As there are several threads with regard to the subject please post your experience shopping for the new iPhone G3 here. Include where you shopped, how long you waited, approximately how many people were in front of you, and quality of customer service.
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How was your purchasing experience?
- Thread starter Detlev
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Where: Staffs local O2 store
How long: 1 1/2 hours outside, 2 hours inside
People in front: 7
Customer Service: Offered a tea or coffee while we waited.
Bought: Nout - they'd run out of 16GB (had 4), only 8GB(had about 12) which then sold out by 9:30am.
How long: 1 1/2 hours outside, 2 hours inside
People in front: 7
Customer Service: Offered a tea or coffee while we waited.
Bought: Nout - they'd run out of 16GB (had 4), only 8GB(had about 12) which then sold out by 9:30am.
Where: CarphoneWarehouse London Stratford
How long: 1 hour outside, 2 hours inside
People in front: 5
Customer Service: Staff not very knowledgable about upgrades - and serving other customers while my credit check went through
Bought: 16GB (last one!)
How long: 1 hour outside, 2 hours inside
People in front: 5
Customer Service: Staff not very knowledgable about upgrades - and serving other customers while my credit check went through
Bought: 16GB (last one!)
not too bad... bought a 16Gb from the O2 Store in Birmingham (New Street), 8th in line, 1st to leave the store.... due to the massive system failure I had to sign a paper contract so at the moment I own an iPod touch with GPS :S
hopefully it'll be sorted by this evening. The total process took about an hour
hopefully it'll be sorted by this evening. The total process took about an hour
Where: o2 North Finchley
When: 7:00am 32nd in queue. 8:45 am 30odd behind
How long: 1hr 45 till they ran out of 16gb then went to CPW (see below)
Customer Service: Quick to let us know stock levels and when they ran out. Free Danish but no iPhone
Where CPW North Finchley
When: 8:45am 14th in queue. From 1 to 20 to 1 behind me!
How long: 2hr 30mins and left with order for 16gb arriving Monday
Customer Service: Clear that they had very few 16gb but the apparent stock levels for the 8gb kept on changing! A lot of rather peeved people!
When: 7:00am 32nd in queue. 8:45 am 30odd behind
How long: 1hr 45 till they ran out of 16gb then went to CPW (see below)
Customer Service: Quick to let us know stock levels and when they ran out. Free Danish but no iPhone
Where CPW North Finchley
When: 8:45am 14th in queue. From 1 to 20 to 1 behind me!
How long: 2hr 30mins and left with order for 16gb arriving Monday
Customer Service: Clear that they had very few 16gb but the apparent stock levels for the 8gb kept on changing! A lot of rather peeved people!
O2 Trafford Centre.. Was about 10th in line, got in about 8:20 and was in 20 minutes. Total queue was about 50 I think.
Staff were handing out water and muffins, whilst others were running up and down the queue filling in the application forms to speed things up. They were really trying to make it run smoothly... but their systems were down and they were working with one hand tied behind their back.
Straight upgrade from Simplicity so I just used my existing sim (upgrade hasn't reached their systems yet, I note), so there shouldn't be any problems (crossing fingers they forget me and leave me on Simplicity
).
Staff were handing out water and muffins, whilst others were running up and down the queue filling in the application forms to speed things up. They were really trying to make it run smoothly... but their systems were down and they were working with one hand tied behind their back.
Straight upgrade from Simplicity so I just used my existing sim (upgrade hasn't reached their systems yet, I note), so there shouldn't be any problems (crossing fingers they forget me and leave me on Simplicity
).Where: O2 store, Walsall.
How long: Just over an hour outside, 20 minutes inside.
Queue: Approximately 20 people, I was 8th in line.
Customer service: Really good. Friendly staff, very apologetic and, to be honest, really wasn't their fault. The guy did a pretty good job of demoing the iPhone to me, and I played along for his sake even though I've already used one for about 6 months
Bought: 8GB (only had about 4 16GB and I wasn't that bothered).
To be honest I do have a bit of sympathy for O2 given the comments so far. Don't forget that their own systems are completely reliant on external services for the credit checks and that has to be a pretty time consuming part of the process. That being said, a similar thing happened for the 2G launch (if anyone remembers, the ID check for chip & pin didn't work for about 4 hours) so they should really have put some additional infrastructure in place.
How long: Just over an hour outside, 20 minutes inside.
Queue: Approximately 20 people, I was 8th in line.
Customer service: Really good. Friendly staff, very apologetic and, to be honest, really wasn't their fault. The guy did a pretty good job of demoing the iPhone to me, and I played along for his sake even though I've already used one for about 6 months
Bought: 8GB (only had about 4 16GB and I wasn't that bothered).
To be honest I do have a bit of sympathy for O2 given the comments so far. Don't forget that their own systems are completely reliant on external services for the credit checks and that has to be a pretty time consuming part of the process. That being said, a similar thing happened for the 2G launch (if anyone remembers, the ID check for chip & pin didn't work for about 4 hours) so they should really have put some additional infrastructure in place.
Where: AT&T Framingham, MA
When: 6:00am 5th in line. 5 or so behind
How long: N/A
Customer Service: Manager let us know stock levels were low and there were no 16GB available at 6:15.
Where Apple Store, Natick, MA
When: 6:30 am 3rd in line until mall security asked everyone to leave. 6:55 10th in line of 42. More than 100 people in line at 8:00.
How long: Got in right away. Had to purchase a gift card (had cash) and then the phones. Processed quickly but one of the phones would not access the network so they exchanged it which took until about 9:30. Waiting at Genius Bar for activation but network is down.
Customer Service: They are doing well as can be expected. They have that Steve Jobs grin on their faces. Do they practice that? jk
They are now sending everyone home to activate their phones.
When: 6:00am 5th in line. 5 or so behind
How long: N/A
Customer Service: Manager let us know stock levels were low and there were no 16GB available at 6:15.
Where Apple Store, Natick, MA
When: 6:30 am 3rd in line until mall security asked everyone to leave. 6:55 10th in line of 42. More than 100 people in line at 8:00.
How long: Got in right away. Had to purchase a gift card (had cash) and then the phones. Processed quickly but one of the phones would not access the network so they exchanged it which took until about 9:30. Waiting at Genius Bar for activation but network is down.
Customer Service: They are doing well as can be expected. They have that Steve Jobs grin on their faces. Do they practice that? jk
They are now sending everyone home to activate their phones.
Where: O2 Store Coleraine - Northern Ireland
How long: arrived at 6:15 am, left at 10am
People in front: 6
Customer Service: Staff frustrated by slow computers, cant blame the staff inside, they did everything they could, just general O2 failure and unprepareness. Tho they only hav 5 16GB and about 10 8GB's.
Bought: 16GB (last one!!)
How long: arrived at 6:15 am, left at 10am
People in front: 6
Customer Service: Staff frustrated by slow computers, cant blame the staff inside, they did everything they could, just general O2 failure and unprepareness. Tho they only hav 5 16GB and about 10 8GB's.
Bought: 16GB (last one!!)
Apple Store, Twelve Oaks Mall, Detroit area. Awesome experience! Got there at 6AM, doors to the mall opened at 7, doors to the Apple Store opened at 8, was on the road by 8:20 and wasn't even late for work! Free Starbucks coffee while waiting in line too. 30 people in front of me in line, about 120 people behind me as I was walking back out with my phone! The minute the doors opened, me and the thirty people in front of me funneled in and there was a rep on hand to take each of us simultaneously. After the first 30ish people were in, they were letting people in as others were leaving. Took about 5 minutes to give the rep my info, and about 10 seconds to activate. Very pleased!
Fredericton New Brunswick (Interactive Computers opened 8am Atlantic time)
1st in line, 6 behind me.
The process took 1 full hour!! (should get faster as they get used to the process).
The staff was very friendly
iPhone works great!!
1st in line, 6 behind me.
The process took 1 full hour!! (should get faster as they get used to the process).
The staff was very friendly
iPhone works great!!
Great experience! Altamonte Springs, FL AT&T store. Got there at 5am....40th in line. A bit worried, but was optimistic. Even decided to settle on black if white was unavailable. Doors opened 8am, finally got inside at 9am. Out at 9:20 (activation was lagging already). Home to pick up computer and get ready for work...out door at 9:40...quick trip by Starbucks and made it to work on time at 10am! Very happy and trying to figure out how to work this thing now
Very happy and trying to figure out how to work this thing nowShadyside, PA Apple Store
Got in line at 5:00am. I was 20th out of over 200 in line when the store opened at 8:00.
I got out of the store by 9:00. Things moved slower than expected, but the Apple staff were amazing. The longest part of the process was waiting for the iTunes activation - the servers are obviously loaded because it took about 8 mintues to get activated.
A lot of people were taking a long time to get "instructed" on the use of their phone. I made it clear to the Apple guys that I knew everything already and I just wanted to get it activated and done with. They were happy to oblige.
I also picked up the Griffin Wave silicon case - black (to match my Black 16GB).
Very happy!!
Got in line at 5:00am. I was 20th out of over 200 in line when the store opened at 8:00.
I got out of the store by 9:00. Things moved slower than expected, but the Apple staff were amazing. The longest part of the process was waiting for the iTunes activation - the servers are obviously loaded because it took about 8 mintues to get activated.
A lot of people were taking a long time to get "instructed" on the use of their phone. I made it clear to the Apple guys that I knew everything already and I just wanted to get it activated and done with. They were happy to oblige.
I also picked up the Griffin Wave silicon case - black (to match my Black 16GB).
Very happy!!
Great experience! Middleburg, Florida (Jacksonville suburb) AT&T store. Got there at 5.30 am, 5th/6th in line. Got one white 16 gig and one black 16 gig. Fortunate to work with an experienced att rep, other employees were asking him how to get things done. Doors opened 8am, in with 5 other folks, ported two lines from Sprint to att and out at 8:40. The att staff were very friendly and communicated often with us (first dozen in line) and with the 30 or so behind giving updates.
Very impressed with how quick 3G is and opened a pdf attachment in email and opened immediately. This process with Treo would take 3 minutes.
Very impressed with how quick 3G is and opened a pdf attachment in email and opened immediately. This process with Treo would take 3 minutes.
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location: York, UK o2 Store
I saw the massive line at 8.02 andrhought no chance so I headed on to work. Strolled into an almost empty store at lunch and asked when the next shipment was due ( since there where non on the display) and the rep told me they had a few 8gb left which was great since that was what I was after. Signed a paper form in about five minutes and walked out with my shiny new upgrade. All ready I have had two offers for my 1st gen phone. All in all a good day for me!
location: York, UK o2 Store
I saw the massive line at 8.02 andrhought no chance so I headed on to work. Strolled into an almost empty store at lunch and asked when the next shipment was due ( since there where non on the display) and the rep told me they had a few 8gb left which was great since that was what I was after. Signed a paper form in about five minutes and walked out with my shiny new upgrade. All ready I have had two offers for my 1st gen phone. All in all a good day for me!
ATT store at westmoreland mall here in greensburg sold out of iphone within 30 mins....i got the second to last white 16gb =) took an hour to get me in and out in the store though due to credit check problems but they waived my new activation fee because of it =)
In Elyria, OH I was the first in line. I got in, smiles from all of the ATT reps, and was directed to the (very attractive) rep that would take care of me. She said that she recognized me from last year's iPhone launch (I was first then too.) Activation went without a hitch and I was out of the store in less than 15 minutes. Very pleasant experience
Liverpool One, City Centre
o2 store, free water and muffins
10th in line
26 behind
Opened bang on 8.02 then the system went down. They took my name and phone (i work local) and said them would ring. They did 10.30am.
Collected in about 10 mins and activated 10 mins later.
The even had an other delivery of additional 8gb models after 9am.
Big thank you to the Liverpool One staff who handled it very well, all in good humour and kept to their word. Well done to all.
o2 store, free water and muffins
10th in line
26 behind
Opened bang on 8.02 then the system went down. They took my name and phone (i work local) and said them would ring. They did 10.30am.
Collected in about 10 mins and activated 10 mins later.
The even had an other delivery of additional 8gb models after 9am.
Big thank you to the Liverpool One staff who handled it very well, all in good humour and kept to their word. Well done to all.
Got there at 6:00. 25th in line. 20 8 gigs, and 10 of each 16 gigs. At 8, they were turning people away because 40 people had lined up. Took me an hour to get in the store because the servers crashed. Got the last two black 16 gig iPhones (glad, if they didnt have them I would have left). After 15 minutes my phone got activated but they told my sister she could go home and use iTunes to get hers to unbrick, because it wasn't working in the store.
Very smooth, Picked up the last 16gig black.... in and out in 5 mins after waiting in line for a little over an hour....
Just waiting to get a mirror for itunes download.....
got a link....
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/iTunes_for_Windows/1066335784/1
Just waiting to get a mirror for itunes download.....
got a link....
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/iTunes_for_Windows/1066335784/1
Apple Store, Charlotte
Line was well-organized, staff were enthusiastic. My sale went great except for the following:
1. My AT&T account had some sort of business-related discount associated with it, but I was not actually getting the discount. Still, this was enough to halt my sale temporarily. We had to walk down the mall to an AT&T kiosk (thank God I didn't have to go to an AT&T store) and get them to remove all discounts from my account. Once this was done, the sale went through correctly.
2. Activating the phone in-store took about 20 minutes. Having to do this this way is dumb.
So, we had a SNAFU or two, but otherwise the process went fairly well aside from taking about an hour longer than it should have. Props to Apple for making sure to have a wide selection of accessories (esp. cases and screen film) on launch day.
I was 5th in line. Went in the store at 8 AM, walked out with activated phone at about 9:20 AM.
Line was well-organized, staff were enthusiastic. My sale went great except for the following:
1. My AT&T account had some sort of business-related discount associated with it, but I was not actually getting the discount. Still, this was enough to halt my sale temporarily. We had to walk down the mall to an AT&T kiosk (thank God I didn't have to go to an AT&T store) and get them to remove all discounts from my account. Once this was done, the sale went through correctly.
2. Activating the phone in-store took about 20 minutes. Having to do this this way is dumb.
So, we had a SNAFU or two, but otherwise the process went fairly well aside from taking about an hour longer than it should have. Props to Apple for making sure to have a wide selection of accessories (esp. cases and screen film) on launch day.
I was 5th in line. Went in the store at 8 AM, walked out with activated phone at about 9:20 AM.
