Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Collecting Customer Information in Effort to Address iPhone Upgrade Program Pre-Order Issues

ics55 said:
This does sound bad. In a situation like this, I would send an email to Angela Ahredts, who is the SVP of retail. You can use google to find her email. It sounds crazy but it really works. They have a special team that follows up on these. If you have a real issue, which you seem to, they will fix it. I did this about a year ago and her assistant fixed the issue which involved getting me a very high demand item in just 2 days. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will give that a try.
 
RustProof said:
I'm not on the upgrade program, 4 seconds later all sold out for me to.
Click to expand...
You're doing something wrong then, because you should have been able to place an order and receive it at least sometime in early October. IUP customers were restricted to in-store stock only, if the store didn't have it, you couldn't upgrade, period.
 
malencar said:
After a 35 minute hold I got someone who told me she would transfer me to the IUP department... only to have the call disconnected. Now I'm on my second long hold, this time it's been 40 minutes already.

Remember when Apple's customer support was as great as their products?

Talk about not being able to scale appropriately...
Click to expand...

Same happened to me, except it was 30 minutes for frontline, then 50 minutes to finally connect with the IUP department, then disconnected after about 30 seconds of talking with the IUP specialist. No call back. Not sure what to do at this point...
 
Markarian421 said:
New thread, new wave of people that don't really understand what's going on. So let me try to summarize.

  • This is for people who signed up for the IUP last year and are trying to upgrade this year.
  • We're supposed to be able to upgrade after 12 months. Phil Schiller talked this up during the iPhone 7 announcement. Before everything went bad the Apple IUP page was still saying "First to join, first to upgrade."
  • And most importantly, this isn't about having to wait. Many of us could not even place an order. There were few to no phones available in the separate ordering system we had to use. It's not that we placed an order and are unhappy that we'll have to wait until after release day. We could not and still can't place an order. We can speculate on the nature of the system or planning failure that caused this, at the moment we don't really know. But that's why Apple is now having people call, they are gathering info and trying to figure out what they can do about all these upgrade customers that couldn't, and still can't, upgrade.
  • If we can't upgrade at 12 months, well will have to make extra payments on the current phone and extra payments on the next phone (or upgrade late).
  • Nothing in the contract would have lead us to believe we'd have to do the upgrade in store, in fact the language in the contract indicates we'd have 14 days to send in the old phone after receiving the new one. The contract was clearly written with the idea that the upgrade would, or at least could, be done by mail.
  • And finally, from the other thread, if you had this problem you need to call (not chat) to get help, and it's clear at least half of the front line Apple Support people are still clueless. Insist on talking to an iPhone Upgrade Program Specialist, as instructed on the web page. If they won't transfer you, hang up and call back.

In my case, I got into the store at about 12:03 and there were no phones available. There haven't been since. We watched everyone else ordering, and ship times slipping into October and November, and we couldn't (and still can't) place an order.
Click to expand...
Thank you to explaining this exactly as it went down, WHO this problem affects and the solution for those who cannot READ the previous threads. Now they know the situation we are in!
 
  • Like
Reactions: leesweet
nwlondonlad said:
Yeah same here, called the Uk store yesterday and today. They are clueless and like you said they have no IUP team and all calls get transferred to Apple online sales. Told me to keep an eye on the website for any new updates.

On both occasions nobody offered to take my details or ask what model i was looking to get lol.

There just seems to be too many discrepancies between the Uk and US IUP plans

UK IUP Plan =
To enter the IUP you have to reserve online and take paperwork into store to perform credit check
Upfront payment of £45 (every year if you choose to upgrade)
Payment spread over 20 monthly payments (You pay more if you choose to upgrade after 11 months)

US Plan =
Enter the IUP can be done online with the phone dispatched to you
NO upfront cost
payment is spread over a 24 month period (so you pay less then someone in the UK if you choose to upgrade after 12 months)

Might stick to buying outright
Click to expand...

It was my understanding that handing the old phone back covered the upfront cost? I didn't realise they'd be asking for £49 every time I want a new phone. What is the upfront cost even for?! It's interesting that it's more expensive here as well. I just couldn't believe that they don't have an phone support department for it here. What a load of old c**p. Feel like we've missed out just as much as US customers but you can bet whatever 'solution' Apple come up with in the US it won't be mirrored here.

I heard most of the iPhone 7 stock has been sent to networks here, so not only are you less likely to get an iPhone 7 even ordering from Apple at all, but even lesser likely to get one with IUP. This needs to be sorted for next year.

Maybe this Apple's way of scolding us even more for Brexit.
 
IMO this is a complete screw up by Apple. Very few products or businesses have the luxury to do what Apple could have done. They messed up by waiting so late to announce then doing such a short time to preorder before launch. If they would have done announcement in late August then preorder for 2-3 weeks then release a week later. They could build phones just off orders. Every retailors dream to only have to have inventory to match your sales. Plus this would have given them a great way to judge what colors and sizes would be most wanted. They could have even given IUP program people a early email form. Do you want to upgrade? Which color? Which Size? I mean really this could have been so easy. You have large group of people locked into your product and you aren't prepared to provide the service? Hope they fix it before next years launch or this will really be a mess.
 
d3miller said:
Same happened to me, except it was 30 minutes for frontline, then 50 minutes to finally connect with the IUP department, then disconnected after about 30 seconds of talking with the IUP specialist. No call back. Not sure what to do at this point...
Click to expand...
Unlucky, because the first thing I was asked was for my phone number in case we were disconnected! If you didn't get a chance to give them enough data to complete the process (S/N, what phone you want, what stores you use), I'd call back. And be sure to give them your contact info. :)
 
budselectjr said:
Has anybody tried to do this via chat?
Click to expand...
I was wondering that myself as I was looking for the mentioned option to have someone call you back instead of waiting in queue... (and didn't find it, BTW), and I was thinking it would not work well (chat) because you need to be transferred to the IUP folks.

If someone wants to be a test case....
 
malencar said:
Lol indeed :)
Extra Lol for people who still think being a troll is funny in 2016 and come to a site called MACrumors to say **** about Apple customers.

LOL
Click to expand...
I am an Apple customer and definitely not a troll. Everyone is going to survive if they don't have a new device on launch day. They are making more devices.
 
v2oxviesta said:
Using the iPhone Upgrade program at checkout actually went really well for me. I was new to the program this year and I just picked my iPhone, popped in my credit card (and SSN) and was good to go. I got the 1-2 week window on a 7 Plus in Jet Black but nobody got earlier than that so it's not a big deal. Only down side was I couldn't do in-store pickup but it took all my info and even approved me from the Apple store app, so I guess it works for me.
Click to expand...

The issues are not for new sign-ups but for those already in the IUP. Wait till next year...if Apple doesn't really fix this, you'll have the same problems others are having this year.
 
akadafni said:
I am an Apple customer and definitely not a troll. Everyone is going to survive if they don't have a new device on launch day. They are making more devices.
Click to expand...

We can't order devices and are on the hook for making monthly payments for our old ones...what is so difficult about this situation that people can't wrap their minds around it? Wow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpenceMan01, Weaselboy and 88Keys
JarScott said:
Just got off the phone with Apple support UK. She said they don't have a department for IUP over the phone and said she didn't know where transfer my call to. She said the information they had on it was very limited because it was so new to them and that, as far as she knew, the IUP deal with totally between the customer and their local store which is why they don't have a phone support department for it. She eventually said the best she could do was pass me to the Store manager. He said they have no idea what stock they're gonna get and they don't even know what stock the reservations site says they will have. Basically UK customers trying to sign up for IUP totally lost out due to Apple's terrible ordering system and they won't help us get reservations that don't exists.

He said my best bet was checking the site from the 17th and confirmed that new inventory would appear at 6AM every morning. He also said I could order it online, have them return it and sell it back to me as IUP. I said that would take way, way longer and wasn't worth the risks he outlined with that method.

This looks like a US only thing they're dealing with, and only for people already enrolled. Which is stupid because those of us who knew we wanted the IUP had no chance of getting a phone.

How did Apple mess this up so royally? They may well be 'dealing' with this now but I don't think anyone in the UK will benefit.
Click to expand...


@johnnyboy665 , @JarScott & @nwlondonlad I've been speaking with a Apple UK/Ireland Executive today - I pinged off an email to Apple's UK & Ireland Mark Rogers a few days ago expressing my disappointment with the IUP in the UK. They are now personally handling my order, no promises on delivering a phone - however they are trying their best.

I would recommend going through the same route; I only emailed in order to get the issue highlighted at the top and in order to make improvements next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nwlondonlad
leesweet said:
I was wondering that myself as I was looking for the mentioned option to have someone call you back instead of waiting in queue... (and didn't find it, BTW), and I was thinking it would not work well (chat) because you need to be transferred to the IUP folks.

If someone wants to be a test case....
Click to expand...

I'll give it a shot.

Edit: Nm. Haha

"Thank you for contacting Apple. Due to extremely high volumes, we are unable to answer your chat at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try your chat again later. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the future."
 
I can't believe everyone here stresses themselves out so much.

It is pretty obvious Apple is never going to change their release protocol. It helps them to have short supply and have tons of news articles about how the phone sold out...again!

When I got the iPhone 6s Plus on the upgrade plan, I waited until the end of October when the phones were back in stock everywhere. I expect the same in a month (despite the 'November' shipping notifications people have got).

It also lets you see and avoid the problems with the initial shipment of phones...there are always some.

Stop stressing yourself out! Apple is not interested in changing the process at all. You can fret for days or just wait and avoid the stress.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phone Junky
Kapazza said:
We can't order devices and are on the hook for making monthly payments for our old ones...what is so difficult about this situation that people can't wrap their minds around it? Wow.
Click to expand...
You're gonna have to make a monthly payment under either scenario. The payment doesn't go away just because you upgrade. The phone isn't free after 12 payments. You upgrade and keep paying right?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phone Junky
budselectjr said:
Has anybody tried to do this via chat?
Click to expand...

akadafni said:
I am an Apple customer and definitely not a troll. Everyone is going to survive if they don't have a new device on launch day. They are making more devices.
Click to expand...

You're missing the point, then.
You are absolutely right, not getting the phone on launch day is no big deal.
I wouldn't mind waiting for weeks or even months. No biggie.
The point is, we weren't even given the option to select the phone we want. Not for launch day, not for a month later, not ever. At least until they fix this snafu.
For people who bought into the IUP expected to at least be treated equally, but what Apple did was limit the models that would be available to people in the IUP, which is messed up, specially considering we're arguably actually paying more for our phones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pbrutto
Kapazza said:
We can't order devices and are on the hook for making monthly payments for our old ones...what is so difficult about this situation that people can't wrap their minds around it? Wow.
Click to expand...

In theory you could pay off the loan, sell the phone and buy a new one the regular way, but that's a horrible solution to a problem that Apple never should have let exist in the first place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pbrutto
Kapazza said:
We can't order devices and are on the hook for making monthly payments for our old ones...what is so difficult about this situation that people can't wrap their minds around it? Wow.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Right now in Northern Virginia, all we have for 7 Plus's is Sprint. Period. Friday AM after 3:20 AM EDT, it was nothing for 7 or 7 Plus.

But there is no reason that we should have to check the app/website every day to see what our local store is blessed with that day and see if we can grab one when everyone else (non-IUP renewal) can get one from online stock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pbrutto
leesweet said:
One other note about the IUP in case it's still not clear for some. There is one and only one reason that we all enrolled in the IUP: to UPGRADE each and every year. As has been stated in this and other threads, marketing materials (perhaps in the past) said, and Phil said, "be the first to upgrade...". There is no financial incentive, since there are other ways to finance the phone purchase, even from Apple.

This program was to lock people into purchasing a phone (from Apple), and being able to get another one the next year and only pay 12 payments, and 'get out of' the remaining 12 payments on the original loan. Anything that prevents that is not what was sold to us by Apple last year, and, from how Apple is reacting to the supply issue, they agree.

All these comments about 'whining' and 'priority' need to be looked at in the context of how the program was sold a year ago. I don't particular care if I get my replacement/upgraded phone on Day 1, but I better get it the first two or three weeks to not have to pay a 13th payment.

(Getting it in the mail and returning the old one that way would be great, also, once the kinks are worked out!)
Click to expand...

Exactly, and thank you.

I think it's fine to stop replying to dense people at this point. If there wasn't an issue then Apple wouldn't be responding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Weaselboy
jtropeano said:
I don't think you understand that we don't expect priority. We expect *the same* as you'd get by ordering the phone for purchase. Problem is that there was still vast inventory for purchase available for you, and no inventory for purchase for us.
Click to expand...

We aren't complaining that we were not given some sort of priority over everybody else, we are astonished and irritated that we were treated worse than everyone else, literally everyone. Most of us had no pre-order ability at 1:00:05, many had no options at 1:00:01
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back