I guess you are right if you want to get technical. It’s more like a rebate. Still practically free though. I guess you misunderstood… or misread.

With this news, I feel like I dodged a bullet when I missed out on the Nexus 4: I need a functioning smartphone by next week, and I’d have been angry as hell if they’d bumped me to three weeks.

So I ordered a Sony Xperia Sola for $230 on Amazon… 2-day free delivery with Prime, and it’s got a MicroSD slot! Sure, it’s not quite as cutting-edge as the Nexus 4 but it does everything I need and more importantly I can actually get my hands on one.

Firstly weeks ago we are told to place your email in to be notified at the Google Nexus website, which I did on all devices. Only to find that the notification email is either not sent out or arrived so late that all stock was already sold out on said notification.

Google Fail:This should have given Google a decent indication of demand and people who signed up to be notified were left in the cold.

Second, on launch many users could not reach checkout without system errors, or their cart would mysteriously empty without notice. For me it took several attempts and finally it froze a number of times on checkout. I had ordered two Nexus 4′s and one Nexus 10, yet I had no idea if it went through or not.

Google Fail: Hardly a good showcase for Google Wallet and signals that even big boys can be amateurs with Checkout processes and failed systems checks.

Thirdly, I had to call Google after numerous attempts to find only one Nexus 4 and one Nexus 10 were ordered and separately. How Google Wallet did this checkout gymnastics is beyond me.

Google Fail: Still working on how it did this, maybe Wallet just guesses? Google customer service staff were friendly and apologetic, yet had no answers for anything, except keep trying.

Fourthly, Today many users have now been told their order is on back order for the Nexus 4 Phone, including me. This is especially frustrating since the whole process was a nightmare and then to be finally relieved that you got your oder in and then days later to be told you have to wait weeks (even though it gave you a two day estimate) is a little bit of a kick in the guts!

Google Fail: Whilst this is understandable to some extent the whole system of launching needs a review, a company like Google should have better systems in place for similar launches.

My recommendations

If you have a email sign up notification system and your valued customers comply, they should be first to receive devices if they order within 24 hours of launch
As above, they should be given a unique code on early sign up and use this on checkout. That way you reward people for letting you know of demand.
If you are going to allow backorder, orders, then allow it, don’t close checkout on selling out of devices.
Someone from Google please apologize for this fiasco, it is not the end of the world, but you are probably disappointing your most ardent ‘first adopter’ fans. These are people who love what you have to offer and the same people who are more than likely to do a lot of marketing for you by irreplaceable word of mouth.
Get your Customer Service Staff up to date, so they have real firm answers to questions you know are going to come.