It is a bit disappointing to get all excited over buying a product from someone then being told you can't because everyone else is trying to do the same thing.
I mean, we literally can't give Apple our money quick enough for these things.
Just got a call from my ATT rep. My order went through, and I got an email confirmation. I tried this morning to do it online through Apple first then ATT to no avail. Go to a brick and mortar store folks and try there, it was the only thing that worked for me.
It looks like AT&T is finally addressing this problem. Just spotted this PRESS RELEASE on their site. I will be trying to get my phone in a few days.
DALLAS, June 15 -- AT&T*, the U.S. smartphone leader, today announced it has ceased taking orders for iPhones today due to unprecedented demand, and will reopen its website tomorrow, June 16, at Midnight EDT.
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: ?0-1? on June 16, ?2-3? on June 17, ?4-5? on June 18, ?6-7? on June 19, and ?8-9? on June 20.
This process is required to manage the tremendous demand for the iPhone 4. During this time, customers will be limited to one phone order, but after June 21 additional phones may be ordered.
AT&T is proud to offer the iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone ever with all-new design, FaceTime video calling, Apple's stunning new Retina display, 5 megapixel camera and HD video recording. iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model, in company retail stores and online at www.att.com/iphone, plus business channels, beginning June 24.
"This will be a very exciting week for AT&T customers," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "By using social security numbers, we can handle the order traffic and make sure we're enabling our customers to access their favorite social networks and favorite business applications."
"We know that people are eager to get iPhone 4, which is why we have moved to a more orderly process.?
DALLAS, June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T*, the U.S. smartphone leader, today announced it has ceased taking orders for iPhones today due to unprecedented demand, and will reopen its website tomorrow, June 16, at Midnight EDT.
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: ?0-1? on June 16, ?2-3? on June 17, ?4-5? on June 18, ?6-7? on June 19, and ?8-9? on June 20.
This process is required to manage the tremendous demand for the iPhone 4. During this time, customers will be limited to one phone order, but after June 21 additional phones may be ordered.
AT&T is proud to offer the iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone ever with all-new design, FaceTime video calling, Apple's stunning new Retina display, 5 megapixel camera and HD video recording. iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model, in company retail stores and online at www.att.com/iphone, plus business channels, beginning June 24.
"This will be a very exciting week for AT&T customers," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "By using social security numbers, we can handle the order traffic and make sure we're enabling our customers to access their favorite social networks and favorite business applications."
"We know that people are eager to get iPhone 4, which is why we have moved to a more orderly process.?
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: “0-1” on June 16, “2-3” on June 17, “4-5” on June 18, “6-7” on June 19, and “8-9” on June 20.
No excuse for that. It's 2010. They've got server farms and processing power and skads of IT/dev talent, and they can't handle a couple million transactions? The high frequency traders on Wall Street - billions of shares traded a day - no doubt millions of transactions each day, week in and week out. Maybe they should outsource it to eBay next time. No excuse for this.
And how hard can it be? It's a pre-order, ferchrissakes. Take the order, and sort out any checks you have to do later, if you have to. Contact the person via email if there's an issue found later. Shouldn't even need to do that, though.
I have half a mind for emailing the Jobster himself...
I just found out that if you use the iPhone ordering app that there is a "call Apple" button at one point that actually gets through to apple and bypasses the recording apologizing for the high call volume and not taking the call. After being on hold for 6 minutes a very friendly apple rep (Brad) answered. I of course said I want to pre order the new phone. He said that the ordering problem is with ATT and that he couldn't even put in a order right now. He did however take my name and phone number and assured me that he would personally call me back when AT&T's system was up and running again and process my order.
No excuse for that. It's 2010. They've got server farms and processing power and skads of IT/dev talent, and they can't handle a couple million transactions? The high frequency traders on Wall Street - billions of shares traded a day - no doubt millions of transactions each day, week in and week out. Maybe they should outsource it to eBay next time. No excuse for this.
And how hard can it be? It's a pre-order, ferchrissakes. Take the order, and sort out any checks you have to do later, if you have to. Contact the person via email if there's an issue found later. Shouldn't even need to do that, though.
I have half a mind for emailing the Jobster himself...
And his reply would be..."It's a magical pre-order process, be patient...But turn off your WI-FI to help us out...Thanks"...hehe
I agree...You would think by now they would have this stuff sorted out and be ready for it by now. Then again, you can't predict demand but the technology is there to handle these kinds of loads...my guess is, something is seriously broke in the system that wasn't anticipated at all...But in the end, I guess it's a good problem to have...
Rather than upgrade existing account, choose "add a new line." Then "Reserve." Then choose a zip code of the apple store you're going to pick up from, and submit. Then you enter your apple id/password, submit, and there you have it. I did this at 12:30 EST. An apple rep in our local Apple Store assisted me with this.
The key is that there's no interface with AT&T (obviously not running Xraid). This whole fiasco is the fault of AT&T.
I suspect he was trolling. I didn't see that "press release" he posted anywhere else, and people are still going through the pre-order process successfully.
Does not seem to effect UK but then none of my operators (O2 and orange) has the facilities to pre-order the phone (not that I know of). Apple Store UK online only has the PAYG phone for £499~ to pre-order.
OTH, I checked my eligibility last night and it says I can have an early upgrade (from the original end of contract date of 15 Jan 2011) for a £120.00 fee. And if I recycle my iphone 3GS I could get that for £208.00 which mean if I do an early upgrade, I could get a profit (or extra money I should say) of £108.00 but then I would be committing to another 18m contract (minimum term) and a lost of unlimited data from October this year. Thinking of upgrading my Orange's RAZR3 for the iPhone 4 if it is the better deal.
I've been trying since 4AM this morning. I'm beyond pissed
Since 4AM here too.
I tried everything. Called the AT&T Store...they said 'Sure, come and pre-order' - but by the time I get there half an hour later, the system had crashed.
In desperation, I went to the Best Buy about a block away. No one was there for iPhone - in fact, I was the very first pre-order over there. Got a '1' on my receipt...and I'll be at BB bright and early on the 24th (right after work). I figure they must get at least SOME iPhones....in which case, I should be set!
If not, I'll wait a few weeks and get a white one.
Ummm, shouldn't we do upgrades BEFORE the launch guys? Just a thought. They should have been honest and posted a message stating that once again they dropped the proverbial ball.
It is not At&t I cannot get past the pre-order page at apple.com before it even check your eligibility.
Totally unprepared? Apple is a computer manufacturer not a food company how can't they have hardware in place to handle this???
An influx of customers attempting to preorder the next-generation iPhone resulted in issues with Apple's online store and forced the company to temporarily reject callers to its 800 number on Tuesday.
I call bullshit on this one. "Temporarily" implies that the phones are open again. I've been trying off and on for the past 7 hours and the phones appear to be permanently closed.
At another level, it is deeply embarrassing for Apple and ATT.
Not at all.
With people standing in line for a simple pre-order, it gets news headlines and others (who are oblivious to the iPhone/Apple) will have to see what all the fuss is about and a percentage of those will jump also.
Comments
I mean, we literally can't give Apple our money quick enough for these things.
DALLAS, June 15 -- AT&T*, the U.S. smartphone leader, today announced it has ceased taking orders for iPhones today due to unprecedented demand, and will reopen its website tomorrow, June 16, at Midnight EDT.
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: ?0-1? on June 16, ?2-3? on June 17, ?4-5? on June 18, ?6-7? on June 19, and ?8-9? on June 20.
This process is required to manage the tremendous demand for the iPhone 4. During this time, customers will be limited to one phone order, but after June 21 additional phones may be ordered.
AT&T is proud to offer the iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone ever with all-new design, FaceTime video calling, Apple's stunning new Retina display, 5 megapixel camera and HD video recording. iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model, in company retail stores and online at www.att.com/iphone, plus business channels, beginning June 24.
"This will be a very exciting week for AT&T customers," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "By using social security numbers, we can handle the order traffic and make sure we're enabling our customers to access their favorite social networks and favorite business applications."
"We know that people are eager to get iPhone 4, which is why we have moved to a more orderly process.?
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: ?0-1? on June 16, ?2-3? on June 17, ?4-5? on June 18, ?6-7? on June 19, and ?8-9? on June 20.
This process is required to manage the tremendous demand for the iPhone 4. During this time, customers will be limited to one phone order, but after June 21 additional phones may be ordered.
AT&T is proud to offer the iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone ever with all-new design, FaceTime video calling, Apple's stunning new Retina display, 5 megapixel camera and HD video recording. iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model, in company retail stores and online at www.att.com/iphone, plus business channels, beginning June 24.
"This will be a very exciting week for AT&T customers," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "By using social security numbers, we can handle the order traffic and make sure we're enabling our customers to access their favorite social networks and favorite business applications."
"We know that people are eager to get iPhone 4, which is why we have moved to a more orderly process.?
Customers can preorder during the next five days based on the last digit of their social security numbers, as follows: “0-1” on June 16, “2-3” on June 17, “4-5” on June 18, “6-7” on June 19, and “8-9” on June 20.
WOOHOO for me... I guess
No excuse for that. It's 2010. They've got server farms and processing power and skads of IT/dev talent, and they can't handle a couple million transactions? The high frequency traders on Wall Street - billions of shares traded a day - no doubt millions of transactions each day, week in and week out. Maybe they should outsource it to eBay next time. No excuse for this.
And how hard can it be? It's a pre-order, ferchrissakes. Take the order, and sort out any checks you have to do later, if you have to. Contact the person via email if there's an issue found later. Shouldn't even need to do that, though.
I have half a mind for emailing the Jobster himself...
Dear ,
Thank you for your recent order. We value and appreciate your business. Your order has been reserved. At the
point your order was placed, we authorized the funds to cover your purchase however, your credit card will not
actually be charged until the order is shipped.
Order Details:
Order Transaction Number: XX (this number appears at the bottom of your original sales receipt)
Shipping Zip Code: XXXXX
Item Name
Item
Number
Quantity Ordered
FREIGHT
88868
1
Your order will be shipped as soon as possible. You will receive an email as soon as your order is shipped. Please
note that the email will contain the shipment tracking number for your convenience. In addition, you may check
the status of your order at any time at our website by clicking here or by calling our automated system at
1-877-782-8870. Please see order details above.
Thank you again for choosing AT&T.
Sincerely,
AT&T
-This is the email I just got after leaving my information with a rep at my local ATT cellular store.
...but the AT&T and Apple sites just hang.
No excuse for that. It's 2010. They've got server farms and processing power and skads of IT/dev talent, and they can't handle a couple million transactions? The high frequency traders on Wall Street - billions of shares traded a day - no doubt millions of transactions each day, week in and week out. Maybe they should outsource it to eBay next time. No excuse for this.
And how hard can it be? It's a pre-order, ferchrissakes. Take the order, and sort out any checks you have to do later, if you have to. Contact the person via email if there's an issue found later. Shouldn't even need to do that, though.
I have half a mind for emailing the Jobster himself...
And his reply would be..."It's a magical pre-order process, be patient...But turn off your WI-FI to help us out...Thanks"...hehe
I agree...You would think by now they would have this stuff sorted out and be ready for it by now. Then again, you can't predict demand but the technology is there to handle these kinds of loads...my guess is, something is seriously broke in the system that wasn't anticipated at all...But in the end, I guess it's a good problem to have...
The key is that there's no interface with AT&T (obviously not running Xraid). This whole fiasco is the fault of AT&T.
Hey, why was iphonefan1968's post deleted?
I suspect he was trolling. I didn't see that "press release" he posted anywhere else, and people are still going through the pre-order process successfully.
OTH, I checked my eligibility last night and it says I can have an early upgrade (from the original end of contract date of 15 Jan 2011) for a £120.00 fee. And if I recycle my iphone 3GS I could get that for £208.00 which mean if I do an early upgrade, I could get a profit (or extra money I should say) of £108.00 but then I would be committing to another 18m contract (minimum term) and a lost of unlimited data from October this year. Thinking of upgrading my Orange's RAZR3 for the iPhone 4 if it is the better deal.
I've been trying since 4AM this morning. I'm beyond pissed
Since 4AM here too.
I tried everything. Called the AT&T Store...they said 'Sure, come and pre-order' - but by the time I get there half an hour later, the system had crashed.
In desperation, I went to the Best Buy about a block away. No one was there for iPhone - in fact, I was the very first pre-order over there. Got a '1' on my receipt...and I'll be at BB bright and early on the 24th (right after work). I figure they must get at least SOME iPhones....in which case, I should be set!
If not, I'll wait a few weeks and get a white one.
Hey ATT:
Ummm, shouldn't we do upgrades BEFORE the launch guys? Just a thought. They should have been honest and posted a message stating that once again they dropped the proverbial ball.
It is not At&t I cannot get past the pre-order page at apple.com before it even check your eligibility.
Totally unprepared? Apple is a computer manufacturer not a food company how can't they have hardware in place to handle this???
An influx of customers attempting to preorder the next-generation iPhone resulted in issues with Apple's online store and forced the company to temporarily reject callers to its 800 number on Tuesday.
I call bullshit on this one. "Temporarily" implies that the phones are open again. I've been trying off and on for the past 7 hours and the phones appear to be permanently closed.
At one level, it is a great 'problem' to have.
At another level, it is deeply embarrassing for Apple and ATT.
Not at all.
With people standing in line for a simple pre-order, it gets news headlines and others (who are oblivious to the iPhone/Apple) will have to see what all the fuss is about and a percentage of those will jump also.