AT&T: 3G Upgraders pay $200 more for iPhone 3G S Author's pic By Jeremy Horwitz
Editor-in-Chief, iLounge Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 News Category:
AT&T has announced that the upgrade prices for iPhone 3G S will be $399 (16GB) or $499 (32GB) for customers who are still under contract after purchasing the prior-generation iPhone 3G, a $200 premium over the “standard” iPhone 3G S prices of $199 and $299. Using a pricing configurator found on Apple’s BuyiPhone.Apple.com web site, users can find out their individual upgrade prices based on the remaining length of their AT&T contracts, which may be higher or lower depending on the date of their prior upgrades. Users must commit to a new two-year contract; an $18 Activation fee and a $18 Early Upgrade fee are also assessed. More details to come.
I purchased a 3G as a new ATT customer on launch day, July 2008. To upgrade to a 3GS I must pay 399/499 instead of 199/299. WHY? Last year, original iPhone owners were allowed to upgrade to the 3G at the standard 199/299 rates as long as they signed a new 2 yr contract.
This is ludicrous that they aren’t allowing loyal customers to purchase the 3GS model at the normal 199/299 rates. I’m willing to sign a NEW 2 yr contract, but nope, I guess they’d rather lose me at the end of my first contract next year rather than give me the deal they gave people last year.
This is a friggin’ joke.
Apple & ATT say: “We have this AMAZING new phone....but to the 30-some MILLION people who own a 3G, you can’t buy one yet unless you want to pay HUNDREDS of dollars extra. But thanks for being a loyal customer!” I suppose they only care about gaining new customers, and not keeping their core satisfied.
Posted by Joshua on June 8, 2009 at 1:16 PM (PDT)
I know, I know, I must abide by the terms of the contract I read and agreed to. But it sucks green eggs.
I can not get a newer phone for another 9 months without paying a hefty premium: $200 plus other incidental fees.
#431762 - 06/08/0902:34 PMRe: Upgrade 3G iPhone to 3G S iPhone
[Re: starmillway]
six_of_one
Pool Bar
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 3885
Loc: Alexandria, VA
And that is exactly why they are losing out on this deal -- they're making people consider simply riding-out their existing contract rather than them giving AT&T some more cash up-front and hooking them for another two years ...
I wrote in that other thread that at least they should offer an option to simply purchase the new phone at full-price w/o the tie to another contract ...
They way it is now, they're simply losing the potential upgraders, and giving them reason to pause when their contracts expire ... I guess they're thinking new customers will make-up for that potential loss ...
I also mentioned in that other post that this is exactly why hardware needs to be detached from service plans: so people can simply upgrade their phones when they want to without all these arcane extensions of plans/paying-off subsidies ...
I specifically asked an AT&T employee back in Jan if I could upgrade my current 3G phone to the new one later this year without any penalty and they said "yes" I will hold their feet tot the fire on this if I have to... I spelled out my situation and they always maintained iPhone users could upgrade with NO penalty ANY-time.
Does anyone feel bad upgrading a perfectly good phone for one that has a few more bells and whistles? This isn't recycle, they will throw your phone away. Nor is it reuse. Keep the thing for a couple of years and wear it out until it doesn't work. There will be plenty of bells and whistles added by then.
Upgrading each and every new version is environmental madness. I think these high costs for upgrading within a year is a green way to go.
#431784 - 06/08/0905:43 PMRe: Upgrade 3G iPhone to 3G S iPhone
[Re: polymerase]
six_of_one
Pool Bar
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 3885
Loc: Alexandria, VA
Actually, since AT&T recently bought-out some Verizon towers where my mom lives, I was planning on saving my old one and handing it down to her when the coverage becomes active ... I still have my rev 1 iPhone and would have handed that down too if coverage existed ...
So instead of hooking me for an additional two years -- or making some cash off me paying full price w/no contact extension -- plus a new subscriber in my mom, they get ... nothing.
And what happens to your old phone is up to you -- it's not like you have to turn it in to Apple or something to get the new one. There many options to recycle/reuse older unused phones ...
[quote=polymerase]Keep the thing for a couple of years and wear it out until it doesn't work. There will be plenty of bells and whistles added by then. quote]
Well, just don't take too long! I'm getting pretty long in the tooth denture
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