I know they resell returned iPads etc as refurbs but what about accessories? Do they just repackage them and sell them as new?
Yes they do. I just returned my light blue smart case yesterday and changed it with the browm, the genius asked me if I had leff all the things inside as they were when I bought so he could put the case straight for sale. I've been a bit disappointed, thinking that maybe the case I was buying was covered by sweat of another guy and that nobody take care of -at least- cleaning it.
Really? Surely they can't do that. That must be illegal, selling a used product as new. My one wasnt opened before, it was securely taped but it had a tiny rip in it.
Hmm, it should have a Specialist you interacted with, not a Genius. The Specialists do the sales/returns, and the Geniuses do the technical support/hardware repair.Yes they do. I just returned my light blue smart case yesterday and changed it with the browm, the genius asked me if I had leff all the things inside as they were when I bought so he could put the case straight for sale. I've been a bit disappointed, thinking that maybe the case I was buying was covered by sweat of another guy and that nobody take care of -at least- cleaning it.
I had my smart case replaced. I **** you not, they put my return in my replacements box, and put it on the shelf with the new ones.
Where was this? Wouldn't it be obvious that the box was opened once as the boxes have tight stickers on the back?
You can open and close these boxes without it looking like they were opened very easily. The stickers don't rip or anything, they stay sticky.
It is illegal and I doubt that is official Apple policy. Sounds like a store employee that made a mistake. As long as the product is unopened, they can put it back on the shelf and sell as new, but if it is opened it is now used and cannot be sold as new.
I know Apple resells returned hardware as refurbs, but I have no idea what they would do with a returned iPad cover. I have never seen them for sale a a refurb, so I assume they just trash them.
No, with all respect, i can't see trashing all that. There must be companies they sell to, who in turn sell them on eBay and such. That's the way it works with clothes anyways. I bought a bunch of PJs (xmas) on eBay from one person, and they all had a mark on the tag to indicate they were non-returnable to the store. They were advertised "new," but were either discontinued patterns or seconds. Just can't see Apple trashing so much good stuff
So if my smart case had a little rip in it, do you think that could be because someone's owned it before?
No, with all respect, i can't see trashing all that. There must be companies they sell to, who in turn sell them on eBay and such. That's the way it works with clothes anyways. I bought a bunch of PJs (xmas) on eBay from one person, and they all had a mark on the tag to indicate they were non-returnable to the store. They were advertised "new," but were either discontinued patterns or seconds. Just can't see Apple trashing so much good stuff
hihihi But what are You?LOL....some of you guys are such nits! Wow!
hihihi But what are You?
So what if people sometimes relax and chat, and maybe have a brewski? Whats it to you?
It's a possibility.
For my handmade iPad covers, I used to browse eBay for damaged covers so I could pilfer the magnets and hinges. There were a number of sellers who offered hundreds of covers, which they had gotten either directly from Apple, or from an intermediary clearance company. One dude was local, and he even met me at a coffee shop, and showed me the boxes and boxes of stacked covers in his trunk. Each cover came in its original packaging, and had a bright yellow return sticker they use in the Apple stores. Half of them even had store receipts stuck under that sticker.
So, yes, they have a channel for returned items. They also have "levels" of returns. Some are damaged and grimy and roughly no one would take them. Some are defective, say with problematic magnets. Some are indistinguishable from new-on-shelf.
I also used to work at an Apple store about 5 years ago, and I can attest to the fact that, if a specialist took your return and put it back on the shelf with new stock, they were going against company policy AND they were screwing up the inventory count. Returns go into a different "bucket" and are all returned to an inventory control center. Occasionally, at the larger stores, Apple has a "fire sale" corner set up. They publish internal price lists that show how steep the discount is for these items which can no longer be sold as new.
Dropped by the apple store and definitely caught a smart case with a lot of wear and grime on the leather, clearly used for what looked like a week in and out of bags and on desks and under couches and then returned.
If i were actually thinking of buying one i mightve said something.