Why is the Incredible still unavailable? Parts issue OR something else?

[Downtown]

The Incredible launch, on the surface of it appears to be oddly botched. Dymax was out of stock the first day it was offered, and that was late April. WalMart is still not carrying it. Yet the ads for it, and even the emails from corp extollings its virtues continue on. What is worse, is that there seems to be the vaguest of timetables that is always 2-4 week away. Ok, maybe a dribble here or there as DFill backorders are filled.

In any case, there are only 2 scenarios I can conceived where this peculiar launch pattern makes sense.

1. Simply bad supply chain management, overly optimistic communication with upper management and inaccurate sales forecasting. The advertising team is not on the same page with the supply team, which is not talking to the sales team. This might be understandable if some external event occured like an earthquake, typhoon, etc. but this company launches phones and manages vendors on a constant basis and they are big enough to not get pushed to the back of the supply line by some rural telco. If this were a delay of a matter of weeks or even a month or even if there were limited but constant supply for a couple months this might be more plausible - but this is a total meltdown.

2. Far more interesting and becoming more plausible is this launch is being used as a negotiating tool with Apple. "Hey look Apple, we have a freaking hit here and if you think we are going to kiss your butt like ATT, forget it. But in deference to our relationship we will hold back on full release of this phone til we can come to an understanding on terms and a time frame for a VZW iphone." In other words, VZW is dangling this in front of Apple as a shot across the bow that it is fully prepared to set sail on 4G with no iphone. If an iphone were announced, that would no doubt blunt sales of the Incredible.

When we first started talking about this theory before Memorial Day, it seemed far fetched and unlikely. The deafening silence from management continues to oddly persist some 6 weeks after launch.

If it is #2, we will probably see an announcement on the iphone or a sudden release of a flood of product once negotiations break down. The pressure to "make the quarter" is a wild card that force someone's hand.

(I refuse to believe that this whole thing has been orchestrated to screw the agents and train the customer to shop on line, although that may be happening. If WalMart and BB had inventory all along, then I might see this as a slap at independent agents.)

Anyone have any theories as to why this is happening and/or decent supply forecasts to offer?

[readability]

Have you been sniffing glue with Glenn Beck?

[JL]

Or snorting lines with Whitney?

[JP Whoregan]

Go ahead and poke fun, but at least he's floating SOME sort of excuse/reason/logic as to why we are seeing the biggest phone launch on VZW to date go down as EASILY the biggest letdown failure in the history of "big phone" launches. This "shortage" is making the initial Blackberry Storm shortages look paltry by comparison. This phone launched almost two months ago, and my store has seen SIX of them. Six. Period. I move almost 200 phones a month with literally 40-45% of those phones being Smartphones, and that's all I've seen. I have a waiting list of people 12 deep who are patiently waiting for me to get this phone, but their patience is running out, and they are starting to call me to tell me they are considering ordering online because VZW's CEO even released a press article ADMITTING that only online orders are getting filled right now. VZW is literally stealing my customers with its HORRIBLE supply chain management. Pathetic.

[PeterB]

I find it really funny that anyone would think this is more than bungling by management.

Voyager
Storm
Tour
Droid
Incredible

All big phone launches, not a SINGLE one done properly.

Plenty of Palm Pres in stock though, you know, a phone the general public didn't give a **** about.

[QUOTE The advertising team is not on the same page with the supply team, which is not talking to the sales team.][/QUOTE]

This has NEVER, EVER, been the case. Hell the advertising team never has any connection to sales teams either. A phone is selling really well at $100? Great! Lets slash the price to $50 and BOGO it! Oh, wait? The sales are great but didn't improve at all? Lets slash another $30 off it and BOG3 it!

I'm pissed that somehow people who order online are deemed more worthy of getting inventory more so than people who buy in B&M stores.

[CurGeorge8]

I know that all the indirects are getting getting screwed through this, but if a phone is in short supply, keeping all of their available inventory in a centralized warehouse is the best way to get product to customers fastest. If VZW ships 20 units to a store, and it takes them two weeks to sell them, when you have had customers already waiting 2-4 weeks to get a phone they already ordered, you are doing a huge disservice to those who have paid and are waiting.

Now, speaking towards that, direct stores are able to order phones and have them direct-shipped to customers, and that store (and the rep) gets the credit for it. Not sure why indirect can't do this (I'm sure someone will tell me it's to screw 'em all), but the way they're doing it is in the customers best interest.

[JL]

We've been geting a couple in but we have no clue when they are coming, they just show up.

I wish we could order em and have them shipped.

[tsanuri]

I think Verizon is kind of getting the short end from HTC as well as Samsung. I think everyone that looks online knows about the Amoled displays being in short supply. But there is a second thing that many do not seem to get. And that is that the Desire, N1, and Incredible all use the same 3.7in pannel. The N1 has had a few shortages here and there but since it is not really avail via a subsidy it is not selling near as well. The Desire on the otherhand is selling almost as fast as they get into the EU as well as other places in the world. The supply in the EU has started to lvl out some from what I have seen but the Desire is still a phone being sold to multi carriers around the world. Where the Incredible is being sold to one carrier in the US. So if you were HTC where would you put your 3.7in pannels? I know I would rather upset 1 carrier than many around the world.

[AgentBoz]

it'll be available in late july when the shadow or motorola X comes out and suddenly the incredible will be EOL. hahah
/sarcasm

[Downtown]

I know that all the indirects are getting getting screwed through this, but if a phone is in short supply, keeping all of their available inventory in a centralized warehouse is the best way to get product to customers fastest. .

If you send out a small supply to each agent they will be gone that day. Most of us have waiting lists and these people are HUNGRY for that phone. We get people from 40-50 miles away cruising for a store that had one. One guy said, "I am driving east til I get one."

Now, speaking towards that, direct stores are able to order phones and have them direct-shipped to customers, and that store (and the rep) gets the credit for it. Not sure why indirect can't do this (I'm sure someone will tell me it's to screw 'em all), but the way they're doing it is in the customers best interest.

According to more than a few of our customers going a COR store is not in their "best interest." They are screwed over by COR stores forcing them to give up good Alltel plans unnecessarily, losing unlimited on their data card, etc. The Alltel churn numbers speak for themselves on the lack of goodwill generated by the COR experience. Beside that, there are long lines, indifferent sales reps, lightning quick training sessions and 2 hours of windshield time. Not to say the agent experience is so perfect either (fill in your own rant if you wish), but I think most people appreciate the choice of the type of store that suits them best.

And you COR reps, while this may not seem like such a bad deal, to fill out an order and then not have to hassle with the customer training....but in the long run, your customers are being trained to circumvent you.

I think Verizon is kind of getting the short end from HTC as well as Samsung. I think everyone that looks online knows about the Amoled displays being in short supply. But there is a second thing that many do not seem to get. And that is that the Desire, N1, and Incredible all use the same 3.7in pannel. The N1 has had a few shortages here and there but since it is not really avail via a subsidy it is not selling near as well. The Desire on the otherhand is selling almost as fast as they get into the EU as well as other places in the world. The supply in the EU has started to lvl out some from what I have seen but the Desire is still a phone being sold to multi carriers around the world. Where the Incredible is being sold to one carrier in the US. So if you were HTC where would you put your 3.7in pannels? I know I would rather upset 1 carrier than many around the world.

This is not news to most of us and certainly not news to those in the supply chain. OK, let's assume that is all it is. Then why launch a phone for which you advertise the heck out of only to frustrate the customer who can't buy them? This goes to the mismanagement theory.

it'll be available in late july when the shadow or motorola X comes out and suddenly the incredible will be EOL. hahah
/sarcasm

Not sure either one of these will blow away the Incredible, but it will at least attract some attention. And you are right, these phones have an increasingly short shelf life for a certain segment of the customer base that has an almost insatiable appetite for the "latest".

[OrionsVantage]

There is another possibility for the incredible to still be "backordered". the nintendo wii is the last device in recent memory that was backordered for this long. Longer if i remember correctly. Verizon and HTC could be using the "backorder" to drive demand for the phone up. I recieved 20 incredibles last thursday and have completely sold out of them by last night. I didn't even have to 'sell' the phone, i just said i had some.

Just a theory

[squirtbottle]

At my indirect store we have not been able to get the first incredible

[OrionsVantage]

That sucks man,i feel for ya. I had them when they first dropped, then just got some more last week. I've not been able to keep one longer than a week.

I do believe that my company is getting 400 more of them either today or tomorrow to be dispersed between approximately 100 stores. (i'm begging to get another 10 or so).

[squirtbottle]

Our only option for ordering here is through Dymax. And there isnt even a listing for the incredible on dymax. It was there the first day, and then it has never resurfaced. I check every morning when I get to my office and every morning I am depressed.

[bsherry]

I'm getting twenty tomorrow in one store so they are trickling out.