U.K. delivery firms accused of ripping off iPhone 15 Pro Max buyers
Imagine ordering an iPhone 15 Pro Max directly from the Apple Store but when the phone arrives, it's a fake, or an iPhone 14, or an iPhone SE. This seems to be taking place too often in the U.K. as complaints have popped up on Apple's community forum (via AppleInsider). Check out this post by a user named "Sabila89" who writes, "We ordered 2 iPhone15 Pro Max for delivery from Apple and the phones which were delivered are iPhone 14 Pro Max, with blocked IMEI numbers. Now Apple is not refunding us. We have been ripped off our hard-earned money. Can someone please guide how to proceed with this situation?"
Several U.K. consumers ordered an iPhone 15 Pro Max from Apple and received a different handset instead
A similar situation happened to several U.K. consumers including one using the name "RobWhistler" who wrote, "I ordered an iPhone 15 Pro Max in Blue Titanium and received a fake iPhone 14 Pro Max - realised after opening the box and seeing a lightning port at the bottom instead of a USB-C! Reported to Apple, reported to the Police, reported to Barclays. Nobody cares and I've been told that after two Apple investigations and one by Barclays that no further action will be taken, no refund, no replacement."
One poster with the user name "Chris-J-88" on the community forum ordered the iPhone 15 Pro Max from Apple and received a purple iPhone 14 Pro Max. He gave us some insight into how Apple is defending itself from these strange events. He wrote, "I was told by one of their representatives that it’s impossible for them to have put the 14 in there by mistake, so it had to have been switched after they dispatched."
He added, "My concern is that they’ve contacted the courier and they’ve said that nobody [on] their end had touched it so Apple are now concluding that it must be me that’s trying to defraud them. Surely they can see where the 15 is/has been activated. I can’t believe that I’ve bought a phone for £1200, received the wrong item and have just got to accept it."
But Apple now seems to understand that something sneaky is going on with deliveries of the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the U.K. The aforementioned "Chris-J-88" emailed Tim Cook with exact dates and details including the date that he called the police about the incident. "Chris-J-88" explains how his story ended. "I received a call from a gentleman at the European head office about a week later. He took a few days to review the case and then contacted me to confirm that they'd be replacing the incorrect device, which I received the next day."
Delivery companies might have been involved
One U.K. consumer who received an iPhone SE instead of the iPhone 15 Pro Max he ordered noticed that the iPhone SE had a sticker for a carrier called Tesco Mobile. As it turned out, Tesco had recently stopped using a delivery service called DPD for phone deliveries because many customers complained about not receiving the phones that they ordered. One person who complained about his order getting screwed up found out that the specific delivery driver who was involved in the case of his missing iPhone had recently been let go by the company.
Besides DPD, which reportedly has a bad reputation in the U.K. for making reliable deliveries, DHL also was involved in some of the incorrect shipments. Since two of those complaining on the Apple community forum were shipped the right phone after sending an email to Tim Cook, this would be the way to go if you can obtain the executive's email address.
"Chris-J-88" does have a suggestion for those who do get shipped the phone that they paid for from Apple. He says "When the replacement arrived, I asked the courier to record me opening it in front of them to avoid a repeat, ensuring to capture the serial on the device box too."
If you live in the U.K. and you're looking to purchase an iPhone 15 Pro Max, you might want to visit the closest Apple Store and buy your new phone in person.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: