You can chalk this one up to our bad in assuming best intentions, but when
Apple said no cash for iPhones, they damn well meant it -- enough to extend the policy out to no cash for anything that could in turn purchase an iPhone. Turns out you can't even use your Apple bucks to buy an iPhone anymore, not even if someone bought you an Apple Gift Card with
their credit card. Ok, for a lot of you this isn't a big deal, but who gets hit hardest? Try all those teenage Apple fanboys begging various family members for small denomination gift cards that will add up to the iPhone they've been after. We've never heard any company being so adamant about keeping non-paper trail for every single damned purchase, but now we're just left wondering how long until someone (or some state) sour from this bitter pill decides to challenge Apple on that whole
US dollar bills being "legal tender for all debts, public and private" thing.
P.S. -No we're not lawyers, but yes, we're aware that it's probably completely legal for Apple to do. But that doesn't make it right, nor does that mean it will go unchallenged, you feel us?
[Thanks, Kevin]
posted Oct 29th 2007 12:48AM
this just makes me not want to ever own any apple products, ever.
This is utter $hit............I am so ashamed that I am actually an Apple Comp. user.......WHAT ARE THEY THINKING.........This last year Apple has really went down the tube...........I am so disgusted
Yes, I learned to avoid El Jobso's hoops since 1990... Join the club.
Riiiiight. Preventing their devices from being activated fraudulently with a carrier that's not the one named in the CONTRACT is just so TERRIBLE.
Look. Lots of cell phone companies retain exclusive rights to a certain make/model of cell phone. It becomes an exclusive perk of that particular carrier.
Apple has an exclusive agreement with one carrier in regards to sales and activation of the iPhone. One carrier. That's it. The consumers who purchase the iPhone know this and it's in the T/C's for the iPhone activation. As soon as people start skirting that agreement, Apple has a responsibility to AT&T to make it as difficult as humanly possible for iPhones to be sold under these false pretenses.
Sure, it sucks that cash/gift cards won't be accepted anymore. The young people who have been saving their allowance for months and others who just don't use credit cards are getting a raw deal.
So, in short - thanks for ruining it for everyone else, folks.
I am not sure whether to vote you up or down because even though how this is handled is Apple's prerogative, if they were so worried about their exclusivity contract with AT&T then they shouldn't let someone buy the phone without a contract at all rather than punishing the people who WANT to give them their money.
You may want to open up a dictionary and look up definition of the word "fraud". There is nothing fraudulant about people buying UNSUBSIDIZED phones and unlocking them. In case you're still on the fence, US Supreme Court happens to agree with me, or the othe way around to be precise.
Unfortunately, there's nothing illegal about what Apple's doing. They have the right to refuse certain forms of payment.
http://www.treas.gov/education/faq/currency/legal-tender.shtml
RUMOR SMASHED
No problem using an Apple gift card to purchase an iPhone, either at the retail store or online.
This is corporate greed at its best. I thought the whole locking of phones was crazy to begin with, then changing the code and breaking some well established patches, now this. Shame on Apple!
Break the rules... Go buy a Visa or American Express Gift Card from a grocery store. Load it up with your cash, then use it to buy the iPhone. They (Apple) cannot deny the sale unless you do not have enough value on the card. It "must" be treated the same as an approved credit card transaction or they are in hot water with the credit card companies.
I was thinking about becoming an exclusive Apple household---Not anymore.
Can't you just get one of those pre-paid visa cards? I'm sure the guys at the apple store won't know the diff.
I tried buying an iPhone with a AMEX Gift card. Apple store rep. refused, he said it is our policy, we don't accept any payment form other than a credit card.
I said it is like an AMEX credit card, but then he says it has to have ur name on it, gift card doesn't have ur name on it, so they refused. trying to buy from apple.com now, lets see.
hi everbody no problem using the gift card buying the iphone ?/
somebody try already or where ? when ?thanks