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iPhone problems in Puerto Rico
Many people had trouble activating their iPhones, but for the most part those issues were resolved fairly quickly (including my own). However, I received an email yesterday from someone who has a problem, and I’m not entirely sure where the fault lies or how it can be resolved. I’m reposting parts of the email with the writer’s permission:
Having a trip planned to the states within the week, I called AT&T multiple times, from multiple numbers, using multiple accents, and asked whether or not I’d be able to use an iPhone in Puerto Rico. The FOUR different AT&T people I spoke to assured me that it would work just fine.
I went to NYC, and purchased my 8GIG, from the Glass Bastion of Evil known as the Apple Store on 5th Ave. Then, I went to an AT&T Corporate store and purchased a brand new account, in the states, suited for the iPhone. The sales rep, convinced my mom to purchase a cheap backup phone, in case I visit a location where an expensive iPhone would not be ideal (this is something I do often). So we did, and he told me to wait three days before activating the iPhone. He knew we were the day after the purchase.
So, I waited three days (Saturday -> Today) and went to activate my iPhone and I recieved this message “We’re sorry, AT&T has determined that your current account cannot be used with the iPhone.”
W
T
F
I specifically purchased the iPhone plan, how could it not be used with the iPhone? I called them up, and the smarmy AT&T man informed me that the iPhone will not work in Puerto Rico.THATS RIGHT! I was lied to, to my face, by four different AT&T reps and two people in the Apple Store. So, now I’m left with a really expensive paper weight, and a burning anger that’s telling me to do something.
My mind flashes through many possibilities, from account relocation (using an address of one of my family members in the states), to a lawsuit (though I don’t know anything about the law besides what I watch on Law and Order). I suppose I could keep my crappy phone and just upgrade it with some money that I’ll find from who knows where. But now I get to the crux of the email, what should I do?
A quick Google search for iPhone in Puerto Rico brings back some results showing that the iPhone doesn’t work there, which I expected anyway. So then why was he told by so many people that it would work? Were they misinformed? Was there a miscommunication? On top of that, I find it vaguely suspicious that the AT&T employee had him purchase a cheaper phone as well, as though he had a feeling it wouldn’t work.
Maybe a better question would be: How can he hack it to make it work?
UPDATE: The author emailed me this morning from his iPhone! He had it activated by using his uncle’s address in the States. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!
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#3 written by Glugory 4 years ago
Miscommunication? Are you serious? Of COURSE they lied to him. Apple is in the business of making MONEY and if they can make just a tiny bit more by lying to a few people then of course they’ll do it. Everyone paints Apple to be this big angel that’s fighting the evil Microsoft demon, but really they’re all the same. The all want to screw us just a little bit more as often as they can.
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Jacob seems to have it right, and that solution should work. I don’t know of any existing hacks yet that will allow it to work with a Puerto Rico number, because any such hacking would have to be on the AT&T network, not the phone.
@Glugory: I disagree with the notion that this is Apple’s fault. Apple isn’t tasked with making the phone work on the network. It was my experience during my 5-hour debacle acquiring my iPhone that, at best, you’re going to get a guess from Apple, and I doubt they made assurances that it would work. I suppose it’s possible, but I think it’s unlikely. AT&T, on the other hand, is an extremely awful company, and it’s no surprise at all that they lied (as they’ve done to me on countless occasions over the last month) to get a new account. The absolute ONLY reason I am with them is because of the iPhone – you want it, you have to go where the action is, unfortunately.
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Well, this caught me by surprise. A tech blog that actually mentions Puerto Rico, where I live!
I was (and at the same time wasn’t) shocked when I heard the news that the iPhone wasn’t going to be available here in Puerto Rico. Why did it shock me? Well, I’m a Mac user; an addict, to be correct. I was hoping that I could at least see the iPhone here near launch dates, so hearing that it wasn’t going to be available was heartbreaking.
I read about it on the local newspaper. It was the president of AT&T in Puerto Rico, José Juan Dávila, who said “both AT&T and Apple hope to make it available to our clients in Puerto Rico in a close future” (or something like that, my translation skills aren’t up-to-par today). This was published in the June 15th edition of El Nuevo Día (“The New Day”; http://www.endi.com). Not much has been said since then. In fact, nothing has been said!
But, as Jacob previously said, some people have had the iPhone activated elsewhere (meaning in the USA) and have the gadgets up and running here in the island. I haven’t been lucky enough as to catch a glimpse at one, but some of my friends have had the luck. All three of my friends have seen the iPhone in various parts of the island (up to a count of five, if I’m not mistaken), working perfectly. A friend of mine actually played with one and said that the EDGE connection was actually “okay”, “not that bad”.
I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not AT&T that’s been holding onto the sales of the iPhone, it’s been Apple. Seeing as we don’t have any Apple Stores in the island nor can get any service from the online Apple Store directly, this might be the thing. We only have resellers (a handful of small indie stores, our three local CompUSA retail stores and, starting a few weeks ago, Office Max is in the list of Apple Certified Resellers), so maybe that’s why it’s on hold. Hopefully, this will push Apple to make an Apple Store in the island.
I don’t think anything I’ve said makes sense… pardon me if it doesn’t. I am really tired right now. =P
Raúl
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Found a tutorial about being able to hack around and actually activate the iPhone using out local area codes. Still, it’s no official Apple/AT&T thing.
Here there be an explanation of hacking it in Windows (yuck!; Spanish only, sorry!): http://www.tecnetico.com/content.asp?contentid=1333&contenttypeid=15
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#7 written by Nelo 4 years ago
DUDE! WTF!!!!???!!! Veronica, please e-mail him and tell him to find a lawyer and place a lawsuit on both Apple and AT&T. And when you call in to BOL, tell them the story. Tell him to publize this story as much as he can. If so many people read this, Apple/AT&T “MIGHT” give in and refund his purchase price. If he’s not into a legal battle, send it [the iPhone] to his friend or go himself and get his refund. Don’t you get 30 days to cancel the account and return it. I just say, make this public.
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#8 written by jose8am 4 years ago
Jacob is right. I live here in PR and even though I don’t have an iPhone (yet) many of my friends do… using a number from the states. they are working perfectly. I heard that they will be working with our area code 787 on November… not sure though, but I will investigate. Glad you mention us V! and this normal yet unjustifiable (in 2007) difference.
jose8am -
#9 written by slayerboy 4 years ago
Just a stupid idea…but could it maybe be that PR and US VI aren’t part of the actual US? Could it have something to do with export laws? I dunno.
As far as ATT/Apple, I wouldn’t trust a salesperson or customer service rep if my life depended on it. I worked in retail FAR to long and witnessed MANY things wrong with the whole idea of retail sales and marketing. I treat retail sales people, car sales people, and insurance sales people all the same. They DON’T KNOW what they are talking about. Even if they do, there is NO reason to do a very big search on the net about something to prove you can trust these people. Honesty is the LAST thing 99% of retail sales people will practice on the job, mostly not by choice because if they don’t they’d lose their job!
And to be quite honest, technically neither Apple nor ATT lied in this case, because the iPhone DOES work in PR, you just need a US address to get a number.
Hope the new gig is going well for you
FOR TEH HORDE!!!1!
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#11 written by Bolivar 4 years ago
Kevin, Veronica left BOL and she is working now for Mahalo. I heard all the podcasts the week she left and it was really heartbreaking to hear the last one on the 20th. Anyway, i too live in Puerto Rico and i heard stories about hacking the iphone to make it work here. I actually was lucky to find the flickr account of someone from PR who has the iphone, here is the address http://www.flickr.com/photos/jidnet/.
Veronica, good luck.
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#13 written by eduardo 4 years ago
The basic problem here is that even though you are an AT&T customer and they consider Puerto Rico as part of the US (you can have the same service plans as in the States) , Apple considers Puerto Rico as part of Latin America so for their purpose it is a different country and that is why they decided to block the area codes.
For example I can buy a (dot)Mac membership but I cannot buy from their store software, hardware or apple care. I can buy from iTunes since most of our credit cards are linked to banks in the States.
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#14 written by juan p aleman 4 years ago
The I phone does work in Puerto Rico. I have it and activated it with my i tunes account here in San Juan. Granted, I had to provide a US mainland adress and I have a WDC area code, but my iphone works perfectly. I have a 787 area code on my other phone account with ATT and transfer calls from one number to the other. All features on my IPhone work as advertised. It is a SHAME that both ATT and Apple are lying to customers. I talk to my eps here in Puerto Rico and they still tell me that the Iphone will not work here. I just laugh, it is truly a shame.
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#15 written by Jose 4 years ago
For those who don’t know,you can activate an iphone with a Puerto Rico area code,now you can,all you need to do is put your existing sim card from puerto rico inside th iphone,connect to itunes,when AT&T tells you to put the information(address) use the Puerto Rico Addres you have but instead of putting PR on the state field,put PA,and it will activate your phone with your existing puerto Rico number and current plan,*******If you don’t want a data plan,go to the AT&T site sign into your account,go to manage/add features and cancel the data plan,that’s how i did it.It ‘s working perfectly.
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Hey
I have a cousin down in Puerto Rico, and what he’s done is register the phone to a US address (mine), and get a number from where I live (NYC). So he’s got a New York City number, and a New York City Billing Address and Apple/AT&T has no problem with it. What I’ve heard is that the area codes for Puerto Rico (787, 939) and the US Virgin Islands (314) have been “blocked” from being activated. So when you enter the existing line number, or a Puerto Rico billing address, it refuses to activate.
In regards to hacking, the only thing I can think of is using an American address, but then he won’t have his area code, and people calling him might suffer long distance charges if calling from a non-national plan (though most of the plans offered by the major cell carriers are national plans).
Also, my cousin reports that it works just fine in Puerto Rico and that he loves it. Me, I’m waiting for Rev. 2
Jacob