so i ordered a macbook air, and got it in today... the package was completely sealed. nothing was tampered with, i go to open the package and inside the macbook air box was a sugar/powder substance.. i called apple and they were shocked and said they would begin an investigation and would contact fedex over it. i repeated to the girl numerous times that the box was not tampered with, and that the actual retail box for the macbook air was sealed like it came from the factory.. she still said they need to contact fedex and asked me if i would like a refund or replacement. i told her well seeing as its the weekend id just prefer a refund bc im going on a trip and i will try to track one down locally. (i ordered the 256gb model, my 2 local stores were out of stock at the time i ordered online). she said she would put that into the investigation request. she also said to keep the box and everything incase fedex wanted to see it (again im not sure what fedex has to do with this..) but either way cant apple just track the laptop to see what the deal is? they gave me no estimated time frame as to when i can expect a refund...
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factory theft of macbook air?
- Thread starter ihonda
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That sucks. Not the first time I've heard of this happening though. I remember a few years back there were several instances of people buying iPods at Best Buy only to find the box was full of rocks rather than a iPod. IIRC Best Buy was not being as understanding to the customers situation as Apple seems to be towards yours. Fedex may have had nothing todo with the issue but Apple still needs to rule out the possibility.
Unlikely to be stolen at factory due to security.
During transit, a thief can steal a product and then seal it again.
During transit, a thief can steal a product and then seal it again.
x2. At minimum, file a police report, since someone may want that (either FedEx or Apple) to substantiate your claim.
Perhaps the assembly line moved to quick and a box went through without having one placed in it? Or maybe some were selected for quality checks, and the guys doing them forgot to put one back before ether sealed it (and not being able to put it back in without unsealing all the units they checked that day or something so they figure its easier to let it slide than do all that work over again). I do wonder what could have happened!
damn that sucks, well just try not to touch anything anymore. Apple could always get the model number of the MBA they sent you and hopefully find out who is using it. I know the iOS is doing that mobile updates now, and Lion is all online based update (especially for these newer macs without a CD drive). hopefully they catch whoever did this and they get uber screwed!
x3
And if by "sealed" you mean the shrink wrap around the MBA box, then know that re-sealing a box with fresh shrink wrap and a heat gun is very, very easy to do.
Amazon ships these in their regular brown boxes. After you open that one, there's a second brown box inside - with no text or symbols on it. When you open that one you finally reach the Apple box.
My guess is that these are anti-theft measures. The FedEx/UPS personnel would have no way of knowing what was in the first box. Even if they open it, they still have to guess on what's in the second box. That's a lot of cutting and re-sealing, and risking your job, for what may turn out to be something worth $5.
I don't know if it's standard but I didn't even have to sign for my MBA when it was delivered by UPS. A package requiring a signature is another tipoff for potential thieves.
My guess is that these are anti-theft measures. The FedEx/UPS personnel would have no way of knowing what was in the first box. Even if they open it, they still have to guess on what's in the second box. That's a lot of cutting and re-sealing, and risking your job, for what may turn out to be something worth $5.
I don't know if it's standard but I didn't even have to sign for my MBA when it was delivered by UPS. A package requiring a signature is another tipoff for potential thieves.
I would be wondering what the white stuff is too...And make a police report.
There is a lot of money involved for Apple just to say..UH OK...here is a check.
I am sure it will be some time before this is resolved, given the cost of the stolen item.
There is a lot of money involved for Apple just to say..UH OK...here is a check.
I am sure it will be some time before this is resolved, given the cost of the stolen item.
The sugar substance is just there to get the weight needed for people to think there's a MBA inside. Its probably dishwashing powder or something like that... Sugar would be rather expensive just for a placeholder.
I had something similar happen years ago. HP made these small handheld DOS-based computers many years ago. I went to a local retailer (Service Merchandise - I think they have since closed) and purchased one of these.
I took the box home, opened it up, and all of the included items were arranged in a plastic try under a clear plastic cover. When I pulled up the plastic cover, the computer itself had been replaced with a carved piece of wood with a copy of the top of the handheld (from a regular copier) glued to the top. I was stunned.
I went back to the store, and they were actually pretty cool about it. Obviously someone had purchased this item previously, swapped out the handheld for the dummy, and returned, and the person at the returns counter didn't look at it very closely.
I took the box home, opened it up, and all of the included items were arranged in a plastic try under a clear plastic cover. When I pulled up the plastic cover, the computer itself had been replaced with a carved piece of wood with a copy of the top of the handheld (from a regular copier) glued to the top. I was stunned.
I went back to the store, and they were actually pretty cool about it. Obviously someone had purchased this item previously, swapped out the handheld for the dummy, and returned, and the person at the returns counter didn't look at it very closely.
yes, the problem is (and this happened to my father in law)...the store has no way of knowing whether you did it or a previous person did it or if someone stole it in the store, etc.
circuit ****** gave my FIL a tough time and it took many trips and phone calls to get them to straighten this out...
good thing service merchandise did the right thing (i remember them...rip).
It's easier for this kind of thing to happen when buying something from a retailer. A careless associate takes back a return (particularly something shrink-wrapped) and doesn't check it. What's unusual about this case is that this was a new PC shipped straight from the distributor.
When I get strange white powder in the mail, I always snort a huge line to see what it is.
Anthrax spores.