iPhone 7 Plus for Yearly Upgrade Customers

[Anonymous]

 Anyone else on the Yearly Upgrade Programme? 

I took out a iPhone 6s Plus on a 30GB contract on September 2015, excited to be able to upgrade to the iphone 7 Plus when it came out. Well that excitement sure subsided when I was told they wouldn't have any stock in stores until 30th November. 

Anyhow, waited patiently until 30th Nov, phoned up today (1st Dec) and my three local stores had absolutely no idea when stock would be coming. 

The infuriating thing is the website says there's stock but there's no way of upgrading online if you're a yearly upgrade programme customer. 

The advice o2 gave me was to phone up the store every day until there's stock. Do they not realise how inconvenient that is?! Why is there not a better way?

I cannot wait another year so I can switch networks. o2 have been getting progressively worse for years. Such a shame as when I first signed up with them (nearly 10 years ago) they were great. 

[madasaf1sh]

The issue is that Apple dont have any to give to any of the networks. and apple prioritize their own customers.

All of the iPhone 7 Pluses on the apple website have a delivery date of 22nd December at the earliest..

[Anonymous]

I am having the very same problem. My annual o2 refresh cycle is moving ever so further away from the iphone cycle. 

The problem is not Apple, its the way O2 seperate there online and physical stores.

I have seen the phone available to order for next day delivery but the stores have no access to these handsets.

I origionally took out my contract online but now have to upgrade in store. I don't think O2 really thought about the 12 month refresh deal before they started to offer it to there customers. I tried to find any small print for this deal online but can not find anything.

[Anonymous]

@madasaf1sh Have they told you that there is no stock for networks?

[madasaf1sh]

Hi @Anonymous

From speaking to the account exec on our account at Apple, he has confirmed that Apple are currently prioritising their own distribution channels this includes retail and online, as o2 enterprise customers are in the same boat as consumers but we want to deploy from 10's to 1,000's of these devices but cant.

When speaking to contacts at the big 4 IT Distributors they have said they are getting one or 2 devices through and they are being snapped up by Enterprise pre orders or retailers...

[jtuk]

I now feel this is a deliberate policy by o2 to collect more money for the old handsets. How many thousands of Refresh customers are there? For all those customers they are now making at least £90+ extra each which they would not have done had they held on to their promise of "upgrade on us". That must be quite a lot of money.... It does not matter what the supply chain problem is. They deliberately prioritised new online customers over the old loyal ones as they then get money from the new ones and all the extra from the refresh customers stuck in this limbo of o2's making. And what has made it worse is their lack of any care towards the old customers. It beggars belief...

[jtuk]

It has been reported elsewhere that Apple has cut down their orders from suppliers so this situation is weird. Why are they not supplying to the demand? 

[jtuk]

Apple reduces orders: http://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/01/apple-reduces-iphone-7-orders/

[Cleoriff]

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@jtuk wrote:

Apple reduces orders: http://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/01/apple-reduces-iphone-7-orders/

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It does seem a bit silly.....but Apple have always worked on the theory that making their phones more difficult to get ..makes them more desirable...

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't surprise me. 

It's more the terrible levels of customer services that is irking me. Every store has no idea when stock will arrive. I've spoken to customer services and they say they have no idea. How can nobody at O2 have any idea when stock will arrive. And why can't they set up some kind of alert system that notifies customers when the store of your choice receives stock? I suggested this to the store in Brighton and they flat out refused. 

So poor.