Apple Halts In-Store Pickup Option for iPhone 5s Orders in Online Store

[bassfingers]

This is incorrect. It was explained to us last night when we ran to get 32 gig silvers we saw online. The online order and in store orders are pulled from the same stock. They have people in the back room who are constantly pulling for online orders or pulling phones for the people on the floor selling. Our sales representative was not the one who got the phone from stock. He used his iPhone sales point to tell them what he needed in back and they brought it out.

In other words people online can get to the end of an order only to find out it's gone before the order is finished. There's a bunch of posts in the forum about this. And is likely the real reason they decided to take 5S out of the system.

I just wish they would have left it so you could see what's in stock.

We could not order our iPhones for in store pick up due to trade ins. So we were using it just to see when the shipment arrived. We saw silver 32s arrive and got in the car and made a run for it. We had to wait 20 minutes for an available rep and got almost the last two because so many people were buying them online for in store pick up.

He sent a runner request to a BOH specialist from his Easy Pay inside the Runner app. Is what he did, specifically.

People no longer have a phone at the end of an online order due to several simultaneous online orders. Not from people in the store getting one off the shelf.

When personal pickup is running as it should, any single shipment is divided into two separate inventories. Not physically, just systematically.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I'm beginning to think Apple does give a...... about their customers. Their arrogance is that they'll always be someone else to purchase the item.

nope. thats just all in your head.

these things arent made out of thin air, it takes time, some people are just gonna have to wait.

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I don't expect them to bend the laws of physics. I understand that there isn't enough stock to satisfy demand but I'd expect them to communicate better about it.


[list of desired stuff removed]

...sorry dude, but that list is a bunch of entitled rubbish. it's not apple's job to prevent people from lining up. as for calling ahead -- yep, it's true they may sell out by the time you get there. as for October -- it's their best guess. the world isnt black and white, it's gray... this isnt an exact science, it's the marketplace.

So what I'd expect is better communication, fairer and simpler purchasing.

dude. i used their app from a bar and bought my phone in 4 minutes. FOUR MINUTES! how much easier can they make it? youd still complain.

Personally, I think they should've delayed launch until they were ready to offer a decent supply, preventing the chaos and disappointment that currently exists.

omg...so 9 MILLION units wasnt enough to produce before launch? maybe not, but these things dont come out of thin air.. supplying 9 million phones is the largest ever for a launch. you cant make everybody happy.

people gotta put on the big boy pants and realize the world around us -- it's imperfect. things dont go perfect for everybody. if youre trying to buy the most popular computing device in the world the first day or week it's out, be prepared for some frustration. thats life, man.

 

[dlondon]

mdelvecchio, there's no need to be rude. I'm not slagging off the beloved Apple.

I'm not bothered that Apple doesn't have enough stock to meet demand. Yes this has happened every year but the supplies have never been as short at this (with most UK stores previously having enough stock for the whole weekend). This isn't a Apple slanging match from me. I just think they could've handled this better that's all. The list are things I though Apple could have done differently - not a demand from me to the almighty Apple.

The UK stores I have contacted today (all the London ones) claim they've had no additional stock since launch yet each day they have been saying to get to the store before they open the next day as there might be stock. As you say, these phones don't just appear out of thin air so surely someone in Apple knows whether they are going to be delivered or not? - but they're not telling the staff in store. So my point is, could Apple not state on their website that stocks are really limited or offer a reservation system of some kind to prevent people unnecessarily travelling and queuing? Is that so unbelievable unreasonable of me to suggest that? People are going to the stores because Apple has given them reason to believe that they might be in with a chance (or rather has not declared there is no stock).

I've explained all my other points but you're obviously seeing it from a different perspective to me. The only point I would like to clarify is that UK stores had no stock to buy on the app and get in store in 4 minutes - even on launch day. We could order via the app for home delivery or wait in a queue at a store where stock was sold out before store opened. I did order via the app - for your information. If I had known the stock was that limited then I would've ordered from the comfort of my bed (without having to put my 'big boy pants' on).

 

[HEK]

From what I have read, Apple expected to be 20% over the iphone 5 launch of 5 mil. Frankly, My take is that Apple was surprised by the 9 mil number. They had volume to cover the expected amount of 6 mil. Any other product line or industry that exceeded their projections by 1/3rd would be praised for providing a product consumers wanted. All the Apple nay sayers would be yelling praises from the roof tops if their beloved android providers posted similar three day sales volume. What is it about android users that compels them to disparage other people's choices so much on Apple forums? I use a product that serves my needs, retains its' value (got $365 for my 4s) all without my feeling's being hurt, when others make alternate choices. I don't even feel the need to call Android users animal names. As what they decide to buy and use, doesn't diminish my choice. Just my two cents !

 

[jdogg836]

Just read this article. I can tell you from a retail experience, that they probably stopped because of the issue with multiple people trying to snag the same unit from different locations resulting in upset and disappointed customers. That happens at the company I work for too.

 

[spazzcat]

Like I said, then they should have waited on the release date, there really is no excuse.

And hurt this quarters numbers, there is no reason to do that...

 

[Krevnik]

I never thought about adding in the quarter. I was also wondering why they didn't wait. Trying to get the analysts to think Apple isn't falling into the gutters.

That argument only makes sense if this is new behavior for Apple. It isn't. This ties in with Apple's whole approach to product launches they've done for over a decade. Before the iPod even. Mitigate the downward effect an announcement has on a quarter's sales by launching in the same quarter if at all possible. Only pre-announce if sales are already crap (MacPro), or you are going to hurt competitors more than yourself (iPhone 2G announce).

And if you want to launch in time for holiday, you need to do it in Sept/Oct. More time for the iPhone gives Apple a chance to flush peak demand out and build up stock before November. The iPad will need to be out next month if they want it available for Holiday.

 

[imlynxy]

I'm wait till they offer in store pick up. Or... may be jump off the biard with Android. I like that they testing imessages for Android. If imessages works there, there is no reason to have 5s for me. People, be patient of giving away your money

 

[bozzykid]

I'm wait till they offer in store pick up. Or... may be jump off the biard with Android. I like that they testing imessages for Android. If imessages works there, there is no reason to have 5s for me. People, be patient of giving away your money

They are not testing iMessages for Android. Someone wrote an up that routed messages through China and sort of supported iMessages through a hack. But the app was pulled for obvious reasons.

 

[alent1234]

Yep
The second quarter of iPhone sales has always been the strongest so it makes sense to launch it in third quarter

That argument only makes sense if this is new behavior for Apple. It isn't. This ties in with Apple's whole approach to product launches they've done for over a decade. Before the iPod even. Mitigate the downward effect an announcement has on a quarter's sales by launching in the same quarter if at all possible. Only pre-announce if sales are already crap (MacPro), or you are going to hurt competitors more than yourself (iPhone 2G announce).

And if you want to launch in time for holiday, you need to do it in Sept/Oct. More time for the iPhone gives Apple a chance to flush peak demand out and build up stock before November. The iPad will need to be out next month if they want it available for Holiday.

 

[csiusasvu]

Selling out the store

One thing I can't understand is why an Apple store would allow a group of people to come in repeatedly and purchase large quantities of iPhones. These are not business customers by any stretch of the imagination and I can only imagine that most, if not all, of these phones wind up on eBay.

 

[alent1234]

One thing I can't understand is why an Apple store would allow a group of people to come in repeatedly and purchase large quantities of iPhones. These are not business customers by any stretch of the imagination and I can only imagine that most, if not all, of these phones wind up on eBay.

apple makes money
shortage creates a want of the product and hype
more profits at earnings releases = happy investors