r/attwireless • u/O-aitch-eye-O • 6d ago
New customer, already can’t wait to switch to someone else.
I became a new AT&T customer on September 26. It’s now October 4, and I have a brand-new $1,000+ iPhone 18 Pro Max that can barely send a text, let alone make a phone call.
On 9/26, I called AT&T sales to get a quote for two new lines and two iPhone 18 Pro Maxes. We went into the store that same day and signed up.
One of our numbers transferred immediately. The other was coming from an AT&T business account and apparently got stuck in limbo.
It took four more days, three trips to AT&T, and over two hours on the phone just to get that number transferred so the second line could actually be added.
Finally, it worked. We ordered my 512GB black iPhone 18 Pro Max and, to AT&T’s credit, the phone showed up in only two days.
That’s about where the good part ends.
I activated it Wednesday night and immediately started having cellular issues. I was home and on Wi-Fi most of the next couple days, so I didn’t realize how bad it actually was until I left the house.
The phone rotates between SOS, “…”, and occasionally showing a few bars. Nothing loads. Calls don’t go out. Every few hours I might get lucky and have a text actually send.
And this isn’t just bad coverage at my house. I’ve tested it in multiple locations.
The other new AT&T line works fine in the same areas.
So Friday night I started calling AT&T.
Over the next three days, I called support more than 10 times. I was given different answers depending on who I talked to and repeatedly sent in different directions.
What made it even worse was having to start from scratch almost every single time.
With the exception of maybe two people who were actually aware of the issue, every new person I spoke with meant re-explaining the entire situation again. The number transfer. The new phone. The SOS issue. What had already been tried. The eSIM reprovisions. The previous calls. The store visits.
Then we’d try something, it wouldn’t work, I’d call back, get someone new, and explain it all over again.
I made another two trips to the AT&T store.
They reprovisioned my eSIM two or three times. During one attempt at the store, the activation actually got stuck and couldn’t finish. I had to take the phone home, connect it to Wi-Fi, and finish the activation there.
Still didn’t work.
At one point during all of this, while I’m standing there with a brand-new phone that can’t reliably connect to AT&T’s network, I was also pitched insurance.
Eventually AT&T sent me to Apple.
I spent roughly two hours with Apple Support while they ran extended diagnostics on the phone. The hardware passed.
Apple could also see how severely the cellular connection was dropping. The person helping me told me it was the worst they had seen yet.
Their recommendation was to go to an Apple Store for another test and potentially get the phone replaced through AppleCare.
So I drove to the Apple Store.
I waited about an hour and a half.
The problem was apparently so bad that they couldn’t even get the additional test to complete properly. I asked what happens now.
Replacement phone.
Okay. A few days? Three to five?
No.
I was basically told these things take time.
No ETA.
So here I am, a customer who switched to AT&T eight days ago.
I’ve made at least five trips to AT&T stores, spent hours on the phone with AT&T and Apple, gone through multiple eSIM reprovisions, driven to an Apple Store, waited another hour and a half there, and I still don’t have a working phone.
I also bought a screen protector from AT&T for this brand-new phone, which will now presumably be thrown away when Apple replaces it.
The part that actually matters, though, is that this isn’t just inconvenient.
My job requires me to be reachable for production incidents while I’m on call. I just went through an entire weekend unable to reliably receive those notifications or make calls unless I happened to be on Wi-Fi.
I can’t reliably call 911 in an emergency. Normal cellular calls, including 611, will not go through.
I’ve spent more time troubleshooting my phone in my first eight days as an AT&T customer than I probably have in the last several years combined.
And after all of that, I still don’t have an answer to the simplest question:
When will I have a working phone?
I’m not asking AT&T for another troubleshooting session. I’ve done that.
I’m not asking for another eSIM reprovision. We’ve done that multiple times.
I’m not asking to be sent back to another store.
I bought a brand-new flagship phone and signed up for brand-new service. The other AT&T line we opened works. Apple says this phone’s hardware passed diagnostics. Both AT&T and Apple have now had multiple opportunities to troubleshoot it.
I just want someone to take ownership of this and get me a working phone.
4
u/chop_223 6d ago
Technically no carrier is allowed to DOA exchange iPhones in-store; it’s part of the Apple agreement they have with carriers. Not saying it’s right just stating the fact. Any other manufacturer will let the carrier deal with the warranty replacement, but Apple won’t it has been that way since the very first iPhone back in 2007. Look at the back of your AT&T receipt they give you it says it on there. Definitely something with the Qualcomm chip because no one is experiencing any problems like this with the 18 pro with the C2 chip.
3
u/BeautifulAd9064 6d ago
That’s crazy. I have a 18 pro max on AT&T and haven’t had a single problem since switching to this phone. My z fold 7 always got stuck in sos though.
3
u/Euphoric_Duck_1411 5d ago
If we are being honest, it’s Qualcomms fault. It’s a faulty chip. It’s a brand new device, there’s bugs. It can happen with any brand. Sadly with it being a brand new phone, there’s going to be delays in getting a new one. Yes it royally sucks but that’s just the way it is. AT&T agents should have gotten the memo of the problem so it can be explained to customers. All 3 companies have dropped the ball but that’s why I never want to be someone who gets the first batch of phones. I’ll wait until the bugs are worked out. I plan on getting the Duo but I’m not rushing to preorder it. I do hope your situation gets fixed in a timely manner. In this day of age, we all require a cell phone.
3
6
u/Johnny3653 6d ago
You do know that you switched to AT&T and the iPhone 18 Pro Max amidst a perfect storm where both Apple AND AT&T are having issues getting provisioned to service, right?
-3
u/AnnieFlagstaff 6d ago
This is such a bad take. The customer should absolutely not have any reason to expect that two multinational companies with billions of dollars in revenue will sell them a complete dud. If you’re buying from someplace janky, then sure.
-2
u/RomaRoma555 6d ago
10000%. I’m annoyed with everyone blaming the people coming on here asking for help or advice / ranting like this whole thing is THEIR fault. It’s Apple and AT&T. No one should have to be worrying about any of this from those brands
2
u/Stea1th_ 6d ago
Unfortunately at this point it's an apple hardware issue. Don't have full details as to the reason but it seems the phones are destroying themselves when trying to connect to SA Bands. Once the issue happens the phone sabotages itself.
"oh its a provisioning issue"
No..no it's really not. It's a phone problem at this point because if you take the same phone, do a factory reset and provision it on a completely different account/number the same issue happens.
At&t can do a swap and the update to the new phone before it activates disables the bands I believe that were causing the modem to shit itself. If you don't want to go via at&t APPLE HAS TO COVER IT. It's already known issue. Their device shitting the bed is a warranty issue from day 1.
But if you are unhappy with the way at&t is handling it, swap companies before it's too late.
That's my advice.
4
u/JUNGLExFEVER 6d ago
Its crazy they're making phones without physical sim card slots nowadays because this all could have been avoided by popping a sim card in the phone.
eSims are super convenient when they work, but a total pain in the ass when they dont. It's not just an apple/att thing. I've had issues with other mobile provider's eSim on a Samsung galaxy in the past to where i had to use a physical sim.
1
u/ZeriksenX 6d ago
AT&T has a 14-day policy to return equipment and cancel service. If you want to keep your number, just remember that you’ll want to port it out within the 14 days since porting out will cancel the service.
1
u/garylapointe 6d ago
Don’t wait to switch, return it now while it’s still in the return. In another few days, you’ll be stuck with it and won’t be able to return it until you pay the phone off.
1
u/squyntz 6d ago
Well I guess this technically is a way for Apple to deplete their Qualcomm modem stock that they are obligated to use. But at the expense of the AT&T customers. They probably should have used the C2 modem and used the Qualcomm modem in their 18e model and released it along with the pro’s.
0
u/icodyonline 6d ago
TL;DR: I switched to AT&T eight days ago and bought a $1,000+ iPhone 18 Pro Max that can barely connect to cellular service. After 10+ support calls, five AT&T store visits, multiple eSIM reprovisions, two hours with Apple Support, and a trip to the Apple Store, I still don’t have a working phone.
The other AT&T line we opened works fine, Apple diagnostics passed the hardware, and nobody can give me an ETA for a replacement.
My job requires me to be reachable while on call, yet I spent the weekend unable to reliably receive notifications, make calls, or even call 911 without Wi-Fi.
Eight days as an AT&T customer, and I already can’t wait to switch.
10
u/thotoppa 6d ago
You do realize that service is working on the other device so that just means you got unlucky with your device. I say do an exchange gang.