Business Bytes
Renee Oricchio

So Much For The $99 iPhone

 

If you're an existing AT&T customer, then to hell with you!

The $99 8g iPhone (just announced this week) can cost up to $499, depending on how far along you are in your existing contract. The new 16g iPhone 3GS; up to $599 and the 32g iPhone 3GS goes up to a whopping $699.

Of course, if you are an AT&T virgin walking into their store for the first time; then YOU get your pick of those same phones starting at the $99 price (with the standard two year contract).

We all know the drill; you get the cheap price with the contract. But there's something about this one that is just wrong. Why can't you just extend your contract out to the two years and get the same price as everyone else?

Let me get this straight; the reward for customer loyalty is a 500% markup in price? Does this sound right to you?

Did I mention that there's an $18 activation fee, as well, for swapping out your phone on top of paying the highway robbery price for the iPhone?

Please tag this posting under shameless.

P.S. Here's a link to the customer forum page on the AT&T site if you want to read or join into the rants on this one.

Also, here's the Twitter petition demanding AT&T give existing customers the same deal, with the understanding they are re-upping their contract to another two years from the day of the trade-in. (That one makes total sense to me!).


Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio