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Educational/Corporate Discount on iPhone and Service

A

anubis

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 7, 2003
937
50
I'm not sure if someone has mentioned this yet... I tried doing a quick search and didn't come up with anything.

Do you think that the educational discount will apply to the iPhone? If so, will you be able to get it at the AT&T store or would you have to get it from the Apple store?

Secondly, employees for the company I work for gets a corporate discount at the online Apple store that is actually better than the educational discount!!!! (I can get a $249 iPod for $199).

Finally, my employer offers a corporate perks web site that has discounts from a wide variety of companies, one of them being Cingular/AT&T. The only problem with all of these corporate discounts is that it seems like you can only access them from Cingular's and Apple's web sites through the corporate perks web site.

My question to all of you are:

1. Do you think that, being a student AND working for this company, I will be able to get a corporate or educational discount? If so, will I be able to get it at the AT&T store? If not, will I be able to get it at the Apple store in person? If not, will they even offer the educational or corporate discounts online?

2. Do you think that Cingular will be offering discounted rates on the iPhone plans, just like they do with every other service plan that they are currently offering through the discounted online activation system?

I WAS planning on standing in line with everyone else this Friday but I'm starting to have second thoughts if I can get an educational or corporate discount on the iPhone through Apple's web site and also if I can buy service and activate it through Cingular's web site.

Thoughts?
 
I've read that neither Apple nor ATT will be discounting the phones but nothing concrete has been published.


My gut tells me that they won't offer any discounts on them, at least at launch.
 
rdowns said:
I've read that neither Apple nor ATT will be discounting the phones but nothing concrete has been published.


My gut tells me that they won't offer any discounts on them, at least at launch.
Click to expand...

Granted we are talking about educational sales here, but keep in mind folks. A sale or subvented deal on anything is meant to move units because sales goals are not being met.

Auto makers do not offer 0% and thousands off just to make you feel good about your purchase. Rebates on electronics are there to give you the warm and fuzzies.

Its to move product. When and if iPhone sales dip, not likely for some time, then maybe you will see discounts.

Ask yourself, is Apple really known for selling anything at any sort of discount, not counting refurb equipment?
 
My parents work for IBM, and they had some fair recently where lots of companies came trying to sell their products and services (including AT&T). My Mom asked them if there would be any discounts on the iPhone, and they said that there wouldn't be on the phone, but there would be the standard IBM discount (23% off) on the service. I'm not sure how thats going to work. It would be great to pay $62 a month though instead of $80 (just me guessing the numbers for the service).

Heres how I hope it works:
1) I go to the Apple store and buy the iPhone. No service activation is done at the Apple Store.
2) My Mom or Dad calls up AT&T to sign up for a contract (I'm 17 so they have to do it in their name anyway, and both work for IBM). Then they ask about the IBM discount, and are offered it.
3) Steve Jobs waves a wand, and I get my 23% discount on service, and have my working iPhone.
 
Jeffrey903 said:
My parents work for IBM, and they had some fair recently where lots of companies came trying to sell their products and services (including AT&T). My Mom asked them if there would be any discounts on the iPhone, and they said that there wouldn't be on the phone, but there would be the standard IBM discount (23% off) on the service. I'm not sure how thats going to work. It would be great to pay $62 a month though instead of $80 (just me guessing the numbers for the service).

Heres how I hope it works:
1) I go to the Apple store and buy the iPhone. No service activation is done at the Apple Store.
2) My Mom or Dad calls up AT&T to sign up for a contract (I'm 17 so they have to do it in their name anyway, and both work for IBM). Then they ask about the IBM discount, and are offered it.
3) Steve Jobs waves a wand, and I get my 23% discount on service, and have my working iPhone.
Click to expand...

my company gives a 27% discount of calling plans and 50% on hardware. there will be no discount on the iPhone, but i'll still keep my rate plan discount. your plan above will work, assuming there is no activation at the Apple store. if there is, you won't get your discount. the only way to get corporate discounts for AT&T is to go to a corporate AT&T store or to call the number specified to your parents employer (it's not the regular AT&T customer service number, it's specific to the discount and they'll be required to provide information to prove they are eligible). the easiest way is just going to an AT&T store. i walked in, told them who i worked for, showed them proof, they added a note on my account, and my bill is discounted every month. again, in order for them to get the rate plan discount it'll need to be done in an AT&T store or by the phone number that IBM provides them with the correct information (usually an employer discount code). you can't just call and say "yeah, give me the IBM discount" because that won't work and the regular customer service folks won't have any idea what you're talking about.
 
Yes my company gives a 20% discount on voice plans, this was confirmed when I went to get my credit check done for the iPhone. However she state the iPhone will not have any discounts period, nor will the data plan with MY company discount. Your company might be different.

Steve
 
TheBusDriver said:
Yes my company gives a 20% discount on voice plans, this was confirmed when I went to get my credit check done for the iPhone. However she state the iPhone will not have any discounts period, nor will the data plan with MY company discount. Your company might be different.

Steve
Click to expand...

corporate discounts apply to voice, not data.
 
Hey everyone, thanks for the replies!!!!

Personally I'm more worried about the corporate discount for the service. ($30-$40 off the iPhone with the discount - who cares?). I think I'm going to camp out at an AT&T store on the day of release and try to get them to give me the discount without all of the hassle of web activation, etc. Even if it's just $10 a month off of voice (the standard corporate discount for where I work), that'd still be a cool $240 over 2 years that I'd save. Thanks again!
 
StolenPhone said:
Hmmm...no corporate discounts after all...

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/iphone-faqs.jsp

"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."
Click to expand...


Yup that's what I was told early in the week. If you have a plan w/ a discount, when you move it to an iPod, the discount goes away, and obviously isn't available to begin with.

I doubt Apple will offer education/corporate/gov discounts on hardware either. As noted, there's no discount on iPods already -- only Mac stuff.
 
dagomike said:
Yup that's what I was told early in the week. If you have a plan w/ a discount, when you move it to an iPod, the discount goes away, and obviously isn't available to begin with.

I doubt Apple will offer education/corporate/gov discounts on hardware either. As noted, there's no discount on iPods already -- only Mac stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah...unfortunately a deal killer for me. I get 23% off of Verizon...that includes data as well. I save a good $40/month. As much as I want to go to the iPhone, the loss of 23% discount across the board is pretty significant. I called AT&T just confirmed I get a 23% discount on all their other phones and service, but if I want an IPhone, I lose the 23% discount. :-(
 
Call AT&T and Apple to complain

I don't mind paying full price for an iPhone, but when AT&T does not allow the corporate discount on the service, that is just greed on their part.

Normal phones are subsidized by the carrier up to $300.00 on a two year contract. Here is an example where there is no subsidy, yet they still want it all.
I am calling the business service office which opens back up tomorrow. I will be satisfied if they say it will be eligible sometime in the next couple of months.
 
Update - Educational discounts on ATT service

Just an update to this old thread, I received a 15% discount on the voice plan (but not on the data plan) through my affiliation with a large university. It looked as though all you need is a .edu email address.

Here's the link.

Perry
KidPub Press
 
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