Preorder/Release Date for Ionic

[cculichia]

Hey!  

So I am super excited by all things Ionic, but am running a race within the next 2 months. What is the release date that it will be able to be shipped out if preordered?

[racertempo]

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@JackieJ86 wrote:

Im confusing. What country are you talking about?  Im in Australia and pre ordered on 29 august 

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JackieJ86, I would not work about it. Cweord is in the UK, but he also has not called to verify a tweet that he received. 

[Cweord]

I just called,  3 weeks in the UK before shipping (they think)

Also, the tweet was a direct message from fitbit uk customer support, not just a random tweet.

I have escalated it to a manager for call back, as even the poor customer services guy was not sure.

[carlriley8]

What kind of service is this???

[hs100789]

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@racertempo wrote:

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@cellophanecerea wrote:

Also they upgraded my shipping to expedited when I asked for it.

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This pisses me off to hear. I pay for expedited shipping but they just hand it out like candy when someone inquires about a ship date? 

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They never said that they got it for free. It was most likely added to the cost of their bill since it hasn't been charged yet.

But yeah, if they did get it for free then that's kinda crappy.

[Cweord]

I loath apple with a passion, but right now even the AW3 is more appealing than the customer service from Fitbit.

[racertempo]

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@hs100789 wrote:

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@racertempo wrote:

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@cellophanecerea wrote:

Also they upgraded my shipping to expedited when I asked for it.

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This pisses me off to hear. I pay for expedited shipping but they just hand it out like candy when someone inquires about a ship date? 

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They never said that they got it for free. It was most likely added to the cost of their bill since it hasn't been charged yet.

But yeah, if they did get it for free then that's kinda crappy.

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Saying they "upgraded me" clearly implies they did it at no cost. No company would charge you for shopping without your authorization first. 

[N8teGee]

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@Cweord wrote:

I just called,  3 weeks in the UK before shipping (they think)

Also, the tweet was a direct message from fitbit uk customer support, not just a random tweet.

I have escalated it to a manager for call back, as even the poor customer services guy was not sure.

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So like I thought then, well in to October at the earliest for us UK customers. Fitbit did say October for UK in the press release so I guess it could be upto the 31st before they have broken that promise. The fact that they specifically mentioned two different time frames for the US and UK just strengthens my opinion that we will get it after. Either way I'm not worried, I mentally prepared myself for October anyway as that was what was mentioned in the press release.

[hs100789]

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@racertempo wrote:

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@hs100789 wrote:

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@racertempo wrote:

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@cellophanecerea wrote:

Also they upgraded my shipping to expedited when I asked for it.

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This pisses me off to hear. I pay for expedited shipping but they just hand it out like candy when someone inquires about a ship date? 

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They never said that they got it for free. It was most likely added to the cost of their bill since it hasn't been charged yet.

But yeah, if they did get it for free then that's kinda crappy.

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Saying they "upgraded me" clearly implies they did it at no cost. No company would charge you for shopping without your authorization first. 

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I guess I just don't see it that way. If he (or she) asked for it, I take that as the authorization. If I ask an airlines to upgrade me to first class, they may do so, but they are still going to charge me for it. He asked to be upgraded to expedited shipping, FitBit said "Sure, but it's going to cost you this much." He replies with 'I approve that". 

That's how I pictured that conversation going. Just because he said he was upgraded doesn't mean it was a free upgrade.

[Cweord]

I'm thinking of cancelling all together. If they cannot manage the release, How will they manage the platform. Who wants expensive hardware on a failed platform.

They will be out of business in 18 months at this rate. (They are already in trouble, the Ionic is make or break)

[RoyG96]

All Ionic's will ship next week. I just spoke with a customer rep. And as for Fitbit being out of business in 18 months...thats a stretch

[racertempo]

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@hs100789 wrote:

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I guess I just don't see it that way. If he (or she) asked for it, I take that as the authorization. If I ask an airlines to upgrade me to first class, they may do so, but they are still going to charge me for it. He asked to be upgraded to expedited shipping, FitBit said "Sure, but it's going to cost you this much." He replies with 'I approve that". 

That's how I pictured that conversation going. Just because he said he was upgraded doesn't mean it was a free upgrade.

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Couple of things.  When you ask an airline for an upgrade...they do it for FREE.  That is the upgrade.  I fly for a living so I am aware of this process......if you are in coach and they have 1 empty First-class seat.....they upgrade the highest priority coach person into First Class for free.  This person would not be on here saying they "upgraded my shipping" unless it was done for free.  I would bet my paycheck on this having been done for free.  

If it was not free, why would someone come on here, and say, "they upgrade my shipping".  An upgrade is something extra you get for free.....at the same price you paid.

When I check into Hilton I always ask if there are any upgrade rooms available......and there usually are unless the hotel is sold out.  They then give me a better room at no charge......but a lot of that is based on your account status/level.  There is no status level of Fitbit customers.

[racertempo]

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@Cweord wrote:

I'm thinking of cancelling all together. If they cannot manage the release, How will they manage the platform. Who wants expensive hardware on a failed platform.

They will be out of business in 18 months at this rate. (They are already in trouble, the Ionic is make or break)

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Not likely.  The exact same thing hapenned with the Charge HR and Blaze.

[cellophanecerea]

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@racertempo wrote:

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@hs100789 wrote:

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I guess I just don't see it that way. If he (or she) asked for it, I take that as the authorization. If I ask an airlines to upgrade me to first class, they may do so, but they are still going to charge me for it. He asked to be upgraded to expedited shipping, FitBit said "Sure, but it's going to cost you this much." He replies with 'I approve that". 

That's how I pictured that conversation going. Just because he said he was upgraded doesn't mean it was a free upgrade.

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Couple of things.  When you ask an airline for an upgrade...they do it for FREE.  That is the upgrade.  I fly for a living so I am aware of this process......if you are in coach and they have 1 empty First-class seat.....they upgrade the highest priority coach person into First Class for free.  This person would not be on here saying they "upgraded my shipping" unless it was done for free.  I would bet my paycheck on this having been done for free.  

If it was not free, why would someone come on here, and say, "they upgrade my shipping".  An upgrade is something extra you get for free.....at the same price you paid.

When I check into Hilton I always ask if there are any upgrade rooms available......and there usually are unless the hotel is sold out.  They then give me a better room at no charge......but a lot of that is based on your account status/level.  There is no status level of Fitbit customers.

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Oh yeah, they totally upgraded it at no cost to me. I wasn't going to pay for upgraded shipping when they missed the promised ship date. It sucks if you paid for upgraded shipping and then they delayed your order. You should appeal to customer service for a refund. 

[minigno]

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@Cweord wrote:

I'm thinking of cancelling all together. If they cannot manage the release, How will they manage the platform. Who wants expensive hardware on a failed platform.

They will be out of business in 18 months at this rate. (They are already in trouble, the Ionic is make or break)

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Don't you think this is a bit of an over-reaction?  They had way higher demand than expected so this is how it goes.  They take the produced stock they were expecting, ship it to the first regions (US and Canada) as expected.  Then they get the stock to their retail partners to not screw them over.  So retail in the UK will be as expected. 

Now, if you take a breath instead of fuming, you can realize two things:

1)Your problem is incredibly easy to solve: cancel your direct order with fitbit, and if you still want the **ahem** watch, order one through a retailer or pick one up when they come, as first expected, in early October.  As someone posted, retailers in the UK are expected to get them on time.

2)That this means the opposite of what you say about their business...this is EXTREMELY good news for them.  Based on their numbers, they thought demand would be a certain amount, but demand has ALREADY exceeded expectations.  Now, admittedly, this could be spin if something went wrong in the amount they wanted to manufacture, but I think the first scenario is more likely.

[minigno]

I agree that sometimes when you ask for an upgrade, and a plane isn't full, you MAY get upgraded for free if you have status with the airline.

But, even if you are checking in on a kiosk or online, they do ask if you want to upgrade your seat, then they tell you how much that upgrade is.  Upgrade just means a better service/product over what you were originally consuming or using, but does not imply no cost.  I've always seen this specified as upgrade vs. *free* upgrade.  I can upgrade a laptop or a server, but it's going to cost money.

That is not to say that fitbit did or did not offer this customer a free upgrade if they felt a customer was unhappy.  It happens here and there in cases like this if a company's rep has the power to make the call.

Edit: After re-reading the most recent reply, this was exactly the case...making a small offer to please an unhappy customer.

[Cweord]

No if they have a month wait. I am not fuming over the delay, but because the lied and then did not have the good grace to tell us.

They are disorganised and cannot communicate. Not a good thing for a company that wants it's users to write the apps.

It was good news for them but people are fickle and impatient.

Why would people want closer contact with a company that has already shown abysmal customer service.

[N8teGee]

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@racertempo wrote:

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@hs100789 wrote:

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I guess I just don't see it that way. If he (or she) asked for it, I take that as the authorization. If I ask an airlines to upgrade me to first class, they may do so, but they are still going to charge me for it. He asked to be upgraded to expedited shipping, FitBit said "Sure, but it's going to cost you this much." He replies with 'I approve that". 

That's how I pictured that conversation going. Just because he said he was upgraded doesn't mean it was a free upgrade.

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Couple of things.  When you ask an airline for an upgrade...they do it for FREE.  That is the upgrade.  I fly for a living so I am aware of this process......if you are in coach and they have 1 empty First-class seat.....they upgrade the highest priority coach person into First Class for free.  This person would not be on here saying they "upgraded my shipping" unless it was done for free.  I would bet my paycheck on this having been done for free.  

If it was not free, why would someone come on here, and say, "they upgrade my shipping".  An upgrade is something extra you get for free.....at the same price you paid.

When I check into Hilton I always ask if there are any upgrade rooms available......and there usually are unless the hotel is sold out.  They then give me a better room at no charge......but a lot of that is based on your account status/level.  There is no status level of Fitbit customers.

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You mention you've been given free upgrades at the Hilton when I imagine others have paid for the same upgraded room. So why are you upset that others have been upgraded to expedited shipping whilst you have paid? Surely it's just swings and roundabouts? I'd sooner take the better room over free expedited shipping. Certainly nothing to get angry about, it happens every day in life. 

[minigno]

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@Cweord wrote:

No if they have a month wait. I am not fuming over the delay, but because the lied and then did not have the good grace to tell us.

They are disorganised and cannot communicate. Not a good thing for a company that wants it's users to write the apps.

It was good news for them but people are fickle and impatient.

Why would people want closer contact with a company that has already shown abysmal customer service.

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There is only so much you can do for a small segment of users who over-react.  They didn't "lie".  They expected to be able to fulfill those orders and they have had much more preorders than they had expected and had supply to account for.

As for communication, yes that can be much better.  Some companies are well equipped and have the systems and agile enough processes to deal with sudden changes in plans/market place.  Others are still learning.  Remember Fitbit is relatively new to the game of big product launches...for someone who doesn't follow them more than casually until now, even though I had their products, I only picked up on the hype of releases from the Blaze and now the Ionic...they'll have growing pains.

No one is trying to "trick" you here.

[racertempo]

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@minigno wrote:

Edit: After re-reading the most recent reply, this was exactly the case...making a small offer to please an unhappy customer.

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Yes.... This is exactly my point.  The person simply inquired about shipping status and they handed out free expedited shipping. Maybe I should call and be pissed and try to get upgraded from my paid second day air to next day? 

[SunsetRunner]

This is why I cancelled my order with Fitbit.

For UK the partner retailers are still saying delivery on Monday 2nd October so no change there. Therefore it seems US are starting to ship next week direct from fit bit, and the UK retailer pre orders are going to be deliver just a couple of days after even including the weekend. 

PC world UK have on ther website now to state delivery on the 2nd Oct.

Very have confirmed my order delivery date is still on track for its planned delivery date. So it just looks like orders from Fitbit direct are FUBARed for the UK.

Say a lot about the company if Apple can do it for a much larger customer base in a shorter time and on a specific date.....