Best Buy to start pre-selling the Blackberry Storm
Well, the rumors were true! Want to reserve a Blackberry Storm and guarantee yourself one of hottest phones to hit Verizon? Don’t call a Verizon Wireless store and put yourself on some waiting list that the manager may or may not even bother to look at the day the Storm hits the stores. Head on over to Best Buy where, for a $50 refundable deposit, you can reserve yourself a brand new Blackberry Storm. It will be sitting pretty waiting for you on launch day! This pre-sale is effective immediately, so you best be getting yourself over to Best Buy asap. Now that we got you all excited, the email does confirm that as of November 3rd, there is no set release date or pricing. Don’t let your hopes be dashed too much as it does reveal that the Storm is expected to launch in November and will be priced between $199.99 and $299.99 for a two-year new activation. Last but not least, Best Buy will receive adequate inventory to cover the number of pre-sold Storms. So if you pre-order, you’re in like flint come launch day! Hit the jump for the text of the email.
Thanks, anonymous (you know who you are!)
Start pre-selling the Storm!
Unique Opportunity to Pre-sell Blackberry Storm!
Effective immediately, customers may pay a portion of the purchase price to reserve a Blackberry Storm handset. This is a huge, exclusive opportunity for Best Buy Mobile – no one else is doing it – and something we haven’t done in this area of the business before. Many customers who may not have considered Best Buy as a Storm source will arrive in our stores to be guaranteed a handset!
As of Nov. 3, the sales price and official launch date for the Storm have not been set – despite blog rumors to the contrary. It is safe to assume the handset will be priced between $199.99 and $299.99 for a two-year new activation and will launch sometime in mid-November. Stay tuned to Employee News where we will announce the price once it is set.
Your store will receive inventory to cover the quantity of pre-sold Storms plus other sellable inventory for launch day. The pre-sell SKU must be rung up to ensure inventory arrives at store.
Please review the process below which is critical to execution of the customer experience for this new process:
Pre-selling the Blackberry Storm: The Process
* Customer pays $50 in store prior to launch date
* Employee scans the UPC on the Storm presell flyer and processes in POS
* Scanning this SKU is critical to ensure your store will receive adequate inventory to cover your presell quantities
* Click here to access the pre-sale form
* Click here for the “Coming Soon, Reserve Yours Today” flyer
* Employee makes a copy of the completed Storm pre-sell flyer
* Employee staples the original copy of the Storm pre-sell flyer to the customer’s receipt
* Employee files the copy of the Storm pre-sell flyer in a specially created Storm pre-sell folder in the 1-31 file
* Customer sets an appointment with the Best Buy Mobile employee to come in and pick up their reserved Storm
* Customers who purchase a pre-sell prior to the release date will not be able to set their appointment yet. Best Buy Mobile employees will need to contact customers at a later date with the information on the pre-sell form copy to set the appointment with these customers.
* Stores will need to maintain a master appointment form or file to keep track of all customer appointments.
* Employee attaches copy of pre-sell form to inventory when it arrives in store and sets it aside as reserved.
* Customer returns at their appointment time to pick up their handset
* Employee process an activation on the Storm
* Employee process an exchange transaction
* The presell SKU is returned on this transaction
* The Storm product and activation SKU are then added to the transaction
* The net of the transaction of the Storm less the pre-sale amount
* Customer leaves happy
* If the customer does not return for their appointment time, contact the customer to reschedule an appointment.
* Hold the product for 48 hours from the appointment time for your customer before putting it back into inventory
* The $50 deposit is 100% refundable if the customer chooses not to or cannot purchase the Storm.
I called the store back and they are taking the pre-orders now, but all they did was to take my name and phone number and said they will call me when the phone is available. I did not have to pay the $50 deposit… is it normal or the person I talked to was misinformed? I don’t have a receipt or anything…
In order to have a Storm saved you will need to pay the $50 so they can scan the UPC.
I registered for mine at the Best Buy in Columbia Heights (Washington DC) and they wrote down my info on the form, but did not require to pay the $50. The manager assured me one would be reserved for me.
This is the official word from VZW Best Buy will release the Storm to shoppers on November 17th. This is not rumor.
Best Buy in Columbia Heights called me back today and I went there to pay the $50 deposit. I finally have my receipt.
They told me it will cost $300 though. I think that is way too expensive… especially considering that Vodafone is giving it away for free! Does $300 sound right to you?
This is exciting. I am looking forward to checking out the Storm!
I went to the Best Buy In Illinois and the guy told me it was first the 16th now the 23rd of November ……. We shall see
I know if it costs $299 with a 2 year contract most consumers will not buy the Storm and will not be able to compete with the Iphone or any touchscreen phone on the market. Since Bestbuy said the cost will be between $199-$299, I will be extremely disappointed if they choose to price the phone on the higher end. Lucky my $50 is fully refundable!!!!
I called the VZW customer support number and I asked the guy if he knew when the storm would be released. He said the weekend of Thanksgiving and immediately started stuttering, and said well…on or before the weekend of Thanksgiving…hmmmmmmm…I have a strong feeling it will be anywhere from the 21 – 23 of November!!! I was hoping it would be next week like Vodaphone, but I am okay with waiting one more week..as long as I know my little hands will be touching that beautiful screen this month!!!!
Talked to Verizon sales today. They confirmed they will have it one week prior to release. Release date Tuesday November 25, three days before black friday.
So as soon as I heard this news from BoyGenius…I ran over to my local Best Buy store and found out all the info. Best Buy is a legit Verizon dealer…so if you purchas a contract or upgrade with them its as if you were doing it at your local Verizon store. They alos guarantee that it will be the lowest price possible for the phone. Even cheaper than at Verizon..because VZ has mail in rebates..but Best Buy doesn’t. So they gve u the lowest price off the bat. But if for some reason u find it cheaper elsewhere..the 50 deposit is 100% refundable. Oh..and the guy said it would be available AROUND the 14th. Price…between 199-299. Hope this helps! Thanks again for the tip BoyGenius!
what does this mean (written by larry the cable guy) – “They confirmed they will have it one week prior to release. Release date Tuesday November 25, three days before black friday.”
what will they have one week prior to release?
Can anyone confirm if I buy the Storm now, before my 2 years is up, the 2 years just starts now and I lose out on the $100 VW credit?
I have this Sunday’s Best Buy ad IN HAND. It does indeed have the Storm advertised, and if you buy it….they are throwing in a plantronics 360 bluetooth headset as well. They have also have the skin for the storm advertised for $15.99. So yes…..11-16-08 is the date. I’m not sure what’s going on with Verizon? I signed up for their storm e-mails so that I could be “one of the first” as they put it to get one. But when I call them, the reps have no idea, (so they say)…and tell me the phones are not even in the warehouse. Myyyyyy bologne has a first name…..it’s verizon reps! Perhaps they may release it this Friday….I dunno. We will see, but I’m still going with BB, as I have rewards certificates, and they are a legitimeate verizom dealer.
Hope the info helps.
I did my pre-order at Best Buy last night in New Jersey. The cellular rep that took my pre-order said all of internal talk hinted 11/23 as the release date but that (according to him at least) Best Buy had not yet made that date “official”. He said it was just very likely going to be released on that date. He said someone would be in touch in the next 48-72 hours to set up a firm appointment for pickup – as soon as the date is made official.
i opted in to be notified of Storm news from verizon, and I got an e-mail that says the 21st is the official release date from verizon
BEST BUY HAS STOPPED PRE-SALES FOR THE STORM!
I just went to go pay for a form I had a salesperson fill out the night before, and when I went in the W. Hollywood store today they told me they have trashed all pre-order forms last night, and that the form has been taken out of the Best Buy system (he tried to pull it up and print out a new one and couldn’t), and that they have been told they are NO LONGER accepting pre-orders!
I still managed to pay for mine and got on the list however, I was clearly the last one.
The Best Buy website is now saying that the Storm will be available on Nov. 23rd. I already have an appointment to pick mine up on the 21st. So they may be doing seperate release dates for pre-order and general release.