Some background first. All of the AT&T stores in southern Idaho and northern Utah are sold out of iPhones. Most of them sold out last Friday morning when the new 3G iPhone first became available. I suspect that because AT&T’s 3G network is not available in this area (and probably never will be because whatever 4G is going to be will come out first), AT&T didn’t think they needed as many iPhones in those stores as in areas where the 3G network is available. I stopped into the local AT&T store and asked the clerk if they had any iPhones (“No”). Will there be any anytime soon (“No”). While I was there I overheard this conversation between a mother, her teenage son, and a very young AT&T store clerk:

Clerk: The best I can do for an iPhone is for you to do the paperwork today, pay for the phone, and we’ll put you on the personalized delivery program. When you phone arrives, we’ll call you and you can come in to activate it and pick it up.

Teenager: Well, how long will that take?

Clerk: At least 20 to 30 days and might be longer.

Teenager: That’s just insane!

Mother, pointing to a Nokia handset that was at least $120 cheaper than the 8gb iPhone: Well, you can always get this one that you were looking at. It can do everything you want, like texting and has a camera and stuff. Besides, you can take that one home today.

Teenager to clerk: Well, can I upgrade the phone when the iPhones are available?

Clerk: Of course! When you can upgrade, the iPhone will be a whole lot better as well.

Teenager to mother: Well, then can we get a phone today?

Mother: Sure.

Mother to clerk: We’ll take that one.

And the clerk went to the back to get the Nokia phone box and to start the paperwork. It was all I could do to not step into the conversation because two very critical questions were not asked nor answered.

1. When can I upgrade?

2. What will an upgrade cost?

The clerk obviously didn’t want to volunteer the answers because he’s trained very carefully to only answer the question that is asked and also to do nothing to derail a sale.

The mother also wasn’t interested in those questions because she didn’t want to spend a whole lot more money on an iPhone if her son was willing to take a different, much less expensive phone.

The teenager didn’t know to ask.

The questions were important because they are closely related. Upgrading the phone before the upgrade period starts (18 months after purchase) means starting a new contract and paying full price for the new phone. After the upgrade period, the price of the new phone is prorated. In any regard, the cost of the iPhone is significantly higher in an upgrade situation rather than doing the purchase as the clerk originally suggested and waiting for the phone to finally arrive in the store.

Knowing what questions to ask comes from experience. Experience, unfortunately, comes from not knowing the questions to ask. I’ve been there too many times.