apple store or at&t store

[bensonm]

hey there everyone. i've been holding out on the iphone till yesterday to see if they were going to release a 32gb model. well we all know the answer to that. so i'm off to buy the 16gb today and wanted to know:

is there any difference in buying at the apple store or the at&t store? will there be any service discrepancies down the road or anything like that?

any feedback greatly appreciated.

mark

 

[jamesus]

Both experiences should be the same. Some people prefer the Apple Store (better customer service) and some people prefer AT&T (location). I'd say if you have an Apple Store near by, can't hurt to go there.

 

[melwan]

From my experience here in Canada, I would go to the Apple Store a thousand times before thinking about going to Fido/Rogers.

 

[legendofdon]

Although I haven't tried to confirm this myself, I've heard that in the US, AT&T will NOT sell you an iPhone unless you are eligible for an upgrade or are a new customer. You'd have to go to the Apple store to buy it at "full retail."

 

[Txdogs]

You can also buy from Best Buy, same price as Apple, AND they sell an extended warranty which covers cracked casing and water spills, accidental, not total submersion and will replace with a new Iphone. They charge $14.99/mo for the coverage. Rather steep. Just got this bit of info today. I don't know about AT&T NOT selling unless new or upgrade.

 

[legendofdon]

I'm gonna go ask AT&T, I want to figure out what they're up to, haha. And last time I was at Best Buy their "full retail" price was much higher than the $399/$499 price at the Apple store....

 

[SurfStoked]

Personally I would go to the Apple Store specifically for the customer service. I'd drive an extra distance just for the Apple Store.

 

[sting7k]

Wow, has everyone had nothing but bad experiences with AT&T? I had quite the opposite experiences, AT&T = good and Apple Store = bad.

AT&T - I showed up at the store and said, "I want to upgrade my iPhone to the new iPhone 3G". This was shortly after it was released, sometime in late July. The rep gave me a sheet with all the plan options to choose from while he went to the back to get the model I wanted. When he came back it put all my selections into the computer. He opened the iPhone 3G and activated it. After a total of 7 minutes I walked out the door and my new iPhone 3G was fully functional.

Apple Store - (I went with 2 friend's who were also going to upgrade their original iPhones to the iPhone 3G, this was in mid-August). We arrive at the Apple Store at King of Prussia Mall in Philly, it is absolutely packed. There is a line of 3 people outside waiting for iPhones. We get in line, after 20 minutes of seeing no one, someone comes out and takes in the next guy in line and says he or someone else will be right with us. After another 15 minutes someone comes out and does "pre-approval" and gives my friends these cards stating which model they want and they they are pre-approved. 30 minutes later it is finally their turn (after 3 people were ahead of us). We go into the store and they sit them down by a seemingly random computer on one of the tables. Comes back with the iPhones 10 minutes later. He starts doing the upgrades on the handheld registers they have, entering their account info and pulling up the pre-registration, and going through the different plan options. After another 20 minutes both phones are activated and working. One more signature and they are done. We leave and it has taken forever. Just to check on our way out we stopped in an AT&T store, they said they only had 8GB models anyway.

I don't know but after that experience at the Apple Store I do not see how anyone could prefer that. Every Apple Store I have been too is like that, there are 3 near me that are all an hour away at least.

Also not sure what it would be like at Best Buy, I don't know anyone who has gotten it there. One advantage might be that they might sell you a replacement plan (from Best Buy) on it so you can have some insurance if you break it.

 

[BuddyDave]

I'm on my third iPhone 3G now following various failures of the device.

Apple were awesome with the exchange - I had no appointment, but just walked in and got it done. In each case I was in the store less than 15 mins. Your mileage may vary, but this alone would keep me going back to Apple.

Plus, I'm always deeply suspicious of AT&T - being, what I believe, is the weakest link in the whole iPhone experience.

 

[robdam1001]

I bought mine and my wife's 3G from an AT&T store. I was in and out of there in under 30 minutes. they ported our number's from VZW as well. It was a pleasant experience and I recommend buying your iPhone direct from an AT&T Store.

 

[Txdogs]

Bought my first Iphone at the Apple store. Love that place but it is not located conveniently. The
AT&T store is always packed so I went to Best Buy where I could use my Rewards card and they have an extended insurance plan for $15/mo.