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iPhone 11 Today I tried to buy an iPhone 11 at the Apple Store...

I think it’s as people say above. Think if you made a reservation to pick up a phone and then someone just walked in and bought the last phone before you without a reservation. They are prioritizing pickups for the moment until they get more stock of phones.
 
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gigatoaster said:
Hello there

It is definitely a bad experience however there is no need to be impatient and do like all these people that literally pounce on a new product when released.

I think, unless you have a broken iPhone, I’d wait a month or 2 after release date, before buying a new one.

On the other side, Apple should communicate that due to high demand, it is preferable to pre-book it online to have an available time-slot.
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This doesn't sync with people's experiences though. If you walk into a store that has 3-4 people waiting then it doesn't need to be a 4 hour return. If people need help with setup then split the "here's your phone" crowd to a different line to expedite that.
 
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I went to Apple WTC in NYC on Monday Morning with no reservation whatsoever right around 8:20 AM. There were some 5 people in line (4 were Chinese).

there was a first dude with an iPad to check whether the model I wanted was available (64GB Silver Pro Max) and whether I had a trade-in. Then there was a team of specialists dedicated to processing these people.

I stood around 30 min in line, and another 20 min at the store while the Specialist processed my trade-in. And that was it.

So YMMV.
 
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Sounds like it’s an effort to prevent lines around the store and unruly line sitters. There have been horror stories from previous launch lines with cutting, assault, etc.

By making walk ins inconvenient, you level the playing field for online reservations.
 
Knowlege Bomb said:
I bought mine at Verizon on launch day and was in and out of the store in less than an hour. No reservation and no line.
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The carrier store always is the way to go for me. I don’t know why people wast their time going directly to Apple. To much of a circus for me.
 
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Dwood1970 said:
The carrier store always is the way to go for me. I don’t know why people wast their time going directly to Apple. To much of a circus for me.
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Depending on the city and store 90% of customers are clearly purchasing iPhones to sell overseas. No one will be doing that at the Verizon store since you need to have a plan and whatnot. Good strategy.
 
I also went to Apple for new phone today and was told I had to order. I stood there and did it and phone was ready in an hour. 🧐
 
If you want to walk into a store and buy one like you should be able to, it will probably be two to three weeks after release. Next week things should get better in regard to stock. (Note: This is specifically targeted towards Apple retail locations; not carrier locations.)

Demand outpaces supply for a short period of time. After that, you will be golden. The manager at Apple Store near me clearly stated that online reservations were an option, but it would be two to three weeks to get an appointment because of demand (launch weekend).

I went towards the end of the day and managed to pick up a 512 GB 11 Pro Max in Midnight Green because someone neglected to show up for their reservation that day.

May the luck ever be in your favor, but it can be luck of the draw this early in the game.
 
I ordered my iPhone at the on line store for in store pick up at 2:00 pm. I was assigned a 4:30-5:00 pm pick up time. I arrived at the store about 2:30 and asked the staffer with the iPad if I could pick up my phone without waiting until 4:30. She was adamant that I had to wait. The next staffer who processed my return was much more user friendly, she explained it took time to process the order and I’d get an email. At 2:33 Pm an email arrived with pick up confirmation data. The staffer typed something into her device and BINGO some one brought out the phone I’d ordered with my name printed on a tag!!
Long story short, I was initially told I’d have to wait, but a more user friendly staffer got me in and out in a reasonable amount of time.
 
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In a similar boat... but didn’t take nearly as long. I exchanged my green iPhone for the space grey.. had to wait in line for about 35-40 minutes to see what phones they had (although I knew what they had from their website). Once I got through I got an appointment for about an hour later.

the exchange sucked, but that’s to be expected. I had to pay for my new phone outright and now am waiting on a refund from the first one... if I knew this I could have purchased online and waited in the “secondary” appointment line without sitting in the first line... this store was understaffed. All in all, went smooth.. but took longer than I expected
 
bushman4 said:
Unfortunately you didn’t do the fight thing. If this was 6 months after the new iPhones came out you would have been good. However going into an Apple store a few days after launch without a reservation is suicide
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Why when there is stock sitting in the store? Making people order online while stood in the store and then wait 2-4 hours for someone to bring it out to them is a rather unorthodox sales technique for a high street retailer.
 
Ever notice restaurants like to seat people near the windows to make passerbys think they are really good/popular/worth the wait ?

Apple seems to be doing this hold you hostage for your phone ?

OTOH I would not want a non pre-order customer to cut in front of me who paid and reserved it....
 
Unfortunately for the first 2-3 weeks you either order online for delivery or order online to pick up.
 
Very odd. When I bought my Apple Watch on Friday, there where at least 50 other people in the store and yet I walked out the door 10 minutes later with a new Series 5 in my bag. :cool::cool:
 
Dexterama said:
I think they go through a period from launch day until who knows when, to only accepting online in-store pickups. I remember when the 8/8+/X launched, customers wanted to buy the phone but were told to place the order online for pickup. Once things settle down they accept walk-ins.

They want to control the lines and prevent people from camping and so on.
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Yeah I suspect until inventory of all colors / models stabilize they want to maintain some order.
 
Sorry but the Apple Store experience is absolutely awful.

Even with an appointment slot booked in to see a [so called] Genius, I always end up waiting way, way past my allocated time. Its so frustrating. Its like Apple feels you have nothing better to do. Why allocate a time if you cannot keep to it. If it was once or twice, fair enough, things happen - but EVERY time I have an allocated time slot, they have NEVER kept to it in store.
 
bushman4 said:
Unfortunately you didn’t do the fight thing. If this was 6 months after the new iPhones came out you would have been good. However going into an Apple store a few days after launch without a reservation is suicide
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i did just that on Monday and have my Pro Max in hand right now.
 
I don't view the Apple store here as a shop, but as a show-room and repair centre. I went to have a look at the iPhone 11 colours and then asked someone nearby whether it was in stock. Same as above, they'd take my details and someone would come and find me to discuss stock levels, after which I could make an appointment to buy.

Some of the retail chains here have already started offering small discounts on the phones so I simply bought it elsewhere at a cheaper price. As an aside, I went for the white.
 
Arndroid said:
Yeah I suspect until inventory of all colors / models stabilize they want to maintain some order.
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But where is the disorder? There are only 4-5 people waiting. They have the phone you want in back.

How does making you come back in 4 hours maintain order? If the phone you want is already preordered by an online customer then it should not be available for sale regardless of whatever arbitrary delay.

This feels like an Apple tax of sorts.
 
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