Update: i got my phone ! Apparently it’s mostly their information system, and their call center support that’s clueless. I gave the guy my order number, giving an impression that he could give me precise information. He told me that they were out of iPhones and that there was no way to predict next delivery. Next day it’s in the mail !
Mobistar is the company having the monopoly on sales of the iPhone in Belgium. However, by law they’re forbidden to couple the purchase of the iPhone to any subscription to their services (or any other product).
This puts Mobistar in an uncomfortable position, because they’re making very little money (relatively) out of this product.
Additionally, it seems that Apple is a temperamental supplier, so Mobistar don’t have big stockpiles of iPhones, and they don’t seem to know when the next delivery will be. This makes for a lot of impatient/angry customers.
And then there were the complaints about them giving priority to the Mobistar customers, which is illegal. Putting non-mobistar customers at the back of the list, and more or less blackmailing panting iPhone afficionado’s into getting 2-year subscriptions. Hence, bad rep for mobistar.
So i felt vaguely sorry for them. Well, no longer ! I decided a little while ago to purchase an iPhone. I know, i know, not politically correct, i’ll purchase one of them Neo Freerunners , next, promise. But as a PDA, i understand the Freerunner is not up to scratch, so i’ll need to combine with a ready-for-market product (rationalizing, i know).
Anyhow. So last week, Mobistar sends me a mail saying that yay, they have phones again ! So i hastily order one online. And wait. The purported 3 to 4 days of delivery lengthen into 10, and i decide finally to phone them.
The guy on the phone tells me that they are completely out of stock, and have no way to predict when they will have new ones.
This, when i paid them the full 526€ ! I tell him how i feel, he tells me to mail Mobistar. Try to find an email on their website: not there. There’s a web form, though, that doesn’t work (it asks for a data in a field that is invisible for as far as i can see).
I checked their site: the order form is still online – nowhere do they say they’re out of iPhones. When you order, you get the promise that you will get your iPhone within 3 to 4 days.
That means that a lot of poor shmucks like me laid down the money without receiving the goods. Well played Mobistar ! That’s what’s called a short term gain. Enjoy it while it lasts.
by the way, i promise i won’t make a habit out of angry customer reports 
i’m a nice person, really
This is why I never order something I *really* want online..Boe for Mobistar once more
Indeed, big boo to mobistar service.
I’m switching back from an iphone to a blackberry (had my berry first). I did so at the end of august and they still haven’t fixed my pushmail yet. And costumer service is a joke. They always tell me it take 48h to get feedback, I reply with ‘it’s been over 3 weeks….’ but still nothing
Come on, these are not just promotional mistakes, but really misleading and deceiving practices. Maybe a complaint at the jury for fair promotional practices (JEP) is adviceable here. Paying without recieving your stuff in a reasonable time is not done.
Apparently they are honest after all: i got my phone today ! It’s just their call center support that’s absolutely clueless.
have you tried your iPhone with a non Belgian SIM card?
I planned on getting one to use between Brussels and the UK (with local sims) but was told in a Mobistar store the phone would not work with a UK SIM. Thanks
@simoncrisp: can’t say i have yet …should be OK, belgian iPhones are not simlocked. There is no technical reason why it shouldn’t work in the UK.
hi,
i ordered an iphone with mobistar as well and delivery takes time and time and time. do you by any chance have a customer support telephone number where i can contact them in english language (i could not find one out)? thank’s a lot.
@hkr, no i couldn’t find any, but i spammed two email addresses i found on their site and got a response:
mscenter ‘at’ mail dot mobistar dot be
webmaster ‘at’ mail dot mobistar dot be
They also have a web form on their website, but last time i tried it didn’t work.
Good luck !
@elise, thank’s a lot – in the meantime, the iphone has been delivered (while may request to the customer service by email is still pending…).
at least this whole process let me come across a few new blogs…