Just came from my Apple Store...sigh...

[bowlman23]

So, I have a reservation for my iPhone for Thursday. When I called a few days ago, they said me and my wife's name was on the list, and that since I had a reservation, my phone would be here all day for pickup. Unfortunately, I have to work until 5:30 on Thursday and can't get there till 6:15ish, but the guy told me I should be fine.

So I go there today to pretty much confirm it, and the guy there told me to get there as early as possible because the phones are first-come, first-serve on the reservations and he doubted that Apple would ship them enough for reservations.

Honestly, that gets me mad that I reserved phones, and someone who didn't and will stand in line might take mine. I don't get why the stores don't hold everyone who reserved iPhone for the entire day and anything left over goes to people waiting. If I reserved, and my name is on the list, I should have a phone. Not the guy who didn't reserve and just had off that day.

Probably sounds petty, but just the way I feel.

 

[JosephBergdoll]

It's first come first serve for reservations. As in they have X amount of phones set aside for reservations, and that if more are reserved than they have in stock, you will not be able to get it after all the ones set aside for reserve have been claimed.

This is why you preorder and don't bother with reserving.

 

[scwinsett]

My wife asked off from work for it.. I didnt have to because my boss is going with me to get his iPhone 4

 

[bowlman23]

It's first come first serve for reservations. As in they have X amount of phones set aside for reservations, and that if more are reserved than they have in stock, you will not be able to get it after all the ones set aside for reserve have been claimed.

This is why you preorder and don't bother with reserving.

I tried pre-ordering for 7 hours. I even got up at 5AM to try, but it kept saying that there was an error processing my request. Nothing was working. Believe me, I tried pre-ordering for this very reason.

 

[scwinsett]

This is why you preorder and don't bother with reserving.

You say that all smug as if people weren't trying for HOURS to preorder

 

[pugnut]

So, I have a reservation for my iPhone for Thursday. When I called a few days ago, they said me and my wife's name was on the list, and that since I had a reservation, my phone would be here all day for pickup. Unfortunately, I have to work until 5:30 on Thursday and can't get there till 6:15ish, but the guy told me I should be fine.

So I go there today to pretty much confirm it, and the guy there told me to get there as early as possible because the phones are first-come, first-serve on the reservations and he doubted that Apple would ship them enough for reservations.

Honestly, that gets me mad that I reserved phones, and someone who didn't and will stand in line might take mine. I don't get why the stores don't hold everyone who reserved iPhone for the entire day and anything left over goes to people waiting. If I reserved, and my name is on the list, I should have a phone. Not the guy who didn't reserve and just had off that day.

Probably sounds petty, but just the way I feel.

What store, state and location otherwise I have to call BS or you were speaking to a mis-informed employee. If you have a confirmed reservation you will get it , period.

 

[bowlman23]

What store, state and location otherwise I have to call BS or you were speaking to a mis-informed employee. If you have a confirmed reservation you will get it , period.

I'm not BS'ing. It's the King of Prussia, PA store. When I called them on Wednesday, they said I'd have a phone unless they cap off the line because they won't get to them by 9PM (in other words, don't come at 8:30PM and expect to get your phone). Then this guy today tells me different. I will say I thought the kid was an idiot and looked hesitant to even answer my question.

I'm hopeful it'll be there, but he's got me feeling a bit skeptical. I'd have no reason to BS this. I want the phone as bad as everyone on here.

 

[quid squid]

Honestly, that gets me mad that I reserved phones, and someone who didn't and will stand in line might take mine. I don't get why the stores don't hold everyone who reserved iPhone for the entire day and anything left over goes to people waiting. If I reserved, and my name is on the list, I should have a phone. Not the guy who didn't reserve and just had off that day.

you are right and wrong.

if you reserved a phone you have a phone being held for you, BUT if they do not have enough stock it is first come first serve for reservations only. someone will not be able to just walk in and get a phone if they do not have a reservation. The only way someone can walk in and get a phone is if they know they have enough for all reservations first. if they do not have enough stock for all reservations then not all reservations will get their phones.

 

[aequitas1234]

eh, probably so they sell more units on Day 1. Also, because of people like me who purchased online for delivery June 24 but also reserved a few in store in case I couldn't get my online order through. It would be unfair for them to hold several phones for me when I have no intention of showing up. They might as well give them to other people.

 

[Blueline29]

I tried pre-ordering for 7 hours. I even got up at 5AM to try, but it kept saying that there was an error processing my request. Nothing was working. Believe me, I tried pre-ordering for this very reason.

Ditto. God, I wish I'd been able to preorder and not have to deal with the nightmare that Thursday morning will bring!

 

[bowlman23]

Can I order my iPhones on Apple's site and keep my reservation? That way, if for some reason they sell my phones, I won't have to worry about the ship date from Apple being even later (in case they change it again)?

Or if I order it on Apple.com before the 24th, will it mess up my eligibility if I do have the opportunity to get it at the store on the 24th?

 

[cu2010]

Can I order my iPhones on Apple's site and keep my reservation? That way, if for some reason they sell my phones, I won't have to worry about the ship date from Apple being even later (in case they change it again)?

Or if I order it on Apple.com before the 24th, will it mess up my eligibility if I do have the opportunity to get it at the store on the 24th?

I want to know that too.

 

[monksealpup]

Can I order my iPhones on Apple's site and keep my reservation? That way, if for some reason they sell my phones, I won't have to worry about the ship date from Apple being even later (in case they change it again)?

Or if I order it on Apple.com before the 24th, will it mess up my eligibility if I do have the opportunity to get it at the store on the 24th?

You can. I presently have a phone slated for delivery on June 24th and an in-store reservation. Once I get a tracking number I will cancel the in-store reservation.

For the overanxious people: I ordered through apple.com and reserved at the Apple store (through apple.com). I deal with AT&T, Best Buy, and Radio Shack as little as possible.

 

[vizkiz]

I'm pretty sure they have two stocks of phones at the store for launch:
Reserved phones
Phones for walk-ins

But if the amount set aside for reservations isn't enough, then you're SOL. It's possible that a store is over-reserved, and that's what they mean by first come first serve for reservations. They won't sell a reserved phone to a walk-in.

I agree though, if they don't have enough phones to cover all the reservations, that's BS.
I managed to snag a preorder shipped to my house, but I also reserved a phone for my sister. She is a teacher in NYC and will not get home to get to the store until 6:30-7pm.

 

[Blorzoga]

The reservation email from apple is so contradictory. It starts out "thanks for reserving your iPhone. It will be held here June 24th" it then goes on to say " your reservation will be held until the close of business on June 24". It is pretty clear, I have "reserved" an iPhone. I haven't reserved an appointment with an apple employee to assist me with my purchase, I have reserved an iPhone. They will hold my reservation (=iPhone) until close of business on June 24.

Why do they then go on to say that iPhones are sold on a first come first served basis? What the hell does that have to do with my reserved iPhone? Is it just some blanket disclaimer so that if they run out of phones before I get mine, they can fall back on that statement? If they have a reservation system in place, it should be able to instantly tell them how many phones will be needed for each location. Once the reservations exceed the number that they have allocated to a certain store, the reservation window should close. If all the phones allotted to a certain store are reserved, then they should post a sign saying only reservation holders will be able to get their phones today. Why do there have to be so many different answers to how the reservation system is handled. One store says one thing, another say something completely contradictory. Where is the consistency. Why can't apple get their shiiit together. They have a huge following of devoted customers and they can't even put out concise information. It's ***** ridiculous.

 

[bowlman23]

You can. I presently have a phone slated for delivery on June 24th and an in-store reservation. Once I get a tracking number I will cancel the in-store reservation.

For the overanxious people: I ordered through apple.com and reserved at the Apple store (through apple.com). I deal with AT&T, Best Buy, and Radio Shack as little as possible.

But I have the opposite question. My question is if I order an iPhone now (in case I can't get it on the 24th under my reservation), and then I go to the Apple store on the 24th and they are going to sell me the phone, will I be affected because I already placed an order on Apple.com before I tried to pick up my iPhone.

 

[pugnut]

I'm pretty sure they have two stocks of phones at the store for launch:
Reserved phones
Phones for walk-ins

But if the amount set aside for reservations isn't enough, then you're SOL. It's possible that a store is over-reserved, and that's what they mean by first come first serve for reservations. They won't sell a reserved phone to a walk-in.

I agree though, if they don't have enough phones to cover all the reservations, that's BS.
I managed to snag a preorder shipped to my house, but I also reserved a phone for my sister. She is a teacher in NYC and will not get home to get to the store until 6:30-7pm.

That makes no sense- If they do not have enough for the reservations they would not sell any first come first serve. Period

 

[vizkiz]

That makes no sense- If they do not have enough for the reservations they would not sell any first come first serve. Period

Yes, they would. If they were allotted a certain amount of phones for reservations but Apple over reserved them at stores, they would still keep their walk-in stock. They won't even know how overbooked they are with reservations until halfway through the day, at the earliest. Imagine having people camping out and then telling them you have no stock and they can go home.

 

[quid squid]

The reservation email from apple is so contradictory. It starts out "thanks for reserving your iPhone. It will be held here June 24th" it then goes on to say " your reservation will be held until the close of business on June 24". It is pretty clear, I have "reserved" an iPhone. I haven't reserved an appointment with an apple employee to assist me with my purchase, I have reserved an iPhone. They will hold my reservation (=iPhone) until close of business on June 24.

Why do they then go on to say that iPhones are sold on a first come first served basis? What the hell does that have to do with my reserved iPhone? Is it just some blanket disclaimer so that if they run out of phones before I get mine, they can fall back on that statement? If they have a reservation system in place, it should be able to instantly tell them how many phones will be needed for each location. Once the reservations exceed the number that they have allocated to a certain store, the reservation window should close. If all the phones allotted to a certain store are reserved, then they should post a sign saying only reservation holders will be able to get their phones today. Why do there have to be so many different answers to how the reservation system is handled. One store says one thing, another say something completely contradictory. Where is the consistency. Why can't apple get their shiiit together. They have a huge following of devoted customers and they can't even put out concise information. It's ***** ridiculous.

the reservation system tells Apple how many phones are needed for each location. In the rare event that there was a shortage or more reservations than their total stock they will adjust the store quantities based on any number of things. Or if there is plenty of stock, yet a store is shorted their shipment (for any number of reasons: shipping problems, defects, damaged product, etc.) If that is the case here's how it would work:

Store has 150 reservations, but only have 100 to sell to reservations. This means there will be no walk-ins available at all. If there are 150 in the reservation line the first 100 people will receive phones...which is first come first serve.

After those 100 people we can assume the 50 people left over would be put on a list and called when the next shipment comes in...but that might not be guaranteed.

 

[quid squid]

Yes, they would. If they were allotted a certain amount of phones for reservations but Apple over reserved them at stores, they would still keep their walk-in stock. They won't even know how overbooked they are with reservations until halfway through the day, at the earliest. Imagine having people camping out and then telling them you have no stock and they can go home.

It's not the stores fault people camped out overnight. The people camping out are fully aware that they might not be able to get a phone without a reservation. They could always tell walk-in customers that they cannot sell additional phones until the reservation numbers match the numbers of phones in stock (which they should have done the night before or when stock arrives); and that they are free to stay in line in the event that someone cancels a reservation, for duplicate orders, or more stock was to arrive.

 

[OneMike]

You say that all smug as if people weren't trying for HOURS to preorder

I have to agree in this case.

I was lucky enough to get my preorder through on the first try when I got home. I tried when I had a spare sec at work though and I NEVER even got close to completing the process.

 

[vizkiz]

It's not the stores fault people camped out overnight. The people camping out are fully aware that they might not be able to get a phone without a reservation. They could always tell walk-in customers that they cannot sell additional phones until the reservation numbers match the numbers of phones in stock (which they should have done the night before or when stock arrives); and that they are free to stay in line in the event that someone cancels a reservation, for duplicate orders, or more stock was to arrive.

Maybe, idk. I still believe stores will have some stock for walk-ins, even if it's a minimal amount. Say they had 50 for walk-ins, and needed 50 for extra reservations, I think they'd still keep 10-20 for walk-ins and give 30-40 over for reservations.

Remember, some people will forget (yes, there will be a limited amount that forget) and some will just not pick them up. Saving some phones for walk-ins keeps their daily sales numbers up, if even by a little bit. More sales equal more allocation on future deliveries of the product.

 

[citron230]

bowlman23: the guy there told me to get there as early as possible because the phones are first-come, first-serve on the reservations and he doubted that Apple would ship them enough for reservations.

If there aren't going to be enough for reservations I do get upset at the AT&T guy. Plus the news they received today may be different than the news they had when you confirmed days ago. at this point nobody really knows anything and going in to speak with someone or calling just raises more confusion IMO.

 

[quid squid]

Maybe, idk. I still believe stores will have some stock for walk-ins, even if it's a minimal amount. Say they had 50 for walk-ins, and needed 50 for extra reservations, I think they'd still keep 10-20 for walk-ins and give 30-40 over for reservations.

Remember, some people will forget (yes, there will be a limited amount that forget) and some will just not pick them up. Saving some phones for walk-ins keeps their daily sales numbers up, if even by a little bit. More sales equal more allocation on future deliveries of the product.

What I posted above was more of a worst case scenario and to kind of keep things in perspective and realistic if needed. I'm sure stores will have plenty of leftover stock for the reservations and at least for a limited number of hours for walk-ins. But, at the same time you have to remember being shorted stock is a possibility and people need to be expecting those possibilities.

 

[thomamon]

I went to the apple store today in Bridgewater, NJ to ask the exact same thing. The worker there told me not to get up early and avoid the lines by coming in at 10 or 11, my phone will be there.