Big iPhone fan going into this. Ill try and be brief.
7:30am: Outside AT&T store. Store opens at 8am. Manager keeps coming out to give people info, wont say how many iPhones there vs. size of line.
9:20am: I get inside. End up with the last 16gb iPhone.
9:40am: Meet a guy on the way home from craigslist, sell my old iPhone.
9:50am: Get home, activation wont work properly
10:50am: Activation finally works...sorta
11am-5pm: Notice constant phone drainage of battery, phone randomly looses power and shuts off. This happens regardless of what I am doing with the phone. At one point I charged the phone for an hour to no avail.
5pm: Call Apple store locally. Apple says "bring the phone, we have replacements in stock". I spoke to Becca at International Plaza. I had to exchange a 1g iphone before, was really simple. Off to Apple.
6pm: Get to the Apple store. Giant line, but after a few minutes someone knows who we are from the phone call and brings us in.
Past this point till about 8pm I am waiting in the Apple store. Employees are trying to help us, keep going in the back room No one is telling me anything. The employee finally comes out and says that he talked to the manager of the store, and that there is nothing we can do.
I ask to speak to the manager. I then hear the employee go up to someone and ask "where are the managers, whos still here". Didnt this kid just talk to a manager in the back room? 'The managers in the front of the store'? Thought he was in the back talking to him. K.
The manager of the iPhone store (his name is 'Asa') at International Plaza tells me that there are no warranty replacements. I tell him that I was told by Becca that there were replacement units. He offers no recourse. Asa then says that he cannot exchange a phone for me because I bought it at AT&T, not at Apple. He then uses the example of 'if you bought a TV at Best Buy you couldnt take it back to circuit city'. I then reply with "If I buy a BMW at Carmax, BMW will repair it if its under warranty"
He then goes into the back room to make phone calls to corporate. This provides no solution. I thank Asa and the gang for their time. Btw the whole time I've been talking to the manager one of his employees was standing by him not saying anything. Didnt know how to take that.
Mid reading note: Just so you guys know, Im a pretty easy going guy, usually let most things roll...road rage, I don't litter, I'm nice to my old neighbor lady. Dunno didn't want you to read and be like 'ok this guys a *****'. Moving forward....
8pm: I get to the AT&T store. AT&T WILL take my phone back, and charge me a 10% restocking fee. They will not exchange it for one of the iPhones in the back room, because they have to sell them tomorrow morning. I talk to a manger on the phone (because no manager is there) and he then tells me that they can try to take care of it tomorrow morning, and that he cannot call the head manager because he is going to the gym right now. I am told by the AT&T sales people that if I return the device I will be subject to a 72hr waiting period before the account can be consider "upgrade eligible" again.
Phone time: AT&T CSR rep gets me no where, neither does the rententions/customer relations rep. His supervisor tells me she will refund the 10% restocking fee to the account, and to go ahead and return the phone. She tells me its ok if I goto Apple and get my phone there. If there are any issues Apple can call AT&T and they can confirm the account is eligible. This was Jamie Dunn. She was really nice, but what can you do over a phone you know. Thanks Jamie.
9:30pm: Get back to Apple, get taken inside. The manager finds a person to ring my phone up. This takes about 5 minutes to get one of the employees to agree to do a 'sale'. Get started on a new phone. Soon the account of course is not "eligible for upgrade". a call to AT&T support doesnt solve the issue. I am also told that I cannot get my iPhone at Apple anyways because I have a FAN account.
So a 10:15pm or so I have nothing left. I am a customer in good standing, and I am ABSOLUTELY APPALLED AT THE WAY I HAVE BEEN TREATED TODAY. At no point did I lose my cool, take anything out on anyone, or make a scene. Apple & AT&T your policies for customer service are horrid. There was absolutely no customer service in what I experienced today.
Id love an email if you'd like to help me on this matter. Please send it to:
[email protected]
Id say call, but you cant. No phone. Good show gents!
Cliffs: screwed double by Apple and AT&T. fuck.
7:30am: Outside AT&T store. Store opens at 8am. Manager keeps coming out to give people info, wont say how many iPhones there vs. size of line.
9:20am: I get inside. End up with the last 16gb iPhone.
9:40am: Meet a guy on the way home from craigslist, sell my old iPhone.
9:50am: Get home, activation wont work properly
10:50am: Activation finally works...sorta
11am-5pm: Notice constant phone drainage of battery, phone randomly looses power and shuts off. This happens regardless of what I am doing with the phone. At one point I charged the phone for an hour to no avail.
5pm: Call Apple store locally. Apple says "bring the phone, we have replacements in stock". I spoke to Becca at International Plaza. I had to exchange a 1g iphone before, was really simple. Off to Apple.
6pm: Get to the Apple store. Giant line, but after a few minutes someone knows who we are from the phone call and brings us in.
Past this point till about 8pm I am waiting in the Apple store. Employees are trying to help us, keep going in the back room No one is telling me anything. The employee finally comes out and says that he talked to the manager of the store, and that there is nothing we can do.
I ask to speak to the manager. I then hear the employee go up to someone and ask "where are the managers, whos still here". Didnt this kid just talk to a manager in the back room? 'The managers in the front of the store'? Thought he was in the back talking to him. K.
The manager of the iPhone store (his name is 'Asa') at International Plaza tells me that there are no warranty replacements. I tell him that I was told by Becca that there were replacement units. He offers no recourse. Asa then says that he cannot exchange a phone for me because I bought it at AT&T, not at Apple. He then uses the example of 'if you bought a TV at Best Buy you couldnt take it back to circuit city'. I then reply with "If I buy a BMW at Carmax, BMW will repair it if its under warranty"
He then goes into the back room to make phone calls to corporate. This provides no solution. I thank Asa and the gang for their time. Btw the whole time I've been talking to the manager one of his employees was standing by him not saying anything. Didnt know how to take that.
Mid reading note: Just so you guys know, Im a pretty easy going guy, usually let most things roll...road rage, I don't litter, I'm nice to my old neighbor lady. Dunno didn't want you to read and be like 'ok this guys a *****'. Moving forward....
8pm: I get to the AT&T store. AT&T WILL take my phone back, and charge me a 10% restocking fee. They will not exchange it for one of the iPhones in the back room, because they have to sell them tomorrow morning. I talk to a manger on the phone (because no manager is there) and he then tells me that they can try to take care of it tomorrow morning, and that he cannot call the head manager because he is going to the gym right now. I am told by the AT&T sales people that if I return the device I will be subject to a 72hr waiting period before the account can be consider "upgrade eligible" again.
Phone time: AT&T CSR rep gets me no where, neither does the rententions/customer relations rep. His supervisor tells me she will refund the 10% restocking fee to the account, and to go ahead and return the phone. She tells me its ok if I goto Apple and get my phone there. If there are any issues Apple can call AT&T and they can confirm the account is eligible. This was Jamie Dunn. She was really nice, but what can you do over a phone you know. Thanks Jamie.
9:30pm: Get back to Apple, get taken inside. The manager finds a person to ring my phone up. This takes about 5 minutes to get one of the employees to agree to do a 'sale'. Get started on a new phone. Soon the account of course is not "eligible for upgrade". a call to AT&T support doesnt solve the issue. I am also told that I cannot get my iPhone at Apple anyways because I have a FAN account.
So a 10:15pm or so I have nothing left. I am a customer in good standing, and I am ABSOLUTELY APPALLED AT THE WAY I HAVE BEEN TREATED TODAY. At no point did I lose my cool, take anything out on anyone, or make a scene. Apple & AT&T your policies for customer service are horrid. There was absolutely no customer service in what I experienced today.
Id love an email if you'd like to help me on this matter. Please send it to:
[email protected]
Id say call, but you cant. No phone. Good show gents!
Cliffs: screwed double by Apple and AT&T. fuck.