current Cingular/AT&T subscribers?

[mav]

Does anyone have any idea how the iPhone will be sold to current Cingular/AT&T subscribers under a current contract? I've heard/read all sorts of different things...

- iPhone won't be sold to current Cingular/AT&T subscribers who are already in a current contract. (Impossible since they won't lock out a huge market)
- iPhone will be available at discounted prices for customers already out of contract but customers in a current contract will have to pay full retail prices. If so, what will be full retail price?
- iPhone will be available at $499 (4GB)/$599 (8GB) for current customers under contract, if you extend for another 2 years.
- iPhone will be available at $499 (4GB)/$599 (8GB) for anyone - new subscribers and current customers, in or out of contract.

Anyone have any clue as to which is true?

 

[wot_fan]

Does anyone have any idea how the iPhone will be sold to current Cingular/AT&T subscribers under a current contract? I've heard/read all sorts of different things...

- iPhone won't be sold to current Cingular/AT&T subscribers who are already in a current contract. (Impossible since they won't lock out a huge market)
- iPhone will be available at discounted prices for customers already out of contract but customers in a current contract will have to pay full retail prices. If so, what will be full retail price?
- iPhone will be available at $499 (4GB)/$599 (8GB) for anyone - new subscribers and current customers, in or out of contract.

Anyone have any clue as to which is true?

At this point there are a lot of rumors and very few facts. All I can tell you is what I believe based on reading all the rumors I can find.

I think that current Cingular customers will be allowed to purchase the iPhone at the standard $499/$599 price assuming they are willing to sign a new contract. IOW, they will be under contract for 2 years starting on the date they purchase the iPhone.

As far as the price, if the rumors about the pay as go plan are true, there are two possibilities. The first is that those who purchase the iPhone and sign a 2 year contract will receive a discount or rebate. The second possibility is that those who purchase the iPhone without a contract will pay more than the $499/$599 advertised price. IMO, the second possibility is more likely than the first. I would guess we will know that truth in the next 2 weeks.

 

[ATTingular]

$499 and $599 are the prices. There is, as of now, no subsidies for a contract. Basically, you'll have to sign a 2 year contract for the privillage of paying $500 for an iPhone. Will that change? Probably, but I am not privy to whether or not some kind of discount has been agreed upon with Apple. AT&T wants a discount, discounts make contracts very easy to swallow. Who knows what Apple thinks about them, or even if they care, or if they want the iPhone to be expensive.

Either way, you will not be penalized for being a Cingular/AT&T subscriber. If you're eligible to upgrade, or will be in June, you will be able to get the iPhone.

 

[wot_fan]

Either way, you will not be penalized for being a Cingular/AT&T subscriber. If you're eligible to upgrade, or will be in June, you will be able to get the iPhone.

Can you please define what makes you eligible to upgrade?

 

[ATTingular]

In general, you're eligible 21 months into your 24 month contract. If you have a high rate plan and have a data feature, you get an earlier upgrade date. Call cust. service (611 from your AT&T mobile) to find out if you're eligible. I've seen people barely halfway into their contract approved for a full upgrade. If you have trouble paying your bills on time, you may have to wait until you're out of contract to upgrade. Store managers have little leeway with this, they must get the regional manager's approval for anything way out of policy.

 

[wot_fan]

Thanks for the info. Does that mean that if you are not eligible to upgrade that you will not be able to purchase an iPhone (even at a higher price than the advertised $499/$599) until you are eligible?

 

[ATTingular]

Very few people in the world know the answer to that. I am not one of them. All I'm saying is that you won't be penalized for already being a loyal AT&T customer if you're at the end of your contract. When eligible, you're treated the same as a new customer.

 

[mav]

Thanks for the info.

I've been a Cingular customer since Oct 2006 and I know I'm not eligible for an upgrade for some time. I guess worse case scenario, I'll buy the iPhone as a new subscriber on a new 2 year contract, transfer my number over and pay the early termination fee.

 

[topshotta]

Thanks for the info.

I've been a Cingular customer since Oct 2006 and I know I'm not eligible for an upgrade for some time. I guess worse case scenario, I'll buy the iPhone as a new subscriber on a new 2 year contract, transfer my number over and pay the early termination fee.

Why can't you just tell Cingular/AT&T that you lost your phone and that you need to buy a new one?

 

[netshadow]

Thanks for the info.

I've been a Cingular customer since Oct 2006 and I know I'm not eligible for an upgrade for some time. I guess worse case scenario, I'll buy the iPhone as a new subscriber on a new 2 year contract, transfer my number over and pay the early termination fee.

I was told by an Apple rep (who knew nothing about Cingular's/At&t policy, except that he was on Cingular personally) that at the least a present customer will have to do is move the sim card to the other phone. That our contract is with the sim card (which makes the phone service work) not the actual phone model. True?

 

[Iceblinkluck]

conflicting info

I was told by an Apple rep (who knew nothing about Cingular's/At&t policy, except that he was on Cingular personally) that at the least a present customer will have to do is move the sim card to the other phone. That our contract is with the sim card (which makes the phone service work) not the actual phone model. True?

I went into a cingular store on long island NY. It was interesting because the rep there said that if I wanted the iPhone I would need to get a new account or add a line. He said i would not be able to use my current #. When asked why he said that Apple wanted things like that... It does not make sense but he seemed pretty sure about this information... hope it is not real... i think that would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[ATTingular]

Store reps don't know jack. Store managers don't know jack yet. District managers don't know jack yet either, the lucky ones might have been shown the device once.

The rep was trying to get you to upgrade today.

 

[Spin This!]

What does that make you?

 

[ATTingular]

Lucky to know some people and to have been in the right place a couple of times. Normally a person in my position wouldn't know anything either. However, I'm not trying to sell you on a contract renewal, I have no tangible benefit in convincing you of anything. As I said before, I'm providing what info I have on te iPhone and AT&T policy, plans, and service to a group of people extremely interested in ourr services.

You're probably looking for a department like Sales, but not retail, though I have done that and am very familiar with policy. I won't get more specific than that because I shouldn't. There was a huge letter emailed to employees and posted on CSP (the internal news and infromation portal) on how no employee should be spilling any beans because of the agreement with Apple. I went ahead and spilled what I knew anyway because...well...I need something to do on the web when I'm bored. An iPhone discussion seems like a more useful expenditure of my time than nudie sites.

 

[mav]

Hopefully AT&T will publish something official soon regarding how current customers can purchase the iPhone.

 

[archer6]

AT&T Plan Basics

1) All current AT&T airtime plans are for two years. Period. It has nothing to do with the phone/hardware.

2) These are AT&T's policies. They are the service provider. Apple is the hardware provider.

3) Even if Apple did have influence and they convinced AT&T to change it to a one year plan just for the iPhone, that would open up AT&T for a class action law suit from every other customer required to sign a 2 year plan. So that makes no sense.

4) Who is eligible to purchase an iPhone? - Everyone. Neither Apple or AT&T is going to refuse anyones money, nor open expose themselves to law suits.

5) Pricing - This is where the Apple / AT&T agreement will come into effect. I believe that Apple & to a lesser extent AT&T, will control pricing as it's Apples product. This is no different than how AT&T works with Motorola, Samsung, LG, Nokia, etc. It's a well thought out plan amongst the vendors and AT&T for mutual benefit and maximum sales.

Regarding the question of the iPhone being discounted to those eligible for an upgrade Apple thus far has stated there will be no upgrade pricing. Thus everyone will pay the same. Now, if that is indeed the case and you are already one year into your two year contract with AT&T, I believe it would be highly unlikely that you would have to start over with a 2 year contract. As that is not in line with the current policy for every other phone sold by AT&T.

Example. I am, 6 months into my current AT&T 2 year contract. I have the option of buying a new phone at the full retail price anytime I want without it affecting my contract. It's only when you are eligible for an upgrade that you must sign a 2 year contract extension. This, because they are selling the new phone to you at a significantly discounted price, usually more than 50% off.

As to the specifics of exact pricing for the iPhone, I believe it will be like any other new product pricing, that will be revealed at the very last minute.

As a long standing Apple & AT&T customer (who is very familiar with each of their policies, terms and conditions) it would be my expectation Apple would want everyone to pay the same price for the phone.

New customers moving from another carrier would pay the same full retail as those currently with AT&T. Just like everyone pays the same for an iPod, or MacBook. It just makes sense that Apple will follow it's established policies on pricing, the same way that AT&T will follow it's established policies.

That is the purpose of the contract between AT&T and Apple to enter into a mutually profitable businesss arrangement that will not alienate their existing customers.

That said, I could be 100% WRONG..................

Cheers......

 

[ATTingular]

3) Even if Apple did have influence and they convinced AT&T to change it to a one year plan just for the iPhone, that would open up AT&T for a class action law suit from every other customer required to sign a 2 year plan. So that makes no sense.

As of next month, 1 year contracts will no longer be available for any phone or plan. It will be 2 year or no commitment.

 

[archer6]

As of next month, 1 year contracts will no longer be available for any phone or plan. It will be 2 year or no commitment.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the web site and everything there is 2 years.

Do you have a link (source) where I could find 1 yr contracts?

When you say no commitment, specifically what does that mean? That they will actually sell airtime and data plans on a month to month?

Or?

Thanks

 

[ATTingular]

1 year contracts are gone from the site for good. Retail stores will still be able to make 1 year contracts until June. They weren't that popular anyway. The vast majority of our customers want to spend as little as possible on a phone. If we had 3 year contracts with free phones, all the cheapskates would sign up a soon as they could.


No commitment means no contract, which is month to month and paying retail price for equipment. Never, ever, EVER sign up for that on the phone, they'll sign you up for a plan without mobile to mobile calling. Retail will usually give you the regular plan, the reps aren't making money off the activation thus will want you out the door ASAP, they don't want an argument over plans to bog everything down.

 

[ColsTiger]

As of next month, 1 year contracts will no longer be available for any phone or plan. It will be 2 year or no commitment.

Please remember that the contract is not on the phone, but on the number. Just to get a new line without equipment, they're going to charge at least a year's contract. That might be changing to two years though.