On October 1, 2021, Vodafone, like Orange or iStyle, opened pre-orders for the new series of smartphones from Apple, iPhone 13 and 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. From personal experience, however, if you want to buy one, the chances of success are slim to none. 
One month ago, on September 14th, we were witnessing the launch of the new family of phones coming out of Cupertino. I also wrote some material about it that you can find here. Objectively, the changes were not necessarily revolutionary. The phone is still charging at least twice as slow as an Android three times cheaper, and the charger or headphones didn't miraculously return to the device's case.
Beyond that, I have a first-generation iPhone, and every two years, I extend my Vodafone subscription and purchase the new model. I pay some monthly bills on the phone, with a small amount and I am happy. Lately, more and more, I'm buying an iPhone exclusively for its ability to take pictures, in addition to the fact that I'm used to the operating system, the interface, these old-fashioned excuses.
At Vodafone, I think I have a subscription for about 15 years and, all this time, I have consistently taken my iPhone and iPad on my subscription. Precisely due to its age and numerous interactions, I understood quite well how the acquisition process works, especially in the case of a recently launched terminal which, even for a few months after launch, involves stock problems.
However, the giant with 11.1 million customers in Romania disappointed me brilliantly this pandemic fall. It made me feel like that guy looking for a job and just getting answers with "I don't know, are we calling you?". Add to this the fact that we "smelled" additional privileges for new subscribers compared to existing ones, like me, and the conspiracy engines started immediately.
The good news is that I got some answers to my questions about how Vodafone works from company officials. The downside is that the answers disappointed me and, as Facebook officials said a week ago, it all started with a technical error. I wasn't wrong, it's not their fault, it was a mistake.
For reference, the error comes from a company that, in one of the most recent financial reports, boasts 170,000 new subscriptions completed in three months and revenues from services of 193 million euros, in the same quarter from the end of 2020 .
How I tried to buy an iPhone 13 Pro Max from Vodafone
On Friday, October 1, 2021, I entered the Vodafone website in the hope of purchasing an iPhone 13 Pro Max as a subscription extension. I knew that my subscription would expire in a few days and I should have no problem completing the purchase without any human intervention. Not the other way around, but at Vodafone, as at Orange, Telekom and probably any bank in Romania, you have to have a lot of patience to actually talk to an advisor to fix a problem.
In the first phase, I was very happy that the phone I wanted was in stock, the 512GB iPhone 13 Pro Max Sierra Blue. He even had a delivery estimate associated with it, 2-7 days. I was a little surprised when, after entering my phone number to see the personalized offer, I was confronted with the above message. "Currently, the subscription renewal is not available online. Call toll-free at * 333 ”. 
I was a little disappointed, but I still went to the premise that my new smartphone is a phone away. First of all it was in stock, secondly I knew that I didn't need anyone to "help me clarify the details of my current contract", as mentioned in the screenshot above.
Unfortunately, although the man at the end of the line had all the good will in the world to help me, he drew my attention to the fact that it is genuinely impossible for him. He made me a decent offer on the phone with a two-year subscription, asked me what iPhone I would like, but assured me that he could not make any commitment regarding the actual delivery of the device. Nobody knows when the phones will come and how many will be.
Subsequently, I insisted that the phone in question was listed as being in stock on the Vodafone website and that it seemed strange to me that no one could offer me insurance on the subject. At that moment, I had my first offensive revelation. I was drawn to the fact that the stocks on the Vodafone website and those in the customer retention department (subscription extension) are different. Later, the same information was confirmed to me by an old friend, head of an official Vodafone representative office in Brașov.
I also mentioned that I'm not interested in color and I'm not very picky about capacity either. Whether it's 256GB, 512GB or even 1024GB, any version is ok for me. Unfortunately, my flexibility was zero in the ordering process and I had to choose a certain version for which to place a firm order. I opted for the 512GB iPhone 13 Pro Max Sierra Blue, with no promise of delivery.
It is worth mentioning that the same friend who clarified my stocks mentioned to me that, a year ago, there were quite a few pre-orders that arrived to be delivered after 2 months. No sense in telling you now - I don't wanna ruin the suprise. It just doesn't make sense.
The first conclusion after this report, if it was not obvious, is that Vodafone would have delivered the desired phone to me if I ordered it from the site, from the position of new subscriber or if I had purchased it "for free", with the standard price of 1590 euro, a value very close to the practical one of iStyle, by the way. But things are not so simple.
Vodafone website, full of errors or reluctance
The Vodafone website has been reinvented in recent years. I do not know exactly when, what were the reasons or why he is in this deplorable state. At any given time, you are about three clicks away from a surprising guide error like the one above. It doesn't solve your problem, but at least you can smile.
If you want to reach the message above, choose any phone on the site and try to buy it with a new subscription or an existing subscription. You enter your Vodafone phone number, you receive a four-digit code via SMS, you enter it on the website and you will immediately see the error. Press try again, go to another phone and never get rid of that error forever. It doesn't matter if you want a Samsung, a Xiaomi or an iPhone. 
At first, I thought Vodafone was mad at me and they didn't want to serve me anymore. Not true. All customers are stuck with the same pathetic behavior. I tested the above scenario with four different numbers, with no change. I had to clear the site's cache in my browser in order to navigate normally. I repeat, treatment from a company with 11.1 million contracts concluded in Romania. If it looks incredible, I also made an animated gif that you can see below.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg in the face of my disappointment with Vodafone services. One of the most important telephony, internet and, recently, television operators in Romania does not offer you anything on the site other than telephones. You can no longer buy a tablet with a data subscription, you can no longer buy a pair of headphones. Not even that charger without which you can't charge your iPhone for 1500 euros, Vodafone no longer sells it on your site.
I would mention that Orange even sells you smart light bulbs, not just tablets, headphones, memory cards, chargers and just about anything you would want from a telephone operator. I'm not even an Orange fan, but there are many examples from which Vodafone could "steal" an idea. Instead, the giant invested in ugly jokes and destructive rebranding.
Vodafone's official position, "a technical error"
In an attempt to understand if I was trying to buy an iPhone from the Matrix and the universe is playing tricks on me, I contacted a Vodafone official to get some simple answers to the situation I was facing. We went from the premise that any loyal customer would need some explanation, especially when you pay very generous bills every month, whether you are a natural or legal person.
The first question was about stocks, how they work, and whether some are more privileged than others to receive the device, depending on which option they choose. "There are stocks of physical stores and there is a stock for all remote channels (telesales, online store, for loyalty, retention or new sale). In the case of stock for remote channels, the distribution of products available in stock at the supplier shall be made equitably in relation to the number of orders coming from each channel. " In other words, they do their best to help you "fairly", although two other Vodafone sources have confirmed to me that online stocks have nothing to do with retention or loyalty stock.
As for the fabulous update of the site, I wanted to understand why in the past I could extend my online subscription, and now it is impossible. The short answer is, "It's complicated." The long answer: “Extending your subscription involves building a real-time customer offering based on a number of variables, from network seniority to active campaigns and promotions and active GDPR permissions. Being an automatic, dynamic process, there is a possibility that the offer will not be displayed, in which case the customer is directed to a Vodafone agent for assisted sales. "
The last peculiarity and, moreover, the most annoying has to do with the reason why any person from Vodafone did not have the slightest idea when I would have any chance to see my phone ordered at the extension of the subscription, while on the site being in stock, "delivery 2-7 days". The official version is like Mark Zuckerberg's excuse after 6 hours in which I was without Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger, technical problems. "The availability of a product on the site is mentioned only if it is in stock at the supplier. In this case, the product has been reported as available due to a technical error. "
How I managed to get my iPhone 13 Pro Max
A few minutes ago, I received an iPhone 13 Pro Max. It's not the one I ordered, of 512GB, it didn't arrive due to the "interventions", but simply because the customer service guy, with whom I spoke for the first time, understood that I don't care much about capacity, not even in color. I wanted it that way.
Because at least in this respect Vodafone has not gone through a terrifying reinvention, the person at the end of the line saw an iPhone 13 Pro Max in stock and immediately called me to ask if my 256GB version is ok, instead of the 512GB. I confirmed the order, I virtually signed the contract and in 24 hours it reached my door.
Vodafone services are still deplorable, we are daily victims of "technical errors", and a store of the operator not only does not exist in all Sighisoara or Sovata, these "villages" in the middle of Transylvania, but it is good that there are about 25 in Bucharest. Probably the country is burning and my grandmother is combing her hair, I being the "grandmother" who wants her iPhone 13 Pro Max. Even so, if a company of this size defies its customers with "I don't know, we call you", what claims can you have from other service providers in Romania, ten times smaller.