A bad iPhone experience with Apple and AT-and-T

See the picture below to start getting a sense of my frustration with Apple, AT&T, and my new iPhone.That screen is not in any of the iPhone commercials I saw. No one at the Apple store told me that I needed "an AT&T pre-approved credit check code" before I'd be able to use my iPhone.I am outraged that there is no way for me to resolve this without going to an AT&T store. I hate going to cell