Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone Upgrade Program Causes Headaches on Launch Day Due to Limited Stock
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I don't mine the shortages, what bugs me is that I can't just order one and let them tell me when to pick it up. Instead I hace to check daily starting next Saturday. I did this last year - I had to check every morning for over 30 days. In the mean time I exceeded my guarenteed payment from gazelle.com I lost about $50 value in my trade in. In addition because it took so long to get the phone - now that I have been in the upgrade program I have to probably make two extra payments on last years phone because if I do get lucky and find one in less than one month I won't have made 12 payments yet on the old one.
This is from a guy (me) who stayed up till midnight both last year and this year trying to get two phones.
Both times I was able to get one for my wife, but both times I failed to get my own
This is from a guy (me) who stayed up till midnight both last year and this year trying to get two phones.
Both times I was able to get one for my wife, but both times I failed to get my own
Where did I say it says 'on launch day"? Never did. In fact I would have been happy if I could get a confirmed date on one. Even if that was a month from now. The point is, I can't. Unless I go stand in line or check a website everyday as the process is defined right now.
As for the service I expect to get when I signed up and paid - that I could upgrade simply after making 12 payments. As of now, this service is not available to me because they are not making even future stock available to me as part of this program. Stock, by the way, that is available now to anyone else ordering a new iPhone. Let me have the same chance at a November phone as everyone else.
This has nothing to do with 'launch day'. And your thinking that it is shows you don't understand the issue.
This 100%. The entitledness of people absolutely blows my mind.
You and others don't seem to understand. The problem isn't that people on the upgrade program expect special treatment. They just expect the SAME treatment as others. Instead, people on the upgrade program are required to get their phone from a MUCH smaller pool of phones (in store stock), and if you weren't able to reserve one for Sept 16, there is no way to even get in the queue. Just a message to try checking again in 10 days. I would be happy if I had a reserved phone that would be available for me in mid-October.
I don't get it, I just signed up for the iPhone upgrade program this time since AT&T is no longer subsidizing phones.
Anyways, since I'm currently overseas, I was able to preorder a Black iPhone 7 Plus 256GB around 4AM PST.
They're going to be mailing my iPhone to my house, no need for me to goto an Apple Store.
Anyways, since I'm currently overseas, I was able to preorder a Black iPhone 7 Plus 256GB around 4AM PST.
They're going to be mailing my iPhone to my house, no need for me to goto an Apple Store.
I've been reading some stories about the IUP and horror stories from last year when this all started with loans not going through and being approved and long wait times. It also seems like Apple really "botched" this for folks who joined IUP last year and weren't very clear on how the upgrade process was going to work for the folks that wanted to exercise their upgrade option for the first time. I feel your pain since the whole reason many of you got into this program was to take advantage and get a new phone this year.
I too in fact joined IUP for the first time this year and had no problems ordering my phone since I'm new to the program, but come next year for the iPhone 8, iPhone 10, or iPhone X whatever they want to call it for the 10th Anniversary I expect there to be similar problems perhaps with people wanting to exercise those upgrade rights. I would hope maybe by next year they would have something in place to maybe do the swap outs via shipping and returning and charging you the full price is the phone isn't received back by Apple. Who knows though.
In reality though, while those of us who take advantage of IUP are arguably some of Apple's biggest fans, let's be clear Apple has no vested interest in making sure current members of IUP or folks looking to buy a phone outright and unlocked get their phones first each release schedule. Apple's a business and they want to make money, and they are going to make the most money on people like me who are new to IUP and signing up for the first time. People who are already part of IUP they know have at least 12 more payments with them and they're not going to break that "contract" to get out of IUP because they want to upgrade. Those purchasing outright, just own the phone and never owe anything else to Apple, so it's not advantageous for them to get them their phones quickly either.
One thing I did want to share about IUP that I learned today was that if you signed up via a Discover credit card I highly encourage you to go on to Citizens' Website and switch your card to another method of payment immediately before your charges go through to Discover. I have alerts set up on my account and when the authorization charge from Citizen's hit my Discover card it triggered a Cash Advance alert and not a normal Charge alert. I called Discover later in the day and they indeed confirmed that Citizens' transactions are being coded as Cash Advances because Discover sees that as a charge to pay off a loan and Discover classifies those transactions as Cash Advances under the terms of their credit agreement. This could potentially cost you MUCH more than just a regular purchase as Cash Advances will accrue interest from the date they post to your account and usually when paying off a credit card bill, your payments will apply to purchases FIRST and Cash Advances second, so if you carry a balance these charges will sit on there until you pay the card off.
I've seen other folks say that American Express does NOT process these charges as Cash Advances, so I took the time and switched my payments over to Amex. I still may have that initial charge go through to Discover from Apple, but if that is coded as a Cash Advance I have a plan in place to get that entire bill paid off from that day to not have to pay any interest on the charge.
I too in fact joined IUP for the first time this year and had no problems ordering my phone since I'm new to the program, but come next year for the iPhone 8, iPhone 10, or iPhone X whatever they want to call it for the 10th Anniversary I expect there to be similar problems perhaps with people wanting to exercise those upgrade rights. I would hope maybe by next year they would have something in place to maybe do the swap outs via shipping and returning and charging you the full price is the phone isn't received back by Apple. Who knows though.
In reality though, while those of us who take advantage of IUP are arguably some of Apple's biggest fans, let's be clear Apple has no vested interest in making sure current members of IUP or folks looking to buy a phone outright and unlocked get their phones first each release schedule. Apple's a business and they want to make money, and they are going to make the most money on people like me who are new to IUP and signing up for the first time. People who are already part of IUP they know have at least 12 more payments with them and they're not going to break that "contract" to get out of IUP because they want to upgrade. Those purchasing outright, just own the phone and never owe anything else to Apple, so it's not advantageous for them to get them their phones quickly either.
One thing I did want to share about IUP that I learned today was that if you signed up via a Discover credit card I highly encourage you to go on to Citizens' Website and switch your card to another method of payment immediately before your charges go through to Discover. I have alerts set up on my account and when the authorization charge from Citizen's hit my Discover card it triggered a Cash Advance alert and not a normal Charge alert. I called Discover later in the day and they indeed confirmed that Citizens' transactions are being coded as Cash Advances because Discover sees that as a charge to pay off a loan and Discover classifies those transactions as Cash Advances under the terms of their credit agreement. This could potentially cost you MUCH more than just a regular purchase as Cash Advances will accrue interest from the date they post to your account and usually when paying off a credit card bill, your payments will apply to purchases FIRST and Cash Advances second, so if you carry a balance these charges will sit on there until you pay the card off.
I've seen other folks say that American Express does NOT process these charges as Cash Advances, so I took the time and switched my payments over to Amex. I still may have that initial charge go through to Discover from Apple, but if that is coded as a Cash Advance I have a plan in place to get that entire bill paid off from that day to not have to pay any interest on the charge.
Your logic is flawed though, by allowing someone to upgrade in 12 months there's zero penalty. And in reality there is no penalty for dropping out. It's a 0% interest loan. Sure thre are additional fees due to apple care+ but anyone can simply buy out of the contract at any point by paying the full price and owning the phone outright. It's a loaner, until you've paid it off. At that point you have 2 options. Keep it or trade it in and restart a new 24 math plan. It's it hidden, it's not confusing and it is a business. Smart business rewards it's 'loyal fans' if you will. Smart business fixes issues that harm said loyalty. While the IUP isn't going to get people to leave Apple it will get them to walk away from the IPU program if they are dumped on time and again. You can practically get an iPhone anywhere, you don't need to go directly to Apple. It's very simple if they want the loaner IPU program to succeed, it can but it won't if they can't keep it held together.
Apple knows you want an upgrade, but why give the phone to you when they can sell it to a new customer AND continue to collect your monthly payments while you wait for your turn? It makes perfect sense from a monetary perspective.
They don't need to cater to you because you're already under contract.
I'm hearing Apple is keeping first week of shipments to the stores reserved for IUP. We shall c.
The problem with the system is that when people managed to log in it simply said 'Sold out' leaving you with no option to reserve for another day. With those buying outright the days started to slip by 4-8 days then 2-3 weeks etc. At least they have a chance that their orders will be pushed forward.
Meanwhile those of us in the UK who wanted to try the upgrade programme are left with nothing nut a simply "try again next on the 17th" it defeats the whole purpose of a preorder. Now I'll be trying again next week with the regular joes.
Meanwhile those of us in the UK who wanted to try the upgrade programme are left with nothing nut a simply "try again next on the 17th" it defeats the whole purpose of a preorder. Now I'll be trying again next week with the regular joes.
You will probably be able to upgrade if you make additional payments. For example: If we have to wait until November to get our phones that's 3 additional payments for me:
9/25/16 payment of $41
10/25/16 payment of $41
11/25/16 payment of $41
Assuming you get your chance to upgrade in November of this year and start a new lease with Apple. Next year prior to the Release Day assuming 9/17 you will have to make 3 additional payments ($41x3) in the amount of $123 to catch up to 12 total payments in order to make yourself eligible for an upgrade on the release day.
It's like prepaying your car lease by 3 additional payments and returning your car to the dealer immediately without benefiting from these 3 payments.
Thank's Apple for taking care of your most loyal customers!!! I will never recommend Apple Upgrade Program to anyone!!!. We got screwed now and we will Also get screwed next year.
What is the most disturbing to me is the fact that the existing Apple Upgrade Members were discriminated. A potential new Apple Upgrade Customer was given an opportunity and access to the entire Apple inventory but the existing members were given for the most part soldout store options.
Last edited:
For a phone that 'everyone' says is going to flop, it sure sold out quickly.
Easy to sell out when you don't make enough for people who "pre-ordered" 1 year ago and announce you won't be releasing sales figures any more
Unbelievable ... cash advances are incredibly bad on credit cards and trigger immediate interest rates in the 20%+ range.
EXCELLENT COMMENT ... thanks for posting YOUR experience.
Whether they understand or not, the comments made are, "way to treat your most loyal..." That's BS. Folks on the upgrade program aren't likely more or less loyal, but they DO deserve the same chance everyone else got to pre order. Saying people in the program are most loyal is like me saying I'm most loyal because I pay for the phones outright and don't rely on payment plans. That would be just as absurd.
What I do believe is that people thought somehow that being a part of that program meant they were somehow guaranteed a spot to preorder. I don't know if this is something that Apple implied or users assumed. The tone I saw on Friday was that many seemed to believe they had first dibs or at least a guaranteed spot. If Apple were smart, they would reserve a variety of phones that could handle the upgrade plan user base. It would still mean some didn't get what they wanted as Apple can't plan on which models people want. But they could have handled that much differently. Upgrade plan users got screwed, but the aren't entitled to special treatment because they're in a program similar to those that the carriers have today.
I'm on the Upgrade Program. I went to order a Black 7 128gb. My local ( Monterey, CA.) store was greyed out, but since I was going to San Francisco on the 16th, I was able to reserve a spot in store at Union Square for late afternoon. This was around 1:20 am Pacific time.
On a lark, at 5:45 am I went to Apple.com and went through the process to buy outright the same phone.
I now have an appointment at 8-8:30 am at my local Monterey Apple Store.
When I get there I might say "Oh, I'm on the Upgrade Plan" and see what happens.
It's not that it's too complicated. It's that you can't wake up people who are pretending to be asleep.