To NYC: ‘You Can’t Handle the IPhone.’

In a report today on The Consumerist, it appears that New York City customers cannot currently order an iPhone through AT&T’s website. The report originated when a NYC resident and reader tried ordering one and got a message that the iPhone is unavailable after punching in his zip code. Both the original reader and the Consumerist’s Laura Northrup tried other zip codes and found that the iPhone was still available pretty much everywhere outside of the greater NYC area.

So what gives? When The Consumerist contacted AT&T about the discrepancy, a customer service agent apparently replied with this gem: “New York is not ready for the iPhone. You don’t have enough towers to handle the phone.”

Wow, telling the largest market in the country that it can’t handle your product doesn’t sound like a particularly informed move by any stretch.

The official word from AT&T (i.e. not a telephone rep making $8.50 an hour) was “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.” Cryptic, but a little less of a slap in the face to New York.

We’ll see how long it takes AT&T to actually clear this one up. [via The Consumerist]