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254 Comments
- stoanhart, on 06/12/2009, -11/+163Oooooooh, a "crisis expert;" I wasn't aware a few pissed of geeks with a poor understanding of contract law was a crisis, but I guess you learn something every day.
- inactive, on 06/12/2009, -23/+136AT&T doesn't have to answer for anyone. The spoiled babies who want to make the minor upgrade to the 3GS will have to fork over a little more of their parent's dough this time around.
- Jaq524, on 06/12/2009, -5/+93I don't understand... wouldn't you have to pay the full unsubsidized price for ANY phone if you're still under contract, not just the iPhone?
- lancedice, on 06/12/2009, -7/+67I don't understand how people can complain about not getting the lower price when they signed a contract saying that they won't. I'm more upset about no MMS or tethering. It's not enough of an upgrade to get me, or anyone else I know who has an iPhone down.
- fireashes, on 06/12/2009, -15/+63I am sick of giving bailouts to the contract violators. I READ and understood my contract and got the phone for a discounted phone by signing the contract.
I controlled myself to not upgrading my phone earlier so that i can get the phone later.
I completely understand that the contract is little unfair such as we cant do a one year contract. But ....
Stop whining - DrunkenSavior, on 06/12/2009, -2/+46Am I the only iPhone owner who didn't think they'd get the subsidized price if their contract wasn't up? I mean, I waited every cycle for my contract to expire before getting a new phone in the past, so why should I expect this one to be different? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!
- Konrad9, on 06/12/2009, -4/+40If you bought an iPhone and didn't expect a new one to be announced around this time, you got what you deserved.
- TWiThead, on 06/12/2009, -2/+36I keep reading these articles and finding myself unable to understand why so many iPhone owners regard themselves as special and uniquely entitled to better terms than the ones contained in the contracts that they voluntarily entered into.
Next month, my two-year contract with Verizon Wireless will end. At that point, I intend to begin a two-year contract with AT&T and purchase an iPhone 3G S at the subsidized rate. Next year, when Apple releases a new version of the iPhone, I won't throw a temper tantrum because I can't get one on the cheap. As crazy as this may sound, it won't kill me to go a year with the second-newest model! Someone who believes that it's essential to upgrade every generation should be willing to pay for the privilege. - loper, on 06/12/2009, -3/+37Yes, this is nothing new.
- buddyfarr, on 06/12/2009, -3/+25don't new customers get the phones for $199 and $299 if they sign a two year contract? So if the current customers already have a two year contract then why should they get the lower price? are they going to sign another two year contract and pay for both contracts until the first one runs out? NO. they are just bitching because they are not getting something for free.
- bolshoibooze, on 06/12/2009, -1/+21As an iPhone 3G user, this crap pisses me off. I bought mine launch day, waited in line from 7:30am and finally got my phone at 9:30ish (their computer systems went down) and I would NEVER expect that I would get the same pricing that a new subscriber or someone who has reached the end of their contract (therefore subsidizing the phone). I KNEW that there would be a new iPhone at the following WWDC but I never felt that I would receive any type of special treatment when the next one came out.
I never thought I'd say this; AT&T should be able to charge the $200. If they let this by for the iPhone, it's going to happen every year with a bunch of Apple fanboy's thinking their entitled to the inevitable new phone every year; it isn't fair to the person on the iPhone or the free phone. - gigoran, on 06/12/2009, -3/+23Agreed.
What's the point of a contract if all people need to do to get out of one is cry and chuck a fit? For the love of god, I hope these people never sign a mortgage. - Konrad9, on 06/12/2009, -3/+23And we weren't referring to people such as yourself who are OK with forking over that much cash repeatedly, yet you seem to be pretty angry anyways.
- aladrin, on 06/12/2009, -2/+21Actually, contract law and the understanding of it is not the problem. The problem is that customers are unhappy. I saw this coming when the iPhone first came out... 2 years contracts on phones that get hardware upgrades every year? That's going to be -ugly-!
AT&T doesn't have a contract problem on their hands, they've got an angry-customer problem. If -I- could see this coming, they should have, too. Now they have to decide whether to let their customers continue being pissed off (and risk losing them forever, as they did my mother a few years back) or make them happy and lose some money. There's a saying in the retail sales industry that it's a lot more costly to gain a new customer than keep an old one. We'll see if they decide to follow that logic or not.
When I bought my G1, I faced the same thing, actually. I chose to do it anyhow because it makes the most economic sense at the time. If the G2 interests me, I'll simply buy it outright. If I want to cancel my contract early, it's actually cheaper to pay the cancellation fee than it was to outright buy the phone originally.
I think AT&Ts big mistake was not charging enough for the phone in the first place. They should have gone with 1 year contracts and more expensive phones. Then they'd have a rabid group of fanboys that buy brand new expensive phones and sign up for another year... Every single year. - ihatepeterh, on 06/12/2009, -1/+19Yes, if AT&T chose to do so, they could give ***** away for free. They don't, though, and neither does any business worth its salt. Maybe an alternative would be appealing to existing customers, but it's not appealing to AT&T. They already made good by heavily subsidizing the iPhone 3G. Now the people who benefitted from this have to make good on their contract. Just like they would have to with any cell phone on any carrier. This whole thing is undeniable proof that so many people who have an iPhone thinks that it makes them special.
Full disclosure, I have an iPhone (one of the original ones. Paid $400 for it more than a year ago) and have already pre-ordered the 3GS. I don't think it makes me special, I just know that I love my current iPhone, EDGE network and all, and hope to love my next iPhone even more. I even capitalize my ***** right, what? - piniondna, on 06/12/2009, -1/+19But the intertube mobs aren't angry because AT&T is missing an opportunity to make more money by selling more phones... they're whining because they want to New Shining Toy at subsidized prices even though they haven't finished paying for the last Shiny Toy.
I love my iPhone and plan on upgrading, but a lack of ADD allows me to wait for subsidized pricing. What pisses me off is similar to the poster above who mentioned MMS and tethering. Its not the wait, but the fact that AT&T will (no doubt) be nickel and dime-ing they're users for these features. Is it not enough that we already pay premium pricing for the honor of owning the iPhone? - ThaDRD, on 06/12/2009, -3/+19Off-topic: Computerworld, 1994 called and it wants its web design back.
- Chritto, on 06/12/2009, -2/+17"AT&T has 48 hours on iPhone pricing complaint". And if they don't change anything, what's going to happen? It's not like iPhone users over in the US can easily switch to a different carrier... Not that I condone any of AT&T's pricing. I'm just being realistic.
As for no tethering or MMS... I guess this is a wake-up call to AT&T, now that their customers know how poor their service is compared to the rest of the world. Heck, I have Kangaroos jumping around my background here in Aus but on June 27 we'll have tethering and MMS... - kakos, on 06/12/2009, -1/+16I think the big issue is that it is clear that AT&T (and all telcos for that matter) are gouging us like no tomorrow and they can't give us the option of upgrading to a new phone until our contract is up? For the same phone, old customers have to pay $200 more to upgrade the phone. It's actually cheaper to cancel your contract early, eat the $175 early termination fee, and then sign up again.
And then there is the issue of SMS messages. AT&T customers have to pay $20 for unlimited SMS messages, messages transmitted in packets that are normally unused. SMS as a server is something that is virtually free for telcos, but we get charged out of the ass for them.
And then there is the issue about how iPhone users are paying over $1000 more for the term of the contract than similar Sprint devices. They're gouging us for over $1000 and they can't afford to give us a $200 break on a new iPhone so they can actually gouge us out of more money. - magaman, on 06/12/2009, -2/+15DEAR STUPID PEOPLE,
Go buy a phone at any american carrier, you will have to sign a 2 year contract and have to wait 2 years to get a new phone at a discount. Now stop bitching about the price of the new iphone if your in contract. We should really all be bitching about AT&Ts lack of support for MMS and their overall crap service, not pricing of the iphone.
Thank you - mkardiv, on 06/12/2009, -0/+11are you implying that kangaroos jumping around is a bad thing? because it sounds pretty great.
- videodroner, on 06/12/2009, -3/+13What a bunch of whiners. What's with this feeling of entitlement that so many people have?
If they really wanted to make a statement, they should leave AT&T and drop the iPhone, and I bet you none of those cry babies will ever do that.
Lack of tethering? Yes. MMS? Maybe. But crying because you feel like you are entitled to a rebate? Pathetic. - khatvong, on 06/12/2009, -6/+16"AT&T has 48 hours to answer iPhone pricing complaints, says crisis expert AT&T has 24 to 48 hours to answer the rising tide of complaints from iPhone owners who are furious over its pricing policy for the new iPhone 3G S, a crisis communications expect said today."
WTF??? My grandma's ESL is even better than that... - nkassi, on 06/12/2009, -2/+11@jsmith39: ? what they should stop trying to sell things to you? should Dell not be selling computers anymore because they come out with new ones every week?
- Pyehole, on 06/12/2009, -3/+11Whiny brats. Why should AT&T have to answer to them?
- buddyfarr, on 06/12/2009, -2/+10you would have to take a lot of crazy pills to catch up with these idiots. and a lot of whiner pills too.
- MacParrot, on 06/12/2009, -1/+9Too late. Many of them already did.
- Lewie, on 06/12/2009, -14/+21Why not yell at Apple for not putting in all those features that should've been there in the first place?
- pika2000, on 06/12/2009, -1/+8The petition I want to see is for AT&T to sell the iPhone unlocked. In other countries, cellphones are sold unlocked whether they're under contract or not, subsidized or not. The fact that most current users will have to pay near or full-price of the iPhone 3GS, why don't demand the phone to be unlocked since one pretty much already pay for it? I rather see unlocked iPhones being sold rather then the continuation of the backwardness of provider locked cellphones.
- GutterBumber, on 06/12/2009, -1/+8Old meme is old.
- jakem1, on 06/12/2009, -3/+10And unnecessarily homophobic.
- strictnein, on 06/12/2009, -2/+9"I aim to dispel that notion."
Oh god. Get over it. - kiiet, on 06/12/2009, -1/+8Anyone who thinks they should get to upgrade before their 2 year contract is up either think highly of themselves or are a complete moron.
They already gave you a discount when you signed up for a 2 year contract, they're not obligated to give you another discount until that contract is up and you are eligible for an upgrade. The reason you get the discount in the first place was because of the 2 year contract. That way they can make back the difference. If people don't go through with their contract, then AT&T loses money by giving you the discount on the phone, hence the $175-200 early cancellation fee.
Why should AT&T give you two phone that are $600 for $300 each every year?
And as mentioned plenty of times, their policy goes the same way for every single phone, and it's not just AT&T. T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and everyone else requires you to finish your 2-year contract before you will get an upgrade price on a new phone. - Jhonka, on 06/12/2009, -1/+8WTF? How much do people think this phone costs? It's not a ***** tonka truck, this is a cutting edge, $700 handheld computer. The only reason you got it so cheap is because you agreed to pay AT&T a ridiculous $80 a month for the thing for two years.
- thinkdifferent, on 06/12/2009, -1/+8The base iPhone costs $599. This is not a hard concept to understand. In exchange for gaining a new customer, or gaining a new 2 year contract, AT&T offers a discount of $400. They do that, as they know they will have 2 years of service charges to make back that $400 (~$17/month) and make enough of a profit to maintain a business. Now, if you got your iPhone 6 months ago & now want another discount, how would they make it back if they just reset your contract to 2 years? They would have had to earn (NOT charge) $67/month just to recoup the hardware discount over the past 6 months.
Current users are NOT left in the dark. The new phone is available for them to buy, like it is for anybody else. They just might not get the same discount as new users do. I bought the original iPhone at $599. Do I feel like I lost out? NO! It was and is a great device & at the time, the price was still a good value (I paid $1000 for the very first StarTac in the early 90's, so I've always known latest phone tech isn't cheap). 3G owners got a great discount on their device. The new device, isn't that big an upgrade from the 3G, but for the several million original iPhone users who are eligible for the full discount, it's an enticing upgrade.
Incidentally, they do offer a smaller discount to those who've had their phone ~ 1 year, it drops from $599 to $399, so the half discount defectDS asked for is available.
As to Sprint.... comparing unlimited plans is one thing. Compare plans that most people actually get & the pricing isn't that different. Not that I have any great love for AT&T, but one other distinction is rollover minutes, so the need for unlimited is less important if like most people your calling patterns can vary widely month to month. - strictnein, on 06/12/2009, -0/+6Actually, AT&T does "work" with customers, automatically. I'd not through with my two year contract, but AT&T already offers me a reduced price automatically. I've got about 4 months left. It's not the $199/$299 price level, but it's $399/$499 instead of $599/$699.
They've done similar things before. I've had my upgrade window shortened to 18 months instead of 24 months. - buddyfarr, on 06/12/2009, -2/+8yeah no ***** too late. people like this are the reason the housing market tanked.
- vagrantwade, on 06/12/2009, -1/+7$1000 more if you are a huge tool that required unlimited talk and text.
Anyone who buys those plans needs some serious face time with the people they communicate with. 250 text 450 minutes is more than enough for me in a month. Thus, I save more money with ATT than with my current Verizon plan. - fullback, on 06/12/2009, -1/+7"AT&T has 48 hours to answer iPhone pricing complaints..."
Or what? Somebody doesn't understand that there are two types of people in the world - people who are over a barrel and others who own barrels. - bubbakja, on 06/12/2009, -1/+6MacParrot,
You realize this is the same business model that every cell phone operator runs under that subsidizes phones right? They can get pissed and leave AT&T, but a year after they get their Iphone 3G s ^2 they will have to find another crisis expert when the Iphone (3G s ^ 2) ^3 comes out. - bubbakja, on 06/12/2009, -2/+7It's only a crisis when the "crisis expert" is a pissed off geek.
- deadbaby, on 06/12/2009, -1/+6I was a bit upset about it at first since but as more information has come out it's reasonable. There's a point where consumers can cross into being greedy and I think this is a perfect example of it. AT&T doesn't do this on non-iPhone devices, the terms of your contract are spelt out in English any adult should be able to understand, and other carriers have more or less the same policy. If anyone is going to deal with this situation it will have to be Apple. My suggestion is another $100 Apple Store credit offer for 3G->3GS upgrades. Another thought is a special edition 3GS with perhaps a matte back or bundled with some perk as a nod to the iPhone customers who are willing to pay $300 every year.
- vuke69, on 06/12/2009, -0/+5So you paid full price on a 3G, AND signed a two year contract?
You're a special kind of stupid. - utnow, on 06/12/2009, -0/+5@piniondna: MMS won't be charged for. It's part of the SMS plan you may or may not already have.... tethering however, is a kick in the ass.... that pisses me off somewhat mightily.
Realistically though... iPhone 1.0 wasn't subsidized at all. One year later, iPhone 2.0 comes out at a subsidized price. Everyone is eligible to get it because nobody got a cheap iPhone 1.0. The situation just isn't the same for the 3GS.
The problem is AT&T has an image problem surrounding an 18 month subsidization cycle, and a 12 month phone release cycle. I'm sure the early upgrade pricing is designed around a 12 month subsidization cycle. In which case I'm just fine with it. (grabs calculator) - buddyfarr, on 06/12/2009, -2/+7yeah god knows that NO other phone maker comes out with new phone models in less than a 2 year cycle...oh wait they do. screwed your theory.
- upeneff, on 06/12/2009, -1/+6The features that should have been there in the first place are in OS3. For free. You don't need a new phone.
- jakem1, on 06/12/2009, -0/+5I'm so sick of you people whining about the people who are whining about the whiners.
- sneezefart, on 06/12/2009, -0/+5Everyone's upgrade window is 18 months. They just don't like to tell you.
- AusJP, on 06/12/2009, -3/+8Simply put: the people complaining need to harden the ***** up.
This ridiculous sense of over-entitlement we see by consumers today has to stop. ATT does not owe you *****. They owe you what you signed the f***ing contract for.
Further, they're actually STILL SUBSIDIZING the 3GS for the whiny bitches.
Seriously. Get. Over. It. - kanabiis, on 06/12/2009, -1/+6As an AT&T customer for over 10 years, who does not own an iPhone, and has had to wait patiently for my 2 year upgrade credit any time I wish to upgrade my phone and not pay the full retail price, I would like to know how you iPhone users, most of which have only been a customer of AT&T for 2 years or less, what makes you people think that you are entitled to something that NOT OTHER AT&T customer has ever been allowed to do? Why does owning an iPhone make you more important then me, who owns an HTC Fuze?
When HTC releases the next upgrade to the Fuze in a few months I will have to either wait for another 13 months to get an upgrade credit or pay full retail price for the newest HTC smart phone. What makes you people think that your iPhone purchase is more important then my HTC Fuze purchase.
We both paid about the same price for our phones, we both have to pay for the more expensive data plans, the only difference between me and an iPhone user is the hardware we use to make phone calls on.
Anyone care to explain to me, and millions of other AT&T customers who do not own iPhones why you are so much more valuable customers then we are? Anyone? -
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