O2's system fails on iPhone 3G launch day

Customers face long delays

NEWS: 11 July 2008 10:35 GMT by Amy-Mae Elliott

It's being reported that O2's in-house system has crashed, leaving stores having to process iPhone 3G customers manually, leading to long delays.

The reports coming in - many from Pocket-lint readers - state that as the stores are without computer or payment systems, the quoted 20 minute processing time - for credit checks and contract paperwork - is lasting much longer.

It seems those who have managed to make it out of a store with an iPhone 3G have done so without the device being activated, and have been told by O2 that this will take place when the systems go back up later today.

Mobile News International quotes on anonymous O2 staffer as saying: "It has been chaos; of all the days it could happen, today is the worst".

Earlier this week the company came under fire after their online store fell over under the demand of thousands wanting to place pre-orders for the new phone.

O2 has apparently denied the system failure - we are waiting to hear direct from the O2 press office and will update this story with more. In the mean time, please continue to post your comments about your experiences below.

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Have Your Say

It's true.. at least if you're upgrading from a current o2 contract.

Woke up at 6, in queue by 7, system crash confirmed by o2 at 9, and now I'm home waiting for a call from o2 to say it's back up and running. And no, I wasn't allowed to take an iPhone home with me.

At least I have it reserved.

My local store only had 24 units!
Jim, England
Absolutely true.

I was in line from 5:30 am this morning, 6 in line and it took 1 hour 30 minutes for the store to process the first 10 or so orders. The systems went down so they were unable to do upgrades and allowed people way back in the queue to jump to the front provided they were new users.

Eventually the systems came back up and those of us who were upgrading were allowed to purchase!
Simon, UK
O2 are a Fiasco !
what a joke
first I was stiffed by their pre-order joke, then this;

after being 4th in the queue at their O2 Redhill store, from 7am today, told by staff that they had around 20 16gb phones, the first 3 were allowed in at 8.02am as promised, but were still in there at 9.30am !
with an inncreasingly peeved queue forming outside.
no drinks offered, nothing,

I wanted to upgrade from the original iPhone bought from the same store on the first launch day
but was told after a 2 hour wait, that as their (Windows based ) systems were down they would only do manuall paperwork connections & could not do upgrades manually ?

they would only do new business !

and they wouldn't hold me or any other 'upgraders' a phone, but would call us when eventually they had more stock so I could drive back down there and queue up again !
customer loyalty ??????????? where ?????

Apple, for heavens sake sell them some Macs !!!

So still standing now 1st in the queue infront of the locked door, I decided to make a call to O2 Customer Care on my current iPhone, after informing them of the current situation, to which they denied all knowledge, saying it must just be this store ? I asked them who at O2 was going to reimburse me for my day off work and travel, parking etc.
Customer Care then spoke to the store manager on my phone and shortly after I left with my 16gb 3G iPhone around 15mins later
(not actually working as they would have to call me when they put the upgrade thro' when the system is back up and running)

what a joke, not up to Apples standards by far

Graham Sharp, UK
Indeed it is true. I was near the front of the queue at 7 am. The poor staff member ended up filling out a paper form rather than the online system. Total pants!

Took a long time as I was a new customer. Upgrades seemed to be running a lot smother.

Bath store had 80 units (apprx 50 x 16GB, 30 x8GB). Carphone warehouse stores nearby were open at 7am and was sold out of 16GB by the time O2 opened at 8am.

B. Walker, UK
I had the same problems as everyone else this morning. 4th in store at 8.02, out at 9.15! I am upgrading but they still gave me my Phone – manually processed details and told that phone would not be active until they had put details on their system?

Has anyone else had the same, and if so how long were you told before your phone would be active, surely it works through iTunes?
Jane, UK
Yeah was iPhone upgrading, was there at 0802 and still don't have my iPhone, just sat now waiting for the call to say I can pick the phone up. Very poor service and now the 2.0 isnt coming out for the 2g version until tomorrow, snot just o2 underestimated demand.
Sean Paull, United Kingdom
O2 - appalling..was at the Apple Store in Kingston this morning, hung around for four( yes four) hours whilst the system went up and down and eventually was told my address was not recognised on the O2 gateway(I've lived there for over a year!) and they could not process my order until Tuesday. So after four hours of trying to give O2 my business I left without an Iphone and severely annoyed!
Andre, UK
Inline at idderminster store at 7:15 (11th in queue).
By 9.00 I was in store and eventually left at 9.30 with a 16gb iPhone unactivated (new account) - still here at 18:00 waiting for it to be activated!!

Not impressed at all!
P Thomas, UK
I've been sorely tempted to get a 3G iPhone after loving the interface of the iPod touch I've had for the past 8 months. But the thing that put me off is o2 - poor customer service and poor network coverage in my expeience. If it was available on Vodafone then I'd have jumped at it.

Seems I made the right decision perhaps? Think I'll get the HTC Touch Diamond next week - only need to sign up fot 12 months too rather than the iPhone's 18 months minimum term.
1865, London
Im the same as above, I have an 8gb iPod Touch and I can't imagine using a normal ipod now.
Also I have the LG KU990 and have become increasingly distraught at the lack of responsiveness of screen, so I was eagerly anticipating this release, and now I am put off it - purely because of o2's cack handed affair.

Searching on eBay for a cheap bargain of 1.0 now
Matt, Wales, UK
I had that problem and caused me to wait a good hour just for an upgrade.
I was served at 7:50am and the sale completed just before 9:00am, the advisor had to re-enter mine and a few other guy's application about 4 times as it just wasnt going through to the system, in the end after a wait, it went through ok and i got my iphone 3g, but the other guys were still waiting, I was the 4th person to be instore the carphone warehouse this morning and i was still there after a good 40 odd people lol but due to the good service of the carphone warehouse, we still got our iphones after the wait.
Danny N, Liverpool, United Kingdom
I was at the apple store in the trafford centre and arrived at half eight, waited 7 hours yes 7 hours when they dedcided to take guaranteed reservations from the people at the front of the cue. Apple were good they gave out free drinks and cookies, but i hope some o2 it technitions get fired very soon. They swaid i will get my call to pick one up on maybe monday probably tuesday so not a total loss.

jo, england
I have just been on the phone with o2
and i quote
"the system is down and wont be up till monday"
so im now left with an ipod touch that is costing me 45 pounds a month
i find it ridiculous how o2 cannot do such a simple task as upgrade main
servers so they can handle the stresses of an iphone launch
they are probably running 2 pentium twos at half speed

pathetic

luke spencer, london, uk
Tried picking up my iPhone 16gb today (Saturday) after Fridays farce but was told that the system is STILL down - Is this correct?
Brian, Devon UK
Sunday 11:07 am: Are all other new cutomers also waiting for their new devices to have theur sims registered still, I'm still waiting. This kinds kills the thunder of being able to play around with gps and apps over the weekend while you're up and about. Still, I've played a lot with my iphone just having it connected to my home broadband, love the applications on it.

I can understand O2 not upgrading their entire registration system for the launch of this product but surely they should have ensured that the load on the systems is kept to a level with which their servers wouldn't died and as everyone points out, especially after the warning they had on monday with the pre-orders. Working in IT, I know there is always an upper limit to the number of requests servers can process at once, they could relatively easily co-ordinated with all stores to ensure that the requests to the servers were within limit. If it meant some stores only having one person being registered at once, then so be it, atleast it wouldnt have crashed their entire systems.

P.S. The guy who called O2 cust service while in line asking for reimbursement for work time and parking etc... please....
Joe, UK
I would of done the same thing
Danny N, Liverpool, United Kingdom
I was in line at 7:30 at my local Carphone Warehouse- only 4 people ahead of me. I thought easy one ahead, I would be in and out in 30 mins with my 16gb. LOL, first of all, they only had had 3x16gb and 18x8gb, unfortunately for me three out of the four in front of me wanted 16gb's. We were told we could order stock from the 600 still available in warehouse, so I did. So unlucky, we all spent around 2hrs in store- i did 10 credit checks in total- all crashed well i hope they do or my credit history is trashed. Went back at 11 after an hour browsing local retail park, completed my contract and hopefully should have my iPhone Tuesday at latest, i hope.

The guy who was first in lin for a 16gb, failed his credit check, poor guy he was waiting from 5:30am in rain, only problem is surely this means that iPhone was surely mine being the first person to miss out on having one on the day.

Why did Apple bother with 8gb- hardly anyone wanted one yet seem to be tons in stock?
Simon, UK
Loads of them are down? I bought a new phone from o2 on saturday and they said it'd take 24-48 hours to be activated? It's still not and its been 48 hours! Surely they have the money to get this fixed pretty quickly?
Sam, UK
call OFCOM ON FREEPHONE 03001233333 OR THERE HEAD OFFICE ON 02079813000 MAKE UR COMPLIANT THERE AND O2 WILL BE FINED FOR THIS MESS UP
ALAN, scotland uk