 2 years. In exchange for that contract AT&T paid $400 of the price of your phone for you. That's the subsidy. Based on your spending, AT&T estimated that it will take until 1/2011 to earn that $400 back from you. This is why you can't just walk in, hand then your 3Gs and get another $400 discount on another iPhone. They would loose money.
 

schwell

macrumors regular
Jun 21, 2009
198
0
So basically the people whos early upgrade is in 2011 CANT get the iPhone 4 AT ALL?
Why cant Apple just make it so that we can just pay the price of the phone with a 2 year comminment ($199, $299) but just trade in our 3GS and get the iPhone 4 and still be on our old 2 year contract? Im pretty pissed that theres no way for me to get the phone at a normal price since i cant get a early upgrade till 1/6/2011...

Am i mistaken or something and there IS a way to get it? I dont feel like paying $700 for the phone with no contract.

The only option i see right now is buying one on eBay but those are going to go up to premium price.

Unbelievable.......

Buy the phone at full price and sell your 3GS.
Apple doesn't have a used iPhone lot like your local car dealer.
 

tlbwriter

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2008
139
28
I don't feel like paying for one at all! Why don't they give me one for free? Waaaaah!
 

gwfattwkr

macrumors member
Jun 13, 2009
58
0
So basically the people whos early upgrade is in 2011 CANT get the iPhone 4 AT ALL?
Why cant Apple just make it so that we can just pay the price of the phone with a 2 year comminment ($199, $299) but just trade in our 3GS and get the iPhone 4 and still be on our old 2 year contract? Im pretty pissed that theres no way for me to get the phone at a normal price since i cant get a early upgrade till 1/6/2011...

Am i mistaken or something and there IS a way to get it? I dont feel like paying $700 for the phone with no contract.

The only option i see right now is buying one on eBay but those are going to go up to premium price.

you have options, 1 sell your current phone you should be able to get 300-500 (if a 3GS) depending on the condition and memory try ebay or craigslist do it now before the release of the new one the price will drop once the new one is out.

. ATT will allow most to do an early upgrade for 399 or 499 16 or 32gb.
 
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