Long wait for SingTel iPhones

Sep 2, 2010

I WISH to state my displeasure with SingTel's handling of iPhone 4 sales. Like many others, I had to place an order for the phone and wait for up to a month to get it.

I placed my order on Aug 12 at an exclusive retailer at Northpoint, but have yet to receive my phone. After numerous checks with SingTel, I was told that I would need to wait an additional two weeks before I could get my hands on the phone.

Shouldn't SingTel have foreseen the problem of low stocks, given that there were already acute shortages just days after the phone's launch and with a large number of orders still coming in?
StarHub and M1, both of which faced shortages a few weeks ago and also employed a waiting list, have rectified their problems. They have begun selling the phones on the spot.

The unusual waiting period for SingTel iPhones may be due to a lack of a proper system for tracking the waiting list. Some customers have been able to land an iPhone 4 after just four days of waiting, while others have to wait for a month. This discrepancy occurs even if the orders are made at the same location.

A quick check online shows that I am not the only frustrated one. A thread on the issue on Hardwarezone.com is already well past 300 pages of posts. It is evident that this problem could go on for some time unless action is taken.

Bhas Kunju

[The solution is already in his letter. Buy from Starhub or M1.

And which part of Straits Times Forum Page looks like the Singtel Customer Complaint Dept? How is this a matter of national interest that should be published in the national broadsheet? Long waiting list for HDB flats - yes, national issue. Long wait for consumer product - take it up with the retailer. Nothing in the letter speaks to unfair practices. If the writer is concerned with poor service, poor preparation, poor logistics, poor planning, and a callous disregard for customer's satisfaction, then why is he still queueing for a Singtel iPhone, especially when he can get from other providers. if this waiting is a prediction of the service to come, he should switch.]