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littlegreenspud · Nov 3, 2003, 12:54 PM

I nearly ordered from the AppleStoreUK, I am glad I did not. On the 24th I went to my local Apple Store (Island Computers) and asked for a copy. They had arrived in the store on Monday 20th but they were not allowed to sell them until 8pm, so I asked them to put aside a copy for me to collect on the 25th, which they did - thanks Mike!

Parky · Nov 3, 2003, 01:13 PM

I think that is what is most annoying about the whole thing.

That there are copies sat on shelves when we are still waiting for ours to arrive.

It really gives the Apple Store a good selling point, order from us and get your stuff after everyone else.

It is easier in the UK to buy Apple hardware and software from stores than from the Apple Store, they seem to get the stuff first and can deliver it quicker.

Ian

alister · Nov 3, 2003, 01:56 PM

Well I e-mailed the [email protected] address this afternoon, having ordered my Panther upgrade on the announcement day, and like so many others, haveing received diddlysquat.

Within 2 hours I had a call from a supervisor at the Apple Store, blaming strike action at the sorting office at Uxbridge, and offering --unprompted -- to send my a copy by courier...

It's still supposed to take 3-4 working days though

Parky · Nov 4, 2003, 05:09 AM

It's 9:00 am on Tuesday 4th Nov, still no Panther for me.

The postman has been this morning, but no joy. He did deliver a package for me from Amazon sent sent on 29th Oct by First Class Business Post, so no post problems here.

I spoke to Apple late last night, I eventually got a call from them. They called to tell me that they would send me another copy by Express delivery and that I should expect it on Friday at the latest. That will make it a full 2 weeks after the promised delivery date.

They did also say that it would be free and that they will refund my credit card, so it not all bad. I may now end up with 2 free copies, but I would have rather had one copy on time.

Still, thank you Apple for making some effort evenually to sort out the mess.

Ian

Hamgard · Nov 4, 2003, 06:56 AM

Originally posted by Parky:

Still, thank you Apple for making some effort evenually to sort out the mess.

Ian

My Panther arrived this morning!! Totally underwhelmed.

It came in a scruffy Jiffy bag, unboxed and unremarkable.

Did I get a spare copy that had been lying around the warehouse floor!?

It'll now sit around on a shelf until I've time/energy to install it. Probably after the first update.

I hope all still waiting receive your copies soon.

ninthart · Nov 4, 2003, 08:50 AM

Still haven't got it. Called Apple this morning and they're going to send out a replacement via a courier. God knows how long that will take. 10.4 will probably be out before I get it...

Can you tell that I'm completely fed up with the whole affair?

SunilC · Nov 4, 2003, 09:17 AM

Originally posted by ninthart:
Still haven't got it. Called Apple this morning and they're going to send out a replacement via a courier. God knows how long that will take. 10.4 will probably be out before I get it...

Can you tell that I'm completely fed up with the whole affair?

Called Apple yesterday and the lady was all ready to courier me a new copy until she realised I ordered through the up-to-date scheme and then told me I had to email panther sales support. I did that and they wrote back the same day saying that they can't do anything as I have to allow 14 days for delivery! Well I got sick of waiting ages ago and let's just say I obtained Panther by other means...anyway it finally arrived this morning! So I'm sure everyone else's will turn up in the next day or two.

Sunil

Parky · Nov 5, 2003, 04:55 AM

It's now Weds 5th November, a full 2 weeks after Apple say they shipped Panther to me.

That means it is now past the 10 business days shipping maximum as well.

I guess it's stuck somewhere, I will just have to wait for my courier copy to arrive.

I sort of lost interest in Panther now!

m.brown · Nov 5, 2003, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by Parky:
It's now Weds 5th November, a full 2 weeks after Apple say they shipped Panther to me.

That means it is now past the 10 business days shipping maximum as well.

I guess it's stuck somewhere, I will just have to wait for my courier copy to arrive.

I sort of lost interest in Panther now!

I'd contact them. Chances are they will send you a replacement copy via courier without charge.

Parky · Nov 5, 2003, 05:01 AM

If you read my posts I have already done that and they have sent me a copy for free by courier.

I did mention that I was waiting for the courier copy in my last post, but you must have missed it, easily done.

Contacting them is not easy by the way, they refuse to discuss Panther delivery issues on the telephone of pass your call to a supervisor. The only accept Panther sales support via email, with a 2 business day turn around.

Ian

Diggory Laycock · Nov 5, 2003, 07:18 AM

Still no Panther here.

Mind you - I live in West London (badly hit by the strike) and I only just started getting Mail again yesterday!

Dear Customer:

We are pleased to send you this shipment notification regarding your
Apple Store order.

Order Date : 08-10-2003

Terms of Payment VISA
Terms of Delivery CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid

Line Details:

Line Part Number Description Qty UOM
000010 M9227Z/A MAC OS X PANTHER 10.3 RETAIL-INT 1 EA

Ship Date : 22-10-2003
Weight : 0.49 KG
Volume : 2.25 CDM

Please note your order has shipped via Parcel Post.
Please allow 10 business days for the delivery.

If you have not received your product or notification
of an attempted delivery of your product within 10
business days from the date of this shipment notification
eMail please contact the Apple Store

If you still haven't got yours yet and you have broadband - I'd torrent it - It's what I did.

ninthart · Nov 5, 2003, 08:44 AM

Originally posted by Diggory Laycock:
Still no Panther here.

Yup, me too.

Mind you - I live in West London (badly hit by the strike) and I only just started getting Mail again yesterday!

Me too again...

If you still haven't got yours yet and you have broadband - I'd torrent it - It's what I did.

Why should I tie my ADSL up to get something I should have had over a week ago on a CD? Besides which, BitTorrent is a security nightmare... I hope you were running PeerVanguard or something similar...

ninthart · Nov 6, 2003, 09:15 AM

Still haven't got it, but had an e-mail from Apple telling me my replacement courier copy was shipped this morning. Does anybody know roughly how long this will take to get to me? I'd hope that it would come tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath...

In other news, my copy of Adobe CS Premium has arrived. Do I install it now, or do I wait? I really don't know any more...

JKT · Nov 6, 2003, 11:01 AM

Originally posted by ninthart:
Still haven't got it, but had an e-mail from Apple telling me my replacement courier copy was shipped this morning. Does anybody know roughly how long this will take to get to me? I'd hope that it would come tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath...

In other news, my copy of Adobe CS Premium has arrived. Do I install it now, or do I wait? I really don't know any more...

Phoned up just now as my order hadn't arrived either and it's now 11 business days later (FWIW, I had no choice but to go via Apple Store - education discount). They're shipping me another copy via TNT and it may not arrive until next Wednesday! (Due to the weekend). I haven't been so bothered by the delay as a) I know that the postal strike hit my area since the beginning of last week, and b) I was going to be installing onto a FW external drive... hmmm, not so tempting at the moment!

barney ntd · Nov 6, 2003, 01:46 PM

I finally got fed up and phoned Apple on Tuesday. They tried to blame it on the London postal strike, but when I told them that Bolton is north of Manchester, they said they'd courier me a replacement. Of course, the posted version turned up next morning

I started this thread thinking I'd been unlucky not to get it on the 24th. Knowing that other people were in the same boat helped a lot, but probably delayed my complaint to Apple. Let's hope they've learnt their lesson!

Barney.

Diggory Laycock · Nov 6, 2003, 09:07 PM

I finally got mine today.

huggs2 · Nov 11, 2003, 06:36 PM

o.k so i am the only one left in the world who has not recieved my copy of panther and the first update is already out.Its now exactly a month since i ordered it.promised wed. at the latest.We will see.

Hamgard · Nov 12, 2003, 07:14 AM

Originally posted by huggs2:
o.k so i am the only one left in the world who has not recieved my copy of panther and the first update is already out.Its now exactly a month since i ordered it.promised wed. at the latest.We will see.

Yeah. What's happened to this thread, has all that snarling fury at not receieving the big black cat evaporated into delight as you play with the moggie? Or, have you all committed suicide as the red van/TNT lorry slips by without stopping?

The Shadow · Nov 12, 2003, 09:34 AM

Originally posted by Hamgard:
Yeah. What's happened to this thread, has all that snarling fury at not receieving the big black cat evaporated into delight as you play with the moggie? Or, have you all committed suicide as the red van/TNT lorry slips by without stopping?

We all made our points repeatedly and very forcefully in this thread until there was really no point in saying any more on the subject.

It was a great thread while it lasted and I think it was a very effective way of venting our anger and frustration.

One can only hope Apple UK have learned a valuable lesson, that there will be some serious thinking done at a very high level about the cheapskate way they approached such a high profile product launch and that there will not be a repetition of those farcical events of a couple of weeks ago.

As for myself, I ended up with four copies of Panther, two of them couriered to me free of charge, The other two being my original order.

Two of the Panthers got installed of course.
One was given to a Pantherless friend still running 10.1 for the price of two tickets to see the Four Tops and The Temptations at Sheffield Arena.

The last one languishes unopened still on the shelf in my office, a silent reminder of the debacle that was the UK Panther launch.

A Zen-like calm has once again settled over Shadow Towers. The systems click and tick along a little faster with a tad more style and ease of use than before.

FireWire drives softly whirr, data passing uninterrupted, unmolested, blue lights obediently winking and blinking, firmware safely updated

All is well.

Peace reigns......

Until the next time.

Hamgard · Nov 12, 2003, 10:48 AM

Well, that's good to hear. We've been through the trenches of deprivation together, and as the conflict draws to a close it's comforting to know that comrades are leaving the 'field' in good shape.

huggs2 · Nov 12, 2003, 06:55 PM

wed. evening and i still did not get panther,now over a month since i ordered it.girl on the phone monday at apple support said they dispatched it mon. and i should have it wed. at the latest?.all i got was an e-mail saying it was dispatched on the 6th of nov.on a new web no.well i think shadow got all the copies i was sent or a great big van is going to arrive on my doorstep soon.Cant wait to hear what they have to say at apple support tomorrow morning.

Parky · Nov 12, 2003, 07:10 PM

Well my original copy arrived on Friday 2 weeks late, and the replacement copy arrived on the following Monday.

At least I got 2 copies for free, eventually!

The Shadow · Nov 27, 2003, 03:30 PM

Just got this email from the UK Apple Store

Dear Customer,

This has been an exciting year for the Apple Store, with the development of Apple's innovative range of products and a significant expansion in products from other suppliers.

Such changes have been matched by a huge increase in customer traffic and demand which we have for the most part been successfully handling. In recent months we have also been upgrading our logistics systems and network and have been encountering several implementation issues. Unfortunately, for some of our customers, this translated into a shopping experience on the Store that fell short of the standards we strive to achieve.

If you have recently experienced delays or other problems with your order, let us assure you that we are taking all the necessary steps to restore service levels as quickly as possible, putting in place improved processes and additional staff to ensure that you receive the care and attention that you deserve.

Whether or not you have been affected by the problems we have experienced, please be certain that your satisfaction as one of our customers is our highest priority and we look forward to welcoming you the next time you visit the Apple Store.

Yours faithfully

The Apple Store Team

Well well well

The scale of the Panther launch mess up must have been a major embarrassment.

Nice email all the same

Mediaman_12 · Nov 28, 2003, 08:41 AM

Originally posted by The Shadow:
Just got this email from the UK Apple Store

Dear Customer,

This has been an exciting year for the Apple Store, with the development of Apple's innovative range of products and a significant expansion in products from other suppliers.

Such changes have been matched by a huge increase in customer traffic and demand which we have for the most part been successfully handling. In recent months we have also been upgrading our logistics systems and network and have been encountering several implementation issues. Unfortunately, for some of our customers, this translated into a shopping experience on the Store that fell short of the standards we strive to achieve.

If you have recently experienced delays or other problems with your order, let us assure you that we are taking all the necessary steps to restore service levels as quickly as possible, putting in place improved processes and additional staff to ensure that you receive the care and attention that you deserve.

Whether or not you have been affected by the problems we have experienced, please be certain that your satisfaction as one of our customers is our highest priority and we look forward to welcoming you the next time you visit the Apple Store.

Yours faithfully

The Apple Store Team

Well well well

The scale of the Panther launch mess up must have been a major embarrassment.

Nice email all the same

I have got the same, maybe evryone who ordererd Panther was on some sort of list? I wonder if we will see any improvement for the next upgrade? (Next year?)

Diggory Laycock · Nov 28, 2003, 08:59 AM

They were unlucky with the timing of the release -- the unofficial postal strike will have screwed things up in a big way.

I hope part of the "restructuring" means using a better delivery company.

Amazon have already switched away from Royal Mail.

The postal strike was a complete Home Goal for the Post Office.

I haven't even opened my Panther Box since it arrived - I torrented the CDs - which was a lot faster than the postal delivery!

Apple really should consider the net as a distribution system for major releases of the OS.