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John Lewis UK
- Thread starter MacSA
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Whenever I'm in Reading I pop into JL to check out the Mac's and always have a laugh listening to the sales staff talking crap.
I had to actually step in and correct one salesman 'cause he was telling some women, who'd been sent to buy a PowerBook for her son to take to college, that Apple's could not do spreadsheets. Apparently only Excel does spreadsheets and you need a Sony VAIO to use MS software.
So I put her, and him, right and then suggested that she visit the AppleStore Online and take advantage of both the education pricing and the bundled iPod offer.
Another saleman sold someone a HP iPaq claiming that the SD card slot would take a GSM SIM card and he'd be able to use the phone function? This was about 2-3years ago.
I had to actually step in and correct one salesman 'cause he was telling some women, who'd been sent to buy a PowerBook for her son to take to college, that Apple's could not do spreadsheets. Apparently only Excel does spreadsheets and you need a Sony VAIO to use MS software.
So I put her, and him, right and then suggested that she visit the AppleStore Online and take advantage of both the education pricing and the bundled iPod offer.
Another saleman sold someone a HP iPaq claiming that the SD card slot would take a GSM SIM card and he'd be able to use the phone function? This was about 2-3years ago.
So how fast is your kitchen?Blue Velvet said:
When the new iBooks came out recently I wanted to buy from JL for the extra years warranty. Everyday I checked the website and for 2 months there was no sign of the updated iBook. I checked the website one morning and nothing, then when I checked at lunchtime, there it was, the new Ibook in the Apple section and it said they had 5 in stock. I live very near JL Cheadle, so I phoned them up and they had taken delivery of 1 new iBook that morning. I paid over the phone and collected that evening. It never even made it out of the store and on to the shop floor. Dunno if the've had any in since.
Oh, it's my first mac and I luuuuuuuuuuuuuurve it.
Oh, it's my first mac and I luuuuuuuuuuuuuurve it.
When I called John Lewis to ask them about the Mac mini - they said they didnt have any in stock and wouldnt be selling it any more - well now we know why:
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0509macmini.html
A Mac mini update is ready for roll-out just two months after Apple bumped the RAM on the systems and added a SuperDrive model, Think Secret has learned. The systems, which are currently in transit to retailers, were originally slated to roll-out this week but may not appear until next week. No announcement is planned beyond a possible press release.
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0509macmini.html
A Mac mini update is ready for roll-out just two months after Apple bumped the RAM on the systems and added a SuperDrive model, Think Secret has learned. The systems, which are currently in transit to retailers, were originally slated to roll-out this week but may not appear until next week. No announcement is planned beyond a possible press release.
There are very, very limited stocks of Apple SKUs scheduled to hit towards the end of the week in John Lewis; no idea on why they're so limited but it's nowhere near filling the outstanding full order.
Anyhow... best advice is, if you want one, to call the store and get them to 'special order' it so that yours is in the front of the queue and won't make it out on the shop floor in any branch.
Anyhow... best advice is, if you want one, to call the store and get them to 'special order' it so that yours is in the front of the queue and won't make it out on the shop floor in any branch.
Wes said:
Sorry - bad jargon shortcut. Yeah... basically lines/products.
Yup, if you've ordered one and given your details (and you should have an order reference number on a sheet of paper), you're good. Those orders get allocated to the appropriate branch for the customer; then any left over get distributed to the shops to put on the shop floor.
I spoke to the manager of the TV/tech department in a JL store yesterday and he promised to call Apple directly and query what is happening. He just called back and said no allocation had been made and that even from the point of allocation it can take 4 weeks for an order to arrive. Looks like I'll be getting my iBook with a 1 year warranty from Regent Street. 
Is it possible to get a student discount in that retail store? What do they want to prove it?
Is it possible to get a student discount in that retail store? What do they want to prove it?
Wes said:
I'd be surprised since the department managers in stores aren't allowed to call suppliers directly re order statuses. All those queries go via the Buying Office at Head Office who are the ones who place the order and allocate stock (that the system hasn't pre-allocated to orders)
I'll go have a hunt around the mainframe later and see if the order scheduled for delivery today (according to what it said last week) has arrived.
MacSA said:
JL aren't really such a large shop though (tho the individual branches look big)
There are only 27 shops plus the website; in comparison to the Dixons group, Argos, Comet with several hundred branches each, JL are a very small player in the electrical and technology arena. And if you're a tech company; who do you give priority to? The big players who can show off your stock in 300 outlets and will put press ads in on your behalf? Believe me, we'd love to have 100% stock levels.
When I was looking to buy a Powerbook from JL the Reading store was teh only one within 100 miles of me that had stock of both the combo and SD powerbooks. I ended up getting one from Brent Cross. I wanted a combo but got an SD as I figured I'd rather spend £200 on a better computer than go to Apple and spend that £200 on an extra years warranty.mpw said:
I got this email:
Dear Wes,
We are sorry to inform you that the Apple G4 iBook 1.42GHz SuperDrive with 14 Inch Display you required is no longer available.
Please click on this link to re-visit johnlewis.com to select another product.
If you have any questions please contact us on 08456 049 049 between 7am and midnight.
Thank you for visiting johnlewis.com
Hmm... I'll be going to Regent Street tomorrow to get the iBook.
Dear Wes,
We are sorry to inform you that the Apple G4 iBook 1.42GHz SuperDrive with 14 Inch Display you required is no longer available.
Please click on this link to re-visit johnlewis.com to select another product.
If you have any questions please contact us on 08456 049 049 between 7am and midnight.
Thank you for visiting johnlewis.com
Hmm... I'll be going to Regent Street tomorrow to get the iBook
.
Currently the JL online store has just two powerbooks out of the entire Apple range -and hasn't got any stock of them anyway. When I wanted a new powerbook apparently there were over 80 outstanding orders at the JL warehouse on the 15" combo. So it's not for the lack of demand. I guess JL's getting shafted by Apple on supply of stock. But we all know Apple doesn't just make sure it's own stores have stock...MacSA said: