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iPhone Upgrade Program Causes Headaches on Launch Day Due to Limited Stock
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I see some really rude comments.
Maybe I'll just pay off the phone early then, and sell it, buy next years full price.
Has anyone asked Apple if they could order a phone at full price and then once it arrives walk in to an Apple Store and upgrade to THAT phone? You'd likely have to return it and then upgrade on the spot.
That's what I've done. I'll ask them in a few days when call wait times come down. If they say no I'll just pay off my old phone and sell it on the used market and be done with this horrible upgrade plan.
AT&T's NEXT plan is in fact better. You aren't forced to have AppleCare and if after 12 months you no longer want an iPhone, you just give it back. With Apple's program you can give it back, but they'll charge you extra (because they give you a different price for your phone)
That's what I've done. I'll ask them in a few days when call wait times come down. If they say no I'll just pay off my old phone and sell it on the used market and be done with this horrible upgrade plan.
AT&T's NEXT plan is in fact better. You aren't forced to have AppleCare and if after 12 months you no longer want an iPhone, you just give it back. With Apple's program you can give it back, but they'll charge you extra (because they give you a different price for your phone)
If you go to Apple's website - under customer support - you can set up a time for them to call you. I just did tat at 3:45 and they're scheduled to call me at 4:14.
Because unlike other customers, the upgrade program customers must return their device in working condition to exchange for a new one. It's a different process that requires a in store transaction.
I think there is a gigantic lack of understanding from some people here as to what the complaint actually is. Let me spell it out for the trolls who won't read and just say "first world problems."
People in the IUP were told it was the best way to buy an iPhone because they would be able to get the latest and greatest every year. Pre-order for the 7 rolls around and non IUP people are able to order their phones in the first 5-10 minutes and get them for launch day. IUP customers on the other hand had to be verified through the website (even if we had already verified and even after Apple sent me an email saying I was eligible for an upgrade) We were then taken to an upgrade plan specific web page outside of the Apple Store app (where I specifically started) only to find that most models were already sold out because we were limited to stock that was already being shipped to the store instead of the same stock pool as everyone else purchasing. This all happened to me at about 12:07PST.
I wasn't expecting special treatment, I wasn't even expecting to be able to get my phone shipped to me. I was however expecting to get the same chance to get a phone on launch day as everyone else since that is one of the primary reasons I signed up for the program. This did not happen and it's a damn shame.
People in the IUP were told it was the best way to buy an iPhone because they would be able to get the latest and greatest every year. Pre-order for the 7 rolls around and non IUP people are able to order their phones in the first 5-10 minutes and get them for launch day. IUP customers on the other hand had to be verified through the website (even if we had already verified and even after Apple sent me an email saying I was eligible for an upgrade) We were then taken to an upgrade plan specific web page outside of the Apple Store app (where I specifically started) only to find that most models were already sold out because we were limited to stock that was already being shipped to the store instead of the same stock pool as everyone else purchasing. This all happened to me at about 12:07PST.
I wasn't expecting special treatment, I wasn't even expecting to be able to get my phone shipped to me. I was however expecting to get the same chance to get a phone on launch day as everyone else since that is one of the primary reasons I signed up for the program. This did not happen and it's a damn shame.
I wasn't able to order a T-Mobile phone in the upgrade plan so I ordered a verizon one instead. I know the hardware will work on t-mobile but i wonder if they will activate it with them or tell me sorry - come back when we have more t-mobile phones. ugh this is frustrating.
The thing is, as several folks have said here, most of the carriers that have upgrade programs ship you the new phone ahead of receiving the old one and give you a pre-paid label to send the old one back to them, with the stipulation that if they don't receive it, they'll bill you in full for the remainder of payments. There's probably no readily apparently reason that Apple can't do this, and they should definitely consider it. It's been pointed out that they might have a contractual restriction with Citizens One that prevents this, but nobody really knows.
Exactly. Let me know. Give me information so I can make an informed decision. I can be patient. Instead, I bought a new phone and will return my old "upgradeable" phone once I get the new one.
What happens if you get billed again before you get a chance to get your new device? Surely you're still due an upgrade? I thought the monthly fee was just rolling and as long as you'd made at least 12 payments (11 in the UK) then you could have a new device?
What do you mean by implicit? When you get a financing option do you just sign or do you take time to understand the terms. Few, if any, upgrade program members would be eligible for an upgrade before September 28 because this is 12 months from when the 6s shipped (plus 3 days). Apple didn't mess this up. You did. You agreed to a contract without reading it. I would love to see all of you cry about this to Judge Judy. It would make a great show.
PLUS
You have to make 12 payments on your device to be eligible. I got the email, too, saying I was eligible. If we can't get a phone until November, we would have to make 12 payments on that phone in order to be able to upgrade to the mythical iPhone 8 (or whatever they'll call it). If Apple stays on course, the next release may be in Sept of 2017. At that time, we will only have made 10 payments on the 7 and will not be eligible for a launch day iPhone 8. We will have to wait an additional 2 months beyond launch date - why? Because, in good faith, we signed up for "the best way to buy an iPhone" and to upgrade every year. Super sad.
I know the way it works with AT&T Next is they freeze the installment plan pending termination of it once they receive the old phone, so once you order a new one, even if, say, the new phone is two weeks out and you'd have owed them an installment in one week, you wouldn't be billed for that installment. I have no idea if IUP would even work this way. I assume since they force you to upgrade in person that they probably have no provision for it.
That was then, this is now. Apple specifically states in the FAQ of the reservation email that you can in fact "change the model you reserved" for a different model as long as it is in stock. I actually did this last year with the 6s. I reserved the 6s because the 6s+ was out of stock for reservation and then I switched to the 6s+ when I got to the store because they had it in stock day of. No hassle. No problem. There is hope
!Attachments
I mean that Apple advertised it that way. This isn't about people not making their payments in time to be able to do it. The IUP has the provision that you can pay up all the installments required to upgrade if you want to upgrade early. What this is about is how the ordering process was entirely gimped for IUP people. Read the damn thread.
That was then, this is now. Apple specifically states in the FAQ of the reservation email that you can in fact "change the model you reserved" for a different model as long as it is in stock. I actually did this last year with the 6s. I reserved the 6s because the 6s+ was out of stock for reservation and then I switched to the 6s+ when I got to the store because they had it in stock day of. No hassle. No problem. There is hope
Thank you for giving me hope!
No problem! I am holding out hope again for this year. I had to reserve the Rose Gold 7+ because there were no black ones. Hoping that I will get lucky again and they will have day of stock so I can swap for the black 7+.
This is where you are mistaken. You are eligible for a new phone after 12 payments, not 12 months. So using your example of the 6S, the twelfth payment would have been made on August 28, 2016 and you would be eligible now.
And even if you hadn't made 12 payments yet because, for example, you bought the phone a few months after the previous launch, you have the option to pay up the remaining installments through the 12th one and upgrade at the new launch if you want. That is, if Apple had a good pre-order system for IUP folks.