Do not even bother with the Apple upgrade program.

[JustCrusin]

i joined the Apple upgrade program last year. I went on at 3am Friday and was unable to get anything. I've been checking everyday and noticed yesterday the message changed to call 1-800-MY-APPLE for assistance.

I called this morning and was told I needed to go to the store and reserve for pickup some time next weekend. What? The store is 40 minutes from my house. The whole purpose of this program (I thought) is to make the upgrade easy. This is far from easy.

Avoid this program like the plague.

Update: Spoke with someone in the program who is working to resolve the availability issue and will call me sometime next week to possibly schedule an appointment. This needs to have an easier procedure.

 

[kovey]

It works for everybody else but you.

 

[Armen]

i joined the Apple upgrade program last year. I went on at 3am Friday and was unable to get anything. I've been checking everyday and noticed yesterday the message changed to call 1-800-MY-APPLE for assistance.

I called this morning and was told I needed to go to the store and reserve for pickup some time next weekend. What? The store is 40 minutes from my house. The whole purpose of this program (I thought) is to make the upgrade easy. This is far from easy.

Avoid this program like the plague.

Do you have bad credit or something?

 

[seinman]

As if 40 minutes is a ridiculous distance to travel. I drive an hour to and an hour from work, five days a week. 40 minutes is not far at all.

 

[edlex]

It works for everybody else but you.

That's not necessarily true. Everyone upgrading from last year was held hostage by whatever your local store was allocated in inventory. If it worked for you then you got lucky but most, like myself, never had access to the full inventory that was available to those who had it shipped directly to them. Hopefully this will be rectified next year.

 

[slippery-pete]

Simple solution. Don't use the program. Use a carrier program or buy phone outright.

 

[JustCrusin]

Do you have bad credit or something?

This post has nothing to do with credit. I am already part of the program.
[doublepost=1473607461][/doublepost]

That's not necessarily true. Everyone upgrading from last year was held hostage by whatever your local store was allocated in inventory. If it worked for you then you got lucky but most, like myself, never had access to the full inventory that was available to those who had it shipped directly to them. Hopefully this will be rectified next year.

This.
[doublepost=1473607496][/doublepost]

Simple solution. Don't use the program. Use a carrier program or buy phone outright.

As is my recommendation.
[doublepost=1473607564][/doublepost]

As if 40 minutes is a ridiculous distance to travel. I drive an hour to and an hour from work, five days a week. 40 minutes is not far at all.

It isn't necessarily a long distance, but it is also my time. The process is suppose to be easy. I don't call this easy.

 

[webbuzz]

Simple solution. Don't use the program. Use a carrier program or buy phone outright.

That's my plan, assuming I actually buy one when the SIM-free model is released.

75% sure I will wait until next year.

 

[nrvna76]

Seems odd that you'd get that response from them. That's not what most people are being told, they are 'looking into it' and will respond to folks in two days. May not be any better in the end but it's different than being told to go to the store...

 

[BeeGood]

That's not necessarily true. Everyone upgrading from last year was held hostage by whatever your local store was allocated in inventory. If it worked for you then you got lucky but most, like myself, never had access to the full inventory that was available to those who had it shipped directly to them. Hopefully this will be rectified next year.

That's actually a pretty big oversight for a program that's supposed to make getting the next phone more convient.

 

[Armen]

This post has nothing to do with credit. I am already part of the program

I believe Citizen's Bank (the company behind the upgrade program financing) runs a credit check every year. I'm just wondering if there was a problem somewhere that warranted you having to visit the store. I know a few people who took that route and haven't had any issues.

 

[Glene]

So far I really like the program. Got an email last week saying I could have an upgrade. clicked on the link and five minutes later had an appointment at my local store for 10:30 this coming Friday to pick up a new phone .....can't get any simpler than that.

I also don't understand the big problem with running my credit every year. Running credit multiple times ,such as buying a car will drop your score about three points. I'm in the 800s, I could care less about dropping three points. It comes back up within a couple months. Don't buy that much on credit these days anyway.

 

[BeeGood]

Honestly, I wouldn't do AUP unless I was planning to get Apple Care+ anyway. The carrier versions are the exact same thing and they don't leave a hard inquiry on your credit every year.

 

[aristobrat]

I believe Citizen's Bank (the company behind the upgrade program financing) runs a credit check every year.

For people already on the program (like the OP), that step happens when they pick up the phone in the store, not during the "make a reservation" part.

 

[edlex]

For people already on the program (like the OP), that step happens when they pick up the phone in the store, not during the "make a reservation" part.

And once again we expose ourselves to the credit check "roulette" and hope we get approved.

 

[Armen]

For people already on the program (like the OP), that step happens when they pick up the phone in the store, not during the "make a reservation" part.

Ah ok.

 

[aristobrat]

Honestly, I wouldn't do AUP unless I was planning to get Apple Care+ anyway. The carrier versions are the exact same thing and they don't leave a hard inquiry on your credit every year.

That's nice, for this year.

Last year, AT&T's upgrade program had the payments spread over 18 months (not 24), which had you paying for 60% of the phone (not 50%) if you upgraded yearly.

That's how I ended up on AUP.

 

[Zorn]

When I first saw this program, I was excited. Then I saw the details. I don't buy insurance plans on products, and having the cost of that baked in, as well as paying full price for the phone to begin with, I can't see the purpose. I'd gladly do something like this if there were a financial upside, but as it stands I do much better simply selling the previous model on eBay. And that's before seeing what a huge mess it turned into for customers on the plan only being limited to pick from local store inventory.

 

[BeeGood]

That's nice, for this year.

Last year, AT&T's upgrade program had the payments spread over 18 months (not 24), which had you paying for 60% of the phone (not 50%) if you upgraded yearly.

That's how I ended up on AUP.

AT&T lets you upgrade at 18 months, the payments are still spread over 24. I was on NEXT24 last year and the year before.

As a matter of fact, last year there was even a 30 month option. Don't know about this year as I've switched to Verizon.

 

[alent1234]

if you want to do IUP best is to wait to mid to late october. I knew this was going to happen last year when they started it.

 

[foxconn]

I think you need to relax. It's the first year for the upgrade. Next year will be better.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

i joined the Apple upgrade program last year. I went on at 3am Friday and was unable to get anything. I've been checking everyday and noticed yesterday the message changed to call 1-800-MY-APPLE for assistance.

I called this morning and was told I needed to go to the store and reserve for pickup some time next weekend. What? The store is 40 minutes from my house. The whole purpose of this program (I thought) is to make the upgrade easy. This is far from easy.

Avoid this program like the plague.

Update: Spoke with someone in the program who is working to resolve the availability issue and will call me sometime next week to possibly schedule an appointment. This needs to have an easier procedure.

New stock will be allocated the 17th at 8:00am.

 

[Bojan]

I tried to reserve my phone, they didn't have it. The price convenience is okay for me, and no contracts. The rest is crap, no preferential treatment

 

[newellj]

Anyone who's worried about credit approval "roulette" for a $750-ish consumer electronics device shouldn't be buying an iPhone, at least not on any kind of credit arrangement.

 

[sportsfrk214]

Yea it seems like the your view of the Upgrade Program will vary largely based on where you live. The closest Apple Store to me didn't have the phone I wanted but I live in NYC so there's tons of stores here and a few of them had it. So my experience was fine but I can totally see how if you live in a place thats only near 1 store, and that 1 store doesn't have the phone that you want that that would be frustrating. I notice that new enrollees to the program this year were able to do it online, as opposed to last year when you had to do it in store. I hope that by next year, Apple has a way of allowing you to mail in your old phone so that the in-store requirement can be eliminated.