iPhone 6 Customers in New Zealand Suffer Delays in Shipments; Telecom Offers Samsung Galaxy S5 Instead
Customers in New Zealand who have pre-ordered their iPhone 6 will have to endure more weeks of waiting as telecommunication companies extend delivery dates. In a report by the New Zealand Herald, one customer was offered a Samsung Galaxy phone as an alternative to compensate for the delayed arrival of Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units in the country.
According to telecommunications companies, the iPhone 6 has a shortage of supply in New Zealand due to its high demand. New Zealand customers, especially those who have already paid for their new iPhones, are questioning why telecoms promise to deliver something they could not deliver on the originally specified date.
One customer at Vodafone, who works as a hotel manager, has continued to wait for his iPhone 6 64GB for which he already paid. He said he checked Vodafone's Web site and discovered that the company had extended his waiting time from seven days to 21 days. He questioned how Vodafone can do that to customers. He said the bill he has already arrived for the iPhone 6, but he has not yet received the device.
Reports said a spokesperson for Vodafone explained that delays in iPhone 6 shipments were due to high demand. He said the demand for the new iPhone has been at "an all-time high" resulting in customers experiencing delay in delivery. Vodafone has apologised to affected customers and assured them that the company was "working hard" to ship the pre-ordered iPhones.
Spark, another mobile network operator in New Zealand, had confirmed delays in delivery for the iPhone 6. One customer told the Herald that he had pre-ordered his device on Sept. 19. The company promised delivery time of three to five days. However, he received an email update that there would be a delay in shipment for up to two weeks. The customer said the waiting time has now changed to six weeks.
Meanwhile, Apple may be shifting production in favour of the iPhone 6 Plus due to its strong customer demand. Digitimes reports that Apple will be adjusting its supply ratio for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Sources suggested that shipments of the iPhone 6 in the second half are expected to reach between 3 and 4 million units lower than the original prediction since Apple's suppliers will be working on more iPhone 6 Plus production.