Not satisfied with excluding a noticeable portion of the US population including many of us here in South Dakota by not providing service not to mention the friends they aren’t making by charging users early termination fees even though they insist on charging full price for the phones, AT&T continues to do whatever it can to piss off users and potential users of the iPhone.

The most recent flap involves those living in areas not served by AT&T taking a gamble and buying the phone anyway and then taking advantage of the carrier’s agreements with other cell phone providers to enable them to use the phone. You see, AT&T like many cell companies, enters into agreements with other carriers to provide their users with service in areas not covered by their systems. This allows them to activate the phone, using a number and address from an area with AT&T service, and then taking advantage of these agreements to use the phone in areas where you cannot normally buy the phone.

Sounds like a fair workaround to me. Techies get their iPhones, and AT&T gets more paying customers. One problem, AT&T doesn’t agree. In fact, buried in the legalese from the service contract is a provision that specifically bans that practice. Those choosing to go this route risk having their service canceled which pretty much turns your brand spanking new iPhone into a $600 dollar paperweight.

What an interesting business plan don’t you think? Limit the number of customers you can service and anger those that are willing to go to great lengths just to pay for what you offer. I doubt we’ll be seeing this lesson taught over at Harvard Business School anytime soon, unless of course it is an example of what not to do.