The Jeff Pulver Blog: Guest Blogger: Amit Shafrir

« Thanks to Liz Strauss for making me a "Week 88 SOB" | Main | Tel Aviv: Returning the Week of July 8th »

July 01, 2007

Guest Blogger: Amit Shafrir - "I just got the iPhone..."

My friend Amit Shafrir decided to purchase an iPhone yesterday. The following is an accounting of his iPhone experience:

---

I just purchased an iPhone.

My experience setting it up has NOT been as smooth as promised.

I was trying to activate the phone as an ‘additional line to an existing AT&T account’. At some point at the end of the process, I was rejected and asked to go to an AT&T store and get a credit check authorization code (this is usually done when a new account is created. I have had an account with AT&T for 13 years… (through its incarnations AT&T -> Cingular -> AT&T) and pay hundreds of dollars/month so I should not be needing a credit check….

So I called up AT&T, and I got a guy who hadn’t a clue. After researching the issue for 15 minutes he told me to contact APPLE. So here I am, a brand new customer of a brand new device/service and already I am getting the expected finger pointing – AT&T blaming Apple and Apple blaming AT&T (in this case the issue is definitely with AT&T). When I expressed my strained concern, the AT&T rep came up with another brilliant idea – I should go to an AT&T store (anything to get rid of the frustrated customer...)

Upon my pissed off response he offered to transfer me to someone else… the new guy hadn’t a clue, but at least he was familiar with the new special AT&T-iPhone hot line – aha – another transfer and hold (this time less than 1 minute).

In the meanwhile… I of course started the whole registration process again (when in doubt always retry…) and this time I was able to successfully go through the activation process – that is I got to a point where I was told that the activation will take longer and they will send me an email when done…. !@#$%^&

As I had the AT&T guy on the phone, I asked him why this is – he said I am not the only one and it will take up to 24 hours !!! Somehow I suspect that AT&T did not implement the necessary changes into its customer care & billing systems (I know something about these systems having implemented quite a few of them), and the iTunes interface probably simply generates an email to a call center in India (or elsewhere) where there are hundreds of reps doing manual activations and sending emails….

So here I am with a $600 brick that cannot do ANYTHING (no iPod no Wifi connection, just emergency calls….) what a Great Consumer experience from the house of Jobs.

Luckily less than 1 hr had passed and I received the precious email informing me that my iPhone had been activated. Interestingly enough the email was not from AT&T but from the ‘iTunes Store’ which caused AOL to immediately throw it into my spam folder. Just dumb luck that I happened to check my spam folder. I wonder how many iPhone activators are still sitting there waiting for the email….

At this point the setup became quite smooth, and the iPhone is everything it was promised to be (and everything it was promised not to be….)

---

Amit Shafrir, CEO, Network2

Tags: Apple, iPhone, AT&T, Amit Shafrir, Cingular, Jeff Pulver

Posted by jeff on July 1, 2007 09:20 AM | Permalink

Additional resources: #140conf events | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos

Comments

Posted by: longines watches at March 8, 2010 12:39 AM

Posted by: cheap-ugg at March 4, 2010 03:11 AM

Given the dangers of too replica watches much radiation, Dr. Smith-Bindman said, it is important rolex watches that the lowest possible dose be given. But that is not breitling watches always happening, she said, citing her own study of omega watches more than 1,000 patients who had received CT scans in the San Francisco area. Radiation doses cartier watches varied substantially between different facilities, Dr. Smith-Bindman said, and even within the tag heuer watches same facility, the doses varied dramatically between patients.
http://www.watchessell.com
http://www.watchessell.com/product.php?id=4&categories_id=36
http://www.watchessell.com/product.php?id=13&categories_id=36
http://www.watchessell.com/product.php?id=21&categories_id=36
http://www.watchessell.com/product.php?id=14&categories_id=36
http://www.watchessell.com/product.php?id=19&categories_id=36

http://www.watchvisa.com
http://www.watchvisa.com/breitling-watches.html
http://www.watchvisa.com/rolexr-watches.html
http://www.watchvisa.com/tag_heuer-watches.html
http://www.watchvisa.com/cartier-watches.html
http://www.watchvisa.com/omega-watches.html

http://www.overwatches.com
http://www.overwatches.com/breitling-watches.html
http://www.overwatches.com/rolex-watches.html
http://www.watchvisa.com/tag_heuer-watches.html
http://www.overwatches.com/cartier-watches.html
http://www.overwatches.com/omega-watches.html

Posted by: replica watches at March 1, 2010 10:08 PM

Posted by: luxury watches at October 11, 2009 11:41 PM

Posted by: injection molding at June 15, 2009 01:58 AM

How ironic that AT&T expanded network capacity but did not focus resources where it was needed - at the point of activation, billing and customer service, a long standing problem in their network.

Posted by: Goldie Katsu at July 1, 2007 02:20 PM

One other thought: I am working with Scott Bourne who hosts The Apple Phone Show at Podango.com and he's been helping folks with AT&T problems find workarounds to the signup/registration problem.

Posted by: Neil VIneberg at July 1, 2007 02:17 PM

So how do you explain the decision of an innovative brand like Apple to link it's future in the US to AT&T? I'm baffled, and I know several people, including influentials in the telecom sector, who have had the same problem. Luckily, my activation went smoothly. The only things that bothered me --

1. Going to an AT&T store in Friday night to purchase in iPhone and hearing they had only 20 units in stock for a line of 50 people. AT&T really needs help.

2. Using the slower than the slowest Edge network. What a dog.

Posted by: Neil Vineberg at July 1, 2007 02:15 PM

I had a much better user experience with the whole activation process. In fact I was up and running on less then 10 minutes.

Posted by: Cory Dinon at July 1, 2007 12:46 PM

thank you jeff,

as a service to your readers - the special AT&T-iPhone hotline number is (877) 419-4500

amit

Posted by: amit at July 1, 2007 10:47 AM

July 01, 2007

Guest Blogger: Amit Shafrir - "I just got the iPhone..."

Comments

Post a comment