Apple & AT&T Only Allowing One iPhone Replacement Every 18 Months

**Cody Overcash** · 03-09-2009, 12:19 PM

For the next 18 months poor Roney can not buy another iPhone. Why? Because Apple and AT&T suspect him of being a jailbreaker. After losing his iPhone Roney was willing to pay full price to buy a new one but was completely rejected. The new policy of one iPhone replacement* every 18 months went into effect just a couple short weeks ago around the time Apple started contending the legality of Jailbreaking.

Originally Posted by Roney

I unfortunately left my iPhone unattended for a brief period over the weekend and when I came back it was gone. On Monday, I went to visit my local ATT store and they were unable to sell me a new iPhone, even at the $499 price. Apparently I have had too many iPhones on my line. I then called customer care and was then bounced to an Apple store to see if they could sell me the phone. The same error occured on their system and the Apple employee advised that two weeks ago a new policy went into effect preventing them from selling too many phones on a line because people are jailbreaking them.
I origninally bought an 8gb and returned it for a 16gb within the first 30 days of service. Now I lost my 16gb and they won't sell me another for 18 months! After using my lunch break I went back to work and decided I would try again at another ATT store. The next store said they had to deal with the same problem and asked me if I was attached to my phone number. They offered to cancel my line and start another, or add a line so that I could purchase an iPhone. I told them this was not an option because I had to pay an ETF through Verizon to keep this number and I would not part with it. I also did not need another line and would not pay more for monthly service, especially if I was about to pay $500 for a replacement iPhone. I then asked to speak to the manager who said that he would emails his ops team, whatever that means.

So here I am waiting to hear from the manager and feeling like I am being punished for upgrading my phone early on. Also, why do they care how many phones I buy at full price? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Has anyone else had this trouble?

[via The Consumerist]

**Nick Z** · 03-09-2009, 12:23 PM

rediculous, I ran into a similiar problem. I want to upgrade my wife's phone but we have to wait till our contract is up to upgrade(i gues not similiar, but it still angers me) I think we should be able to upgrade our phone no matter what. Hell, I wish they could just add another 2 years on top of my 2 year contract. I'd take that even

**bnlstr** · 03-09-2009, 12:29 PM

What would Jailbreaking have to do with replacing a lost phone??? I can see them not wanting people buying phones to "Unlock" them and resell them but it's way to easy to unlock the phones now. Does this mean I can't upgrade to the new phone coming out in June since I replaced my 3G with a broken screen 3 months ago?

**b3nny** · 03-09-2009, 12:36 PM

The New Galactic Empire -errrrrr i mean Microsoft -errrrr i mean Apple strikes again. /facepalms

seriously though thats the most absurd thing i've ever heard. it would be understandable if the policy was to keep people from buying many iphones (ie. buying in bulk for obvious jailbreaking/resale purposes), but two or three iphones within 18 months? the average customer could easily run into a problem with completely legitimate use (or what is deemed legitimate by Big Brother errrrrrrrr Apple) as exemplified by poor Roney above. sounds to me like its time for him to hit up ebay/craigslist. hopefully as his situation starts popping up more and more, people will cause enough problems to get this policy overturned. that said, i strongly advise people to raise hell (respectfully of course) through as many lines of communication with apple and AT&T as they can if they find themselves in Roney's shoes. you'll be doing a favor for all the people that come after you.

**andyjoneski** · 03-09-2009, 12:42 PM

That sounds just simply retarded from AT&T and apple in that matter, could it not be claimed off the insurance ? I did that when my old iphone broke (was jail broken so couldn't really go back to apple)

Could the contract not be canceled and you go to another store and sign up for a new one? or EBAY it up !

**BarcaMagic** · 03-09-2009, 12:43 PM

Who the hell apple and their ***** AT&T think they are ?????

**atuarre** · 03-09-2009, 12:45 PM

I wonder, when Apple releases their new iPhone in June or July, if they will allow people to purchase the new one. Some people are gonna be upset if they don't. Will be interesting. In 2007 people paid full price, in 2008 it was subsidized. Don't think, if they are greedy enough, that the same people will get another subsidy. It will definitely be interesting.

The effects of the economy come into play as well.

**andyjoneski** · 03-09-2009, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by atuarre

I wonder, when Apple releases their new iPhone in June or July, if they will allow people to purchase the new one. Some people are gonna be upset if they don't. Will be interesting. In 2007 people paid full price, in 2008 it was subsidized. Don't think, if they are greedy enough, that the same people will get another subsidy. It will definitely be interesting.

The effects of the economy come into play as well.

Thats very true !! I wouldn't mind upgrading if the new phone is better.... but will i be able to !?!

**greenleaf187** · 03-09-2009, 12:51 PM

Wait a minute!!!
Aren't you allowed to buy a maximum of 5 iPhones? I don't exactly know how it works or with whom it works (Apple or AT&T), but i live in saudi arabia, a family memeber visited NYC last summer and got 15 iPhones. 5 iPhones for each Social Security/Green Card presented.
Well, i guess time has changed, and so did the rules.

**choffy21** · 03-09-2009, 12:52 PM

Hmm... I really am confused. Especially because this guy wa willing to pay full MSRP for the phone.

Apple needs to wake up and starthelping their customers

**ebl4287** · 03-09-2009, 01:00 PM

Since apple & AT&T have all this power, they wanna grab us by the balls... Smh

How does this make ANY sense??

I wonder if that means poor rodney cant qualify for the new iphone in june..smh.lol..

Either way.. Craigslist, Crackhead or eBay

**dale1v** · 03-09-2009, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by andyjoneski

Thats very true !! I wouldn't mind upgrading if the new phone is better.... but will i be able to !?!

of course you will...

**02589** · 03-09-2009, 01:21 PM

I would think that if you want to upgrade in June, you could exchange your current phone.

No telling what ATT has up their sleeve.

I'm waiting on the Palm Pre then F ATT.

**greenleaf187** · 03-09-2009, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by 02589

I would think that if you want to upgrade in June, you could exchange your current phone.

No telling what ATT has up their sleeve.

I'm waiting on the Palm Pre then F ATT.

and miss out on the glory if iPhone??
I wouldnt

**reeko** · 03-09-2009, 01:39 PM

This has also been introduced recently into the UK. It came into force last month.

1 purchase every 6 months from an O2 store, 1 purchase every 12 months from an Apple store and 1 purchase every 3 months from the carphone warehouse, although, with a good enough excuse it is possible to buy more than 1 from the same store.

Rules like this have always been here in the UK but just not enforced. Before the updates to these rules it WAS possible to buy iPhones on pay as you go and give false details. You could then buy as many as you want.

However, now every iPhone in the UK MUST be bought using a credit/debit card - linking the buyers name/address with the relevant companies system - preventing multuple unit purchases.

This also has absolutely nothing to do with jailbreaking, in the UK anyway. This is purely because people are buying iPhones, unlocking them using yellowsn0w then selling them on for £100-£150 more - which seems rediculous but still undercuts Apples legally unlocked handset prices (WHICH ARE TRULY REDICULOUS)

The O2 employee informed me that a man in the UK went to EVERY O2 store with a different name/address buying 1-3 iPhones at each store and selling them on. He got caught, has to pay X amount of money back to O2 and now the rules are changing and are being strictly enforced. I got this same info from multiple O2 stores as i was trying to buy another iPhone for a relative but couldnt because of the new rules and kept getting the same excuses - eventually i got a nice manager who agreed to the sale (and with cash

)

And for now, there is NO WAR between jailbreaking and Apple.

**JonFolse** · 03-09-2009, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by ebl4287

Since apple & AT&T have all this power, they wanna grab us by the balls... Smh

How does this make ANY sense??

I wonder if that means poor rodney cant qualify for the new iphone in june..smh.lol..

Either way.. Craigslist, Crackhead or eBay

hahahaha those crackheads can find EVERYTHING.

**ninthchamber99** · 03-09-2009, 01:47 PM

Unbelievable!!! I am like the thousands of people who have a 2G phone that want to upgrade. I was inches away from buying a 3G for my birthday (Feb 26th) but at the last minute I decided not to. It now looks like it was a good thing I did not since they might be bringing out a new phone in June/July. I wonder if the absence of Steve Jobs has anything to do with this obviously rushed decision? Because like a lot of people have pointed out, what if you just dropped your phone, got a new one 3 months ago and you want to upgrade to the newest phone, or you even break the phone again and need to buy a full priced phone?!?!? This is the second dumbest thing Apple has done/said in the last few months (the first being 'jailbreaking' is deemed to be 'illegal')!@!

**XenoSaber** · 03-09-2009, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by greenleaf187

Wait a minute!!!
Aren't you allowed to buy a maximum of 5 iPhones? I don't exactly know how it works or with whom it works (Apple or AT&T), but i live in saudi arabia, a family memeber visited NYC last summer and got 15 iPhones. 5 iPhones for each Social Security/Green Card presented.
Well, i guess time has changed, and so did the rules.

Um.....Dude, I don't think that you want to be spreading that around. From the sounds of it, you're "family member" was doing what they made this idiotic rule to stop. No one in any family is going to need 15 iPhones. When I bought my 3G 16GB a year ago, there were 3 chinese guys ahead of me in line trying to buy 15 iPhones. You know what they were doing with them, of course. So the Apple Store manager took them asside and let the rest through, telling them that they needed more info or something. By the time that they were ready to sell to them they only had 3 left for the day.

**dsg** · 03-09-2009, 01:57 PM

This is getting ridiculous

I remember when you could buy a product take ownership of said product do what you liked with it, if it was faulty get it replaced, if you broke, lost it or had it stolen you could just go and purchase a new one no one cared

he could just buy an iPhone from eBay, you never know he could end up buying his own back

**Jgamble317** · 03-09-2009, 02:31 PM

i forsee a loss in sales of the iphone because of this... and prices going up on ebay unfortunatly because of it.

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