Did I get scammed with my new 24 inch iMac?

[John Cow]

Hi all,

Long time lurker on the forums since I've had an iBook g4, Macbook and now a new 24' iMac. The purchase of my iMac was odd to say the least and I'd like to hear some of your opinions about it.

Since it's a lot of typing, I'm copying the story from my blog, so it might read a little differently but it covers the whole story basically:

"So, in the first Apple store we asked if they had the 24′ iMac in stock. Unfortunately they didn’t and we told them that we’d go check out the other shops and if it was possible for us to buy the model they had on display if there was no other option. The girl that helped us said she had to ask the manager and so she did. Three minutes later she came back with a smile on her face, telling us that she was just told that they actually did have one in stock after all! It was ordered by someone but the order was canceled last minute or something. Whatever it was, they had one and we were gonna buy it.

So here’s weird thing number 1:

She scanned the box and it came up with a price of $2,299.00 which is what you pay for the top model. Our model is $1,799.00 and not a penny more since we feel the minimum upgraded can’t justify the extra $500. Anyway, the girl called one of her colleagues, telling them this was the box with “the weird bar code” that displayed the wrong price and that she needed to change it in the system. We were thinking that this was probably the iMac extreme but that the staff would have checked this so we let them do their thing. As long as we could take it home.

Now, here’s where we could have made $500.

We didn’t have any lunch yet so we asked the girl if she could keep on to the box for an hour so we could go eat something without having to carry it around. No problem, we could leave it there and pick it up whenever we would be ready. Since McDonald’s was around the corner, and we really didn’t want to waste a whole hour eating when we could play with the new toy, we walked back into the shop after about 20 minutes — Guess who was standing next to an empty box, reinstalling and polishing the demo model? OOPS! Did we come back at a bad time?

Yes, they were giving the demo model a nice shine, clean drive and were timing to get it into our box before we were back — in an hour.

It turned out the box they sold us did contain the iMac extreme like we had thought when the jackpot price popped up. Both the girl and her manager went red in the face when we walked back into the shop to pick up the iMac we had paid for. Ya, so what are you gonna do in a situation like this? To be honest, we were quite amused with all the apologies and excuses that were made. Even though we felt cheated because of the way they were trying to get the demo model prepped. We had never agreed to buy that one, just asked if that would be a possibility if we couldn’t get another one anywhere else. We ended up with the demo model and a $100 discount."

 

[FatSweatyBlldog]

D'oh

Sounds like you scammed yourself on this one...whoops!

Had you just left with your purchase, you would have saved $500 on the 24'' CoreExtreme iMac.



Probably not worth going to McD's over

 

[flopticalcube]

They really had no right to open the box once you had paid for it.

 

[phillipjfry]

Sounds like you scammed yourself on this one...whoops!

Had you just left with your purchase, you would have saved $500 on the 24'' CoreExtreme iMac.



Probably not worth going to McD's over

I donno, the Monopoly game is back at McD's. Far more worth it, IMHO.
But yea I hate it when things like that happen. Things going your way, just the way the cards play out, and you screw the deal up all by yourself

 

[Play Ultimate]

Confirm that the S/Ns on the box and the computer match. Also, compare with the S/Ns on your receipt. If they are all the same, no harm. Otherwise...
(Actually, you probably should have done that in the store when you bought it and they were playing with the computers etc.)

 

[John Cow]

At that moment I didnt really care, the demo machine looked ok and I just wanted to go home and set it up. Afterwards I'm thinking, they really had no business going through my box as I had paid for it and left it there for them to watch over until I came to pick it up. Might even be considered as theft I think.

 

[John Cow]

Confirm that the S/Ns on the box and the computer match. Also, compare with the S/Ns on your receipt. If they are all the same, no harm. Otherwise...
(Actually, you probably should have done that in the store when you bought it and they were playing with the computers etc.)

Those match so they must have switched it all together.

 

[DarthTreydor]

if i were you and i had known/suspected that i was getting more than i paid for, i wouldn't have left it in the store. i would have gotten out of there as quick as i could, before anyone noticed.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

Both the girl and her manager went red in the face when we walked back into the shop to pick up the iMac we had paid for.

If you had actually completed the transaction (i.e, if you had signed the credit card charge, and had a receipt) the sneaky switcheroo was at least a "scam" -- and probably a felony. According to your description, they stole the computer that you left with them for safekeeping -- your computer.

...did you already have a receipt? ...with a serial number?

LK

 

[czachorski]

if i were you and i had known/suspected that i was getting more than i paid for, i wouldn't have left it in the store. i would have gotten out of there as quick as i could, before anyone noticed.

Me and Earl have the same problem with Karma, so if I was in that spot, I would have to point out their potential oops. The thing is, I have found that more than half the time that I do that, that people are so appreciative of your honestly, and don't want to admit their mistake, that you usually end up walking out with the good deal anyway. For the times you don't, at least you walk out with your own integrity and good karma.

 

[4JNA]

it's what you get for eating at mcdonalds. that crap will kill you, make you loose money, and all sorts of bad stuff!

thank god there was not a long john silvers close, or you would have found a g3 imac in your box...

 

[Nichod]

Crazy story. I would be very unhappy. And would not have taken what they were packaging up.

 

[jnash]

1. It sucks cause they gave you a open box product for the price of the same product new with a student discount.

2. They SHOULD NEVER OPEN a clients product, I work at best buy and we are NEVER allowed to open any clients product unless they sign off for us to do so and in that case its only to make sure everything is working with the unit (wifi card,cdrom,sound, etc) and perform a service.

3. In Michigan (not sure if anywhere else) if something is mis-priced we HAVE to sell it for the listed or scanned price because it is our fault (best buy), if the people we pay to change and update pricing did not do there job, just the other day I had to sell a $600.00 HP Desktop to a client for $425.00 because it had last week Sundays AD price still on it.

4. Also in Michigan its a pricing law if a retailer (any) have something listed for xx amount of dollars they HAVE TO HONOR that price or they can be sued.

 

[skubish]

A. You should have never left if with them if you suspected it was an extreme.

B. I would have not settled on a $100 discount for a demo model. Those things see a lot of abuse that a format/reinstall won't fix. I would have also asked for free Applecare and a new keyboard and mouse.

 

[John Cow]

I'm quite surprised how many people seem to think I should have gotten out of there with the Extreme. I believe in karma and there for I think this has been the right choice. The iMac works perfect and has not got a scratch on her.

How would you feel if you made the mistake as the shopkeeper and ending up having to pay the $500 yourself?

 

[HLdan]

I'm quite surprised how many people seem to think I should have gotten out of there with the Extreme. I believe in karma and there for I think this has been the right choice. The iMac works perfect and has not got a scratch on her.

How would you feel if you made the mistake as the shopkeeper and ending up having to pay the $500 yourself?

Well, it's not necessarily about karma. Truthfully you had no idea if that was really the 2.8 or not inside the box. All you knew was that the sales girl said that the bar code was faulty. So at this point you or any customer can only suspect that it's actually the right computer that was scanned. So at this point it's not about karma because you are not scamming the store by just suspecting that you might be getting a great deal so that's why you should have just picked up your box and walked out.

I read your post over a few times and I came to the conclusion that the store manager is the one who will end up with the bad karma. They had no right to open up your box and try to pull the switcheroo on you while you were out of the store. How were they going to explain that the seal was broken?

(Rhetorical question). Would they have mentioned that they opened the box and did the switch had you not come back so early? Would they have just let you walk out paying full price for demo model? Would they have explained to you that they seal was broken?

Now, I am very happy that you are happy with your computer in the end but for what they did not only should you have gotten a bigger discount than $100 but for what they got caught doing their customer relations would have given you the 2.8 for the 2.4 price had you had called and complained before the leaving the store.

 

[Vapor]

Well not apple related but I bought a Samsung plasma and they gave me this great price 400 off retail, when I went around back they had the floor model there for me. I said I would take the one in a new box and they were red faced but had to give it to me. That was your computer when the money passed hands. Whats amazing is that they open your package.

 

[sananda]

i can't believe they weren't going to tell you that you were getting a used computer when you had paid for a new one. and when they were caught out they offered you a pretty small discount. but if you're ok with their behaviour and the imac, then all is well.

 

[gnasher729]

If you had actually completed the transaction (i.e, if you had signed the credit card charge, and had a receipt) the sneaky switcheroo was at least a "scam" -- and probably a felony. According to your description, they stole the computer that you left with them for safekeeping -- your computer.

I'd be careful with that. I am quite sure it is _your_ computer at the moment that you leave the shop with it and not one second earlier. That's the moment where it becomes your possession. Compare with the situation of a shoplifter: A shoplifter will be arrested at the moment they leave the shop, not earlier, because as long as the goods are in the shop, they are still legally in the possession of the store, so no theft has yet happened.

 

[JNB]

I'd be careful with that. I am quite sure it is _your_ computer at the moment that you leave the shop with it and not one second earlier. That's the moment where it becomes your possession. Compare with the situation of a shoplifter: A shoplifter will be arrested at the moment they leave the shop, not earlier, because as long as the goods are in the shop, they are still legally in the possession of the store, so no theft has yet happened.

Wrong on both counts. Transfer of ownership occurs at the conclusion of the sale (I give you money, you give me receipt. It's mine at that point). The physical possession is moot in that instance. Also, the shoplifter "possesses" at the moment of concealment with intent. Arrest can be made at that instant.

Anyway, the shop owner would be guilty of fraud, not theft.

 

[ditzy]

I'd be careful with that. I am quite sure it is _your_ computer at the moment that you leave the shop with it and not one second earlier. That's the moment where it becomes your possession. Compare with the situation of a shoplifter: A shoplifter will be arrested at the moment they leave the shop, not earlier, because as long as the goods are in the shop, they are still legally in the possession of the store, so no theft has yet happened.

It's your once you pay for it. The reason it's only shoplifting after you've left the building is that is when you've taken their property out of their building. In this case he had left his property in their building, what they did was theft he was perfectly legally able to leave with the computer he purchased. Personally I would have had them over the coals not for their mistake but for their dishonesty, they stole from him.

 

[sananda]

I'd be careful with that. I am quite sure it is _your_ computer at the moment that you leave the shop with it and not one second earlier. That's the moment where it becomes your possession. Compare with the situation of a shoplifter: A shoplifter will be arrested at the moment they leave the shop, not earlier, because as long as the goods are in the shop, they are still legally in the possession of the store, so no theft has yet happened.

that doesn't make any sense at all.