email confirm says 9/28 "delivery", but now changed to "ship"

[#1]

I'm usually pretty patient, but I wanted to know if anyone else had this happen?

When I ordered my phone (9/14 @ 8:45pm) I was given a 9/28 DELIVERY confirmation.

In 2 subsequent phone calls with Verizon (initially to check they did have my order - I couldn't see it on my account) and then about when to expect an email confirmation - each of the VW reps said I would get my phone "most definitely by 9/28 if not before".

However today, I saw no change in status online and no hint of anything on UPS/FedEx - so I called *611 and for the first time, a VW rep tells me "that is a SHIP date, and NOT delivery" and he proceeds to tell me about the problems they had where it was supposed to say "ship" on the website and in the confirmation email.

So - why didn't VW tell me this???

Did anyone else get this change??

This means I will now get my phone about 10/2-10/3, instead of 9/28.  I view a 4-5 day delay, significant, especially in light of many who say they are getting their phones early.  I'm sure I will sound whiny, but it's a legitimate point to bring up, that if VW was willing to try to keep their initial delivery dates, then should they continue to do so for those who didn't try to bombard them right out of the gate??

[roguefish]

"Deliver by" was exactly what they meant it to say. I confirmed this when I pre-ordered the phone with the online rep several times.

They are now changing the meaning of this to cover their inability to ship phones. Instead, they are busy restocking their stores while shafting those who pre-ordered the phone.

Never lie to your customers... customer service mistake #1.

[#3]

I asked (trying to provide my own remedy) if I could cancel this order and instead go get one from a full Verizon service store (not kiosk or authorized seller).  I was also told "no" that by the time the account could be updated to reflect everything, I should just wait for the pre-order.

In short - this has turned into 3 weeks, rather than 2.

[LDavis1976]

Pam, I ordered my phone just about 4 hours earlier than you. I too had a deliver by date of 9/28; however, my card was finally charged today and my status has been updated to reflect a shipped date of today along with my tracking info.  So perhaps there's still hope? I agree that is is irritating stores are getting a stock refresh while "pre-orders" are still left unfulfilled.  If you don't want to wait the extra days (and I don't blame you), I'd head for the Verizon store and let them sell you the phone.  They should be able to udpate your account there and cancel the pending pre-order.  

[kaebfly]

For most, the deliver by date has been just that...the date that the delivery is received once it is actually shipped. For the person that stated that their status is now showing shipped and the delivery date remains as "by 9/28"...think about it. Today is the 26th. If the status was changed to "shipped" today then that means a label has been generated. So it is probable that you will get your device on 9/28 just as the deliver by date suggests. Be concerned if it doesn't arrive on that date after the status had been updated to shipped. Otherwise, if it is labeled as shipped it can not be canceled as you suggested (not sure if the person you suggested that to also had their status changed to shipped so this may not even apply to them). But for anyone interested in canceling their pre-order and buying in store, your best bet is to go to the store you want to purchase from first and make sure they have what you want in stock as suggested. Assuming it is a VZW store, they can cancel your pre-order IF it's status has not changed to shipped. If it has, then there is nothing they can do. Most stores are not getting refreshed stock like some seem to think though....so this option isn't available to them. I know it sucks to have to wait but you have to consider the extremely high demand that the iPhone 5 has attracted. Just like you are anxious to get your device, so are the thousands that are also in your position. It probably would have been better for Apple to wait a month after announcing the iPhone 5 before releasing it...so they could better fit the demand...although I think a lot of people would have complained if pre-order started the same time yet they weren't going to ship for a month.

[#6]

Excellent suggestion - and I did call, and they said they did not have any iPhones at all.  I think if they did, that would have been the ideal resolution (though it would take probably a couple of hours out of my day, that I don't really have to spare - which was my main reason for ordering vs standing in line.  I have to order most everything on a routine basis). They said not only would they have to order one, it of course would be starting over (with a delivery date 2-3 weeks past what it looks like mine will end up being).

My main point really for all this, is that Verizon could have stepped up to the plate to keep customers apprised at the point they saw they couldn't fulfill the order.  The launch date isn't the only one they needed to ensure was met - that's really all I was hoping someone at VW would read in this post.

[#7]

Thanks for the insight - and I think I get what you are trying to say?  However my status has said "ship 9/28" for about a week. My original email confirmation after I completed my order said "delivery 9/28".  So when I saw the website status last week (using the preorder number from Verizon), "ship 9/28" instead of "delivery 9/28", I called Verizon and they assured me it meant delivery in my hands "before or on 9/28".  It seemed like we were talking the same language.

So today was the first day someone said "no, it doesn't mean delivery - it actually means it won't ship out until 9/28". I asked "so that means it won't leave the facility until 9/28?"  "Yes" he said.  He further said "you will get tracking information on 9/28 which means the phone will arrive sometime next week" (10/2 - 10/3), so that seemed pretty clear it was very different from last week explanation of my status. Hope that helps you understand the confusion on my side at least and why I don't understand why Verizon isn't keeping up better communications. A week is significant in my mind as a customer.

[kaebfly]

It might be that VZW isn't really in the loop on when they will receive more iPhones exactly or the number of them that they will receive. I agree that they could do a better job with communication, which is why I opted not to pre-order through them again and instead went through Apple...because I knew that communication was poor at best with my previous iPhone pre-order experience and I didn't want to deal with their phone CS if I needed to ask questions because they tend to not know a lot of the times...and instead of just admitting that they really don't know the answer (which I would respect and appreciate the honesty even if I didn't get an answer) a lot of the reps tend to just tell you something in an attempt to keep you from getting upset...only to end up upsetting customers more if it ends up not being correct or conflicts with other info provided. I've never had that problem with Apple so I went that route. This honestly isn't a new gripe with VZW during pre-order situations...and from what I understand, this is also the case with other carriers also. It doesn't make it right of course, but it is what seems to keep happening.

[kaebfly]

On that situation...it goes right back to the CS agents often not being truly kept in the loop or properly trained so there is confusion on their ends also as to how they tend to interpret the info they are seeing. Often, the CS agent can not tell you anything more than what you yourself can see as far as the status of your order UNLESS there is a notation stating that more info is needed from you (deposit, billing error needing to be corrected, etc). Communication really is terrible but I think a lot of it is on the poor training or details provided to the CS agents to begin with.

[#10 · Accepted solution]

I had checked my credit card before putting this thread out - at that time my credit card had not been charged (even the pending initial $1 charge had fallen off last week)...in the last 2 hours, my card has been charged finally, but Verizon status still says "your order will ship by 9/28" with no tracking number. 

So we shall see how this goes now...at this point it sounds like it might ship Thursday or Friday for delivery next week.  Trust me - I'm hoping for the best.  And again, I am not trying to whine - it's just the lack of communication (or inconsistent - whichever) - same result is confusion that I thought could be avoided.