“Well, get ready to hear about it a lot more in the months to come, as the judge in the case has officially certified the case as a class action, meaning it now officially includes anyone who’s ever bought an iPhone on AT&T,” Patel reports.
Patel reports, “If you’ll recall, the argument is that iPhone customers signed up for a two-year contract without being told that AT&T had an exclusive for five years — thus in reality being held to the carrier for an additional three years without recourse…”
Read more in the full article here.
Apple announced during the original iPhone announcement that AT&T had a 5 year exclusive deal. How is it AT&T’s fault that Apple hasn’t released the phone on other carriers. Stupid lawsuit.
I don’t get the reasoning behind this. I would love to take my number to verizon.
But verizion wasn’t servicing the iPhone so it’s a moot point, right?
This is wrong. No one is injured by Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T;. We may not like it, but it is Apple’s right to continue to market through an exclusive carrier if they like.
This circus of class action law suits must end. One thing that should be insisted upon from any Republican administration capturing the white house is TORT REFORM. This is seriously out of control. We can’t get this from Democrats, they’re in bed with the trial lawyers, so we are going to have to bitch slap cowardly Republicans into remembering who they are supposed to be.
This does nothing for the public. The idea is that trial lawyers are supposed to protect the public from the big guy, but this is just a money grab. How much does Apple owe me because I couldn’t go to Verizon? Give me a fricking break. After years of this, iPhone users will get a check in the mail for $.74 and some law firm will get a check for $15 million.
I CHOSE to use the iPhone even though I held my nose while signing the AT&T;contract.
Seems to me that I am injured by arcane unnecessarily complex billing practices on the parts of all carriers. Why don’t the lawyers go there? Why not address the issue of 2 year contracts, etc.?
If you don’t get it…… the theory is that if you bought an iPhone and signed a 2 year contract, you didn’t realize you were really signing a 5 year contract because you couldn’t take that iPhone anywhere else at the end of 2 years. You’d have to sign up with AT&T;again.
@thelonius
u had 8 years of Republican administration and nothing was done on this. So how will it be different if and when they return to power?
@theloniousMac
I agree as I’ve gotten a check before for a few cents in other crap lawsuits like this.
Remember in November
“Apple announced during the original iPhone announcement that AT&T;had a 5 year exclusive deal.”
Neither Apple nor ATT have ever announced the term of the deal.
The only thing that bothers me is that I can’t unlock my iPhone after my 2-year deal is up. That’s worth a class action suit.
@macaholic
The theory is to make the Republican incumbents pay by voting them out, if they don’t get More Conservative.
Here is how I see it, if anyone cares. . . both parties suck ass, waste huge amounts of taxpayer money and get little done. I don’t see much difference in either party. So whoever can ruin things on less money (taxes) gets my vote.
Tort reform will never happen. DC is infested with that lawyer vermin, you will never flush it out.
The American legal system farce is the price to pay for freedom.
How do we opt out? I don’t want to be included. I love AT&T;and appreciate the way they blindly followed Steve Jobs’ lead into the iPhone future.
Unbelievable. This is what happens when a company has billions in the bank.
For those who support “tort reform,” please remember that it’s one of the few equalizers average Americans have against corporations. I agree with those that believe this lawsuit is nonsense, but the solution is NOT to take away his ability, but for individuals to use common sense. In the end, I’d rather keep our legal rights and deal with the frivolous lawsuits, than lose my rights under some phony guise.
@MacDaddy
It was well known that there was a 5 year exculsivity. It was announced by Apple in either the original Keynote for Macworld in 2007 or their WWDC, can’t remember which. Here is an article from USA Today in from May 2007 which references the fact that AT&T;has a 5-year exclusivity.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2007-05-21-at&t;-iphone_N.htm
Oh, and in case you are wondering, that USA Today article was written before the first iPhone was ever sold.
I think this applies to most other phones, since when you are able to take Verizon’s phone and activate it on AT&T;’s network? This is total bull.
Yet, nobody is complaining that AT&T;gave new iPhones to people just after 12 months of purchasing 3GS, no?
@ theloniousMac
The problem with TORT REFORM is those who would oppose it, i.e. lawyers who make tons of cash from these sort of craptastic lawsuits. They make a lot of money off of this and they wield a lot of influence over our government.
Another set of scumbag lawyers hopeing to get rich. I’ll defer comments about the judge who certified the case.
Analog: I use 30-cent per gallon recycled oil in my Ferrari. How was I to know that would void my warranty? My engine blew, and we’ll drum up a class action suit because we shouldn’t be forced to buy expensive motor oil!
This sounds stupid … How is anyone held to an extra 3 years???
Guess what, from the day you bought your iPhone you could do whatever you wanted with it including unlocking it. No one was stopping you. You would just be stuck with the software you had at the time just like every other phone. Once you unlocked it you could use it with any carrier that would support it including T-Mobile. So explain to me how you were locked in again?
Sorry REALTORben, all that article did was make a reference-less statement by the USA Today writer. It did not say it came from Apple or AT&T. There have been many articles from many publications and blogs with all kinds of guesses as to the length of the contract. A contract that was most likely renegotiated a few times over the years.
The confirmed length of the contract has not been “well known.”
Mac Daddy and theloniousMac hit the nail on the head.
Your iPhone could not be used on any other carrier that wanted to support it after your 2 year contract.
I can see why Apple and AT&T didn’t want this known.
@ RobG,
AT&T didn’t give new iPhones to anyone!
They just locked users into an additional 2-years on top of the time they currently signed up for. Now, some people need to wait for 3 years before they are eligible for a new phone.
That’s not a rip off, just a smart play by AT&T and an option for iPhone users.
But it isn’t a giveaway.
“One thing that should be insisted upon from any Republican administration capturing the white house is TORT REFORM.”
LMFAO
This is pure 100% USDA approved bullshit. No one, absolutely no one has been forced to buy the iPhone or sign a contract with AT&T;.
As for any real reform coming politicians….. let’s not forget that an awfully high % of politicians come from a law background.
If they want another carrier then they should just get another phone and leave AT&T;.