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iPhone Snags Reported

Customers Encounter Activation Problems

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 2, 2007

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Apple and AT&T grappled over the weekend with “activation issues,” as many consumers who stood in line to buy one of Apple’s new iPhones had difficulty in getting it to work.

“Your activation requires additional time to complete,” many consumers reported being told.

Normally, a mobile phone is activated by personnel in the retail store where it is purchased. But with the anticipated sales volume for the new device, Apple and AT&T devised a plan whereby consumers would activate the phones themselves, connecting the phone to their computers and using Apple’s iTunes to complete the process.

AT&T said the system worked as planned for the vast majority of consumers but conceded some customers experienced “activation issues.”

Postings on Apple message boards complained of the difficulty of transferring service from an existing AT&T account to a new iPhone. An AT&T spokesman said those attempting to transfer a corporate account to their new iPhone might have encountered extra difficulties.

“Ok so it’s been 24 hours for me and about 6 or 7 phone calls to various people. all saying the same thing, WAIT,” complained greenmachine246, a poster on the Apple discussion board. “They didn’t 'wait' to take my $600 or 'wait' to shut off my other phone.”

Meanwhile, most Apple stores and AT&T stores had run out of iPhones by late Sunday. Many locations said they were expecting additional deliveries Monday. Some industry analysts predicted 200,000 iPhones would be sold in the first weekend.

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