Demand for Apple iPhone 3G Breaks O2 Website on Blog24

Demand for Apple iPhone 3G Breaks O2 Website

Posted by Chris
On July 08, 2008
Categories: Apple, Featured

O2 logo O2 started accepting online orders for the new Apple iPhone at 8am yesterday morning and managed to sell out mid-afternoon despite website failure.

Shortly after Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 3G during his keynote speech during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference last month O2 began its advertising. Those who were interested were encouraged to sign up for emailed announcements on how to order the new iPhone.

I was seriously considering getting the iPhone and signed up for further details but it was via Twitter that I discovered that O2 were accepting early orders online yesterday.

I did get a text message (SMS) yesterday, but no email or further indication that the iPhone was available to pre-order online. Yesterday’s SMS, which was sent a few minutes before O2 started to accept online orders read:

O2: Thanks for registering for iPhone 3G. We’ll be in touch when your upgrade date is due. Terms apply. Thanks

Twitter more informative than O2

A few hours later I was reading Twitter messages announcing that a couple of guys had ordered their iPhones. A quick message to one asking ‘where from’ soon gave provided the answer (thanks Phil) and I visited o2.co.uk instantly.

O2’s website was, at best, running rather slow. Different areas of the site seemed to fail — for instance I could not pay my latest bill and errors and hangs were abundant.

After several attempts I managed to get to the upgrade page (I already have a contract with O2) and eventually got a little further into the ordering process after seemingly going around in hyperlinked circles. Then my session expired for no apparent reason and I was prompted to start over. I was still logged in but no longer could reach the order pages. Slightly disgruntled I gave up vowing to return.

Return I did only to read the following [click to enlarge]:

I find it amusing that the graphic above states, “only on O2.” Add that statement to today’s revised O2 iPhone splash page that has the tag line, “the iPhone you’ve been waiting for,” and you might wonder if the company likes to rub salt into the wounds of those who really, really wanted an iPhone.

O2 wanted new customers only?

While I struggled with trying to upgrade I did try the other route — becoming a new customer. This seemed quicker and more reliable but having been with O2 for a decade or more I was determined to keep my number and simply change my tariff (upgrade my contract).

Since selling out I noticed (again via Twitter) that someone else who was simply upgrading has had their order cancelled, having gone through the whole upgrade process online and receiving their confirmation email.

If this was scenario was commonplace then were O2 only allowing new customers order iPhones? It begins to look that way, especially if no text or email messages were sent to current customers, who had registered an interest, announcing online pre-ordering.

Furthermore, upgraders were told to enter their mobile numbers to be sent an ‘upgrade code’ via SMS. I got mine, but it was not clear where it should be used, nor what the number represented. It seemed pointless. Perhaps I was not able to see where to type the upgrade code because of the website’s failure.

Still want an iPhone?

The latest advice to wait until July 10th for further information. Otherwise, I recommend getting to your local O2 store early on Friday morning.

Me? I’m not so sure. While it would be great to get an iPhone and I would use many of its features I might wait as the need for one is not really there.

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