iPhone 4S Order Status - Shipping - Info Updates

[Heyjenny]

I ordered two phones 1 white and 1 black both 32g on the 19 oct. I received the white one on the 28 oct but I'm still waiting on the black one and they tell me my order will automatically be canceled on nov 19 if it doesn't ship. Dang back order crap att Ughhhh -Jenny NYC

[Heyjenny]

I ordered two phones 1 white and 1 black both 32g on the 19 oct. I received the white one on the 28 oct but I'm still waiting on the black one and they tell me my order will automatically be canceled on nov 19 if it doesn't ship. Ughhhh -Jenny

[Dan203]

Several more in my area went off backorder tonight. Seems like all orders prior to 10/17 have now shipped or come off backorder. Should be getting closer. Maybe I'll have mine by next week? <fingers crossed>

Dan

[dcayne]

iPhone Model: 4S Black 64GB
Time Pre-Ordered: 7:28pm, Tuesday, Oct 11th, 2011 <actually 30 hours earlier; see note below in Add'l Info>
Method Ordered: Over the phone upgrade with AT&T Wireless Cust Svce
Order Status: SHIPPED today (11/1/2011 at 9:55am CDT, from Dallas/Ft. Worth, according to FedEx). -- FINALLY...Yippee!!!
Additional info:
Shipped by FedEx Standard Overnight, due tomorrow, Weds 11/2/2011

Actually ordered 10/10/2011 at 1:47pm PDT, over the phone upgrade talking live with AT&T Wireless Customer Service. They sent the T&Cs email at 2:16pm. I accepted and returned the T&Cs before 2:30pm that Monday the 10th. But AT&T didn't get around to sending my Confirmation email until almost 30 hours later, at 7:28pm the next day, Tuesday, Oct 11th. In my MANY subsequent calls to Cust Svce trying to find out what the h**l was going on with my delayed delivery, they considered that later Confrmation email date to be the operative date/time for the position of my order in the queue.

My order never showed up as even existing in their online or phone Order Status systems until Friday the 21st, although Cust Svce assured me in my multiple follow-up phone calls that it showed as both existing and having no problems (used a debit card to pay, which I later discovered was not supposed to work). Once it finally appeared online where I could track it, it remained stuck at "Backordered" until about 3:00am this morning (don't ask why I was still up and checking order status at that hour...). AT&T sent my shipment notification and tracking number at 8:33am PDT this morning, and FedEx showed it picked it up at 9:55am.

I'm thrilled to death that it's finally on its way, 22 days after placing my order, when Cust Svce assured me it would be shipped by the release date (Fri the 14th). But this has been a thoroughly miserable process and experience, demonstrating that AT&T's internal systems are hopelessly antiquated, inaccurate, and dis-integrated (as innumerable other posters in this forum have shown by sharing their own terrible experiences). To this day, the login screen to check Wireless Order Status still has a banner saying pre-orders will ship on or about the 13th. If indeed AT&T's internal systems can actually tell anyone in management where an order is in the queue, what their current stock levels are, or when they expect their next shipment (and what will be in it), no one in Cust Svce has any visibility at all into what's going on. I called and escalated many times, and believe several of the supervisors/resolution people I spoke with were honestly telling me all the info they could dig up (which wasn't any more than I could eventually access myself online).

They blamed the problems on the huge surge of 4S pre-orders, as if that was something unexpected for which they (and their systems) were unprepared. But AT&T has been in the iPhone business since Day 1, and every new release has set new records for orders. So they had every reason to expect the high volume of orders they got. Public reports suggest they got as many as 2 million pre-orders through all channels.

While that's a big number for a single week, it's only about 5% the number of wireless phone customers they have. Many online retail businesses handle that sort of volume routinely, with excellent ability to tell an inquiring customer exactly where their order stands at any given time (Apple, Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and many smaller companies too). In 2011, it's indefensible for a company of AT&T's size and stature not to have business systems accessible by their Cust Svce staff that can give meaningful information about the status of an order.

I've been a loyal AT&T Wireless customer for over 12 years, and have generally been happy with their coverage and service quality, even defending them to friends repeating the popular complaints about their service (which I hadn't experienced, or at least no worse than the others I've used). But their incompetent and callous handling of 4S pre-orders has completely soured me on AT&T. If I didn't have unique coverage issues at my house, I would have switched to Verizon for this upgrade. And I'll definitely use Verizon for my iPad 2 data plan (I have AT&T data for my iPad 1). Moreover, I'm so ticked off by AT&T's handling of this that--just out of principle--I'll never give them new business again, and plan to scale back my landline business with them dramatically. I currently have 3 analog lines plus a T1 with them, and will cut that back to a single, minimally configured analog line, switching the rest to VOIP and changing T1 and Long Distance carriers.

Whatever problems they have, and mistakes they made, in managing 4S pre-orders, they could have handled it so much better by communicating with customers early and often about what was going on, and by ensuring that their Cust Svce staff (at very least, their supervisors and resolution people) had timely and accurate information available to help customers. But that would require a corporate culture and management that cares about customers and service. Clearly, AT&T places no value or focus on customer satisfaction. They lost their telco monopoly 30 years ago, but seem still not to have learned how to be competitive in a world where consumers have choices. They've coasted on their past and their brand longer than I would have thought possible, but sooner or later their customer hostility will catch up with them, and will cost them business and big bucks.

[Qson]

White 64gb ordered on 10/10 just went off backorder. No tracking number yet, but that's a start...

[darkknight71]

where is my  [edited] phone is see pepole order  after me and they are geting there phone let go two withe 64gb in store order

like is sade 12th 8:30 am am where is my phone im so angry im losing my temper im about to go to the store find out what is going on and cancel my oder [word filter evasion]

[Bruno5346]

Where can I find this order number. The only one I have is the premier

[darkknight71]

Check the shold like three number on top of your statement or email

[darkknight71]

Can some one tell me if there send out the 64gb white
I see that there sending 16gb and maybe some 32

[reg1]

I'm monitoring the orders made from my area and they have shipped out about three 64gb...the latest being shipped yesterday, 11/01. All those orders have been black though.

[RTSean]

Ordered my black 4S at a AT&T store 10/27/11 @ 10:30 AM and just came off backorder. Let's see how long it takes to get any shipping status change...

[tecmoney]

Ordered a white 64GB online on 10/10.  It looks like it just came off backorder.  still no shipping information yet.

[jasmine_nicole]

does any one know how long USPS take to ship the iphone

[darkknight71]

but whay are geting in thru post office it shuold be ups or FedEx

[jasmine_nicole]

i dont know thats what it showed up as when i clicked on my tracking number

[darkknight71]

Ok make sure that. You be home for that make sure track that package good is should be like over night or in the afternoon enjoy your new iPhone I'm still wating for mine to come out of back oreder

[dknow101]

---

jasmine_nicole wrote:

does any one know how long USPS take to ship the iphone

---

Well I just looked at my order and is shipped and will be here on 11-3 by 3pm FedX

Ordered on 10-21.

Says shipped 11-2.

So far from this forum it looks like it takes a day for shipping.

4S Black 32GB......1 more day.

[darkknight71]

Luck you at list your geting your iPhone soon I'm still wating

[lm121]

hey there....anyone who has there phone come off backorder......could you tell your order number.   Just trying to get an idea when I might see mine.  thanks folks

[darkknight71]

Look at the receipt from where you order from should under store #

[Julie1003]

How do u check to see what orders r being sent out? I ordered the white 16gb on October 22 in AT&T store. And still on back order.. I want my phone!!!

[lm121]

not sure if it is possible to see what order numbers they have sent.  I think the only way we will get that info is from each other.  I ordered my 16g white 4s on the 21st.  order number 666.  im sure it will be at least another week. 

[auttienkassiemom]

Are white 16g taking the longest to ship out?

[lm121]

good question.  I am thinking that the white 16g is the most common order, since the black one has probably gotten old to most of us.  I am sure there are different wait times for each color and amount of storage.  I'm hoping that they planned to have a lot of 16g white orders and prepared accordingly.  lol  

[Heyjenny]

Nope. Whites are shipping out first. I ordered both white and black two weeks later still waiting on white

[Heyjenny]

Sorry still waiting on black *

[Snowbum]

I just wanted to post my order info to help out the thread.

iPhone Model:  blk 16gb iPhone 4s
Time Ordered: Sunday 10/16/11; told 21-28 days for shipping.
Method: In AT&T store
Status: Came off backorder 11/2/11, not shipped yet and no tracking number.

[dknow101]

---

lm121 wrote:

not sure if it is possible to see what order numbers they have sent.  I think the only way we will get that info is from each other.  I ordered my 16g white 4s on the 21st.  order number 666.  im sure it will be at least another week. 

---

Where are you seeing the order number?

is that the shipping order number?

[Dan203]

---

RTSean wrote:

Ordered my black 4S at a AT&T store 10/27/11 @ 10:30 AM and just came off backorder. Let's see how long it takes to get any shipping status change...

---

I call B$! There are still people who ordered 3 weeks ago waiting, there is no way yours went off backorder in less then a week.

[froville22]

Ordered 11-1-2010  At the AT&T Store (Iphone 4S Black 16GB)

Status: Back Ordered

The only order ID that I could find says 502 which doesn't make much sense compare to others that ordered before me have a higher number.