Another iPhone 5S order unfulfilled on time. What's going on?

Question

On Monday, November 4th, I placed an order for a 32GB gold iPhone 5S.  My order was placed via Verizon's website, and I paid full price for the phone ($749), a case, a charging dock, and some basic screen protectors.  At that time, my "expected shipping date" was listed both on the order and on my confirmation email as November 11th.
This morning when I woke up, I still did not have a shipping confirmation email from Verizon in my inbox.  I used the pre-order confirmation number and went to the appropriate link to track my order, only to find that the status showed "We have received your order and it is in process."  The expected shipping date still showed November 11th, which was yesterday.
When I called customer service at 7:30am (CST) to find out why my order did not yet ship, and when it was going to ship, I was transferred to another department (I believe it was the online sales department), where the rep told me that "the system didn't process the order properly" and that she would "forward the order information to fulfillment to have the order processed manually," after which it would be sent to the warehouse to be packed and shipped.  I was also told that I "should receive an email within 24 hours."
Since I don't have much of a choice in the matter, what could I do?  I have to wonder what's going on that so many of our orders for the 5S are being cancelled without our knowledge or notification, delayed without Verizon notifying us of the reason or new timeframe, or just going MIA altogether?  I've been a Verizon customer since they bought out Alltel several years ago, and have 3 lines of service, paying around $200 per month for my services.  This is also not the first time I've paid the full out-of-pocket price for a new phone since becoming a Verizon subscriber.  I don't like to whine, but this is the first time I've been less-than-pleased with Verizon's services since I've started with them.  Anyone from Verizon have any input on this seemingly rampant issue?

Answer 1

Michelle,
According to the representative I spoke with this morning, the delay on my order is currently due to it having to go through some sort of "Fraud Check" with a separate department at Verizon.  The rep advised me that there have been a large number of fraudulent orders placed for the iPhone 5S, so each order has to pass through some department who is ensuring that the orders aren't fraudulent.
While I can appreciate that Verizon is concerned with the security of its customers, when I called in yesterday and spoke with customer service, I wound up canceling my original order (which I had placed online) and placed a new order with that representative over the phone for a Space Grey 32GB 5S.  My reason for doing so was because that rep yesterday advised me that the Gold-colored 5S phones were taking longer to ship out, but that the Space Grey model would ship out that day, and I would have it the following day by 10:30am.
Now, I can see the fraud department being involved if an order was placed over the web, or if the order was being shipped to an address that is not the same as the address on the account.  However, when I placed that new order yesterday on the phone with a representative, I called from the primary wireless phone number on my Verizon account.  I also provided my billing password to both the automated phone system AND the customer service representative.  Furthermore, the new phone is being shipped to my home address, which is the same address that has been on my Verizon Wireless account since this past January.  I would say that there is sufficient evidence that Verizon should be more than satisfied that I am indeed who I claim to be, and that the order is not a fraudulent one. 
What I do not understand here is why there are so many delays affecting customers who pay their bills on time and who want to give you even more money by buying very expensive new phones.  I understand that if I fail to pay my bill, I will lose my service. As such, my bill is always paid on time, in full.  I don't believe I'm asking for too much to simply be given the equipment I purchase in the timeframe in which it is promised to me by your company's representatives, and by the confirmation email sent to me by your company.
So, how can we speed up the process of getting orders sent out on time to customers who are not trying to commit fraud, but rather spend even more money every month with you?