iPhone Activation Woes - Worth the Wait!

I confirmed the port to my wife's iPhone this morning. It went through just as Marco said it would. Was it worth 4+ days to get everything working? Was it worth spending an entire weekend on the phone, taking a day off from work, two trips to the AT&T store, and 12 hours standing in line in the Florida summer heat? Yes! That just shows you how cool these iPhones are. No, they're not perfect, but the iPhone is without a doubt the slickest piece of technology I've ever used since my Newton MessagePad. Now if Apple would just release a Newton/iPhone/MultiTouch OSX TabletMac!

iPhone Activation Woes - Port Requested

I just got off the phone with Marco, and he arranged the port. It is to go into effect sometime around 10 am tomorrow. He asked me how I like the iPhone, and I told him it was worth the 72 hours waiting and working for activation. He still had his sense of humor and we laughed about the irate iPhone customers. He said he'd like to meet the Verizon person who turned down the Apple deal for the iPhone. 700,000 iPhones in a weekend! With the new local number, the port was easy. Tomorrow morning, the saga might end!

iPhone Activation Woes - Activation with New SIM Card

I just finished the activation process through iTunes. Since I'm now an AT&T customer with a temporary number assigned to my wife's iPhone, it was pretty easy. The process ended with "Congratulations, AT&T is activating your iPhone. Your iPhone will notify you when activation is complete. To set up and sync this iPhone, click continue." In other words, that's it! It was immediately activated! I didn't have to restore the software or anything -- everything already synced remained. It's just that now, the phone is now working again with this new and supposedly local number. Next step: The Port

iPhone Activation Woes - Porting My Wife's Number

I called the Port Center at AT&T this morning to see about porting her old cell number to her new iPhone. I was probably on the phone for about an hour this morning, but the couple of people helping me were unable to perform the port. It has something to do with the fact the number we were given is not in our region. It is in the Mobile, Alabama region. I was told to go to an AT&T store and get a new SIIM card and have a local number assigned.

At lunch, my wife and I visited the AT&T store and explained the situation. It was there were I met D'Andre. I already knew his name because someone else had mentioned him in the MacRumors forums as someone who was very helpful. I can confirm that D'Andre can make things happen. Without hesitation he got me a new SIM card and started making calls. While he wasn't able to do the port right there over the phone. He was able to get a new, local phone number assigned and make sure our independent iPhone plans were merged into a single plan like I wanted from the start. Now I need to do the activation again with this new SIM card as an existing customer. Once that takes, I can try the port again. Almost there!

Restoring Original Settings to iPhone #1

Since my old number was ported to iPhone #2, and iPhone #1 was named "James's iPhone", I needed to change the name of iPhone #1 to my wife's name. How do you do that? The only way I could see to do that was to restore the original settings much like you do with an iPod that's giving you trouble. I crossed my fingers and punched -Restore-. It worked! I gave iPhone #1 the appropriate name and now it's just a matter of syncing some of her favorite things.

iPhone Activation Woes - iPhone #2

I awoke this morning not knowing what to expect. You see yesterday I did something I probably shouldn't have. I attempted to activate two iPhones in parallel. I should waited until the first one was complete before starting the second. The worst case I anticipated was two iPhones each on their own, independent family plans. If this were to happen, at least I'd have two active iPhones and I could merge them to a single family plan later. What I got I did not anticipate.

When I initiated both activations I selected no numbers to port from my previous carrier. The first iPhone got a new number from Birmingham, Alabama. I expected another phone number from Birmingham for iPhone #2. Instead, this morning I received an e-mail stating one of my phones now has the mobile number of my previous carrier! Yes, the port had gone through even though I had started from scratch and didn't even request it! As soon as you stop asking for something, that's when you get it I guess. My old number was ported to iPhone #2. I really wanted it on iPhone #1 but that's not a big of a deal -- I hadn't grown that attached to #1 yet.

Now I'm syncing iPhone #2 (this will now be mine since it has my old cellphone number) with a good mix of demonstration media. I'll have to rename iPhone #1 to be my wife's and load it up with her favorites. Today's challenge will be to see if they are in fact on the same family plan and if I can port her number to her phone so people don't have to call Birmingham, Alabama to talk to her.

iPhone Activation Woes - Activation!!

Just as we were coming in the door after getting a bite to eat I receive an e-mail confirming that activation is complete. Remember that I did not port my old number -- I'll do that later. It seems I got a Birmingham, Alabama area code, and I'm not sure why. I'm syncing now. Hopefully, I'll have the other iPhone up before too long and then I can see about porting the numbers.

iPhone Activation Woes - My Call Is Returned!

After 8 hours I get my call returned from the person who was to call me after just 3 hours. Of course now we've undone everything she was trying to do. I'm told to wait until my new numbers are issued and then call to request the port. She gave me a magical phone number, which I will guard with my life. I'm tired and hungry.

iPhone Activation Woes - The Port Didn't Go Through

She came back on the line and said the port didn't go through again. I said I'm willing to take a new number and I agreed to cancel my account and start from scratch.

I go through the iTunes activation process again. I do one phone and then the other. I get the standard message "Your Activation requires additional time to complete." for each phone. I don't port any numbers this time. The rep apologizes that after about two hours on the phone with me she is unable to help. She thanks me for choosing AT&T and hangs up. Now I'm back where I started -- waiting for activation e-mails.

iPhone Activation Woes - A Whole New Account

So she comes back on the line and says the person who originally created this account put down the wrong market. She's going to have to create a whole new account and it will take some time. She is apologetic, but I assure her I have the time.

Again she asks me where I am. Near Miami? I explain where I am in northwest Florida. Since when does it matter where you are when you're purchasing a mobile phone account with nationwide access? Back on hold...

iPhone Activation Woes - Still on the Line Part II

Well the port didn't take so she's trying it again. She asks when I got my phone so I get to tell her I was one of those who waited in line to get their phone as soon as they were available. I also mentioned I was in the local newspaper so it has been very painful to not have my iPhone activated in a timely manner.

She having trouble with my old phone number. She says it is from Alabama. I explain that this issue had come up before. I have had this phone number for about 8 years now but it was created here in Florida. She says she has to go get someone to help her. At least she she seems to determined to fix this. I'm back on hold.

iPhone Activation Woes - Still on the Line

I've been asked for my driver's license number and if I live near Miami. I believe those are unrelated questions though. I live nowhere near Miami. How many times have I given them my address? She says the wrong market was entered for me. I asked if I should have my old phone turned off. She said yes. She then asked me to connect the iPhone to my computer. I get the standard "Your activation requires additional time to complete." message. She says this is because she is working on my order now. I'll be amazed if a keystroke on her end causes something in my iTunes to change.

She says she is porting over my number now and it should only be a little while now. Really? One person can do what a dozen before had tried and failed? She is now adding my rate plan and features -- so she says. Now she says she is finally getting somewhere and commends my patience. What I have exhibited is "beyond patience" I say. I'm now back on hold while she "finishes this".

iPhone Activation Woes - Got through!

After about an hour on hold, I'm talking to a rep again. She says she can do the port and activation right now. As you might expect, I'm very suspicious of those claims. For some reason I had to pick a neighboring city for my account and she has to run another credit check. I'm doing the hold-talk-hold cycle now.

While I'm waiting on hold, I've been reading the MacRumors forum. Many people are claiming success after getting new SIM cards, but it's difficult to determine if their situations match mine. It seems if my activation is already in progress, initiating another would further complicate the situation. Of course that is applying logic, and I'm not sure those rules apply here.

iPhone Activation Woes - Back on Hold

The good news is the AT&T phone lines are open again. The bad news is there's a 60 minute estimated wait. Since I don't have call waiting I won't know if they are trying to reach me while I try to get through to them. As they didn't return my call after about five hours, I'm guessing they're not going to in six. "You call for the next agent will be processed as soon as possible."

iPhone Activation Woes - Waiting For The Call

It's been about four hours now, and I haven't received my return call. I tried calling them but because of "unusually high call volume" they aren't even accepting calls.

iPhone Activation Woes - Visit to the AT&T Store

I arrived at my local AT&T store early so I could be first in line. The AT&T rep recognized me immediately and said the newspaper article in which I was interviewed was posted on the wall in their break room. He was a little shocked to hear what I had endured over the weekend. I told him I was instructed to receive a new SIM card, and he, like I, didn't understand how that would help -- We never did swap SIM cards. There was no way for him to look up my information at the store since I didn't have an existing account. Therefore, he had no choice but to call tech support -- the same tech support I had been calling all weekend. I guess he was able to expedite the call somehow because he didn't have to wait the 60 minute wait time. It was more like 10 minutes. He spoke with a couple of people on the phone and wasn't making much progress. I even offered to cancel the porting of my existing numbers if that would help, but before we could investigate that route, he was transferred to what must be the Wizard of AT&T tech support.

Finally, I think we reached someone who could handle the case. This woman said she could manually perform the port of the number and bypass the automated process. I was told I would receive a call at home in 3 hours at which time the port would be completed and my activation would occur. My case was now a super-double-ultra-high-priority case receiving immediate and unwavering attention -- the first such case of the day! We'll see. I'm an hour into the wait and anxiously awaiting The Call.

iPhone Activation Woes - Days 1 through 3

I work very hard to keep calm and remain pleasant whenever I have to resolve problems with customer service representatives. I know that getting angry will usually not help bring resolution any faster and that maintaining my cool and sense of humor will help someone help me. However, even I can be broken. I haven't lost my cool yet, but I can feel myself nearing the brink.

I fully understand this is the largest rollout ever for a cellphone. This is the first time cellphone activations have been done online from the comfort of your home. It is also the first time AT&T has worked with Apple to orchestrate this. For all of this, I'm willing to cut AT&T a lot of slack. However, it's hard to remain patient when you have two non-activated iPhones 48 hours after initiating activation when I waited 12 hours in line to purchase them.

I wish I would have taken better notes, but I'll do the best to document my saga. There isn't an end in sight so I had better start writing now for fear of forgetting the earlier days.

DAY ONE: June 29th, 2007

As I mentioned, I waited in line for 12 hours to purchase my two iPhones. In fact, I have been waiting for the iPhone since I sat in the audience at the Macworld Expo Keynote in January when Steve Jobs unveiled them. To ensure I would get my iPhones, I arrived at 6 am at my local AT&T store. I was fourth in line but the three young ladies in front of me were only purchasing a single phone so I guess you could say I was second. One in the party of three of three graciously stood in for my wife so I could get the second of my two iPhones -- my wife was stuck in Atlanta trying to get home.

After the 12 long hours in the Florida heat, I had my iPhones and was the first to emerge from the store. The local paper interviewed me and my picture and quotes were on the front page the next morning. I would receive calls, e-mails, and text messages throughout the day from people who read the article. "How do you like your iPhone?" they would ask. I didn't have much to say since I was still awaiting activation on the first phone.

The problems began when the AT&T checkout employee entered my name in the system as "Janes" instead of "James". I didn't noticed the error when I was the store. I never thought to look carefully at the receipt what with being delirious with joy and dehydration. I just knew I had my iPhones, and I was off to activate them. I'm a new AT&T customer so I'm setting up an account and porting two numbers from my current carrier. At home, I began the iTunes activation process with the first iPhone, and that seemed to go fine until the final screen. I remember the screen stalling for a long time, and eventually, it timed out and reported that I would receive an e-mail when the activation was complete. I could barely sleep that night waiting for that e-mail. I set my alarm for 5 the next morning in the hopes it would be waiting for me. An e-mail arrived at 3:21 in the morning, but it was not the one I wanted. "We are unable to locate the address you entered."

DAY TWO: June 30th, 2007

I called the phone number on the e-mail right away. As this was the first of many phone calls to AT&T, I don't remember the specifics of the call. I do remember that I was assured that the problem was fixed with my misspelled name, and I should wait for the confirmation e-mail. I think I called once or twice more that day to check on my status, but each time I was assured everything was in order and I just needed to wait. At 2:13 pm I received an e-mail stating, "We're sorry. AT&T has identified a problem with the information you provided." During a call back to AT&T following receipt of that e-mail, I was assured everything was now correct, and I needed to hang tight.

I think it was one of the last calls I made that day when I learned that my case had been red flagged and forwarded to tech support. AT&T offered to forward me to tech support whereupon I spoke to someone from Apple. Given that there was no evidence of a defective iPhone, I wasn't sure what Apple tech support could do for me, and as it turns out, neither were they. I probably spent thee to four hours on hold that day and by this time, I was ready to sleep on it and hope it would be resolved by morning.

DAY THREE: July 1st, 2007

I called in the morning to check my status. This time, Natalie from AT&T helped me. She seemed like the most empowered of everyone with whom I dealt so far. Eventually she had to confer with tech support on my case and she had me on hold while she herself was on hold with tech support. I believe tech support this time was actually AT&T tech support and not Apple. After over a half hour of waiting on hold, she suggested I hang up and she would call me back once she had spoken with tech support. She returned my call an hour or so later stating she had no success getting through to tech support and that I should call on my own later in the day once the morning backlog of calls was cleared. Taking her advice, I called tech support myself around 11 am.

This call resulted in what I thought was progress. I was told there was a problem with my address and that it was to be forwarded to another office, and I would receive confirmation of this via e-mail in an hour. After an hour went by, there was no e-mail. Two hours elapsed and I called again. The representative tried to help me while I waited but eventually asked me if she could work the problem and get back to me. I waited for about four hours and never received a return call.

The last call of the day resulted in the most information about my activation woes. Over the course of waiting on the phone for about an hour, I learned that there was some problem with my existing cellphone number. For whatever reason unbeknownst to me and AT&T, my billing address did not match the subregion for my previous carrier. The verdict was I had to return to the AT&T store and receive a new SIM card for my iPhone. They kept telling me it would be free as if paying for it would be an acceptable option.

I've now spoken to about 8 different people over the last two days. Each time, I back-brief the new person on everything that has transpired. I should note that the representatives have always been very polite and forthcoming. Call waits have varied from an hour to none at all. I now have the hold music track memorized and I could recite the tech support script from memory. I'll take the day off from work tomorrow so I can be there when the store opens.