Handsets

Third-Party Retailer Sells One Lucky Customer a Galaxy Nexus (also, at least One Best Buy Taking Pre-orders)

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Yep, December 9th is here and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus still sits idly on the back room shelves at many a Verizon Wireless retailer. Just because Verizon hasn’t officially released the phone doesn’t mean one customer wasn’t able to snag one, however.  An Android Forums user wishing to remain anonymous forwarded along the above image showing what was described as a rather long process that eventually led to a new Galaxy Nexus owner emerging from a Verizon third-party retailer. Here is the account:

“The Story (briefly)

I GOT ONE!
It CAN be done…for now, anyway…
$249.99 (apparently there is a sale on 4G phones…)
I got it from a NON-corporate store. I got there shortly after open (9am) and was the only person in the store. There was one sales associate. A very helpful individual. Chatty and eager to help, but seemed clumsy like a recent hire. The associate mentioned just coming back from some off-site training that took several days. As soon as I walked in the door, s/he asked if I was the person that had the Nexus reserved. I said Yes, of course, and was poised for the killing blow. Remarkably, s/he walked to the back room and grabbed a small white box with a post-it note on it. It was a GNex! Instead of telling me it wasn’t available yet, s/he opened up the box and started scanning! This was actually gonna happen!

And then, a snag.
And yet another.
And another.

I don’t know what all the problems were, but the associate had to make like four phone calls to get the system to accept the phone and SIM. After the system accepted everything, we booted the phone and inititalized everything. I verified voice, voicemail, and data. Then when the associate tried to ring it up, the system wouldn’t accept payment!
At this point, we’ve been at it for an hour and a half and there are four other customers behind me complaining.

The associate finally rings me up manually (or so I assume, based on the mumbling…) and then I RAN!”

For now the user remains the proud owner of a new Galaxy Nexus. For one not-so-lucky buyer, the same can’t be said. AF member SamMax was able to purchase the phone after similar problems getting the phone to register in a third-party retailer’s checkout system, but upon arriving home discovered several missed calls and texts from the store. They were asking to have the device returned or risk having the employee that sold the handset terminated from their job. SamMax did manage to snap off a quick pic of the briefly-owned Nexus before heading back to the store.

For others hopeful of getting their hands on the Galaxy Nexus, we have word that at least one Best Buy location in Willow Brook, NJ is taking pre-orders from interested parties. There are, however, no reports of a completed purchase out of the same location.

It appears non-corporate Verizon retailers are antsy to start moving their stock at the beginning of yet another holiday shopping weekend. There could be nothing worse for a prime shopping location this time of year than to waste shelf space on stock of items not allowed to be sold.

[via Android Forums 1, 2, 3]

Kevin Krause
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73 Comments

  1. if i wasnt half handicapped walking around on crutches i would be driving to every retailer trying to snag one, and if they left me messages saying the sales person would be fired. who cares, not my problem. Why would you return it? 

    1. You probably pee on public toilet seats, and cut people off in traffic too.

      1. peeing on toilet seats isn’t that bad.  the real assholes pee on the roll of toilet paper

        1. I cut out the middle man and just pee on other people.

          1. your a fucking BOSS.

          2. Thank you so much you made my day… that was f@cking hilarious!!!

          3. R Kelly!!

        2. wait……hahahaha..ive seen that 2 days in a row.at a train station.lolol.

    2. what if you were that guy? He was probably told the phone would be available today, VZW decides not to release it because of whatever and wasn’t properly informed, but you want to be the reason he loses his job and cannot support himself/ family? thats just wrong man. a phone isn’t worth potentially ruining someone’s livelihood. 

      1. if i was that guy and wasnt given the proper info, there is no reason to fire me. If i knew not to sell it and did anyway, well then i fucked up and should be fired. why should this be put on the customer, he did nothing wrong.

        1. I second the words of the commenter below – you are what is wrong with what used to be a great country. You don’t give a s#!t about anyone else, you only want your toy. Even if it was the sales rep who effed up, you toying with a new phone in no part of human society worth of him loosing his job. BTW, you just admit it in your first post, that you’d be the one trying to find a poor dumb sales rep in your city to get your new toy from.

          1. has nothing to do with the fucked up legal system we have? the fucked up politicains we have? how my grandparents fought for everything they had to save this country and their kids(my parents) generation fucked this country up? How the corpoartions of this country pay their top managers billions of dollars but can’t pay the actual person dealing with customers over $7 an hour. Ya its my fault since we have to pay thousands of dollars to go to the doctor for a common cold. you sir don’t have a clue

    3. You are what is wrong with this country.  Always looking for ways to benefit from others’ mistakes.  Probably willing to sue at every chance possible. 
      Try waiting patiently like the rest of us and get your phone when the seller decides they should be released. 

      1. since ive sued nobody. take a fuckin pill and calm down 

    4. You’re a genuine dick!

  2. Wow, Verizon really F-ed this up didn’t they?

    1. They have been continually F-ing this up. I am blown away at how bad they’ve handled this (yes, even for Verizon).

      People are up in arms and they are just completely silent. No word? No statements? At least feed us a line about “quality control” or something.

      I have this fear that they’re just doing it because Motorola asked them to, to help promote the RAZR. How about just releasing a competitive phone? The RAZR is a great phone and they shouldn’t have to screw people over just to sell them.

      I hope Samsung is pissed at Verizon and making it very clear to them how much they’re fucking this up.

      1. Verizon already bought the phones. Samsung is paid.

        1. Uh, you realize that if Verizon had been selling the phone already, they’d be buying *more* right?

          If they released this mid November, a bunch of customers buying phones for the holidays would have chosen this over the RAZR (regardless of specs, just by chance some people would have chosen this). Instead, everyone’s buying the RAZR, which means fewer sales for Samsung over all.

          Verizon doesn’t just buy all the phones they need at once. They buy some, see how they sell, and order more when they get low. By waiting, they are reducing the total number of phones they will end up needing, screwing over Samsung.

          I don’t even know why I need to explain that.

    2. Both Google and Verizon have dropped the ball… join this page an lets make them realize it

      http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-Google-STOP-Screwing-up-Nexus-Releases/103723073079668

  3. that’d be funny if the person that reserved was one of the people in line behind him, completely unaware that his phone was being taken.

    1. Haha.
      “Are you the guy that reserved the free Ferrari?”
      “Uh…. YES”

  4. Go ahead, somebody just try saying this isn’t some bullshit the Verizon is absolutely and solely to blame for….JUST TRY IT!!!

    Of course you know, with how much of hassle big red is being in this whole mess, I fear the chanced of us Verizon customers ever getting another nexus phone are dwindling with each passing day.

    1. And that’s why I’ve stuck to GSM.

      1. I hear ya, but I live in Wisconsin and do a lot of….exploring, Verizon is the only show in town with acceptable coverage and device selection.  If I were a city rat it would be a different story.

        1. Depends on the city.  AT&T is still crap in the Phoenix metro area.  Verizon is bulletproof here.

      2. If only AT&T didn’t blow. I’ve had my AT&T Nexus One since the release day and I love the phone, but hate the network. I’m excited to switch. I called a local non-corporate store and the guy said they can’t sell me a G’nex today because they haven’t gotten their shipment yet… he said to call back later today. I might get one of those fuckers today!

  5. Verizon is dragging ass because they couldn’t shove as much bloatware onto the device as they would have liked to.

    1. that is not why it was delayed

      1. actually it is they’re pushing it cuz not only do they want their own bloatware in there they dont want g-wallet takin their biz

  6. anyone noticed the extremely low supply each store has of these? each has like 15-30 units. wtf?

  7. So… Tell me again… Why are you posting on here and not throwing this sucker up on ebay? I’d take the 3K over the extra 1 week’s wait and there’s definitely a sucker who would buy.

    1. Ain’t that the truth.

  8. I went to the downtown Seattle one, no dice there.  They just took my name and number and said they would call.  They said they heard it was software issues that held it back again.  I don’t put much stock in that since that was the original delay, but heres hoping we all start getting calls soon.  They want to sell this thing if they are taking down numbers to start calling people.  They know the demand.  Corporate is crap.  The stores want this and so do we.

  9. wow seriously people get a little defense damn. If he was told to sell the phone today a week or so ago and then wasn’t informed not to sell it. how is that his fault, he shouldnt be fired. If verizon fires you for doing your job which is selling phones but doesnt give you the proper information then why would you want to work for a company like that in the first place. and by the way to the dumbass who says good for me being handicap, i said half handicap, im on crutches for another week. I’m a manager at a billion dollar company, there is no way we would ever fire anyone if they weren’t given the proper info. If he knew he wasn’t suppose to sell it and did anyway and his manager found out why would you want him working there, you think by returning the phone will save his job, NOPE.

    1. The more you talk the more of an ass you make yourself out to be….quit while your not as far behind as I forsee you’re about to be….

      1. use some common sense is all i’m saying. know your company rules and policies

      2. oh shut it..i dont think he means he really is.ok maybe he does think he works for a multi billion dollar company..wait ..Why the hell not..he said he works for one.comcast is a multi billion dollar company.what he cant be a manager at a comcast store..i say comcast,talk about a !@$%@ company..ok i now know im lost now.

    2. Manager at a billion dollar company? With your grammar, I seriously doubt it. Maybe a high school kid that failed English?

      1. not the best.but i find nothing wrong with it,especially on a blog..this isnt his job to make it all nice nice for you.Randy you skills are fine…mine on the other hand sucks…grammer yikes,proper context ouch..now i need to go back to school..lol at myself..ugh.

  10. It seems wrong to put the firing of an employee in the hands of a customer.  
    Also, it reminds me of this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rdsAS-bfhWk/TaBLYtVVJgI/AAAAAAAAAG8/6OKZFjETebg/s1600/6a00d8341c3e8f53ef00e54f3cb9f28834-800wi.jpg

    1. exactly. not the customers fault he sold you the phone, people on this site need to get a life and stop watching fox news all day

      1. No shit it’s not the customers fault he sold you the phone. But we’re talking about ethics here, and you dont have any

        1. so corporations in this country including Verizon has good ethics?  If i go to a store and they sell me something it means i bought it and i own it. If they called me and said im sorry we wern’t suppose to sell you that and if you do not return it someone will be fired. ok thats shitty and i don’t want someone to be fired, so if i said if i return it can i get it in writing that they won’t be fired, i would say 99% of the time they would say no. what would you do?

      2. Fox news has to do with this conversation because?

  11. I’m so happy for this guy!  It actually calms me a little to know that at least SOMEONE got a GN and is now happily enjoying it :)  
    *The LTE version that is (before people start blasting me about all the other countries that have “had it for a month”)

    1. My thoughts exactly!

    2. yes good for him but if listen to people on this site he might of got someone fired, watch what you say.

      1. Nobody got fired.  And I was talking about the first guy.  The second guy did the right thing and took the phone back when he was asked to.

        1. how do you know the guy who sold the first phone won’t get fired?

          1. My friend’s mom’s sister’s piano teacher’s cat told me :)

            The same way I get all of my info :) haha

          2. Can you please ask your friend’s mom’s sister’s piano teacher’s cat to confirm the date we’ll all be able to buy one?

  12. I can pretty much guarantee everyone in this forum who is employed have made a mistake at work at one point or another. Some more serious than others but I’m willing to bet we have all made a mistake that a draconian boss could have gotten you fired over. Bottom line, people make mistakes especially on a day if lots and lots of people are calling you, pulling you to one side to help them for “just 2 seconds” and another and another. Its easy to overlook something when you are stressed out like that. The only people at this point that verizon can blame is themselves. They created this mess. 

  13. Hope you are happy that an employee due to 50% your greed and 50% employee stupidity will probably be jobless just in time for the holiday season! your greed disgusts me!!

    1. “SamMax did manage to snap off a quick pic of the briefly-owned Nexus before heading back to the store.”

  14. Come on folks! We know that practically every store that sells VZW has these in stock. Just sell them to us.

  15. This will be another Driod Bionic for me. By the time the phone comes out, I won’t want it anymore

  16. How is holding this phone from release supposed to add more bloatware? I don’t think it is very likely that they would reflash all the units that are already in the stores. Seems more likely that its an OS 4g bug, which would mean, its NOT Verizon’s fault. So…

    1. If it’s a bug related to 4g, it’s the fault of whoever is in charge of having the device tested as working on Verizon.  And whoever decided it was ok to launch the phone before it was fully tested.

  17. Well played sir, well played.

  18. Is there any confirmation of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus’ storage size? 16GB, 32GB, or both?

  19. Good for him.  You would think that VZW would block activating a phone that is not to be sold.  Congrats for this person in getting it.  I wish I were him.  Unfortunately, I have to wait until Thursday like everyone else.

  20. Please google never another verizon release

  21. The rest of the world has their nexuses

  22. “then I RAN!” that’s what I’d do too, get out before they change their minds.lol

  23. I totally agree with those saying Verizon should and probably won’t ever get another google phone to debut. I don’t know how they got this opportunity in the first place.
    And to Randy, with the way you misspell and misplace punctuations, I highly doubt your a manager of a highly profitable business.
    Big talker.

  24. Liar…as it has been said before, no pic, not true. BTW, how’s that 4g working for ya?!

  25. My sister… Fuck off scam.

  26. SamMax you’re awesome. Thanks for returning the phone.

  27. enjoy the galaxy nexus vs someone getting fired for selling you the galaxy nexus? that’s a tough choice to make. decisions, decisions! lol

  28. run forest run 

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