iPhone 12 Pro Returned iPhone 12 Pro - Do not trust Apple

[Taz Mangus]

That's right, even Apple, on their side, confirm they can see I handed the package to Royal Mail.
And that's why I'm so frustrated, because I don't understand how this whole situation is possible, especially coming from Apple.

I asked the Customer Service to, at least, tell me what motivated their decision not to replace my phone but they don't have the information. And when I ask for a contact they tell me there's no contact I can liaise with.

Sorry to hear that, it appears, you are getting the run around from Apple. If it were me, at this point, I would send a detailed e-mail to Tim Cook, explaining what has transpired.

In my experience, in the 20 years of dealing with Apple they have always been very helpful and have always strived to do the right thing for me. What you are going through is not right. Apple needs to step up and rectify this situation.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Sorry to hear that, it appears, you are getting the run around from Apple. If it were me, at this point, I would send a detailed e-mail to Tim Cook, explaining what has transpired.

In my experience, in the 20 years of dealing with Apple they have always been very helpful and have always strived to do the right thing for me. What you are going through is not right. Apple needs to step up and rectify this situation.

Might even be worth contacting your local news studio. I'd imagine the general public and consumer rights lawyers would be very interested in shady business practices from one of our tech giant overlords.

 

[hirsthirst]

That's right, even Apple, on their side, confirm they can see I handed the package to Royal Mail.
And that's why I'm so frustrated, because I don't understand how this whole situation is possible, especially coming from Apple.

I asked the Customer Service to, at least, tell me what motivated their decision not to replace my phone but they don't have the information. And when I ask for a contact they tell me there's no contact I can liaise with.

I'm not buying this at all, and not getting sucked into it - BUT if I was a grand down I'd be pointing out very clearly, politely & persistently that they owe me;

- original phone back repaired or
- new replacement phone or
- refund

No way they say 'sorry, nothing we can do' and hang up. Next call would be Bank / credit card co. for immediate refund & not this forum.

 

[JasonHB]

I returned my 11 Pro Max back to Sky (UK Provider) as a part exchange for my 12 Pro Max. They sent me a Royal Mail pre-paid box and envelope to send it back.

The customer service representative who arranged the returns was at pain, and very clear to point out that the insurance on that service was only £200 and that they advise people to increase this when they post the unit back. I did this, only cost me £7 and worth every penny for the peace of mind.

Not helpful to the OP, but that service does have very limited cover.

Just for clarification, Apple arranged the return with Royal Mail, sent the box and envelope out, with the details on the package and as such, the contract is with Apple and Royal Mail and in NO WAY any responsibility of the OP. In fact, Royal Mail dont even have to talk to him about it as he is not their customer.

I do fear though, that legally, the OP will only be entitled to the value of the insurance cover, unless of course Apple want to make a goodwill gesture.

Jason

 

[bbfc]

I returned my 11 Pro Max back to Sky (UK Provider) as a part exchange for my 12 Pro Max. They sent me a Royal Mail pre-paid box and envelope to send it back.

The customer service representative who arranged the returns was at pain, and very clear to point out that the insurance on that service was only £200 and that they advise people to increase this when they post the unit back. I did this, only cost me £7 and worth every penny for the peace of mind.

Not helpful to the OP, but that service does have very limited cover.

Just for clarification, Apple arranged the return with Royal Mail, sent the box and envelope out, with the details on the package and as such, the contract is with Apple and Royal Mail and in NO WAY any responsibility of the OP. In fact, Royal Mail dont even have to talk to him about it as he is not their customer.

I do fear though, that legally, the OP will only be entitled to the value of the insurance cover, unless of course Apple want to make a goodwill gesture.

Jason

This. I've sold many phones through Mazuma Mobile (or other similar sites), and they provide a Freepost bag, with a tracked label, but the insurance is only for a low value. I ALWAYS opt to pay for Special Delivery, usually costs around £7. Even if the envelope/sticker is prepaid, you can always ask to pay for Special Delivery (they usually ask you the value of the item when posting at the Post Office). I wouldn't risk it personally.

 

[bbfc]

but even with a return label there should still be an option to send it special delivery with Royal Mail which you would then be covered by surely?

There's always that option. A prepaid stickers doesn't mean you can't ask for Special Delivery.

 

[The Game 161]

This. I've sold many phones through Mazuma Mobile (or other similar sites), and they provide a Freepost bag, with a tracked label, but the insurance is only for a low value. I ALWAYS opt to pay for Special Delivery, usually costs around £7. Even if the envelope/sticker is prepaid, you can always ask to pay for Special Delivery (they usually ask you the value of the item when posting at the Post Office). I wouldn't risk it personally.

Yeah I always do the same just in case as then you surely are covered

 

[svanstrom]

I returned my 11 Pro Max back to Sky (UK Provider) as a part exchange for my 12 Pro Max. They sent me a Royal Mail pre-paid box and envelope to send it back.

The customer service representative who arranged the returns was at pain, and very clear to point out that the insurance on that service was only £200 and that they advise people to increase this when they post the unit back. I did this, only cost me £7 and worth every penny for the peace of mind.

Not helpful to the OP, but that service does have very limited cover.

Just for clarification, Apple arranged the return with Royal Mail, sent the box and envelope out, with the details on the package and as such, the contract is with Apple and Royal Mail and in NO WAY any responsibility of the OP. In fact, Royal Mail dont even have to talk to him about it as he is not their customer.

I do fear though, that legally, the OP will only be entitled to the value of the insurance cover, unless of course Apple want to make a goodwill gesture.

Jason

Wow. This really put things in perspective.

But I still can't believe that Apple actually has a deal like that, on any market.

It doesn't fit with my idea of the Apple brand, and it doesn't fit with my experiences in the past.

And it really doesn't fit with best business practices during a whole ass pandemic.

 

[JasonHB]

Wow. This really put things in perspective.

But I still can't believe that Apple actually has a deal like that, on any market.

It doesn't fit with my idea of the Apple brand, and it doesn't fit with my experiences in the past.

And it really doesn't fit with best business practices during a whole ass pandemic.

I agree with you entirely, you would think that they would certainly offer adequate insurance and also take responsibility

I do hope that the OP manages to get it sorted out though.

Jason

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Okay so the first thing I would do would be to notify trading standards. I would also get half an hours free consultation from a solicitor. I would then send a recorded post letter to Apple head office in the UK informing them of your intentions to pursue this legally andinclude all the details and photographic evidence that Apple sent you a returns package. Also send an email to Tim Cook explaining everything that you’re doing to progress this. You may have to pursue Apple through the Small Claims Court but your solicitor will be able to advise you on this and I have absolutely no doubt that a solicitor will be able to progress this very very quickly for you. One letter to Apple from a solicitor and I think you will get a very very fast response from Apple

 

[alFR]

Below what I received from APPLE (not mine as I didn't take a picture of it before sending it)

That looks like the package they send you for trade-in hardware, but maybe they use that format for some repairs as well.

My iPhone and iPad were both sent by royal mail as per apples shipping label when they went for battery replacement service.

That's different to returning a faulty device you've just bought for a refund or exchange, which is what I was talking about.

I sent back my iPhone because it was faulty - not for a "classic" repair (broken screen or battery replacement).
So maybe they should have sent a carrier to collect the package directly ?

Maybe it depends what you set up: for Apple Store purchases you're returning either because you don't want them or they are faulty on delivery, my experience is they always use UPS. Any repairs I've had later on have been under express replacement with AppleCare: in that case they also use UPS, they send you a new device out and the courier takes your faulty one back (Apple put a temporary hold on your credit card which they refund when they receive the faulty device). If you're not using express replacement they might do something different. Either way I'd have thought that (as many others have said) once you hand it over to the carrier it's not your responsibility any more, it's Apple's.

But I still can't believe that Apple actually has a deal like that, on any market.

That was for a trade-in to Sky, a UK carrier, not to Apple.

 

[maka344]

I’m having the same issue but the device was collected by UPS, I have photos and full CCTV of the parcel being collected and scanned. Tracking shows it arrived at their facility but never left. Apple opened a case and are currently investigating.

I imagine their employees know which items are headed back to Apple and are worth money.

 

[scgf]

I’m in the UK too. I decided to return my iPhone 12 Mini and initiated a return online. Apple emailed me a UPS returns label. I took the package to my local UPS access point and it was scanned in. Another scan happened when it was collected by the UPS driver later in the day. From that point on there were no more scans. I waited a few days then called Apple to ask what was happening. I got the usual run around and was told everything was taking longer because of Covid.

To cut a long story short I rang Apple regularly and each time they did a little more, including involving a named manager in Dublin. I was given an investigation reference but had to call a couple of times after that. Eventually my case was passed to After Sales where I was given a case number and a member of staff took ownership of the issue. He needed to contact UPS and give them time to investigate. I was given a date by when a decision would be made about my refund. I don't think anything would have happened without getting After Sales involved.

When that date arrived I got an email to inform me that a refund had been processed. It took a few more days and the money was in my account. It all took around four weeks from shipping the phone to Apple to receiving my refund.

The moral of this story is that I will always return an Apple product in store in the future. I got my money back eventually but for most of the four weeks I really thought I was going to be out of pocket.

 

[Wildkraut]

Get a lawyer and sue em! They demand the return in their Return Box with their Return Label, so its their responsibility to make sure the content is properly insured.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I’m in the UK too. I decided to return my iPhone 12 Mini and initiated a return online. Apple emailed me a UPS returns label. I took the package to my local UPS access point and it was scanned in. Another scan happened when it was collected by the UPS driver later in the day. From that point on there were no more scans. I waited a few days then called Apple to ask what was happening. I got the usual run around and was told everything was taking longer because of Covid.

To cut a long story short I rang Apple regularly and each time they did a little more, including involving a named manager in Dublin. I was given an investigation reference but had to call a couple of times after that. Eventually my case was passed to After Sales where I was given a case number and a member of staff took ownership of the issue. He needed to contact UPS and give them time to investigate. I was given a date by when a decision would be made about my refund. I don't think anything would have happened without getting After Sales involved.

When that date arrived I got an email to inform me that a refund had been processed. It took a few more days and the money was in my account. It all took around four weeks from shipping the phone to Apple to receiving my refund.

The moral of this story is that I will always return an Apple product in store in the future. I got my money back eventually but for most of the four weeks I really thought I was going to be out of pocket.

As much as you have been locked down across the pond, returning in store may be very hard to do for a good while.

I do agree that in person is the best route when possible. When that can't be done, take pictures and video to protect yourself.

 

[canuckRus]

Get a lawyer and sue em! They demand the return in their Return Box with their Return Label, so its their responsibility to make sure the content is properly insured.

And who pays the lawyer? Apple?

 

[sparksd]

And who pays the lawyer? Apple?

Our city newspaper has guy who does a weekly tech column and he gets cases like this from readers and delves into them, directly contacting the dealer/supplier. He often gets very quick results - equate newspaper with publicity and oftentimes a vendor will respond quickly and positively.

 

[aRByJr]

Until the package is found, how can they really know that you covered your end of the deal and actually sent them your old iPhone.
I’m sure that a lot of people try to take advantage of situations like this. No matter what kind of stink you make why would or should they be expected to send you a new iPhone.

 

[interstella]

There is another route that often gets a good result. Go to the Daily Mail money pages and check out Tony Hazell. He's very good at sorting out this sort of problem. The thought of bad publicity in one of the most popular newspapers and websites in the UK (and with a large US/Aussie readership as well) generally ensures a favourable result.

Basic instructions from the website:- You can write to: asktony@dailymail.co.uk please include your daytime phone number, postal address and a separate note addressed to the offending organisation(s) giving them permission to talk to Tony Hazell.

 

[sparksd]

Until the package is found, how can they really know that you covered your end of the deal and actually sent them your old iPhone.
I’m sure that a lot of people try to take advantage of situations like this. No matter what kind of stink you make why would or should they be expected to send you a new iPhone.

Go back and read his posts - he had a Royal Mail receipt.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would wait for Apple to finish an investigation before going to the press.

 

[aRByJr]

Go back and read his posts - he had a Royal Mail receipt.

I have been fallowing along with this whole thing since it was started...

 

[sparksd]

I have been fallowing along with this whole thing since it was started...

He covered his end of the deal - he has a receipt show proof of sending. Are you saying he may have sent an empty package?

 

[aRByJr]

He covered his end of the deal - he has a receipt show proof of sending. Are you saying he may have sent an empty package?

No one could know for sure until the package is found. If i knew in the beginning that if lost i would only be covered to $200 (£200), i would have contacted them to upgrade the shipping, or i would have upgraded the shipping myself.

 

[sparksd]

No one could know for sure until the package is found. If i knew in the beginning that if lost i would only be covered to $200 (£200), i would have contacted them to upgrade the shipping, or i would have upgraded the shipping myself.

That would require an extremely cynical view of its customers on Apple's part - that a customer would send an empty package on the extremely off chance that the mail would lose it. There is nothing reasonable about that perspective from a customer relations view. If that is indeed the case, then Apple as a company sucks (and I'm being polite with that wording).