Corporate Act. / Activating iPhone

[iPhonePhan]

So I'm gonna say ask this again b/c I didn't get a clear answer, but just responses from other as befuddled as I am about this issue.

I KNOW that Apple, Inc. will not be selling the iPhone through normal B2B channels, i.e. Corporate accounts for large organizations or CRU's. The date of when that will be possible is unknown at this time, but I'm sure it will be after the initial consumer rush dies down.

Now, onto my question(s):

If I were to buy & try to activate the iPhone myself, knowing full well that I already have a voice & data plan with Cingular/at&t under my Corp. account, shouldn't the iPhone "iPlan" just 'work?

I have voice so that will just move. Data is always available to me on my Treo under it's PDA plan but it would just carry over as a change/upgrade. If I were to get a Blackberry, all I would need to do is stick my SIM in it and just let at&t know that I need Blackberry service.

So....

Since this is again, just a migration of services that I basically have, will it work? Knowledgeable people please chime in :-D

(Fair warning trolls, stay away from this thread - I want the damn iPhone and nothing you're gonna say will change my mind

 

[dagomike]

Not sure if it applies, but I was told/heard, the iPhone is only available to corporate/institution customers who have accounts in their name. So, if the account is in XYZ Company, no go, but if it's in your name and they just pay the bill, should be OK. With that said, I'm not sure what you're envisioning happening in your situation...

 

[mullman]

We are a small company and have four phones with AT&T, formerly Cingular: two Razrs, one BlackJack, and one Blackberry Pearl. We get NO discounts on phones or service - it is basically a family plan but billable to a company.

The account is setup under "XXX, Inc." and instead of an SSN of a person they have our Fed ID#. I think this is fairly typical.

I am pretty sure I will not be able to get the phone activated, but I am going to try. Otherwise my wife gets a new iPhone which she has been wanting since MW in January. Mine will have to wait I guess.

But at this point no one really knows, it is all speculation and best WAGs until Friday at 6pm.

 

[iPhonePhan]

Not sure if it applies, but I was told/heard, the iPhone is only available to corporate/institution customers who have accounts in their name. So, if the account is in XYZ Company, no go, but if it's in your name and they just pay the bill, should be OK. With that said, I'm not sure what you're envisioning happening in your situation...

Ok, I mean, I have the account number, at one point in my Cingular bill, my name shows up on it & on another the name of the person that handles it.

Anyone else know if one can just 'buy' it and hook it up to their Corporate account ?

 

[iPhonePhan]

We are a small company and have four phones with AT&T, formerly Cingular: two Razrs, one BlackJack, and one Blackberry Pearl. We get NO discounts on phones or service - it is basically a family plan but billable to a company.

The account is setup under "XXX, Inc." and instead of an SSN of a person they have our Fed ID#. I think this is fairly typical.

I am pretty sure I will not be able to get the phone activated, but I am going to try. Otherwise my wife gets a new iPhone which she has been wanting since MW in January. Mine will have to wait I guess.

But at this point no one really knows, it is all speculation and best WAGs until Friday at 6pm.

Thanks Mullman. I'm sorta in the same boat as well but my account is basically for a VERY large organization. I mean, I get my Cingular bill from their offices so I'm not sure if this is just as simple as just getting the iPhone and then typing in my info and then activating it.

If you try it and it works, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.

Anyone else find themselves in the same boat as I? (Large corp., already Cingular, thinking about just getting the iPhone and activating it on their own?)

Thanks!

 

[dagomike]

Ok, I mean, I have the account number, at one point in my Cingular bill, my name shows up on it & on another the name of the person that handles it.

Anyone else know if one can just 'buy' it and hook it up to their Corporate account ?

Maybe check out the video and if you have all the info, you can probably do it. The SS vs tax ID might be the deal breaker... donno.

 

[iPhonePhan]

Maybe check out the video and if you have all the info, you can probably do it. The SS vs tax ID might be the deal breaker... donno.

Does it ask for your SSN / Tax ID # when it goes to register it? I thought that was only for people moving to Cingular that were not already a pre-existing client.

In any case, the trick is to simply get this billed onto the Corporate account. There's alot of rumors going around that the reason Apple didn't offer it to Corp. Accounts, or CRU's, is because they were going to 'tweak' the phone later on for crap like M$ Exchange, etc. and that only then would it start to promote to big corp's.

But then again, alot of other Big Corp. employees are going to try and gamble on getting it. I wanna see what their experiences are and then proceed from there.

Has anyone talked to an at&t rep. to see if just getting the phone and then 'upgrading' to the iPlan via iTunes was possible if under a CRU?

Thanks - you guys are awesome (it's helping to quell my iPhone Pangs of Desire, lol)

 

[janey]

I remember there being a LOT of threads on what you're talking about on howardforums if you're interested. I know I've seen some, haven't read, don't know.

 

[mullman]

I just went to my local AT&T corporate store.
Had the huge iPhone signs, not a franchise.

Corporate accounts seem to NOT be a problem since I could quote my company's Fed ID#.

They told me though I was NOT eligible for an upgrade since I just got a Blackberry Pearl in December. SO I would have to wait until December or add a line.

Hmm.

Maybe they are operating under current corporate policies - hopefully I could just pay a penalty.
Otherwise the Mrs will have the first iPhone in the house, oh well.

 

[iPhonePhan]

I just went to my local AT&T corporate store.
Had the huge iPhone signs, not a franchise.

Corporate accounts seem to NOT be a problem since I could quote my company's Fed ID#.

They told me though I was NOT eligible for an upgrade since I just got a Blackberry Pearl in December. SO I would have to wait until December or add a line.

Hmm.

Maybe they are operating under current corporate policies - hopefully I could just pay a penalty.
Otherwise the Mrs will have the first iPhone in the house, oh well.

Thanks man! I went to my Apple & at&t store (SoHo and on B'way) : neither had any clue how to deal with the Corporate account issue. I'm part of a large Org. so the Federal Tax ID# might be an issue, although I have to just wait and see on iDay.

If anyone works for Apple or at&t and knows how to treat corporate accounts for activating the iPhone, please chime in. There are lots of people I know that are curious about how to go about activating the damn thing.

Also, it would appear that "Exchange" is compatible with the iPhone, a very Corp. 'must-have' (except in mine, thank goodness This may just be a reference to opening up IMAP on Exchange so it's really not 'supporting IT' as opposed to 'IT supporting the iPhone'.

But if that rumor is true, and it will be annonced prior to the launch, could this then be the precursor to Corporate accounts being supported?

Again, any thoughts, even if it's common sense, are welcome

 

[iPhonePhan]

A sign of things to come:

Called up at&t phone rep. for B2B services. I was very polite and told her that I am extremely sorry but I'm going to have to ask the most annoying question she's probably heard all day - Can B2B clients get an iPhone?

She was very to the point: "No."

Literally just "No". No emotion. No "Oh, I'm sorry to say at this time we don't have that option but maybe that might change in a couple of weeks". No, she just said "No" and then told me can she help me with anything else in a "sighing" kind of tone of voice, like she wanted me the F&@# off the phone.

Very, very rude. T-Mobile rep's I think are one of the absolute best in the entire industry and are just amazing - I love'em all.

at&t needs to make sure they don't retain nasty phone reps because with the orgy of brand marketing going on now (applet&t) people may take at&t's nastiness as part of the overall Apple "experience" which is untrue (Apple support is on-the-whole Stellar)

Anyways, I don't really believe the rep. b/c just like so many people have shown on this forum, what one rep says is not what the next one 5 mins later might repeat back to the client.

Anyone have any thoughts about my dilemma?

 

[mullman]

And more confusion from the AT&T iPhone FAQ

AT&T iPhone FAQ

Q. Are business customers eligible for discounts?
A. No. iPhone service is available only to consumer accounts. iPhone and associated wireless service are not eligible for corporate discounts.

We have four phones billed to a business but are not B2B or discounted in any way.
I was told in person our account was no problem at all since I could produce the Fed ID # and am an officer.

Q. I just upgraded my phone recently. Are there any penalties or restrictions for upgrading to iPhone right away?
A. No. Everyone can upgrade to iPhone right away.

I was strictly told last night that I was not eligible for an upgrade to the iPhone.

Bottom line is that no one knows until Friday at 6pm how all this will pan out.

It IS just a phone after all

 

[fordandrew87]

I'm in the same predicament.
My cell phone account is through at&t business; we have a Tax ID (rather than a SSN) for identification. We don't get any discounts on plans or phones. Basically, the minutes are just pooled for convenience.

Question: Rather than entering a Social Security Number, will you be able to enter a Tax/Federal ID as an "Existing Customer" during the registration process through iTunes?

If not, will there be a way to call at&t and have the phone activated?

 

[mullman]

If not, will there be a way to call at&t and have the phone activated?

This morning we were just told after calling AT&T customer service that if we were unable to turn our iPhone on via iTunes to call them for assistance - that it would NOT be a problem - WOOT!

 

[fordandrew87]

This morning we were just told after calling AT&T customer service that if we were unable to turn our iPhone on via iTunes to call them for assistance - that it would NOT be a problem - WOOT!

Thanks for that.

According to the Activation and Sync video by Apple, the phone support number for iPhone is 1-877-419-4500. Hopefully I won't have to call!

 

[iPhonePhan]

This morning we were just told after calling AT&T customer service that if we were unable to turn our iPhone on via iTunes to call them for assistance - that it would NOT be a problem - WOOT!

OMG! I keep coming back to this forum because each time Mullman is my glimmer of shining light! I probably will obsess about this point heavily until Friday, but then will just wait and see what B2B people like us go through first before taking the plunge. If it works out, then I will dive right in!

Please keep all of us posted! And anyone else in the same boat ( as I can see some of you out there are , please share your experiences or Cust. Care convo's. Thanks!!!

 

[fordandrew87]

From the iPhone Launch Training Participant Guide by at&t/Apple on page 54:

If a CRU or IRU with Split Liability Billing customer tries to activate via the iTunes activation process they will be blocked. They will be given a URL link to a specific BMG message. The message will provide a toll free number and will provide information on how to convert to an IRU or setup a consumer account. The phone number will route them to a special Business Customer Care (BCS) Apple CRU activation assistance group.

What do I tell my customer regarding reason why CRUs aren’t eligible for iPhone at launch?
If a customer asks why iPhone is not available to CRUs, please explain to them that due to
unique processes, billing arrangements, and specialized offers available to CRUs, we are
unable to offer the device for CRUs at launch.
o iPhone uses a totally new and unique paradigm for device provisioning and
activation, which was not designed to accommodate the special needs of CRUs,
including their unique offers, billing arrangements and authorization rules.
o Keep in mind the initial version of iPhone is a consumer-oriented device which does
not support Blackberry, MS Direct Push or Good email clients.

I called at&t business because I wasn't sure what type of business account I have.... basically if a business/corporation pays your bill (and they are ultimately responsible for payment) you are a CRU business customer and therefore not eligible to activate the iphone, yet.

 

[carfac]

So... I am NOT an ATT customer... but I am going to use my business Tax ID for activation. Will this work? Will I only find out when I try to activate?

I would assume that if ATT will not activate, they would waive any restock fee, right?

 

[dj420118]

What about people that just get a discount on their AT&T bill for being part of the organization? For example, i work for a university that gives us 15% off of our bill and 15% off of phones we purchase. Now i know that the 15% off of phones doesnt apply for the iPhone but what about the 15% off of the monthly service plan?

 

[mullman]

I called at&t business because I wasn't sure what type of business account I have.... basically if a business/corporation pays your bill (and they are ultimately responsible for payment) you are a CRU business customer and therefore not eligible to activate the iphone, yet.

We have four phones linked to a Fed tax ID and get NO discounts on HW or plans. Are we a CRU and therefor not eligible to get ONE iPhone this weekend and activate? The standard CRU definition from AT&T seems to be large accounts who are discounted.

 

[fordandrew87]

We have four phones linked to a Fed tax ID and get NO discounts on HW or plans. Are we a CRU and therefor not eligible to get ONE iPhone this weekend and activate? The standard CRU definition from AT&T seems to be large accounts who are discounted.

That's what I thought as well, because I have never received any discounts on service or equipment.

Best way to make sure is to call at&t business (611 on your cell) and ask if you are a CRU business customer or not; it took less than four minutes to get a rep on the phone this morning.

The rep immediately answered my question...it was quick and painless, despite that I'm not eligible to activate an iPhone yet. RHHH.

 

[mullman]

That's what I thought as well, because I have never received any discounts on service or equipment.

Best way to make sure is to call at&t business (611 on your cell) and ask if you are a CRU business customer or not; it took less than four minutes to get a rep on the phone this morning.

The rep immediately answered my question...it was quick and painless, despite that I'm not eligible to activate an iPhone yet. RHHH.

Oh well, I guess my wife gets the first iPhone in the house - ARGH!
How long will non-discounted business customers have to wait?
30, 60, or even 90 days?

 

[relliott]

You have to change your phone number

They don't tell you that if you are a corporate customer, not only do you have to open your own account, but you can't keep your phone number! They can't transfer it between their own accounts.

 

[mullman]

They don't tell you that if you are a corporate customer, not only do you have to open your own account, but you can't keep your phone number! They can't transfer it between their own accounts.

+1

My iBrick is sitting right here, after 5 hrs in line and $7xx spent (incl accessories), I feel your pain!

 

[iPhonePhan]

+1

My iBrick is sitting right here, after 5 hrs in line and $7xx spent (incl accessories), I feel your pain!

Aww Mullman, dude I'm so sorry to hear about the iBrick situation. I kinda saw this coming when I went to the 5th Ave. store today and then went to an at&t store (actually 3 of them) and noticed in one of the stores a gentleman having Activation issues. Apparently he's a single account holder but he couldn't activate his iPhone b/c iTunes said he was a business account holder.

This surprised him since he was a Freelance photographer all his life and never worked for any company! He was really dismayed and was with at&t employees on the phone trying to resolve the entire issue. Hopefully he got through and was able to get the matter resolved.

I played with the iPhone and loved it. But I'm just going to wait for Corporate account users to be able to purchase the damn thing.

My personal suspicion is that Apple Inc. will not allow corporate accounts to purchase the phone until sometime in Q3, when features such as Exchange and Visio Mobile are integrated into the iPhone. Then, that would leverage the argument to sell to the corporate accounts as well as to boost sales figures for that quarter.