Posted by DonR_NYC on 11/30/09 8:06pm
Msg #312531

If You Want an IPhone You're Screwed

Anyone in the entire Northeast who is interested in getting an AT&T Apple IPhone is now out of luck. According to AT&T and Apple they no longer permit purchase of a new or refurbished IPhone by internet or phone. You MUST go to an AT&T store.

I wanted to get my 13 y/o an IPhone (I'm not giving a 13 y/o a $300 phone and was getting a refurbished one) and ran into this issue. If I lived in Florida, no problem. In the Northeast it's impossible. They won't even let me buy a new one if I wanted to over the phone or internet!!!

So if you are looking for an IPhone in the Northeast you must go to one of their stores. For me, I'm filing a complaint with the NYS Attorney General. This is RED LINING as far as I'm concerned.

Reply by Louis/AZ on 11/30/09 8:27pm
Msg #312534

Some of my friends have IPhones, and all of them say that it's great EXCEPT for the phone part! They say AT&T's cell reception is horrible and they're constantly having calls dropped. I've heard this is a problem not just with IPHones but with AT&T service in general. Anyone else have this problem?

I've heard nothing but bad things about AT&T, so I've stuck with Verizon for many years. You can't get the IPhone with them (yet), but I've never had a call drop during an important business deal.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 11/30/09 8:48pm
Msg #312541

I have better luck here with Verizon than back when I lived in the Bay Area. I would drop calls all the time when I lived there. Best reception was out on my front porch!

Reply by PAW on 12/1/09 7:21am
Msg #312575

Depends on where you are.

Where I'm located, AT&T (old Cingular) is by far the best coverage and service connectability. I've tried Verzion, T-mobile and Sprint, but the Cingular service worked out the best. However, when I'm in New Hampshire, I had problems with AT&T.

Reply by Philip Johnson on 11/30/09 8:27pm
Msg #312535

I got an idea, don't buy one and look for something else.

I'm sure that a 13 year old can get by, with something less. Though I still hold bad feelings against my folk's because i didn't get that Schwinn bike I wanted in 1973. Man I guess it's back to therapy.

Reply by RickG/CA on 11/30/09 8:31pm
Msg #312536

Re: I got an idea, don't buy one and look for something else.

Phillip was it the yellow schwinn with the banana seat? Oh, how I coveted that bike.

Reply by Philip Johnson on 11/30/09 8:37pm
Msg #312538

Lime green 10 speed, that I bought with my Grit money in 74.

I still have it and use it, its little skinny tires have been all over the world and ridden on some atrocious roads. The fun thing is when all the neighbors bring out their 3 pound titanium/aluminum super bikes that they paid $1000's for, there's me and my 36 year old bike getting all the questions about my antique.

Reply by BrendaTx on 12/1/09 8:13am
Msg #312576

What is "grit money?" n/m

Reply by PA_Notary_II on 12/1/09 8:45am
Msg #312581

Re: What is "grit money?" Here ya go, Brenda...

Grit is a regional newspaper that was published weekly, I think and I think it was printed in Cleveland....anyhow, kids had a paper route and would make and save their own money to buy all the things kids wanted but mom & dad wouldn't/couldn't buy for them.

Reply by jba/fl on 12/1/09 9:29am
Msg #312587

Re: What is "grit money?" Here ya go, Brenda...

All this time I thought it was a Southern thing (really, not being cute today, well, I am, but not sassy cute, er, well, I still am sassy cute, but you know, sarcastic type thingy.) I knew it was an older thing (my parents told me about the days of yore) - oh, I'm just making a mess of things here.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 11/30/09 8:50pm
Msg #312543

I never got that blonde #1 Barbie that I wanted, either!

Boo hoo!

Reply by parkerc/ME on 11/30/09 9:51pm
Msg #312557

If you have an Apple store, you can get them there.

Reply by jba/fl on 11/30/09 9:58pm
Msg #312559

So take a trip to FL, get a phone and go home. Don't stay here - we are over saturated with notaries. You'll just have a different area code - so who cares anyway - just say it is your winter home. . . LOL.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 11/30/09 10:05pm
Msg #312561

It's not the service, it's the iPhone.

You may find the people in the ATT store aren't to keen on selling you the iPhone because there is no commission on it.

I am surrounded by friends and family members with iPhones telling me that I am so yesterday with my regular cell phone. Here's the deal. I have ATT also, and we can be standing in the exact same place, I have full bars, they have 3 out of 5 bars. It happens time and time again. It's not just my daughter's phone, it's not just my sister's phone. It's everyone that I know that has an iPhone. So something else is up, and mind you, I am not a fan of ATT. The fact whether another carrier works better or not seem to be by geographical area. I have had to loan my phone to a buddy with Verizon while motorcycling in some areas and visa-versa in others.

What I am going to do? I am going to see who wins the smart phone wars. You see, I am old enough to remember when I bought my first computer, it was an Apple and the world's number one selling computer. Times change. The iPod is even beginning to lose market share to other MP3 players. There are going to be a lot of really cool smart phones coming out and the marketing strategy that Apple is using could sour people on the iPhone. We are going to have the VHS vs BETA Max battle here.

The Motorola Droid is getting interesting reviews. It's more flexible and more of an open source type operating system rather than having big brother Steve tell you how you need to operate your smartphone. I also like the idea of the Nuviphone with the satellite based GPS that will work when I go to the boonies and don't have cell service.

But I have to ask myself, why do I need a smart phone? If I really need to read email, see stock prices.. I have the laptop along. And if I am not near a wifi, I connect through the gmrs feature on my cell phone. It's fast enough to get the job done.

Reply by Laura_V on 12/1/09 8:26am
Msg #312579

So glad you're still here!

Hi, DonR

I'm so glad you are still hanging out on NotRot!

You're one of the best posters here.

I'm in WA - do you want me to order an iPhone for you from here?

LauraV
professionalnotaryWA
at
gmail.com

Reply by Notarysigner on 12/1/09 9:51am
Msg #312592

ATT (Cingular) network and Verizons network were designed to reach particular audiences. Also one of the networks is really a combination of acquisitions. There's really little to compare except that they both reach the markets there were designed for originally. IMO

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 12/1/09 10:22am
Msg #312598

We had Cingular years ago in CT..

We dropped them when my husband couldn't call me from 3 miles away...lousy service there..

Reply by DonR_NYC on 12/1/09 11:13am
Msg #312606

Yes ATT, as well as the other carriers, has different coverage depending on your location. Over the years I had Bell Atlantic (now Verizon), Sprint, Cingular (now ATT) and a host of others that are no longer around.

For my purposes ATT has been the best in NYC. Verizon keep raising rates, T-Mobile is a joke, Sprint has high rates, etc. ATT has the best plan for my needs.

My point here is that ATT & Apple have teamed up to deny people in the Northeast the ability to purchase the IPhone on line or by phone. And there are a lot of people who will not/cannot afford to spend $300 to $400 on a new phone so they look for a refurbished one, which works just as well. Now people are forced to purchase a brand new one at the store. This is just another attempt to squeeze every last dollar they can from the consumer.

This is nothing more than "red lining" a certain area while allowing sales throughout the rest of the country.

Reply by Linda Spanski on 12/1/09 12:33pm
Msg #312622

read all about phones, plans and coverage

The January issue of Consumer Reports has a lot of information about new smart phones, quality of network coverage by city, prepaid plans, and an explanation of why internet connectivity is iffy where demand exceeds network capacity.