Google begins informing Nexus 4 buyers of backordered shipments of up to 3 weeks

The Nexus 4 was incredibly difficult to buy when it was launched this Tuesday. The device was sold out within an hour of going on sale, and those that did manage to add the phone to their carts were often met with errors and intermittently disappearing stock.

Today, the news gets even worse for prospective buyers as Google has begun sending out emails to those whose orders did go through. We’ve received a torrent of emails and tweets from users complaining that Google has delayed their shipments for up to three weeks “due to overwhelming demand.” We have received the same notice for one of our phones, and the issue is not limited to those in Canada — this is a worldwide problem.

While Google will be waiving the shipping fees for those affected by the backorder, the reality is that this will tarnish even further what was already considered to be a disastrous launch, and what could have been one of the most successful first-day product launches in Android history.

Thank you for your recent purchase on Google Play. Due to overwhelming demand, your Nexus 4 is on backorder and is expected to ship within three weeks. We’ll send you a notification when your order has shipped and will credit the shipping charges.

Was your Nexus 4 order put on backorder? If so, which version was it?

(Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)