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UPDATE: AT&T <strike>Stops</strike> Selling iPhone To New Yorkers, <strike>For Now</strike> Again
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 28, 2009
Modified Dec 28, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 28, 2009
Modified Dec 28, 2009
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Apparently all the noise about AT&T having major problems in NYC didn't curb their sales here enough, so they're taking action (ahem, now the holiday buying frenzy is over). Consumerist reports that the company's website has stopped selling the iPhone here; a customer service rep (read: online robot named "Daphne") confirmed, saying: "the phone is not offered to you because New York is not ready for the iPhone. You don't have enough towers to handle the phone."
Earlier this month AT&T's CEO Ralph de la Vega admitted to problems in New York and other metropolitan areas, asking "bandwidth hogs" to limit their usage and hinting at a future of usage-based pricing.
An AT&T spokesman told Consumerist that they "periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels" — but did not go into details. Mashable notes that at one point the online rep "Daphne" said they stopped accepting online orders in NYC due to fraud. We're guessing AT&T's PR company is working hard this morning!
Meanwhile, the phones are currently available at the Apple stores in New York.
UPDATE: AT&T's website is once again selling iPhones to New Yorkers. Digital Daily reports that at one point customer service reps were blaming “online fraudulent activity” for their decision to halt sales in the city, but have failed to give any details as to what this fraud entailed. They also had reps going with the aforementioned "not enough towers" explanation. The site suggests the "entire incident may have been one of those middle-of-the-org-chart missteps that went unnoticed by upper management until it blew up in the media." For now, AT&T is still keeping mum.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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