Your gamble - when the iMac fiasco will end?

Fiasco?

It's a difficult call.

A couple of things

1. My old iMac broke. I NEED a new one now to work. I have to wait. Ergo I currently cannot work. If I had never had a mac before I wouldn't be waiting and would have bought something else. As it is I have had a mac before and there is no way I'm spending over a thousand pounds on a computer that will be much more difficult to use for a few months while Apple sort themselves out. If I were a first time iMac buyer I'd have given up. This experience has NOT been pleasant.

2. They may be for the most part honouring delivery dates. But giving dates like 'January' to people ordering at the beginning of December is unacceptable. Straw man argument but if they said 'July' and delivered in June I should be happy I got it in time? No chance. It's unacceptable

3. What's really pissing people off is not actually the delays in manufacture. It's the 'I don't care attitude' from Apple staff, the apparent massive discrepancies in wait times and the continues stance from Apple that it is FCFS when its obvious that that is not the case.

4. Apple sending IMacs to stores instead of first fulfilling the orders they already have annoys the hell out of me

All in all. It's not their finest hour. It's been badly managed. If there had been an acceptable alternative I would have taken it. There isn't an older model available in the refurb store and I'm stuck. It doesn't make it ok. People telling me if I don't like the delivery wait don't order or buy something else - ridiculous. Every one of my applications is licensed for osx. To buy something else would require me transferring or buying alternative versions of same

I cannot use a laptop for complicated reasons. And the Mac mini would require me buying a seperate monitor which I do not want.


So I sit and I wait. Apple simply does not have the product to sell.

Anyone thinking that loyal Apple customers are ok with this should do a poll. The vast majority of us are not. And for good reason.

You guys who are frustrated should email Tim Cook directly. I became frustrated about the statewide shortage of lightning cables after upgrading my wife and I to iPhone 5s so I emailed Tim Cook and said that I loved my new iPhone but was frustrated that I could not buy another cable for it.... a couple of days later (I had emailed on the weekend) I got a call from a Apple store manager who was holding several of them for me. When my wife went to pick them up, they gave her one for free.

Apple really does want to make you happy, but you might have to go over the heads of the low level flunkies who might not have any tools at their disposal to try to make the situation right.

Personally I think that the new manufacturing technique of friction-stir welding along with display shortages are driving the delays and no one is more motivated than Apple to getting them sorted out as this is costing them a lot of sales and a potential market share slip in the desktop market since they can't get product into the waiting hands of eager buyers.

There are probably Apple engineers spending their entire week, 24/7 trying to work the kinks out and get production up. In another month or two this will be a non issue. BTO will take 1-2 weeks and the standard three configuration options will be in stock and ready to ship.

oililymad said:

Fiasco?

4. Apple sending IMacs to stores instead of first fulfilling the orders they already have annoys the hell out of me

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They don't. I have been waiting for my iMac from a premium reseller since nov 30. The resellers got shafted.

vizlor said:

They don't. I have been waiting for my iMac from a premium reseller since nov 30. The resellers got shafted.

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They are sending them to Apple stores. Twice now I've been half way there to collect one and its sold before I got there. I live 25 mins away from nearest Apple store.

I'm phoning local stores daily.

But yes. Resellers have got shafted and their customers in the process.

I just got off the phone with the West Nyack NY Store and the girl said they don't stock the high end 1TB FD . I explained I was told earlier in the week that it was in stock but sold before I could pick it up and that I was told to check in everyday. she said that high end model may have been a return. I thought they didn't resell returns ?

mushroomtip said:

I just got off the phone with the West Nyack NY Store and the girl said they don't stock the high end 1TB FD . I explained I was told earlier in the week that it was in stock but sold before I could pick it up and that I was told to check in everyday. she said that high end model may have been a return. I thought they didn't resell returns ?

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She's wrong. Next time someone is clearly clueless and giving you wrong info you should be asking to speak with a manager there, or, email apple customer care directly.

There is a part # for the retail stock version of the i7 iMac with the 1TB Fusion and 860 graphics card. All Apple stores should be stocking that configuration eventually.

I understand the frustration, but Apple does not hire rocket scientists to work in their retail and they do carry numerous products in various configurations that all of the staff might not be familiar with... and the person normally working the phones is not a "genius". If you get unsatisfactory info from that person you need to insist on speaking to someone else, or call back and give someone who knows what they are doing.

mushroomtip said:

I just got off the phone with the West Nyack NY Store and the girl said they don't stock the high end 1TB FD . I explained I was told earlier in the week that it was in stock but sold before I could pick it up and that I was told to check in everyday. she said that high end model may have been a return. I thought they didn't resell returns ?

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I posted this in another thread but I picked up the high end 1TB FD with 680mx today in store. They had several of them. I ended up cancelling my online order.

jmpage2 said:

She's wrong. Next time someone is clearly clueless and giving you wrong info you should be asking to speak with a manager there, or, email apple customer care directly.

There is a part # for the retail stock version of the i7 iMac with the 1TB Fusion and 860 graphics card. All Apple stores should be stocking that configuration eventually.

I understand the frustration, but Apple does not hire rocket scientists to work in their retail and they do carry numerous products in various configurations that all of the staff might not be familiar with... and the person normally working the phones is not a "genius". If you get unsatisfactory info from that person you need to insist on speaking to someone else, or call back and give someone who knows what they are doing.

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I guess that's what I'll do next time I call. I didn't make a fuss because Im heading to visit my kid tomorrow which is 5 minutes from the store , needless to say ill be stopping in . Ill talk to a manager then and tell them they need to get the facts straight .ill be very polite in doing so.I have a 3 TB on order but ill settle for the 1 TB if I can have tomorrow . Thanks for the info .

I don't have a choice because Apple doesn't have any iMac with 3TB Fusion and Best Buy doesn't even have any available in-store or on-line.

It's been 10 days and still processing...

robjulo said:

I posted this in another thread but I picked up the high end 1TB FD with 680mx today in store. They had several of them. I ended up cancelling my online order.

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Yup, I had a non fusion 1TB i7 27 on order (was going to save $$ on the Fusion drive and replace it myself with an SSD)... but they got some of the i7s in stock at a local store and I went ahead and got it now rather than wait till mid-late February for my BTO.

I figure having the Fusion drive will also potentially help a little bit with resale way down the road.

robjulo said:

I posted this in another thread but I picked up the high end 1TB FD with 680mx today in store. They had several of them. I ended up cancelling my online order.

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was that the West Nyack NY Store ?

And I don't think delivery times will comedown to a week until April

I got the machine a week before promised and it is the best machine I've ever owned in every way. So it's a success In my eyes

I am going to suggest it possibly is a fiasco.

The fact that people who ordered via resellers on the first day or two still don't have the macs. And it doesn't look like we are getting very soon either. I know for mine they placed the order with Apple at 3pm UK time on 3rd December.

I think Apple's proritisation is all wrong. Considering I am seeing people who ordered mid January starting to get their macs. Some of us have waited 8 weeks now.

Oh and the local Apple store has them, in stock.

So whether it's a fiasco purely depends on where you ordered it I suppose. Sigh.

I don't know if "fiasco" is the right world, but is sure as hell is not making much sense.

Folks here are ordering online and getting ship dates 3-4 weeks out for the 27". Yet, anyone can go to Amazon and order a couple of standard configs and get the iMac the next day. Same goes with Best Buy, and there are numerous reports of several configurations in inventory at Apple Stores.

Shouldn't those who have prepaid via Apple be first in line? If I placed my order, then found I can walk into an Apple Store or Best Buy and get it right away, I'd be a bit angry. Then I'd cancel the online order and walk out with the new box .

A product that's difficult to assemble and in high demand has a waiting time... FIASCO! SHUT APPLE DOWN! GIVE THE MONEY BACK TO SHAREHOLDERS!

...

Do you people read the things you write, at all? Get a life.

As for resellers... why? What possible reason is there for buying from them instead of Apple? Obviously Apple is going to prioritise it's own supply before anyone elses.

dandrewk said:

I don't know if "fiasco" is the right world, but is sure as hell is not making much sense.

Folks here are ordering online and getting ship dates 3-4 weeks out for the 27". Yet, anyone can go to Amazon and order a couple of standard configs and get the iMac the next day. Same goes with Best Buy, and there are numerous reports of several configurations in inventory at Apple Stores.

Shouldn't those who have prepaid via Apple be first in line? If I placed my order, then found I can walk into an Apple Store or Best Buy and get it right away, I'd be a bit angry. Then I'd cancel the online order and walk out with the new box .

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Same goes for Apple. You can go to an Apple Store and buy a new one straight away.

So online orders should be prioritised? What would **** you off more - ordering online with a 3-4 week wait which you are told about, or going to a retail store and finding they're out of stock. It's all about setting the right expectations .

And resellers - they'll have to give them a decent amount of them - could you imagine Apple and Amazon's relationship if Apple said "We're selling them ourselves, you can wait 'till the initial demand has gone".

jmpage2 said:

I understand the frustration, but Apple does not hire rocket scientists to work in their retail and they do carry numerous products in various configurations that all of the staff might not be familiar with...

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^^^ This. I got lucky and was able to talk to a staff member who appeared to have the straight of it at the Gilbert, AZ San Tan Village store. Short skinny bald guy, super friendly. I asked what the possibilities were of getting a CTO in-store and he said virtually all of the units delivered are base configs, and on the rare occasion they get an alternate config, they aren't given any information to expect it, it just shows up. He said I was welcome to check in every day if I wanted, and he would be glad to personally set up my sale if he was there that day and they actually received the version I wanted, but that if I wanted to go with the best odds, I would be better off putting in an online order. I appreciated that answer -- he told me the real situation, in a way where I could make an informed decision.

I decided to give it a little longer to see if the online shipping delays tighten up any. We'll see. In the meanwhile, any time I happen to be near that Apple Store, I'll be checking in with that guy just on the off chance that they have the unit I want on hand, and I know not to hold it against him if they don't, because he didn't lead me on with a promise that they absolutely would within X days or what have you.

I can't see the delays ending any time soon. If anything despite apples claims that they are now ramping up production. I dont see much evidence of that in threads of people waiting.

I can even see delays being extended rather than shortened.

So my guess is now May for acceptable ship times

mikeorchard said:

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As for resellers... why? What possible reason is there for buying from them instead of Apple? Obviously Apple is going to prioritise it's own supply before anyone elses.

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Read my post. Clearly this is not happening. I can go to Best Buy or Amazon and get a new iMac -weeks- before I could via Apple's online store.

Taking 4.5 months replace my Imac that was originally taken in for repair under warranty in october at a 3rd party reseller