The "Upset about Gift Cards" Thread

[madsci954]

I'm actually starting to think they are just charging the AC+ right now and then the they will charge for the Apple Watch before it ships. My AMEX also has a hold for $49 which is probably from before I had the GC applied to the order.

The first confirmation said the GC was fully consumed and my cc filled out the rest. But when I check the GC in my passbook, only $74 was deducted. A call to Apple couldn't fix it, at least not without canceling the order and reordering, losing my 4/24-5/8 delivery date. A friend of mine agreed to buy the remaining GC balance.

Edit: I re read what you said, maybe I should wait until I'm charged.

 

[bobdob]

You can include me in the Gift Card crew that got screwed.I didn't think the webstore would come up 10 minutes after the app. By the time the store came my shipping was in May.

 

[bulbousnub]

You can include me in the Gift Card crew that got screwed.I didn't think the webstore would come up 10 minutes after the app. By the time the store came my shipping was in May.

 

[Planey28]

The first confirmation said the GC was fully consumed and my cc filled out the rest. But when I check the GC in my passbook, only $74 was deducted. A call to Apple couldn't fix it, at least not without canceling the order and reordering, losing my 4/24-5/8 delivery date. A friend of mine agreed to buy the remaining GC balance.

Edit: I re read what you said, maybe I should wait until I'm charged.

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation but according to Apple's website gift card balances aren't updated until they're ready to ship. Mine still says £60 (the full balance), even though its showing up on my order billing info.

 

[Switchback666]

Not sure if this is relevant to your situation but according to Apple's website gift card balances aren't updated until they're ready to ship. Mine still says £60 (the full balance), even though its showing up on my order billing info.

My gc was not consumed also.

 

[Aces2412]

Anyone get screwed on a launch date because they used a gift card like me?

Why does Apple allow you to add the Gift Card to your passbook and then provide a link to the Apple Store app on the pass if you can't use your Gift Card in the app?

i called apple because I had this same issue. Passbook links you to the app and you can't use it. I had the black sport in my cart with a deliver date of 4/24 and fumbled around trying to get the retail store cards to work. I lost the date and now wait til June. So pissed. At 3am not thinking clearly I should have purchased it and fixed it later, like others did.

apple does so many things well but this seems so basic.

On side note I joked with the apple rep and said june i should probably wait version 2 and he said maybe it will have a better battery life, thinner and waterproof. Now its exciting to hear but what does a phone rep really know ...

 

[bulbousnub]

i called apple because I had this same issue. Passbook links you to the app and you can't use it. I had the black sport in my cart with a deliver date of 4/24 and fumbled around trying to get the retail store cards to work. I lost the date and now wait til June. So pissed. At 3am not thinking clearly I should have purchased it and fixed it later, like others did.

apple does so many things well but this seems so basic.

Welcome to the club, my friend.

 

[Wheeler.Jeff]

I was super frustrated with this as well- basically if you wanted to use a gift card you were screwed. The app was live way before the store, and no way to use gift cards in app. I did look into it before and read the apple store app supported passbook, which I had all the gift cards I saved up just to order a watch added to.

I had the SS Milanese in my app cart right away with 4/24 ship date and couldn't order. Once the store was live the ship date already slipped. Had to order a different band to get a 4/24 ship date, which is fine looking back but in the moment I was pissed.

To top it off Comcast decided to have issues right when pre-orders went live, and had to tether to my phone to order.

I also ordered one for my wife on another order, and used the remaining balance on one gift card- but it applied the full gift card amount, not the remaining balance, and I couldn't enter a credit card for what should have been remaining balance on second order, so when they are shipped/changed there is not enough on the gifts cards to cover both orders. No clue how this will be handled- will Apple use my CC on file for remaining balance or decline one or both orders and delay shipment?

Guess should just call Apple...

 

[appleboyy]

i panicked and applied the gift card to a watch I'm about 80% certain to return..

Just emailed them and asked if they could switch them around to the one I know i'll keep..

Don't hold much hope in them doing it tho

 

[mbhforum]

i panicked and applied the gift card to a watch I'm about 80% certain to return..



Just emailed them and asked if they could switch them around to the one I know i'll keep..



Don't hold much hope in them doing it tho

I did the same exact thing end they switched it with no issues. Just make sure they remove the gift card from your second order first, otherwise it won't allow them to apply it to the other one. I had to call twice after the first rep said they did it for me, and didn't. Don't hang up phone until you see it one our order status correct and get an email.

 

[appleboyy]

I did the same exact thing end they switched it with no issues. Just make sure they remove the gift card from your second order first, otherwise it won't allow them to apply it to the other one. I had to call twice after the first rep said they did it for me, and didn't. Don't hang up phone until you see it one our order status correct and get an email.

I've emailed them, hopefully they can help!

 

[fcortese]

I had a gift card and called the Apple Store several days before the 10th to ask just how to put the card in and they told me to use the card number. I asked specifically about the PIN number and was told I didn't need to use it. Come time to order the watch and I finally get on line after multiple tries, order the watch and go to put in the card number and it wouldn't take. I tired several times and finally put the PIN number in and got through. It cost me about 2 minutes or so. In the end it really didn't matter because by the time I got through initially on line they were already into the mid May delivery cycle. Just a little frustrated about the false info I received.

 

[MVallee]

Just wanted to report back. I called into Apple and asked them about adding the gift cards. They said it was no problem at all and applied 2 gift cards for me with the remainder being covered by the credit card I originally placed the order with. I asked about my shipping date and was assured that it would not change. I just checked my order page and it still shows the same date and now also shows all 3 forms of payment. Very easy and painless.

I knew ahead of time that the app didn't accept gift cards and also looked into the website to see if there was a way to pre-load the gift card balance. When I saw that there wasn't I figured skipping the app, using the site and entering in 3 forms of payment would severely slow me down. I asked Apple chat before the pre-orders if I could add the gift cards later and they told me that it wouldn't be a problem as long as I did it before the status changed to "preparing for shipment". The app went live just after 3:01am and I had my order confirmation by 3:02am. So glad I waited on using the gift cards.

 

[NAYo2002]

The smart people ordered the watch without the gift cards in the app then called apple later to apply the gift card.

I sympathise though, because using the website to order is a significant disadvantage with something this in demand.

Apple really should enable gift cards on their apps. it makes no sense why they don't.

I was up at 3AM waiting for the site to come online to use the gift card. I'm just mad at myself I didn't think to do this. I even had the app up ready to order if the website wasn't up by 3:15, thinking it would be ok. Finally ordered at 3:11 for a sport SG and got May shipping date.

 

[iCore24]

Anyone have gift cards for sale?

 

[appleboyy]

I've emailed them, hopefully they can help!

They did it for me

 

[Hermes Monster]

I never even considered that Apple could apply the GC retrospectively!

I had the same issue as many others here, I knew ahead of time that the app didn't accept them so was relying on my work PC and iPhone to launch the store. The site started working first on my iPhone around 08:12 so finally managed to go through the rather painful process on my phone. When I got to the GC screen it would only paste the first four digits into the PIN box so I add to keep switching back to the Passbook, which kept annoyingly closing the GC down each time, so I had to click the 'i' to view the PIN over and over. It was 4-6 weeks shipping times by the time I managed to order

It's crazy that the app won't accept them, and that the website doesn't have a mobile version for the checkout process

 

[appleboyy]

I never even considered that Apple could apply the GC retrospectively!

I had the same issue as many others here, I knew ahead of time that the app didn't accept them so was relying on my work PC and iPhone to launch the store. The site started working first on my iPhone around 08:12 so finally managed to go through the rather painful process on my phone. When I got to the GC screen it would only paste the first four digits into the PIN box so I add to keep switching back to the Passbook, which kept annoyingly closing the GC down each time, so I had to click the 'i' to view the PIN over and over. It was 4-6 weeks shipping times by the time I managed to order

It's crazy that the app won't accept them, and that the website doesn't have a mobile version for the checkout process

I didn't too, but if you think about it, they've only taken our orders, not taken the money.. yet. so they can change the method of payment before the system takes it

 

[Hermes Monster]

I didn't too, but if you think about it, they've only taken our orders, not taken the money.. yet. so they can change the method of payment before the system takes it

Yep it makes perfect sense ... now that I'm not in a blind panic, mixed with uncontrollable rage after refreshing the store for the 700th time

 

[bulbousnub]

Anyone else who paid with a Gift Card get hit with your AppleCare charge today?

Also - Apple Executive Relations team has told me that they're looking into why you can't use a Gift Card with the Apple Store App but has been otherwise unhelpful.

 

[Switchback666]

Anyone else who paid with a Gift Card get hit with your AppleCare charge today?

Also - Apple Executive Relations team has told me that they're looking into why you can't use a Gift Card with the Apple Store App but has been otherwise unhelpful.

i put a review on the app store about it, imo they should let people just pre-load the balance on the apple ID like we can do with itunes gift cards.

 

[SIUGRAD99]

Yeah, it just doesn't seem like Apple cares that they intentionally misled consumers into believing the Apple Store app works with gift cards either.

CSRs in Live Chat or on the phones aren't giving two craps about us poor plebs their company screwed over. Very rude about the whole situation.

How did they "screw you over"? As countless people have said you could have easily placed the order through the app and called at a later date to add the gift cards, but you decided against it. If that decision cost you an early ship date then the only person you should be upset with is yourself.

 

[Switchback666]

How did they "screw you over"? As countless people have said you could have easily placed the order through the app and called at a later date to add the gift cards, but you decided against it. If that decision cost you an early ship date then the only person you should be upset with is yourself.

I wouldn't call that common knowledge mate but still im not gonna go out screaming apple screwed me over lol

It is what it is, atleast most of you guys will receive your order at your home but i personally had it shipped to a friends house that its coming to my country the 26 i was hoping to get my delivery on launch (really though people were not going to jump at the ss models that hard) so he could bring it to me.... now i just need to wait the watch then wait for extra days to get it shipped and hopefully avoid customs charge.