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The experience of ordering an iPhone 3GS
In an effort to avoid the ridiculously long lines at the Apple store, I did everything right. I ordered my iPhone 3GS online, as an upgrade and I picked the right features. 16GBs of white sleekness. What I did wrong was to order from the AT&T site instead of the online Apple store. The user experience on each site is worlds apart. Following the interaction on the AT&T site, I felt helpless, anxious, in the dark and out of control of my order destiny. After a few calls to AT&T to find out the status of my order, I realized this was not the experience I desired so I placed an email request to cancel my order (let’s see if it happens) and ordered the 3GS off of the Apple site.
What a world of difference! First, ordering the phone was as easy as 123. Just a few clearly marked, full proof steps and I was on my way. Immediately following my order, I found myself on a page with details pertaining to my order such as when I could expect shipment and when I could expect to receive my phone. Having some inkling of what to expect following my purchase, I felt much more at ease.
In contrast, the confirmation I received from AT&T was problematic. I received one email containing an order number and a link to check status. When I followed the link and plugged in the order number I got a page that indicated: “We have received your order request, and we expect to begin processing it shortly.” This message is far too ambiguous to be helpful to anyone – hence my anxiety. Maybe I’m being nitpicky but even the smallest details matter. It would have been a nice touch to have the order # be a part of the link they gave me so that I didn’t have to copy/paste the link into the order search page.
All I have to say is: AT&T, please, you are selling an Apple product so don’t make the user think.
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