Iphone 16 pro- 16 pro max pre order thread/that time of the year again

[MisterShano]

So I went into the EE store at 1pm on the preorder day to get my brand new iphone 16 pro max 256gb ordered. When I was ordering, the guy had refreshed the page and checked five times to see if it was ready for the launch day release and it was ready for launch day release but when the 20th September 2024 came, my phone didn’t unfortunately. Apparently my order didn’t go through until 2pm because the EE system went down due to how many people over the uk were ordering it at that point and this caused my phone to be delayed because of their system. I had jokingly said to the guy on the day of order that: is he sure that the system would handle the amount of people pre ordering and he said yes but unfortunately it did not and my order had to wait to be confirmed about an 1hr after launch and now I’m being told that’s the reason why I’m still waiting for the phone to arrive. It’s not my fault that their system failed and couldn’t handle the amount of people ordering. Surely as a big multimillion pound company, they should have expected this and put things in order to avoid this. I was literally the first person in the store to pre order and I’ve ended up with nothing as of yet. I’m starting to that that they have gave it to somebody else and won’t own up to their mistakes as I have received a text to my phone number saying that my device was in store but unfortunately that wasn’t my device as i was texted somebody else’s order number and somebody else’s details. Very strange if you ask me. I went back to the store to show them this text and the guys in the store were shocked that I received somebody else’s details & order number via text to my phone. I was also told on launch day that I am the first person in line for the iPhone 16 pro max but I’m not holding out any hope as I have mentioned that somebody else has had theirs already before me as I have had the confirmation text for their order. I am very disappointed in this as I have been a loyal customer for EE for years now and if this is how they treat their loyal customers then I will not be staying with them go forward. 

[Ali_A]

Hi @MisterShano 

Welcome to the EE Community

Our handsets are send out on a First come First served basis, so you should receive the handset based on the position of the queue you are in. Different models, even memory size or colour can make a difference to the popularity and delivery expectations. 

If you would like to discuss your order, or your in-store experience, I recommend getting in touch with Customer Care where the Retail team will discuss the feedback.  Contact Us | Help & Support | EE 

Ali

[Elliotcollis]

Hi Ali

First come first served is fair enough, however there are many people on here that placed their orders either online or via the app that received order confirmation emails for orders that never went through. They have now been placed at the back of the queue becuase they had to re-order. I know that i personally placed 5 orders (becuase my first one failed) and only two of which were sucessful. A failure rate of 3/5 is really not good.

I can see why people are frustrated especially becuase there has been no communication from EE unless you call them. I know when I called initially I was bascially told that my order hadn't got through and I 'd need to order again and that was it.

To be fair I know it's not the agents fault this is all systems related but even now I still don't know when I'll get my phone. Even a courtesy email bascially saying that I'm in a queue would have been nice and set my mind at ease.

I can't fault the agents I have spoken to since they understand how frustrating it is and have tried to help however they can.

[Becca-91]

Same here I ordered on the 13th nothing arrived contacted them and lo and behold there was a system issue so now still waiting. EE Website showing devices in stock but still no confirmation of delivery! Boeing my luck it will arrive when I’m on holiday!! 

[MisterShano]

I was told in the store multiple times that I was the first person to order this phone as I was the first person in the store but when I went to collect they told me that it hasn’t arrived. I am still waiting for it to arrive 5-6 days later. It’s getting beyond a joke now 

[MisterShano]

This is what I mean, ee had the system issue so that’s not our issue when we want to order the phone. The guys in the shop weren’t much help either. I was told to just wait but my point is that the agent in the store had check 5 times to see if it was laugh day release and it was but now it’s still not here 5 - 6 days later. I’m thinking about changing networks now 

[Sledbury]

Sorry to hear about your iPhone 6 Max. I also did a reserve on the 13th with EE. I was told that I would get it on the 20th at the moment. I keep getting different answers from EE very confusing I don’t think EE have a clue about the orders to be honest. I’ve also been a loyal customer of theirs for years and feel that I’ve just been calmed off with any excuse. I also think they also don’t have a clue when they are getting a supply of the iPhone pro Max 16 like you said they should’ve Got in a larger supply or if they couldn’t they should’ve just made the iPhone promax available when they actually had them in stock. That would’ve sold everything I think yours.steve 

[MisterShano]

I feel the same way. I think that they just calmed me off with an excuse tho but it’s how the 27th September 2024 (a week after launch day) and I’m told that my phone has arrived in store. It’s still not good enough tho as I have had to wait a week longer than I was originally scheduled to receive it.

[Lordatlan]

I’ve been a loyal EE customer for over 10 years, but my recent experience with the iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder has been incredibly frustrating. I placed my preorder on the 13th, the launch date, at around 2 PM. I received my XKO number via email, signed the contract, and downloaded it. The next day, I called customer care after waiting in a queue for over an hour, only to be told by the agent that they couldn’t find my order. She suggested cancelling and reordering, which was frustrating after all that effort. She did place a new order for me, but I never received a confirmation email – only another contract.

Fast forward to the 20th, I still hadn’t received any updates, so I called again. This time, the agent reassured me the phone would be delivered soon, most likely within a day. Then, on the 22nd, I called once more and was told by a different agent that no Pro Maxes would be delivered within the next 28 days. I was baffled. What’s the point of preordering if you don’t receive the device in a reasonable timeframe? The second agent even mentioned she would report the first agent to her manager for needing more training on iPhone launches, but honestly, it felt like none of them had any real insight into how preorders and stock work.

I cancelled my order out of sheer frustration. My friend, who ordered the same iPhone with another network, is receiving theirs even earlier than the original estimated date, and at a cheaper price with more flexible upgrade options.

I did reorder with EE after speaking to someone more convincing, but it’s now been over 10 days, and I still haven’t heard anything back. I’m seriously considering switching networks at this point. There are no perks for loyalty – I’m paying the same as any new customer.

EE, if you claim to be the largest network, why can’t you handle preorders more efficiently? Please, train your customer support team properly. While some are helpful, most seem to have no idea what’s going on.

[sloney_91]

So today was a bit of a disaster…BUT I got my iPhone 16 pro max white 256gb. 

I still had no input or text from DPD when EE said my phone was out for delivery on Saturday night. I got on live chat and they said they didn’t give DPD my correct phone number hence why I had no text and said it would be delayed another 24-48 hours and then got back again and said the phone is out of stock so they aren’t too sure what DPD have exactly. I ended up getting through to the manager who could only apologise which was of no help….then DPD got back to me on twitter and said it would be delivered to the store in the next hour HAHA. 

EE really are not In loop for updates and was a farce from start to finish.