AT&T – Your World. Delivered.. Poorly
With the release of the iPhone last week, there has been some interesting stories being posted about how the customer experience was much different for people who went to buy the iPhone at the Apple store compared to people who went to an AT&T store.
There have been numerous reports about how AT&T were forcing people who wanted to buy the iPhone to also purchase accessories for the phone. AT&T stores were bundling the iPhone with an accessories package and according to reports in Gizmodo, AT&T personnel were telling customers that they could not purchase the iPhone without buying the accessory package as well. While in the Apple stores, the iPhone could be purchased all by itself.
You know there has been a lot of pundits debating on how big the iPhone is going to be. I think the more important question is going to be whether customers will actually put up with AT&T’s BS or not. I am going to make a little prediction here. I would be willing to put money on the following:
- AT&T is not prepared for the large influx of customers they are getting with the launch of the iPhone.
- There will be HUGE customer service issues with people who just signed a two year contract with AT&T to get an iPhone.
- In the coming weeks to months, there will be a backlash of terrible customer service stories and people will finally have enough of AT&T.
- Apple will eventually be forced to allow other providers to sell the iPhone or risk alienating their customers.
Technorati Tags: iPhone, customer experience, Apple, AT&T
Why isn’t anyone mad at Mac about this. How stupid do you have to be to partner with a single company on something as important as this.
Maybe a 1 year deal like the razor had with Cingular wouldn’t be too bad. But this is the most sought after gadget since the iPod. How could they possibly sign a 5 year deal.
It doesn’t take a PHD to realize that this product will quickly outgrow that one vendors ability to service and support it.
Where is their best alternative? What options do they have? What is plan B?
Apparently, the reason that AT&T was selected to be the sole provider of iPhone is because they were the only provider willing to cater to Apple’s demands.
For example, if you want GPS on your Verizon plan, then Verizon wants to be the one to sell you that service, so they would make the manufacturer deactivate the GPS feature.
And Apple wouldn’t allow that. So Kudos to them.
Unfortunately, AT&T is also screwing people by forcing a 2-year agreement PLUS a bunch of accessories that people don’t necessarily want.
I was very excited for the iPhone to succeed. My opinion was that this would open the flood gates for better mobile broadband. I’m disappointed to say the least.
Worst product launch since Pepsi Clear.
Jeremy – You’re right, I read several articles that detailed how Apple came to Verizon first, but Verizon would not give into Apple’s demands, while AT&T did.
I am also reading articles this morning that it is taking over 24 hours for some of iPhones to be registered and activated on the AT&T network.
My hope is this exclusive deal with AT&T is only for a short period of time and maybe in 6 months or so, they will come out on other networks as well.
Adam – I do not know why no-one at Apple is pissed. Maybe they are, but they are biting their tongues. Plan B as I said in my previous post is that I am hoping Apple opens the iPhone to other providers in the future. But who knows…
Jeremy,
That at least makes some sense to me. I have a windows mobile and I had to hack the phone and interrupt the initial Verizon download just so I could use the internet connection on my phone as a modem connect my computer to it. I can see how the phone companies might have been tough for MAC to want to work with.
On the accessories issue, I heard about that too. I guess thats one reason MAC has been so stringent about who their distribution partners are. They are used to being a niche product, the more mass market they go, the more issues like this are going to turn up.
Here is the first glimmer of light and brings up the real solution to the AT&T – iPhone problem. HORRAY FOR HACKERS! We really should have seen this coming.
http://geekswithblogs.net/WallabyFan/archive/2007/07/05/113685.aspx
Adam – That is interesting. I guess I would ask who would spend $500-$600 bucks for a cool organizer and MP3 player? But I do love how hackers always push the envelope and force us manufacturers to always try to be better. Thanks!