I thought Apple cared?!?!?!

Question

Level 1

13 points

I thought Apple cared?!?!?!

Recently lost an iPhone3GS - reported it lost/stolen the day it happened. Contacted AT&T AND Apple, and neither one cares or will do anything about another person using our PHONE that we have the serial number and IMEI number on.

AT&T responds - "we only provide the service" We cannot go in and deactivate the phone, even though it is our phone and someone else has put their SIM card in it. Mobile Me will only help IF the phone is on your network!!!!!!

Apple responds - We can't prevent that serial number/phone from accessing an account on iTunes. AND, they tell us we cannot get a refund of the remaining year of the iCare plan WITHOUT a copy of the ORIGINAL RECEIPT.

GO FIGURE - someone can pick up your iPhone, put their SIM card in it and start using it.......BUT - you want a refund on a product that is registered on line with Apple (with all of your personal data that you can verify - including the serial number and IMEI number), and you need a copy of the original receipt!!!!

JUST AMAZING - police report is completed, and they will have to subpoena the records from AT&T to get the person who is using our property that was lost/stolen. AT&T sent a text to the user and notified them that the phone was reported lost or stolen, but they will do nothing more.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Posted on Jan 7, 2011 4:26 PM

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Answer 1

alryder

Level 2

220 points

Jan 7, 2011 6:09 PM in response to care?

Unfortunate, but not unbelievable. It's the same with most, if not all carriers and manufactures and has been this way for years.

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Answer 2

care? Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 8, 2011 5:28 AM in response to alryder

Except - Apple should be able to disable that serial number/IMEI number from connecting to iTunes...............should be a simple solution. They DO have control - so does AT&T.

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Answer 3

Jan 8, 2011 5:32 AM in response to care?

If you lived in the UK, your network provider would block the phone via it's IMEI number and blacklist it from being used on any network in the UK.

Phone manufacturers will do nothing - your contract is with the network provider.

Unfortunately, for you, in the US you don't have a mobile phone blacklist system - blame your government for that.

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Answer 4

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Jan 8, 2011 6:44 AM in response to care?

care? wrote:
Except - Apple should be able to disable that serial number/IMEI number from connecting to iTunes...............should be a simple solution. They DO have control - so does AT&T.

This would be a huge privacy right issue.

Motorola, LG, Samsung cannot/will not do this either.

This is normal. Not unusual in the least.

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Answer 5

alryder

Level 2

220 points

Jan 8, 2011 8:39 AM in response to roaminggnome

roaminggnome,
Just curious, how do you quote content from a previous reply when replying to a message. I see that you do it a lot but I can't figure it out.

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Answer 6

DCGOO

Level 3

769 points

Jan 8, 2011 9:27 AM in response to care?

AT&T responds - "we only provide the service"

But they can deactivate the phone, i.e. prevent it from making any calls. However this will not stop Wifi use.

Apple responds - We can't prevent that serial number/phone from accessing an account on iTunes.

But you can change your iTunes password, which will do the same thing.

GO FIGURE - (with all of your personal data that you can verify)

There are options available to track your phone and completely wipe it remotely (MobileMe, Undercover, etc). Unfortunately, the time to set those services up is BEFORE you lose it. Not much you can do at this point except cancel all of your credit cards and secure any other information that might be on your phone. Just like if your wallet/purse or checkbook was stolen.

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Answer 7

care? Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 10, 2011 3:26 PM in response to DCGOO

Police report has been filed, subpoena going to AT&T to get the person that is using it. We are working with the legislature to get things changed - AT&T is allowing a service to be utilized on a stolen phone (it was considered stolen as soon as the person put his SIM card in the phone). We will see - things moving right along!

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Answer 8

Jan 10, 2011 3:51 PM in response to alryder

alryder wrote:
roaminggnome,
Just curious, how do you quote content from a previous reply when replying to a message. I see that you do it a lot but I can't figure it out.

Click the quote symbol ["] at the top of the message block.

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Answer 9

alryder

Level 2

220 points

Jan 10, 2011 4:41 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence Finch wrote:

alryder wrote:
roaminggnome,
Just curious, how do you quote content from a previous reply when replying to a message. I see that you do it a lot but I can't figure it out.

Click the quote symbol ["] at the top of the message block.

Duh! Thanks Lawrence, that couldn't have been more obvious!

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Answer 10

frankwc

Level 1

55 points

Jan 10, 2011 5:06 PM in response to care?

care? wrote:
AT&T responds - "we only provide the service" We cannot go in and deactivate the phone, even though it is our phone and someone else has put their SIM card

Wow...thats crazy...You would think ATT would have a list of IMEI's of stolen phones in their system that wouldn't be allowed to be turned on. I remember when I had VZW and lost my blackberry.. Someone found it and tried to turn it on..When they took it to the store and they typed in the ESN# it came up reported lost/stolen in Verizon's system and I got the phone back...If ATT can't do something like that then they a) really don't give a crap..b)are greedy and want you to buy a new phone...Either way, its wrong! I'm curious to see how VZW handles this situation when they get the iPhone...

Message was edited by: frankwc

Message was edited by: frankwc

Message was edited by: frankwc

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Answer 11

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

Jan 10, 2011 5:58 PM in response to Julian Wright

Unfortunately, for you, in the US you don't have a mobile phone blacklist system - blame your government for that.

I agree there should be a blacklist system in the US. But I do not blame the government (we are over-governed enough).

This is a private agreement between the service provider and the user. I blame the service providers who could do this without any government action.

Service providers probably fear liabilities associated with blacklisting a phone by mistake.

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Answer 12

_Eric_

Level 1

118 points

Jan 10, 2011 6:27 PM in response to care?

According to this website, your mobile network provider can block the phone

http://www.gsm-security.net/faq/imei-international-mobile-equipment-identity-gsm .shtml

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Answer 13

deggie

Level 10

167,183 points

Jan 10, 2011 7:22 PM in response to _Eric_

Nobody said it technically couldn't be done.

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Answer 14

deggie

Level 10

167,183 points

Jan 10, 2011 7:24 PM in response to Ziatron

And they fear this with good reason. Without either indemnification from the government orca mandate to do so, you aren't going to see any provider do this.

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Answer 15

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

Jan 10, 2011 8:09 PM in response to deggie

And they fear this with good reason. Without either indemnification from the government orca mandate

What is orca? (the killer whale?)

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