Three tries, three strikes.
Trying to upgrade my L900, bought a couple days after launch. First I called 611 and asked about an early upgrade option. The rep was very nice but said the best she could do was $250 + $99 + $36 upgrade fee. I told her no thank you and hung up. Second try, I called the closes AT&T store (50 miles away, I live in the sticks) and asked about my options. They were very arrogant and rude and would not even entertain the thought. Third try, call 611 again and requested an "exception upgrade" as in the post above mine. The rep was incredible nice, looked it up and offered me $199 without the charge plate. Then he said he would research and see if he could knock it down to the $99 upgrade price. He put me on hold and came back several minutes later, was very apologetic, and said the best he could do was the $199. I think I'm going to wait a few days and see if any momentum builds from all the 900 upgrade requests. I'm really not too fussed if I can't upgrade for a while, but it would be nice. Maybe I'll try calling again in a day or two. Congrats to all those who were able to make it work.