AT&T's Server Problems Continue to Cause Problems for iPhone 4 Pre-Orders

[legalos808]

no kidding? really??

Pre-ordering and reserving are not the same thing. Please read previous posts.

I did say that I Pre-Ordered it through the app didn't I?? it's not a reservation, the confirmation email clearly says that I pre-ordered it. The my iPhone will be available for pickup at the Apple Store anytime on the 24th.

BTW, the App does not let you reserve the iPhone only pre-order. I'm guessing if you want to reserve it, than it's something you can only do through AT&T, i don't think Apple is offering any reservations, only pre-orders, through their site and APP.

Oh and btw, the App gives you the choice for delivery or instore pickup.

 

[Lopes]

The Apple fine print states that reserving for instore pickup is first come, first serve, and doesn't guarantee you a phone. That's what we're all going on.

 

[pablo7]

Walked into a Bell, Ca. corporate AT&T store @ 9am today pre-ordered to ship to my house and walked out took about 10 mins. even though they had to look through my account for my exception upgrade, only about 10 people in line. Got home checked my email confirmation ready to go on the 24th.

 

[Donz0r]

This, is, frankly, wrong. Flat wrong. When I made my reservation for pick up at the Apple Store, it still asked for my phone number and other details. It queried the AT&T eligibility server. It populated the details of my calling, texting, and data plan. And then it completed the process. While ordering and reserving are different things, please don't tell people that AT&T isn't involved in the reservation process. It's simply not true. (Or at least wasn't true for me.)

My email from Apple is pretty explicit. If I show up at the store on 6/24, I'm leaving with my iPhone.

They were not involved with mine. my 3GS is not eligible until next February, but I just reserved a 32GB for 299. The app store app is not querying the ATT servers. - at least it didnt for me, my email says that I will get one on that day explicitly too, but it doesnt have any personal information about my plan or anything, although I did type in my number, social, and zip when I 'reserved'

 

[rdstoll]

I have to say what started as a simple 3 minutes process to reserve my phone (or so I thought) has turned into an all-day crusade of angst and disbelief that companies can still be having this kind of issue in 2010.

Whenever I think of AT&T I just picture them having banks of ladies plugging phone lines into the wall like they did for long distance back in the 50's.

 

[cinder]

This, is, frankly, wrong. Flat wrong. When I made my reservation for pick up at the Apple Store, it still asked for my phone number and other details. It queried the AT&T eligibility server. It populated the details of my calling, texting, and data plan. And then it completed the process. While ordering and reserving are different things, please don't tell people that AT&T isn't involved in the reservation process. It's simply not true. (Or at least wasn't true for me.)

My email from Apple is pretty explicit. If I show up at the store on 6/24, I'm leaving with my iPhone.

I dont see how this could be true.
I'd like to hear experiences on this from last year.
My observed experience last year (I didn't reserve nor preorder) was that the AT&T checking process was done in-store at purchasing.

 

[Goodeye]

Just called Apple's customer support and I am getting through now. I got a weird confirmation on the site for my reservation. So Im calling to see if it actually went through. Seems the iPhone is skipping the ATT verification and allowing to book straight out. So Before I do that I want to check and make sure my original went through. I would assume they can track it as I had to enter my cell #

 

[rwilliams]

Jerry: I don't understand, I made a reservation, do you have my reservation?

Agent: Yes, we do, unfortunately we ran out of cars.

Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the
reservation.

Agent: I know why we have reservations.

Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to
take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and
that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody
can just take them.

That is one of the funniest scenes ever.

 

[Krafty]

Got to my AT&T store 10 mins prior to opening (8.50am), just me and another women. Was in and out in a matter of minutes, got charged and my confirmation email.

 

[quagmire]

I have been doing this practically since 6:30 am where it wouldn't allow me to add it to my cart to now AT&T servers being absolute crap.

And it still isn't working.....

 

[mickhyperion]

I think the real problem is all of the overzealous foamers that insist on pre-ordering just as soon as they can, as if theirs will arrive faster or somehow be more magical than if they had waited a day or two. It's those folks who are bringing down the ordering system, not AT&T or Apple. You'll get yours, calm down.

 

[GeekLawyer]

They were not involved with mine. my 3GS is not eligible until next February, but I just reserved a 32GB for 299. The app store app is not querying the ATT servers. - at least it didnt for me, my email says that I will get one on that day explicitly too, but it doesnt have any personal information about my plan or anything, although I did type in my number, social, and zip when I 'reserved'

Perhaps there was a change in the process during the day? This morning, after querying the eligibility server, Apple's website knew that I had the 900 minute plan with unlimited data and 1500 texts. Obviously a change could have been made later in the day in order to expedite reservations?

I dont see how this could be true.
I'd like to hear experiences on this from last year.
My observed experience last year (I didn't reserve nor preorder) was that the AT&T checking process was done in-store at purchasing.

I know nothing about how that was handled last year. I'm talking about the process at 8:30AM EST today when I ordered my iPhone 4.

 

[NightStorm]

They can't get anything right. Poor 3G now cant even get orders placed.

AT&T new Motto. America's Fastest but smallest 3G coverage

T-Mobile has a smaller 3G network.

 

[Macshroomer]

*Love* that episode of Seinfeld!

Jerry: I don't understand, I made a reservation, do you have my reservation?

Agent: Yes, we do, unfortunately we ran out of cars.

Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the
reservation.

Agent: I know why we have reservations.

Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to
take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and
that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody
can just take them.

 

[Thornie]

The Apple fine print states that reserving for instore pickup is first come, first serve, and doesn't guarantee you a phone. That's what we're all going on.

Correct. Which means you still have to buy the phone when you get to the store, as supposed to just picking it up. Reserving the phone just gives you a chance to purchase one over the guy who just walk in and tried to buy having never reserved one. You still have to wait on line, you still have to set up your ATT info, you still have to deal with "first come first serve".

 

[spice weasel]

Who is really surprised by this?

Is there no end to what AT&T can mess up?

I'm no fan of AT&T, but, at least for the time being, I'm willing to cut them a bit of slack. Demand for the iPhone 4 has been HUGE, and I think it would have been difficult if not impossible for any company to deal with the strain it has caused. Ordering a cell phone isn't like ordering any other type of consumer electronic. It's a complex system.

People need to relax a bit. You'll get your new iPhone, even if it's not on the 24th.

That said, my order went through with nary a hiccup this morning

 

[Psiklops]

Reservation Confirmation

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how do I know if the reservation went through? After it being unable to connect to the AT&T servers it gave me the option of picking up in the store (which I was going to do anyway). I chose the store and submitted and it just said something like 'We'll see you in the store!'. No confirmation number or email. Did it actually reserve?

Also, I'm doing an exchange (bought a 3GS in the Apple store 2 wks ago to get unlimited plan). I've reserved as new and existing through Apple store - anyone got a better recommendation for exchanging?

TIA!!!

 

[Mliii]

There are SO many other ways to do the whole pre-order process, it's just absurd that we have this happen every time.
How about in the week leading to the pre-order date, customers get 'validated' with some kind of processing number so there doesn't need to be the volume of interaction between the AT&T servers & Apple during the pre-order period? Just plug in your number and your upgrade/whatever goes through. Even if it only eliminated 25% of the volume on the pre-order date, it would be worth it.
Just one of many possible alternatives.
But the bottom line is that the process is a mess and Apple AND AT&T share the blame.
And I understand that it is just a pre-order period, but it sends chills down my spine thinking about how messed up the activation process will be if things were this bad just pre-ordering.

 

[room237]

You just HAVE TO have it now, don't you? YOU stand in lines in thousands, for days. YOU cause the servers to crush by logging in every two minutes. Calling every two minutes...

Relax.

If it worked the first time I wouldn't have to reload, and neither would anyone else for that matter.

And yes. I have to have it now.

 

[ZGXtreme]

Keep with it guys, after eight hours of keeping Apple.com in one tab and ATT in the other while hitting F5 and retyping my info... as of 2:00 PM I somehow snuck into my account and was able to check out and preorder a 32GB for shipment to my home.

Have the confirmation but awaiting the email... stick with it, I was within 30 minutes of cancelling my ATT service all together.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

This doesn't make any sense. What the hell is reserving good for? If this is true, reserving it serves no purpose at all.

Ok.

Reserving an iPhone at your local store helps Apple guage demend and allocate units at an overage above people who've already said they would get the phone. Even if people don't show up , it's easier to have quantities > expected demand rather than guess way low and have everybody p/o.

At my local store for 3G there were two lines, one for reservations (and you had to bring your print out with reservation information) and one for joe blows. At opening, everyone who didn't have a reservation was moved to the iDonthaveareservartion line. All of us who did reserve, walked in, they found our phone and models and we contined the transaction.

So I only know how it helps for those at opening. I don't know what the advantage of reserving is for those who come in later in the day.

 

[achtung!]

someone at at&t should be fired. this is unacceptable. period.

 

[synapse9579]

Absolutely awesome! Great episode!

Jerry: I don't understand, I made a reservation, do you have my reservation?

Agent: Yes, we do, unfortunately we ran out of cars.

Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the
reservation.

Agent: I know why we have reservations.

Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to
take the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation and
that's really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody
can just take them.

 

[pablo7]

I think the real problem is all of the overzealous foamers that insist on pre-ordering just as soon as they can, as if theirs will arrive faster or somehow be more magical than if they had waited a day or two. It's those folks who are bringing down the ordering system, not AT&T or Apple. You'll get yours, calm down.

DING DING DING DING DING WINNA WINNA WE HAVE A WINNA.....you are exactly right sir then they complain about it, all the while Steve is laughing his Pancreas off.

 

[JAT]

This is really out of control. If Apple and/or AT&T knew they weren't going to be ready for this, they should have delayed the launch for prep time. I tried for an hour straight last night with no luck. Woke up at 6 am today and got through after about 5 tries. I still haven't received a confirmation email,but if I check my account for order status it shows the order so I am guessing that means it went through and I will receive the confirmation email at a later time. I was disappointed with the whole experience though. If nothing else, I hope Apple and AT&T learn from this and fix it for next time.

What is your solution? The point is bandwidth and server power, and it is a problem for many companies when demand suddenly ramps up. And there is not an obvious, finite solution. Other than people calming down and waiting a bit. It's just like rush hour traffic.

Ex:
The State of MN has run into the same problem each of the last 2 quarters since they demand that most businesses file and pay their taxes online, now. But for a week, there are so many people attempting to use the system, it is overloaded and you frequently cannot get in. They've had to extend their tax deadlines several days each time.