I WANT MY 3G!

O2 have made a total shambles of the iPhone launch, and they've pretty much said so on their website.

The deal is: new customers (who don't have an O2 contract) can just toodle on down to any Apple store, grab a phone, and set up their new contract instore. However, existing iPhone users who have been 'offered' free or cheap upgrades to the 3G version HAVE to go into an O2 or Carphone Warehouse store to do the upgrade.

O2 in their blinding wisdom quietly opened up their website for 'pre orders' without telling any of the existing customers (incl me), so in 3 hours they managed to presell all of their stock to people wanting new contracts.

And the kicker, is this quote from the O2 website:

We are experiencing unprecedented demand for the device and whilst we are confident that all customers who want iPhone 3G will get one by the end of this summer, initial supply is limited and will be for some weeks... On average, we will only have a few dozen iPhone 3Gs per store... Some O2 stores will open at 8.02am on Friday, others a bit later.

Right... so I can turn up at a store on Friday at 8.02 am (random!), and *hope* they will open up. Then fight for one of the few dozen phones in store, and probably be late for work.

Surely the *logical* option would have been to only sell to existing customers first, via the online store. Then any 'new' iPhone customer can either go to Apple (who probabaly have a bigger stock than O2/CPW), or fight it out after the existing iPhone customers have got theirs.

All in all, this is a total shambles, O2. And one of the reasons I shuddered when I heard O2 would be the sole carrier back at the original UK iPhone launch. I can't stand their slimy sales people (CPW is worse), who try to force you into insurance and accessories bundles, and have totally incorrect information. A friend who has 'preordered' his phone has already started to be billed by O2 before the contract has even started, and on calling them was told his phone should have already arrived (before the launch). Bunch of clowns.

Rant over for now.

Has Vodafone NZ gone crazy?

I can't believe the iPhone tariffs in NZ... [link]. NZ$250 for only 1GB/month of included data? Are they totally crazy?!
I pay £35/month here for unlimited data (GPRS/EDGE, and 3G when it kicks in, plus unlimited wifi at selected wifi providers), the same number of minutes, and 500 texts which is only 100 less than the voda nz plan - the 1GB tariff in NZ converts to about £95 at today's rate.

And I thought O2 were ripping us off in the UK, but that's just ridiculous!

Better sort this out before we move back to NZ (if we ever do!). Things like this going on in NZ really p*ss me off.

Oh and while I'm at it, there is some clown already camped out at the Auckland store, wanting to be the first iPhone 3G owner in the world. Erm... congratulations? [link via Koz's twitter]

invoices

It seems every different agency I work for has different rules on invoicing - some like the contractor to invoice per calendar month ie 1st Jan to 31st Jan), whereas others like us to invoice up to and including last Friday of calendar month (so based on weeks).

I would much rather invoice on a calendar month, as it's pretty easy to remember where you invoiced up to last month. On a 'weekly' type system, always have to check the previous invoice, and make sure there is no overlap. Argh! Come on agencies, contractors are providing YOU with our services, not the other way around! You're making a cut on everything we invoice, and all you have to do is sort the inital contract and interview, and get me my money each month. If the IT industry in London wasn't so fixated on using agencies, there would be no cut for the agency, so how about you accept invoices in whatever format the contrator prefers huh?

(wow... first rant i've posted for ages!)

crazy for caffine

It always frustrates me that some coffee chains in the UK are so hopeless when it comes to ordering and recieving your order. This morning I went to one of the many UK coffee chain (not the one in the pic!), and was totally amazed at the hopelesness of the ordering system.

After standing in one queue, I got to the counter and ordered, where the girl kindof barked the order to the barristas (well, the guys who push the buttons on the automated espresso machines). Who didn't acknowledge her, but carried on with whatever they were doing. Then I hung about with everyone else that was waiting for their coffee/teas, while they asked everyone again what they wanted (as they had forgotten), and did the drinks in the wrong order. This was still going on when I finally left.

As much as I don't like that big american coffee chain that is trying to take over the world, at least they have the most successful system I've seen so far for passing on coffee orders - writing the order on the cup, and queuing it up so it doesn't get missed.

At 8.30am in the city, we need our caffine fast and efficient!

Photo thanks to Lost in Scotland(Creative Commons license)

long time, no rants

Dunno what's going on, but I'm not ranting very much at all lately!
Got one for today tho... drycleaners!

Queued for 10 mins to drop my stuff off today, ended up with a newbie dude who had no idea what he was doing (almost messed up the credit card payment grrr). Go back tonight to pick everything up, and they've only got one of my suits in the bag! The manager type dude remembered me, and that I dropped off 2 suits + extra trou, so he's all scratchin his head and asked me to come back in the morning.

Those were my favorite suit trous too... got them from an Aussie shop, so a bit hard to replace :( Fingers crossed they find them. Should ask for a refund too, cause I paid extra for same day service.

Bagel and a coffee please

No rants for a while, so here's one.

Cafes in London are such a nightmare! We went to one of the only UK owned coffee chains for a bagel and coffee on Sunday morning (while waiting for tech shops to open at 12pm - another rant coming on there)... Kerry asked about FOUR times for a 'Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese' bagel. First she though it was cinnamon, then kept calling out to the other girl making them, 'just a cream cheese'... and when we corrected her twice ('Salmon, you know, the FISH'), she was like 'yes yes I know what you ordered'. Then lo and behold, Kerry gets a plain cream cheese bagel (after I waited 10 mins for them to be made). And mine was ultra stingy on the jam - just a smear of red on the bagel.

And the coffee was rubbish too! Ordered a cappuchino which came out was cold, weak and 90% milk, with a teeny bit of foam on the top which she then slopped all down the side and didn't bother wiping up.

And they wonder why Star$'s and other international chains come over and wipe up all the competition. I can walk into anyone of those stores and place an order which I know will be pretty much the same from any store, and no waiting around.