Verizon iPhone pre-orders marred by website problems
updated 10:50 am EST, Thu February 3, 2011
Apple, Verizon sites reject customers
Some people have been experiencing serious trouble trying to complete pre-orders for the Verizon iPhone, accounts say. Even though pre-orders opened to existing Verizon subscribers at 3AM, the Verizon website is reported to have generated problems for over five hours afterward, including error messages or slow orders taking about an hour. Difficulty may still be persisting in some cases.
The Apple online store has not been immune, as it is said to be denying pre-order eligibility in cases where Verizon has actually confirmed it. Orders may simply be failing, in some instances. Issues have in fact been inconsistent from person to person, or even browser to browser, making it difficult to pinpoint root causes.
Apple and AT&T have regularly had trouble during iPhone launches, usually due to authentication servers taking on heavy loads. The Verizon launch should in theory have been smoother, owing not only to eligibility restrictions and an early start, but also the lack of new specifications to draw customers. Technical issues may signal intense demand for the Verizon model.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2000
Order experience with VZW
I managed to get my order for replacing my 6-year-old Moto RAZR with an iPhone 4 in about 3:10 AM EST. The final page said they'd e-mail me confirmation that my credit was OK (as though they hadn't been billing me for the last 15 years?). That didn't arrive until 4:30 AM. They claim a ship date of February 10.