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iPhone Upgrade Program 13th Payment Fiasco

atkpitt12

atkpitt12

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 1, 2015
10
5
Pittsburgh PA
Figured that this situation might happen to a few other people but I wanted to express my displeasure with the iPhone Upgrade program and Apple's partner Citizen's Loan. I upgraded my 6s on Friday that I bought last year as part of the upgrade program. Because I bought the phone October 18th of 2015 I still owed one final payment of $36.58 which I paid in store. Upon making this payment the Apple Store employee told me that my old loan with Citizens for the 6S was complete and I didn't have anything to worry about. I come to find today that Citizens still auto debited my bank account, essentially making a 13th payment on the loan. I called Citizens and they put the blame on the Apple Store employee for not telling me that this would happen. To make matters worse Citizens One also claim that they have a no refund policy meaning I'm out of luck with the extra $36.58 made. Citizens One said to call Apple to try to get my money back. I spent multiple hours on hold trying to get someone from Apple's 1-800 support to give me feedback or help and no one has a clue. No one will take the blame and no one will admit fault. Essentially leaving me very dissatisfied and feeling rather cheated. Pretty laughable situation for everyone but the consumer.
 
atkpitt12 said:
Figured that this situation might happen to a few other people but I wanted to express my displeasure with the iPhone Upgrade program and Apple's partner Citizen's Loan. I upgraded my 6s on Friday that I bought last year as part of the upgrade program. Because I bought the phone October 18th of 2015 I still owed one final payment of $36.58 which I paid in store. Upon making this payment the Apple Store employee told me that my old loan with Citizens for the 6S was complete and I didn't have anything to worry about. I come to find today that Citizens still auto debited my bank account, essentially making a 13th payment on the loan. I called Citizens and they put the blame on the Apple Store employee for not telling me that this would happen. To make matters worse Citizens One also claim that they have a no refund policy meaning I'm out of luck with the extra $36.58 made. Citizens One said to call Apple to try to get my money back. I spent multiple hours on hold trying to get someone from Apple's 1-800 support to give me feedback or help and no one has a clue. No one will take the blame and no one will admit fault. Essentially leaving me very dissatisfied and feeling rather cheated. Pretty laughable situation for everyone but the consumer.
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Email Tim Cook. You'll get a response from the executive team.
 
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I'm curious, on your receipt, do you have entries like this? Hopefully you can get it resolved, that sounds really frustrating.
Screenshot 2016-09-30 16.31.35.png
 
I got this email yesterday before I picked up my phone from the upgrade program this morning. I bolded the part that this thread cares about.

Dear [name],

We’re pleased to let you know that you’ll be able to pick up your new Jet Black 256GB iPhone 7 Plus with AT&T at Apple Fifth Avenue on Friday, September 30 during store hours.Please note that due to high demand your new iPhone will only be available for pick up until close of business the following day.

When you arrive at the Apple Store, check in with a Specialist and ask to speak to a Manager. Bring this email with you and let the Manager know that you’re part of the iPhone Upgrade Program.

Please note if you have made your 13th monthly payment on your original iPhone Upgrade Program within the past 30 days, a prorated credit will appear on your card within 30 days from the time you upgrade to a new iPhone.

Thank you for being part of the iPhone Upgrade Program. We appreciate your patience, and look forward to welcoming you at the Apple Store.

Sincerely,
Apple Support
Click to expand...
 
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atkpitt12 said:
Citizens One said to call Apple to try to get my money back. I spent multiple hours on hold trying to get someone from Apple's 1-800 support to give me feedback or help and no one has a clue. No one will take the blame and no one will admit fault. Essentially leaving me very dissatisfied and feeling rather cheated. Pretty laughable situation for everyone but the consumer.
Click to expand...
Did you get a senior advisor on the phone? The senior advisor can give you a refund or at least give you that amount as an Apple gift card.
 
atkpitt12 said:
e told me that my old loan with Citizens for the 6S was complete and I didn't have anything to worry about. I come to find today that Citizens still auto debited my bank account, essentially making a 13th payment on the loan. I called Citizens and they put the blame on the Apple Store employee for not telling me that this would happen.
Click to expand...

I never allow anyone to auto debit any of my accounts because of issues like this.
 
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atkpitt12 said:
Figured that this situation might happen to a few other people but I wanted to express my displeasure with the iPhone Upgrade program and Apple's partner Citizen's Loan. I upgraded my 6s on Friday that I bought last year as part of the upgrade program. Because I bought the phone October 18th of 2015 I still owed one final payment of $36.58 which I paid in store. Upon making this payment the Apple Store employee told me that my old loan with Citizens for the 6S was complete and I didn't have anything to worry about. I come to find today that Citizens still auto debited my bank account, essentially making a 13th payment on the loan. I called Citizens and they put the blame on the Apple Store employee for not telling me that this would happen. To make matters worse Citizens One also claim that they have a no refund policy meaning I'm out of luck with the extra $36.58 made. Citizens One said to call Apple to try to get my money back. I spent multiple hours on hold trying to get someone from Apple's 1-800 support to give me feedback or help and no one has a clue. No one will take the blame and no one will admit fault. Essentially leaving me very dissatisfied and feeling rather cheated. Pretty laughable situation for everyone but the consumer.
Click to expand...

edlex said:
Email Tim Cook. You'll get a response from the executive team.
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I second this. There's a whole team of customer service reps with executive powers who take Tim email's from consumers. They can get far more done than anyone in an Apple Store or on phone support.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
They required access to your bank account. It is why I would never use them. In the world of credit, companies like Citizens are considered rather low life for sure.
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100% agree. A phone is not worth that hassle. There are better deals through carriers. A flip phone would be better than having someone with direct access to pull payments.
 
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newellj said:
In that case, though, you're not going to be able to buy through the IUP. If you want to upgrade every year, the difference is basically whether you sell the phone yourself and pocket the cash or hand it back to Apple and cancel the loan.
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We have run the numbers here a few times. If you want AC+ and are going to upgrade every year, the AiUP ends up being almost the same as buying full retail and selling but the benefit is that with the AiUP, you don't have to go through the hassle/risk of selling a phone.
 
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newellj said:
In that case, though, you're not going to be able to buy through the IUP. If you want to upgrade every year, the difference is basically whether you sell the phone yourself and pocket the cash or hand it back to Apple and cancel the loan.
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I've got plenty of relatives to pass my year old souped up maxed out specs devices to. Virtually every phone my sister has ever had was at one point my phone. Since I blow through new technology so fast and she doesn't require so much power, it works out great for us.
 
bniu said:
I've got plenty of relatives to pass my year old souped up maxed out specs devices to. Virtually every phone my sister has ever had was at one point my phone. Since I blow through new technology so fast and she doesn't require so much power, it works out great for us.
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Sure, but most people are not in that position and do need to sell or otherwise monetize the value in their used iPhone.
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JulesJam said:
We have run the numbers here a few times. If you want AC+ and are going to upgrade every year, the AiUP ends up not being almost the same as buying full retail and selling but the benefit is that with the AiUP, you don't have to go through the hassle/risk of selling a phone.
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Ends up not being? I am guessing you mean does end up being? AC+ is definitely a variable, and I agree that selling a phone can be at least a hassle and, depending on how you sell it, can be a risk. I used to sell on eBay - no more. Now I sell them on CL, but that means dealing with tire-kickers, low-ballers and other hassles. Since I don't buy AC+, and until Apple shows that they can manage the IUP program better than they did this year, I'll buy outright and sell myself. I would like to see that change, though.
 
iPunkin said:
Did that credit ever show up for you? It hasn't for me..
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FYI, Finally got the credit back this AM. Not sure if it was automatic or if it was manually processed by someone at Apple / CitizenOne in response to my email to Tim.
 
iPunkin said:
FYI, Finally got the credit back this AM. Not sure if it was automatic or if it was manually processed by someone at Apple / CitizenOne in response to my email to Tim.
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I don't intend to email Tim Cook or his team, but I'm still waiting (on Day 5) for my refund of my initial $90+ payment towards the IUP, which I returned when I got the phone from Verizon Wireless instead. Hopefully it comes soon.
 
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