Falling into a Fool's Queue: My Failed iPhone 4 Upgrades

Today, I fell, once again, into a Fool’s Queue and helplessly tried to upgrade my two iPhone 3GS devices to iPhone 4 cellphones.  I should’ve known better.  Upgrading your iPhones has never been an enjoyable, or easy, job.  I first logged on to the AT&T website to upgrade.

I cheerily clicked on the “Upgrade Options” link and was taken to this screen where I could select each existing iPhone for upgrading.

After lots of waiting and dead web page responders and re-loading and re-trying, I was finally able to get this error screen from AT&T for my upgrade order:

Calling that phone number leads to a recorded loop telling me how precious I am, and what a good person I am, and to keep on holding on because AT&T is such a great company and can’t wait to speak with me.

I hung up the phone after 25 minutes of that incessant drivel.

I decided to head on over to the Apple website to see how I might upgrade my phones there.  I’m not interested in standing in a line.  I want to order my phone online and have it delivered to me on June 24.

I clicked on the blue button below.

I was met with this dead screen.

I went back to AT&T and tried to upgrade again — carefully repeating all my previously failed steps — hoping against history and time and tide that, somehow, AT&T would finally get a smooth launch of a new iPhone off the ground.

This time, AT&T changed the game on me as you can see below!  Suddenly, I was no longer able to order online!  How.  Dare.  They!

I clicked on the “How to Upgrade” link and was given the following in a pop-up window.  The error message has no meaning or context if AT&T will not answer the phone.

I don’t understand why Apple and AT&T can’t better sync their efforts so we are not made to suffer during the iPhone upgrade process.

Every year we go through this — every year both Apple and AT&T are caught unaware — every year we get wrung through the upgrade wringer.

I know this is only the beginning of my demise with AT&T and I know what will happen.  AT&T will use the eagerness of early upgrade freaks like me and punish us for trying to get our place in line.  Our “unprocessed” order will muck things up for a week or two as they seek to gather time and regain their breath and then they’ll process a new upgrade order, but double-charge us because the “first, unprocessed order” was amazingly already released and charged.

AT&T is a nightmare company.  They always have been.  They always will be.  I accept that I am certifiably insane because I keep thinking, hoping, wishing — that somehow, “this time, it will be different.”