Question: How does identification work for in-store pick up on reserved iPads?

[ds7777]

I am a canadian that has reserved an ipad using a US account (with my brothers US address). Also, my friend has reserved his using his Canadian iTunes account (with CDN address).

When we go pick this up in Chicago, how does apple identify the reservation? Do i need to show proof of a US address matching my itunes account? or bring a print out of that generic email? or perhaps just quote my itunes account and that's it?

anyone with previous reserve-and-pick-up experience could really shed some light on this! thanks.

 

[techound1]

They will probably use the credit card you used to pre-order to match you to your ipad.

 

[jaykk]

iphone 3gs

I reserved iPhone 3Gs for in-store pickup. They will have a print out of all names and they just cross check the name and put you on a different line.

 

[ds7777]

great - as i dont have a credit card number on my US itunes account. im hoping i could just give them my name and that would be it

 

[qtx43]

They will probably use the credit card you used to pre-order to match you to your ipad.

They don't ask for a credit card, you don't pay until you actually pick it up. You could bring in cash money I suppose. I was wondering the same thing, but like the other guy said, I'm assuming they'll just go by your name and ask for an id.

 

[goobot]

you give them your id sign into it and there you go

 

[Clix Pix]

I'm planning to take a printout of the email confirmation I received and also to keep a copy of that same email on my iPhone to show the Apple staff if need be..... They would have a list there of some sort against which they'd check either my name or my Apple ID before handing me the lovely box containing my new iPad as I was handing them my credit or debit card to pay for the thing.

 

[teddychu]

What if i didn't get any confirmation email? I'd reserved 3 days ago.

Is there anybody like this?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I suppose you just give them your name. When you reserved your iPad they have all your personal info that is linked to your Apple ID. They know who you are and where you live.

What if i didn't get any confirmation email? I'd reserved 3 days ago.

Is there anybody like this?

You can confirm your reservation at Apple.com if you are concerned. Probably just an email glitch, but if your reservation didn't go through just reserve again and should be no prob. I don't think there is going to be any shortage on the 3rd.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I'm 14 and I reserved... I hope you don't need a state ID to pick it up..

 

[Maxx005]

I made a reservation for the iPod shuffle when it first came out, I know its a whole different price class, but procedure is procedure I guess. I just had to give my name and that was that. No Id check or credit card.
Like Clix Pix said earlier, just print out the confirmation email should be sufficient enough.

 

[teddychu]

I made a reservation for the iPod shuffle when it first came out, I know its a whole different price class, but procedure is procedure I guess. I just had to give my name and that was that. No Id check or credit card.
Like Clix Pix said earlier, just print out the confirmation email should be sufficient enough.

but i didn't get any confirmation email...

Chupa Chupa: i'd login to my apple id, but there's no any reserve or order record..

 

[teddychu]

another question, can i have my friend to get the reserve at apple store?

using my apple id and my reservation.

 

[macduke]

What if i didn't get any confirmation email? I'd reserved 3 days ago.

Is there anybody like this?

Weird! I just checked and I got the same email saying 9am, but when I view hours for the Apple Store Leawood, it says 10am on Saturday? Are all the stores opening early? I had originally planned to arrive 1.5hrs early at 8:30, but should I change this to 7:30? I guess I might call up the store to clarify tomorrow.

 

[teddychu]

Weird! I just checked and I got the same email saying 9am, but when I view hours for the Apple Store Leawood, it says 10am on Saturday? Are all the stores opening early? I had originally planned to arrive 1.5hrs early at 8:30, but should I change this to 7:30? I guess I might call up the store to clarify tomorrow.

this is web page screen shot, not from mail oh

 

[matticus008]

but i didn't get any confirmation email...

Chupa Chupa: i'd login to my apple id, but there's no any reserve or order record..

The iPad reservation site has apparently been taken down. While it was still there, you could confirm or cancel your reservation from that page, which would have shown no reservation if it didn't go through.

But it looks like they're no longer taking reservations, at least in San Francisco and Palo Alto.

 

[SchneiderMan]

So availability for you guys who reserved are first come first served basis, so not even before 3pm.. Not really a reservation is it? Or did Apple just want to let you know that was for people who did not reserve?

 

[matticus008]

So availability for you guys who reserved are first come first served basis, so not even before 3pm.. Not really a reservation is it? Or did Apple just want to let you know that was for people who did not reserve?

I'm not sure what you're asking. A reservation isn't a guarantee and it's not a contract. It's a courtesy. When you place a reservation for a table at 8:00, there's no guarantee that there will be a table available, and if multiple couples each reserve a table for 8:00, it's first-come, first-serve, so you might be waiting a while if you're the third couple down for an 8:00 reservation and the diners before you are being slow.

Likewise, all iPads are reserved for 9:00am. If you don't show up by 3:00pm, it's automatically canceled and someone else gets your iPad.

Each store will set aside iPads for those who reserved them, up to their availability. If there are 94 reservations, but only 90 iPads in stock, then if all 94 people show up, four people won't be getting one. If the store got 100, then six walk-ins will also get one. They're obviously going to do everything they can to make sure there are enough on hand to cover everyone, but any presale comes with a possibility, however small, that there won't be enough.

They probably pulled the plug on the website so they can sit down and do the math and see if they can deliver enough units. If it turns out that they can't, they may be able to cancel some reservations before Friday instead of having to turn people away at check-in.

 

[Night Spring]

I'm not sure what you're asking. A reservation isn't a guarantee and it's not a contract. It's a courtesy. When you place a reservation for a table at 8:00, there's no guarantee that there will be a table available, and if multiple couples each reserve a table for 8:00, it's first-come, first-serve, so you might be waiting a while if you're the third couple down for an 8:00 reservation and the diners before you are being slow.

Huh??? That's not my idea of a reservation at all. When I call up restaurants for a reservation, and give them a time I want, I'm often told, "Sorry, but we are already full at that time." And that's what I expect. Restaurants don't take reservations for more tables than they have, if they are full they turn down additional reservations. Now, if a group that reserved a table doesn't show up within a certain time, that table will be given to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis.

And that's what Apple is doing with the iPad. You reserve an iPad, it's a guarantee that there will be an iPad waiting for you until 3pm on April 3. What Apple is doing different from restaurant reservations is they are also shipping extra unreserved iPads -- if a store gets 700 reservations, they might ship a 1000, for example -- and the extra unreserved iPads will be sold to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis alongside people picking up their reserved iPads.

 

[melman101]

Huh??? That's not my idea of a reservation at all. When I call up restaurants for a reservation, and give them a time I want, I'm often told, "Sorry, but we are already full at that time." And that's what I expect. Restaurants don't take reservations for more tables than they have, if they are full they turn down additional reservations. Now, if a group that reserved a table doesn't show up within a certain time, that table will be given to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis.

And that's what Apple is doing with the iPad. You reserve an iPad, it's a guarantee that there will be an iPad waiting for you until 3pm on April 3. What Apple is doing different from restaurant reservations is they are also shipping extra unreserved iPads -- if a store gets 700 reservations, they might ship a 1000, for example -- and the extra unreserved iPads will be sold to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis alongside people picking up their reserved iPads.

+100000 Agree. I think a computer company who can't get inventory and keep reservations for people will get major flack. I'll be expecting my reservation to be there next saturday even though I reserved this past Thursday.

 

[klrobinson999]

I'm driving 70 minutes to the nearest Apple store to buy this thing, so they better have my reserve, or it will get ugly!

 

[robotkiller]

Huh??? That's not my idea of a reservation at all. When I call up restaurants for a reservation, and give them a time I want, I'm often told, "Sorry, but we are already full at that time." And that's what I expect. Restaurants don't take reservations for more tables than they have, if they are full they turn down additional reservations. Now, if a group that reserved a table doesn't show up within a certain time, that table will be given to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis.

And that's what Apple is doing with the iPad. You reserve an iPad, it's a guarantee that there will be an iPad waiting for you until 3pm on April 3. What Apple is doing different from restaurant reservations is they are also shipping extra unreserved iPads -- if a store gets 700 reservations, they might ship a 1000, for example -- and the extra unreserved iPads will be sold to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis alongside people picking up their reserved iPads.

I have to agree. Hard to believe Apple would half ass it like that. This should not be that complicated to coordinate.

 

[matticus008]

Huh??? That's not my idea of a reservation at all. When I call up restaurants for a reservation, and give them a time I want, I'm often told, "Sorry, but we are already full at that time." And that's what I expect. Restaurants don't take reservations for more tables than they have, if they are full they turn down additional reservations.

The number of tables that they have available is based on a guess. They assume that there will be four tables available at 8:00. They will take four reservations. They will then stop taking reservations. At no point are you guaranteed a table at 8:00.

If it turns out that there is in fact only one table available at 8:00 that night, then the first of the four reservations to show up gets it. The others wait until additional tables become available. They still have priority over walk-ins, but they wait until there is an available table.

Same thing with the iPad. They took reservations until they couldn't anymore (and then took down the reservation website). Now the question is how many units will be delivered to the store. Ideally, it will be enough to cover all of the reservations, but just like the restaurant, there is no guarantee. If the store does not receive enough units to cover all reservations, then the reserving people who show up later in the day will not get one.

And that's what Apple is doing with the iPad. You reserve an iPad, it's a guarantee that there will be an iPad waiting for you until 3pm on April 3.

It's not a guarantee.

What Apple is doing different from restaurant reservations is they are also shipping extra unreserved iPads --

That's no different than how a reservation operates. In order to keep the front of house moving, they plan keep a few tables set aside for walk-in business.

The key word being plan. They do not guarantee the availability of tables because they can't know ahead of time what the exact turnover rate will be, just as Apple stores can't know ahead of time the exact number of units they'll have available.

if a store gets 700 reservations, they might ship a 1000, for example -- and the extra unreserved iPads will be sold to walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis alongside people picking up their reserved iPads.

And if the store gets 698 units?

Why do you think they stopped reservations? They need to calculate the totals and make sure it's possible to deliver enough stock. If it turns out that they can't fill the orders, they might be able to cancel some reservations before Friday and avoid turning people away at check-in on Saturday. It might also turn out that they can meet all orders, and then they can start allocating spare units to stores for walk-in purchases.

 

[Night Spring]

The key word being plan. They do not guarantee the availability of tables because they can't know ahead of time what the exact turnover rate will be, just as Apple stores can't know ahead of time the exact number of units they'll have available.

Okay, I concede on restaurant reservations not being exact on the time because of turnover rate being variable. But I don't see how Apple will be unable to deliver the exact number of units reserved to each store. I mean, Apple knows how many units they can produce by April 3 -- if they don't I'm sure some heads will roll. All they have to do is to keep an eye on the number of preorders+reservations, and stop taking reservations (and change the shipping date on the preorders) once they hit that predetermined number. Which is exactly what I assume has happened earlier today, to guarantee that a store with 700 reservations will in fact receive aat least 700 units.

 

[SchneiderMan]

I'm driving 70 minutes to the nearest Apple store to buy this thing, so they better have my reserve, or it will get ugly!

Lol well you just spent $40 on gas and time iNstead of having one show up at your door step.