CPW - now preordering for delivery on the 11th online...

[Vereina]

I just spoke to CPW Internet Sales Support, as mine is still in Stage 2, for delivery today(!)

I asked him if there is categorically an iPhone with my name on it in their warehouse. He said yes, definitely, but the guys in the warehouse are just having a lot of trouble getting them out the door.

I mentioned that there are reports that CPW have oversold their stock and now are unable to fulfil existing orders which is why I was asking.

He said that they do have unsold iPhones in stock, but they're waiting to clear the backlog so they can figure out exactly what they've got left, and then they'll reopen sales. He said that they stopped processing orders around 2-3pm yesterday... I'm not sure what that exactly means.

So, Monday for me, if I take his word for it.

I have had essentially the same problem: still in stage 2 (although with status message saying that it "should have arrived" today!).

The CPW guy I spoke to could not have been more helpful and honest. (Sounds like he and his colleagues have been getting rather a lot of abuse, which is rather sad, given that this is only a 'phone we're talking about.) The explanation I got is that the warehouse is simply swamped, consistent with gid's post, above, but that there is an iPhone assigned to me, which will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday.

So if that's what happens, I'll be quite satisfied. It's certainly not going to kill me if I don't get my new toy for another two or three days - and, more importantly, I can now take my daughter to the bookshop instead of waiting in for the delivery today!

 

[owain182]

I have had essentially the same problem: still in stage 2 (although with status message saying that it "should have arrived" today!).

The CPW guy I spoke to could not have been more helpful and honest. (Sounds like he and his colleagues have been getting rather a lot of abuse, which is rather sad, given that this is only a 'phone we're talking about.) The explanation I got is that the warehouse is simply swamped, consistent with gid's post, above, but that there is an iPhone assigned to me, which will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday.

So if that's what happens, I'll be quite satisfied. It's certainly not going to kill me if I don't get my new toy for another two or three days - and, more importantly, I can now take my daughter to the bookshop instead of waiting in for the delivery today!

which department did you speak to for this?

i've just spoken to a customer services advisor who told me there should be one there for me, but couldn't give a date. Friday at the latest. Pretty annoying they cant give a rough date seeing as their in stock and it was ordered monday

 

[gid]

I don't know about Vereina, but I was talking to Internet Sales Support, I think.

0808 100 9250 should be free from a landline.

My call was also mainly to establish whether or not I needed to stay in all day or not.

If they haven't dispatched by Monday, I can't guarantee I won't throw toys out of the pram, but cancelling my order isn't going to get me one any quicker... unless of course Apple Regent Street have stock on Wednesday. I'll be en route from Bristol to Kent, and am tempted to break my journey for an hour if I haven't got one from CPW by then.

 

[sva]

I've been on the phone to CPW for most of the morning, I did get my 16GB but it's got an awfully yellow screen so I'm trying to get a replacement.

When they didn't hang up on me, I was told to simply take it to my local CPW store. So I did, and spoke to a really helpful guy who said that they were completely out of stock, he even tried ordering me a replacement there and then - he even showed me the screen showing no stock.

Now I'm just going to have to ring CPW every day. I get the feeling I'm going to be sick of Tom Petty by the end of the week.

 

[Libitina]

SVA, have you tried doing a 'restore' on it as mentioned on the yellow screen thread on here?

 

[sva]

SVA, have you tried doing a 'restore' on it as mentioned on the yellow screen thread on here?

Yup, still the same .

I'm not that pissed about it, the phone works (well, apart from having no service) and in some light it does look okay, as long as I get a new one in the next week or so I'll be happy.

 

[Libitina]

Yup, still the same .

I'm not that pissed about it, the phone works (well, apart from having no service) and in some light it does look okay, as long as I get a new one in the next week or so I'll be happy.

As long as you don't end up with my one

 

[gid]

NOW I'm angry.

So far, it's just been incompetence... lack of planning on O2, Apple and Carphone Warehouse's part.

However, now I've been lied to. As I wrote earlier, at 9am this morning, CPW said categorically that there was an iPhone with my name on it ready to go out the door, and they were having shipping problems. Of course, I wasn't naïve enough to actually take their word for it.

Now I check the tracking page, and it's changed to an "out of stock" notice. I haven't been emailed, called or texted to tell me of this change.

I just called CPW again for my third hour on hold to them this week, and have been told they are out of stock, and my order's scheduled to be dispatched on Tuesday. I snitted a little bit, and got the "demand is high" line, and reacted that that was irrelevant to my case as I'd been told that mine had already been allocated as of this morning.

I was abruptly put back on hold in the middle of my sentence, and eventually ended up with a fairly apologetic woman who did her best to explain.

She said that they really can't fulfil my order today, and that it is scheduled for dispatch on Tuesday. She apologised and told me that I shouldn't have been told what I was this morning. Apparently, they are aiming to get this backlog cleared next week by Friday.

My point with her was that if I'd believed them each time, I would have wasted a week waiting in for the iPhone that may never come. They really do need to work on their customer communication, and also train them not to tell customers things that just aren't true.

When it comes down to it, it's just a phone, but that's not the point. If they'd told me it'll be three weeks, I would have put up with that: I waited over a month for this Penryn MBP without complaint. Failed promises, on the other hand, are unacceptable no matter how inconsequential the product is.

Apologies for the essay. I feel a lot calmer now. Ranting about crappy customer service is what the internet's for, dammit.

 

[mugatu]

NOW I'm angry.

So far, it's just been incompetence... lack of planning on O2, Apple and Carphone Warehouse's part.

However, now I've been lied to. As I wrote earlier, at 9am this morning, CPW said categorically that there was an iPhone with my name on it ready to go out the door, and they were having shipping problems. Of course, I wasn't naïve enough to actually take their word for it.

Now I check the tracking page, and it's changed to an "out of stock" notice. I haven't been emailed, called or texted to tell me of this change.

I just called CPW again for my third hour on hold to them this week, and have been told they are out of stock, and my order's scheduled to be dispatched on Tuesday. I snitted a little bit, and got the "demand is high" line, and reacted that that was irrelevant to my case as I'd been told that mine had already been allocated as of this morning.

I was abruptly put back on hold in the middle of my sentence, and eventually ended up with a fairly apologetic woman who did her best to explain.

She said that they really can't fulfil my order today, and that it is scheduled for dispatch on Tuesday. She apologised and told me that I shouldn't have been told what I was this morning. Apparently, they are aiming to get this backlog cleared next week by Friday.

My point with her was that if I'd believed them each time, I would have wasted a week waiting in for the iPhone that may never come. They really do need to work on their customer communication, and also train them not to tell customers things that just aren't true.

When it comes down to it, it's just a phone, but that's not the point. If they'd told me it'll be three weeks, I would have put up with that: I waited over a month for this Penryn MBP without complaint. Failed promises, on the other hand, are unacceptable no matter how inconsequential the product is.

Apologies for the essay. I feel a lot calmer now. Ranting about crappy customer service is what the internet's for, dammit.

This is EXACTLY what has happened to me. Despite me being promised an iPhone friday and today it still hasn't turned up and now I'm told I'll be waiting until friday, even though they have already charged my credit card.
Really though it's the fact I've been lied to at least 4 times during the last week that's really sent me over the edge. This and the fact the staff in my local store are the rudest people I have ever dealt with.
One said to me "I'm sick of people ordering things online and then coming in here to moan about it"!!! When I tried to make light of the matter by saying I work in a phone based role and there's nothing worse than a complaining customer, she replied "Well at least you don't have to deal with them face to face!"!!!
My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Im in the process of writing a strongly worded letter to head office.

 

[iRobbie]

Hi... I'm new, so please be nice!

I ordered an 8GB iPhone from CPW on Thursday, got an email about 10.30pm last night saying "We are happy to tell you that we have processed your order. It will shortly be dispatched from our warehouse." But no specific delivery date.

Is this stage 2? I'm a little lost how people know what stage they're at!

 

[Libitina]

Hi... I'm new, so please be nice!

I ordered an 8GB iPhone from CPW on Thursday, got an email about 10.30pm last night saying "We are happy to tell you that we have processed your order. It will shortly be dispatched from our warehouse." But no specific delivery date.

Is this stage 2? I'm a little lost how people know what stage they're at!

Hi, welcome to the site.

Go https://www.mycarphonewarehouse.com/portal/servlet/gben-ordertrack-OrderTrack here and type in your transaction number.

 

[sva]

Hi... I'm new, so please be nice!

I ordered an 8GB iPhone from CPW on Thursday, got an email about 10.30pm last night saying "We are happy to tell you that we have processed your order. It will shortly be dispatched from our warehouse." But no specific delivery date.

Is this stage 2? I'm a little lost how people know what stage they're at!

Put your order number in here, it'll tell you what stage you're at.

 

[Vereina]

which department did you speak to for this?

i've just spoken to a customer services advisor who told me there should be one there for me, but couldn't give a date. Friday at the latest. Pretty annoying they cant give a rough date seeing as their in stock and it was ordered monday

Sorry not to have replied sooner. Not sure which department (probably a general sales team); the number was 0800-049-1008. Both of the guys I reached on this number could not have been more helpful (and they are clearly having a really hard time).

Judging by quite a number of different posts, the expected delivery date for orders that were said to have actual 'phones assigned seems to vary between Tuesday and Friday. I am not going to be holding my breath ....

 

[iRobbie]

Thanks SVA and Libitina feel a little foolish not to have found that!

I'm at stage THREE - should have arrived today! Weird... been in all day but nothing... perhaps I should give them a call.

 

[ryanmanu]

CPW are ridiculous, im ment to recieve it on friday after ordering it on thursday, today (saturday) it finally gets to processing and i get the message:

Your order contains an item which is out of stock. We will deal with your order as soon as possible.. Your order should have arrived on Fri, 11 Jul 2008.

absoulte shambles by o2, apple and CPW

 

[ryanmanu]

Your order contains an item which is out of stock. We will deal with your order as soon as possible.. Your order should have arrived on Fri, 11 Jul 2008.

has anyone else got the above message, and also called CPW and asked when they expect delivery?

thanks in advance!

 

[bigpants]

Your order contains an item which is out of stock. We will deal with your order as soon as possible.. Your order should have arrived on Fri, 11 Jul 2008.

has anyone else got the above message, and also called CPW and asked when they expect delivery?

thanks in advance!

I too got this!

I phoned them and after 15 minutes listening to their hold music which also included a poem about patience and choosing the right words for a situation (straw>>>Camel>>>back) I got through to some guy who explained that they were out of stock. When would they be in stock as you gave me a delivery date? I asked. He cut me off!

I managed to fire off a (pointless) complaint email. The automated reply told me to expect a reply within 3 days!!!

The basis of my complaint was even though I can understand delays and the like, I did not like being lied to and I had taken a day off. I quoted their 'Guarantee' from their website which said:

Our Guarantees

'In Stock' Guarantee

At the Carphone Warehouse, we believe in being totally honest with our customers. That means that when you see an item with the "In stock" badge against it, we guarantee that this item is in stock.

You can still 'back-order' an out of stock item and we will send it to you as soon as it is back in stock. We will also give you regular updates as to when the new stock is due to arrive.


Please note: When comparing our offers to other websites, be careful to check that they mean 'In stock' when they say it. Many websites will happily take your order for an In stock item, only to tell you that the item is not in stock but due in "any day now", and then leave you hanging for weeks on end...

RANT OVER (For now)

 

[marcel499]

CPW. Ordered Monday before noon. Money gone Wednesday. Repeated promises by both email and CS that delivery is guaranteed Friday. Apparently I'm going to be "among the first to own this revolutionary mobile phone". Not delivered Friday. Promised Saturday. Not delivered Saturday.

Anyone receive this email:

 

[marcel499]

Another bit to quote back at them from the website are the five fundamental rules apparently guiding strategy at the CPW. They are in the CEO's statement and are, in the context of my experience, laughable:

Five Fundamental Rules

At The Carphone Warehouse everything we do is based on our 'five fundamental rules'. The rules speak for themselves and need little embellishment. However, it is worth stressing that the rules are applied not just in our stores, but in our call centres and support functions too, to ensure that we provide the best possible customer experience.

1. If we don't look after the customer, someone else will.
2. Nothing is gained by winning an argument but losing a customer.
3. Always deliver what we promise. If in doubt, under promise and over deliver.
4. Always treat customers as we ourselves would like to be treated.
5. The reputation of the whole company is in the hands of each individual.

 

[biteme1977]

NOW I'm angry.

So far, it's just been incompetence... lack of planning on O2, Apple and Carphone Warehouse's part.

However, now I've been lied to. As I wrote earlier, at 9am this morning, CPW said categorically that there was an iPhone with my name on it ready to go out the door, and they were having shipping problems. Of course, I wasn't naïve enough to actually take their word for it.

Now I check the tracking page, and it's changed to an "out of stock" notice. I haven't been emailed, called or texted to tell me of this change.

I just called CPW again for my third hour on hold to them this week, and have been told they are out of stock, and my order's scheduled to be dispatched on Tuesday. I snitted a little bit, and got the "demand is high" line, and reacted that that was irrelevant to my case as I'd been told that mine had already been allocated as of this morning.

I was abruptly put back on hold in the middle of my sentence, and eventually ended up with a fairly apologetic woman who did her best to explain.

She said that they really can't fulfil my order today, and that it is scheduled for dispatch on Tuesday. She apologised and told me that I shouldn't have been told what I was this morning. Apparently, they are aiming to get this backlog cleared next week by Friday.

My point with her was that if I'd believed them each time, I would have wasted a week waiting in for the iPhone that may never come. They really do need to work on their customer communication, and also train them not to tell customers things that just aren't true.

When it comes down to it, it's just a phone, but that's not the point. If they'd told me it'll be three weeks, I would have put up with that: I waited over a month for this Penryn MBP without complaint. Failed promises, on the other hand, are unacceptable no matter how inconsequential the product is.

Apologies for the essay. I feel a lot calmer now. Ranting about crappy customer service is what the internet's for, dammit.

Same has happened to me, rang yesterday morning when the tracking had not moved from stage 2 and after waiting to 30 mins was told they where out of stock and someone would call me back monday, he also said they had approx 3500 orders they couldn't fulfill, asked for someone to call me to explain why I had been lied to but he said no one would call me until Monday.
I wouldn't have minded if they had said when I ordered it I wouldn't get it on Saturday because they couldn't handle to demand, but they said I have one confirmed as reserved and it would turn up Saturday. I would have thought after CPW messing up their free broadband offer when the released it they would have learned how to handle this kind of demand for a product, obviously not it seems
So currently I don't know when the phone will be turning up and I won't be holding my breath for a phone call on Monday.

 

[jonny05]

CPW really f**ing me off!

Hi Guys

My experience unfortunately seems to uncannily similar to many others:

Midday Monday 7th: ordered 16GB iPhone
14:13 on the 7th: receive confirmation e-mail followed 20mins later by the standard Out Of Stock e-mail.
21:54 on the 10th: e-mail to say I will be one of the first to own an iPhone 3G and I will receive it between 9am - 5:30pm on the 11th.
16:15 on the 11th: e-mail to say your iPhone 3G is coming it will be with you on the 12th??????
17:15on the 11th: call CPW who apologize and advise me that they have been told that they have come to a special deal with City Link to get deliveries on Saturday and that anybody who's order was completed before 3:30pm on the 10th will receive their iPhone on Saturday, I mention I have not had a tracking number and am advised this will be allocated before 19:00.
8:00 on the 12th: Check e-mail, Oh what a surprise no tracking number and order still at stage 2. Call orders team who advise I shouldn't have been told that I will receive it Today (12th) and that it is currently being picked and will be with me on Monday (14th). I ask to complain and am put through to Customer Support who advise Monday is also wrong and it could be Friday (18th) before I receive the phone. Ask to speak somebody more superior get passed to a Team Leader who advises Friday is right and offers £10 cheque to cover calls (This will take 28 days to reach me, I wonder which I'll get first the phone or the cheque?)

I then write a complaint e-mail detailing my experience and referencing issues such as being lied to numerous times by their staff and their website at the point of ordering. Also pre-empt the fact that I will get the unprecedented demand response by stating they should not have re-opened pre-orders on the 10th if they could not fulfill the orders they already had and that the First Come First Served statement was obviously also a lie.

Thanks for listening guys needed to get this off my chest.

Oh by the way their tracking website has changed a number of times between out of stock and is being completed it currently says:

Your order contains an item which is out of stock. We will deal with your order as soon as possible.. Your order should have arrived on Tue, 08 Jul 2008.

So that's good apparently I have already received it.

This is the single worst experience I have ever had and as others have said whilst it is only a phone, my main problem is the continued lies. If my expectations had been set from the start I would have gladly waited, however; I now want the phone today.

 

[ag227]

i think alot of you are forgetting that it is a very automated system that they use for ordering and delivery with very little input from people. So when the system thinks it should be dispacthed from when you ordered it (which it would be with normal phones) its simply not happening becuase they physicaly cant. When you phone them and ask about it some people are just reading what it says off the system and telling you that as that is all they will know, and others that may have been told more by managers or more experianced etc know that its going to take longer than it says so are telling you this. When you ring up they dont go to the warehouse and check do they, they just go by what the system says.

I understand that its very frustrating waiting around for it, only for it not to turn up.. BUT at the end of the day whos fault is it? its not o2's, its not the carphone warehouse's, its not apple's... its ours for all 'needing' to order straight away and expect it to be deliverd immedietly. The reason i say its not any of there faults is because they are all big companys doing what they do as wel as they can, which works on nearly 358 days a year (just not the week around when each iphone is launched)

When phoning up remember that the people on the phone simply work for o2 or CPW and that they do not know everything about every single order apart from what the system says! so stop stressing at them and you will get alot further.

Also when phoning dont mention 'apple' or 'iphone' or there is a high chance you will get cut off.

I know this as i just phoned to ask for a refund for the £10 extra i spent for saturday delivery (orderd friday) which now says its been dispacted and will be with me on monday. The 1st time i rang i mentioned iphone and was immedietly cut off. The 2nd time i actualy spoke to the same person and just said i made an order etc, and then he tried to sell me accesories for the iphone instead of a refund or a cheque that would take upto 2 months to arrive. I said you dont understand, i want a refund to my card now, he put me through to somebody else who refunded me straight away and the money is back on my card already (rang 30minutes ago).

just having patience and keeping calm helps alot.

 

[salanddaz]

Does this mean mine has been despatched or because the processing section is white does it mean that it is still being processed. If so I doubt mine will be here by tomorrow like it says if it hasn't been despatched yet

 

[Vereina]

Does this mean mine has been despatched or because the processing section is white does it mean that it is still being processed. If so I doubt mine will be here by tomorrow like it says if it hasn't been despatched yet

This does mean you are still processing (stage 2) - the position that quite a number of people, including me, appear to be in.

The CPW chap I spoke to on Friday and yesterday thought that, as I (supposedly) have a 'phone assigned, having ordered early Thursday before the stock ran out, it should arrive tomorrow or Tuesday. So there is presumably a possibility that it could move to stage 3 (dispatched) later today - but I would certainly not bank on that happening. A number of other posts have told that orders in this state may not be delivered until Friday, based on what CPW have said.

 

[salanddaz]

This does mean you are still processing (stage 2) - the position that quite a number of people, including me, appear to be in.

The CPW chap I spoke to on Friday and yesterday thought that, as I (supposedly) have a 'phone assigned, having ordered early Thursday before the stock ran out, it should arrive tomorrow or Tuesday. So there is presumably a possibility that it could move to stage 3 (dispatched) later today - but I would certainly not bank on that happening. A number of other posts have told that orders in this state may not be delivered until Friday, based on what CPW have said.

The guy I spoke to in CPW on Friday when I ordered it said he didn't think it would be here Monday as he said they have a lot to go through. It was good of him to let me know there may be a delay so it isn't as if I have been promised it will be here for a certain day like a lot of people on here.

I am really impatient and want my iphone

Hopefully it will be here soon, it was ordered about 8am on Friday before the website showed it was out of stock but I don't understand why they were still selling them if there isn't enough to go to the people who ordered them, it was for sale online for a good 2 days and kept saying in stock.