AT&T: Your plastic bag. Delivered.

I also purchased a refurbished iPhone from AT&T - went through the same exact problem.

I stumbled across a "Complete step by step guide to purchasing a refurbished iPhone from AT&T with a 1 Year Warranty."

Check it out here: http://www.ismashphone.com/2008/06/a-complete-step.html

If any of you guys are looking to buy a $250 iPhone from AT&T - you should definitely check out that guide.

It'll save you a lot of time and trouble.

I know stupid and wasteful of packageing and shipping. I remember when the iPhone launched and it was a requirement for the iPhone to be sealed in the bag and handed to the customer as some important T&C on the bag about return policy, 2 year agreement, and data plan, etc.. Sales reps at AT&T were instructed every customer has to recieve their iPhone in the sealed bag per the contract with Apple. The way this was tracked was a seperate barcode on the bag. (if some one did not get the bag, it would be a way for them to say we where never told about the return policy, 2 yr agreement, or data plan that is required even though it is clearly stated again in iTunes but what ever.) So as stupid and wastful as it was for AT&T to ship you the bag, it would have been inviolation of the famous Apple/AT&T contract which i guess to AT&T is a little more valuable then all the expense in shipping you a bag.

This would be funny, if it wasn't a huge waste of packaging material and fuel to get it to you. But, it does speak tons as to the intelligence of AT&T employees. When they sent me my iPhone, the bag was placed under the iPhone instead of having the iPhone sealed inside of it. My first thought was WTF? Why is there am empty bag in here and why is it even listed on my invoice?

This reminds me of the time my father ordered a new computer from Dell and it came with an outdated version of the DVD software on CD. My father called them and they told him they'd get him a new disc. They were going to send him a new computer, he was to open the box, take out the CD, close the box and return the computer.

They couldn't just ship him one disc because their warehouse doesn't work that way.

Similar problem here... Ordered one 8 GB iPhone, received a total of four packages. Two small boxes each containing 1 iPhone, 1 large box containing a plastic bag, and 1 DHL envelope with a plastic bag.

Charged twice for the two iPhones and trying to get one of them returned. Odd that this problem has happened to others too.

Your world. Delivered.

This story is exactly the same as mine. I received a second unsolicited 16gig iPhone. AND I received a third shipment of a bag.

I believe the second iPhone is because of a credit card mixup where AMEX held the charge...

And if I had to guess as to why I received a bag, I think it is because one of the iPhones was not correctly sealed in the bag... (They were supposed to be sealed, so ATT would know if you opened the bag)... But I have no idea what sending me a separate bag solves. :)

Seriously what is going on there across the pond? Over here (in England), everyone's on a anti-bag craze, with Marks and Spencers (one of the biggest, richest retailers) trying to charge me 5p (10c) for a bag that THEY automatically put my goods in and ring up on the till! I told the guy to take my stuff OUT of the bag and void that item, nothing wrong with my pockets!

Read the bag. It's a "quick start" FAQ for what to do next. Rather than being wasteful, it appears that AT&T figured out that they have to give you a bag anyway, so they saved both paper and man-hours by printing what you need to know on the bag. No doubt that every iPhone is directed to be bundled with the "information sheet." This is why you got the bag. There are hits on Google for other people whose shipping confirmation shows "75011 iPhone Accessory."

AT&T is such a wasteful, horribly bloated, uncaring, anti-social, anti-environmental behemoth. I'm going to have to do some serious conscience-swallowing when I get my 3G iPhone. I truly want nothing further to do with AT&T as long as I live after some previous experiences, but I've already cut off my nose to spite my face by not getting an iPhone so far. This once I'll set my morals aside and sign my 2 year deal with the devil, but I'll have trouble looking myself in the mirror each morning, knowing I'm in bed with the plastic bag shipping Death Star. *sigh* Curse you Apple for you exclusive agreement here in the U.S.