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To avoid shipping delays, don't order Accessories at the same time

J

JimboMac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 25, 2011
17
0
Just a quick word of warning to those that want their new MBA quickly. I ordered mine at the weekend, where it was showing shipping within 24hrs. However at the same time I added a USB->Ethernet converter to the order, thinking nothing of it.

I find out today, when I was supposed to have received the MBA, that my ordering the USB->Ethernet accessory, makes the MBA a CTO Build,(?!), and therefore I'm now waiting for it to be shipped from China.

Too late to cancel the order now, as it's been handed to the shipper. So I have to wait until Aug 2nd.

So the moral of the story is, if you want accessories, check they do not mean your Air becomes a Customised Build.
 
If you order with your mac, they put in the box with the laptop, hence becoming a CTO.
 
Accessories or upgrades? There is a HUGE difference. If you order the upgraded CPU then yeah, that is CTO. If you order an external drive (if available) then that is an accessory.
 
So that explains it.

Earlier I posted about this exact problem. I ordered a MBA last Wednesday and they quoted me 2nd August as a delivery date. It only just shipped yesterday.

During the order process I even asked a Live Chat rep, who couldn't really explain why the estimated delivery date was so far away.

Originally I just assumed it was because I upgraded the CPU to the i7, but people in both the US and UK who did the same already received theirs yesterday/today.

So it was that bloody mini-displayport to VGA adaptor I bought. Damnit, I should of just bought it in-store.
 
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That is pretty f'ed up if you ask me. A CTO should take a lot longer than some damn accessory. I recall ordering once and ordered a CTO with an accessory and it arrived sooner than expected. Someone told me CTO would delay things, not accessories. Maybe that game has changed.
 
Not true. I ordered a superdrive with my MBA and paid for overnight delivery. They shipped them both separately via overnight, including the $100 promo gift card. So I received three different overnight packages, all from Pennsylvania within the stipulated 24 hours.
 
I can confirm this. I ordered my MBA with a USB to Ethernet accessory. At first I thought it was taking long simply because of demand. When I received the Mac, I noted that I couldn't find the accessory anywhere, after opening the shrink wrap and all. I figured it would be placed in a baggie separately. Turns out that they put the thing under the manuals. So, these are truly custom configured and then shrink wrapped. This process can only be done in China. Hence the delay.
 
jessica. said:
That is pretty f'ed up if you ask me. A CTO should take a lot longer than some damn accessory. I recall ordering once and ordered a CTO with an accessory and it arrived sooner than expected. Someone told me CTO would delay things, not accessories. Maybe that game has changed.
Click to expand...
I think the oddity is because Apple expected (rightly so) quite a lot of people to order upgraded MBA's so they pre-built standard versions and 'ultimates' all ready to go. That would explain why many people received upgraded MBAs as early as Monday morning.

However, if Apple are putting accessories inside the box (why I don't know, I would be perfectly happy receiving a separate box), then that explains the additional time.

Had I known the stores would be stocking upgraded MBAs I would of just bought one directly - but I didn't find out until I already placed my order :(

amitdoc2b said:
Not true. I ordered a superdrive with my MBA and paid for overnight delivery. They shipped them both separately via overnight, including the $100 promo gift card. So I received three different overnight packages, all from Pennsylvania within the stipulated 24 hours.
Click to expand...
I think this only applies to cables and adaptors. What you ordered (the superdrive) won't fit inside the already limited space in the MBA packaging - so it has to be shipped separately.
 
Yeah but I replied to someone who posted "accessories". The superdrive is an accessory, but I understand what you're saying about cables/cords/adaptors only. Just was trying to get people to not shy away from getting the superdrive with it if they wanted.
 
No. It was not an upgrade. It was an accessory I ordered to go with a bog standard i5 4G/128G.

I class a USB adapter that I can go into an Apple store and pick up hanging off the shelf, as not being an "upgrade". I'm amazed that they are shipping this all to me as a "CTO", when they have them in stock in the UK on 24hrs shipping.

MBAIR 11.6 CTO
Z0MG

Custom configuration| Hide
1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
128GB Flash Storage
USB Ethernet Adapter
KEYBOARD/USER'S GUIDE-GBR
COUNTRY KIT-GBR

What with the guy trying to rip me off selling me a 3 yr hardware warranty, he said I didn't have, which I do, buying through the education store. This whole order is becoming a complete PITA.

Naturally Apple have scored quite low in my feedback questionnaire about how knowledgable and informative the sales assistant was...
 
Yup, Apple should just put up a polite notice somewhere they says "Hey guys, if you order a cable or adaptor, to make you feel special we're going to put it all in the same box which means it will have to ship from China and will delay your order by a week. Or just don't buy the accessory and it'll ship directly from whatever country you're in."

This thread should be stickied - a week's delay may not sound like much, but a lot of us plan our work schedule around the dreaded 'reinstall software and data transfer day'.
 
As an extra little kick in the teeth, the USB->Ethernet adapter is £5 cheaper and in stock on Amazon, even after the 6% student discount. But I thought I'd order it all together from Apple, so that I could get going straight away, and keep things straightforward.

If Apple want to ship accessories in the box from China direct, fine. But all I ask is that they would have told me and other customers, so we don't find out our 24hr shipping suddenly slips to 10 days.

And as you say, it may not sound a big deal to some people, (and in the grand scheme of things, there are far more serious problems in the world), but it is still a pain in the backside.
 
Having accessories shipped inside the box of a CTO isn't unheard of. They fitted all the extra stuff I bought for my iMac in the same box it came with.
 
well that still doesn't explain my estimated shipping date of _9th_ august and i only selected the i7 for the 13" and the seperate edu student gift card ...

considerign they are claiming '3days' with the custom i7 i don't get how get to those numbers .. i sure can't be the only one in europe who ordered a 13"i7
 
takao said:
well that still doesn't explain my estimated shipping date of _9th_ august and i only selected the i7 for the 13" and the seperate edu student gift card ...
Click to expand...

Remove the gift card and it will revert back to the 3 day shipping time. Why they can't email you a code I don't know:confused:
 
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