Just Got A Call from Apple

[adam1080]

Hmmmm. Can someone explain to me how Apple could possibly make the same profit on a phone purchase that uses a third party financing group where the total amount equals the same amount as the pay-in-full purchase price?

I know Apple is prolly paying 1-3% fees on credit card payments, but could their agreement with Citizen Bank be as lucrative...?

Logic would dictate they make more money off those of us who pay full price up front... Their servers prolly new I always buy a phone every year since 2008 and let me through to order mine with November 3rd delivery. (SARCASM)


That is a nice touch to get a call from someone at Apple. That is impressive, but to consider iUP as any sort of loyalty program is ridiculous to me. Pay Apple for the product you want in full if you want a simpler, better experience. End of story.

This comes from someone that has the highest possible status with travel companies like Delta, Hilton, IHG and SPG. Even with those companies, money talks. The more money you give them, the better they treat you typically.

 

[jbachandouris]

They just sent me an email asking for my phone number and when they could call me. At this point there isn’t much they can do.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Yes, but when Apple decided to one-up the carriers and keep all the money they split with them by selling the device on their own installment plan, they BECAME a carrier when it comes to your device. You are locked in with Apple for 24 months, the same as you would be with Verizon. As someone who kept VZW unlimited until early this year, it was the main reason I went with the IUP- it doesn't affect your contract with Verizon because Apple is playing the role of carrier when it comes to your device contract. Now you have customers who are walled into Apple's little garden ten different ways and you can screw them over at your leisure. Super smart business move on their point, but I feel like it's going to cost them a lot of IUP members this coming year.

This is actually an interesting point. The carriers are able to do two things and that’s ensure consumer lock in while also making money off of interest. However, I’m for Apple here because I think consumers should have a choice of carrier. I’ve noticed the carriers have cheaper out on service.

 

[kappy94]

except there's a built-in expectation to upgrade every year... so it gives them residual income over years.... instead of buying an iPhone X at once and just holding it for 3 years. iPhone Upgrade Program absolutely should be treated like a VIP program. 100%. Otherwise it's not even a benefit. You can be on a 24 month payment plan and just sell after 12 if you want the same experience without being forced into AppleCare. There needs to be a value add that an iUP customer gets vs. a random person not proving dedication.

Hmmmm. Can someone explain to me how Apple could possibly make the same profit on a phone purchase that uses a third party financing group where the total amount equals the same amount as the pay-in-full purchase price?

I know Apple is prolly paying 1-3% fees on credit card payments, but could their agreement with Citizen Bank be as lucrative...?

Logic would dictate they make more money off those of us who pay full price up front... Their servers prolly new I always buy a phone every year since 2008 and let me through to order mine with November 3rd delivery. (SARCASM)


That is a nice touch to get a call from someone at Apple. That is impressive, but to consider iUP as any sort of loyalty program is ridiculous to me. Pay Apple for the product you want in full if you want a simpler, better experience. End of story.

This comes from someone that has the highest possible status with travel companies like Delta, Hilton, IHG and SPG. Even with those companies, money talks. The more money you give them, the better they treat you typically.

 

[Dmal99]

Hmmmm. Can someone explain to me how Apple could possibly make the same profit on a phone purchase that uses a third party financing group where the total amount equals the same amount as the pay-in-full purchase price?

U have to buy apple care for 200 bucks. Insurance has been a moneymaker since time immemorial.

except there's a built-in expectation to upgrade every year... so it gives them residual income over years.... instead of buying an iPhone X at once and just holding it for 3 years. iPhone Upgrade Program absolutely should be treated like a VIP program. 100%. Otherwise it's not even a benefit. You can be on a 24 month payment plan and just sell after 12 if you want the same experience without being forced into AppleCare. There needs to be a value add that an iUP customer gets vs. a random person not proving dedication.

There is a benefit as i detailed in my last post. You get a one-page pre order screen which goes fast and very slim chance of 404 when going through multiple pages.

If you gave IUP members some special access or benefits then everyone would join and, again, it wouldn't solve anything. Everyone would be complaining there wasn't enough phones to fill all the members orders. The ONLY way would be to give longer members priority and make it the ONLY source of iphones. Otherwise no one will join up and just use their carriers instead. It's a catch-22.

 

[KL77]

Hmmmm. Can someone explain to me how Apple could possibly make the same profit on a phone purchase that uses a third party financing group where the total amount equals the same amount as the pay-in-full purchase price?

I know Apple is prolly paying 1-3% fees on credit card payments, but could their agreement with Citizen Bank be as lucrative...?

Logic would dictate they make more money off those of us who pay full price up front... Their servers prolly new I always buy a phone every year since 2008 and let me through to order mine with November 3rd delivery. (SARCASM)


That is a nice touch to get a call from someone at Apple. That is impressive, but to consider iUP as any sort of loyalty program is ridiculous to me. Pay Apple for the product you want in full if you want a simpler, better experience. End of story.

This comes from someone that has the highest possible status with travel companies like Delta, Hilton, IHG and SPG. Even with those companies, money talks. The more money you give them, the better they treat you typically.

Well, Apple has a cost for producing the iPhone. Apple has a price for selling the phone. Somewhere in between is the price they sell it to Verizon, etc. for. They can either get (amount phone is sold to consumer for - cost of making it), or (price they sell it to Verizon - cost of making it). I don't know what their deal is with Citizens One, but I'd imagine it's nowhere near the hit they take reselling it to Verizon. Now those of us on the IUP not only buy the phone, we buy Applecare+ for 2 years, and at the end of 1 year, we give the phone back to Verizon even though the value of it on the private market is probably larger than the remaining balance. Apple, who has already recouped the cost of making the phone and then some, can now use this phone for whatever they want, increasing profits again.

Also, loyalty is the worst word in this thread. Nobody cares about loyalty. I'm an SPG Plat member myself, so imagine this- you expect that room upgrade, right? Well, Starwood now allows anyone to use any hotel club membership, so Hilton Club members are getting your room upgrade, not you. Also, when you go to book using the SPG app 3 days in advance, it's broken and when you go to call your platinum hotline they are so busy they hang up on you and say they aren't taking calls at this time. They aren't really breaking the rules since it depends on availability, but you'd be pissed, right?
[doublepost=1509238133][/doublepost]

There is a benefit as i detailed in my last post. You get a one-page pre order screen which goes fast and very slim chance of 404 when going through multiple pages.

Read some of the posts. Doing the week before pre-order process and being forced to use the Apple Store app is what RUINED it for many of us, because it wouldn't work. That's not really a benefit.

 

[Dmal99]

Read some of the posts. Doing the week before pre-order process and being forced to use the Apple Store app is what RUINED it for many of us, because it wouldn't work. That's not really a benefit.

I'm confused because of a few things:

1. I am IUP with pre-approval, as I said, and i got in for launch. This means that it WAS possible with the app, just you happened not to get in. Also if you read other threads you will see that tricks like using LTE only or switching WiFi networks seemed to helps others get in.

2. Why do you think using the website would be any better? Apple is still Apple and the reason you couldn't get on is because ALL of their servers were being bombarded by millions of requests. Every year people complain their store didn't "go live until xxx time." Just because yours didn't happen to be selected as one of the successful requests early on isn't really anyone's fault or has anything to do with Apple forcing you to do anything. There's just as much chance the website doesn't let you in - and I checked by the way and there was still "store will be right back" messages on Apple.com until about a minute before the app worked for me at 3:08 am - it's how I knew the app was going to let me in soon, and it did. Ironically, if you said you tried to use Apple Pay, you'd have a case, as those people ACTUALLY got shafted.

3. How does doing the pre-approval make things worse? The pre-approval is simply a means to help them relieve traffic and server load to YOUR benefit. Imagine you got in at 3:15 or whatever and STILL HAD TO FILL OUT all 5 pages of that bs AND ping the Citizen One servers! That would have added anther 2 weeks to your delivery time. You are conflating separate events that are not mutually exclusive.

You have to face the fact, there was super low stock, the store wasn't down or anything as evidenced by the fact I got a launch IUP phone, and just like Star Wars Tickets or anything else, getting stuff on the internet that millions of others want is becoming more and more a complete crapshoot. If you expected anything else you deluded yourself, don't blame Apple, or their IUP program. If you want a launch one that bad go line up now and then do the IUP swap. I understand you are pissed but we've all gotten closed out of crap on the net because of traffic. I just got shafted on Harry Potter Cursed Child tickets - and 30-40% of those went to scalpers who are now selling them for 3000-4000 bucks a seat!!

 

[KL77]

I'm confused because of a few things:

1. I am IUP with pre-approval, as I said, and i got in for launch. This means that it WAS possible with the app, just you happened not to get in. Also if you read other threads you will see that tricks like using LTE only or switching WiFi networks seemed to helps others get in.

2. Why do you think using the website would be any better? Apple is still Apple and the reason you couldn't get on is because ALL of their servers were being bombarded by millions of requests. Every year people complain their store didn't "go live until xxx time." Just because yours didn't happen to be selected as one of the successful requests early on isn't really anyone's fault or has anything to do with Apple forcing you to do anything. There's just as much chance the website doesn't let you in - and I checked by the way and there was still "store will be right back" messages on Apple.com until about a minute before the app worked for me at 3:08 am - it's how I knew the app was going to let me in soon, and it did. Ironically, if you said you tried to use Apple Pay, you'd have a case, as those people ACTUALLY got shafted.

3. How does doing the pre-approval make things worse? The pre-approval is simply a means to help them relieve traffic and server load to YOUR benefit. Imagine you got in at 3:15 or whatever and STILL HAD TO FILL OUT all 5 pages of that bs AND ping the Citizen One servers! That would have added anther 2 weeks to your delivery time. You are conflating separate events that are not mutually exclusive.

You have to face the fact, there was super low stock, the store wasn't down or anything as evidenced by the fact I got a launch IUP phone, and just like Star Wars Tickets or anything else, getting stuff on the internet that millions of others want is becoming more and more a complete crapshoot. If you expected anything else you deluded yourself, don't blame Apple, or their IUP program. If you want a launch one that bad go line up now and then do the IUP swap. I understand you are pissed but we've all gotten closed out of crap on the net because of traffic. I just got shafted on Harry Potter Cursed Child tickets - and 30-40% of those went to scalpers who are now selling them for 3000-4000 bucks a seat!!

Can I ask you an honest question? Why are you in this thread, responding? You got a phone, it worked, hooray! What's your motivation in coming in here and picking a fight with people who had issues? There are obviously people venting in this thread and others, and I will never for the life of me understand people like you who come in and having nothing but ill-informed negativity to spread. As for the rest of your diatribe:

1) As I've said a dozen times, it worked for some people, it didn't work for some people. Obviously, because you won't shut up about it, I know it worked like a charm for you! Because you did LTE and Wifi tricks. Apple didn't "force me" to do the pre-approval process ahead of time, it suggested it. I listened. Doing the pre-approval process forced me to upgrade from my phone and the Apple Store app, which was the point of failure for "some of us". Many other people had success loading via the non mobile store page. So yes, I blame Apple, because their suggested route was the point of failure for me, in particular. Furthermore, my issue was not limited to the Apple Store not coming up on time. Once I had the phone selected, I experienced 3-4 errors on the complete sale page which forced me out of the app, and the same issues were experienced on my wife's phone. I guess I should have done your wifi and LTE tricks to fix that also.

2) Not sure why this is a separate number, you re-iterated yourself over and over and over again.

3) Yes, the pre-approval made things quicker once inside. Using the pre-approval limited you to the Apple Store app on your phone. That was the issue.

All of your hot air was wasted on something that isn't even the main point. The points, as they stand, are that Apple forced people who went through the pre-approval process to use the Apple Store app, which was a point of failure for some of us due to obvious load. They also allocated stock poorly, as evidenced by the fact that 45 minutes after I placed my order, Verizon still had launch day stock available. Unfortunately, IUP members can only upgrade through Apple. If my shipment slipped a week, I wouldn't have cared, but the 6 weeks will add a total of 2-3 payments by my next upgrade cycle if it remains in September, all because I followed Apple's advice. I get it, you don't see a problem. Instead of counting yourself lucky, you come in here all high and mighty and pick fights with people who didn't have such a great upgrade experience. Man, re-evaluate your life priorities.

 

[Dmal99]

I came in here because I saw " I just got a call from Apple," which was an intriguing title.

And your own words - "As I've said a dozen times, it worked for some people, it didn't work for some people." proves that it was just like every other method which, well, works well for some and not others. Why? Because if it worked great for everyone always, then everyone would get one at launch. Why do you think shipping times slip? Everyone gets in at the same time and people are picked at random for times? I think you answered your own question.

Oh, and stop saying it didn't work for you. It DID work for you, it just didn't give you your desired result. So I wouldn't lead with that when you talk to Tim.

 

[KL77]

I came in here because I saw " I just got a call from Apple," which was an intriguing title.

And your own words - "As I've said a dozen times, it worked for some people, it didn't work for some people." proves that it was just like every other method which, well, works well for some and not others. Why? Because if it worked great for everyone always, then everyone would get one at launch. Why do you think shipping times slip? Everyone gets in at the same time and people are picked at random for times? I think you answered your own question.

Oh, and stop saying it didn't work for you. It DID work for you, it just didn't give you your desired result. So I wouldn't lead with that when you talk to Tim.

I'm not going to argue with a know it all who keeps repeating the same nonsensical things. You win buddy, take your internet points, but don't spend them all in one place.

 

[lordofthereef]

The entire point of an upgrade program is to get a new phone every year. Not every 14 months, or whatever it ends up being, unless Apple doesn't launch a phone in that time. I understand why people are calling this "entitlement", but there are a few ways to make this quite even.
1. Allow a person to reserve in store pickup and change things to IUP at that point.
2. Do above but with a shipped phone

I don't believe a person on the IUP should have PREFERENCE, but I also don't feel they should have to go through more steps just for a preorder process. if for whatever reason the upgrade approval fails, throw that device that was reserved back into the order pool.

Too many downsides to this program, for me, not the least of which is forced AC+.

 

[cannono]

The presumptions you make aren’t totally true. I’m on iUP and got the 11/3 date just fine.