AT&T and The iPhone - Nightmare Experience

I proceeded to order the iPhone from apple.com and half way thru the checkout process it said I required a $300 deposit and would have to go to the att store and pay the deposit in person...so I walked into the AT&T store to purchase an iPhone thinking apple.com was wrong because i have good credit (over 700)...and thats when the nightmare started.

Me: hello i'm interested in purchasing an iPhone 3Gs

ATT guy: Would you like to purchase the 3Gs or the 3G?

Me: The 3Gs

ATT guy: (walks in the back somewhere and walks back to me holding an iPhone 3gs)

Me: May I see it? ive never actually held one before

ATT guy: Im sorry we cant allow customers to hold the phone before purchasing it.

Me: your joking right?

ATT guy: no sir.

Me: Well lets get the credit check over with.

ATT guy: (types my info into the computer)....waiting...... Were going to require a $500 deposit.

Me: come again?

ATT guy: Thats going to be $500 for a deposit sir.

Me: Apple.com told me it would be $300. not that I would pay that much to begin with.

Me: so $500 deposit plus the cost of the iphone and the activation fee and the 1st months bill. its a phone not an apartment sir.

ATT guy: Let me run it again.....waiting....it still stays $500 deposit sir.

Me: I have a credit score over 700 and i've had two 2-year contracts in the past, one with sprint and one with t-mobile and all my bills were payed on time and neither required a deposit from me. i've also owned 2 phones from boost mobile as well if that counts for anything.

ATT guy: i'm sorry sir but i only go by what the computer tells me.

So by now i'm pretty ticked off, i never owned the 2 original iphones so this is my chance to finally have one.....

KEEP READING!

Me: so my total cost is going to come to over $800, correct?

ATT guy: ahhh yes sir most likely.

Me: So can I ask you something sir?

ATT guy: Sure.

Me: Why does the exclusivity contract at&t has with apple make At&t feel that they can rip off there customers in such an obvious way.

ATT guy: I dont speak for the at&t company as a whole sir. Im just an employee at this particular branch.

Me: Must feel nice working for a company thats been ripping off its customers for years.

ATT guy: As I said sir, I only work at this branch. I have nothing to do with the actual contracts at&t signs.

Me: Do you know I can buy an entire computer for less than $800?

ATT guy: yes sir i'm aware of that.

Me: And if I happen to fall and bump my head one day and I decide to give the $500 deposit, when might I get it back.

ATT guy: After a full year of on time monthly payments.

Me: So the fact that i've payed 4 years worth of bills for 2 other carrier means nothing to at&t?

ATT guy: I only go by what the computer tells me sir.

Me: I'm 24 years old with 4 credit cards in my name and a 700+ credit score. What more does at&t want?

ATT guy: I only go by what the computer tells me sir.

SO I WALK OUT AND I GO HOME AND I PROCEED TO CALL AT&T AND TRY TO WORK SOME MAGIC OVER THE PHONE. I'M PASSED ALONG TO 6 DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND HUNG UP ON AFTER 1 HOUR.

Man that sucks dude. I know quite a few people that have iphones and they absolutely love them, because well they rock. But anyways, they never had any such problems with getting a phone, (and I know for a fact they don't have that good of credit.)

Serves you right for being so mean to that employee who had nothing to do with it...Dark__Link

i know i was lol

Serves you right for being so mean to that employee who had nothing to do with it...Dark__Link

Meh, he was just expressing his anger. Who else should he be pissed at when this worker is talking like a robot and couldnt even try to negotiate anyting or check up if there are any deals?

[QUOTE="Dark__Link"]Serves you right for being so mean to that employee who had nothing to do with it...taj7575

It isn't the dude behind the counter...

Wow you are quite rude...

Don't go to AT&T. They literally MADE UP a fake phone bill that I couldn't get out of paying. Bunch of crap.

Ahh, i feel your pain! I've had bad run-ins with att also, in the form of bills exceeding over $500 for the past 4 months, last months bill was $730 and this months was $530. Apparently the people at att like to remove services like unlimited texting and and data without consent, driving my bill outrageously high every month.

Ever since June i've had to call them about my bill. On top of that my Samsung Impression has 2 factory defects on it, so when I call samsung they try to get me to turn in the phone for 3 weeks without a replacement... :evil:

Att's sending me a new one though, so that's one thing they've done right. :D

Don't go to AT&T. They literally MADE UP a fake phone bill that I couldn't get out of paying. Bunch of crap.

Theokhoth

I proceeded to order the iPhone from apple.com and half way thru the checkout process it said I required a $300 deposit and would have to go to the att store and pay the deposit in person...so I walked into the AT&T store to purchase an iPhone thinking apple.com was wrong because i have good credit (over 700)...and thats when the nightmare started.

Me: hello i'm interested in purchasing an iPhone 3Gs

ATT guy: Would you like to purchase the 3Gs or the 3G?

Me: The 3Gs

ATT guy: (walks in the back somewhere and walks back to me holding an iPhone 3gs)

Me: May I see it? ive never actually held one before

ATT guy: Im sorry we cant allow customers to hold the phone before purchasing it.

Me: your joking right?

ATT guy: no sir.

Me: Well lets get the credit check over with.

ATT guy: (types my info into the computer)....waiting...... Were going to require a $500 deposit.

Me: come again?

ATT guy: Thats going to be $500 for a deposit sir.

Me: Apple.com told me it would be $300. not that I would pay that much to begin with.

Me: so $500 deposit plus the cost of the iphone and the activation fee and the 1st months bill. its a phone not an apartment sir.

ATT guy: Let me run it again.....waiting....it still stays $500 deposit sir.

Me: I have a credit score over 700 and i've had two 2-year contracts in the past, one with sprint and one with t-mobile and all my bills were payed on time and neither required a deposit from me. i've also owned 2 phones from boost mobile as well if that counts for anything.

ATT guy: i'm sorry sir but i only go by what the computer tells me.

So by now i'm pretty ticked off, i never owned the 2 original iphones so this is my chance to finally have one.....

KEEP READING!

Me: so my total cost is going to come to over $800, correct?

ATT guy: ahhh yes sir most likely.

Me: So can I ask you something sir?

ATT guy: Sure.

Me: Why does the exclusivity contract at&t has with apple make At&t feel that they can rip off there customers in such an obvious way.

ATT guy: I dont speak for the at&t company as a whole sir. Im just an employee at this particular branch.

Me: Must feel nice working for a company thats been ripping off its customers for years.

ATT guy: As I said sir, I only work at this branch. I have nothing to do with the actual contracts at&t signs.

Me: Do you know I can buy an entire computer for less than $800?

ATT guy: yes sir i'm aware of that.

Me: And if I happen to fall and bump my head one day and I decide to give the $500 deposit, when might I get it back.

ATT guy: After a full year of on time monthly payments.

Me: So the fact that i've payed 4 years worth of bills for 2 other carrier means nothing to at&t?

ATT guy: I only go by what the computer tells me sir.

Me: I'm 24 years old with 4 credit cards in my name and a 700+ credit score. What more does at&t want?

ATT guy: I only go by what the computer tells me sir.

SO I WALK OUT AND I GO HOME AND I PROCEED TO CALL AT&T AND TRY TO WORK SOME MAGIC OVER THE PHONE. I'M PASSED ALONG TO 6 DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND HUNG UP ON AFTER 1 HOUR.

DarthIntel

You know why I don't believe you? I don't think you'd actually say "you're joking right"? and I don't think he'd say "no,sir", either. If it is true, you were kinda mean to that guy...

[QUOTE="Dark__Link"]Serves you right for being so mean to that employee who had nothing to do with it...taj7575

Meh, he was just expressing his anger. Who else should he be pissed at when this worker is talking like a robot and couldnt even try to negotiate anyting or check up if there are any deals?

Serves you right for being so mean to that employee who had nothing to do with it...Dark__Link

That's why I think the Iphone is a rich, hipster phone. Only people with enough money (rich) and the people with equal or greater douchebaggery (hipsters) would mess with AT&T.

[QUOTE="taj7575"]

[QUOTE="Dark__Link"]Who else should he be pissed atduxup

It isn't the dude behind the counter...

Oh come on I doubt he actually remembered every single word this employee said... This whole interaction was probably over 10 minutes so there was probably no way he could remember every word.Ultrabeatdown55

New ATT customer + poor credit = deposit. Maybe you should double check your score and what kind of credit you have? I mean if all you've paid off is store charge cards then yeah...

It will go to another carrier soon I believe just wait until it does. Duckman5

[QUOTE="Duckman5"]It will go to another carrier soon I believe just wait until it does. Tiefster

what a joke plus your paying monthly wtf why do they need a deposit rogers did'nt even check my credit when i got my iphone

you should just go on ebay and buy one