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Apple iPhone Upgrade Program Bait and Switch Scam - BEWARE

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You sure showed them! They treat you wrong, so you turn around and buy not one, but TWO phones from them. They'll think twice about pulling that stunt again!

I can see your point about the bait and switch, but I other than filing an FTC complaint, I don't see much other recourse for you.

C
 
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They should think twice when they get slapped with a $2500 per incident fine and possible paying of lawyer fees. Obviously if I didn't want the phone I would have just left but making the best product that everyone wants doesn't mean you can pull illegal shenanigans and treat your customers like crap and get away with it. Well maybe you can treat your customers like crap and get away with it but hopefully the illegal shenanigans will at least get you fined.

CNeufeld said:
You sure showed them! They treat you wrong, so you turn around and buy not one, but TWO phones from them. They'll think twice about pulling that stunt again!

I can see your point about the bait and switch, but I other than filing an FTC complaint, I don't see much other recourse for you.

C
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pokermanlv said:
I have no use whatsoever for the iphone 6s that I did get on the upgrade plan and fully intend to return it. Again I got this phone only because I smelled a scam eg they will put phones with a lot of availability on the upgrade plan but rare phones they will only sell you full price. This way I have proof that I did indeed qualify for the upgrade plan and the only problem was Apple refused to sell the phone with low stock on the plan as promised on the email (classic bait and switch).
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Is it Christmas already? I hope this thread never ends.

Serious: I do understand why the OP is upset... if the system tells you something like that (this is your appointment, here's how you're paying, come on in) then IMO they should follow through even if it's against the standard policy. And I imagine that's how other people got their phones! Some managers may decide to honor the appointment even if it's not Apple's policy. There's been an error somewhere (info to the stores, the system, whatever), but it is not a conspiracy. A screw-up, but not a scam.
 
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pokermanlv said:
They should think twice when they get slapped with a $2500 per incident fine and possible paying of lawyer fees. Obviously if I didn't want the phone I would have just left but making the best product that everyone wants doesn't mean you can pull illegal shenanigans and treat your customers like crap and get away with it. Well maybe you can treat your customers like crap and get away with it but hopefully the illegal shenanigans will at least get you fined.
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First getting fined is nothing to them. They have more cash on hand then the US government. Not a issue. And if you are so upset just don't buy their products. Speak with your money. If a company upsets me I just won't shop there. I won't complain to the world in attempts to rally support which if you haven't noticed your the only person who cares. Just get over it and move on. It's life. Life is not always fair.
 
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pokermanlv said:
They should think twice when they get slapped with a $2500 per incident fine and possible paying of lawyer fees. Obviously if I didn't want the phone I would have just left but making the best product that everyone wants doesn't mean you can pull illegal shenanigans and treat your customers like crap and get away with it. Well maybe you can treat your customers like crap and get away with it but hopefully the illegal shenanigans will at least get you fined.
Click to expand...

Yet you bought 2 phones. Nothing illegal here, move along. Might I suggest a change of name to fit your atitude? pokerboylv perhaps?

Thread needs to be shut down. It was dead before it started.
 
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AbSoluTc: Seriously do you work for Apple? Has Apple ever paid you any money or receive any other consideration from Apple or an agency working on Apple's behalf?

You are clearly an apple fanb0y but to go that far to defend something that IS clearly illegal seems very odd:
bait and switch = illegal
this situation is bait and switch; therefore, this situation is illegal

You are clearly a guy that failed the logic portion of his SATs but again one only has to wonder if there's more than meets the eye here in terms of fishy Apple PR moves.

Maybe it's not that big a deal to you since you didn't waste an afternoon of your life to be tricked so you are certainly free to move on. Everyone else can just list their stories to vent and it's obvious it was not an isolated incident as others are now coming forward sharing the same story.

Delist the Sim-free phones from the upgrade program if they aren't eligible. That's an easy fix.

Give everyone else a $25 gift card and give them a raincheck for a phone that is eligible - cheaper than getting sued and bad PR.
 
You're clearly the type that finds any error or mistake and make it like it's the end of the world. If the phone you're using is perfectly fine, then move on with your life. Give Apple time, I'm sure they will de-list it.

Might I suggest a Samsung?
 
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Lol if you were that upset then return the phones and go buy a Samsung or other brand. I won't take you seriously till you quit complaining or return the phones. You're just blowing hot air otherwise.

Or file a lawsuit against them, lose, and go into debt because of legal costs.
 
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Obviously I still want the phone. Don't get me wrong it's a good product. As I stated before this is just about doing what's right. Eg you told someone something and you didn't hold up your end of the bargain. Just like I pay my credit card bill because I promised, I expect the same.

Really what's my loss? Well say the $500ish difference from being on the upgrade plan and throwing away my phone at the end of the 12months. Not big enough obviously for me to sue myself but that's why they invented class actions. Seems there should be some lawyer reading this that would work for free on contingency. At the end maybe he gets several million and I get a $5 gift card but I know that justice was done and that's what matters.
 
I can guarantee you that taking legal action on such a minuscule detail will result in two things: a waste of time and money. No lawyer in their right mind would ever take a losing case.

You have a better chance of calling customer relations and see if they can resolve anything for you. Take if from someone who used to work for Apple Retail, we would laugh everytime someone mentioned legal action in the back. The amount of exceptions made on a daily basis easily exceeded $2500 - it's literally nothing.

And to clear things up: device on the iPhone upgrade program need to be activated in store by Apple Retail's POS system. Sim-free devices cannot be activated since they are not associated with any carrier. Only Apple Retail employees can sign up for the iPhone upgrade program and not have their devices activated (as a perk).

Anything else is an exception, not the rule.
 
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pokermanlv said:
Wow you guys must work for the Apple PR team. Look at this attached email confirmation. Clearly led to believe the Sim-free version was available on the iphone upgrade program.

Not only that, this guy on reddit was able to get it without problems:
https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/3o3lm0/simfree_available_on_iphone_upgrade_plan_so_whats/

Clearly store manager lied to me and whether on purpose or negligence performed a bait and switch.
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Google what bait and switch means because you are a bit misinformed. You are correct in assuming that the store shouldn't allow you to reserve a free-sim version under the Upgrade plan. This remains, however, not a bait and switch.
 
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pokermanlv said:
AbSoluTc: Seriously do you work for Apple? Has Apple ever paid you any money or receive any other consideration from Apple or an agency working on Apple's behalf?

You are clearly an apple fanb0y but to go that far to defend something that IS clearly illegal seems very odd:
bait and switch = illegal
this situation is bait and switch; therefore, this situation is illegal

You are clearly a guy that failed the logic portion of his SATs but again one only has to wonder if there's more than meets the eye here in terms of fishy Apple PR moves.

Maybe it's not that big a deal to you since you didn't waste an afternoon of your life to be tricked so you are certainly free to move on. Everyone else can just list their stories to vent and it's obvious it was not an isolated incident as others are now coming forward sharing the same story.

Delist the Sim-free phones from the upgrade program if they aren't eligible. That's an easy fix.

Give everyone else a $25 gift card and give them a raincheck for a phone that is eligible - cheaper than getting sued and bad PR.
Click to expand...

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/logic

Logic : a proper or reasonable way of thinking about or understanding something

Your comments speak for themself.

Continue on good sir. :D
 
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bpeeps said:
Google what bait and switch means because you are a bit misinformed. You are correct in assuming that the store shouldn't allow you to reserve a free-sim version under the Upgrade plan. This remains, however, not a bait and switch.
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Lets help him..

Bait and Switch : a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one

Which, did not occur.

Did they lure you in with a low price? No. Did they encourage you to buy a more expensive one? No. However, YOU at your own free will, purchased not one but TWO. Any lawyer or judge that saw that, would laugh you out of their office.
 
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AbSoluTc said:
Lets help him..

Bait and Switch : a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one

Which, did not occur.

Did they lure you in with a low price? No. Did they encourage you to buy a more expensive one? No. However, YOU at your own free will, purchased not one but TWO. Any lawyer or judge that saw that, would laugh you out of their office.
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Unless it's The Grinder, LOL
 
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This ****er is still trying to rustle some feathers? He's an idiot.

I told the OP in another thread that he's the wrong one in this scenario. He's expecting Apple to break their own rules. They aren't and they won't. So rather than acting like a rational adult, OP is throwing a tantrum that he can't seem to get over.
 
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I still think that Apple needs to change their web site. If the SIM FREE VERSION IS NOT AVAILABLE through the upgrade program then it should not be offered as an option. If you choose SIM FREE, then you are still Toluca what your monthly payments would be, which would lead one to expect that if they can make a reservation and it is confirmed, then one should get the SIM FREE version under the program.

I would suggest that the OP, write to Tim Cook and asking politely that if it is apple'some intent to offer the SIM FREE version, only if full payment is made upfront, then SIM FREE SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED AS AN OPTION under the upgrade program.
 
pokermanlv said:
Obviously I still want the phone. Don't get me wrong it's a good product. As I stated before this is just about doing what's right. Eg you told someone something and you didn't hold up your end of the bargain. Just like I pay my credit card bill because I promised, I expect the same.

Really what's my loss? Well say the $500ish difference from being on the upgrade plan and throwing away my phone at the end of the 12months. Not big enough obviously for me to sue myself but that's why they invented class actions. Seems there should be some lawyer reading this that would work for free on contingency. At the end maybe he gets several million and I get a $5 gift card but I know that justice was done and that's what matters.
Click to expand...

They promised you nothing but a phone. They never promised you the ability to purchase it with the upgrade program.
 
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jaybar said:
I still think that Apple needs to change their web site. If the SIM FREE VERSION IS NOT AVAILABLE through the upgrade program then it should not be offered as an option. If you choose SIM FREE, then you are still Toluca what your monthly payments would be, which would lead one to expect that if they can make a reservation and it is confirmed, then one should get the SIM FREE version under the program.

I would suggest that the OP, write to Tim Cook and asking politely that if it is apple'some intent to offer the SIM FREE version, only if full payment is made upfront, then SIM FREE SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED AS AN OPTION under the upgrade program.
Click to expand...

The reservation page isn't exclusively for the upgrade program. They don't need to change anything.
 
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I disagree. The first link to the Apple upgrade program takes you to the reservations page and the SIM FREE VERSION is offered.

I understand that the reservations page may not, conceptually only be for the upgrade program, but the average person who follows the link from start to Finnish,would assume that SIM FREE is an option under the program.
 
pokermanlv said:
Obviously I still want the phone. Don't get me wrong it's a good product. As I stated before this is just about doing what's right. Eg you told someone something and you didn't hold up your end of the bargain. Just like I pay my credit card bill because I promised, I expect the same.

Really what's my loss? Well say the $500ish difference from being on the upgrade plan and throwing away my phone at the end of the 12months. Not big enough obviously for me to sue myself but that's why they invented class actions. Seems there should be some lawyer reading this that would work for free on contingency. At the end maybe he gets several million and I get a $5 gift card but I know that justice was done and that's what matters.
Click to expand...

No offense, but the image you showed everyone clearly says " Pending Credit Approval ", meaning you had not even been approved, and offered a phone. Just because the online system simply put up content that said you want this phone, for this cost, and it says on the apple site YOU CAN ONLY initiate the upgrade program from in the store. How is that to hard to understand. their is NO WAY for you to get an approval on the upgrade program online. That is a reservation, anyone can make one, it just means you're going in to BUY that phone at THAT price. you never paid taxes, you never paid for anything really, you just had an agreement to meet with them. Have you never ordered something through apple to go pick it up?
 
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jaybar said:
I disagree. The first link to the Apple upgrade program takes you to the reservations page and the SIM FREE VERSION is offered.

I understand that the reservations page may not, conceptually only be for the upgrade program, but the average person who follows the link from start to Finnish,would assume that SIM FREE is an option under the program.
Click to expand...
The point is, does this constitute an "illegal" and/or a "Bait and Switch" action? As it has been pointed out several times, NO!
 
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jaybar said:
I still think that Apple needs to change their web site. If the SIM FREE VERSION IS NOT AVAILABLE through the upgrade program then it should not be offered as an option. If you choose SIM FREE, then you are still Toluca what your monthly payments would be, which would lead one to expect that if they can make a reservation and it is confirmed, then one should get the SIM FREE version under the program.

I would suggest that the OP, write to Tim Cook and asking politely that if it is apple'some intent to offer the SIM FREE version, only if full payment is made upfront, then SIM FREE SHOULD NOT BE OFFERED AS AN OPTION under the upgrade program.
Click to expand...

They have changed their website, it says on the upgrade page MUST BE DONE IN STORE! How much more clear can they be?!?!?! you want them to re-write their entire shopping cart system to assist with those that can't read. All you're doing is making a RESERVATION to go into the store to THEN sign up for the month to month plan. You're not being sold anything, or promised anything, it's a reservation to basically speak with a human ABOUT ordering THAT phone on THEIR upgrade program... what's so hard about this?
 
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