Back on June 5, the Switch 2's launch day, I wrote about Belkin's new accessories for Nintendo's latest game console. I noted I hadn't tried the Belkin accessories yet with my Switch 2; I ordered my console from Verizon, and it wasn't scheduled to arrive until the following day.
My Switch 2 didn't arrive on June 6. Or the day after. Or a week later. Or ever.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened: Verizon, a company that you don't typically associate with selling game consoles, allowed more people to order the Switch 2 than it had in stock.
I checked in on what seemed like an apt Reddit thread entitled, "So I ordered my Switch 2 from Verizon... and it's still not here," which confirmed my suspicions. One of the commenters reported that he'd spoken to a customer service rep and was informed that not only was the device backordered, but there was no word as to when delayed orders would be fulfilled. The commenter also learned that Verizon had farmed out its Switch 2 sales to a third party, which made it more difficult to cancel your order.
Read more: CNET's Switch 2 restock tracker
As days turned into weeks and I heard nothing from Verizon, and my "track order" page continued to list my Switch 2 as "scheduled to arrive June 6," I started calling Verizon customer service every couple of days to see if anybody had any updates. The reps I spoke to were sincere in their efforts to help me and wished they could provide more clarity. But all they could tell me was that the console remained backordered.
Enlarge Image My order status never changed from the day I ordered it. Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET
Truth be told, I wasn't terribly upset about the situation because I wasn't all that eager to buy a Switch 2 in the first place; I was a little annoyed my credit card had been charged, however. Like a few people I know, I ended up ordering the Switch 2 partially because the opportunity to buy one popped up without me making a serious effort to get one -- I wasn't going to follow CNET's Nintendo Switch 2 Stock Tracker and dash off to a retailer like Best Buy or Target the moment a new shipment arrived in store.
As it was, I was on Slickdeals.com on the morning of June 5 and saw a post about the Switch 2 being in stock at Verizon online, albeit only available to Verizon customers. I clicked the link and was slightly shocked to discover it was indeed in stock and that I was able to order it, with a confirmation email to prove it.
As soon as I placed the order, I had a tinge of buyer's remorse. Not so much because my bill came to $500 after tax and an extra $13 for expedited shipping. But I thought that maybe if I was dropping $500 on this thing, it would have been a better idea to wait and spend an extra $50 on the Switch 2 plus Mario Kart World Bundle, which was sold out at Verizon when I placed my order for the standalone Switch 2. At least I'd get a discount on one of Nintendo's absurdly priced new games for the Switch 2.
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