[acerola]

Well after a long while of wanting one I ordered a 15 GB refurbished ipod last thursday. I ordered it from the apple store and it was 317 with tax and next day shipping. That's right I got next day shipping. However they told me they wouldn't ship it until next monday. I was alright with that. I'd get it on tuesday. So Monday comes around and I get an e-mail telling me that they're out of stock and they'll ship one on Wed or sooner. Then Wed comes around and I get ANOTHER e-mail saying the same thing. Postponed for Friday. So I just canceled the order. Why don't they put up an "OUT OF STOCK" sign or something insted of just letting people order them and then get ripped off? I payed 13 bucks for next day shipping and they wind up saying it wont even be SHIPPED until 8 days later. Probably wouldn't have even gotten it next week either. Makes me mad. Now I'm probably going to get one from bestbuy and have to pay more.

 

[blessingx]

This has happened to me three times at Amazon. It's bad stock inventory tracking and of course sucks... but unfortunately not rare or isolated to Apple (which I'm assuming you mean from your title).

 

[strohmie]

Heh, expedited shipping is the biggest ripoff of all time. It's only "expedited" once you actually wait for the items to come in stock. There are few places in which an entire order will be sitting and ready to go to be there when you hope it will be.

 

[Mat Bon 0013]

I had the same issue with another well established sporting outlet a few months back. Made me mad not because I didn't get my money back or anything, just that they made me miss out on a good deal

 

[hempcamp]

Don't blame the Apple Store!

You ordered a refurbished unit. Refurb units are much harder to track on inventory control systems because they are not stock items and the number of returns varies from day to day. Many refurb units are not even in a central location, but in various retail stores across the country where they have been returned. The "Special Deals" section of Apple's web site is therefore not connected to the regular inventory and sales system, and not as reliable.

Don't complain when you are trying to buy a product they stand behind 100% (i.e. a refurb is inspected, packaged, and warranteed as if it were brand new) for 10-20% less cost!

--Chris
(who buys all his Apple products refurb, except for a recent emergency purchase of an iMac)

 

[FrostyMMB]

Almost everything I have ordered from an online establishment or vendor that has been worth anything, for example most my audio equipment, have all taken at least two weeks to arrive at my door after my payment had been taken. Surprisingly, Meier-Audio over in Germany was the quickest (shipping to me in the US). I had to wait over a month for a bunch of Grado stuff, approx a month for the MS Pros, and now it has been nearly a month waiting for my Music Timbre ICs. I hate having hundreds of dollars out of my pocket and nothing to show for it for weeks on end, but it happens all the damn time. I'll second that this isn't a problem isolated to the Apple Store, but with so many people out to bash the company, why not join the crowd, right?

 

[williamgoody]

Quote:

Originally posted by hempcamp Don't blame the Apple Store! You ordered a refurbished unit. Refurb units are much harder to track on inventory control systems because they are not stock items and the number of returns varies from day to day. Many refurb units are not even in a central location, but in various retail stores across the country where they have been returned. The "Special Deals" section of Apple's web site is therefore not connected to the regular inventory and sales system, and not as reliable. Don't complain when you are trying to buy a product they stand behind 100% (i.e. a refurb is inspected, packaged, and warranteed as if it were brand new) for 10-20% less cost! --Chris (who buys all his Apple products refurb, except for a recent emergency purchase of an iMac)

Actually, if they handle it like everyone else, that's not true man. Inventory levels on "refurbs" are treated the same as "regular items" Their stock levels on refurbs are based on actual items "ready to go", and may increase from time to time as units are readied to be sold. The level should only fluctuate down due to sales. And it these units are "all over the place (which I kinda doubt), the should still have an accurate reading of how many they have because I'd assume all the inventory info is entered on a central system that everyone gets their info from, including sales people.

They should have a reasonable handle of it. Just sounds like in this case the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. I'm sure it's not always a problem.

 

[saronian]

I am waiting for an order I placed on the 11th for a refurbished 10GB iPod. I had ordered others the week before and they were promptly shipped.

What's confusing is that the Apple Store continues to take orders promising a 1-2 day ship time. When outstanding orders are being delayed every two days. I just received my third email noting "supply delays" and a new delivery date, now the 19th. Also, you are required to reply or the order is automatically canceled.

This happens with items that are popular and in short supply, but why are they still taking orders for refurbished models?

 

[leon]

Interesting... the one time I bought refurbished iPods - last year - I didn't have to wait

Is Apple just busy with other things for some reason?

I placed an order for a new PowerBook and a new iPod yesterday ($200 rebate offer which cancels out with the sales tax). I called to cancel both this morning... While the order status suggested the iPod will be shipped next week, the customer service rep said he just can't cancel it. *wink wink*

 

[saronian]

The only consistency is how hard it is to figure out what Apple's up to, but I do enjoy speculating.

One wild theory about the refurbished cancellations is that Apple's gauging interest in new lower price points.

If they can ship iTunes for Windows in time for Christmas then they may have to lower prices to face the upcoming competition.

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally posted by williamgoody And it these units are "all over the place (which I kinda doubt), the should still have an accurate reading of how many they have because I'd assume all the inventory info is entered on a central system that everyone gets their info from, including sales people.

That's my point, and the source of the confusion.

The refurb items are all tracked centrally, but located in various places. Retail store returns that are undamaged are refurbished in-house and made ready for sale. They don't ship them back to Apple's supply chain unless they remain unsold. You can even ask the people in the store if they have any store returns currently available (if they aren't nice enough to offer them to you when you make your purchase to begin with). I ask what returns are available every time I go in to an Apple Store, just in case there's an exceptional deal (got my iBook and an old style iMac that way at significant discounts).

My point is that there's just no reason to speculate that Apple is playing games. Overstock and return inventory is exceptionally hard to track and predict, no matter the company.

--Chris

 

[saronian]

Hey Chris, that's a great suggestion. I had assumed the returns did go back to Apple and were stored in one place. Now that you mention it, that wouldn't be very efficient.

But I still don't understand why some items are removed from the refurbished list when they are sold out and returned to the list when they once again available. Whereas other items stay on the list when none are available.

I'm not complaining, it is a great chance to order an iPod at 24% off, only having to wait for one to become available. Kind of a pre-order refurb.

 

[williamgoody]

Chris, just because refurbs again may be "all over the place", how does that make them hard to track? If the stores who have them enter their inventory data to the database, anyone else on the system should be able to see that "Store X' has so many units.

Stores don't sell "dead" inventory. All those refurbs have "stock" numbers, so they can be identified and subtracted from the inventory.

It's not rocket science. You have a refurb ready to sell, it gets added to the inventory. When it's sold, it gets subtracted. It's not hard to predict, nor should it be hard to keep track of, wherever it is.
I don't believe Apple is playing games either, I just don't the think the reasoning you're providing is the answer necessarily.

Besides, when you call or order the refurbs from the Apple site, I doubt those units are coming from the stores as well. They probably do have some sort of centralized distributuon center, or centers, where those units are being "refined" and shipped. I don't believe the folks at the Apple site are checking out the stores' inventories and selling from that supply.

 

[saronian]

Adding the ongoing saga, I just received a personal phone call, from a real person at Apple asking if I still wanted to keep my iPod order open. Keep in mind I just called them two days ago to confirm keeping the order active.

They are still available from Apple with an estimated ship time of 1-2 days.

When I asked how long it would be before the iPod shipped, she said the delay would be "significant."

How much is it costing Apple to have someone call individuals and ask if they want to continue waiting for their $229 iPod?

 

[traficante]

My 15gb refurb as been delayed for shipment till next week at the earliest. Talking to an apple CSR, he told me they sold the refurbs under the assumption that people were gunna return there 10, 15, and 30gb units in favor for the 20 and 40gb versions. He said it was a tribute to the greatness of the IPOD that people elected to keep there old models...lol.

Bottom line. They sold Ipods they never had.