After our misadventure with Apple earlier this week, I started looking on eBay for a used phone in good condition that we could buy.  Unfortunately, most were priced around $300 - $350 for the 8GB model.  As I had $200 in Apple Store gift certificates from last year, I finally decided this morning, to heck with it, I'd just buy a 3G iPhone, use the gift certs on it, and pay the $15 extra a month for 3G even though we don't have it here.

Before heading up to the Apple Store, I called first to make sure they still had the 16GB white model in stock.  They did, and while they couldn't hold one for me, they had plenty of stock.  I went up to the store along with Calvin who came for moral support.

I walked in and immediately found a salesperson.  He went to the back, got me the 3G white phone, and we started the buying process.  Ironically, he used a PocketPC device to enter the data in about my AT&T account. And during this process we hit a snag.

The system sent back a message saying that my account was not able to be activated and that I had to go to the AT&T store.  The salesperson asked me if mine was a business account.  I explained it was not, but that we had my wife's REMAX affiliation number on the account as it supposedly carried a discount, though we had never received it.

"Bad news," he said.  "You have to go to the AT&T store to buy this.  And they are out of phones."

"And I bet they won't take my $200 credit either."

"Nope," he replied.

I told the salesperson that I was going to the AT&T store to have them remove the FAN affiliation from my account and then come back to buy the phone.  They are in the same mall as the Apple Store, so it didn't seem like it would be a big deal.  "Will you please hang on to this phone for me?" I asked.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of them."

So I head across the mall and upstairs to the AT&T store.  There I found a clerk and asked them to remove my FAN number.

"I'm sorry.  We've been told that we can't remove the discount affiliations any longer."

What?!

"You have to buy the phone from us."

Despite the fact that they couldn't take my credit.  And that they were out of phones.

"We can direct order a phone for you.  It will arrive in 8-10 business days."

Two weeks.  While the Apple Store has phones in stock now.

I left the AT&T store, dazed.  What more could go wrong?  I called Kim and told her.

Then I had the idea to call AT&T directly.  I got someone on the phone within a few minutes and asked them to remove the FAN from my account.  No problem, they told me, and I could even add it back on later.  Great!  FINALLY, something was going right with this whole thing.  I returned to the Apple Store.

And there I found out that those phones that they had "plenty" of were now out of stock.

"You're kidding me.  I was just here and you said you had plenty."

He apologized, saying that I should try back tomorrow.  "You're getting more in on a Sunday?" I asked.  Nope, sorry, he meant Monday, good thing I asked since it's 50 miles round trip to the Apple Store from where we live.

"Oh, and if you call first, we can hold one for you."

But I asked you to hold one for me.  And when I called earlier they said you couldn't hold any.  "Oh, we should be able to.  Call first."

I drove home to Indianola and dropped Calvin off. 

When I got home, I found Kim on the phone taking to an Apple customer care rep from their 800 number.  She had been on hold for about 45 minutes and had just got the guy on the phone.  We explained the whole story, from the accident, to the repair refusal, to the events trying to buy a new phone.  After some delays, he forwarded us on to a support supervisor.

We waited on hold for over an hour, but finally got the support supervisor.  Again we explained the whole story of what went on.  When I finished there was a pause, and then: 

"I'm sorry.  My head is spinning trying to take in all you're saying.  This is ridiculous.  I can see why you are so mad - this is what makes people hate companies!" he told us.  "It seems to me that you have been honest from the start and just wanted help, and every step of the way you've been jerked around."

And then he made good on what he said.  Even though the damage was by our fault and was outside of warranty, he told us he is having a replacement phone shipped to us at no charge.  We don't even have to pay the $200 repair/replace charge we were going to originally.  "I am going to personally see this through for you guys," he told us, and then gave us his direct phone number and his email address so we could reach him if needed.

All told, we spent 3 1/2 hours on the phone with Apple support, but in the end we found someone who helped us and acknowledged our problems from the past week.  He also told me that they would be following up with the Apple Store directly, as they had handled this entire issue terribly.

So supposedly Kim will finally have her replacement iPhone this week.  And I am hanging on to my 8GB first gen phone for the time being.  I figure I will hold off upgrading at least until 3G is available here, and most likely until a 32GB model comes out.