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Some iPhone gift certificate applicants deemed ineligible

By | September 21, 2007, 8:57am PDT

Summary: Some users attempting to get their US$100 coupon from Apple for iPhones purchased before 22 August 2007 are being greeted with an error message stating that they “may not be eligible.” The person is got the error message at right is none other than the PowerPage’s Rob Parker and I know that he’s eligible because I [...]

Some iPhone rebates may be ineligibleSome users attempting to get their US$100 coupon from Apple for iPhones purchased before 22 August 2007 are being greeted with an error message stating that they “may not be eligible.”

The person is got the error message at right is none other than the PowerPage’s Rob Parker and I know that he’s eligible because I purchase my iPhone with him on launch day–29 June 2007.

I didn’t have any problems receiving my coupon and we both purchased our phones from an authorized AT&T store and activated them at the same time.

I haven’t redeemed my US$100 coupons yet so I don’t know if they’re going to have a $0 balance when I go to use them as some have reported. Luckily there’s a solution–re-apply and reprint.

Anyone else getting the error?

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Coupon, Apple iPhone, Telecom & Utilities, Jason D. O\'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: Some iPhone gift certificate applicants deemed ineligible
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
I accustomed to subscribe to your nfl jerseys 2012 rss provender, but had a problem as well as it to google RA
View in thread
0 Votes
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Yeah ! Me too got this ... But...
mmudassir 21st Sep 2007
Yup!

Me too got that error, but I recon if you already got the 'Gift Card' or something from store already, then it won't honor your $100 Gift Card request from Apple.com directly!

Actually thats what happened to me, when I heard on the day Steve reduce the price , complains are start piling up on the net, my office-mate's friend got $200 refunded, because he wrote a very nice email to the Store Manager, well, I followed the foot-step of him and did the same thing and wrote the San Francisco (Stockton) Apple Store 's Manager, and got his email that "Please stop by and grab your $200 Apple Store Credit" that is "Apple Gift Card".

When I heard that Steve going to refund $100 back to the iPhone Owner, and the page appears on the apple.com , well I tried just to see if their as any flaw in their system, and I got that error that posted on that article.

One more thing, I cancelled my AT&T Subscription! reason!? Coz i m using unlocked iPhone! on T-Mobile!

Take Care,
0 Votes
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That blows
neverXmiss 21st Sep 2007
Well that blows. How sad Apple being a pest to people who buy their products.
0 Votes
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Well it might be AT&T
damonx9 21st Sep 2007
Im not an Apple Fan boy rushing to the defence here, but the issue may be within AT&T's record service. As another shared deal issue.

A freind of mine (well...maybe not a "friend" per say) had a rough issue with this as well. Last I heard he had to go through AT&T to assist him with it. Though im not sure if that helped.

Anyone one else hear about somthing like that?
0 Votes
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Slow news day?
Non-Zealand 21st Sep 2007
I predict that by next year ZDnet will let us all know that
somebody someday bought a iPhone and the instructions
manual in the box was missing...
0 Votes
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Thats a good one (NT) !!!
mKind 22nd Sep 2007
NT.
0 Votes
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Grammar Much?
ChodaBoy 22nd Sep 2007
"The person is got the error message at right is none other than the PowerPage?s Rob Parker and I know that he?s eligible because I purchase my iPhone with him on launch day?29 June 2007."

??? "The person is got"

??? "he?s eligible because I purchase my iPhone with him"

I am really tired of reading stories written by so-called professionals edited by so-called professionals with more spelling and grammar errors than a fourth grade book report.
0 Votes
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Grammer much redux
Eriamjh 24th Sep 2007
"I am really tired of reading stories written by so-called professionals edited by so-called professionals with more spelling and grammar errors than a fourth grade book report. "

I believe that is what one calls a run-on sentence. wink
0 Votes
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Well at least
frgough 24th Sep 2007
That's a more sophisticated grammar mistake.
0 Votes
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Wrong
Cyraxote 25th Sep 2007
That is not a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses are joined without punctuation or conjunctions; it is not simply a long sentence. It could, however, be better worded and punctuated:

"I am really tired of reading stories, written by so-called professionals and edited by so-called professionals, that have more spelling and grammar errors than a fourth grade book report."
0 Votes
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One more...
watchmands@... 25th Sep 2007
"I am really tired of reading stories, written by so-called professionals and edited by so-called professionals, that have more spelling and errors than a fourth grade book report."

"Grammar" is a noun. "Grammatical" is an adjective.
0 Votes
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more on grammar
AtlantaTerry 25th Sep 2007
Actually it should read "stories" ... "which".

Not "stories" ... "that".

Terry Thomas
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Journalism Major:
Baylor University
University of Maryland (Tokyo Campus)
Lorain, Ohio Community College
0 Votes
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My biggest gripe
bob@... 25th Sep 2007
My biggest gripe, other than the grammar, is statements such as "200% less" or "four times less".

100% less would be zero! How can it be 200% less without becoming a negative value?

This fireplace log produces 200% less ash. (Actual advertisement on manufactured fireplace log)

In other words it must clean my fireplace of existing ash while it burns producing no ash of its own.

I have seen and heard these remarks at places that should know better such as Discover and National Geographic magazines and cable channels.
0 Votes
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Typical Apple games. But the
xuniL_z 23rd Sep 2007
cult will forgive and most likely find a way to hail this flaw in the system as in the consumer's best interest.

I'm sorry, and surely sound like a ABAer, but doesn't even the Apple userbase get tired of these kinds of continual screwups with Apple software and Apple pushing it's loyalist around like pawns on a chessboard? Anything written by Apple, for starters, is plauged with security issues. So much so that any Apple user making a remark about Windows security is obviously blinded to the fact his software is far worse. From iTunes to Quicktime to Safari, Apple can't seem to ever get it right. Every one of these apps are major memory hogs and loaded with security flaws. They are ticking bloat bombs waiting to explode.

Now in this case the odds are it's purposeful. Apple routinely takes advantage of it's userbase knowing they will not revolt and in fact defend the practice, even while Mr. Jobs is laughing behind their backs all the way to the bank. The generous 100.00 gift certificate. How generous and sincere. Yeah, right, not only did Apple pocket an extra 500,000.00 dollars from the "early adopters" but they then threw them this bone and now are trying to weasel out of it as well. 100.00 in store credit is nothing like a 100.00 refund to begin with and everyone knows that but Apple fans are easily placated and think their King can do no wrong.

It reminds me of an old movie where someone pretends to be a diety to a very superstitious culture who believes the ploy. Even when that person acts out of character for the deity, the people only need reassurance he did whatever the "act" was for divine reasons. Apple users are one of those cultures. There is no end to what BS Jobs could pull off and later make a statement that placates his worshipers who collectively say "we knew it had to be for a good reason".
0 Votes
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King for a day...
astro_z 11th Oct 2007
>...Apple fans are easily placated and think their King
> can do no wrong.
> It reminds me of an old movie where someone pretends to be
> a diety to a very superstitious culture who believes the ploy.
> Even when that person acts out of character for the deity, the
> people only need reassurance he did whatever the "act" was for
> divine reasons.

If you're referring to "The Man Who Would Be King" (based upon
a Kipling story), you might recall that the "deity" was
eventually killed when his non-godhood was revealed.
0 Votes
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There's one born every minute
tonymcs@... 23rd Sep 2007
And in Apple's case they can fool most of their users ALL the time.
0 Votes
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Headline lies
frgough 24th Sep 2007
Odd. From the screen shot you showed, the message was that you MIGHT be ineligible. It then proceeded to give a list of reasons why and at the end an email address where you could go to dispute the message along with a list of materials to provide to effectively dispute the message. This seems like a far cry from "deemed" you used in your sensationalist headline.
0 Votes
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I fixed my error message
Amonra 24th Sep 2007
I got the same error message, but I tried again and it worked. My problem was that
the serial number on the iPhone is kind of hard to read and I mistook the O (letter) for
a 0 (number). Maybe people should try again and check that you have typed all info
in correctly. If that doesn't work try calling the number.
0 Votes
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Amen, bro!
ejhonda 25th Sep 2007
The ZDNet staff is puking out some junk these days. Probably due to outsourcing overseas.
0 Votes
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Welcome to the world of Apple...
Narg 25th Sep 2007
..and some wonder why they are a 2nd rate computer maker.
0 Votes
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US$100 coupon from Apple Store for iPhones
kinoli 1st Nov 2007
It's interesting that the Apple Store coupons didn't work. Apple rarely makes mistakes like that.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Some iPhone gift certificate applicants deemed ineligible
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
I accustomed to subscribe to your nfl jerseys 2012 rss provender, but had a problem as well as it to google RA

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