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Carrier AT&T - how long after Apple order cancellation is the line released for upgrade?

jmpage2

jmpage2

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 14, 2007
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I'm debating lining up in the wee orders for an iPhone tomorrow... however I already have an iPhone X on order with Apple via the AT&T Next purchase option... due to having trouble doing the Apple Upgrade Plan the day I placed my order.

If I get in line and it appears there is enough stock for me to take delivery of a phone, how long would it take on average to cancel my Apple store order and have my line "free" to do a new purchase?

Is this typically a matter of minutes, or hours?

Thanks.
 
Usually instant, but you never know how bogged down AT&t servers will be on launch day. Why not pay via IUP like you originally intended if you land one, then it won't matter and you can just cancel the other one?
 
Lobwedgephil said:
Usually instant, but you never know how bogged down AT&t servers will be on launch day. Why not pay via IUP like you originally intended if you land one, then it won't matter and you can just cancel the other one?
Click to expand...

When you try to place an order with IUP it actually checks with the carrier on if your line is eligible. Since I already have the line locked up with AT&T Next for my iPhone X pre-order from Apple I am unable to place another order.

I will have to cancel my order in order to place another one, so I'll line up and if there is stock I will cancel the AT&T Next order and do the new order with IUP.

On pre-order night/morning my attempt to choose IUP failed, since I put in the billing address associated with the credit card I was going to use to make the monthly payments. Apparently on the application they are looking for the billing address to match the home address on file with the credit reporting agency they pull credit with.

The entire pre-order experience was a nightmare for me... so I'm sure the line-waiting process can only be worse! :)
 
The Apple Genius can call ATT customer care via a private, direct line to have them release the phone for upgrade availability.

First hand experience with this matter.

Get in line.
Get hands on phone.
When at counter, cancel pre-order.
If any issues, have Apple Genius assist.
 
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endlesseight said:
The Apple Genius can call ATT customer care via a private, direct line to have them release the phone for upgrade availability.

First hand experience with this matter.

Get in line.
Get hands on phone.
When at counter, cancel pre-order.
If any issues, have Apple Genius assist.
Click to expand...
This what I had been wondering and trying to find an answer to. Thank you!
 
Same issue for me, except I am lining up at AT&T store. Instead of canceling the original order, my plan is to purchase outright on a new line. If successful, then I cancel the Apple order. On same day, I call AT&T to ask that they transfer the IPX over to my old line and then cancel the new line that was added that morning.

But now you have me wondering. Your strategy involves less steps but there is a risk that’s cancellation will not update immediately.

On a related note, my status is listed as ‘order in progrss’ Can I still cancel if it switches to ‘preparing for shipment’?
 
Hey @seancy don't expect your AT&T store to have any inventory. You might want to check today before you bother to waste your time in line. Once you Apple order goes to Preparing for Shipment, you can't cancel it.

Dave
 
endlesseight said:
The Apple Genius can call ATT customer care via a private, direct line to have them release the phone for upgrade availability.

First hand experience with this matter.

Get in line.
Get hands on phone.
When at counter, cancel pre-order.
If any issues, have Apple Genius assist.
Click to expand...

I did exactly this last year, and the upgrade was available instantly.
 
jmpage2 said:
I'm debating lining up in the wee orders for an iPhone tomorrow... however I already have an iPhone X on order with Apple via the AT&T Next purchase option... due to having trouble doing the Apple Upgrade Plan the day I placed my order.

If I get in line and it appears there is enough stock for me to take delivery of a phone, how long would it take on average to cancel my Apple store order and have my line "free" to do a new purchase?

Is this typically a matter of minutes, or hours?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I canceled my Apple order on Tuesday and as of today my eligibility on att hadn’t changed. I called yesterday and they told me to wait until today. Called today and they had to manually fix it. After about 10min on the phone, they were able to reset my eligibility.
 
It was instant for me too. There was some confusion however because I was using the AT&T next plan. I still had my previous iPhone, so when I returned the new one, they thought the balance due for the previous phone was the unprocessed credit for the new one. Only after they called the special back channel line to AT&T was it clear that my upgrade was reset and I could purchase the another phone immediately.
 
Steve686 said:
My experience lately has been almost instantly since Apple and AT&T computers communicate pretty well.
Click to expand...
LMAO you did not just say this.

The whole reason a lot of folks had issues ordering phones is because Apple and AT&T can't communicate for piss.
 
mikejfrd said:
I canceled my Apple order on Tuesday and as of today my eligibility on att hadn’t changed. I called yesterday and they told me to wait until today. Called today and they had to manually fix it. After about 10min on the phone, they were able to reset my eligibility.
Click to expand...

Yikes, that's not good.
[doublepost=1509658066][/doublepost]
endlesseight said:
The Apple Genius can call ATT customer care via a private, direct line to have them release the phone for upgrade availability.

First hand experience with this matter.

Get in line.
Get hands on phone.
When at counter, cancel pre-order.
If any issues, have Apple Genius assist.
Click to expand...

Thank you!

Hope I am lucky going to a smaller outdoor mall where it will be freezing cold and lining up around 5AM for a phone.
 
billycuth said:
LMAO you did not just say this.

The whole reason a lot of folks had issues ordering phones is because Apple and AT&T can't communicate for piss.
Click to expand...

He did just say that. He also said "in my experience".

So that being said, in MY experience as well, at&t's and Apple's systems have spoken together very well when needing to get things done within the last 2-3 years.
 
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Steve686 said:
I’m not sure what issues had to do with the communication BETWEEN Apple and AT&T.

I know each had their own issues fulfilling orders or cancelling orders.
Click to expand...
Because Apple servers could not reach AT&T servers to verify wireless details.
 
I confirmed a walk-in reservation in Apple store. The employees said it’s guaranteed fulfillment.

I have also a preorder online for later delivery on att.

I am thinking if I cancel that order now with about 90 mins to go the upgrade eligibility on att side might reset by the time comes to pick up reservation.

Worth taking risk?
 
billycuth said:
Because Apple servers could not reach AT&T servers to verify wireless details.
Click to expand...
Strange.

On page 29 of the stickied AT&T preorder post, people were getting in EARLY through AT&T to complete preorders and there isn’t one mention of “servers not communicating for verification” by anyone for the next 20 pages. As a matter of fact the MAJORITY of posts were people excited about how fast and easy the preorder was once they gained access amid the flood of preorder traffic.

Seems like the servers were communicating just fine for most people.

The biggest problem I’ve read about here were people not being able to get the Apple Store app to allow preorders until many minutes after start time. Once people did get in, the order went pretty well unless there was an address or payment issue.
 
So I’m at Target and they have all sizes. I’m in the 2-3 week preorder. They say if I cancel it will take 24-48 hours to show in targets system. If I upgrade my wife’s line can I just swap the phone to my number after I leave the store? Put my sim from my phone into the X? Then she takes my preorder when it comes in?
 
Bumping as I've had this issue come up today. Needed to change the delivery type so the Apple Specialist had me cancel only to be waiting over 3 hours for Apple to get the upgrade availability to ATT. Still waiting sadly but I still have availability to pick up on launch day nearby so hoping it's not too much longer. Just shocked given the 2017 comments that not much has changed on launch days.
 
Branmonkey said:
Bumping as I've had this issue come up today. Needed to change the delivery type so the Apple Specialist had me cancel only to be waiting over 3 hours for Apple to get the upgrade availability to ATT. Still waiting sadly but I still have availability to pick up on launch day nearby so hoping it's not too much longer. Just shocked given the 2017 comments that not much has changed on launch days.
Click to expand...
Same here. Cancelled because I decided to not get silver. Calling on the phone didn’t speed up the process. Still waiting. Keep me posted if you could when yours resets.
 
Was told by Apple it'll release within 24 hours and they were super not helpful. Wished they had told me that. Thankfully the phone I want is still in stock for day of pickup... but holy heck they need to get better about this!
 
Branmonkey said:
Was told by Apple it'll release within 24 hours and they were super not helpful. Wished they had told me that. Thankfully the phone I want is still in stock for day of pickup... but holy heck they need to get better about this!
Click to expand...
No doubt about it. Super frustrated right now. Hoping the phones don’t go out of stock from store pick up!
 
metzy25 said:
No doubt about it. Super frustrated right now. Hoping the phones don’t go out of stock from store pick up!
Click to expand...

Ditto! Holding out hope! But mine's still showing no upgrade and I have like 12 hours till it's been a full day. Hang in there. I hope by breathing new life into this thread others will be more aware of how it all works. I've never had trouble with any orders in the past like this time and I'm baffled by how easy these errors could be fix or how they could just give a specialist the ability to change our delivery!
 
24 hours and still nothing. Spoke to Apple and now their story is they have escalated the issue and hope to have it resolved in a few days. This is just silly! Thanks for holding on to my upgrade Apple... wow I will probably never use Apple ordering again. And my store is officially out of the phone. Cool!

Update - AT&T sees the reversal in progress but have said it takes 48 hours from the cancellation... so we'll be waiting another day! :(
 
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