More than one MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews reader has complained about how some corporate-owned AT&T stores are handling Apple’s iPhone in recent days.
These reader accounts, from scattered locations around the U.S., share the same common thread: AT&T store staff making it difficult or impossible for customers to even see Apple’s iPhone.
Some AT&T stores are giving customers of widely-ranging age groups trouble when the employees are asked to show an Apple iPhone. From what we can tell, these aren’t packs of teenagers storming AT&T stores demanding to see iPhones, but adults, alone or in pairs, asking politely to see the iPhone.
Some AT&T stores reportedly have no iPhone displays on the floor, but still claim to stock the iPhone. Other accounts tell of AT&T stores with iPhone displays, but employees who refuse to bring out the iPhones “on Sundays” or for “fear of theft” due to small staff on-hand, or even claiming that “Apple won’t allow” them to bring out the iPhone to show to customers.
One pair of customers, “business-owning adults in our mid-30s,” on two separate occasions in two different AT&T stores, asked AT&T employees point-blank, “If we have $600 in cash and want to walk out with an iPhone, will you bring one out for us to see?” Both times, the customers said the AT&T employees refused to do so.
Readers report that, at best, some staff in some AT&T stores do not seem motivated to make iPhone sales and, at worst, seem downright antagonistic.
We’re wondering: Are these just isolated instances or signs of a widespread issue or an indication of some AT&T policy we do not understand or simply misunderstandings? Have you experienced any “iPhone friction” at AT&T stores? Please let us know in reader feedback below.
@ weeks ago I went to my local AT&T store in Phillipsburg NJ..THey have two Iphones on display and were more than happy to demonstrate the phone. They were friendly and happy
Al
It’s actually quite simple. The customer activates the phone at home and the Commissioned sales rep gets nothing for it. AT$T promised to commission reps that sold the phones, but AT&T employees are reporting that it’s not happening. Now should the employees not show the phone? Certainly not, they are salespeople and should be working to build relationships with customers. Do I understand why they would not want to bother? Yes I can definitely see that point of view.
one AT&T store at a mall in my area did not have them on display. They had accessories out, but no iPhones. They said they had them in stock, but did not offer to show one to me. At that point I decided to go to an Apple store instead.
I went to AT @ T in portland oregon and they did not have any iphones on display. They also said they didn’t have any and that I could not even order the iphone. They were pretty rude about it…
The iphone is going to prove the industry doesn’t need nearly as many salepeople and will be able to save a ton in commisions.
Activating the phone at home is going to be like self-serve cashiers at the supermarket.
This is the problem with the Corporate worship we have going on in this country. The corporation (ie, AT&T) sees a way to screw their employees out of a commission, so they do it, and we’re supposed to accept it as a normal part of doing business. Meanwhile, CEOs and their board of directors make hundreds of millions of dollars in a single year. No wonder nobody wants to work for a living.
att store on fifth avenue doesn’t even have iphone on display. but when i told an employee that i’m thinkin about getting the iphone, she smiled and said it’s a really cool phone and started asking me questions about what my carrier is
You’ve missed the point entirely. The iPhone will sell well, but there will be a need for sales people as long as products and services are sold to people. All that’s happening here is that AT&T is taking advantage of a hot new product to screw their employees. When it’s been out for a while and they want to encourage sales people to push it, the commissions will return. Until then, Apple as well as the salespeople, is being screwed.
Again, another example demonstrating that Apple chose a horrible wireless company. Would anyone expect less from AT&T. Take AT&T’s history of bad service and combine the for a commission based sales representative = recipe for disaster. There is a saying in HRD – “If you put a good person in a bad system, the system will win almost every time.” To paraphrase, if you put a great product in a bad system, the bad system will win (or do it’s best).
these jerkoff salespeople are just that.
Have I been shown an iPhone – – no
have I been into AT$T – – no
Went to the AT&T store the Monday after launch – 3 functional iPhones on display, and you didn’t have to sign in to be “assisted” by pushy salespeople to play with them. But if you pulled them too far on their tethers, an ear-splitting alarm went off (and this happened frequently).
A week later their iPhone display area was empty, no explanation given (maybe the employees got tired of resetting the alarms). Fortunately we have an Apple Store in Jacksonville, and they had about 9 display units, all being heavily used by prospective customers the night I bought mine.
Two problems I encountered with all display units: Safari and Maps crash or lock up frequently, presumable because the phones aren’t being turned off and the caches fill up with heavy use. Apple needs to fix this pronto. I’ve only encountered one other iPhone owner out in the world, and he was ready to return it due to the lockups. I had to show him how to quit the apps and reset the phone if needed. He was so happy I “saved” his iPhone he wants to send me flowers.
Damn, Chris, you ought to be a motivational speaker…..
MW:society
This is absolutely true. I’ve been into my local AT&T shop twice since the iPhone came out. On the first occasion I was told I could watch the iPhone video that was showing but I couldn’t actually have a look at an iPhone, although I could see two sitting there in their cradles. I stood watching the video, along with another 4 or 5 people who had been told the same thing, After a minute or so I walked out.
On the second occasion, I walked in with a friend from England who hadn’t even heard of the iPhone, so I wanted to show one to her before I took her to the airport to fly back home. We went straight over to the display and I picked one of them up. At that point I was shouted at by one of the employees to put the phone down immediately, and at the same time two security guards stepped over to me and took the phone. I was pushed away from the display and told not to pick up the phone again. Needless to say I was both alarmed and horrified at their behaviour, and my friend grabbed my arm and we left the shop. I was hoping I’d have a chance to tell someone about this bizarre experience, so here it is.
Around 4pm launch day,@ the Cingular/ATT store in S. Tampa, I stopped to check my wife’s account status, (she had just gone out of contract @ T-Mobile & ‘switched’, ick, to ATT). The store staff was discussing the new iPhone with a customer. To say the least, they were not impressed with the device or Apple. They also had fun trashing the ‘idiots’ outside in line for the launch. Apple may as well have teamed w/Redmond for all the support they seem to be getting from ATT… We took our business to the International Mall Apple Store & they seemed happy enough about selling the phone to us.
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The evening of the release of the iPhone my wife and I went to the AT&T store at the Meriden Square Mall and no Kiosk was set up and the only way you could view the phone was to purchase it. Oh by the way we were the only ones in the store with around 6 sales people present. They suggested we go to either another AT&T location in Meriden or the Westfarms Mall!
The evening of the release of the iPhone my wife and I went to the AT&T store at the Meriden Square Mall and no Kiosk was set up and the only way you could view the phone was to purchase it. Oh by the way we were the only ones in the store with around 6 sales people present. They suggested we go to either another AT&T location in Meriden or the Westfarms Mall!
The evening of the release of the iPhone my wife and I went to the AT&T store at the Meriden Square Mall and no Kiosk was set up and the only way you could view the phone was to purchase it. Oh by the way we were the only ones in the store with around 6 sales people present. They suggested we go to either another AT&T location in Meriden or the Westfarms Mall!
The evening of the release of the iPhone my wife and I went to the AT&T store at the Meriden Square Mall and no Kiosk was set up and the only way you could view the phone was to purchase it. Oh by the way we were the only ones in the store with around 6 sales people present. They suggested we go to either another AT&T location in Meriden or the Westfarms Mall!
AT&T. = A–holes Through & Through.
I’m glad this was posted…
The week after the launch (Tuesday or Wednesday), I stopped in at my local AT&T store (Clear Lake Shores, Texas) and asked about the iPhone. I was told by the manager of the store that they had sold out on Friday night (no surprise there).
What was surprising was that he took the time to tell me that I shouldn’t get an iPhone even when they are available because:
they have crappy battery life (which I know is wrong)
they won’t work with the system at my job (which I couldn’t care less about)
they are vulnerable to attack (I’ll worry about that when I see it)
they don’t have much storage space (I’m familiar with the space, that’s why I asked about an 8GB iPhone)
the new version will be out soon and it will be twice as good for half the price (wow, Apple Insider could use this guy)
And most laughably, they aren’t as cool as they seem on TV.
I am lucky enough to have an Apple store close by and they have a table full of iPhones to check out. They are way cooler in person than I even imagined.
It might be worth noting that I have had conversations with this guy before (although I doubt he remembers since I’m rarely in the store) and he is 100% an Apple-hating, PC apologist.
Save yourself some time and hassle and just order the iPhone from Apple, or if you’re fortunate enough to have a local Apple Store, go pick one up (when they’re available).
~M
PS- On a somewhat related note (since I was waiting to get one before I get an iPhone), we finally got an AppleTV last night and it is incredible. Strangely, the picture at home is tons better than the picture on the TV at the Apple Store. If anyone has thought about getting one, but didn’t like the quality of picture on the display, you should still try it out. I was shocked at the quality of a SteveNote after watching them for years on my desktop.
I think we are all missing the point.
Remember.. iPhone is only sold at the AT&T corporate owned stores. There are more AT&T dealer/Franchise/Authorized reseller stores who do not sell iPhone.
So, remember only AT&T corporate owned stores sell iPhones.
– M
Last week I was in the Cape Cod Mall in MA and strolled by the ATT store.They had a big iPhone banner in the store front window, but no iPhones on display. We just walked out….
@Chris
Your manifesto is out of date. Corporations aren’t evil. Their job is to make money. Someone got it right. As long as the phones are selling AT&T is doing what they do as are the employees. When it becomes an issue, the commissions will return.
We have choices! As consumers we can choose to not shop there. We can report what we know to be true and put pressure on AT&T to do what we feel is the right thing.
Just please don’t think we need to get the government involved. Those CEOs making the big bucks deserve it. If they can negotiate that kind of money, more power to them. Just like our athletes and pop musicians. It Capitalism baby and while flawed, it is the best system on earth.
Chris, you need to learn to think logically. If this situation is what MDN suspects, it will be worked out do to pressures from the market. Either we’ll keep buying and the employees will keep getting screwed (they have choices too) or AT&T will have to change their tune either to fend off what they perceive as bad press or low sales.
Chill out comrade! MDN is right to report this. It’s all part of the process. I for one would rather go to an Apple store or by on-line anyway.
The AT&T store in syracuse, ny also avoid to show their iphones. you have to ask them and you can only see it in their presence.
About 2 weeks after the iPhone launch I went into an AT&T/Cingular store in a mall in Baton Rouge, LA, (after calling to make sure they had iPhones in stock). I walked up to a man at the counter, who appeared to be the manager. He asked if he could help me. I handed him my credit card and told him I wanted to buy an 8 gig iPhone. He then told me to “go sign in.” He didn’t say “please sign in and someone will be right with you.” He just abruptly said “go sign in.”
I signed in and waited and waited while this guy took his time talking with a couple of customers who had other phone (not iPhone) problems, while 3 or 4 other AT&T employees milled around the store. All this manager had to do was ask one of these others to get an iPhone and ring up my credit card, and he would have had an $600 sale in the course of a couple of minutes.
While I waited two guys identifying themselves as AT&T reps hit on me trying to sell me some home phone service I didn’t want. I told them all I wanted to do was buy an iPhone, but, they wouldn’t or couldn’t help me do that!
I finally got tired of waiting and left, vowing never to enter an AT&T store again for any reason!
I bought my iPhone at AT&T in the Mall in Morristown, TN, where I didn’t see an iPhone on display, but when I asked about it, they said they had some, but weren’t allowed to open the boxes, so, if I wanted to see one I had to buy it. I did buy one, and the clerk who waited on me couldn’t have been nicer. I don’t know who is to blame for folks not being able to even look at or touch the phone before buying it, Apple or AT&T. Anyway, the iPhone exceeded all my expectations. Just wish it had longer battery power. Can’t keep my hands off it.
@rws,
Your argument is childish. You need to grow up and recognize that there is no free market when corporations are allowed to make the rules.
Yes, corporations are in business to make money, but there is still a little thing called ethics, and stealing from your employees is bad business.
Mozfan, I would not take these points (may they be valid or not) in consideration, seeing that the salespersons at AT&T do not commissions on the sales of iPhones…
I think the guy just wanted you to buy something else, and get the commission on it.
Some of the comments he made are totally immature, if you ask me:
“they have crappy battery life (which I know is wrong)”
How can you be so sure, when the damn iPhone has been out for a month…
“they won’t work with the system at my job (which I couldn’t care less about)”
My partner made it work at his, and he works for the government… Granted, he is the Senior Programer of his Co.
“they are vulnerable to attack (I’ll worry about that when I see it)”
As many phones/cell phones… BUT we don’t really hear about that, do we?
“they don’t have much storage space (I’m familiar with the space, that’s why I asked about an 8GB iPhone)”
Frankly, I moved from a 60GB video iPod to the 8GB iPhone, and it is plenty… Even though I do not have my entire music library and Photo library, this does not bother me at all… And trust me, I am a total space whore when it comes to multi media devices. It actually makes my iPhone change a little when I upload different songs or pictures. Mind you, I almost always have 2 Gb of memory left on my iPhone…
“the new version will be out soon and it will be twice as good for half the price (wow, Apple Insider could use this guy)”
Hum… Yeah, sure… How does he know that? Sorry, but all of these are rumors… Of course, the second generation will be better… Dhu… You don’t have to be a grad student from Harvard or Georgetown to figure that out…
Well, I guess this guy was pretty bitter on the fact that he did not get any money for selling this device.
I have been using the iPhone for a little more than a month now (I got it on launch day), and I have to say that it is the most amazing device EVER…
Granted, some stuff bug out sometime, like Safari quitting when the cash mem is a little too full or stuff like that…
But frankly, this is nothing to be annoyed with, for an update will fix this pronto…
A few days after the release, I went into the AT&T store in the Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California, and they didn’t have any iPhones on diplay, and when I asked if I could look at one, they said they were sold out. Probably true, but shouldn’t they still have had a demo model on hand? I mean, if you go to the Apple stores, they have like ten sitting there for you to play with. They weren’t exactly rude, but they didn’t seem to care about selling the iPhone either.
I simply hope that as many people reporting incidences here to MDN are CCing AT&T Corporate and Apple.
AT&T is just using the iPhone to create foot traffic in their corporate owned stores so that their salespeople will have an opportunity to sell people AT&T’s more PROFITABLE products or services, Is anyone really surprised by this behavior?
My suggestion is go to an Apple Store!
I just sent emails to everyone on the site below, referencing the comments on MDN.
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=5036
Here in Macon, Ga., the two iPhones that were on display are gone. The display is up with the tethers still there, but they only had one phone to show, apparently. The employee that had it brought it over a few minutes after we asked another employee about it, even though he was waiting on another customer. It was a slow Sunday.
The employees were nice. I did on another occassion hear an AT&T employee tell people that this wasn’t for business but strictly consumers, and that a business model was going to be released in a later version, which i think is incorrect.
AT&T is the weakest link and has a horrible reputation. If Apple comes out with a wi-fi iPod or something that I can use skype or something besides a crappy carrier on, then I’ll buy it.
AT&T is the reason I do not and will not have an iPhone.
I believe the exclusive contract with AT&T was a terrible mistake on Apple’s part. When I can buy one from anybody else I’ll have one in a heartbeat.
Our local AT&T store didn’t have any on display because they are too small and remote for a display model. But the salesman told us that he had customers ordering the phones through the in-store fulfillment program who were getting their phones in 4 – 5 days. This was the first week of sales. The next day we ordered a phone for my wife and it was delivered to our door 24 hours later, especially considering that we are about as far west as you can get and still be in the states. Needless to say we were impressed. For those complaining about AT&T, remember that it wasn’t Apple’s first choice either, They were just the first one interested in supporting the iPhone.
they are probably just pissed because they didn’t get a free iPhone like the employees in the Apple-stores xD
Has it been definitively determined that AT&T salespeople are paid commission on every phone they sell EXCEPT the iPhone? I see this “assumed” and “speculated” about above, but is it really true? If true, AT&T management is being extremely shortsighted and stupid. I haven’t been into an AT&T store since I bought my iPhone on at 6:15 pm on intro Friday. I am amazed to hear the stories of the lack of display models for people to pick up and try out. This is a $600 product and potential buyers ought to have a chance to examine it before purchase. This reminds me of Apple’s failed Circuit City store-within-a-store initiative; or the first go around with Best Buys. Sales assistance ranging from apathetic to hostile, and display areas with missing, broken, or switched off products. The ghost town feel.
I hope Apple has some clauses within their AT&T contract that allow them to break the 5 year exclusivity if the sort of partnering being reported hear continues. Why not just let Apple sell the iPhone and let AT&T provide the network?
Apple has been “Best Buyed” again……
was at my local ATT store in Burlingame, Ca.
They had one on display, connected and ready to go..Simply sitting on the display…no friction whatsoever…as a matter of fact, while there I had many, many conversations by customers there buying a “smartphone”…after a few minutes with a real world user, some I think are considering the iPhone more so than when they walked in.
I visited our local AT&T store last week here in Palmdale California and was told that they had sold all of their iPhones and didn’t know when they would be able to have any to show. When I asked if they could let me know when new ones arrived by phone or email, I was told just check back from time to time.
i’ve been to the cingular/att store in irvine, ca on Jeffery/Alton a few times since the launch and they say they don’t have any iphones and don’t know if they will ever get any. they said the best way to get one is by going to an apple store or another att store in irvine. the sales guys said they wish they would get the iphone though since he seemed to want one himself.
Simple solution, find at ATT store with problematic salesstaff and try to play with phone, then when they get stroppy, call up ATT Press office and make it clear that’s what you are doing. That will get their attention.
My experience in dealing with my local AT&T store in Marietta has been such that I cannot rely on their support for anything related to the iPhone. My store refused to assist me in setting up a family plan. The store employee refused to recognize the standard AT&T discount given to all customers who retain their landline connection, even though their fellow employee attested to the benefit.
My resolution came via a call to the AT&T customer service center.
My advice to all iPhone users: don’t bother going to an AT&T store, not ever. If you do go to an AT&T store, it is likely you’ll be given disservice. Apparently, there is no incentive for AT&T store employees to even be nice to iPhone users.
However, all my calls to the AT&T customer service centers have been handled in a very competent and professional manner. In my last contact, the AT&T employee suggested I rate him highly in a telephonic survey to be made later in the day. (When that survey call was in fact made later that day, the AT&T machinery failed to work properly so my “high regards” never had a chance to become recorded).
On Friday 6/30/07, I drove 30 miles to the location reported by the AT&T website which was claimed to have stock of iPhones for the launch, since the nearest Apple Store is a 5 hour drive. Upon arrival at “AT&T”, I found it to be a portable kiosk in the aisle in the local shopping mall of a college town. They had no stock, and were simply taking orders. Groups of people were being turned away by the sales people who were insisting that they purchase accessories and plans for the phone, but would have to wait an indeterminate amount of time before their iPhone would be shipped TO THE KIOSK, ie another return trip was required.
I returned home immediately and my online Apple Store order was placed at 6:07 pm (but completed at 6:27 due to server load!), and it arrived via FedEx overnight directly from China, 1 week later.
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Apple, please do whatever you can to get rid of these AT&T pricks’ contract.
@Chris
Childish? You have a strange sense of what stealing is!
Oh well, I can see you don’t have the logic skills to make an argument or understand one. Have some more Kool-aid and go fight global warming. You’ll feel so much better.
Do you think the couple were Zune Tang & his wench? I would’nt be surprised if it was!!!:-)
RWS, Quit drinking the Limbaugh Kool Aid. That three hours every day is too much man. You’ve been brainwashed, and you don’t even realize it.
I was looking over my account @ AT&T’s web site and noticed that nowhere is the iPhone even mentioned anymore. Look under Phones/Devices and Apple is not listed under manufactures. Look under “smart phones” (or any of the other headings) and there is no iPhone listed. The only mention to iPhone was in Support section. If Apple plans on selling 10M iPhones in 2008 (18,000/day) then they NEED AT&T’s stores/web site to be actively promoting the device. Apple’s management better have a long talk with them or sue for breach of contract. I just can’t imagine ANY company treating potential paying customers like what I’ve read above.
It’s the latest cult. First we had the Moonies, than the Scientologists, but by far the most dangerous (but shrinking) one today is the Dittoheads. They need professional help to be deprogrammed. Three hours a day, five days a week they are bombarded by an opinionated, uneducated failure of a man, who has issues against almost anyone different from himself. His marriages have ended in failure, he’s never served a day in the military, yet is one of the biggest hawks, he has been addicted to painkillers, and obtained them in illegal ways, that surely would have meant jail time for you or me had we done the same, and wouldn’t even be on the radio had his mother not owned the station, and given him the job. Why on earth would any thinking person believe a man like this had any ideas of worth?
SBG, you’re not paying attention.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/welcome/
I bought my iPhone at a local at&t store and had an excellent experience. They gave me $100 in rebates for switching 2 lines, and offered to waive the activation fee. I felt like they were extremely motivated to sell me the iPhone, and thus I bought one.
By the way, I love it.
Tommy,
I believe the correct term for Limbaugh is a Chickenhawk. He, along with Five Deferment Cheney and AWOL-never went to Nam Bush are leaders of the Chickenhawk Party.
I have never had a positive experience in an AT&T (Cingular) store, so why would the iPhone be any different.
Although I bought my iPhone at my local Apple store, I went to AT&T to look a cases that were different from those Apple was stocking.
As usual, I was ignored; and then, again as usual, somebody who came into the store after me got helped before me. And, also as usual, I dropped the case I was going to buy and stormed out of the store.
The only unfortunate thing here is that there are way more communities that DON’T have Apple stores than those that do, and citizens of those locations have no alternative to dealing with the AT&T store.
Hopefully Apple’s people are reading these comments and will be able to get on AT&T’s back (breech of contract?) and get this straightened out.
@rws,
Good job! Explaining something logically on an MDN thread may feel like you’re speaking German in a Chinese village, but kudos to you for trying!
Good God…report this behavior!!! Don’t just let it slide of your back!
@SBG- AT&T wireless home page- you’re greeted by the iPhone.
With regards to having other carriers having the phone, please remember that there are only two major carriers in the US that can support the phone- AT&T and T-Mobile- out of the box, the choices will be limited regardless. Given what I’ve heard of Verizon’s behavior of charging for every option, I’ll stick with the $20 a month (data) that I pay for the AT&T service.
The way I see it, there is ALOT of animosity towards Apple and its products. I have shown my iPhone to no less than half a dozen perfect strangers who wanted to play with it. (I even let a few hold it, gasp).
Each one of them asked about the various “problems” the iPhone supposedly had, ranging from poor battery life, poor voice quality, and lack of feature “X.”
These people seemed to know more false negatives with the phone than they knew about the true positive – and these were people interested in the phone.
I bet, just like Best Buy, AT&T reps are mostly PC guys / Blackberry guys / etc. They don’t like Apple at all and are resentful of it’s immediate impact on the phone market.
Add in the fact that you can practically sell iPhones from a vending machine (due to the iTunes pick-a-plan home activation) and I can see sales reps REALLY hating the phone.
As for the commissions aspect, thanks goodness you can buy the phone at Apple Stores and online. Commission sales are the worst. Last thing I want is my sales person looking out after themself before they are looking out for me. Seems bass-ackwards from a customer point of view.
I switched from T-Mobile to AT&T and I can say AT&T is inferior in customer service, pricing, and call quality / dropped calls. But, it’s not deal breaking to me.
Maybe the iPhone will start a trend of self-activated, carrier independent smart phones. I’d switch to T-Mobile in a heartbeat, as long as I still had Visual Voicemail and all the rest of my current iPhone features.
As for the corporations are evil / dittoheads are idiots thread, I am the farthest thing from a Rush supported or Republican for that matter, but I don’t see how employees are getting screwed because they don’t get a commission on an iPhone. They don’t have to do anything to sell the phone other than take my money. It’s not like they are being forced to drive iPhone sales to the detriment of their other sales.
If I want an iPhone, it’s their JOB to sell me one. If you don’t like your job, quit . If you don’t like your employer, quit. If you don’t want to sell iPhones, don’t punish the customer.
I don’t care who gets what share of the $600 I dropped on my phone. It’s not my job to make sure some front line service employee gets his “cut” of my sale. It’s my job to buy and it’s the emplyees job to sell. Doesn’t seem too hard of a concept to grasp. Odd that some many AT&T reps don’t get it.
Jeez Louis, folks, can we avoid another pointless political debate? How about we just apply the simplest solution possible?
1.) Lots of AT&T stores are *not* owned by AT&T as others have mentioned. These stores either haven’t received any iPhones or only very limited amounts. They are, and have been since the iPhone came out, very pissed off about it. I’m sure they are giving people a hard time.
2.) If AT&Y salespeople are not getting some financial bonus, then, again, it is no surprise that they aren’t thrilled about showing or talking about the iPhone. This is exactly why the Apple Stores don’t work on commission. I don’t mean to make any sales guys angry (i’ve been on myself), but we all know that commission always results in crappy service. No one wants to make a small sale, a sale that carries no commission, or a sale that doesn’t show up on the sales person’s metrics.
If you walk into a circuit city ready to buy a 5000 entertainment system, you are going to get top notch service. If you go into a circuit city to buy a 15 dollar iPod accessory, you’ll be lucky if anyone even speaks to you.
This has always happened with Apple products and I’m sure it is happening with the iPhone now. Apple has always refused to pay out a bounty to get what you should get for free: basic, decent, polite service.
I have absolutely no need for cell phone salespeople or consultants. Normally, I know the answers they don’t. They will definitely be phased out as companies mimic Apple’s process. There’s no reason to do it any other way.
We’re wondering: Are these just isolated instances or signs of a widespread issue or an indication of some AT&T policy we do not understand or simply misunderstandings? Have you experienced any “iPhone friction” at AT&T stores?
I don’t believe this is an iPhone thing. I think it’s an Apple thing.
Go into any Big Box electronics store and try to find information on Apple Macs. You will mostly get the same reaction. For years, Apple didn’t provide kickbacks to salesmen to move Macs, so even customers asking point blank about Macs were steered to PCs. And some of the intensely stupid statements PC floor flacks made and still make about Macs make you want to punch them.
And the worst, and still most common threat retail Macs face anywhere but in an Apple store? The Ladder. That 10 foot tall rolling airline style ramp for accessing the upper shelves. If I had 5 bucks for every time I walked into FutureShop, Best Buy or Compusmart and saw that damn ladder sitting in front of the Macs, I’d have me one of them 8 processor Power Macs by now.
I went to the AT&T store in Potomac Mills and the staff was less than willing not only to help me but – how dare I ask to see an iPhone. I was told that they are not kept in public but, I can make an appointment to see one. I guess the shock in my eyes was too much and they volunteered that they were too understaffed for me to touch one. But, I could come back
Gee, how does a simple story on bad ATT salespeople turn into a diatribe against conservitives, Gush Limbaugh, Prez Bush and Corporate evil?
I really value free expression. And I value macdailynews.com. But let’s use a modicom of intelligence, or I should say ‘reason,’ in this discussion.
I was thinking that perhaps the earlier posts about ‘lost commission’ for iPhones indicated some ATT salespeople might be venting. But then it deteriorates into the evils of capatialism (this from Macheads who venifluxes before Lord Jobs).
Regardless of your take on your employer – good or evil – you should do your job to the best of your ability…or quit! If it bothers you that much that your corporate master is overpaid then don’t feed the beast. Your choice.
Yes, I too detest the fact corporations overpay top execs while cutting jobs to improve the stock valuation for their stock owners. I believe minimum wage is a good thing and should be $10 an hour. I think Limbaugh is a middle-class dweeb that is out of touch with the reality of real life – pull-up-your-bootsraps is a load of crud. Some just aren’t capable, period. I think Bush would have been a great president if he’d played politics the hard way instead of just concentrating on the war on terrorism. I think Democrats or nothing but Kruchev communists who betrayed the country and our brave military warriors all for the sake of gaining power and taking us further down the socialist path.
Oh, wait..this is supposed to be about iPhone sales at ATT stores….
Seems to me that macdailynews.com should forward this story to some media outlet…like USA Today. Maybe, if they chose to investigate, some bad coverage might provoke Apple to take ATT to the woodshed…or get out of their exlusivity contract for ATT’s failure to abide by its terms.
I hope to see more on this issue in the media. It will be interesting to see if this is a real complaint or just Apple-bashers.
Cheerio mates…and you politicos…get a real life already.
rws says: “go fight global warming.”
Ah, your political slip is showing. Go play in Freeperville, Boy.
It does seem that AT&T has not properly integrated the iPhone into their business, at least on their website. While they do link to the iPhone on their main page, once you are into the site, the iPhone is no longer listed. It is not listed as a music phone or a camera phone or a smartphone. Apple is not listed as one of the phone manufacturers on their phone comparison choice page either. Also, AT&T ads on TV do not mention iPhones at all either.
While I have used AT&T for years as my cell phone carrier due to various discounts, I have NEVER been impressed with the customer service in the stores. They have never wanted to sell me what I wanted to buy and getting someone to talk to me has always been a hassle. AT&T is out of touch with reality and has been for a long time. Ever seen their ‘fewest drop calls’ ad? If you use AT&T at all, then you know that is completely bogus.
I visited an “AT&T” store in Chicago & Tampa but didn’t buy from either one due their lack of interest, rudeness & the inablility to handle/demo an iphone in person. It soured me so much that I’ve yet to buy one. I could visit the Apple store but my interest level isn’t what it was. One thing for sure, if someone unlocks this phone I’ll go with T-Mobile & not AT&T.. Right now I want nothing to do with AT&T, If their service is anything like their sales people why would I.. Plus, I’ve heard that the iphone browser is very slow due to AT&T’s inferior network.
I went to a AT&T store…
….but I won’t tell you where because this is what happened.
I walked in, there were a couple of very nice guys who said yes they had a iPhone but due to a concrete wall I had to go in back to get reception.
So I entered the door behind the counter, down a hall and thru a steel door. Stepped over a couple of guys chained to the floor, brushed past another chained to a wall, one dancing on stage and into a small dark room.
The iPhone was on display, through a small hole in the wall which I could just stick my head and arms through.
After a few hours of very uncomfortable physical action upon my person, I left the store with my iPhone. Complete with a filled address book of telephone numbers.
I didn’t realize what it took to get one of these things…
It took four days for AT&T to figure out how to activate my phone. It was only accomplished with heavy assistance from Apple’s phone support team. Four calls to AT&T’s support, probably three hours total standing in the local AT&T store and two calls to Apple (this doesn’t include the times I spoke with Apple after conferencing in with AT&T) and still it’s worth it to have the phone. But even with all the trouble, the local AT&T staff were still very helpful despite the fact that they probably didn’t see any commission from my purchase.
The biggest problem, I think, is AT&T corporate. All of the phone support people with whom I spoke were ignorant, and I use that word in its strictest definition.
I went to a AT&T store…
….but I won’t tell you where because this is what happened.
I walked in, there were a couple of very nice guys who said yes they had a iPhone but due to a concrete wall I had to go in back to get reception.
So I entered the door behind the counter, down a hall and thru a steel door. Stepped over a couple of guys chained to the floor, brushed past another chained to a wall, one dancing on stage and into a small dark room.
The iPhone was on display, through a small hole in the wall which I could just stick my head and arms through.
After a few hours of very uncomfortable physical action upon my person, I left the store with my iPhone. Complete with a filled address book of telephone numbers.
I didn’t realize what it took to get one of these things…
@Keith,
Who’s got anything against true Capitalism? It’s the naive view that anything good for a multinational corporation is capitalism that has caused this problem.
In a truly free market, AT&T wouldn’t be able to sell products without paying their employees because the employees would have the right to refuse to sell them and they would be open about their refusal. Remember that in a Capitalist society, you get what you pay for, and nothing more.
This has nothing to do with AT&T being good or evil. It has everything to do with simple minds and their insistence on removing necessary government controls, resulting not in Capitalism, but Feudalism, where the Lord of the Manor in the 21st century is the immortal Corporate entity. AT&T is just another example.
Yeah, “Best Buy’d” or “Comp USA’d”. I remember the day when I grabbed a iMac at Comp USA, took it up to the checkout, where a store clerk promptly took it from me, saying “You really don’t want this” and returned it to the shelf I had taken it from.
This attitude is almost the same and just as imbecilic.
Unfortunately, Apple chose to use a service provider that refuses to offer service in the state I’m in at the moment and won’t sell the iPhone here. I continue to be appalled that Apple would not care about serving all 50 states. There is no reason for this except AT&T’s incompetence and unwillingness to offer services other companies provide. Well, one other reason: Apple’s decision to use AT&T when they knew, or should have known, that all states would not be served. I suspect Europe and Asia will have the phone before it finishes rolling out in the U.S. AT&T should be fired for failing to support/sell the iPhone as contracted.
I noticed that the downtown Boston AT&T store no longer has them on display. The cradles are still there but are empty. I thought it was strange. It has been that way for at least a week. And surprise, there is less foot traffic in the store now than when they were still displaying them.
It’s a free market for labor as well.
If you don’t like your employer, find another job.
If your employer can’t find replacement workers, they will change their money grubbing ways.
I live in an area with an acute labor shortage. I see checkout girls get $1000 signing bonuses. You’d be surprised how quickly employers change their policies when they can’t fine anybody to work for them.
Big deal. So what is new? Underpaid, under apreciated store sales staff give shitty service. Why doesnt MDN start listening to its readers for a change? Like cutting all the invasive ads on this site?
I went to an ATT store in suburban Washington, DC. They told me they had no iPhones, so I thanked them and immediately turned to leave. Then they said they had one in stock and asked me if I wanted 4GB or 8GB. (They didn’t mean I had a choice, they meant they wanted to know if what they had was what I wanted.) I asked if I could see it first. They said they couldn’t open the box. They appeared to be very sincere. I wished them well and left.
The next weekend, I went to the Apple store, which is nearby but in a highly congested area that is inaccessible some parts of the day.
Was ATT understocked and are they reticent to sell because they don’t want the network clogged with activations? Are the sales staff trained so well in what they are not allowed to do that they are scared to do anything? Seems likely to me.
I seem to remember that Apple Inc., a few years ago, changed their Apple Store Sales Staff from a ‘commission’ base to a ‘straight salary’ base.
The theory being that they would then be more likely to focus only on what the customer wanted and not on the price.
That has been by experience whenever I purchase things at my local Apple Store – no sales pitches, just sales.
The litany of contrary experiences at AT&T iPhone stores seems to clearly demonstrate which policy is better.
It most definitely is NOT a free market for labor. Employers routinely collude to keep wages down by not listing pay on ads for jobs, and asking for the most experience and/or the best educated while offering the “industry average” wages.
If you think AT&T isn’t an exception, take a look at Occidental Petroleum’s CEO, who made $400 Million last year alone. Meanwhile, what percentage of that pay do you think the well educated experts that do the real work for the company made? 1%? 2%? Try 0.02% or less.
I got the iphone from a corporate AT&T store last friday. No problems. They asked if they could help me when I walked in the store-they had an iPhone on display in the kiosk. I asked I would like to purchase an eight gig iPhone. He went back into the store room and put the phone on the counter and I paid for it. He was polite and I was out in less than five minutes.
Keith (oops) I believe minimum wage is a good thing and should be $10 an hour.
The unions must love people like you. You do know that when the minimum wages is raised, just about every union member gets a raise because their pay is determined by the minimum wage. Soooo, the people at the bottom of the ladder have to pay more for everything they purchase, because wages paid by the companies selling are determined by their profits. Unions abound in Washington DC. Have you ever looked at the losers in government employ? I use AT&T because they have the best rates for the service I need.
The AT&T store near my house sed that they still hadn’t received the demo units, but had received the white display case. The “sales associate” gave us a returned iPhone to try.
RWS,
You are one of the minions who have bought the lies of the religion of the right-wing anti-justice, pro-business, anarchistic capitalism where the only ones who count are the ones with the power to consolidate power into a few elite and turn the rest of the world into vassels to serve your needs.
You, my friend, are going to be one of the first lined up and shot when the poor figure out they outnumber the rich and the revolution begins. If you and your ilk had treated them better, and allowed a bit of economic justice in the world, nobody would suffer. But no, greed and selfishness is going to lead this world to an economic armageddon.
I know you identified yourself as Steve Jobs but I’m pretty sure you meant to type Ward Churchill.
The policies of AT&T is an example of capitalism, in the sense that this is how companies fail in a competitive market. They have the perfect right to screw their employees, destroy their morale and reap the profits that would have been commissions. Having said that, they may well find out that there will be little profit, because they will generate few sales.
If AT&T does not move rapidly to correct this situation, they will have a financial disaster on their hands.
If you want an iPhone, buy one from Apple, either from an Apple Store or online.
Didn’t buy an iPhone (still debating), but I stopped at an AT&T to check out EDGE. They had two on display (this was probably early July) and they worked fine. I didn’t talk to anybody, just walked in, up to the display, used the phone, and left.
I bought my iPhone from the Apple store. It was funny though, even the sales guy at the Apple store made a comment about the poor AT&T network and how it’s too bad that the iPhone didn’t work on Verizon.
My experience has been that the iPhone is amazing, but the voice quality is terrible compared to my Verizon phone and the coverage doesn’t come close.. and don’t get me started on how bad EDGE sucks! Does anyone know why the iPhone interferes if you get it too close to a landline or cordless phone? My Verizon phone never did this, but when I’m in my office, I have to make sure I keep the iPhone on the other side of my desk from my speakerphone.
I am in the most heavily populated area on the eastern seaboard – There’s no excuses for a crappy network when Verizon’s is so good…
I stood in line for a while at the ATT store in Fort Wayne, IN, because our nearest Apple store is 2 hours away. The line had about 40 people in it, and those I talked to had mostly driven from smaller towns in the area. The line was moving gradually, but I couldn’t hang around, so I came back the next day. The store had 2 iPhones on display right inside the front door. I could play with them as long as I wanted (they were connected by cable to the display), and the sales people were eager to have me place an order. My own cell had just died, and I thought I might hit an Apple store in Seattle on a trip the following Monday.
I had to be in Indy for a swim meet on Saturday, so I checked availability for Saturday at the Apple store there. The were out with no scheduled delivery Saturday. Still, I stopped by after the meet, and a shipment had just come in. The sales guy used a walkie-talkie to tell the register staff to have on ready for me, and I was able to walk out with a big smile.
I was an old ATT customer (had never switched to a Cingular phone), and so my activation couldn’t be completed online. I got on the phone with ATT, and it was clear (even at 11:00 PM on Saturday) that they were giving the highest priority to getting these phone activated. I was handed off between American and (likely) Indian staff, all knowledgable. My phone was sucking microwaves before I got off the help line. My experience with ATT and has been just fine.
Just remember everyone, this is not your parent’s AT&T. Remember, AT&T was split up. The AT&T that was left was a minor player. After several mergers, SBC bought out what was left of AT&T. But then they decided to capitalize on the AT&T name and renamed their company to AT&T.
See this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T
AT&T is the spawn of Satan!
AT&T is the reason I do not and will not have an iPhone.
I believe the exclusive contract with AT&T was a terrible mistake on Apple’s part. When I can buy one from anybody else I’ll have one in a heartbeat.
Andre-
Don’t know which SYR store you went to, the one in DeWitt had about 20 iphones. Very courteous, full display out.
im 16 years old and i have one and they won’t even let me in the STORE itself
went to AT&T to buy iPhone because I need to port the numbers over. They didn’t have iPhone on display because they said they get stolen. The Staff were friendly. We bought 2 iPhones and were activated in minutes (we didn’t port the numbers because sounds too complicated and we didn’t want to wait.) We love the phones and so happy with the purchase. My wife didn’t care about it before but now she kept thanking me for getting her the iPhone!
Most of these bad experiences sound like the typical retail process: underpaid, under-trained employees with no reason to try or care. For the most part salespeople are there, not to help you but to steer you to the more profitable items or to add profitable extras and accessories that most likely don’t want.
As far as Apple’s choice of AT&T. It’s all about one thing, GSM. Verizon, probably the best provider in America, uses CDMA as it’s protocol standard. GSM is what most of the rest of the world uses and in the rest of the world, provides great flexibility and openness for users. Hopefully a situation that will start to creep into the free market capitol of the world. The only other GSM based provider here is T-Mobile, probably the worst mobile provider in America.
So, AT&T has has the exclusive possision of being the only one outside of Apple able to sell the iPhone and this is how they act?
Want to know the heart and sole of a company and how they will treat you when you need them? Here’s your window.
I bought an iPhone and I don’t understand why I had to extend another 2 years with AT&T. That extension didn’t come with a discount. WTF??
I bought an iPhone and I don’t understand why I had to extend another 2 years with AT&T. That extension didn’t come with a discount. WTF??
I bought an iPhone and I don’t understand why I had to extend another 2 years with AT&T. That extension didn’t come with a discount. WTF??
I bought an iPhone and I don’t understand why I had to extend another 2 years with AT&T. That extension didn’t come with a discount. WTF??
To all those who had problems with ATT, I strongly suggest that you make a complaint with your local BBB (Better Business Bureau). It may not seem that your individual complaint does any good. But with hundreds of complaints it will make a big difference.
it makes perfect sense to me……i wouldn’t bring a phone out for someone to ‘look at’ unless they said they wanted to buy it. way too easy to just run out of the store with it…
Doesn’t matter if you’re a “30 something business guy with $600”. if you don’t say you want to buy it, then why should they waste their time letting you look at it? there are plenty of videos online etc of the darn thing…..yeah not the same as actually holding it, but cmon…if you’re in the store interested in an iphone, chances are you already know what you’re getting into (“hmmm should I drop $600? let me see how sensittive the touch screen is first….” i mean…cmon…)
I had very good treatment from the AT&T people in Spokane, Washington. I was one of several dozen folks who lined up a few hours in advance. The AT&T staffers came out and chatted with us while we were waiting, brought out coolers of free soda, and were efficient and friendly when we entered the store. So the situation must vary from store to store. Same is (or was) true in Apple Stores. The staffers in Seattle are great, but a couple of years back my brother received quite insulting treatment at the King of Prussia mall outside of Philadelphia at their Apple Store. I like the idea of a feedback channel (like this comments page) where the news can get out about the good and bad retailing experiences.
This is certainly troublesome news as it challenges the law of demand and supply (you demand what we supply) with the archaic, out of date supply and demand (corporations supply goods and services that the consumer demands).
Will probably shake up the ecology, uh economy.
This is an easy one. ATT is trying to slow down the class action lawsuits of bad batteries and and massive problems with power adapters. For those kool-aid drinkers that think this isn’t true look at:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/breaking/first-iphone-class+action-suit-against-apple-and-att-283280.php
So to anyone with one of these $2000 phones that have too many power problem to count:
1) Join the class action lawsuits. Who knows you might win and can use that money to bring down the iphone price to what it should have been to begin with.
2) Sell your phone before everyone finds out all the security and hardware problems. Once the world finds out how crappy Apple hardware and software is your iphone won’t be worth the box it comes in.
Good thing for Steve Jobs there are so many suckers with money stupid enough to give it to him!
It’s only a matter of time before Apple steps in an insists that AT&T clean up their act. As a sales marketing professional this company typifies a poor, at best, retail management business plan and personnel.
Apple will make them a better retailer or they will have grounds to cancel their contract due to non performance issues. AT&T is bound to specific peerformance clauses in that contract.
Not Isolated: Right upfront-I have a prejudice against AT&T. I was willing to think there was a “New AT&T until I walked into our into local corporate storefront.
I had saved my pennies since January and visited AT&T with a mind to buy despite my prejudice. The phone had 7 of my 12 must have features (more than any other to-date). I asked a friendly temp hire if they had a handset to try and they directed me to the back of the store where it was being view by one customer. I waited my turn and was given the handset to try.
I had tried 3 widgets when a AT&T “White Shirt” literally snatched it from my hand and, as he walked away, asked if I was done. I walked out of the store, bought a new bike for my wife with my money, and still use my 7 year old T39 with T-Mobile.
Over the ensuing weeks I figured it was just am overbearing rep and was thinking of the purchase again…until David Pogue’s comments on his first AT&T bill reminded me why I dropped this carrier years ago (1996). AT&T is a waste; a pox on the entire industry.
I’d love to tithe to Apple but not if AT&T is in the picture.
Well that explains why AT&T has such low sales compared to Apple. There employees don’t get it or want to get it. They obviously have no experience selling anything. I think anyone caught with some of the behavior talked about here should be fired on the spot. Do yourself a favor if you have access to an Apple store, go there. You will not be harassed by security guards or yelled at by employees. There will be plenty of iPhones physically on the floor ready for you to check out and play with. If you have questions Apple staff will be more than happy to help you out. This is appalling to hear of such terrible sales people from AT&T. Apple will not be happy and anyone here who has a horror story from AT&T should write Apple and let them know so Apple can straighten them out quickly!
Here’s the thing – Phone companies are on the way out, and even the dimwitted sales jerks at the bottom of AT&T’s corporate structure sense that their days are numbered. Steve Jobs had to make a deal with the devil (AT&T) to get this revolution launched, but the iPhone is the thin edge of the wedge that will drive these bozos out of existence: universal wireless internet. What do you think Google is all about? The days of paying a lot just to get online are nearing their end. The network is just a dumb pipe, not a precious commodity you can make artificially scarce & charge admission to. Wake up & smell the Network Neutrality!
NO WONDER …AT&T only activated 149,000 phones the first day and half! THIS is MATERIAL BREACH OF CONTRACT by AT&T and should be reported.
All of these comments should be forwarded (from your iPhone) Directly to APPLE and to AT&T as follows:
investor_relations@apple.com
and to
drucilla.cessac@att.com (investor relations)
Tommy Sauter,
More typical compassionate open-minded liberalism, eh? Always considering all sides….. always weighing all points of view…. you confirm my view of the typical Lib/Democrat (aka “wacko”) (sad).
Just went to an at&t store and while they had it on display the guy who seemed eager to come around the counter to show a 219-200 net 19 nokia returned to behind the counter as the wife and I examined the iPhone. He said he’d be getting one once the gave a discount to employees and the minute we touched a blackberry he spoke up to say how disappointed we’ed be in the keyboard and should really go for the iPhone. He was clear about the why but seemed to care less about the how and I thought it was his job to deal with the how. I think Apple set the no commission rule and while I appreciate why and admire how it works in the Apple Store, being the most expensive item in someone elses store and saying sorry guys you don’t get a cut for helping us get this out is a bad call.
I hope that as Apple sees that their 180 odd stores is out selling the 1800 odd AT&T stores the’ll take a second look at their policies and not just assign all the blame on AT&T. Not praising AT&T mind you, just being honest that Apple plays a role in what is going on as well.
My local AT&T store had them on display at first, then took them out. The display is still there, but no iPhones are attached. I didn’t have any trouble purchasing the iPhone, but they would not even bring it out of the back room until I had paid for it. If I hadn’t been set on buying the iPhone when I walked in or had not already looked at and held one, I would’ve gone to another AT&T store to see if I was treated any better. We do live and shop in an area that has a high theft rate and I just kind of wrote it off to that, but now that I read these other comments from all over, I probably would purchase direct from Apple next time.
Not having to deal with a wireless carrier’s store to buy and activate your phone is a significant (and very attractive) feature of the deal with AT&T. I can’t imagine giving that up just for convenience of location, and the reports in this thread suggest the wisdom of that stance.
I have gone to the at&t mobility store in Downtown Miami in Miami FLorida, I have seen a police offer next to where the big Iphone display case is but NO I PHONE I gone in many times to that store to see the device and all you see is the 2 ipod dock station with the metalic lock around it. but no i phone display. when walkin the rep. say you sign before coming. im fuck this shit… I scream out this is bullshit thank god im with T-Mobile.
I didn’t feel like standing in a long line on day one, so I ordered my iPhone online later that night. I got it a bit less than two weeks later. I activated it, and was able to call out from the iPhone immediately, but incoming calls kept going to my T-mobile phone for about three days (they weren’t too snappy about releasing my number to AT&T.)
-jcr
Some of these AT&T people remind me of the “I hate Apple and you should buy a Windows PC” people.
I got the exact same feeling when I went to a AT&T store in my area. They practically sneered when I asked about the iPhone and then, saying they were sold out, proceeded to bash it without hesitation.
I think these are a lot of ex Comp USA types now working at AT&T stores.
I think this article it a common nerve. Got my Iphone the day after launch night. Went to my local ATT store they were out but willing to take orders for delivery. I then high-tailed it to my local Apple store… was on line for less than 2 minutes and walked home with a 8 gig phone. It took me 3 tries to to get the phone up and running and I’m a Cingular customer. I ported my number from my RAZR. The following weekend I decided to save myself $800 plus in future cost by terminating my Motorola Q contract with Verizon 1 year early. Well worth it the Iphone has been a Swiss army knife of travel . I love it.
Myself and two other co-workers had been calling the local AT&T store here in Ft. Collins, CO inquiring about the iPhone (they had been sold out and told us to keep checking on availability each day after noon). After a few days we called and they informed us that they did, in fact, have three iPhones in stock. So we told them we would be right in to pick them up.
It took us all of 10 minutes to get to the store. When we arrived we inquired about the phones and were told by a sales person that they didn’t have any iPhones and hadn’t had any for days (when, in fact, we were told when we called the day before that they received a few but had immediately sold them).
So, we informed the sales guy that we had just called and spoken with someone who told us that they had just received three iPhones. He didn’t even bother to ask anyone if that was the case, just tried to act like he was right. We began to question the sales guy about why we were told they had the iPhones when they didn’t have them in stock, when the general manager overheard and told the sales guy that they did, in fact, have the iPhones. It turned out that they only had two, not three. So I just decided to travel the extra hour to get one from the Apple Store in Boulder.
Definitely worth the drive to deal with the Apple employees.
I have no regrets over getting the iPhone. I love it and think it is a totally revolutionary device. I do, however, question my decision to ditch T-Mobile for AT&T. I hope T-Mobile offers iPhones once AT&T’s exclusivity expires.
… but to answer the original question. They did have two on display and didn’t seem to make a big fuss when I saw someone touching and trying them out.
I waited about 10 days before i got one. transferred from vzn wireless because of the abysmal Treo 700p that i had (yes, even w/ the latest 1.10 MR — still paused while simply changing pages w/ ereader.com, even the 600 was better than it) and the high cost of verizon’s data plan. I figure i’ll recoup the iphone’s cost over the life of the 2 years easily especially w/ selling my 700p for $100. Anyway, I don’t think i even walked 10 feet into the NYC Soho Apple Store, when i asked a salesperson if they have any 8GB iPhones left, she said yes and asked if i was paying my credit card, I said yes, and she says hold on… she came back 4 minutes later w/ an iPhone in a bag, whips out a Symbol PalmPilot (of all things!) swipes my card, asks me to sign, print or email receipt (email), watch her type the correct email, have a nice day… 10 feet, not even 10 minutes, iPhone in hand. A few hours later, sit in local Starbux plug in MBP, plug in iPhone, fill in info (including porting of number from Vzn) 1/2 hour later all done, number transferred and everything. I didn’t even realized it ported that quickly until i got an SMS from a friend… thank you apple, thank you apple, i really didn’t want to have to talk to AT&T about this phone at all… and you have made that possible. Now give us software version 1.1 will ya!! Happy in NY
Two things.
1) My experiences with AT&T stores have all been great (starting with the 29th) to four other visits since then dealing with questions on my bill to getting peripherals.
2) If you’re going to print crap like this make them give you the names of the cities and the store locations so if it’s true AT&T can choose to deal with it and not have to hammer every store due to a rumor. As an AAPL stockholder this type of reporting pisses me off when articles with nothing but he said / she said remarks. If you’re going to use “News” in your name then be responsible about it. Look at what happened to Apple stock when the BS report on a delay with the iPhone to October and Leopard to January 2008 was released. Now your article is quoted in iTWire so the FUD is spreading. Please vet your story before printing it. Hell call the supposed stores to see how they handle you on the phone. If they won’t show phones on Sunday and you call they should say that on the phone. By vetting your sources you add credence to your story.
If the stories are true then I want them out there so the problems can be dealt with by AT&T and Apple.
I went into the ATT store in Toledo, OH, and they had a display for the iPhone as well as a working sample. The sales staff came over and showed us all the in’s and out’s of the phone and were, in general, quite nice. They were out of 8gb phones, but had 2 4gb in stock (I wanted the 8). The sales guy said they expected more to arrive in the next couple days and we should call back to see if the phones had arrived before driving back down to the store.
The one thing I thought was strange was that he said that the employees were not able to buy the phones yet, from the store, as the demand was too high- he was looking forward to buying one before Christmas.
So, ATT did well for us in Toledo, OH
I went to an AT&T store in Long Beach, CA to see the iPhone, and there were two iPhone docks on display but no iPhones. I asked where the display models were, and the guy said “in the back, locked up”. There were about 5 people in the store asking the same question… Pretty sad Apple had to partner up with retards to make something work, but I love my iPhone (which I bought at the Apple store).
I haven’t had “friction” because I never asked to see the phone. But, there are two ATT stores in my neighborhood.
On the Friday night they went on sale, a friend and I happened to walk by one of them about 7:00 pm. There was a large mob of people outside waiting to get in.
When we walked by later, about 10:00 pm, the mob had thinned out, but were still there.
I walked into the other store the other day, with my daughter. There was no display, and no iPhones anywhere.
I was surprised, but asked nothing, and we walked out.
There is an AT&T store at the Galleria mall in White Plains, NY that has an iPhone display, but doesn’t have any iPhones out. (They did have iPhones out on the launch date.)
When I made inquired about the iPhone, well, you couldn’t have asked for more rude and fowl-mouth salespeople. It’s amazing how different the cultures between Apple and AT&T are.
Yes, I wrote to Apple’s Investor Relations.
Ifi it was not for the Apple branding, the sales would be much fewer. When I went to my local corporate ATT store in Northern NJ, they did not have any Iphones in stock (probably true). But what a little disconcerting is that they were trashing the Iphone and Apple as putting out a bad product and suggested that I buy the new Blackberry Curve. I just smiled, walked out and across the mall and bought one at the apple store. They were friendly as always and certainly did not trash ATT (even though they have every right to do so)
Apple needs to recruit several hundred secret shoppers to visit AT&T corporate stores to make their own assessment. My hunch is that they would be horrified by the results. Like many companies with “corporate stores”, AT&T has low hiring standards.
I’m guessing that these are folks that “hate all things Apple”. I’ve had many people become downright nasty if you even attempt to mention Apple, Macintosh or iPhone.
“Activating the phone at home is going to be like self-serve cashiers at the supermarket.”
I hope not, because that is an irritating, slow and dehumanizing process.
If this is true – that AT&T employees aren’t marketing the iPhone on an equal footing with other products – might this not violate the exclusive agreement between Apple and AT&T and let Apple out early due to breach of contract by AT&T? I wish I were privy to the wording of their agreement…
I just want to know where you live that they are offering hiring bonuses to casheirs? Are all areas of business there looking for help? There are lots of people looking for work!
MDN MW: Is it south?
One thing to remember is that these ATT store employees probably don’t have a lot of people skills, since they are used to seeing only a few customers a day. They simply aren’t trained to handle an influx of people who are enthusiastic about a product the employee knows little about.
And Chris, you are the reason comments end up being moderated or shut off. Stick to the topic or STFU, there’s no reason to spout your propaganda here other than to force people to listen to your inappropriate rantings.
AT&T was the show stopper for me, there is no way I’ll enter AT&T hell. I need a good carrier with an unlocked phone before I bite. As for the ethics, ethics depends on where you sit, it is ethical for a corporation to take an employees commission if it helps their bottom line.
I live in Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. I phoned our local AT&T store at the Clackamas Promenade a week after the iPhone’s release. The salesman told me that they didn’t have any iPhones in stock, but they would be happy to order me one, if I would like. The salesman seemed kind, knowledgeable, courteous, and more than willing to sell me an iPhone. The sales staff at this store have been great in the past too. Whether they will actually have an iPhone on display might be another story.
I’m very disappointed if it’s true that AT&T would screw their sales staff out of commissions for selling iPhones. Apple needs to look into this to see if this is true and give AT&T hell for it because this obviously effects sales of the iPhone.
When compared to the Apple Store, AT&T employees just are not as knowledgeable or motivated to sell the iPhone. It is up to AT&T to make sure their staff is customer friendly, knowledgeable, and motivated, whatever that entails.
one issue that seems to not be mentioned is that apple does not allow for the sealed phones to be opened in stores. so if a store does not have a display model, then they CANT show more than a sealed box to a customer.
Wow, i thought this was really random until i read this. the ATT store in dallas on oaklawn is doing the same thing… the iphone display is there, but no iphones! i asked what happened to them, and they said there was some agreement with apple that prevented them from displaying it anymore… i already have an iphone, but thought it was insane that this is how it is. WTF is going on?!
I got an idea, take your laptop along with you when you go to an AT&T store. If they treat you crappy about buying an iPhone then just pull open your laptop in front of them and order your iPhone from Apple. Thank them, and walk out.
Random CoolZip said
“If this is true – that AT&T employees aren’t marketing the iPhone on an equal footing with other products – might this not violate the exclusive agreement between Apple and AT&T and let Apple out early due to breach of contract by AT&T? I wish I were privy to the wording of their agreement…”
Thats all well and fine for Apple, but if it were to happen, what about all us users who are trapped in a 2 year prison/hell sentence? If Apple can get out of the contract, will they bail us out with them?
Mac Realist,
Man, you must be really bored. Nothing else to do but troll? Maybe you should try a job…
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No matter what sales industry one encounters, you will always find sales people that are not the nicest. Think of your automotive buying experiences… have those all been stellar? No? Maybe you have found a sales person or a dealership that has really great practices and that you don’t mind working with… still… buying a car is not something most look forward to. Its the same when we walk into a furniture store… electronic gizmo center… mobile solutions store. Granted, some companies are better than others when it comes to customer service. But when you are working with a commissioned base environment, you are going to get people who only care about their bottom line… it would be the same if the shoe was on the other foot. Reps were promised big commissions with the launch of the iPhone, this was not the reality… so they became disgruntled. In wireless retail, the largest part of ones paycheck comes from commission. If a sales rep knows that one device will generate a positive cash flow while another will do little for them, it is human nature to demonstrate the devices that will generate revenue. That doesn’t excuse rudeness or employees lack of motivation to show the iPhone. In wireless, as in any industry, they are still service people who should be there to meet the needs of the customer. I think those needs would be best met by doing away with commission in the sales environment. Apple does not pay its employees commission and they are all very happy to assist and demonstrate products. My local At&t store does have the iPhones on display and I have a couple of good friends who work in sales who haven’t made any noises about not wanting to sell the iPhone… but, my personal choice is to always go to the Apple store for Apple products. Is that the case for any true Mac fan?
Right now a lot of the postings regarding the AT&T employees and their motivation (or lack of) is speculative. Do any MacDailyNews readers/forum posters personally know folks employed at the AT&T corporate stores?
It would be interesting to find out what they’re being told (or not told) to do by their managers, regional store reps, etc. on up the chain to AT&T corporate. This could paint an interesting picture regarding two company cultures that likely have differing views on what it means to provide good customer service.
If there are any stories to be told, these folks could post anonymously without fear of getting caught. I’ve been at the receiving end of some bad behavior at one of their stores, and I’d like to know the root cause of it.
Right now a lot of the postings regarding the AT&T employees and their motivation (or lack of) is speculative. Do any MacDailyNews readers/forum posters personally know folks employed at the AT&T corporate stores?
It would be interesting to find out what they’re being told (or not told) to do by their managers, regional store reps, etc. on up the chain to AT&T corporate. This could paint an interesting picture regarding two company cultures that likely have differing views on what it means to provide good customer service.
If there are any stories to be told, these folks could post anonymously without fear of getting caught. I’ve been at the receiving end of some bad behavior at one of their stores, and I’d like to know the root cause of it.
Right now a lot of the postings regarding the AT&T employees and their motivation (or lack of) is speculative. Do any MacDailyNews readers/forum posters personally know folks employed at the AT&T corporate stores?
It would be interesting to find out what they’re being told (or not told) to do by their managers, regional store reps, etc. on up the chain to AT&T corporate. This could paint an interesting picture regarding two company cultures that likely have differing views on what it means to provide good customer service.
If there are any stories to be told, these folks could post anonymously without fear of getting caught. I’ve been at the receiving end of some bad behavior at one of their stores, and I’d like to know the root cause of it.
Right now a lot of the postings regarding the AT&T employees and their motivation (or lack of) is speculative. Do any MacDailyNews readers/forum posters personally know folks employed at the AT&T corporate stores?
It would be interesting to find out what they’re being told (or not told) to do by their managers, regional store reps, etc. on up the chain to AT&T corporate. This could paint an interesting picture regarding two company cultures that likely have differing views on what it means to provide good customer service.
If there are any stories to be told, these folks could post anonymously without fear of getting caught. I’ve been at the receiving end of some bad behavior at one of their stores, and I’d like to know the root cause of it.
I went to the Thousand Oaks, CA ATT store yesterday. There was a display for three iPhones… only one iPhone was available the other two were missing. Looks like ATT does not want you to see iPhones. People were waiting to get their turn to see the iPhone and they were not happy. The staff did not seem to care.
You know what everybody?! This is the problem with commission systems. I WORK at the Apple Store and have sold hundreds of iPhones. Do I get commissions? Hell NO. I don’t get ANYTHING but my hourly wage, which I find is awesome. I’m not pushed to sell anything, but what the customer wants. That’s my corporation’s ideology and it’s great. Just b/c AT&T’s snotty little workers wanna make extra cash should not translate to poor customer service with the iPhone. They should be glad Apple decided to work with them in the first place. This phone is something to marvel and they’re treating it like it’s the end of their salary. I hate these kinds of companies, they’re more obsessed with the sale than they are with the customer’s wants and needs. SO TO EVERYBODY OUT THERE!! IF YOU WANT A GREAT BUYING EXPERIENCE, GO TO YOUR LOCAL APPLE STORE! We know what we’re doing!
Hey Verizon was offered the deal with Apple first. They turned it down cold. Too bad for us and them. We’d have had a phone capable of much better bandwidth.
On a different note, I hope Google succeeds in cracking open wireless for consumers with their proposal to have an open standard on wireless communications – that will spur competition in the wireless arena and someday the iPhone and its competing technologies will be available to the rest of us….. for a reasonable price and choice.
well I went into my local apple store in the walt whitman mall in ny and they had like 15 units 10 standalone and 5 hooked to imacs sitting there no problem used one for like 45 minutes or so making absolute sure I wanted one and I loved it probably going in to buy one tomorrow I have no issues with the carrier phone and or any related issues…
Go to an Apple store or buy them online from Apple (free shipping).
You won’t have to deal with any of the scumbags from AT&T, Apple will make more money–vote with your wallet, I always say–and the experience will be fun and pleasant.
I really don’t understand why anyone would have to deal with AT&T unless they absolutely had to.
Sure, I am salty that I am locked into those dirt merchants with their criminal customer service, spying for Bush and the MPAA, etc., etc.
But minimize your interaction with those scumbags…
This doesn’t make much sense. I bought mine at an AT&T store, everyone was friendly and helpful. I went to another and was told they don’t carry it. Both were converted Cingular stores. I wonder how may AT&T stores are NOT carrying the iPhone…kinda foolish to ignore sales.
People should remember from the release info that ATT has TWO kinds of stores. The first kind, owned by the company (about 1,800) is selling the iPhone. The rest, all franchises, are NOT YET selling the iPhone.
That’s why some have it, and some don’t.
One ATT store near me sold them from the first day, and the other doesn’t have them at all.
At some later point, they will all be selling them. Most likely, the franchise stores are trying to move you away from the phone because they do want to make a sale, and as they don’t have the iPhone, they aren’t happy, and resent it.
Can you blame them?
When they get the phones, it will be different.
As for a few stores that do have the phone where they aren’t doing well by their customers, I would advise letting ATT know. They WON’T be happy.
I bought mine last Friday and the salesperson made a big deal about how he has to check the back to see if they have any, “not sure if we have the 8 gig..” . This went on for a little bit and the girl who greeted me said “We HAVE them, just go get one.” . The whole thing seemed bizarre to me but this sheds some light on it.
The ATT kiosk in the Pyramid Mall in Ithaca, NY will not show anyone the iPhone. I (an adult over 50) asked more than once and they simply said they have them to sell, but would not show me one. This is nuts of course and surely will negatively impact sales. After finally buying a phone blindly on faith in Apple it is clear that anyone who can see it and try it will be much more likely to buy one. ATT is hurting apple big time. Fortunately the imuchmore thanaphone is so good that Apple may be able to drag along the dead weight of ATT.
My gosh!!
The night the iPhone was released, I went in to an AT&T store in North Alabama asking to see the iPhone. The ‘receptionist / manager’ asked if I was going to buy one. I said I might, but I’d just like to see one, first. She would not let me see it. I was directed to a brochure.
I finally got around to talking to one of 10 salesmen (maybe 20 years old) and he told me they had plenty in the back room. I just assumed it must be an Apple policy.
I didn’t think anything about it at the time, but this article has made me think that perhaps they were deliberately not letting me see one.
I was probably going to buy it but I wanted to see it first. They would not let me see it and basically didn’t explain why. I’m in my mid 30’s, FWIW.
One week after iphone was available I called a local ATT store in small town near where I live, (didnt even know there was a store there), attendant was very polite, said they had iphones available (which really surprised me) and would put one asside for me, took my name and number down. I drove there a couple of hours later, asked specifically for her, she remembered my name (guess they had not had many request for the iphone in such a small town) and promptly brought it out to me, showed me accessories that I might want to consider, and I did purchase the clear plastic case, and then I completed my purchase, and drove home. So I could not have been more pleased with that stores service and friendly personel but then hey Im in Louisiana and everyone is friendly here!
Go to the AT&T Website. See if you can find anything anywhere about the iPhone without actually putting that in the search box. The iPhone is not even mentioned anywhere.
Sorry, I meant go to the AT&T Wireless website. The iPhone is mentioned on the AT&T corporate website
Went to the AT&T store in North Charlotte, NC today (Northlake Mall). There were no iPhones on display. I asked if they had any iPhones and they said yes but the displays were removed because the alarms were too sensitive and would go off every time someone picked one up. They said that someone was fixing the alarms today. There is a rule in retail that if something is not on the shelf it is more difficult to sell.
A friend of mine who went to a Cingular (ATT) store in Miami on Saturday to buy a iPhone was talked out of it by the salesman. They claimed that the iphone had too many problems, did not perform well and that the battery life was terrible. In the end they persuaded him to buy a Blackberry ….
I would like to have comments on this please. Are there serious issue with the iphone that we don’t know about or are the ATT salespeople in the ‘pockets’ of RIM ?
Thanks …
AdeG
Your friend was a victim of the mindless anti-Apple FUD perpetuated by know nothings. If you got to Best Buy or Future Shop you will find the same thing: WinTel Zombies who don’t understand Apple and therefore repeat the same tired anti-Apple arguments, many of which were never true in the first place.
If your friend is not working for a company with proprietary Blackberry services in place, then he was robbed.