Non-AT&T iPhone service

Apple is refusing to service non-AT&T iPhones even after an owner has legitimately cancelled the contract, an Oregon TV station reports. State resident Jake Durgard explains that after 30 days with his iPhone, he decided that he did not like AT&T's phone service, and had his contract terminated. Not long thereafter, the bottom tray of icons on the Home screen -- including icons for dialing, e-mail and web browsing -- ceased to work, prompting him to bring his iPhone into an Apple Store. Clerks said they would not help without a SIM card however, a requirement Durgard claims is not listed on the iPhone's box or in its warranty.

Pursuing the matter further, Durgard says he called Apple directly, which repeatedly refused to accept the warranty without an active AT&T contract. “Every single time I called, they said they would not service my phone. I told them that I had an AT&T service account, but it’s no longer valid because I had bad service with it and all I want is my phone fixed,” he complains. “They tell me, ‘Sorry, you have to have a two-year active agreement in order to get any hardware replaced or fixed with the phone.’”

Frustration escalated into confrontation when Durgard once again entered an Apple Store, and refused to leave until his iPhone was fixed. Police were called to escort him out, and Durgard now says that he his considering joining a class-action lawsuit to force repairs. The suit has not been identified, although it may be one filed by Paul Holman and Lucy Rivello. Among other accusations, the plaintiffs charge that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act bars exclusive conditions from warranties, such as attachment to Apple products or AT&T service.

by MacNN Staff