AT&T released the information many of us have been waiting for — the pricing plans. While the plans are certainly reasonable, they do leave a large group of customers out in the cold — the business customers.
I called AT&T this morning and they said my plan was not eligible for the iPhone because it was included in a business. In order to get an iPhone, I will have to convert that plan to an individual plan or sign up for a brand new two-year deal.
It seems silly that a large group of existing customers will not be able to get an iPhone because they are a business. That means that anyone in a business will have two separate phones and plans? I don’t think that will work.
They also said the SIM cards are not interchangeable. So, I can’t take my existing card and pop it into the iPhone.
That does not make any sense at all. I would think they would encourage businesses to purchase an iphone.
No break on the phone price, no break on the plan price and now no business plan. I will not be waiting in a line for this gouging.
So a revolutionary phone that's also one of the most talked-about gadgets of the last five years must be discounted or it's "gouging"?
That seems a bit much.
I would hope they include business customers quickly -- that's what I'm hoping for anyway.
I don't think it's gouging either but it absolutely sucks that they don't offer the plan for businesses.
I own a small software company and we're an all Apple outfit. It seems a bit ridiculous that if we were all to get the iphone we'd have to add new lines under a personal account.
I also have a small business that is all Apple-Based, and it really is ludicrous that Apple won't allow business-plan customers to buy the phone.
AT&T is now stating that you can NOT convert your business account to a personal account. I gave up on the issue last night and just got a new account. This really stinks!
AT&T is now stating that you can NOT convert your business account to a personal account. I gave up on the issue last night and just got a new account. This really stinks!
Does the fact that the iPhone requires an iTunes account have anything to do with it? How is the iTunes activation going to work for large companies which provide corporate sponsored phones for their employees? Will the company also have to be responsible for creating an iTunes account for each employee that wants an iPhone? Will Apple make it possible for corporate customers to skip iTunes activation?
I went to the store at 11am on saturday and managed to snag one of the last 8GB iphones, later when I got home when I went to set it up I was about to kill someone.. because it does not "accept" the businesses accounts. So now I just spent around 680 and bought a case for a phone, that I CAN NOT use. I want to switch to a different plan, but the fact is it will cost around 50 dollars more a month! Thats so stupid! And my parents don't want to seperate my account and so on! They say I should return the phone. Thats is totally ridiculous that they didn't put it in bold or make sure you knew that before you but the ficking phone! I love apple, but at&t this sucks!
relax, its an early adopter issue...large companies of ATT service are forcing the issue at the top, as well as active sync or Blackberry sync for email. So just carry it around and look cool for now, and be a bit patient. Expect some new news on this in August..
I would think that the issues they are having providing adequate data coverage would need to be addressed before they attempt to make the phone available to businesses.
UNBELIEVABLE….!!! How can you market a phone with integrated mail at $500 to $600 and think it is used by 12 year old kids???
I specifically told the person in the Apple store that the iPhone was to be used with a corporate account – and that I do not get the bills myself. He said that I would just need the corporate account password when I activated the phone on iTunes….!!!
I am NOT going to return my phone and I am NOT going to get a new number. I guess Apple has made their money but AT&T makes their money with the 2 year contract you have to have (however, when I do not activate it I do not pay AT&T anything….. I just LOVE that and I recommend anyone else to do the same).
If the AT&T person who came up with this “no business accounts allowed” still has a job at AT&T I am surprised…!!!
IF AT&T do not feel that they would make enough money due to the price for the iPhone which is bought at an Apple store (could be that they have to pay Apple $200-300 for each new customer to keep the phones “this cheap”… like all other phones) well just CHARGE $10 - $20 per iPhone connected on a business account….. but do not make it IMPOSSIBLE to use as a business phone…. I really hope that AT&T has got some heat over this.
I am looking forward to the day where AT&T will release this to businesses…. Yet another reason why I will NOT sign for a 2 year contract…… I will rather use it as a paper weight than pay AT&T for conducting business this way!!! Finally, sign me up for the law suit!
Well said, Niels. I had the pleasure of navigating the same futile exercise this weekend. I am still struggling to find the reason for preventing business customers from activating/owning iPhones.
Keep up the chatter! Maybe squeaky wheels will make them change their tune.
By the way... I am seriously considering a move to someone OTHER than AT&T for our business account.
I should have read this forum before listening to an AT&T employee about activating an iPhone on a business account.
I think you guys reall need to check your facts, this is not an AT&T issue. Apple is the bad guy who forced the no business rule. They want to drum up the stats that their iphone brought X number of new customers to show how aweseom their product is. I'm sure AT&T would love for all of you to have your iphones. You need to be yelling at they guys your defending for trying to beef up their market share by forcing new accounts.
what if you get the phone unlocked? will it still work with the business plan?
Here it is, the end of December and this limitation has not changed.
My company purchased 5 iPhones today. They are all going back to the store tomorrow. How does that figure into Apples "new customer" math?
Stinks
stilll no business accounts. F apple. I dont understand why apple limits this.. They just loose customers. It makes no sense. I iphone is great as a business persons phone just as much as the entertainment is for the kid. Not like many kids have $500 to blow. Not like a business person has $500 to blow on a phone... cus they do