Apple courier (Uber) may have stolen 2 Macbooks I bought and it's looking like Apple is not going to help.

[maxoakland]

I don't understand why you'd need to email Tim Cook to get a reasonable response to this. Knowing that secret cheat code isn't guaranteed.

Apple's system failed to help you and then you had to reach out to the CEO to get any response. Why are they OK with this?

 

[maxoakland]

I don't know how the Canadian legal system works but, if the credit card company denies it, and you can afford the time, in the US you could take either Apple or Uber to small claims court, and sue for up to $12,500 (or up to $6,250 if you're also a business).

I'd imagine that would get them to take you seriously. In your filing, you could explain that the driver needs to call you to gain entry, and provide your phone records showing no one did. You might even be able to demand the name of the driver, and then add that to the police report.

This is a very good idea and people (including me) always forget it's an option

Small claims court is either inexpensive or free depending on your state and it will require Apple to prove their claims. Right now, they don't care because OP doesn't have any proof that he's correct, but Apple is the one who should be held to that burden of proof and small claims court will do that

I hope that Canada handles things similarly to America

 

[mdatwood]

The OP made a follow-up post saying that route has been exhausted. I've pasted below the original post about that, and the follow-up.

Having said that, before doing the chargeback, I agree with others here the OP should make one more attempt with Apple Exec Relations, asking them to provide the documentation Apple has showing the Mac was delivered, saying: "I need either that documentation, or an email from you (Apple) stating you refuse to provide that documentation, in order to purse this case in small claims court".

I think just mentioning "small claims court" would get their attention.

At the same time, the OP needs to be careful not to miss the chargeback deadline.

Your post and quote of the OP is why a chargeback can get things moving. The CC company will request proof from Apple, forcing them to present something. I've started a chargeback process before where the CC company ended up having a 3-way call with me and the merchant in order to resolve the issue. In the end, no chargeback was needed.

 

[Bampf]

Wow, this sucks. This gives Uber drivers every incentive to steal high value items. (FYI Uber used to bend over backwards to protect drivers from being accused of anything, not sure if that's still true but I'm guessing it is.)

Apple should be able to see who ended up with those items, but you'd need some kind of court order. And the Uber driver probably didn't hold on to them, just sold them.

The chargeback advice is worth trying.

Another one I haven't seen mentioned is a long-shot, but: see if you have any insurance against theft.
* Some credit cards insure purchases automatically, though I'm sure there's a lot of fine print -- theft during delivery might not be covered.
* If you have a homeowners or renters policy you might be able to make a claim.

This situation sucks - you did nothing wrong. I never would have thought that such a delivery option would be so risky. So I thank you for sharing your story. You've helped other people. I hope you get some relief.

 

[laptech]

Wow, this sucks. This gives Uber drivers every incentive to steal high value items. (FYI Uber used to bend over backwards to protect drivers from being accused of anything, not sure if that's still true but I'm guessing it is.)

Apple should be able to see who ended up with those items, but you'd need some kind of court order. And the Uber driver probably didn't hold on to them, just sold them.

The chargeback advice is worth trying.

Another one I haven't seen mentioned is a long-shot, but: see if you have any insurance against theft.
* Some credit cards insure purchases automatically, though I'm sure there's a lot of fine print -- theft during delivery might not be covered.
* If you have a homeowners or renters policy you might be able to make a claim.

This situation sucks - you did nothing wrong. I never would have thought that such a delivery option would be so risky. So I thank you for sharing your story. You've helped other people. I hope you get some relief.

The insurance advice is bad advice because claiming on the insurance affects the policy when it is up for renewal. Why should the OP be stung for increase in their renewal policy due to something that should be the responsibility of Apple?

 

[chmania]

When Apple dispatches a device to you, it comes with a unique serial number, ensuring that no one else can register it apart from yourself, particularly in circumstances like the one we're discussing here. Or am I mistaken?

I’m expecting an M4 Mac mini to arrive in a few days. Should I be concerned? I’m in the EU, and we’ve never had anything stolen before. The courier is required to log all deliveries on their portable device, which has GPS tracking.

 

[laptech]

Those of us who have been employees will know from experience that employers only do the bare minimum what the law requires to allow them to be in business. Laws can be very very complicated and can run into 1000's of pages but here is the thing, an employer is to abide by the FULL letter of the law and when it relates to consumer law that is when employers/companies start to panic because they know there will be sections of the law that protects the consumer regardless of what the employer/company try to say.

That is why I have no problems with missing packages or stolen packages because I know due to consumer law the seller has to see me right, even if it is at their expense. Yes there is a downside to this, bureaucracy, things have to be done in the right way and in the right manner and if one does that they will win every time. It can be a slow long process, especially if the seller fights you every step of the way. It can takes weeks or even months but the reward is when you step into the small claims court and you see the other side not bothering to turn up to defend themselves, the Judge then automatically rules in your favour . The company is then sent a letter by the court saying they lost and thus they have to pay up. The beauty is if the company ignores the court letter, you can set the bailiffs on the company to recover your money.

There is a well known case in the US where a person did just that to a bank. The bank lost, did not pay up as instructed by the small claims court so the person arranged for bailiffs to go in to the bank and take items to cover the cost of the money owed. The bank manager quickly wrote out a cheque lol

 

[newton4000]

I am still confused as any time I've used this service, I've had to sign for it.
So if they have no signature, your CC credit will refund you I would assume.

 

[Six0Four]

Lots of traffic on this post. I really appreciate all the advice. This has been super stressful. Some people here are right, there is so many moving parts here now I dont know which way to turn. I HAVE done the chargeback and the bank says if Apple comes back to them with any "evidence" the bank will give me the opportunity to provide mine. I have not heard back from the police since the report and they came to visit me the day after. Police do have the serial numbers of the laptops. Landlord told me they have not visited him yet. Landlord said while quickly looking on his phone the only person he saw within 20 minutes of 3:52pm was me in the lobby looking for the package. Since camera footage can overwrite itself in a week or two he informed me he will save between 315pm - 415pm. Apple, the police or Uber is free to look at my online phone records confirming nobody buzzed into my building. The Uber driver will also not be able to identify me. The signature is where it gets tricky since it's basically a scribble on a phone screen that his 2 year old could have done. I would know it's fake but how would Apple? I want to know how Apple is coming to their conclusion I received the items.

The lady that replied to my Tim Cook email was from "Apple retail executive relations". She emailed me then phoned to confirm Apple has finished it's investigation. I have her email, phone and ext #.

So do people here recommend I email her back? If I did I dont know what to say since I did a chargeback. I was thinking to tell her I did the chargeback but I want to somehow end this amicably and they agree to the chargeback and believe my side of the story. Even if the chargeback is accepted I dont want a Apple to think I was a scammer.

What would be the best way to go forward?

 

[Six0Four]

I am still confused as any time I've used this service, I've had to sign for it.
So if they have no signature, your CC credit will refund you I would assume.

Why couldnt the Uber driver have signed my name? Apple doesnt know what my signature looks like. Plus if I was a scammer with half a brain I would sign it and make sure it doesnt look like my normal signature.

Many people mention the signature but I dont think it's that important.

 

[Tagbert]

The OP made a follow-up post saying that route has been exhausted. I've pasted below the original post about that, and the follow-up.
…

Ah, thanks. I missed that follow up.

 

[Six0Four]

Also some online have mentioned to reach out to Ubereats support on Twitter since it's impossible to get ahold of them anywhere else. They said a representative would be getting back to me...

I explained the situation crystal clear and these are the responses I got.

 

[KaliYoni]

This has been super stressful. Some people here are right, there is so many moving parts here now I dont know which way to turn

What would be the best way to go forward?

If I was facing a similar situation and was feeling overwhelmed and stressed, I would go beyond looking to anonymous people on an Internet message board for help and ask a lawyer for guidance. I also would become as familiar as possible with the regulations governing credit card purchases, payments, and disputes in my state (province) and country.

Best of luck.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Also some online have mentioned to reach out to Ubereats support on Twitter since it's impossible to get ahold of them anywhere else. They said a representative would be getting back to me...

I explained the situation crystal clear and these are the responses I got.

View attachment 2450196 View attachment 2450197

Your first mistake was ordering your MacBooks from Burger King. The old cut and paste routine from Ubereats Support it seems.

 

[theorist9]

Also some online have mentioned to reach out to Ubereats support on Twitter since it's impossible to get ahold of them anywhere else. They said a representative would be getting back to me...

I explained the situation crystal clear and these are the responses I got.

View attachment 2450196 View attachment 2450197

I'd post those responses on the Ubereats Facebook page and see what they say.

 

[Six0Four]

I'd post those responses on the Ubereats Facebook page and see what they say.

Would have to pay me $2500 to go on the ubereats facebook page.

Not trying to knock Ubereats drivers but after asking for help on their reddit and in some cases being laughed at for getting stolen from, I came to the conclusion they are some of the most bitter people in existence. I'm sure plenty are fine but the ones on reddit, they're not a happy bunch. They dont like Apple customers because Apple doesnt tip them and either do the customers because the customers arent expecting an ubereats driver to show up at their door. And the pay for the Apple orders is bad apparently.

 

[Bampf]

The insurance advice is bad advice because claiming on the insurance affects the policy when it is up for renewal. Why should the OP be stung for increase in their renewal policy due to something that should be the responsibility of Apple?

So noone should never actually claim anything on insurance, because it raises future rates?

Using insurance is a perfectly practical contingency if they get no satisfaction from the many other suggestions. They are out of pocket for machines that were stolen and presumably they needed. This is the kind of situation that people buy insurance for.

I agree that it's not the first thing to do.

 

[theorist9]

The lady that replied to my Tim Cook email was from "Apple retail executive relations". She emailed me then phoned to confirm Apple has finished it's investigation. I have her email, phone and ext #.

So do people here recommend I email her back? If I did I dont know what to say since I did a chargeback. I was thinking to tell her I did the chargeback but I want to somehow end this amicably and they agree to the chargeback and believe my side of the story. Even if the chargeback is accepted I dont want a Apple to think I was a scammer.

What would be the best way to go forward?

If it were me I'd politely update the lady to let her know you live in an apartment complex, that Uber claims the package was delivered at time X but that, at your request, your landlord has viewed timestamped security camera footage of the apartment entry door between time Y and time Z, and confirms no one was in the video except for you going outside to check for the package. Add that this serves as definitive proof that that the package was never delivered as claimed, and that you've provided your landlord's contact info. to the police, though the police have not contacted him yet, adding that you'd be happy to provide your landlord's contact info. to Apple [of course you'll want to ask your landlord first] if they would like to speak with him directly. Your landlord will also need to confirm that this is the only entry to the apartment complex, or at least the standard entry that all deliveries use.

Finally, inform her that you have initiated a chargeback with your credit card, and that you hope Apple would be willing to examine your landlord's video evidence and provide a refund.

Finally I'd add (though you may not wish to, though this does add a tone of seriousness) that you "hope the police will use the video evidence to pursue criminal charges against the Uber driver, and possibly his or her supervisor if they were also aware of the theft."

 

[chmania]

Would have to pay me $2500 to go on the ubereats facebook page.

Not trying to knock Ubereats drivers but after asking for help on their reddit and in some cases being laughed at for getting stolen from, I came to the conclusion they are some of the most bitter people in existence. I'm sure plenty are fine but the ones on reddit, they're not a happy bunch. They dont like Apple customers because Apple doesnt tip them and either do the customers because the customers arent expecting an ubereats driver to show up at their door. And the pay for the Apple orders is bad apparently.

I’ve just had a conversation with Apple regarding the matter of couriers and deliveries, specifically concerning my mini delivery. Apple exclusively utilises well-known courier services such as DHL, UPS, and GLS here. Once Apple hands over the product to the courier, both Apple and the courier will contact me via email. When the item is in transit, the courier service will notify me through email, and I’ll also be able to track it. Additionally, when the delivery is dispatched from the last point, the courier service will send me a text message with the name of the courier and their telephone number, so if I’m not at home, I can arrange a suitable time for delivery.

It’s worth noting that Apple delivers from Ireland within the EU, while MSI ships from Holland. I recently purchased a monitor from MSI, and their courier kept sending me emails. On the delivery date, I received a text message with the name of the courier and her telephone number as well. This has been the same for all the online purchases we’ve made over the past few years.

It’s quite difficult to imagine how Apple would rely on Uber taxis for delivering its products in Canada! The nature of Apple’s products and the level of service they provide typically necessitate a more reliable and professional courier service.

Interestingly, Apple sent me emails regarding my call to them and the points I wanted to convey about the delivery matter of the Mac mini almost immediately.

 

[dumiku]

Them, This is scary, I just ask my relative in Canada if he received mine, as he ordered online, however they used UPS to deliver it, but he had to go to the office in person to pick it up. Apparently, they did not want to take any chance.

 

[laptech]

Found this from 2023, is very very similar, an MR article about Uber stealing a customers iphones.

Apple Store Customer Claims Uber Driver Stole Their $2,000 Delivery Order and Apple Won't Offer Refund [Updated]

While many Apple Stores in the U.S. offer two-hour delivery of in-stock products for $9, customers should beware of potential theft and...

www.macrumors.com

Appears in this case the situation was only resolved due to a member from Apple's leadership team getting in contact with the customer. I wonder how the OP can get in contact with the leadership team.

 

[chmania]

I called Apple again, just to double-check on the couriers. Another person replied. They are well-known couriers such as DHL, UPS, and GLS. I just can't believe that a company like Apple would send their devices with random Uber taxi drivers, without GPS tracking. Even if Apple has a contract with Uber Eats as a carrier service provider, Uber should provide a GPS system to monitor their drivers and deliveries. Once a product is handed over to any courier company, its GPS system keeps track of the time and place of delivery, and maybe even sound, like speaking to the client. The courier companies are very advanced these days.

I shouldn't have read this thread, just to get worried unnecessarily. Anyway, now I know Apple will use the normal courier service, and my worry has subsided.

 

[mdatwood]

It’s quite difficult to imagine how Apple would rely on Uber taxis for delivering its products in Canada! The nature of Apple’s products and the level of service they provide typically necessitate a more reliable and professional courier service.

The Uber delivery is primarily used for same-day delivery in cities that have a nearby Apple store. None of the typical delivery services would work for this type of service. Most cities have local delivery services that Apple could instead try to use, but it would require them setting bespoke agreements with each one. The Uber solution can work, but Apple needs to accept responsibility when there are issues and drop the hammer on people who steal things.

 

[chmania]

The Uber delivery is primarily used for same-day delivery in cities that have a nearby Apple store. None of the typical delivery services would work for this type of service. Most cities have local delivery services that Apple could instead try to use, but it would require them setting bespoke agreements with each one. The Uber solution can work, but Apple needs to accept responsibility when there are issues and drop the hammer on people who steal things.

The moment the parcel is handed over to the client by the courier, Uber Eats or not, the company (Apple) is aware that it has been delivered, which is standard procedure, and the client receives a confirmation email. It cannot be any different in the US or Canada.

I just checked old emails from reputable courier services. There is a PIN number that you need to provide to the courier in order to receive the package. I rarely used that PIN, as the courier has to be phoned in, to be allowed access to the flat's staircase. If you are not at home, the parcel is returned to the courier's local office, and you have to collect it yourself within three days.

 

[Fishrrman]

A number of years ago, there was a long-running thread in the forum named "Don't buy AppleCare on ebay".

It's time for a new meme:
"Don't trust Uber to deliver your new Mac"...