Last week I was out of town all week and this week I will be in Seattle visiting the Has Offers folks so I thought I would just go in and pre-pay for a iPhone at the At&t store and whenever it comes it comes… I am not in a huge hurry to get one.
So today I strolled into the AT&T store to order one. Convo went like this:
Me: Hi, my company has 4 lines with you I would like to order us some iphone 4′s
ATT Dude: Sorry we are not taking orders at this time
Me: Ok how do I purchase a iphone 4 then?
ATT Dude: We open tuesday and will have some for sale. Then when we sell out we will accept orders and we should have about a 10 day turn around for those.
Me: Can I send in someone from my company to get the phones?
ATT Dude: No, Only 1 per person.
Me: How many do you think you will have?
ATT Dude: We are totally in the dark about it. They told us not even to speculate. We have no clue.
Me: Since I have to wait until you sell out to be able to preorder them and I will be out of town all week can you take down my CC info and place the order for me when you do sell out.
ATT Dude: No sorry I can’t do that. But you should check out some of our new awesome android & blackberry phones.
Me: Can I tell you a secret? I don’t have AT&T for the service and if/when I wanted a android phone I would go across the street to Verizon.
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2424 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
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{ 88 comments… read them below or add one }
Hehe, funny… Why not just walk across the street to verizon? Iphone 4 loses signal all the time if you cover the corner with your hand while you hold your phone. Can be vital for business communication…
Been there done that…. always came back to my iphone.
Stop by the Apple Store. They’re a lot friendlier over there.
And then there are those of us who have both a Blackberry and an iPhone. We need to merge the best of both of these, which includes freedom from AT&T!
Today, this type of phone you are talking about is the most popular in the market. You have all kind of future for your business. It easy for you to communicate with friends and family and business partner as well. I have one of those. If you are looking for a better phone for your business you should invest on this king of phone.
Yes it will because with this kind of phone. This type of phone is one of the best in our today market. It is easy to communicating with your partners round the world. You can even send out e-mail and schedule meeting and appointment as well. Today technology is a great success for our ecconomy.
Sweet you’ll be in my neck of the woods. Let me know if you want to hang out. I went and met with the Hasoffers guys – they are very cool.
Yes, it will cost you more because you are buying without contract .it will best to have a contract in mind I think t-Mobil is one of the best sever in business today, you should try that.
I have no problem with that.You will own twenty dollars.Because Argentina will win the cup.
Bam! That’s a precise fact you delivered there shoe!
Only reason I use an iphone is becuase it’s idiot proof and so god damn user friendly that I go against my Open Source dreams and heart and will most definately buy iphone 4.
But deep inside I still hope the day android fixed and tweaks itself to divine standard I will be able to finally ditch the iphone.
Only good thing here is, that in Sweden it’s not tied to a specific operator and thus don’t have to deal with a shitty connection in 70% of the areas in the city.
Now that’s what you call great customer service!
So? Blame Apple for that one, as the guy said AT&T is 100% in the dark. Apple controls everything if they start talking behind Apple’s back they get sued for breach of contract.
I don’t blame Apple… if anything I applaud them for making such an amazing product they completely own AT&T. I hope to build a product in such demand some day.
You seem to be off to a pretty good start, from what I’ve seen! GO SHOE!
I agree. This has been where Apple has always excelled. Building an amazing brand and a following for it.
The AT&T store here is the same way. The bar for excellence and service is set very LOW!!!! Why do they even have stores???
Sometime i like if the phone and the service is sale different. I enjoyed when i bought my phone on the shop and bought a sim card from small shop…different country,different regulation hmmm
at&t will not improve.. I am not impressed by their 3g service and their prepaid will rip you off.. Apple’s worst decision was to pair up with at&t and i believe verizon could do lot better.
this is why buying and selling of iphones on ebay is so popular, ehh! heck i might just get one for myself online 
They’re morons in those stores. Why don’t you just pre-order the 4 phones from apple.com now?
The date on apples site is August 1st now… But anyway we have a corporate account with ATT so we have to upgrade our lines through them.
That corporate account thing really pisses me off. That’s what screwed me originally, and now I have to keep wasting my time to go to the store and see if they have 3 in stock.
Ahhh gotcha. Fair enough. I didn’t realize the Apple orders were so far back now. Damn. It’s worth the wait, man. Were you able to get it now?
Did they really mention their “awesome Android phones”? The only decent AT&T Android phone is the Nexus One, and you can only get it directly from Google.
I suppose the Aria is ok, but the Backflip is the one they promote the most and it’s absurdly awful.
Verizon. Droid X. It’s gonna be awesome!
I ran into a similar situation over at bestbuy. If given a choice you may want to check them out as the have replacement insurance for a nominal fee. It covers more stuff than applecare. This system is broken. We’ve all said it before. The minute V gets the iPhone…
lol nice joke/story. Apple & ATT have been having major customer service issues lately.
Do you do a lot of app stuff Shoe (on the iPhone)?
I absolutely love the communication and setup of my BlackBerry, but that might be since I don’t use any apps.
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, the list goes on. The problem is not AT&T nor is it Apple. Unfortunately it is the industry and the fact that you are a business in a consumer driven world. The carriers (especially at store level) are challenged in dealing and treating businesses accordingly. This is one of the key reasons why clients (businesses) look to communication management service providers. Our ClientCare team (http://www.gill-technologies.com/clientcare-support-and-procurement/) is not the initial reason why companies look to us – but it is one of the key reasons clients stay with us.
I hope your corporate account experience goes well Jeremy.
Funny thing is that that’s about the same story you’ll get looking for an EVO in a Sprint store.
When will you get more EVOs?
No idea.
Can I get it online?
Nope.
Can I preorder through you?
Um. No.
I’d root for the iPhone 4 anytime. It has been described as the thinnest smartphone on the planet — only 9.33 mm thick, 24% thinner than the iPhone 3G — and can run several apps at one time in a way that doesn’t harm the CPU and battery. Isn’t it the most awesome gadget these days?
No jailbreak or unlock for iPhone OS 4 yet. Shall we wait for another model?
Simply no chance for iPhone 4 rivals! http://www.ismashphone.com/2010/06/iphone-4-arrives-rivals-beware.html
They’ve publicly disappointed one of their biggest, most vocal fans. C’mon AT&T. Step up to the plate. I’ve heard similar stories from around the country. Get your act together AT&T!
No Flash. Period. Just an expensive, overrated gadget if you ask me.
The iPhone 4 is perhaps the best gadget ever released. Nice choice, Shoe!
“No sorry I can’t do that. But you should check out some of our new awesome android & blackberry phones.”
I just want to know one thing, how old you think this dude was? if he’s say 21 or less you could chalk that one up to lack of experience, however if he looked like he was in his 30′s or so, thats just bad salesmenship.
Jeremmy you should post on your blog OK dudes who will get me 4 iPhone 4
Sounds like a typical wirless phone place to me. I don’t even go to the one here locally because they are bad. I drive 30min. to talk to people that have a clue.
Haha! The iPhone thing is kind of ridiculous when they release new products, but I guess that’s just part of it. The less than knowledgeable salespeople certainly don’t make it any better.
Jeremy I consider you to be a very smart man but I am continually amazed at how many smart men I know, who still think this is an AT&T problem. Apple can do no wrong. I mean, Apple is run by a man who is requiring the world to change how they watch video because he doesn’t like flash!
How about the iPhone 4 owners in Britain, who are saying that if you hold the phone a certain way it loses reception? Then Steve Jobs replies that they should not hold the phone that way then!
I have been with AT&T for 6 years now and still no problems. Do I drop calls? Yeah but nowhere near what people complain about. And for the record I drop more with the iPhone than I did with my previous phone.
Why is it that the iPhone has reception problems in all of its markets? AT&T is the only U.S. Carrier but it is not the only Carrier Worldwide.
I could see if it was a U.S. only issue but it isn’t
I can’t wait until the iPhone is on Verizon or somewhere else. Then we can watch the same issues happen and Apple will no longer be able to blame AT&T. Oh wait yes they will, that is how they roll.
Just had to put that out there, still love ya bro!
Just picked mine up yesterday. Love the phone but hate the service.
Happened to me once. I am sure this sort of “great customer service” issue will occur once again in the near future.
The frame of the iPhone 4 is made of stainless steel, instead of the heavy-duty plastic that rimmed previous iPhone models. As a bonus, Apple’s all-new “Retina Display,” which the new iPhone 4 will run on its 3.5-inch, 960×640 pixels screen. This goes to show that the new iPhone 4 is as tough as bricks but has a visual clarity of epic proportions. It had me at hello!
It’s a vicious cycle, all providers suck in one way or another.
I guess there’ll be an iPhone 10 or 12 when my kids grow up. What kind of features will be highlighted? Time travel?
The iPhone 4′ basically supports all the iPhone 4’s wireless capability, from 3G to Wi-Fi to Bluetooth to GPS along with cellular communications. How’s that for raw, in-your-face connectivity? And how’s that for a killer product that no one can stop talking about?
I ordered 2 new phones off their website last week. Delivery date is around July 15th.
I have been a iPhone user for almost 3 years now and this is my first upgrade. My 2G phone still works great… my 20 month old daughter will be inheriting it. =)
I was considering an Android phone (the Droid Incredible). But folks complained about poor antenna reception with that phone too, so I just figured I would stick with what I have really loved over the past few years… my iPhone.
Plus for $199 you can’t go wrong. I went with the unlimited data plan since I was grandfathered in. Wasn’t sure if it made sense, but for $5 more bucks a month I figured it was better to not worry about any data limitations…
you seriously own sockmoney.com
Improved email and folder management. What more can an iPhone 4 user want? Throw in a superb wallpaper feature and you have a perfect gadget. now we just need to work on the customer service part.
I did walk across the parking lot.. Picked up 2 new Droids and a cheap office phone and walked out the door in under an hour.. Since AT&T bought my local cell phone provider I’ve had no desire to stay with them and not having an iPhone 4 when they said they would was just the reason I needed to leave them..
Not to give the ATT store an excuse (what do you expect from minimum wage employees?), they are at the mercy of the number of phones they are sent by Apple and I’m sure the Apple stores are given priority over the ATT stores.
I’ll be the odd-man out, I’m waiting for the new Win 7 phones
LMFAO! Owned. d:
Ouch! Expensive, limited user interface and most of all, no Flash. There are lots of other great smartphones out there. No new customer here.
Eeek! Buy the iPhone 4 without a carrier contract and it’ll cost you even more: $599 and $699 for 16 and 32GB versions. No promos or special based on the ads I just found. Now I know the easiest way of emptying your back account…
Too expensive for me. Droid is still the best smartphone there is!
Have you used any HTC device for any extended period of time? I currently have the Touch Pro2 … so I can use CDMA here in the states, and GSM when I travel… but I may ditch it for the Samsung Galaxy S! Keep your mind open and shop around – its easier than dealing with AT&T’s bs.
It will still not support Adobe’s Flash platform, which means that Flash content anywhere on the web — everything from videos on Hulu and ESPN to interactive ads to Flash-based websites — will be inaccessible on the iPhone 4.
I own an iPhone 4, while my wife owns the older iPhone 3G. We can’t use FaceTime and have a vis-a-vis chatting experience. But we still love our iPhones!
Woohoo! Something tells me this will be included in the next Shoemoney Blog video post.
Now you know why I hate going to that place.
Nice post! You should have a regular “Tales from the AT&T Crypt” series. LMAO!
Ha! These helpful tips and pointers can easily make OS 4.0 users green with envy anytime. http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2010/04/13/7-ways-your-iphone-makes-os-4-jealous/
Nexus One may still have no multitouch capabilities but it still is much cooler than the iPhone 4. Apart from giving you the option to go for your favorite network carrier, its voice recognition feature beats the iPhone 4 by a mile.
Nexus One’s built-in Google Voice feature easily takes the cake.
The HTC Evo 4G looks like a promising alternative.
It’s a new experience every time anyone walks into a phone store……the number of pleasant experiences I’ve had with salespeople are very few……
Nothing beats Nexus One. Still.
haha..AT & T are a joke
I grabbed my iphone 4 yesterday! I love it, but I’m in Canada so our service sucks even more than yours.
Hahahaha wow, At&T is crap, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Ha, ha-ha… the last two commenter just spoke my mind
I so want the iPhone 4. Why did Apple lock themselves in with such a shitty service provider? Can’t quite talk myself into giving up good service with a mediocre phone for a beautiful phone that only works 1/4 of the time…and that’s only if you’re touching it in the right spot.
hauahuhau iphone 4 é lamentável
At least you can buy Iphone 4. In my country, we barely can buy Iphone 3.
iOS 4 sucks… it is slow and buggy. multitasking is not intelligent enough to know what app to shut down. two glossy panels (front and back) means that you have to spend money to take care of both the front and the back of the phone. iTunes needs to be revamped, battery life sucks, the list goes on, not sure why anyone would want that piece of dreck (i dont own one, just seeing my brother suffering every day with it)…. my 2 cents…
I vote you get some Droid X’s instead
I just canceled my At&t service for an EVO 4g, which I really like, But I hate sprint as much as at&t, so I’m going to get the X when it comes out on the 15th.
I’m seeing a LOT more fixed gear bikes around here. Example, I just went to a SFBooty show (they suck btw) and there had to be at least 10 fixies parked outside.
HA, yeah, you gotta always hate those in customer service who won’t bend the rules just for the sake of bending the rules.. I mean, sure, the guy’s doing his job but COME ON, you were instructed not to speculate? If it gets a customer to come back when what’s the harm?
I’m glad you made your point like that though, usually I would just get huffed and leave for another service.
To be fair to the poor sales associate, they really DON’T let you sell more than one to a person. And they’re always on you about selling those god forsaken androids. It’s a painful job.
That must have been so frustrating. We need a Verizon iPhone ASAP!!!
Thank you with regard to the details, I am really looking forward to the Samsung Epic 4G, despite the fact that I have constantly been really curious in cool gadgets, for a long time I have been researching for my very first smartphone and I did not get it yet. The actual explanations are pretty simple: each couple of months there is a revolution in the marketplace (hard to come to a decision!) and prices here in Brazil are quite abusive. Maybe I would enter this world in great style with a Samsung Epic 4G. I hope so.
The abundance of “dudes” make me think this guy has no idea what he is talking about. That sounds like a very stressful conversation that got nowhere. One per person? I don’t get it. That doesn’t change the fact that you are still selling 4 phones. AT&T, you slay me indeed.
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Hehee, great story.
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