AT&T Stores identify & reject unlocked or bricked returns

[DoerrFan]

They refused mine, i even brought up the Magnuson-Moss Act, still no luck. Im calling the FTC and BBB and Cooperate for Apple. This isn't over

[joeyhoops]

i just updated one that was broken out and it worked fine.

[ToutSuite]

My thought is Apple should treat the iPhone as what it is - a handheld PC which runs a streamlined version of OS X. If you sent in a MacBook which refused to boot after you installed some third party software, Apple wouldn't say, "Sorry, you violated your warranty." They'd probably say, "Either you can contact the authors of the software for a fix, or we can reset your laptop to factory specs. You'll lose some data, but for sure it will be booting up when you get it back."

Why not take the same approach with the iPhone? If you bring it in and it's giving the SIM error, offer to flash it back to factory specs for you. If it was jailbroken, it won't be anymore, and of course it will be locked to ATT again. They don't examine the phone or waste anytime, they just flash it to a "new" condition, if that's what the customer wants (the customer is welcome to keep their bricked phone if they prefer, and hope the Dev Team comes up with a fix).

To me, this satisfies Apple's reluctance to support third party development, satisfies their contract with AT&T, and lets people who bought iPhones continue to use them, at least as far as originally intended by Apple.

Plus it's not an exchange, it's just a reset of the existing phone.

[AxPxE]

My IMEI matches the one on the phone but my ICCID doesn't match the one on the box. Couldn't they tell from that too?

[McGeeTM]

sounds like a lawsuit coming soon lol

[obajoba]

Your ICCID is tied to your SIM if I can remember correctly.

Who said all of the GoPhones were bricking, both of mine are bricked and they were both GoPhones. Wondering now... My IMEI does match and my girlfriend bought them on her discover card last week. Going to try within the 14 day return, threaten to cancel my contract and last but not least, we can always dispute with Discover...

Unhacked GoPhones = bricks?

[Stylez]

excuse me for my ignorance, but what's a "gophone"?

[AxPxE]

So you're saying even GoPhones brick?? I'm curious what kind of bricking results you got after you updated to 1.1.1?

@Stylez

GoPhone is the prepaid service on AT&T.

[Kyle Matthews]

Your ICCID is tied to your SIM if I can remember correctly.

Its the same thing.

excuse me for my ignorance, but what's a "gophone"?

A pre-paid AT&T account.

[Murfunit]

Just go to an an Apple store and say its a goPhone, they can't tell, and all the goPhone ones are bricking as well.

Tried that. They still looked at the IMEI number on the phone and said no way

[DoerrFan]

Tried that. They still looked at the IMEI number on the phone and said no way

I just did to, i told them that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act clearly states that Apple must prove, and not just say as they have been, that the 3rd party enhacements or modifications caused the need for repairs before they can deny warranty. And they still refused it. Im emailing the BBB FTC And whatever else i can think of. I am really not happy.

[yowiphone]

I leraned one thing today. Apple doesnt know how to treat ther customers

[amnesia]

Don't forget that gophone pay as you go accounts are not eligible to be officially used with the iphone. Only GoPhone Pick Your Plan accounts (the direct debit type) are iPhone eligible if a deposit was required for a post paid plan.

Simply stating that it is a GoPhone account will get you no where in an att store, especially when they are checking the sim card that is installed and pulling up your account via mobile number.

...don't shoot the messenger. Besides.... i think the majority of us here are well beyond our 14 day return period.

Much respect.

amnesia

[Murfunit]

Don't forget that gophone pay as you go accounts are not eligible to be officially used with the iphone. Only GoPhone Pick Your Plan accounts (the direct debit type) are iPhone eligible if a deposit was required for a post paid plan.

Simply stating that it is a GoPhone account will get you no where in an att store, especially when they are checking the sim card that is installed and pulling up your account via mobile number.

...don't shoot the messenger. Besides.... i think the majority of us here are well beyond our 14 day return period.

Much respect.

amnesia

Sorry - I should have stated - I was in an Apple store - not AT&T. And I wasn't looking for a replacement - I'd have happily settled for a reflash so I could reactivate. I AM an AT&T customer - so unlocked or not IMO I was not breaking the EULA as I interpreted it

[gohans]

Werent you people warn before? Do not update! and you still did it...
i feel sorry for those... Apple pulled a nice one this time!
I am keepng my cool icons and 3rd party software.
Good Luck to all those who updated! my sympathy to those sick iphones :-)

[falty411]

How are they checking the imei? I have an unlocked tmobile and in settings and on the back of the phone are the same?

[DoerrFan]

Sorry - I should have stated - I was in an Apple store - not AT&T. And I wasn't looking for a replacement - I'd have happily settled for a reflash so I could reactivate. I AM an AT&T customer - so unlocked or not IMO I was not breaking the EULA as I interpreted it

I'm the same as you, i am an AT&T customer, and they flat out refused me, i spent an hour there talking to the manager telling them they clearly violate the a Warranty law, with a copy of the section in hand, and still nothing. Im going to a different Apple Store tomorrow, hopefully ill get a more sypathetic Geniuss....
At least iPhoneSIMFree's unlock survived and there working on something to bring us back from being bricked, sure we have to pay, but give it a week or so and the Dev Team would have reverse engineered it or something and made it free.

[Donald.Brown01]

The more I read, the more I love 1.0.2!

Lets just call it what it is guys. Steve Jobs taking over the world, one phone at a time!

[jharrelson]

You guys will never believe this.... but I just bought an iphone a few days ago... I updated the software to 1.0.2 and waited until today to see what was happening with everyone's phones. It seemed grim, but because I bought it with a Master Card that has "purchase protection" ( up to a $500 reimbursement for a broken phone ), I decided to give it all a shot. I followed the instructions that came from this website that taught me to jailbreak, then AppTapp, then SSH into it CyberDuck.... then I tried something different. All I did was replace the "lockdown" file.... THEN I STOPPED. without running "unlock". Then I restarted the phone with a new ATT SIM card in it that has an old $30 minute plan on it....... It worked!!!!!!!!!! I never ran the uninstall.... Best part of it.... I didn't replace the "lockdown" file without backing it up first. So I still have a way of putting it back together.

[savemefromtears]

I leraned one thing today. Apple doesnt know how to treat ther customers

ya, what was that $100 store credit thing all about anyways?