brand beat me too it on the first page. Serves me right for not reading the thread.
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Apple Store Customer Arrested for Shoplifting Says He Was Trying to Use EasyPay Self-Checkout
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brand beat me too it on the first page. Serves me right for not reading the thread.
If this does happen "all the time", then all this feature does is prime Apple employees to pounce when someone may or may not be trying to complete a legitimate transaction. I guess I am old enough to want the interaction and for any store to know that I have legitimately paid for an item.
I like the system Apple uses where I get a receipt emailed to me while I'm standing there. That way I'm totally legal and there can be no misunderstandings. Once when the email did not come through, I asked for a printed receipt which was provided with a smile. Doing things this way is good for the retailer and the customer and makes those with dishonest intentions stand out.
I worked retail/tech at one point in my life. I know what can walk out the front door. I know how that impacts the bottom line but Apple does a good job of covering the floor. This "feature" though has the potential to cause more problems than it solves.
I like the system Apple uses where I get a receipt emailed to me while I'm standing there. That way I'm totally legal and there can be no misunderstandings. Once when the email did not come through, I asked for a printed receipt which was provided with a smile. Doing things this way is good for the retailer and the customer and makes those with dishonest intentions stand out.
I worked retail/tech at one point in my life. I know what can walk out the front door. I know how that impacts the bottom line but Apple does a good job of covering the floor. This "feature" though has the potential to cause more problems than it solves.
This is sad news for innovation. Thives around the world now will have to change the way the shoplift. It wasn`t stealing!! Apple is a horrible company for saying no to this guys who may have wanted to steal their stuff. They make tons of money and they are still going after little kids. Horrible news!!
Overreact much?
The fact that they make tons of money is completely irrelevant. This is about whether someone was attempting to steal or not, regardless of age.
They should assume he is innocent until they can PROVE that he isn't. Simple as that. If he showed them the screen where it said Pay Now, it would give weight to his story that it was a mistake.
Easy-Pay should require that the customers stand at a particular location in the store... a kiosk where it only functions within a certain distance of it. Having it work from anywhere in the story does open it up to people not using it 100% perfectly.
This is exactly why I will never use that app.
If he's convicted, this could ruin the guy's life.
If he's convicted, this could ruin the guy's life.
Probably not. A receipt is probably transmitted to the store server also as proof.
Don't know if anyone actually read the MacWorld article, but the guy accused of allegedly stealing a $129 pair of headphones was at the Apple store initially for a service appointment for his rMacBook Pro.
"Shine went to the Apple Store on August 20 because his MacBook Pro with Retina Display was acting upspecifically, a problem with the laptops trackpad. So he booked a Genius Bar appointment for that evening."
I highly doubt this kids is that strapped for cash that he'd risk a larceny theft charge over a pair of $100 headphones.
"Shine went to the Apple Store on August 20 because his MacBook Pro with Retina Display was acting upspecifically, a problem with the laptops trackpad. So he booked a Genius Bar appointment for that evening."
I highly doubt this kids is that strapped for cash that he'd risk a larceny theft charge over a pair of $100 headphones.
HA! the ad at the bottom of this page was for "seeing anyone's arrest record" complete with pictures of two girls crying their eyes out...
I am amazed that this doesn't happen more often.
Regarding the comments about 'how' or 'why' can they do this to a child, this has happened before, often. Automated processes are target of shoplifting. This happens at the self-checkout at Safeway. People would pay for carrots and load a tin of caviar (just a far-fetch example). Stealing is stealing, no matter how old you are.
But to sum it up Apple needs to re-train their sales to recognize what a legitimate receipt is. I say this is Apple's error and that they could have prevented it if the guy push the finalize payment button and make that stupid 'kid' pay for it (or his parent's account on the phone ).
Regarding the comments about 'how' or 'why' can they do this to a child, this has happened before, often. Automated processes are target of shoplifting. This happens at the self-checkout at Safeway. People would pay for carrots and load a tin of caviar (just a far-fetch example). Stealing is stealing, no matter how old you are.
But to sum it up Apple needs to re-train their sales to recognize what a legitimate receipt is. I say this is Apple's error and that they could have prevented it if the guy push the finalize payment button and make that stupid 'kid' pay for it (or his parent's account on the phone
).Maybe they couldn't fix his rMBP? Or he was pissed it took an hour? Just spitballing here.
Ask for a printed receipt
I ask for a bag and a printed receipt before I leave the store. This defeats the purpose of the electronic transaction but so be it. To be honest I wish they still had a checkout line. I don't like the freeform do it yourself thing. I just want a physical place to pay and then leave. Apple can't prove someone was stealing via an app. Apps screw up all the time by failing to access the database or get a response back that the transaction is complete. The tech is flawed by default.
I ask for a bag and a printed receipt before I leave the store. This defeats the purpose of the electronic transaction but so be it. To be honest I wish they still had a checkout line. I don't like the freeform do it yourself thing. I just want a physical place to pay and then leave. Apple can't prove someone was stealing via an app. Apps screw up all the time by failing to access the database or get a response back that the transaction is complete. The tech is flawed by default.
When I took my iMac to get repaired a genius at the apple store accused me of returning an iMac with a different serial number. He was saying that I was trying to pull a scam. Then he said, "ooops I guess it is the right serial". I still slapped him in the middle of the store.
I prefer to shop online whenever possible.
Brick and mortar stores, even at Apple stores, I feel like the security staff thinks I'm a potential criminal as soon as I walk through the door. People looking at you, following you around, hidden cameras - sheesh!
Of course online you have to contend with an onslaught of cookies, web beacons, web bugs and other spyware and viruses as well as the omnipresent firewall attacks.
Of course I understand the need for surveillance in the stores. Thieves are a problem. I just don't think that Apple should have been so quick to prosecute when they were partly to blame, because their system didn't work as expected (clerk didn't check for receipt).
Crime is 3 million shades of grey about intent. That's the key word about crime. If you intended to cause harm or not. Stealing is a form of harm. The prosecutor has to prove he intended to cause harm. Judging by the case the judge will toss it out as a waste of his time.
they should of just let him complete transaction if it failed to go through do to lack of fun that would of been obvious foul play.
I completely agree with you that it's a bad system.
I used it once - I picked up an iPhone case, scanned it with my iPhone, paid for it, and walked out without a bag and without talking to any Apple employees. In fact, no Apple employees even looked or watched me (that I know of). I felt like such a thief as I had no bag or no paper receipt, just an item I took off a shelf about a minute previous.
There really should be someone standing at the front where you show the item to them and the iPhone receipt (or they see it as bought on their computer system), and only THEN can you leave.
But right now, you can bring in like a Sears bag, take anything off their shelves, scan the receipts, and throw them immediately into your Sears bag, and then pay for them by clicking the Pay Now button like 10 minutes later as you're walking around the store, then leave.
As a former retail employee, usually the people who made it clear they prefer to shop online are the people I wished would shop online as well!
Intent to steal is absolutely an element of the crime of larceny in New York State.
http://law.onecle.com/new-york/penal/PEN0155.05_155.05.html
Hugh? There were about 50 pairs of beats (all colors of the rainbow), and about 20 sets of bose @ the 5th ave store; maybe more actually. The employees looked way to busy to be counting when I was observing the madness.
1. The Apple employees are actually responsible for the customers trying to pay by easypay. If some employee didn't sufficiently pay attention then it is their fault. Wouldn't look good for Apple, as Apple wants to be widely known for their great service.
2. If the easypay system was just too confusing to use for this kid (so we can assume that he has basic knowledge about technology), it may be too confusing in general. That wouldn't look good for Apple, as Apple wants to be widely known for the simplicity of their products.
3. They probably started the whole accusation thing way to rough and there is simply no way back. It's actually not okay to treat customers this way, so the kid better be some nasty shoplifter or that wouldn't look good for Apple, as Apple wants to be widely known for customer-friendly service and goodwill.
If the kid turns out to be a shoplifter, however, things would turn out greatly for Apple.
If not, Apple will be known for bad service, complicated products and bad treatment of their customers.
I'm actually really sorry for him. He is now part of Apple's marketing.
2. If the easypay system was just too confusing to use for this kid (so we can assume that he has basic knowledge about technology), it may be too confusing in general. That wouldn't look good for Apple, as Apple wants to be widely known for the simplicity of their products.
3. They probably started the whole accusation thing way to rough and there is simply no way back. It's actually not okay to treat customers this way, so the kid better be some nasty shoplifter or that wouldn't look good for Apple, as Apple wants to be widely known for customer-friendly service and goodwill.
If the kid turns out to be a shoplifter, however, things would turn out greatly for Apple.
If not, Apple will be known for bad service, complicated products and bad treatment of their customers.
I'm actually really sorry for him. He is now part of Apple's marketing.
Demo
If Apple is going to promote the benefits of their easypay system, they should educate their customers so this obvious and predictable type of event doesn't happen again!
Do they even have some online demo or tutorial that demonstrates the whole process/transaction?
Their whole Apple Store App (including easypay) should have such a tutorial to make the App of greater use. What's the point of conducting a sale by yourself if you still need to show a receipt to a rep before walking out, and if a customer doesn't know this policy they are asking for problems.
I would use the app if I could trust it, but there are too many unknown variables that an online Demo would help explain.
At the moment, it's easier waiting for a sales rep than risking arrest.
I've heard one could use the Apple Store App to create a bto config of a computer before purchasing it, but there is no way in hell I'm pressing the "buy" button on the app to try to find that option or to understand how it might work. These are things that need training solutions. Apple's more tech savvy customers may be the only one's using the app, but there is a big difference between using an app and risking arrest or spending thousands of dollars incorrectly by accidentally purchasing the wrong configuration.
They need a demo!
If Apple is going to promote the benefits of their easypay system, they should educate their customers so this obvious and predictable type of event doesn't happen again!
Do they even have some online demo or tutorial that demonstrates the whole process/transaction?
Their whole Apple Store App (including easypay) should have such a tutorial to make the App of greater use. What's the point of conducting a sale by yourself if you still need to show a receipt to a rep before walking out, and if a customer doesn't know this policy they are asking for problems.
I would use the app if I could trust it, but there are too many unknown variables that an online Demo would help explain.
At the moment, it's easier waiting for a sales rep than risking arrest.
I've heard one could use the Apple Store App to create a bto config of a computer before purchasing it, but there is no way in hell I'm pressing the "buy" button on the app to try to find that option or to understand how it might work. These are things that need training solutions. Apple's more tech savvy customers may be the only one's using the app, but there is a big difference between using an app and risking arrest or spending thousands of dollars incorrectly by accidentally purchasing the wrong configuration.
They need a demo!