Apple Refuse To Return Stolen iPhone Back To Owner
35 replies, posted
[quote]Alisa was robbed on the subway a couple of weeks ago, and now someone else has contacted Apple about replacing the phone due to a software malfunction. Alisa found out about this because her email account is still associated with it, but neither she nor the police can persuade Apple to return the phone to her once the other party sends it in for replacement.
Check out her story below. Do you think there's anything Apple can do at this point? Also, if there's anything to learn from this it might be that you should follow through with filing a police report if you're ever robbed, as that might give you the leverage you need to get a company to help you. Possibly not with Apple, though.
[i]"I got robbed on the subway in Brooklyn about 2 weeks ago, my iPhone (and some other crap)was taken. I called the police who were very helpful , they searched the area for a little bit, follow protocol and all that fun stuff.
Anyways, fast forward to yesterday when I get a email from Apple that someone had filed a request for a replacement phone due to a software malfunction from Apple CareService. I suspected that since I made an appointment with an Apple genius before, the Serial number on the phone was associated with my email. I called Apple to confirm this, after Apple and AT&T transferred me back and forth a few times I had the confirmation from the two companies the phone was mine , I had the address the service request was coming from (in the email) and a phone number (from an Apple rep).
I'm so excited that I can get my phone back! Until the cops arrive at my house, they tell me that since I didn't file a police report they can't do anything. I didn’t file it because in order to file one, I would have had to go to a precinct downtown (like an hour away) look through books of pictures to try to ID the thief, whose face I only saw from the side for a millisecond. And really, what would a police report do for an iPhone that was stolen on a NYC subway a week before Christmas?(plus i had a final that night) The two officers also told me that even if I had a police report it would still be up to Apple and AT&T to decide how to proceed with the situation.
So I call AT&T... and over the course of 12 hours I speak to a bunch of people who are all very sorry that this is the situation I'm in, but their hands are tied -- they have to honor the warranty and it does not matter that it's clear the phone is mine. They would need the authorities to tell them to do otherwise.
So I head to the police precinct where an officer calls the rep I spoke to last (aka the authorities speaking to Apple). The officer spends about an hour on the phone with Apple telling them that once the current holder of the phone ships the phone back to Apple, they should ship me the replacement. He gets the same answer I got--they will not do anything, they do not care that the person who has the phone currently is using a stolen phone and is not using it with AT&T (AT&T confirmed the phone # I got from the Apple rep is NOT an AT&T number).
It's not even about the phone anymore (I bought a blackberry--$600 is a TAD ridiculous for a new iPhone) its the principle of the situation, basically Apple is siding with someone who will most likely jailbreak the phone as opposed to helping a loyal customer (I've been using Apple products forever--iPods, Macs and iPhones (since the first gen)) who legally bought the phone from Apple and is using it with AT&T.
The whole situation is just illogical to me."[/i][/quote]
[img]http://appmodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/caught.jpg[/img]
[b]SAUCE:[/b] [url]http://consumerist.com/2009/12/customer-knows-her-stolen-iphone-is-being-sent-to-apple-but-apple-says-they-cant-return-it.html[/url]
Blame the police department or AT&T, not Apple.
that's apple for you. not because of this, but if you ask me, apple is much worse than many companies out there, despite their fans instinct to say that apple is equivalent to jesus. I really hope (once again, not because of this incident) they just go away forever. things would be alot better.
[QUOTE=Ajacks;19384345]Blame the police department, not Apple.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on the thief, not the police department.
Apple has to follow by their warranty:
Problem is, the thief didn't agree to the Warranty in the first place so couldn't a loophole be made?
[QUOTE=FLoggin Moffins;19384361]Blame it on the thief, not the police department.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on the person, not the theif.
good ol' apple. seriously, the guy has more than enough proof.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;19384438]Blame it on the person, not the theif.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on the device, not the person.
[QUOTE=ketchup;19384508]Blame it on the device, not the person.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on the manufacturing facility, not the device.
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;19384555]Blame it on the manufacturing facility, not the device.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on the concept, not the manufacturing facility.
[QUOTE=Aurora93;19384294][img]http://appmodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/caught.jpg[/img]
[/QUOTE]
That would actually be useful for me
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;19384555]Blame it on the manufacturing facility, not the device.[/QUOTE]
Blame it on tha booze blame it on tha a-a-a-a-co-hol....
[QUOTE=reedbo;19384635]Blame it on tha booze blame it on tha a-a-a-a-co-hol....[/QUOTE]
And it's ruined.
[QUOTE=reedbo;19384635]Blame it on tha booze blame it on tha a-a-a-a-co-hol....[/QUOTE]
Way to ruin everything that was good fag
[QUOTE=reedbo;19384635]Blame it on tha booze blame it on tha a-a-a-a-co-hol....[/QUOTE]
You just had to fucking ruin it, didn't you?
Why do you hate Apple so much :question:
[QUOTE=Ibutsu;19384747]Why do you hate Apple so much :question:[/QUOTE]
Because they suck
[QUOTE=Ibutsu;19384747]Why do you hate Apple so much :question:[/QUOTE]
because they are evil.
[QUOTE=reedbo;19384635]Blame it on tha booze blame it on tha a-a-a-a-co-hol....[/QUOTE]
:frog:
also this case is practically over; once the internet found out, the cat's in the bag
Let him send it in for repairs, then have the Police raid the building for suspected possession of stolen property.
[IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/16jkbkg.jpg[/IMG]
Wait a second, can't she track the package to the guy's address, then steal it from the bastard? Or have him arrested?
-snip-
HERF DERF
[QUOTE=Arachnidus;19385272]Wait a second, can't she track the package to the guy's address, then steal it from the bastard? Or have him arrested?[/QUOTE]
I'm waiting. I don't know what that means. I've never thought about it.
She should steal it back. Since she has the address and stuff.
"Microsoft is a faceless company that only cares about money! fuck you it's our iPhone now."
It makes sense for Apple to do this. Why is everyone so mad?
Couldn't she just, you know, cancel the phone plan?
[QUOTE=Dr Egg;19388858]It makes sense for Apple to do this. Why is everyone so mad?[/QUOTE]
How does it make sense for them to do this? Her phone was stolen, she filed a police report for it, later she gets an email and verified the serial number with the email and her account so we KNOW it it is her phone, apple knows it's her phone, it's obvious the idiot stole it, jailbroke it, is using it on another number, and is trying to do a defective exchange for it, when it's not his phone.
[editline]10:06PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Ajacks;19384345]Blame the police department or AT&T, not Apple.[/QUOTE]
How exactly would att OR the police department be at blame for a stolen phone. If apple has the phone, they should get it to the correct user.
[QUOTE=Dr Egg;19388858]It makes sense for Apple to do this. Why is everyone so mad?[/QUOTE]
Because they don't have iPhones.
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