iPhone Registration Roadblock - ERROR ON AT&T'S PART!

NotoriousJMG1 · ‎07-17-2008

Well. So, after spending two hours in line outside of and at the Apple store on such a joyous mid-summer Phoenix afternoon as today, I attempted to purchase an iPhone. All should've been well and good, yes? I signed my original service agreement with Cingular in August of 2006, which means I've been eligible for an upgrade for five months.
I would've had better luck getting a pig to fly.
It turns out that when I moved from Los Angeles to Phoenix a year ago and called to change my phone number, the customer service representative who assisted me somehow managed to screw up my contract beginning date and change it to August of 2007, meaning the system didn't think I was eligible for an upgrade until NEXT SPRING!
So, the Apple store associate who was helping me got on the phone with AT&T customer service, who informed me, essentially, that there was not a thing that they could do for me that day. They said that they could certainly get that fixed, get my date back to where it should've been, but that they would have to open a new case, and that resolving it could take up to five business days.
Is it just me, or would that be what we in polite society might term UNACCEPTABLE?! The fact that I have to wait for AT&T to correct its own incompetence?
And they couldn't have picked a worse time to pull this stunt on me, either. My contract expires in twenty-two days. So I asked them, what incentive is there for me to stick with AT&T, to buy an iPhone, to sign a new two-year service agreement?!
They gave me nothing. I asked if they could discount the subsidized price on the iPhone. They said no, and I can understand that, because they have a contracted price with Apple.
However, they offered me nothing else for my lost time. They didn't offer me the opportunity to go to an AT&T store and get an iPhone without having to wait in line again. They didn't offer me a credit on my account. They didn't offer a discount on my service plan. They said, "We'll look into it, and call you as soon as we've figured it out."
Here's my question: has anybody else out there run into this idiocy? The customer service rep I spoke with said it had been happening to other customers, which makes me think that AT&T royally dropped the ball when they transitioned Cingular accounts such as mine. And if you have run into it, have they offered you any sort of incentive not to tell them to take their service plan and shove it? And finally, how do y'all plan to react? Say, "Sayonara, AT&T," and ride off into the sunset? Or stick with them because they've got their happy little Apple monopoly and you REALLY want an iPhone?
Discuss.

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

They have iPhone, they have hands down the best coverage in my area, they could double their prices and I'd stay with them. Verizon/Sprint/T-Mobile can't make a call from my front yard, yet AT&T has 5 bars in my basement. I'd never switch carriers for anything, regardless of Apple and their devices (I'm going for the HTC Touch Pro myself). Sorry you had to go through this whole fiasco, but if it helps, I've heard Verizon has much better compensation for when they mess up. Happy shopping.

ManaPonj · ‎07-17-2008

I've posted this in another thread already, but I feel it's relevant to this discussion

ManaPonj wrote:
I had a 16gb White iPhone (my preference) in my hands tonight but it didn't come home with me. Why? Because AT&T obviously doesn't care about customer satisfaction.

I placed my DF order in confidence, believing the branch Manager of my local AT&T store when I was told that my order would arrive in 3-5 days. I also believed him when he *PROMISED* me I would be able to cancel that order "NO PROBLEM" as long as it hadn't shipped.

Tonight I drove 100 miles to the nearest Apple store and within 5 minutes of gaining entry, I had the box in hand and was providing my information to the salesperson. I soon found out that I am no longer eligible for the discount pricing (I own the 1st gen iPhone) because I have already placed an order.

I didn't think it was a big deal... I dial 611 and soon had an AT&T CSR on the phone. The CSR tells me that I cannot cancel the order because it has already shipped. I told him I had checked the status less than an hour ago & it was on backorder. Silence. I ask for a tracking number for the shipment. Silence. I told him that since the phone was still on backorder & he couldn't provide me with a tracking number, I'd like to cancel my order. "I'm sorry, this order cannot be canceled once it's been placed."

I asked to speak to a supervisor, but the CSR opted to go speak to the supervisor for me. He comes back to the phone and tells me that the supervisor says I can't cancel the order. I ask for the supervisors name... the CSR won't give it to me. At this point, I demand to speak to the supervisor and eventually get him on the phone...He wouldn't budge. He would NOT allow me to cancel the order.

I spent an hour and a half in the Apple store on the phone with AT&T while I stared longingly at the iPhone box sitting right in front of me. I was never able to cancel the order and I had to drive home empty handed.

Every apple employee was extremely apologetic and they are even holding the iPhone for me until the store closes tomorrow night. I have no beef with Apple.

AT&T has failed me. I have never been more dissatisfied with the Customer Service of any company I've ever dealt with.

I'm incredulous. I can't believe how unwilling the AT&T employees were. I don't even know what to say. I was shaking I was so furious.

NotoriousJMG1 · ‎07-17-2008

Oh, I agree with you completely. The fact that there was absolutely nothing that AT&T could do for me was ludicrous. I've been an AT&T/Cingular/AT&T customer for nearly four years, and they could do nothing. The Apple employee, on the other hand, was extraordinarily apologetic. I apologized to him for having wasted his time, and he apologized to me for not being able to get me out the door with an iPhone. AT&T could really stand to take a cue from Apple when it comes to customer service.

"AT&T has 5 bars in my basement"

Well... you're lucky, then. I often have difficulty getting one bar in my office, or at my parents' house - both of which are in the middle of Phoenix, which was, the last time I checked, the fifth biggest city in the United States. In fact, rates are the only reason I would even consider sticking with AT&T when my contract expires in three weeks.

Message Edited by NotoriousJMG1 on 07-17-2008 10:02:53 PM

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

ManaPonj, let's put this in a different scenario. You order a book from Amazon.com, it's paid for and shipped, then you go to Barnes&Noble because you can get it faster. You want to buy it there, so you call Amazon and tell them to cancel your order. IT IS IN THE MAIL, YOU PAID FOR IT, WAIT FOR IT TO GET THERE. If the wait time was too long, you shouldn't have ordered it in the first place! God, I've never seen more people complain than about the iPhone upgrades, they're being completely reasonable in your situation.

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

"Well... you're lucky, then. I often have difficulty getting one bar in my office, or at my parents' house - both of which are in the middle of Phoenix, which was, the last time I checked, the fifth biggest city in the United States. In fact, rates are the only reason I would even consider sticking with AT&T when my contract expires in three weeks."

My town is a giant Verizon dead zone, but yes, I literally get 3G in my basement while Verizon can't make a call while walking around holding the phone up in my yard (I've had friends try it). I've been told by others Verizon is superior near them and AT&T is only good for prices, but for me, they have me by the short and curlies... Only one way to go.

NotoriousJMG1 · ‎07-17-2008

Black93300ZX wrote:
IT IS IN THE MAIL, YOU PAID FOR IT, WAIT FOR IT TO GET THERE. If the wait time was too long, you shouldn't have ordered it in the first place! God, I've never seen more people complain than about the iPhone upgrades, they're being completely reasonable in your situation.

I don't think the issue here was the fact that the order could/couldn't be canceled, it was more the fact that AT&T's customer service people were completely unhelpful. And as far as MY situation goes, this is a situation where AT&T, and ONLY AT&T, dropped the ball. Not only that, but the CSR I spoke with said that they've been encountering this with a NUMBER of customers who started off with Cingular. So they've screwed things up for a WHOLE BUNCH of people. Not good business practice on their part!

ManaPonj · ‎07-17-2008

Black93300ZX

My issues is in the fact that it HAS NOT shipped. I was told I could cancel as long as it hadn't, now they're telling me I can't.

My card hasn't been charged, I am STILL on backorder.. the item IS NOT delivered. Completely different from the scenario you just laid out.

All I expect is for a company to stand by its word. AT&T has not.

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

Notorious, assuming everything you say is true (and I have no reason to think otherwise) I agree with you 100%. But in this guy's case, what are they going to do? "Yes sir, you can have 2 iPhones at a discount." ?

Or maybe "sure, let's turn the UPS truck around since that store now needs 1 less iPhone."

There's no reason you should be driving 100 miles to the store when you've already put an iPhone in your name and it hasn't yet arrived, you knew your upgrade was used as soon as you made that order. Stop blaming the company and start using common sense.

Response to manaponj: If it hasn't shipped, I agree with you... But they say it has, why not call before driving 100 miles? You knew you'd have to cancel it anyways, before you bought another.

Message Edited by Black93300ZX on 07-17-2008 10:11:34 PM

ManaPonj · ‎07-17-2008

Black93300ZX wrote:
Response to manaponj: If it hasn't shipped, I agree with you... But they say it has, why not call before driving 100 miles? You knew you'd have to cancel it anyways, before you bought another.

I called before I left my house. Backordered.

I called while standing in line outside the Apple store. Backordered.

The CSR initially said it had been shipped, when I told him I'd checked the status less than an hour before and it was still listed as backordered he didn't argue. I asked for a tracking number (and would have been completely happy to walk out of the store empty handed if he had been able to provide me with one) but he couldn't give me a tracking number because the phone has not shipped.

I did know I'd have to cancel. Which is why I repeatedly asked the Manager of my local AT&T store if I would be able to cancel if I drove to the Apple store and they had one in stock. He told me I would. I wasn't able to.

I'm home now. It's still on backorder. No phones shipped to my AT&T store today. DF or otherwise.

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

Tracking # on a freight shipment to a store? Didn't know they had those available to public, thought it was just individual shipments to consumers...

Although I will say one thing, I understand more of your situation and you wanting to be there and make sure you could absolutely have one in hand before canceling the order. My apologies, I do believe I'm mistaken.

Message Edited by Black93300ZX on 07-17-2008 10:21:45 PM

ManaPonj · ‎07-17-2008

Example:

http://fedex.com/Tracking?tracknumbers=978084765950

I understand where you're coming from... the understanding you had of the scenario was flawed & if it had in fact been the way you perceived, I would be a brat for complaining the way I am =)

I am not one of those people that expects a company to bend over backward to make me happy. I just want to be treated fairly and receive the support that I should be able to expect from a company like AT&T.

Message Edited by ManaPonj on 07-17-2008 10:28:45 PM

Message Edited by ManaPonj on 07-17-2008 10:29:50 PM

Black93300ZX · ‎01-15-2008

Well, given that it still says backordered NOW, I'd say all bets are off and this one truly is on AT&T. I tried to stick up for them... but they failed.

Best of luck getting your iPhone as quickly as possible.