o2 UK- system crash

[Oh-es-Ten]

Hang in there

I went down at 7:30am this morning to CPW on the Strand (London). There were about 5 people in front in the line, but we were able to get in the store quickly. The few people in front were able to get in and out in a few mins. However when my mate and I went to sign up (I am upgrading, he is new) the system slowed down. They told us they would reserve us two 16GB's and we left.

About an hour a bit later he got a call and was called back to the store I went down anyway and was told mine was not ready, but then about 3 seconds later she said it had - what timing - so was able to walk out with what I came for.

It sounds like if you stick your name down and are patient (work or live nearby helps), you should be able to get one today - although definitely more 8GBs are around.

 

[t0mat0]

For those of you who got an iPhone today, did anyone notice an opportunity to get an iPhone without giving your REAL details over? Just thinking - since the systems are down apparently?

Apart from photcopying your card/passport/bills?

 

[a456]

This is getting really embarrassing. I read at Macworld.co.uk that no sales had been processed at the Bluewater Apple Store and that the O2 system only works with Internet Explorer - I guess that means Boot Camp for the Apple Store, then. What planet are the guys in the O2 IT department on? Sounds more like the level of programming you expect from a local builder's website (no offence to local builders I'm sure many have better websites than O2).

The iPhone is meant to be one of the most technologically advanced pieces of kit, but O2 don't have the technology to sell a single phone. What a joke. Not to mention that the 2.0 software is already jailbroken and people are being billed for phones they don't have yet, or aren't activated. Perhaps it would have been better for O2 if they only sold Pay & Go phones - take the cash and issue the SIM, easy but no greed for contracts with on the cheap programming and equipment has been their downfall. Profit, profit, profit is all I can see in their eyes.

 

[mkjj]

10th in the queue at o2 store in Liverpool One. Got in the store at 8.02am, then the system went down. Staff very helpful and took name and phone (i only work around the corner). Rang back at 10.30 and I have just been to collect my new 16GB! Systems partly back up but orders can be processed.

They have had a second delivery of 8Gb also, no 16's left and no white to be seen this morning!

Very happy, just need to activate now!

 

[netdog]

Given what happened on Monday and now this, something tells me that somebody is gonna get a spanking in the O2 IT department. Probably all of them should spend the weekend on the naughty step.

 

[jonnyb]

Just back home from Wood Green in North London after getting there at 5.45 this morning. I keep saying it but what an absolute shambles. I used my time in the store to send an email to Matthew Key. I'm sure it won't even get read but it kept me occupied.

Still, I have my new 16GB 3G now. Happy.

 

[benfilan]

I'm still sitting in the Bullring store after 2.5 hours waiting for my order to go through.

I've passed the credit check, but can't get any further with the process.

At least I'm going to eventually get a white 16GB phone

They have white iphones? Jealous! I really wanted a white, but not long enough to wait

 

[sjw]

Given what happened on Monday and now this, something tells me that somebody is gonna get a spanking in the O2 IT department. Probably all of them should spend the weekend on the naughty step.

As others have suggested, it wouldn't surprise me if it's all been orchestrated by O2 to generate maximum hype and headlines. They'd rather an absolute sell out, chaos and headlines like "1,000,000 orders per second - we couldn't cope!".

They've definitely fallen in my estimation. But I shouldn't gripe... I got what I wanted. I really feel for all the others who have been sorely disappointed and screwed today.

 

[Monty Pavement]

Have O2 Heard of Macs?

I must admit I was surprised to get my text on Monday about pre-ordering the 3G, when it said that you couldn't do it on an iphone, and needed to pre-order on a Mac or PC.

It ain't a great advert for the iphone - "You can do all your web surfing on it - except order an iphone from us, 'cos we've written fancy code that won't work on it and will crash all our servers."

Worst IT team of the year?

 

[Aravintht]

i queued up from 5.45am at the o2 store hounslow, was second in line

was let into the store at 8 and didnt leave till after 9.30

they just took my details and charged me for the phone and said they would put the contract through later

the systems are still down, i can't activate my iPhone!! (Upgrade)

 

[colcass]

3 hours and 45 mins later, I am still sat at a terminal at the apple store in the Trafford centre
still no joy
O2, you are a joke, did you not learn anything from Monday
invest more money in your servers
angry

 

[cyberbolt]

Competent CPW staff?! Surely not!

I know, right?! I was shocked.

Well, I'm now home with my 16gb, and it's working and it's fantastic. At about 11 the upgrades started sailing through at CPW, so hopefully this is the same for around the country.

It is shocking, though, that the time taken to buy an iPhone was around 2 hours!

 

[TonyHoyle]

3 hours and 45 mins later, I am still sat at a terminal at the apple store in the Trafford centre
still no joy
O2, you are a joke, did you not learn anything from Monday
invest more money in your servers
angry

Geez.. that's bad.. You guys got in before us too (I hear the cheer ).

 

[C225]

I'm still waiting for o2 to activate my account so i've got an ipod touch for the minute as when i plugged it in it said could not complete activation due to no service.

I assume when o2 finally connect it, it will complete the activation process or should i really of waited before setting it up?

 

[Project]

It would have been nice of the O2 manager to tell the 50-strong queue at 8.02am that they had only 4 16GB models, instead of letting us stand there for 2 hours.

 

[ascender]

So why were some stores just doing paper upgrades/registrations? Surely all stores should have been able to do that workaround if they were having system problems.

 

[TonyHoyle]

I'm still waiting for o2 to activate my account so i've got an ipod touch for the minute as when i plugged it in it said could not complete activation due to no service.

I assume when o2 finally connect it, it will complete the activation process or should i really of waited before setting it up?

If they did a paper signup and their servers are still down you won't be on the system yet. I'd guess that at some point the SIM will start working and the activation will complete.

So why were some stores just doing paper upgrades/registrations? Surely all stores should have been able to do that workaround if they were having system problems.

No idea.. I'd assume it was an option open to all O2 stores (I'm guessing not apple stores).

 

[songwriter81]

I went to a Great Yarmouth CPW.

I got there at 8.00am and I was ninth in line, opened 5 mins later. Someone was there at 5am.

For some bonkers reason, I was the first person out with a 8GB at 10.50.

I felt sorry for the staff but there wasn't any idiot customers so we just had a laugh about the situation. Glad I took a half day off now!

They had 2 16GB.

 

[Applespider]

As others have suggested, it wouldn't surprise me if it's all been orchestrated by O2 to generate maximum hype and headlines.

I'm not so sure. Bear in mind that there are very very few phones that get this kind of release. The majority come in and nowhere near this amount of people all try to hit the website at some point or have every O2 shop in the country hitting their systems at the same time at maximum capacity.

If your IT system generally needs to be able to handle 10,000 concurrent transactions, then you might build it to be able to cope with 25,000 but it's not going to be cost effective to have it sitting idle to cope with 100,000 or more just on the off chance.

 

[pjashley1]

Went to Stratford (London) at 8am and the queue outside the O2 store was huge... but only 4 people outside CPW. So I joined them and got the last 16GB when the store opened at 9am!

Took 2.5 hours to process the upgrade from SIMplicity. They wouldn't allow 'upgrades' so I said I'll have a new contract and keep my O2 number please. Works perfectly!

As I left CPW still had plenty of 8GB in stock and nobody waiting - and 15 or so people still outside the O2 store with no phone CROSS THE ROAD, PEOPLE!!

 

[t0mat0]

As others have suggested, it wouldn't surprise me if it's all been orchestrated by O2 to generate maximum hype and headlines. They'd rather an absolute sell out, chaos and headlines like "1,000,000 orders per second - we couldn't cope!".

They've definitely fallen in my estimation. But I shouldn't gripe... I got what I wanted. I really feel for all the others who have been sorely disappointed and screwed today.

I'd side with Applespider - it was a total balls up.
The better publicity would have having enough stock to have sold to the demand - they would have been a crazy number of sales.

With the lack of knowledge about stock levels, and replenishing, not knowing what stock a store would have on the thursday for today, not knowing if /when/what they'd get for a replenish?
O2 would be crazy to try and orchestrate this chaos. They've done it through lack of preparation, and most importantly, lack of stock in comparison to demand.
Most people in the UK wouldn't mind waiting, if they could actually get the handset they wanted. It's not happening today on the whole.

 

[TonyHoyle]

If your IT system generally needs to be able to handle 10,000 concurrent transactions, then you might build it to be able to cope with 25,000 but it's not going to be cost effective to have it sitting idle to cope with 100,000 or more just on the off chance.

What you normally do is configure the front end servers so they can't overload the backend - throttling if necessary. Then what you get in an overload is a progressive slowing down but nothing should actually fail. Note how the Carphone Warehouse website has kept working throughout, apple website stayed up even after WWDC, etc.

What happened on Monday was a failure to do that, so the backend servers failed and you just got general mayhem as orders failed, etc.. No idea whether that's happened today (since I can't see O2's systems) but it sounds like it has.

On a busy Saturday - especially at peak weekends eg. near Christmas, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the O2 stores were at capacity.. so it's not completely unprecedented for that kind of load to happen. They should have been ready for it.

 

[longmover]

3 hours waiting at the O2 store in Cardiff, got me the last 16gb! So slow but kinda enjoyed waiting with some really nice people...

 

[Macmadant]

yeah I was 5th in line at my store and had to do the contract by paper so my phone won't be active untill tomorrow but wow it's better than I ever imagined even typing on it is a hell of a lot better than typing using my old v639i I am in love with my iPhone

 

[C225]

yeah I was 5th in line at my store and had to do the contract by paper so my phone won't be active untill tomorrow but wow it's better than I ever imagined even typing on it is a hell of a lot better than typing using my old v639i I am in love with my iPhone

Did you get the same message that activation could not be completed due to no service with o2 not connecting your sim?