O2 Stores Suffering iPhone 3G Activation Problems

Just to add some balance to this forum - I got my 16GB iPhone by 9.30am. I arrived at Knightsbridge branch of carphone warehouse at a very civilised 7.50am there were only 4 people in front of me in the queue. Yes, the systems were slow, but the efficient staff took our details and started the ball rolling with our upgrades / new contracts. I went for a coffee and breakfast and was called about 9.30 to say my phone was all ready to collect. I had a small delay activating it through iTunes but it's all up and running now and its brilliant! From my point of view, it was a fairly successful day and I think all parties involved have worked hard to launch a fantastic product simultaneously in 22 countries. Of course there are going to be some problems with such a big launch, but your should think yourself lucky that you managed to get a phone - many didn't!

O2 crap - Apple brilliant

Went to an O2 store for the 8:02 opening. (th in line, wanting a 16gb. They had three, all snapped up by the first three customers. Based on that, and having planned to try two other O2 stores in the area with 9am and 10am opening times, I set off out of town aiming for the Trafford Centre and the Apple Store therein. Not much of a queue when I got there, they had stock of the 16gb black and 16gb white and had actually been open since 8-ish. I got there around 9am.

Queue moved a little at first. Then the O2 servers started playing nasty. That lasted until about 1pm when a burst of activity allowed some orders to get processed.

Finally, my turn. The servers were acting up again but finally the Apple guy got the chance to activate the phone. KABOOM!! The servers exploded again. A further chance was attempted a short while later with the same result.

Then the O2 servers died completely and a further period of sitting doing nothing ensued. Finally the store manager - who must've been giving O2 hell - comes back into the Stor with a bunch of paper contracts. These are duly filled in and signed and O2 customer services are hoiked onto the line to put this into O2's systems at source.

Finally got to pay for my phone and the deal was completed.

Now, I must say a huge, huge thank you to the staff at the Manchester Trafford Centre Apple Store. They kept us informed, sympathised with us at the right moments, got food and drink organised and even helped out one chap (Hi Tim if your reading this) who had a kid and couldn't wait around.

And to really sweeten the day at the end of it, Cara the manager gave us waiters a £15 iTunes vouchers for our trials and tribulations.

I hear O2 are going on a trip to a brewery - must avoiud that one.

A friend at an Apple store was well looked after during the problems, with refreshments given throughout the day, a free lunch and an iTunes voucher for £15. Now that's the mark of a great company - how they act when things go completely wrong.