[JMSpartan]

I spoke with a lady at a large vzw store and she claimed to be the inventory manager. She said she literally knows nothing except that it will be released in November. She didn't know when the shipments were scheduled to arrive, she didn't even know the pricing. I played down a little about what I read online, but she still claimed to know nothing of substance. The lady at the end told me to call tomorrow night around 5pm and they will know more then. Why do they make things so hard? They were the ones that sent me a flyer with the storm on it saying I could get early upgrade!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[PaulM-D]

VZW could probably increase demand if they sold it for the $199 to all of their loyal customers. Because I have a $39 plan rather than the $49 plan, I have to wait another 9 months! Seems frivolous.

Customer Service was actually trying to get me to add a second line to sell me the Storm for the $199! I said to her, "So what would I need a second line for?" She said, "So you can get the Storm at a discount!" Sheesh!

[waffle sauce]

great thread!

[NickG]

I was told that at my store, they would only sell it to you if you were eligable for an upgrade. Take it for what it's worth.

[nativeray911]

Every wonder why only a select few stores are opening early (not every 2600 corp store)? Is it a coincidence people are hearing they are getting only 30 storms from podunk town kiosks to major metro corporate stores?

The early opening corporate stores are trying to create a demand so they have a camping out photo op. Verizon knows the benefit of free advertising from Newspaper and TV news showing people lined up for something.

With Black Friday around the corner this is the perfect time to have every local news outlet showing people lined up at Verizon (think of Apple/AT&T with the iPhone). When the rest of America sees this they think 'Verizon has something special, I want one too'.

Verizon isn't going to overshadow these great individual city photo ops with news they only had 30 units on hand to sell. Turning away hundreds would make their carefully planned news opportunity into negative publicity right before Black Friday.

There is no reason to open early and only have 30 units to sell at each store. This is all hype and there will be plenty of units to buy at the stores for those camped out early & those that come out to buy after seeing it on the news.

Don't buy into the hype unless you like to get up early & wait in lines.

Wow your right this does make a whole of sence. But I'm still going early to make sure I get one....lol

[Capt. Crunchberry]

Unfortunately the message seems too consistent to not be true. There will be a shortage at stores tomorrow. I've called stores all over my area here in MA and the same thing: "We're only getting X (usually <5), you're best bet it to order online or over the phone and get it Monday ... or Saturday for an extra $19.99.

Verizon's first big launch and they drop the ball and right before the holidays to boot. Looks like they value the software upgrade over Friday stock at this point. They should have postponed the launch until Monday/Tuesday of next week.

[bry005]

i called every store within 25 miles of my location.

couple of them said they don't know how many they are getting but first come first serve.

couple said they are only getting limited devices.

i called a koisk and they said they are getting only 3 models and they are all claimed.. weird..

i'm going to go anyway to a store tomorrow and see for myself.

[verizontroll]

Verizon's first big launch and they drop the ball and right before the holidays to boot. Looks like they value the software upgrade over Friday stock at this point. They should have postponed the launch until Monday/Tuesday of next week.

Verizon has never been able to pull off a launch successfully. They really messed up the Voyager release but it sounds like this one will be many times worse. The Voyager doesn't have nearly the sales it was supposed to have because VZW messed up the launch & people learned it was a crappy device before too many people bought it (remind you of something happening now?)

Every anticipated device launch has been a disaster on Verizon. This may be one of many reasons why Verizon gets very few cool devices first.

[dani617]

Does all the bad reviews of the storm make anyone think twice about getting one?

[Habious]

I called my local VZW store and the woman refused to tell me how many they were getting/had in stock. She said "it wouldn't be fair to other customers". WTF does THAT mean?

If she tells me that they only have 15 units and, when I go there tomorrow morning, there's a line of 40-50 people in front of the store, I know that there's no reason for me to wait in line for an hour before the store opens.

Not really sure where "fair' fits into the equation.

If this is a marketing ploy, it's just annoying. I'm here...I'm a customer...I'm holding the money in my hand...do you want my money or not? This isn't complicated.

[verizontroll]

Does all the bad reviews of the storm make anyone think twice about getting one?

Based on all the bad reviews I am not getting their early or waiting in line for this device. I'll try the phone out sometime tomorrow or over the weekend. If I like it I will order it for overnight delivery if they don't have one in stock.

Too many credible sites that give even handed reviews have disliked the Storm for this to be a case of one or two RIM haters.

[HolyBerry]

If you all remember X-box 360 had the most successful hype. Everyone waited in line over night and got one.... well not everyone. Then people sold them on ebay, craigslist what have you, and made hundreds of dollars.... Then came the PS3 same beginning different end... well sort of the same beginning except this time the hype was built around being able to sell it for a profit once it was sold out... the only problem here is no one really wanted the POS everyone just wanted to make money off it. VZN would be making a very bad decision by not stocking the walls to the celling with the Storm, not that verizon is know for making brilliant decisions in the first place. Plus I don't feel like looking back but as someone mentioned before if this phone gets bad reviews then their EFFED (the not so great reviews are already flowing). Case and point Verizon needs to make as much money as they possible can on Nov. 21st the stores better be prepared for the crack (berry) heads!

[ncbryan]

I have too called EVERY corporate store within 25 miles of my home here in NC. That equates to 10+ stores. When I called this am, all they could tell me was they were opening at 8am instead of the usual 9am. I called again this pm and they have them in stock, but the MOST any store had was 15 units! I also called the authorized dealer stores, another 10+ stores, and they will have ZERO available tomorrow! They are all willing to take your order and for $20 have it delivered on saturday. WTF!

When I asked why they were opening at 8am for only 15 units, the manager told me......"good question".

I am like everyone else and was 100% sold on the demo model I played with for 10 minutes yesterday. I agree with Kevin's analysis on the home page that it won't be as productive as my trackball Pearl!

[bj923]

I went to a Verizon location in Circuit City on Wednesday and the guy told me they would have some in, he seemed pretty sure.

Then I went to a retail location in the mall and they told me they were only getting 11 in and he didnt understand why, but that they would start calling people as soon as they got them in Friday, so just incase I put my number on the list.

Next, I called another C.C. location and told him what I heard from the other location and he told me that they would have some in and that the other guy shouldnt have told me all that information and thats all he could tell me anything further.

Lastly, I went to a Verizon Store location and the lady was rude but she basically told me, they were getting some and she wouldnt tell me how much, but that I probably wouldnt get 1 if I came friday and they were ordering the phones for people who put there name on the list starting 6am friday, but she said they didnt open early, so I didnt get that. Then she proceeded to tell me I could pay 19.99 and get it saturday morning.
Or just wait and get it monday

I wish we could get some concrete information, but I still want to try my luck and see if I can get one, im gonna call around tonight.

Anybody else got any info for the Atlanta, Ga area?

[verizontroll]

she basically told me, they were getting some and she wouldnt tell me how much, but that I probably wouldnt get 1 if I came friday and they were ordering the phones for people who put there name on the list starting 6am friday, but she said they didnt open early, so I didnt get that. Then she proceeded to tell me I could pay 19.99 and get it saturday morning.

That would be horrible for Verizon if they open early, have people wait in lines, then turn customers away without a phone and a $20 charge to get it overnight.

Those people would have already waited in line to get it early, Verizon should eat the $20. If what BJ wrote is true this is another horrible move by Verizon.

[sarfrazfamily]

VERY well said and you deserve the name Crack.berry!

[dms936]

Great thread, I agree with some of the posters that some of this is artifical demand by lowering the supply. I think the market will be easily flooded by the begining of next week.

My Best Buy pre-order left me a message and said "oh you will have to come in on Sat or Sun we only had 8 for pre-order tomorrow..." I said fine, thats typical/what 1 would expect from Best Buy, but I wanted one tomorrow and before I finished my sentence she had put me on hold and came back on saying I had one on hold and could come in anytime on Friday.

Pretty sure they just grabbed from the "next" days stock and said we would lose the sale otherwise (which they would)

[wildmonk]

all of this talk about a store having 30 units....i WISH that was the case here. i just went to my local store and they said they would have 10 and first come first serve....10....what the ****.

[bj923]

Yeah, I just called around some more and the Circuit City location I went to yesterday, I called again today and the guy told me all they had was 3 and the Verizon store around the corner had 13...

Another Store location told me inorder to physically get one tomorrow I would have to be the 1st person there when they opened, which she also said they were not opening earlier than usual.

And another store also told me that the Storms were preferably being held/sold for new customers...which I thought was interesting.

So Im assuming this shortage thing is REAL!!! If I am proven wrong tomorrow I will be glad to apologize lol!

[ryannemeth]

Based on all the bad reviews I am not getting their early or waiting in line for this device. I'll try the phone out sometime tomorrow or over the weekend. If I like it I will order it for overnight delivery if they don't have one in stock.

Too many credible sites that give even handed reviews have disliked the Storm for this to be a case of one or two RIM haters.

Im in the same boat as you. And if it sucks, it might be off to ATT to get an iPhone

[rimbuk]

Anyone here heard of the Wii? There are still supply shortages... 2 yrs after release. Many many people have waited in line for those only to be turned away by stores who don't have enough. Nintendo may have dropped the ball with supplying the Wii, but its also far and away the most successful game console. Verizon isn't going to worry about people standing in line and not getting a storm. That doesn't make people want a device less, it will make them want to get in line earlier the next time.

[verizontroll]

Anyone here heard of the Wii? There are still supply shortages... 2 yrs after release. Many many people have waited in line for those only to be turned away by stores who don't have enough. Nintendo may have dropped the ball with supplying the Wii, but its also far and away the most successful game console. Verizon isn't going to worry about people standing in line and not getting a storm. That doesn't make people want a device less, it will make them want to get in line earlier the next time.

Show me another device that works like the Wii? I can show you plenty of devices that are close to the Storm - based off the reviews the iPhone is better.

The Wii is the only gaming console of it kind. Its not like the xBox or PS3. Families love the family friendly Wii games & how you move to use it. The storm is more akin to the Voyager. A botched release and bad reviews have killed the estimated sales figures for that device. People can just as easily buy an iPhone, Curve, Bold than the Storm and get what they are looking for in a phone. Its not like people not getting a Storm dont have an option like the Wii.

Verizon sending away Storm customers angry a week before Black Friday could mean a lot more iPhone sales during the holidays. Bad reviews, bad launch, angry customers and a decent alternative (iPhone) = lost sales by Verizon.

[zr1mom]

I just left a Verizon store where I got a chance to play with one.

They told me they had 5 in stock and that's it.

[MsJuicy313]

I'll just take my chances with it in the morning.

[brichi]

well my local verizon just ****ed me, all week they said 7am, 7am, 7am, now i call to check and they say very limited quantities and 8am,,,,, great, now all the people that think they still open at 7 will be lined up outside waiting and if i get there at 7:45, theres no way i am getting one. Verizon, once again, screwed up a big launch