By Google is still having trouble meeting demand for the Nexus 4 (LG themselves even attributed abnormally high demand as being the main issue for the shipping woes), but you should know that the company is trying its best to catch up to all the orders they’ve received. It looks like a new batch of shipments are starting to go out, though, as we’ve received a number of new reports of folks receiving Nexus 4 units this week.
We have folks in our inboxes and our very own forums telling us they’ve either received shipping notifications for the device to arrive this week, or that they’ve arrived as early as today. There is something odd going on, though — it doesn’t appear that devices are being sent out on a first come first serve basis.
Folks who ordered a device during Google’s second round of sales on November 27th are among those said to be receiving shipping notifications and actual device shipments. We’ve also seen reports from a few stragglers who’ve ordered as recently as December 4th who either already received their devices or are set to receive them today or tomorrow.
The problem is that those who were able to get an order in with the initial sale — which took place on November 13th — still aren’t seeing anything from Google. Dozens of said people have been convening in places like this massive 35,000-post XDA thread, and if it’s true that they’re being snubbed in favor of the more recent orders then we agree with their sentiment of disappointment in Google.
We’re not sure how difficult it should be to employ a first come, first serve shipping strategy in a period of low supply/high demand like we’re in now, but we’d hoped Google was taking the downtime to get its issues in order while LG raced to produce more devices. If there really are people who ordered on November 13th still being left in the dark about their orders while more recent orders have been fulfilled then Google certainly has a terrible issue on its hands.
Thankfully Google’s too big of a company to handle this situation like the folks who make the Matrix One handled theirs, but it’s still saddening to know that things haven’t been completely ironed out. Like we said in regards to the Matrix One yesterday: it’s one thing to have supply problems, but it’s another to handle it in a poor manner.
Google has been considerably better, of course, but if you have fresh shipments going out to customers who’ve only ordered within the past few days while those who ordered (and were charged) on day one are still without word then that simply isn’t fair. Unfortunately it’s been tough to pinpoint when, exactly, this madness might end.
Some folks have been given backorder notices of 1-2 weeks, some 2-4 weeks, and some as many as 4-5 weeks. This would suggest that regular supply of the device might not be available until Christmas at best, and that could be as long as some of those who’ve ordered devices on November 13th might have to wait with the way Google’s doing things.
The best thing you can do right now is call or email Google’s customer support line and let them know about the situation. Let them know that people who ordered several days and weeks after you are receiving orders while you’re still in the crowd of original orders forced to wait.
It won’t hurry the production process, of course, but if enough complaints are received then it’ll at least show Google that something is still messed up with its ordering system and they could begin to right the ship sooner rather than later. A perfect situation would be everyone would getting their Nexus 4 devices at the same time, of course, but in this case we’ll have to side with the November 13th folks: it’s only right that the first ones to order are prioritized. Be sure to update us on the status of your order in the comments section below!
Yeah the ordering and shipping process for this phone has been a hassle. People from the 1-2 week shipments got an email stating their orders shipped around Friday, but no UPS tracking and no answers from Google or UPS on what was really going on. Everyone switched from hitting F5 for ordering to hitting it on the UPS tracking site. Finally last night most of the 1-2 week shipments were scheduled for delivery today. There are still some guys on the forums that ordered on the 13th and still waiting for their phones! Calling Google support results in them claiming to talk to a “specialist” or something to that effect, but no answers. Even if they had a bad answer it would be better then giving people the run around.
I don’t think specialists really exist. My case was referred to one about refunding my shipping. They never contacted me or refunded my shipping. I got my phone, and was just happy to get it. But Google still sucks at customer service.
Yep I don’t think specialists exist either. I called two days ago and I was told I would receive and email response from a specialist within 24 to 48 hours. My order was in limbo, credit card charged (not a hold), tracking number with no tracking information YBoD. Still never heard back from Google specialist.
Same here!
I got my order in on the 27th (16GB) and has a 2-3 week wait. When I woke up today I had an email from Google saying it has been shipped with a UPS number. My unit is currently in Kentucky and I would assume will arrive on Monday.
Off subject but Google Now on my Nexus 7 is not picking up the tracking with the shipment. It has had no problems in the past with email and tracking from Amazon.
Yeah i was thinking about that also. Google makes the phone detect packages but fail to implement it from the Google store… EPIC FAIL!
I’m getting my Nexus 4 today and I ordered on Nov 27th. I was upset that others that ordered on the 27th after I placed my order at 12:35pm got theirs on Monday of this week. By reading the forums I learned that you could have gotten your order off hours later and actually been better off getting your device sooner. I guess the lesson learned is that there is always someone worse off than you.
Google you have handled this very poorly. Your system should be doing FIFO not LIFO.
Geez stop whining. Other people have to wait like 5-7 weeks and some don’t even have the phone for sale in their countries without having to pay about 250$ extra
Check out this Nexus 4 shipping (all countries) tracking spreadsheet on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/nexus4/comments/14ah75/spreadsheet_to_track_nexus_4_shipping_any_country/#relatedlink#icon-reddit
The phone but came much more popular than expected true, but this could have easily been calculated and also even seen from experience with the Nexus 7. Guess what happens if you sell a top of the line smartphone for half of the price of the competition? If Lexus would offer their cars all of a sudden for half the price, guess what the result would be. I have a nexus 4 and a must admit LG and Google did a great job.
No Google didn’t do a great job. Its a complete fail. They should have been better preparedand they wweren’t. This “high demand is more than likely just them making very little units than they should have. I’ll never buy straight from Google.
Lol, you guys just post this today? I’ve been following the 36,xxx post long thread for a while now. I’m a Nov 27th’er, and my CC hasnt even been billed yet.
I’m happy for those who started to receive their N4.
But for me… Sure I’ll never do what I did for that phone.
If Google is trying to higher interest for his phone, for its a pain in the as.
I won’t join the bandwagon of fanboy. Sh.t, its only a phone!
I tought that only Apple fans would show those crazy beheviours.
For this time I’ll stay with my Galaxy Nexus.
No LTE, No microSD, NO thank you! My S3 is an amazing device and I’ll simply wait for the S4 to come along and blow the lid off the Nexus 4. IMO, people make WAY too big of a deal over “vanilla Android”. Not when there are dozens of ROM’s available within days or weeks of a products launch that will give you the same feel….and/or usually better. There really is no reason to go with a Nexus these days when there are so many other devices out there that meet or exceed the specs on the Nexus.
Well it’s the prices too i mean an unlocked phone for 300$ is pretty cheap
In NYC with T-Mobile pre paid. Data only and use Google voice for the limited voice calls I make. $35 a month. Save $500 a year. That’s why.
Yeah, $30 a month is great. You can use the Vonage app too, for free outgoing calls. If that goes away I’ll just use Skype app, its unlimited calls for $3 a month..so $33 a month. Sounds a lot better then a 2 year contract and $70 or most likely more a month for my plan!
No other devices runs vanilla Android as well as the Nexus line. It doesn’t matter when those dozens of ROMs are filled with bugs and the Nexus ROMs run flawlessly.
Good luck with your inferior S3 – and then your S4 – and your 2yr Contract !!!
I really don’t know why you post so much fail. Go and buy an S3 unlocked and tell me how that feels. Vanilla android will always be better no matter how much you think its not.
I can’t wait! Mine arrives tomorrow and then I can take back the one I bought from T-Mobile and save $150 bucks!
I got tired of waiting. Dropped the $550 through T-Mobile.
dumb
Very well written article and about time somebody highlighted it. There are some real horror stories floating around the forums including the guy who ordered his wife a N4 as a birthday gift – the phone arrived, she opened it up only to find the box was EMPTY thanks to some thieving scumbag !
Unfortunately it is a sign of the times that you just don’t know who you are employing these days and especially at this time of year when large numbers of temps are drafted in for Xmas and lots of high demand, short supply goods need delivering.
I’m one of the November 13th people who never received a back order notice, never received an order, and still can’t get a straight answer from Google. I just continue to be told “Its being sent to a shipment specialist and will get back to you in 24 to 48 hours”. The first time I received that was a week ago. 48 hours has passed, no answer. I put in a new order on Dec 5th to see if that one arrives before my 13th order. Willing to bet it does.
Meanwhile an order I put in for my wife on November 27th is in CA and arriving at my door today. Obviously its not on a first come first serve basis because I don’t think they have a clue where those missing 13th orders are. Customer Support is worthless, they might as well replace it with an automated message for all they can do for you.
Still not get my 2 16gb Nexus 4…. And i ordered 13 November and have been calling Google more than enough. How difficult can it be to sort the orders according to date…. Dissapointed to say the least.
Stop buying from Google until they sort out that mess. I would be so pissed if I order an N4 right now
The lack of LTE just screams best prepaid phone. 300$ for this?? Ahhh… HELL YEAH! or you can man up and get a Note2
If my order didn’t go through I would have gotten a Note 2, but since my N4 arrived this morning I’ll just have to deal with getting an actual update on my phone right away. HSPA+ on tmobile is good though, can’t complain about $30 a month meanwhile other suckers are spending $80 a month.
Elaborate on this “actual update” because the Note2 will get an update when you first activate that bad boy
I ordered the 13th and haven’t gotten a tracking link yet… I’ve called and emailed numerous times to get answers that they have to investigate more or will get back to me. Tonight I called again and they said I should get it by the end of the week….. It is soooo frusterating!
I ordered earlier this week (Monday or Tuesday) and received my Nexus 4 (16GB) today. It said 5 – 6 week wait but I was pleasently suprised when I got a shipping notice yesterday and received the phone today!
hey lan was this in canada or the us
US
Why do we take it » The Nexus 4 is pretty amazing right? I was so excited for this phone that I called in sick for work, set up multiple browsers on auto refresh, and spent 6 hours with the most disappointing e-commerce experience of my life. It was all worth it in the end though, when I finally got through! Wrong! A couple days later I received an email letting me know that I canceled my order. Huh? When I contacted support, I was greeted by a friendly voice explaining that Google never makes mistakes, and it had to be my fault. I went back in forth with them for a day hoping that someone would help, or at least look into the issue. Well… I was met with more nice passive voices letting me know that I can definitely have a Nexus 4 in 6-7 weeks if I order it today. I am 27 years old, and I already miss the days when a company had to care about their customers.
A little venting…
I’M ONE OF THOSE WHO PLACED ORDER 28th NOV AND STILL GOT COMPLETELY NOTHING. What’s wrong with google?
Take it easy, I haven’t received mine either. By the way it’s LG who produce the phones
Here’s my Google story: I ordered a Nexus 4 on Nov. 27. On that day, they put a hold on my credit card for $373.52. On Dec. 6 they sent me an email saying that on Dec. 6 an attempt to charge my credit card failed. I contacted my CC company immediately and they said GOOGLE canceled that credit card hold on Dec. 4. Clearly, they lied to me in their email on Dec. 6 – my CC company told me that no charge had been declined by them. However, I followed the instructions in their email to update my CC info, but I am unable to determine when they plan to ship my Nexus 4. I sent a complaint in to customer service asking them to please communicate more truthfully to me, and include a delivery estimate! So far no reply. It seems to me this might be a lame attempt to get some of those pesky orders off their books so they can say they have caught up with demand %^(
Class action lawsuit against Google possible?
ordered my nexus 4 last night when it says 6-7 weeks, they charged my card and I recieved tracking info this morning saying it will be here by end of week :) I feel bad for all you who ordered first, but I learned my lesson with the nex 7.