Just as I expected - false promises - today (Friday 11th) was the day that I was supposed to get my hands on my pre-ordered 16GB iPhone 3G, and guess what it never arrived!
Annoying enough that I was still iPhone-less, today (Tues 15th) was also the day that o2 ported my 3UK number across to their network. I find it amazing how quick o2 were to take my money and to get me onto their network - Woo-Hoo I’m activated on the o2 network - what I am supposed to do without a bloody phone!? Gee thanks o2!
I should think myself lucky as there are people WITH iPhones that don’t have active sims! I’m not sure which is worse??
What a total balls-up o2/CPW!
Update:
As if things weren’t annoying enough, they were to get a whole lot worse:
Tues 15th - No iPhone and o2 have ported my number across from 3. I popped into CPW a little unhappy about the situation, where they offered me £15 for the inconvenience. I was told that my iPhone should arrive by Thurs.
Thurs 17th - Still no iPhone. I was told now not to expect it for a week as CPW had over-quoted on available handsets they had in their warehouse. Unhappy about the situation I told them that I would take my business elsewhere as the nearest Apple store (some 30 miles away) had plenty of stock. CPW said this was understandable and that just to make sure that I get an iPhone, cancel my CPW order after my Apple Store purchase, as I was the top of the list at my local CPW, just in case Apple ran out of stock by the time I got there.
Concerned that my mobile number was attached to my iPhone-less CPW contract, I was advised that o2 would be able to move the number across to the new Apple Store bought contract.
Friday 18th - Letter arrived in the post from CPW’s central office to apologise for the delay in getting my iPhone due to unprecedented demand and advised that my CPW account had been credited with £20 to spend in-store on accessories. Cool.
On my way to visit friends in Devon for a night out, I popped into my nearest Apple Store (in Exeter) and signed myself up for (another) iPhone contract. Yeah, I finally had my 16GB iPhone! Oddly while I was in the process of getting said phone - CPW phoned to say that the handset that they ordered had now been picked and would probably be in store Sat. Would you f-ing believe it!? I advised that I was just completing my order at Apple and that I didn’t want theirs now and would be in to officially cancel my order and get my £159 back when I was back in town.
Saturday 19th - Still in Devon, I phoned o2 to see how easy it was to get my mobile number moved from the CPW Store contract to the Apple Store Contract. I explained that CPW had failed to deliver, but that they weren’t so slow in getting me ported onto the o2 network. After speaking to Customer Services & Disconnections for an hour, both understood my dilemma, but advised that they were unable to do anything. The system only allowed porting in from another network and not moving between accounts. Oh crap!
Now I had the dilemma of keeping the Apple bought iPhone and loosing my number I’ve had for years, or taking that back and waiting for the CPW iPhone to arrive, provided they hadn’t already cancelled my order without me being there and given my iPhone to another waiting customer.
While I was still in Devon, I tried phoning my local CPW to check that they hadn’t cancelled my order and given the handset to somebody else, before I took the 16GB I got from the Apple Store back. I must have tried over a 20 times from 10am until 3pm without success.
In a dilemma about what to do, go back home (30 miles from the Apple Store) or take my 2nd iPhone back to Apple while I was in the area, I decided that it was best to go home and to my local CPW.
I arrived home that afternoon and went straight to my local CPW to sort out this iPhone mess.. On speaking to the manager, who understood my frustrations of 1 not having an iPhone from CPW, 2 being told that I could move MY number from one o2 contract to another and 3 having to take my 2nd iPhone back to the Apple Store that was 30 miles away..
We agreed that the easiest solution was to wait for the CPW ordered iPhone to arrive on Monday - which their system confirmed would happen - and for me to take the 2nd iPhone back to the Apple Store and cancel that contract. CPW kindly paid for my petrol and inconvenience back to Exeter! £25 Thank-you very much!
Sunday 20th - Trip back down the M5 to take my 2nd iPhone back to the Apple Store. The process was a little drawn out as staff did not know the complete procedures as this was only the 2nd iPhone they had returned. LOL.. Phone returned, contract cancelled!
Monday 21st - CPW phoned at 11:30am to say that my iPhone had now arrived! I promptly popped in to collect, armed with the letter that I received on Friday morning. Big apologies from the CPW staff who were by now very familiar with me. They turned the £20 accessories credit into a cheque, bringing by total money back from CPW to £60!… meaning that I kinda got the 16GB iPhone for the price of the 8GB… yes it was a lot of hassle - but I guess that good things do come to those who wait! (and those who are patient).
Was it worth it? hell yeah!! the iPhone 3G rocks!
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach
Now THAT is extremely depressing!
Did it ever come thru? Hope so!
Best wishes, Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coachs last blog post..Wordpress for iPhone, download now! (PLUS 20 other resources)
Jul 22nd, 2008
Neil Bird
Hi Barbara,
Yes it was extremely depressing/frustrating..
Jul 24th, 2008
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