Apple’s Embarrassing Uncle Bell AT&T – Here’s $30 in iTunes Credit to Help You Forget

Stop the Cap! has peripherally followed the misadventures of Apple’s iPhone 3GS release by AT&T, which has managed to alienate customers and overcharge them for service at the same time.  Perhaps a few AT&T customers enjoy the sadomasochism inflicted on them by AT&T Wireless, but most wish they could feel good about two year contracts with the carrier they love to hate.

Once again, the early adopter who waited in line all night or who put themselves on a waiting list months before the latest iPhone release, were stuck cooling their heels for up to 48 hours after bringing their new phone home.  New AT&T customers found the inconvenient truth when they ran iTunes, displaying a warning that they would have to wait up to 48 hours before activation would be complete.  Perhaps AT&T was thinking, ‘you waited this long, what’s another two days for us to get our act together!’

Apple paid the public relations price with $30 in iTunes Store credit being e-mailed to affected customers:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team