What do you mean? Different BestBuy stores in your area, or different retailers such as Walmart, RadioShack, etc?
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Best Buy to Carry iPhone 4 at Launch
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What do you mean? Different BestBuy stores in your area, or different retailers such as Walmart, RadioShack, etc?
Hence the reason for pre-ordering: You're guaranteed to get a phone the day they come out. It's good for you (quick), and it's good for the store (they better know their inventory needs, etc). Win-win.
Pre-Order + Port Number
bloodbone, thanks for all the great info, I'm hoping you can answer a question about porting a number.
My personal line is currently on my company's Verizon account for billing purposes. I had our telecomm director note on the account that the line was eligible to be ported out - from your experience, do you anticipate this causing any issues? Any special "gotchas" I should be aware of ahead of time that I may be able to eliminate before they cause a problem? If a pre-order is offered, would this cause any special problems in terms of me being able to pre-order the phone, or is that a completely separate transaction from actually porting the number?
Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide. I've been waiting since the original iPhone to be able to get one and they've finally given the ok so I'm just trying to make sure the transfer goes off without a hitch so I'll be able to get one on launch day, but I want to buy at BB to take advantage of an $85 reward zone coupon.
Cheers,
Jim
bloodbone, thanks for all the great info, I'm hoping you can answer a question about porting a number.
My personal line is currently on my company's Verizon account for billing purposes. I had our telecomm director note on the account that the line was eligible to be ported out - from your experience, do you anticipate this causing any issues? Any special "gotchas" I should be aware of ahead of time that I may be able to eliminate before they cause a problem? If a pre-order is offered, would this cause any special problems in terms of me being able to pre-order the phone, or is that a completely separate transaction from actually porting the number?
Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide. I've been waiting since the original iPhone to be able to get one and they've finally given the ok so I'm just trying to make sure the transfer goes off without a hitch so I'll be able to get one on launch day, but I want to buy at BB to take advantage of an $85 reward zone coupon.
Cheers,
Jim
Is it true also that if you choose to have it delivered to your door you won't get it on the 24th?
I just googled and found this http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2452992&tstart=0
Hi Jim, in theory what you're wanting to do "shouldn't" pose a problem. You may have to get it done at an actual ATT store though. BestBuy uses a propitiatory system to do all of our phone transactions and account management. While the system we use does allow us the capability to do what you are wanting, the people using it will more than likely not know how to do it. Unless you go to a pretty decent store (a higher revenue band), chances are the mobile associates will not have been trained to do these things.
For example, when the 3GS first came out, they were completely unaware that I could purchase it for early upgrade for only 199 or 299, since it was the special iPhone early upgrade. They were turning away clients left and right because they only knew how to sell the iPhone to new clients. They didn't even realize they had the ability to sell someone an iPhone who was still under the 2 year contract for an extra 200 dollars, they were just turning people away.
I would suggest calling your local store and asking speak to either the BestBuy mobile manager, or whomever has the most seniority in the mobile department. If they give you a straight answer then you should be good, if not, then they haven't been properly trained and there's little they will be able to do for you.
That's what I was afraid of, but thank you nonetheless for confirming that the fears are valid -- I'm sure the store is one of the best, it was a pilot for the BB/Magnolia concept when it opened a few years ago (Sterling, VA), but I'll probably just pre-order at the Apple Store and save the coupon for something else. Thanks again for the info!
Does anybody know if BestBuy will be able to process orders on lines with a FAN number attached to the account?
Yes, BestBuy has the capability of adding lines, and modifying accounts that have existing foundation accounts attached to them. They just do not have the ability to add new foundation accounts to your account. Does that answer your question?
I just spoke with BB Mobile and they said it was 14.99 a month for the Protection Plan. It covers everything except loss, theft, and water submersion.
The official word has come down from BBY corporate about 20 minutes ago. BestBuy will start their pre-sales tomorrow 6/15/10. It will be in-store only. You will fill out a form and pay a 50 dollar deposit, and then you will be given a 50 dollar BBY gift card.
Despite rumors about the shortage of the white iPhone, we will be selling all 4 different variations of the iPhone 4 on launch day. We will not be able to setup appointments to come in and purchase the phone until we actually have the stock hit the store, but that will happen within the next week.
We will be selling what appears to be a fullbody Rocketfish case, and a fullbody iFrogz case. I do not see any Bumper/Bunker cases at this time but I'm still hopefull that we get some, mainly due to the huge employee discounts.
We will be selling the Zagg invisible shields, and will be selling them at the same price as the online website. http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/apple-iphone-4-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php If you don't feel like you can install these yourself then the BBY mobile team charges about 8 dollars to install them. My suggestion from looking at the intall jobs from the store in my area... try to do it yourself.
There will be a 30 day employee hold on these devices to avoid client disappointment. Right now there is no official number on how many each store will be getting. When the pre-orders start coming in, that is what will decide our stock levels. We will be sent enough to back our pre-orders, and that's more than likely it.
Also, if you have any sort of a foundation account number (FAN) on your ATT account then that is NOT an issue, BBY mobile will still be able to sell you the phone at any available upgrade pricing you may qualify for. However, if you are currently on a concession line, or a demo line, meaning your bill might range from $10-$50 dollars, then BBY will NOT be able to sell you the phone with upgrade pricing. You will either have to go through your company's HR department, or through ATT to still qualify for the upgrade pricing. If you do have a concession line or a demo line, we can still sell you the phone, only it will have to be at the no commitment prices.
Despite rumors about the shortage of the white iPhone, we will be selling all 4 different variations of the iPhone 4 on launch day. We will not be able to setup appointments to come in and purchase the phone until we actually have the stock hit the store, but that will happen within the next week.
We will be selling what appears to be a fullbody Rocketfish case, and a fullbody iFrogz case. I do not see any Bumper/Bunker cases at this time but I'm still hopefull that we get some, mainly due to the huge employee discounts.
We will be selling the Zagg invisible shields, and will be selling them at the same price as the online website. http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/apple-iphone-4-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php If you don't feel like you can install these yourself then the BBY mobile team charges about 8 dollars to install them. My suggestion from looking at the intall jobs from the store in my area... try to do it yourself.
There will be a 30 day employee hold on these devices to avoid client disappointment. Right now there is no official number on how many each store will be getting. When the pre-orders start coming in, that is what will decide our stock levels. We will be sent enough to back our pre-orders, and that's more than likely it.
Also, if you have any sort of a foundation account number (FAN) on your ATT account then that is NOT an issue, BBY mobile will still be able to sell you the phone at any available upgrade pricing you may qualify for. However, if you are currently on a concession line, or a demo line, meaning your bill might range from $10-$50 dollars, then BBY will NOT be able to sell you the phone with upgrade pricing. You will either have to go through your company's HR department, or through ATT to still qualify for the upgrade pricing. If you do have a concession line or a demo line, we can still sell you the phone, only it will have to be at the no commitment prices.
So if I preorder one through Best Buy, I am not necessarily guaranteed to get one on launch day -- it will depend on how many come in? It is possible that there will be more preorders than the number of phones Best Buy will receive on launch day? If that is the case, is it first come, first served for picking up your preorder?
In theory and on paper, if you pre-order one you will get it on launch day. BestBuy stores will be allocated the required number of iPhones based upon the number of pre-orders they receive. The only way I could see you not getting one on launch day, is if more pre-orders occurred than were currently manufactured, the shipments get lost or damaged or stolen, or if too large an amount of people try to signup for pre-orders.
If the store only has 1-2 mobile registers, and it takes about 20 minutes to process 1 client (average will be much higher), figure 3 people per hour for about 15 hours (7AM opening to 10PM closing), multiplied by two registers. That's roughly 90 people. As rough as those numbers are, you've got to guesstimate what the chances are of that many people pre-ordering at your nearest BestBuy. At some stores in my area I would be surprised to see half that number pre-order the phone. At other stores I would expect several hundred.
A pretty fair assumption is, that if you are allowed to pre-order then that BestBuy store should be confident that they will have stock levels that will allow you to get a phone. There is a master list so it's not like buying movie tickets, you'll be able to see or ask how many people pre-ordered before you.
Best Buy preorder
I just back from Best Buy after pre-ordering an iphone 4. There were 4 models to choose from, White or Black, 16gb or 32gb. There was a $50 deposit, for which I received a BB gift card which will be used when I pick up the phone, and I now have an scheduled appointment at BB so I'm guaranteed to get it on the release date - plus, I won't have to wait in any lines when I get there.
Prior to going to BB, I tried to order a phone online through Apple as well as AT&T. The Apple website got stuck at the point where I selected the phone I wanted. The AT&T website did not show the iPhone 4 as an option. Don't bother calling AT&T to try an order the new iphone - they will not take your order and will just refer you somewhere else.
I just back from Best Buy after pre-ordering an iphone 4. There were 4 models to choose from, White or Black, 16gb or 32gb. There was a $50 deposit, for which I received a BB gift card which will be used when I pick up the phone, and I now have an scheduled appointment at BB so I'm guaranteed to get it on the release date - plus, I won't have to wait in any lines when I get there.
Prior to going to BB, I tried to order a phone online through Apple as well as AT&T. The Apple website got stuck at the point where I selected the phone I wanted. The AT&T website did not show the iPhone 4 as an option. Don't bother calling AT&T to try an order the new iphone - they will not take your order and will just refer you somewhere else.
When you preordered the iPhone from Best Buy did they check your AT&T account first to see if you qualify?
at this point I am just going to go into my local best buy after work. This apple/att website business is for the birds! 
I don't mind paying the $50 deposit as long as I am guaranteed a phone on the 24th. I was just planning on using my best buy credit card. Wonder if I will be able to do that for the pre-order? TIA very kind BB worker answering questions
I don't mind paying the $50 deposit as long as I am guaranteed a phone on the 24th. I was just planning on using my best buy credit card. Wonder if I will be able to do that for the pre-order? TIA very kind BB worker answering questions Bloodbone, I was 1st to preorder 2 White 32GB iPhones for my sister and me at the local Best Buy. If what you say is true, then I should get them on launch June 24th, right? What about the rumors of the white iPhones being delayed up to a month after launch?
How did you secure an appointment to get set up? Which color did you get? I preordered 2 white iPhones 1st at the local Best Buy, but they weren't able to set an appointment for receiving and setting up the iPhone but said they'll call me "soon" to set one up.
I just went to Best Buy too. All they would say is that they will hold me a iphone when available and that no one is guaranteed an iphone on launch day but that they should get enough to meet the preorders.
I asked if this included the white iphone, considering that Apple and At&t are not offering it, and I was told by the clerk who was helping me that he checked all the Best Buy employee news and email and that he has been told the white iphone will be available at launch.
So I ordered 2 white 32GB phones. Crossing fingers....
I asked if this included the white iphone, considering that Apple and At&t are not offering it, and I was told by the clerk who was helping me that he checked all the Best Buy employee news and email and that he has been told the white iphone will be available at launch.
So I ordered 2 white 32GB phones. Crossing fingers....
I don't specifically recall, but I don't think they checked my account first to see if I qualified; the sales rep did ask me if I was buying the phone with a new plan or if it was an upgrade. Since I had checked the AT&T site the other day, I already knew that I did qualify.
I did the same and went to BB before they opened. I was #1 and had no issues. I even questioned the offer for the white phone. I told them that I wanted the black 32gb. I gave them 50 for a GC and they put my name on a list for a 9am pick up time at BB the morning of the launch. They did a great job of organizing the whole thing!
When I paid the $50 deposit, the sales rep told us that they were making appointments (right there on the spot, no call backs or anything), 2 customers at a time, every fifteen minutes on the 24th, starting at 9am. I guess its different for each individual BB store.
I ordered a black iPhone 4 16gb. There was no mention of a problem or a delay with the white ones. If there is a problem with the white ones, then the sales rep (or anyone else in the store) was not aware of it.
The GF and I stopped by our local BB just after opening this morning as well. As much as I don't particularly like BB, our location made it as painless a procedure as it could be. One iPhone each. In and out in a few minutes, with a 10am appointment made for pickup on the 24th. And a promise of a call for confirmation before then.
BTW, the GF used a gift certificate for the preorder and will use the remainder when she picks up the phone. Absolute zero out-of-pocket for her. I'm glad I tagged along today, having heard of the disaster elsewhere.
Good luck to those of you still looking to preorder.
BTW, the GF used a gift certificate for the preorder and will use the remainder when she picks up the phone. Absolute zero out-of-pocket for her. I'm glad I tagged along today, having heard of the disaster elsewhere.
Good luck to those of you still looking to preorder.