

AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me - nickwoodhams
http://www.nickwoodhams.com/post/31988005655

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knowtheory
Do not assume your cultural norms are everyone's cultural norms.

That this guy was spoiling your (and likely other folks') moment is
unfortunate. However, this is not screwing up an iPhone launch, this is
spoiling your experience. Your experience is not the iPhone 5 launch.

I am sympathetic that this engagement didn't go the way you wanted it to.
Complaining on the internet is not the way to address this issue, and if you
thought this was actually a big deal (especially for how they were going to
treat others), I hope you expressed your feelings to the guy at the store, not
just the anonymous internet, because it comes off as a bit entitled.

After all. You got your iPhone didn't you? You now get to spend the rest of
its life with your iPhone, one would presume that is actually the important
part of your relationship with your phone.

Edit: Nice stealth edit on the title (going from "AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5
Launch" to "AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me"). *grin

I should say that I really don't want to delegitimize your disappointment
(c.f. [http://weeklysift.com/2012/09/10/the-distress-of-the-
privile...](http://weeklysift.com/2012/09/10/the-distress-of-the-privileged/)
) because I know exactly how you feel. But I also don't think your post is
constructive, or lends any interesting insight or analysis to the topic of a
user's relationship with their devices, or Apple and AT&T.

~~~
nickwoodhams
Whether or not his cultural norms were mine, isn't it common sense to let the
owner open up his own product? He was sloppy. I've had wonderful first
experiences with Apple products before, namely the 3rd Generation iPod. I
think that's part of what has drawn me to the company ever since.

These emotional highs create some very strong connections. I think it's one of
the reasons Apple has such high brand loyalty. And AT&T is messing this up for
new customers. They didn't get to experience opening their new product, sure
they might think it's great like I do, and spend the rest of their life happy
with it.. But I think there's a key component to the Apple experience missing.

~~~
knowtheory
Having purchased mobile phones in the past, I have had store reps open the
box, boot and test the phone. That seems courteous if that is their intent.
And you've got to think that dude sells a lot of phones _other_ than the
iPhone, and may well not have appreciated that you have a special personal
relationship with Apple (via their devices) that he was interfering with.

That's what I mean by cultural norms. You are essentially demanding that this
man accede your preferred experience. This guy may just be totally clueless
that this is how you experience devices (because I can tell you a lot of other
folks do not experience unboxing the way you do).

And it's okay that you wish to have that experience, and that Apple wishes to
facilitate that sort of experience, but to blame _this_ guy for not having
known what your expectations are ahead of time, that is what comes off to me
as entitled.

Apple pretends that they are mind readers (what they really are is a company
that is really good at cultivating expectations that they then meet), and AT&T
and your rep are clearly _not_ mind readers and are also bad at cultivating
expectations.

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Rhymenocerus
"Opening an Apple product is a religious experience"

And people wonder why so many of us hate Apple fans, this is off the charts
lame.

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mariusz79
Guy. WTF? Buying of a communication device as a religious experience? What's
next? Church of The Holy iOS?

~~~
pacomerh
Agree, really man, I felt stupid even reading an article about how some guys
experience was ruined. So many topics you can talk about to create interesting
internet content, and people are writing about this?. What's happening, are we
becoming this spoiled?

~~~
Rhymenocerus
This is the epitome of a first-world-problem. I'm also having a hard time
believing this isn't some kind of satire.

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fourmii
I'm hoping this was satire of some sort. Otherwise this guy got a ton of page
visits for a non-issue. And if isn't a troll, please grow up. They didn't
screw up anything, just your box opening experience. Besides, they're suppose
to make sure your SIM is working in your new phone!

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captaincrunch
You should have said something, not only did your experience get ruined, but
every passive person behind you will now have their experience ruined.

~~~
incongruity
Sometimes "unboxing" is just about getting something out of the box.

Sometimes we take it all too seriously and forget, as another poster said,
that our norms are not everyone else's norms. Thus, "all those passive people"
might well have had their experience _ruined_ not by being deprived of some
unboxing experience, but by having to wait while every person ahead of them
opens their box to make sure the phone's there, working/can be activated, etc.

It's too bad that the poster's experience wasn't what they wanted it to be,
but really, seriously, don't make it a bigger issue than it really is and
don't assume everyone else has the same issue, even given the same treatment.

~~~
captaincrunch
My point was, if he didn't like something they did, he should have used his
voice. I personally don't care if I open a box, in fact, it would be less work
for someone to setup the phone for me.

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malenm
While I can understand the excitement of opening up a shiny new thing, and
agree somewhat with your assessment that the rep messed up (forgetting the
charger and haphazardly handling your new phone), I don't feel that your
proposed solution is in any way viable, and might even end up pissing people
off more:

2\. The rep retrieves the phone and hands it to you to check.

3\. The rep then encourages you to open your iPhone and shares in your
excitement.

4\. Once the phone is open, the rep then respectfully asks to take the phone
and goes about his business. He leaves the protective covers on the phone, and
lets you take them off at your own will.

So, here you are on iPhone 5 launch day, you've been waiting for hours, and
the store is absolutely packed with people. How does this process work out? Do
you lose your place in line while you open your phone and play around with it
for a few minutes (even though it doesn't do anything yet)? Is the rep
supposed to stand there and wait, 'sharing in your excitement' while the lines
grow even longer? The reps are at work and they are trying to get these rabid
fans their iPhones as soon as possible. This guy was working quickly because
the line was out the door and he's trying to do his damn job. I'm guessing
that when you work at a phone company, even the thrill of a new iPhone loses
its charm pretty fast.

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jsz0
I would guess most people want the carrier to do this stuff for them though I
agree it should be optional. If you order directly from Apple you can avoid
it. AT&T definitely _did_ screw up their iPhone 5 launch in other ways.
Lagging behind Verizon in LTE coverage and failing to offer iPhone 4S owners
any good option besides paying their ETF and switching carriers.

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ghshephard
This person would have been better served going to an Apple Store. I've bought
(many) phones from an AT&T store, and I don't ever recall them _not_ opening
the boxes for me, tracking down various pieces of cable, throwing out crap.
Indeed, on a few occasions, I just walked out with the receipt, phone and
charger - nothing else. And, when it wasn't an apple phone - that's exactly
what I wanted.

If you want the pristine "Apple" experience, then the Apple store is
absolutely where you went.

I really, really feel for the author - wish that his day one iPhone 5
experience had been all he had been looking for - I know precisely what that
moment of expectation is like, where you actually sit and marvel at the fit-
and-finish of the cardboard box, and how the packaging all fits together as
you slowly unbox it - but, AT&T was not the place to do that.

~~~
nickwoodhams
I think you might be right, that the Apple store would have better served this
purpose, definitely. I guess that I just assumed that to sell Apple products
on launch day, there are certain procedures that Apple would make AT&T follow.

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andyfleming
Yeah, AT&T doesn't run the tight ship that Apple does. I'm sure it is easy for
them to open it like it is just any other phone.

That's why people buy an iPhone in the first place though. It is the
experience, that starts before you even turn on your iPhone.

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jwuggles
If they waited for every customer to enjoy the unboxing experience then the
line would have barely moved as everyone would be joygasming.

On the real.

The employees are trying to rush through the mass. They have the setup the
phone, activate and etc for the account that they don't have the luxury of
time for you to enjoy the unboxing experience. It is unfortunate for those who
enjoy it - sure. But it is what it is and business is business. There are a
hundreds of customers waiting and want to play with their phone and so they
have to blitz through to fulfill every customer.

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jontonsoup
Not trying to troll you but where did you read apple spends 10x on packaging?
Not only do you sound spoiled, but you also sound uninformed. I'm sorry that
your experience was ruined but its just a toy.

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cwe
My AT&T rep was very considerate of my strong desire to get my hands on my new
device. He also mentioned a survey to review his performance, and how likely I
would recommend AT&T strictly on how he handled me. OP should use that survey.
My guy was delightful.

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stewartromance
Don't buy Apple kit from AT&T. They aren't invested in Apple's brand and
frequently discourage purchasing Apple devices.

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Rhymenocerus
You're making me appreciate AT&T more.

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bmasci
Did he post his own blog?

~~~
jwuggles
I believe so.

