AT&T squeezes wannabe iPhone upgraders

Whiners

These people don't seem to understand how contracts work, nor what they are getting into when they buy a subsidized phone in the first place. The whole point is to get you on the hook for the length of the contract, and the phone company slowly makes up the price of the subsidy through the monthly bills. If they let you off early, you've not paid off the previous phone yet.

Nowhere in the contract does it state that the phone company needs to make sure you can upgrade to a new shiny object every time one comes along. Nowhere does it obligate them to make sure you have the latest and greatest.

Besides, the 3GS isn't that big of a change from the 3G, and AT&T will usually let you upgrade in 18 months, so these spoiled people will just have to wait until Christmas.

You've got an un-needed W

"... the petition had over 1,700 signatures (Twitnatures?)."

it's hardly rocket science that an upgrade would be coming before your contract was up. Happens with every phone in every country.

You pays ya money you makes ya choice.

Apple and AT&T

Are both extremly bad company offering subpar product and service at grossly inflated price.

A nice thing to do will be to simply drop the iPhone, it is a piece of junk anyway and pay the 175$ to get out ot AT&T as soon a possible. There are way better phone at way better price all over the place. Only idiots and simple minded whould want such a bad phone (iphone) at such a grossly inflated price.

Umm... eBay?

On to more important questions. Will the second hand iPhones be available on eBay? Is Apple going to continue to be pricks and insist on continuing to lock in used units with @&T? Surely, I would think, that would lower the value of second class^H^H^H^H^H hand iPhones.

AT&T even screws NON iphone customers

I have 3 lines with AT&T, one of which is an iPhone. I want to make one of the OTHER lines an iPhone as well. Yes, I'm currently under a 2-year contract with AT&T, but the two non-iPhone lines are el-cheapo phones that AT&T may have subsidized, but not by much. Anyway, I went online to see whether I'm eligible for an iphone upgrade at the $199/$299 price points, but, alas, I'm told that I would have to pay $399/$499 - just like those folks wanting to upgrade their heavily subsidized iphones.

Now, I understand that I signed a 2 year contract and I won't whine about not being able to get the iPhone, but this has got to be pretty bad customer relations: AT&T is going to forgo an *additional* $30/month, guaranteed for another 2 years because they're not willing to give me that iPhone for $199. By pissing me off, they'll also likely lose *all* my business as soon as my 2 year contract is up. So, $150/month lost just because they want to make an extra $200 on that iPhone.

Isn't it a bit much to expect.... @AT&T Non iPhone

A large corporation to do an individual on-line deal specially for you. If you want to do a deal go to an outlet and see what they will offer.

The internet model is about offering a "cheaper" deal across the board at a lower cost to the business, without complex discounting models. The internet shopping model is not flexible, not is it particularly transparent, so if you want flexibility go to an outlet, communicate with your fellow human beings, and you might get a better deal than the internet.

You signed a contract for each phone, if the cheap ones were on a 2 year deal that hasn't expired, then, by DEFAULT it will treat you in the same way as an iPhone customer, because the contracts probably aren't specific to iPhones, it is after all just another F. handset.

Tough Titty

I AM an iphone user and I AM tied into an 18 month contract (with o2) at the moment. However, I wouldn't expect them to do me any favours when it comes to upgrading. I got the phone for "free" so obviously they have to recoup the cost (and make a profit) by me paying a monthly fee for the duration of the contract - as with EVERY PHONE I'VE OWNED! Anyone who expects either of these companies to give them special treatment is a misguided fool.

To be honest, OS 3.0 brings the features I wanted anyway so I wouldn't bother upgrading to an "S" if any exchange of cash was involved. My girlfriends contract runs out next month and she was after an iphone - although it's essentially £99 extra for video recording (why bother? we have a proper camera for that), voice control (she just tells me to do it for her instead) and internet tethering, which we have no use for at all.

While I can see that some people might view those features as more useful than I do, and may choose the "S" on a new contract, I can't see any reason why anybody but a real fanboy would bother upgrading from the 3G to the "S".

tethering ?

I have no problem with the upgrade charge, I do have a problem with the tethering charges, they are out of order frankly.

I for one.....

am going to wait till next June/July for the new model iPhone. (we all know its coming)

I agree with Andy Worth, OS3 is going to include enough changes to keep me happy, and seeing as my "Contract" doesnt expire till January, im not going to expect anyone, (Not Apple, and deffinately not O2) to do me any favours.

Come 7 months time, who knows whats gonna be on the market, and if nothing tickles my fancy and my i3G is still in good condition, then ill keep using it, on a month by month basis, untill somthing better comes along.

Why Complain?

Use a dictionary - look up the meaning of the word CONTRACT

Idiots!

People who bought the original 2G on contract (non-subsidised) were able to upgrade to a 3G on a new contract (subsidised) AND keep their existing 2G (which they could then sell for a tidy profit).

Now these people are expecting to be let out of a subsidised contract, given a 3Gs and able to keep their 3G (subsidy not paid off) to sell for personal profit.

Bonkers!

Stop moaning, learn from your mistake in signing a contract and go PAYG next time.

contracts

the point is, O2 forced us into these 18 month subsidised contracts. there was no option to be an early adopter last year without buying into the subsidy contract.

personally, i'm going to get a PAYG 3GS if i can - that way I can detach the hardware from the mobile phone contract. leaves me free to upgrade to the 2010 iPhone next summer if i wish instead of being bound in another O2 contract until 2011.

that said - my 18 month contract means i'll have paid 790 quid for my 3G phone (including the subsidised cost)

so by comparison, the cost of a PAYG phone saves me at least 200 quid in the long run

so it would be cheaper

to cancel your contract pay off the existing phone then start a new contract

oh wait thats only 10 more expensive !!!

In a contract that goes 2 years why not offer an early upgrade offer thats not unreasonable

the prices they seem to be charging are unbeleivable

hopefully people will now realize they have always been paying way to much for a bit of shiny plastic that doesnt really do much except scroll pages up and down.

oh yeah and the odd phone call

They will change Their (I)tune fast, I assure you

Who is the customer base for IPhones? Those who own them now.

Who are the most likely to purchase the upgrade? Those who own them now.

Who can't afford the new prices? Those who own them now.

Once Apple sees their precious new IPhones languishing in their pretty black boxes, unloved and more importantly, unsold, the policy will change quickly, I assure you. What is important is that current IPhone users do NOT pay these exorbitant prices for new IPhones, but make Apple sweat until they come down in price. I don't want an after the purchase rebate from Steve that can only be used in an Apple store. That trick only works once. I want the same price as a new customer. This has nothing to do with a contract that I signed. All of a sudden we see a much better product on the market than what we originally purchased, only a few months later, not a few years,mind you, from the SAME companies that we purchased the original product. Why shouldn't we be offered the option to upgrade to the better product at a reasonable cost?

HELP > > > 3Gs UPGRADE problem HELP !!!

Dear everyone out there,

I'm currently with att for about 2-3 months, and my gfriend is also with att for just 1 month. we both have 3G (not 3Gs) iphones on our account, originally cost $199 n $299 by the time we purchased. As of a few days ago, Apple just released the new 3Gs for $199 n $299 n we (me n my girl friend) planned to upgrade to the new 3Gs. Of course, we can't get the subsidized iphone cost twice since we already got the original 3G at $199 just a few months ago. So what we trying to get is the Early Upgrade Option for $399 n $499.

I went on buyiphone.com on apple website, chose the option "Replace a phone on my account by an iphone," and then input my account information such as phone number on my account, my billing zipcode, the last 4 of my social security number and my email address. the website runs for about 1 minute then the responding message came up as:

"At this time, this account is not eligible for an iphone upgrade. For more detail, please visit an At&t corporate store or call At&t customer care at 1-800-331-0500!"

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening to my?

Every bit of advice is appreciated!

Sincerely

Pissed off at AT&T margin gouging.

Ya know what..it's not the terms of the contract I'm pissy about..it's more that AT&T expects to make a huge margin on the hardware and the calling/data plan.

I'm reasonably convinced that Apple makes more money on an iPhone sale than AT&T does but I don't buy that the iPhone costs that much more than the iPod Touch.....hence they're gouging back their subsidy as well as their margin on the original hardware with the new pricing.

The unsubsidized pricing of $599/$699 is ludicrous.

@Anonymous Coward 08:48

Are you mad? For £342.50 you can get a brand new iPhone 3G with warranty and unlimited data and wifi for a year on PAYG from O2. Why would anybody spend £350 on a second-user, warranty-less, and data-less, 3G on eBay? Even £300 is a stretch!