NEW: When Will the ThunderBolt be Available for Purchase?

[scottt732]

Last night I was playing Poker with 3 employees from BestBuy, Verizon, and HTC whose names I can't reveal because its sooper secret and I signed an NDA. They told me that Apple and Intel were co-conspiring with Motorola to sabotage the marketing campaign, that battery life is was a problem but has been fixed by a firmware update, that Skype dropped the ball, that the LTE network wasn't ready but is all better now, that the devices are shipping, that the LTE prices are the same as the 3G prices, that the devices will be released on one of the remaining Thursdays in Q1, and that none of the pictures on the Internet were Photoshopped. The HTC guy was angry at Verizon. Everyone was pissed at Apple. BestBuy was clueless. I learned so much credible information last night & I thought I would share it with everyone... much more than I learned when I played the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa last Friday.

This is funny!!! Did you win the poker game?:icon_ banana:

Nobody won... the leprechaun came in on his unicorn and stole the pot of gold...

 

[Sentrix]

Also, not specifically related to your post, but this has nothing to do with Apple directly. I don't have insider knowledge on that, but I'd be willing to bet on it.

This is correct, Apple was never part of the conversation. Has nothing to do with their products. It's simply a botched launch between Verizon and HTC. Pretty sure HTC wanted the phone out a while ago and is losing patience because of Verizon's reluctance to make the announcement about it.

 

[Preach2k]

What I find funny is that some of you guys think that Verizon owes you guys something!!! This phone was not Officially released... This phone has been having battery problems among others!!! The dates people are giving are speculated dates not official ones.. And ranting although it makes you feel better Verizon could not care less. One leaves and they will get 10 more customers.. If they released the phone with the problems the same guys that are ranting will be the first ones complaining about how can HTC and Verizon release a phone like this... For those of you that want this phone wait for it.. I would rather have a complete phone with less problems then have another Blackberry Storm1 released!!!

 

[Stevessvt]

Everyone was so focused on 11am yesterday as the release time,....well another one has come and gone....

 

[jkc3usc]

What I find funny is that some of you guys think that Verizon owes you guys something!!! This phone was not Officially released... This phone has been having battery problems among others!!! The dates people are giving are speculated dates not official ones.. And ranting although it makes you feel better Verizon could not care less. One leaves and they will get 10 more customers.. If they released the phone with the problems the same guys that are ranting will be the first ones complaining about how can HTC and Verizon release a phone like this... For those of you that want this phone wait for it.. I would rather have a complete phone with less problems then have another Blackberry Storm1 released!!!

They owe me my arm and leg back after the money I shell out to them

 

[Bigdaddy1207]

Sentrix, will we see an announcement today like you had posted last night or will it be next week.

 

[seldon]

How embarrassed should Verizon be right now? They made a huge deal about LTE handsets in a highly publicized presentation at the beginning of January and are now unable to deliver. People should be fired for this nonsense. If they can't push it out the door before the end of the quarter they're going to get some pretty sharp questions on their next earnings call, especially since the iPhone didn't turn out to be the smokescreen they were hoping for.

I'm just a casual spectator, but my gut tells me that this phone will not release, and if it does, it will not be the first LTE handset on Verizon.

Why would Verizon be embarrassed? They said in Q1. Last I checked, we have almost 4 weeks left of Q1.
They haven't said anything other than coming soon.
I would rather see people fired for holding back and making sure it is right then releasing it with buggy software and making customers unhappy.

Forums, rumors, false reports from Best Buy....and everyone knows someone who knows something...those are the drivers for all the speculation.

Please explain how Verizon is at fault here for not giving a specific date for the release other than Q1.
I too anxiously await this phone as a replacement of my BB 8530, but I'm not jumping up and down and ranting like a 12 year old who got put in a corner for a time out...

I can wait. I'd rather wait for a great product than an early released half baked one.

They should be embarrassed because we don't live in a black and white world where consumers should defer to literal statements by corporations, but a world in which corporate marketing and hype machines should be held to account for their own hype. Say what you want about what carefully worded statement was made when by whom, but it's clear to everybody that the ball was dropped by Verizon.

Think about it this way if you must: do you think HTC Corp is accepting the excuse that Verizon said Q1 and therefore Verizon is not at fault? I don't think so. Every account now is that HTC is furious at Verizon for missing planned release dates.

 

[miss chris]

I don't understand how people continue to hold VZW blameless in all of this. BB did not throw a dart at a calendar to choose a date to start preorders. Clearly they had to have info directly from VZW itself that indicated it was an approppriate time to get the ball rolling. By granting Best Buy exclusive retailer status they are saying that BB is in partnership with them. BB has taken a lot of the heat for this and while I think they have to own some of this, I do not think that it is entirely fair. BB has had my $50 dollars for weeks now and that has to be a direct result of info straight from Big Red's mouth. Several people keep on singing the refrain that VZW has never oficially released a date for release and therefore we have no right to be upset. When their exclusive retailer was allowed to start taking money that was as good as an announcement that the phone was coming soon. Clearly, it didn't. VZW could've taken the high road and communicated with their customers. But instead we got condescending and non-informative tweets and facebook postings. Now, I know someone is going to tell me that if I am so upset I should go ask BB to give me my money back. I don't want my money back I want the phone or a reasonable idea of when the heck I am going to get it.

Rant over. On topic I am still banking on the 10th!

 

[santee555]

Check out the SELL BY date on this gallon of milk I purchased this morning;

:icon_ banana:dancedroid:icon_ banana:dancedroid:icon_ banana:dancedroid:icon_ banana:

It is a sign from above!!!

 

[scottt732]

BB has taken a lot of the heat for this and while I think they have to own some of this, I do not think that it is entirely fair. BB has had my $50 dollars for weeks now and that has to be a direct result of info straight from Big Red's mouth.

BestBuy guaranteed themselves $50 of your business in exchange for a courtesy call.

 

[obidos]

I don't understand how people continue to hold VZW blameless in all of this. BB did not throw a dart at a calendar to choose a date to start preorders. Clearly they had to have info directly from VZW itself that indicated it was an approppriate time to get the ball rolling. By granting Best Buy exclusive retailer status they are saying that BB is in partnership with them. BB has taken a lot of the heat for this and while I think they have to own some of this, I do not think that it is entirely fair. BB has had my $50 dollars for weeks now and that has to be a direct result of info straight from Big Red's mouth. Several people keep on singing the refrain that VZW has never oficially released a date for release and therefore we have no right to be upset. When their exclusive retailer was allowed to start taking money that was as good as an announcement that the phone was coming soon. Clearly, it didn't. VZW could've taken the high road and communicated with their customers. But instead we got condescending and non-informative tweets and facebook postings. Now, I know someone is going to tell me that if I am so upset I should go ask BB to give me my money back. I don't want my money back I want the phone or a reasonable idea of when the heck I am going to get it.

Rant over. On topic I am still banking on the 10th!

THANK YOU Miss Chris.... spot on.

 

[Jas O]

Last night I was playing Poker with 3 employees from BestBuy, Verizon, and HTC whose names I can't reveal because its sooper secret and I signed an NDA. They told me that Apple and Intel were co-conspiring with Motorola to sabotage the marketing campaign, that battery life is was a problem but has been fixed by a firmware update, that Skype dropped the ball, that the LTE network wasn't ready but is all better now, that the devices are shipping, that the LTE prices are the same as the 3G prices, that the devices will be released on one of the remaining Thursdays in Q1, and that none of the pictures on the Internet were Photoshopped. The HTC guy was angry at Verizon. Everyone was pissed at Apple. BestBuy was clueless. I learned so much credible information last night & I thought I would share it with everyone... much more than I learned when I played the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa last Friday.

This is funny!!! Did you win the poker game?:icon_ banana:

Nobody won... the leprechaun came in on his unicorn and stole the pot of gold...

Now that is just funny :rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3:

 

[FrankXS]

BB has taken a lot of the heat for this and while I think they have to own some of this, I do not think that it is entirely fair. BB has had my $50 dollars for weeks now and that has to be a direct result of info straight from Big Red's mouth.

BestBuy guaranteed themselves $50 of your business in exchange for a courtesy call.

Yeah, actually that is 100 percent true. However, you can choose to spend the $50 on anything in the store. Personally, I'm never lacking in the urge to buy something at Best Buy :biggrin:

-Frank

 

[wedge40]

Last night I was playing Poker with 3 employees from BestBuy, Verizon, and HTC whose names I can't reveal because its sooper secret and I signed an NDA. They told me that Apple and Intel were co-conspiring with Motorola to sabotage the marketing campaign, that battery life is was a problem but has been fixed by a firmware update, that Skype dropped the ball, that the LTE network wasn't ready but is all better now, that the devices are shipping, that the LTE prices are the same as the 3G prices, that the devices will be released on one of the remaining Thursdays in Q1, and that none of the pictures on the Internet were Photoshopped. The HTC guy was angry at Verizon. Everyone was pissed at Apple. BestBuy was clueless. I learned so much credible information last night & I thought I would share it with everyone... much more than I learned when I played the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa last Friday.

Well of course it's better. These guys have real money. There's nothing worse then getting paid off in change, chocolate and broken promises. LOL

 

[georgek]

I don't understand how people continue to hold VZW blameless in all of this. BB did not throw a dart at a calendar to choose a date to start preorders. Clearly they had to have info directly from VZW itself that indicated it was an approppriate time to get the ball rolling. By granting Best Buy exclusive retailer status they are saying that BB is in partnership with them. BB has taken a lot of the heat for this and while I think they have to own some of this, I do not think that it is entirely fair. BB has had my $50 dollars for weeks now and that has to be a direct result of info straight from Big Red's mouth. Several people keep on singing the refrain that VZW has never oficially released a date for release and therefore we have no right to be upset. When their exclusive retailer was allowed to start taking money that was as good as an announcement that the phone was coming soon. Clearly, it didn't. VZW could've taken the high road and communicated with their customers. But instead we got condescending and non-informative tweets and facebook postings. Now, I know someone is going to tell me that if I am so upset I should go ask BB to give me my money back. I don't want my money back I want the phone or a reasonable idea of when the heck I am going to get it.

Rant over. On topic I am still banking on the 10th!

Throwing a dart at the calender sounds like a good idea. At least we would know what the date is. :icon_ banana: