[KingKerouac]

Has anybody sucessfully had their iBook from the Apple Store UK yet?
I was amazed to find, through checking the tracking, that mine was coming from Taiwan. The package seemed to spend 3 days at Taipei airport, before suddenl;y appearing in Luxembourg this morning.
Does anybody know how long it will take to get from there to my address in London?
Regards
KK

[zoid]

My iBook arrived in Luxembourg yesterday, but i did not get it up to now.
My home is not far away from Luxembourg, so i don't think that there is a chance for you to get yours tomorrow. Anyway: Good Luck!

[AdrianH]

Nope. Mine shipped on the 29th and arrived in Luxembourg on the morning of the 4th. Really, really lame.

For comparison, check out these two links - one, two to see how long a PowerBook took to get delivered.

I hope I get mine by Friday, but I'm not optimistic. God knows why it took my iBook five days to get from Taiwan to Luxembourg - what did it do, swim across the ocean?

[spiki]

Mine too arrived in Luxembourg yesterday morning. The order status page hasn't changed since.

It shipped on the 28th, which was a day earlier than expected. I was told in an e-mail from an Apple Store employee that delivery would be roughly 3-5 working days from shipping.

[AdrianH]

An update - using the TNT web tracker, I've discovered that my iBook just passed through the Arnhem hub in the Netherlands this afternoon. From there, it'll presumably go to Amsterdam and be flown to London. Who knows, maybe I could have it by tomorrow! I imagine this will be the same for all other UK people waiting for their iBooks.

[Eciton]

My iBook's still sitting in Luxembourg - has been since the morning of the 3rd. Getting cravings now

[KingKerouac]

AdrianH,
How do you get to view the TNT tracker?
Do you put your web ref no (the 7 figure one)
or the 10 figure number given later.
I hope this is the final stretch, cos
I'd hate to sit through another weekend.
Cheers
KingK

[AdrianH]

KK: I went to http://www.tnt.com/country/en_generic.html and typed in my 10 digit ref number (not the 7 digit one). You have to make sure that the 'Reference' option is checked. It only just started working for me, presumably when the shipment was transferred to TNT from K&N.

My iBook hasn't shown any progress since it passed through Arnhem... but that was only a couple of hours ago.

[AdrianH]

Ahhhh! My iBook was recorded to have shipped from the Eindhoven Shipping Depot just now, only 3 hours after passing through Arnhem. With luck, it'll land in Heathrow tonight and be with me tomorrow TNT is doing a much better job than K&N and Apple at moving and tracking its shipments. To all other UKers - there is hope!

[Gwenllian]

Originally posted by spiki:
Mine too arrived in Luxembourg yesterday morning. The order status page hasn't changed since.

It shipped on the 28th, which was a day earlier than expected. I was told in an e-mail from an Apple Store employee that delivery would be roughly 3-5 working days from shipping.

I ordered on 13th Oct. The iBook was despatched from Taiwan on 28th Oct and arrived in Eindhoven on 29th. Telephoned Apple who gave me a TNT consignment number. I then phoned TNT. They said that it had been "collected" from Eindhoven (!) on 29th and taken -via L'burg - to a firm called IEC Global Logistics in Colnbrook, Berks. which it is where - I understand - it now sits (without a consignment number) until someone with a TNT van kindly brings to me in the Celtic mists. Apple apologise when I phone but say they are changing over their delivery system which is supposed to make everything run more smoothly! They assure me that the iBook is in Colnbrook and will be delivered soon. The Order Status web site leaves everything in a numberless orbit. It seems to have travelled quickly from Taiwan to UK but, as usual, once here, total confusion reigns. Will let you know is and when and if it ever arrives ; together with a printer - but that is probably another story.

[spiki]

TNT now have my iBook. I feel calmer already.

The last entry on the TNT page is 6th November 18:02 Eindhoven.

I phoned TNT and they expect to deliver it on Monday 10th.

This iBook was ordered on the 22nd October.

[Eciton]

Originally posted by Gwenllian:
I ordered on 13th Oct. The iBook was despatched from Taiwan on 28th Oct and arrived in Eindhoven on 29th. Telephoned Apple who gave me a TNT consignment number. I then phoned TNT. They said that it had been "collected" from Eindhoven (!) on 29th and taken -via L'burg - to a firm called IEC Global Logistics in Colnbrook, Berks. which it is where - I understand - it now sits (without a consignment number) until someone with a TNT van kindly brings to me in the Celtic mists. Apple apologise when I phone but say they are changing over their delivery system which is supposed to make everything run more smoothly! They assure me that the iBook is in Colnbrook and will be delivered soon. The Order Status web site leaves everything in a numberless orbit. It seems to have travelled quickly from Taiwan to UK but, as usual, once here, total confusion reigns. Will let you know is and when and if it ever arrives ; together with a printer - but that is probably another story.

Hmmm, I live about five minutes from Colnbrook (shithole, incidentally) - if mine gets stuck there I'll drive down there and ask about yours too

[KingKerouac]

I got an email from one of the Apple Store UK guys this morning.
He tells me that my iBook is in Luxembourg and should be moved out soon, and that I will get it in 5-7 days time!!.
They had already told me that I would definitely get it by the end of this week.
I checked my tracker and discovered that it left Luxembourg on the 5th.
I really cannot deal with this level of incompetence.
Apple really need to sort this out immediately.
KK

[Eciton]

It's arrived!

As far as I knew, it was still in Luxembourg. Go figure!

I nearly missed the TNT guy, too - didn't hear the doorbell because my music was up too loud

[KingKerouac]

Eciton,
When did you order yours?
I ordered on the 30th. It shipped on the 31st
and left Luxembourg 2 days ago.
Will I be as lucky as you?
Please let me know.
Regards
KK

[Eciton]

Hi folks,

first post from my new iBook. So far, it's great - the hard drive is audible, and there are a couple of creaks, but I'm impressed. I ordered mine (I think) on the 24th - two Fridays ago. Mine was BTO, and they also said there'd be a delay of a couple of days for something. I hope yours turns up soon

Now I have the delightful job of installing applications, moving all my data and getting used to a totally new OS, all while trying to do my work... eek!

Wish me luck

[Eciton]

One not-so-tiny problem, though: the laptop doesn't seem to recognize my AE card, although I can see it under the keyboard and it seems to be properly installed. Not sure whether this is after using System Update to get the latest AE drivers or from the start... humph.

[AdrianH]

Damn... I haven't gotten mine yet, and I live in Oxford as well (and ordered mine on the 22nd). Very strange. If you don't mind me asking, Eciton, did you TNT shipping details say that it was in London or Oxford today? Did it ship from Eindhoven at 18:02 yesterday as well?

[spiki]

Adrian,

It sounds like your iBook is in the same consignment as mine.

Mine was ordered on the 22nd and shipped from Eindhoven 18:02 yesterday.

I phoned TNT and they told me to expect delivery on Monday 10th.

[Eciton]

Whoops - Adrian, I used to live in Oxford - was at uni there. Now I'm in Windsor Guess I should update my user profile...

...I hadn't been able to track it on the TNT site; I never received a suitable tracking number.

In other news, my AE card was recognized after a reboot. I've applied the monitor spanning hack, copied across my mp3s, pictures and files, installed every app I think I'll need and am now happily listening to music while typing this on my Book .

It's a great life for a switcher...

[AdrianH]

My iBook is now sitting in the Northampton depot, a mere few dozen miles from where I currently sit. But I imagine I won't receive it until Monday.

I received an email from Apple this evening, saying that I would get the delivery next week. That's a bit bloody rich! I'll certainly be sending an email of complaint to them - I don't expect to get anything in return, but at least they'll know that I (and others) are very annoyed by their shipping incompetence. I don't expect to have to wait almost three weeks after ordering a laptop to receive it.

[Eciton]

It does seem pretty harsh, eh? My laptop was built about three days after I ordered it, and the rest of the time (about 11 days) was spent pottering around Taiwan and Europe to get to me. Even though the shipping was free (absorbed in the cost of the unit), that's a bit excessive.

On the other hand, I continue to be chuffed to bits with my iBook

[Timmay]

I ordered mine on the 31st and I thought it might take a while to be built and sent, but I got a shipment email on the 1st!

The online tracker said:

Cleared Customs
_TAIPEI, TP, TW
_01 Nov 2003 06:00

and it stayed like that until friday when I emailed and complained and they said :

"Your item has shipped, but unfortunately there seems to be some delays in the hub in Luxembourg, and the tracking information has not been updated."

Then later on on friday a load of updates on the online tracker suddenly appeared!

_Shipment Picked Up
_TAIPEI, TP, TW
_01 Nov 2003 06:27

_Depart Terminal
_TAIPEI, TP, TW
_05 Nov 2003 18:00

_Arrive Terminal
_LUXEMBOURG, LU, LU
_07 Nov 2003 12:42

_Depart Terminal
_LUXEMBOURG, LU, LU
_07 Nov 2003 16:13

So it's left Luxembourg..! where does it go now and usually how long did it take until it got to the UK?

I'm starting to think that they are using the "shiping delays" as an excuse and they are really having trouble coping with demand!

Seems like alot of people are getting these G4s! Well it is s dream machine!

Tim

[Gwenllian]

Originally posted by AdrianH:
My iBook is now sitting in the Northampton depot, a mere few dozen miles from where I currently sit. But I imagine I won't receive it until Monday.

I received an email from Apple this evening, saying that I would get the delivery next week. That's a bit bloody rich! I'll certainly be sending an email of complaint to them - I don't expect to get anything in return, but at least they'll know that I (and others) are very annoyed by their shipping incompetence. I don't expect to have to wait almost three weeks after ordering a laptop to receive it.

I received an e-mail in identical terms yesterday. Apparently it is "in transit" and will be delivered next week. I e-mailed back that the goods have been "in transit" since 28th Oct. and asked precisely when next week will my ibook be delivered; also expressing disgust at Apple UK's delivery arrangements and times. I don't expect a reply, of course. (Only hope I haven't rubbed them up the wrong way and they stuff the ibook behind a radiator in the depot where it will languish for ever. Mother's advice of "never get funny with men in peaked caps" lurks at the back of my mind. But I had to let them know - politely, of course.)

[KingKerouac]

Hello fellow sufferers,
Well, after a strongly worded email to Apple Store UK
on Friday, I received....nothing. No reply. No iBook.
But then, after being informed by a male operative last
week that no cash will be debited from my account
until the item is delivered. I find that they have taken my
money, but are ignoring my emails.
This is the thing that really irks me. Apple has always been
associated with thinking and being different from the norm.
Instead now they are acting like sneaky second-hand car
salesman.
By the way can anybody get onto the Order Tracker page this morning? I can't connect to it at all.
Apple, I hope you are reading this. If so, can you sort out the Apple UK store. I like to think that their behaviour has not been sanctioned by Apple US.
Thoroughly disillusioned
KK.

[The Placid Casual]

I will no longer order machines from Apple these days even though they are the only ones who can sort my Uber HE discount...

I was about to buy an iBook G4 last week at the HE price of �749. I looked on the intranet Edu web page and saw it was 1-2 days build time for a totally stock model... I called to place the order and was told they would need 10 business days for delivery!

Not ususally a problem, but I then thought back to when I ordered my Rev A Dual USB iBook that took 5 weeks to arrive, and also my Ti550 which took 6 weeks, and was left eventually unceremoniously outside my next door neighbours house. In the rain!!!

They also tried to pull the same kind of stunt when I ordered my Ti 867 in August. I told them what happened previously and said that any wait of over 3 days was unnacceptable and I would cancel the order. They sorted it out on a next day delivery in the end...

All the trouble stems from the fact that Apple Uk is a just a big reseller. They hold no stock of any machine or accessories, and have absolutely no say in anything Apple US do. All they do is take orders and buy the goods off Apple US at a reduced price and then sell them on.

Apple UK is a total, total joke.

[jivefeind]

Well my first post on this forum and its going to be a moan!

Finally managed to be able to afford to buy my first mac!! Am looking forward to receiving it......if it ever gets here!!!
Phoned my order in on the 29th oct and got an order acknowledgement email and since then.....nothing, zip . Order tracking page seems to be stuck permanently on assembly. All i ordered was a 12" ibook with 384MB ram upgrade and a 20GB ipod. Surely that doesn't take that long??

Have sent apple uk an e-mail but am waiting on a response to when my order will ship!!

Eventually one day I may be able to get my hands on this wonderfull machine

cheers
JF

[KingKerouac]

Hello friends,
My 12.1 iBook finally arrived.
12 days after it was ordered, and apparently
11 days after shipping.
God knows how long everybody has had to wait,
But like the rest of you I will never order from Apple store
UK again. I still feel loyal to Apple. I just think that the Apple
Store UK is managed by amateurs.
Anyway, Ciao
KK

[Timmay]

To be fair to the apple store uk they have replied to my emails pretty quickly, even tho it does seem like a canned answer, heres what they told me last:

"Thank you for your email and we do apologise for the inconvenience that this delay has been causing you. The reason for this delay is due to a problem with our data processing at our central depots in Colnbrook UK and Venray. As a result all items have not been able to be scanned for handover to TNT, and the tracking information has been unable to be updated. You should have received an email about this delay and we apologise if you did not receive this.

The latest feedback that we have on this issue, is that our team was working throughout the whole weekend to fix this problem and process the backlogs of orders which have been mounting up as a result. They hope to have these cleared by Wednesday so they can all be handed over to TNT and all tracking information updated. Of course we are trying our best to clear this issue as fast as we can and ease the frustration of our customers who are unfortunately caught up in this issue.

We appreciate your patience on this matter. If you keep an eye out on this tracking information, we hope that there will be some update on this very soon. Once again we do apologise for this inconvenience."


This is after delays in Luxembourg, is there no part of there delivery chain working properly?

[Eciton]

I think we've come to the conclusion that Apple UK are a bit farcical - especially that they have no proper operation here, and everything has to come from abroad. Still, it's good that people are receiving their machines at last...

(Edited for stupid spelling mistake)

[spiki]

My iBook G4 was delivered yesterday afternoon.

Very happy with it.

iBook 800/640/30/AP/BT ordered 22nd.

[Mr Scruff]

Ordered mine on 19th, it was eventually shipped on the 1st. Still no sign of it, and the apple tracking thing has no info.

If I look up the number on TNTs tracker it says delivered to Colnbrook on the 6th!

I have to say, that I wouldn't tolerate this sort of shoddy performance from any other company (Dell for instance), or a reseller.

Unfortunately I need my education discount...

[jivefeind]

Same here Mr Scruff....education discount is a must so no option really.

Just off the phone with them (as had no response to my email). Supposedly mine will ship on the 14th but could take 12 days to get here. I thought it was meant to be express shipping??? I am sure shipping it on a rowing boat could get here quicker.

Apple UK customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

still it will be worth it wait when it arrives

cheers
JF

[Timmay]

In my post above I quoted an email I had from apple saying that the backlog of orders should be cleared by wednesday. Well it's wednesday and still no update on the shipment tracker and nothing in tnt

I wouldn't mind if they just said to me that it was delayed because it was a BTO with a bigger HD but waiting this long once it's shipped is just bad..

I'm still a bit peeved after the whole .mac charging 21% vat just because apple UK are based in Ireland!!

Then there was the 15 pound gift voucher for renewing my .mac account that magically turned into 14 pounds!

Dont get me wrong I love apple! and I have been treated worse by other companies, I only wish they paided as much attention to their sales and orders as they do with their systems..

Grrr

[terkwong]

Hi All,

I just ordered my iBook G4 800 from HE UK as well on the 11th Nov. It says "Being Assembled" now, just one day after ordering. Hmm, but judging from you guys experience, I dont reckon it will be as good isn't it?

My previous experience with HE UK was when I ordered the 20GB iPod back in mid Sept. Then the iPod came 1 week after I ordered. So, that wasn't a bad experience at all.

Definately looking forward to upgrading from my iBook 500 that's past two years old now!

[Ozzpot]

Whoo-hoo!!!

I've been keeping a close eye on my iBook's progress since ordering on the 5th (November). It took 2 days to review, 3 days to build, and then shipped. For a day and a half it seemed to do nothing, but now I have tracked it on TNT's site, and it has been shipped an hour ago from Eindhoven (Holland) destined for Colnbrook (England). If this is the same Colnbrook I know, It's just 5 miles from my house!!! Hopefully I will have my iBook by the weekend!

If it's here by Saturday that'll only be 9 days since ordering. Ain't so bad.

[Eciton]

Oooh, another person living near Colnbrook. How spooky!

I wonder if Apple will be expanding into the UK as a retail presence? After all, they're continuing the push with new Apple Stores in the states and elsewhere, so it's worth hoping that they'll give us a proper company at some point...

Then again, I am thinking through a massive rum and stella hangover. Not together, mind you.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by Eciton:
Oooh, another person living near Colnbrook. How spooky!

I wonder if Apple will be expanding into the UK as a retail presence? After all, they're continuing the push with new Apple Stores in the states and elsewhere, so it's worth hoping that they'll give us a proper company at some point...

Then again, I am thinking through a massive rum and stella hangover. Not together, mind you.

They wanted too, but they have commited too much to the resellers, and they kick up a stink every time Apple tries to expand their own retail operation.

They kicked off BIG time when the online Applestore was introduced for example.

From what I know, Apple agreed very long term contracts with resellers such as Macwarehouse, Gordon Harwood a good while back. It grants the reseller exclusive retail rights in the UK, and basiclly prevents Apple from opening retail stores owned by Apple themselves...

There is no word on when, or even if, these contracts will expire.

Hence, only individual companies not related to Apple can be resellers or 'Apple Centres', and all have to sign an agreement (for consideration) with Apple UK... There is no prospect of actual Apple Stores any time soon...

Peace,

Marc

[Timmay]

I'm seriously starting to think that even tho they have said it's shipped it actually hasn't...

I could never find anything on the KUEHNE & NAGEL HIGH TECH LOGISTICS site using the tracking numner they gave me.

When I ring up they simply have no idea where it is! looks like it wont come before next week at all, if thats the case I will have to wait to have it until Thursday as I'm away on business until then!

Whats going on!

Tim

[KingKerouac]

I got my iBook on Tuesday after 14 days.
The tracking facilities are a distraction.
Mine had stated that my iBook shipped on the 31/10/03.
But when I received the package, the label on the outside
of the protective packaging says that it shipped on the 3/11/03
I'm sure that they encourage punters to think that their machines
are on the move, when in fact they're still being assembled,
so that they can reduce the amount of complaint traffic.
By the way, I never received a reply from my 3 e-mails to Apple Store UK. I am currently writing a letter of complaint
to both the UK store and Apple US. We should not have to accept
these kind of business practises with the amount of cash we are parting with.
Anyway Good Luck with all of your iBooks, I would say it's worth the wait, but I am still so pissed off.
Regards
KingKerouac

[jivefeind]

Update:
Having call the apple store on wednesday I was told that my ibook and ipod would ship today(14th). According to apples order page it shipped on the 13th. However there tracking page has no information on where it is (my suspicion is it is sitting in a box going no where fast). There is a 16 digit tracking number and they say it was shipped by TNT worldwide express. All fine and good but on the order page they say it was shipped by Kuhne & Nagel. Either way the 16 digit tracking number I have doesn't work on either site and apple have no info on where it is. What is the point in having these tracking systems???

Can't be bothered to phone them today to be told some story....will just continue to wait patiently.

Cheers
JF

[Eciton]

Yeah, my BTO order was apparently assembled in about 48 hours, and then took an alarming amount of time to ship. Perhaps they scan the boxes before they have anything in them?

Incidentally, the Tucano Second Skin folder that I ordered hasn't yet arrived, and obviously I can't track it. How annoying.

[darrat]

Hi
I know this thread is about UK delivery times but I thought that I should mention that John Lewis now has the iBook G4's.

On Thursday I went into the Norwich John Lewis to look and buy a powerbook. Just before I paid for one (whilst realising I am spending more than I budgetted for ) I asked if they have the new iBook's. I was told no but I asked the salesman to check the system just in case they had recently arrived. He checked and they were listed and in stock

Bought a 12" iBook and today fitted 512Mb from Crucial - I am one happy switcher!

So if anyone wants to save messing around with the Apple Store deliveries and wants to actually see/test one before parting with cash then John Lewis is an option. Only downer is that you cant spec out a machine.

Darren
www.iskinworld.com

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by darrat:
Hi
I know this thread is about UK delivery times but I thought that I should mention that John Lewis now has the iBook G4's.

On Thursday I went into the Norwich John Lewis to look and buy a powerbook. Just before I paid for one (whilst realising I am spending more than I budgetted for ) I asked if they have the new iBook's. I was told no but I asked the salesman to check the system just in case they had recently arrived. He checked and they were listed and in stock

Bought a 12" iBook and today fitted 512Mb from Crucial - I am one happy switcher!

So if anyone wants to save messing around with the Apple Store deliveries and wants to actually see/test one before parting with cash then John Lewis is an option. Only downer is that you cant spec out a machine.

Darren
www.iskinworld.com

Welcome to the boards, and thanks for the info...

I too swear by John Lewis, but the only problem is, that they don't do the (Higher) Education discounts like the Apple store online...

On the Apple HE page, they offer a �100 minimum discount on the iBook G4s, and it is just too much of a reduction to turn down.

Although, John Lewis gives an automatic 2 year warranty, so I guess it all balances out...

Peace,

Marc

[creatif]

Well, after several days inactivity, my Apple Tracking page was updated yesterday evening, saying it had been passed to TNT in Eindhoven. It's just passed through their Arnhem hub today, so at least it's on the way... *crosses fingers*

[tomkos123]

�100 reduction?!
i ordered my G4 from the education store but the reduction wasnt that much - did i miss something?

still waiting for mine though

apple uk really are a tinpot operation! took approx 20 mins to get through on the phone today and the guy told me it was the 17th today as an excuse for it not shipping on the 18th(which they said it would) - they lied about the date to try and fob me off

i ordered mine on the 10th, just wondered if anyone who ordered theirs around that time had heard anything, the tracking page has been on assembly since the 11th!

i had the same problems when i ordered my g4 power, but as already mentioned the education discount is too good to pass up!

tom

[jmscartho]

Hope you all get your new Apple Macs soon.

I'm just about to order an iBook 12" with 60GB hard drive and 640MB ram from the apple education store (am a lecturer at a university). I hope that it dosen't take too long and that I recieve it before Christmas!

[terkwong]

Hi all,

Timkos123>> I ordered my iBook G4 on the 11th as well, not a change since then. I ordered through UK HE. Hmm...

Its still "being assembled'....

jmscartho>> I suppose you ordered yours through UK HE as well yeah? I wonder how long your BTO will take to ship....cos mine is the stock version and its still aren't shipping after one week...

[tomkos123]

hey terkwong
just checked the status again this morning and its shipped, as mine was maxed out with bluetooth then i guess yours has probably gone too!

now from reading the other posts ive just got the huge shipping wait left!!

tom

[Mr Scruff]

Originally posted by Mr Scruff:
Ordered mine on 19th, it was eventually shipped on the 1st. Still no sign of it, and the apple tracking thing has no info.

If I look up the number on TNTs tracker it says delivered to Colnbrook on the 6th!

I have to say, that I wouldn't tolerate this sort of shoddy performance from any other company (Dell for instance), or a reseller.

Unfortunately I need my education discount...

Still waiting on my iBook. Someone at Apple UK told me on the phone last week I would see it by latest yesterday.

When I called them yesterday they tell me it's still in Holland and won't move before the end of the week!