Activating Apple's iPhone

Last week a client asked me to source one of Apple's new phones. I checked out the Apple website to see what had to be done, spoke to my local O2 store and set about the task.

I expected a typical Apple experience. Smooth, slick, simple and fool proof. This was not what is delivered and we spent a day of immense frustration.

First, you can't pay by cash. Strikes me as a bit odd, but not as odd as the lecture I got from the salesman about what I needed to register the iPhone. Judging by his tone I was getting the impression he didn't much relish the task of selling the iPhone. I was quizzed on whether I had a bank account, but at least I was told clearly that the monthly line rental charge had to be made to a bank account. Why, when virtually everything else I buy can be charged to a card (including pre-pay phone top ups and landline calls), can't the iPhone calls be charged to plastic?

Second is the activation process itself. I started this from the clients office, armed with his bank account details. As I went through the process I found I had to create an iTunes Music Store account. My client has no intention of buying any music from the store, but you can't move on through the process unless you input some account details. No, not bank account details, this has to be plastic. So immediately you have split financial personality. I rang O2 to see if this is really necessary and after the frightful mess of the automated attendant system eventually spoke to an Apple man. No way round it, you have to create an iTunes Music Store account and give O2 and Apple your card details.

Faced with no other option I put in a credit card, followed by their business bank account details. Pressed the next button. Did the phone burst into life? No, I just got a screen saying O2 needed more time to do a credit vet.

I thought no worry, while we're waiting for that I'll set up the rest of the phone's features. Could I do that? No, pending the answer to the credit question the whole phone is locked, just sitting in its cradle charging the battery.

So there it was left late on Friday. One excited client with no operational phone, and I'll have to go back next week to finish off the job. But one of the most puzzling suggestions made to me from another iPhone owner is that once you've started the activation process you can't go back and correct what you've put in (that much is true from my experience) - the only way round it is take the phone back to O2 and change it for another.

Not my best Apple experience.