What (a) Launch?

[json jett]

Friday was "Launch Day" for the Nokia Lumia1520 and 2520, in addition to Microsoft's Xbox One. While I saw heavy promotion and product-placement for the Xbox One, including a takeover of Times Square and demo stands in the Microsoft Store at Columbus Circle, the 1520 was difficult to find and the 2520 near-impossible in New York City. It was as diametrically opposite an Apple iPhone/iPad launch as iOS and Windows phones/tablets are on sales charts; and perhaps there is a correlation. Even the promotion/sale of the 1520 and 2520 online was shoddy, riddled with roadblocks. I pre-ordered a yellow 1520 on 16 November, and promptly was notified it would ship 20-22 November. Then on the night of 22 November I received an email that because of heavy demand for the yellow color my order would now ship by 2 December. I needed the phone this week, so I decided to purchase one in-store on my way home Friday. I had arranged with the manager of the AT&T store nearest me days ahead to come in on the 22nd and purchase both the 1520 and 2520 (I asked about an early-opening so I could come by before going to the office, and she said there would not open early but the phones and tablets would be available that day), however when I called the store the assistant manager said they had not received either device. So en route home I stopped at an AT&T store in Chelsea, but there were no new Lumia devices on "launch day." I then tried the Times Square AT&T store, thinking they definitely would be at that location. However, there were none. I called the AT&T store on Broadway and 78th, and a representative there was nice enough to check stores all over Manhattan and locate a black 1520 at Sixth Avenue and 54th streets and a red 1520 at Third and 64th. I stopped first at Sixth, but went on the Third because the phone would be for my wife and if she could not get yellow she wanted red; not black or white. So I purchased the phone, but no location in the city had the 2520 and therefore I could not take advantage of the AT&T combo deal to acquire the tablet for $200 with a two-year contract. I was told to call customer service to try to arrange the combo deal after-purchase. When I called customer service today, I was advised I had to go back to the store to get the tablet for $200 (that the deal could not be inputted into the online store computer system without the simultaneous purchase of a phone) when it becomes in-stock. Thus, I am still waiting for a 16 November online yellow 1520 pre-order and still hoping to take advantage of the $200 combo deal to get a 2520 -- along with the offer of a free keyboard/cover from Nokia. The process is anything but smooth. You would think Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T could do better. That they would ensure better coordination and greater availability. Apple certainly would. Meanwhile, the only sighting of a 2520 in NYC this weekend was at a Verizon store on Broadway and 79th, (forget about the Microsoft store; it will never carry the 2520 because of Surface), and there it was display-only with orders taken individually. There was no stock! Even with AT&T and the 1520, as per store representatives, locations received between 0-5 devices to sell and they were distributed geographically based on where Windows phones previously sold. It was much too conservative a "launch."

 

[TravelBro]

 

[9520G]

Worst launch ever, if you go att.com and check store availability it does not matter what zip code you put in it says no stock in any store.

 

[Morpheus Phreak]

Worst launch ever, if you go att.com and check store availability it does not matter what zip code you put in it says no stock in any store.

Believe it or not selling out of stock is a good thing at launch...especially if the stores had multiple units originally. That was the case with the local store. I was there at 10am and was the first customer in and snagged my 1520. They said they had red and black units in stock. I snagged a black 1520 and when I checked in later that day they had sold out of their stock.

On the other side of that it appears that the AT&T site has had some issues with reporting stock correctly, so it's always best to call the stores and ask.

 

[w4rmk]

Hmm, I was at the MS store in Denver, Colorado this past Sunday and they had the 2520's on display. I didn't inquire about whether they had any in stock because I wasn't interested, but they are definitely selling them. There were also plenty of 1520's all around the city at both AT&T stores and both MS stores, although none of them had yellow. Black, White and Red were in-stock.

 

[9520G]

Thats what i mean the closest 15 stores in my zip code all showed no stock and they all had plenty of stock. You can put in every single zip code in the whole entire country and they all say out of stock.

Believe it or not selling out of stock is a good thing at launch...especially if the stores had multiple units originally. That was the case with the local store. I was there at 10am and was the first customer in and snagged my 1520. They said they had red and black units in stock. I snagged a black 1520 and when I checked in later that day they had sold out of their stock.

On the other side of that it appears that the AT&T site has had some issues with reporting stock correctly, so it's always best to call the stores and ask.

 

[Morpheus Phreak]

Thats what i mean the closest 15 stores in my zip code all showed no stock and they all had plenty of stock. You can put in every single zip code in the whole entire country and they all say out of stock.

Ah ok. I thought you were saying that the stores actually selling out of stock was a bad thing. You just meant that AT&T not having their site running properly was a bad thing. That I will definitely agree with.