My launch day iPhone Duo from Best Buy that never was

It sure looks like Best Buy overpromised and didn’t deliver an iPhone Duo on launch day for a lot of customers yesterday, myself included.

As I previously covered, after having a horrible experience with Apple’s website while trying to preorder the iPhone Duo, a reader let me know that Best Buy still had iPhone Duo stock available for launch day pickup or delivery. I placed the order, selecting an upgrade and trade-in through my carrier in the process.

My confirmation email informed me my iPhone Duo preorder would be available on Oct. 23. Fantastic. I was excited.

Leading up to launch day, however, there were multiple red flags that something was off. Depending on where I checked the status of my order, be it Best Buy’s homepage, my account page, or in the app, it’d have some variation of verbiage stating my order was getting ready, it’d be ready soon, or the company would let me know when it’s ready. The Oct. 23 pickup date was only shown in my order confirmation email. Red flag.

I’ve never ordered a phone from Best Buy. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I assumed (and hoped) this was just how it worked.

During the week between preorders and my scheduled pick up, my carrier emailed me to let me know my next bill (which is due a few days from now) already has my $35 activation fee added to it, and let me know what the total of my next bill would be with the added device payment. As far as my carrier was concerned, the phone would be in my hands as soon as it was available.

On Thursday, I checked the Best Buy website and it had finally changed to indicate that it’d be ready for pick-up on Oct. 23. However, when I viewed the order details or opened the mobile app, it only showed it was being prepared. Another red flag.

The discrepancy was odd, but between my carrier billing me, my confirmation email and now the website showing my pickup date, I felt confident I could pick up the phone when the store opened on Friday.

Overnight, however, I received a vague email from Best Buy that said “Jason, your pre-order isn't quite ready for pickup.” That was it. No other information, no expected time or date of when it’d be ready. A few hours later I received a text saying something similar. Again with no ETA.

I assumed the store was waiting for its launch day shipment and I’d receive a message any minute letting me know it was ready.

Eventually I decided to call the store and talk to someone to confirm if that was indeed the case or if something else was going on. If nothing else I just wanted to know when to expect it. The problem with calling a Best Buy store is you’re no longer allowed to talk to the store. When you call the local number it actually reroutes you to a call center.

The lady I talked to was nice and helpful. She let me know that my suspicion was correct — they were just waiting for the shipment to arrive and she reassured me I’d have the phone in my hand by the end of the day.

As it got later in the day, I decided to visit the store to talk to someone in person. I had plans that night and wouldn’t be able to pick it up if they messaged me — so I figured I’d go in and ask if it was there. Best case they’d check it in and hand it to me. Worst case they’d tell me to come back in the morning.

I’m going to spare you from a play-by-play of what happened over the next 20 to 30 minutes or so, but I can say it was anything but customer-friendly. One rep laughed at me when I told him I had a launch day preorder and told me I had to “prove it,” while another echoed his sentiment and thought it was absurd I actually believed I could get Apple’s newest phone on launch day — even though my preorder said as much.

Ultimately the employee told me my order hadn’t shipped and they have zero clue when it’ll arrive. It could be tomorrow or it could be February. No idea! No way to check, and, well, that’s just how it’s going to work.

Late in the day I received an email letting me know my order was officially delayed. Again, with no date of when to expect it.

What I think happened is Best Buy’s system didn’t update the pickup date as its inventory was allocated throughout the preorder process. Instead, it continued to show Oct. 23 availability far beyond what Apple had promised to give the retailer.

A quick search of various social networks shows I’m not alone.

So, I’m kind of stuck. My upgrade through my carrier is tied up with my order at Best Buy. Do I cancel it and just get in line somewhere else, with a delivery date of January? Do I keep my order and hold on to hope that Best Buy is going to make this right?