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A little angry at Apple right now...

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So, Apple cancelled my iPhone 6+ pre-order for no apparent reason:

Friday morning at 1:30 MDT I placed an order for a 16GB Grey iPhone 6+ and received my confirmation email saying it would be ready for in store pickup on 9/19. I called the store today to make sure that the phone wouldn't be sold out from under me since I have to work all day and can't make it in until late evening. The employee on the phone tells me she needs to transfer me to Customer Support for some reason.

The representative on the phone tells me my order was CANCELLED and gives me the reason what they thought may have caused it: card may have been declined and recommended I call the bank. I call the bank, they say the card was not declined and the $1 authorization "check" from Apple went through just fine but the actual charge from Apple for the order total was never sent back to my bank. I am at this point certain something went wrong on Apple's end.

I call customer support back and the representative, this time, even admits to me that it was a mess up on Apple's end. They tell me I have to rebook the order and I refuse as I am not going to wait 4-5 weeks for my phone that I pre-ordered on Friday morning. That's the purpose of a pre-ordering as soon as they go live...

I ask to talk to a manager and I am transferred. The manager ALSO admits that it was Apple's fault and states the same about not being able to do anything as far as getting me my device when I originally was promised. She claims to have sent my case to some "team" who will determine where to go from here but from the sound of it, they want me to suffer from their own mistake (as the customer, none the less...) and I find that very irresponsible from a company with the caliber of Apple.

I suggested to the manager on the phone that they contact the store I had the pickup planned for to set aside ONE phone that I had originally ordered and my request was, to my surprise, denied claiming that the stores don't have that kind of inventory to do something like that.

And the other crazy thing: I never received an email saying my order had been cancelled. Had I not called the retail store today, I would have showed up Friday evening ready to go and been told "OOPS, sorry, here's a number you can call Monday morning."

I've never heard of a company being so unconcerned and impervious to customer service.

I hope to get this resolved. Has this happened to anyone else?
 
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You have managed all this time without an iPhone 6, what's a few more weeks. Yes, a mistake has been made but it's just a phone - get over it.
 

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@pubmix: You might want to hit up Tim Cook at [email protected] and explain the situation to him. You should do it in the most professional manner possible and also include any of the names of people (especially managers) you remember and the phone numbers you dialed. You should also mention your discussion with your bank and what they found. You should very specifically indicate that everyone you spoke to at Apple admitted that it was their fault that your order was cancelled and the suggestions you made weren't even considered.

While Tim Cook does address a lot of email, he has a team that overlooks a lot of things as well and you might see some traction/action from up on high.

@Sawday: That is not an acceptable response to the OP. If Apple here admits that they made a mistake in canceling his order, they need to take the corrective steps to fix it. Just telling him to re-order is not the right fix. The WHOLE idea of him pre-ordering the phone was to get it before the rest (the reasons aren't yours or mine to question). Watch your tone with your responses please.
 

pigoo3

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So, Apple cancelled my iPhone 6+ pre-order for no apparent reason:

I call customer support back and the representative, this time, even admits to me that it was a mess up on Apple's end.

I have a feeling that you were probably not the only one. I'm willing to bet that some sort of glitch or mistake happened on Apple's end…and a whole bunch of pre-prders got cancelled by mistake (some individual employee accidentally hit the "Delete Key")…or something like that.

It does seem sort of weird that Apple couldn't somehow reinstate your pre-order…and this is why I'm thinking that this must have been big accident of some sort. Maybe something like 50,000 orders or more got accidentally cancelled.

Apple normally is very very very good when it comes to customer service. If you've heard some of the positive stories I have heard over the years…overall…Apple is very very very good.

I know that this may not make things any better on your end…but mistakes do happen. How many companies will actually admit to making a mistake?? Other companies most likely would have swept things under the carpet…and just said…"I don't know." (hands up in the air).

Maybe Apple will figure things out (and how to remedy it)…and maybe something positive will happen.:)

- Nick
 
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Pubmix,
Sorry to about your problems with apple. You did everything right when you ordered the phone, and still end up with the proverbial short end of the stick. Sometimes it happens. I don’t know how long you have been using apple products or what you have. I note that you signed up in the wee hours this morning and your one and only post is to bash Apple because they messed up.

You were surprised the store could not set aside ONE measly iPhone for you? Do you really think you are the only one that had a problem? I imagine there are thousands or tens of thousands of people with the same problem you have. Do you think the Apple stores have the inventory to set aside ONE phone for all of you?

I am sure the customer service representative did everything they could for you. The people you talk to are not all powerful at Apple. The person you talked with is just one little minion with a specific list of things they can do for their customers. I bet you your iPhone (when you eventually get it) the power to re-allocate inventory in a retail store is not one of them. Do you really think the manager one level up from the minons can do that either? I’ll bet you another iPhone on that one, too. Personally, the meaner someone is to me, the less inclined I am to help them. I would bet you I am not the only one like that, but I don’t need any more iPhones.

Apple messed up. Kudos to them for owning up to the mistake. Just because they can’t offer you the solution you want does not mean they aren’t doing all they can.

Razor,

Sawday’s response may have be a bit glib, but his point is still valid. You’ve been on this site over 5 years, appear to be quite active on the site, active enough to me a moderator, and have an impressive array of Apple hardware (what, no Apple TV?). You should know how crazy it gets when new iThings go on sale.

It is unfortunate that Apple messed up with Pub’s order, but it is not the end of the world. He (or she) should have known the initial rush to be among the first to order the newest iGadget can come with hiccups in the system. It happens. The fact that Pub seems to have joined the forum just to vent his rage at Apple leaves me with little sympathy for his plight.

Regards,
Jeff
 
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I'm not bashing Apple... I'm explaining what happened in hopes that someone might be able to explain it and or relate to a previous experience and let me know what happened in their situation. Sorry it's my first posts here but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for the replies
 

pigoo3

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... I'm explaining what happened in hopes that someone might be able to explain it and or relate to a previous experience and let me know what happened in their situation.

I think that only Apple knows what happened. The rest of us are just average folks…with no special powers of clairvoyance. Mostly…we can just guess or theorize.

I'm sure you want an iPhone 6 (since you did pre-order one).:) Just put your order in again…wait the 4-5 weeks…and then you'll have your shiny new iPhone 6.:)

- Nick
 
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I'm not bashing Apple... I'm explaining what happened in hopes that someone might be able to explain it and or relate to a previous experience and let me know what happened in their situation. Sorry it's my first posts here but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for the replies

Sorry if I misunderstood. Sounded like ranting to me. But I have been known to be wrong before.

As to what went wrong,it is probably safe to say that somewhere on Apple's website, the servers could not handle the load from all the folks trying to order iPhones. The Apple blogs and twitterverse are crawling with stories about website crashes and delays starting a little after midnight PST on the 12th.

I've been drinking the Apple Koolaid for several years now. I get Applecare with every piece of hardware I buy, and I have had numerous opportunities to call the mothership. I have always felt they were doing whatever they could to solve the problem. I think the people you talked to were doing whatever they could. Unfortunately, with the magnitude of the problem they were facing, they could not do much (especially at the minion level).

Unless Tim Cook steps in, I think Nick is right. Just re-order and your phone will arrive in a few weeks. What else can you do?

Regards,
Jeff
 
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I'm sorry you ran into that issue. I had read that Apple had a technical glitch with their store during the pre-order - I wonder if it's related to your issue? Hopefully Raz0rEdges advice might get you some traction.

I was a bit nervous when I pre-ordered and decided to pre-order through my carrier (Verizon) which after I read about the issues w/ the Apple store, seemed to be a more solid choice....

I do hope if you write to Mr Cook that you might be able to get something done. Of course, on the flip side if a lot of people had the same issue (50K or more) it might be difficult to get that many corrected due to how fast the phones sold out :(
 

chscag

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I do hope if you write to Mr Cook that you might be able to get something done. Of course, on the flip side if a lot of people had the same issue (50K or more) it might be difficult to get that many corrected due to how fast the phones sold out

Yeah, that's going to be a problem either way. There just aren't enough iPhone 6+ units to fulfill the initial demand. I hate glitches but sometimes there's absolutely nothing you can do but just wait it out. I too hope someone at Apple Hq is on top of this....
 
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chas_m

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If you (or anyone) ever writes to Tim Cook, here's some tips:

1. SUCCINCT. Think executive summary. The man is a busy fellow.

2. ON POINT. One issue. Don't wander off the topic to other things.

3. POLITE, UPBEAT. Whining is for babies.

Feel free to include documentary attachments if that will actually help matters, but don't try to put it all in text. Tim's not as notoriously AADD as Jobs was, but the email needs to be professional and to the point. That is the most likely way to have it get the needed attention.
 

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I would be surprised if Tim Cook read every email from customers. I would think his secretary or staff would sort those out for him and just bring to his attention those they thought required his attention.
 
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Hey I thing pubmix should give it a try. Email Tim Cook.

I use to be active on an HP Slate forum and we use to get information, replies, and pm's from the guy who designed and was in charge of manufaturing the HP slate. He use to help us iron out problems and got us fast turnarounds with ones that needed replacing.

Granted I doubt Tim Cook reads this mac forum (although he should and you never know ;D ) but sending an email might at least get you some information and maybe a solution.

Lisa
 
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I would never buy another IPhone or Apple product. But that's just me. You made a contract with them that they broke. It is there place to fix it. If they won't. No more Apple for me.

Simple.
 
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The rep on the phone left me a voice mail today advising me to place the order again but call her tomorrow during business hours to "discuss the situation." I was at work so I couldn't call and talk but I will tomorrow. So I'll let you know what happens, if anyone cares.
 

pigoo3

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...if anyone cares.

I'm not sure if it was necessary to say that. I think that a lot of us care...that's why we replied to your thread.:)

If we didn't care...you would have gotten zero replies.

- Nick
 
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I'm not sure if it was necessary to say that. I think that a lot of us care...that's why we replied to your thread.:)

If we didn't care...you would have gotten zero replies.

- Nick

I mean if anyone cares what happens. I'm sure the majority throw in their two cents and don't come back to the thread ever. Which is fine, I'm just looking for opinions now.
 

pigoo3

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I mean if anyone cares what happens. I'm sure the majority throw in their two cents and don't come back to the thread ever.

You've been a Mac-Forums member for 1 day & have 4 posts. I think that you need a little bit more "data" before making these sort of conclusions.:)

The thread thus far has received:

- 16 replies
- 561 views
- 4 members have posted more than once

Remember. Just because folks don't reply...that doesn't mean that there aren't lots of folks reading the thread...following it...and interested in what happens. Could be a bunch of folks in the same situation...and waiting to see what happens.:)

- Nick
 
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I'm not bashing Apple... I'm explaining what happened in hopes that someone might be able to explain it and or relate to a previous experience and let me know what happened in their situation. Sorry it's my first posts here but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for the replies

What happened here is really simple. You and tens of millions of people tried to order an iPhone all at one time. They broke all previous pre-order sales, making this the single biggest event of its kind. Ever. The computers and networks simply couldn't handle the strain of it all. I doubt they COULD have prepared adequately for it. It's really just that simple.
 
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Patience pubmix. It will all work itself out and in the scheme of things - this is a little thing.
 
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