Apple Store Customer Claims Uber Driver Stole Their $2,000 Delivery Order and Apple Won't Offer Refund [Updated]

[AbSoluTc]

I don't trust Uber. Overly expensive for no reason. Also, they don't fully investigate their drivers as far as background goes.

Uber should really implement a policy where it is required to have a customer's signature on orders above $50.00. How UPS does it with UPS Signature Required.

I think you go into every thread and post the most obviously agreeable, already said post to get the most likes. However to your post, then you and others would be complaining that you have to now sign for said deliveries.

Do you want your items with convenience or do you want to sign for them?

 

[maxoakland]

Zero chance I'd ever agree to have a major purchase delivered where the burden of proof is on me instead of on the delivery company to prove it was actually delivered.

Sure, but would you have been aware of this before this article? I can totally see how people would think this was a safe delivery method

 

[compwiz1202]

I think you were part of the other thread where we discussed how this can’t possibly be sustainable. Every time I have an experience with one of these places there is some error. Maybe 1% of all the times they have actually gotten everything right and delivered correctly. For now they can afford to reimburse almost every order. But how long can that go on, and why would anyone in their right mind trust them with anything more important than fast food?

Yea they and mostly good at the new apartment except this last time. The thing I think will end them is if you forgot one thing, just refund that, not the entire order. Even BK did that one once when I got no Onion Rings.

 

[saudor]

This happened to me with Fedex. Fortunately, my security system recorded it all so once i mentioned that the whole thing was on camera, it was immediately made right. They wouldnt budge before that. (it was signed for by the delivery person under my name, although misspelled)

As I always say, food, water and cameras are a necessity to live

 

[compwiz1202]

I think you go into every thread and post the most obviously agreeable, already said post to get the most likes. However to your post, then you and others would be complaining that you have to now sign for said deliveries.

Do you want your items with convenience or do you want to sign for them?

Anything expensive enough you should have to sign, or at least have a choice to sign or waive, and waiving obviously puts all responsibility on you. And why does FedEx have nothing like UPS Store or Amazon lockers? If they all had that, you have things held and not on your doorstep if you don't trust the area, Although, unfortunately that won't stop employees from stealing.

 

[compwiz1202]

This happened to me with Fedex. Fortunately, my security system recorded it all so once i mentioned that the whole thing was on camera, it was immediately made right. They wouldnt budge before that. (it was signed for by the delivery person under my name, although misspelled)

As I always say, food, water and cameras are a necessity to live

I think when people only confess once confronted with solid proof, their punishment should be way harsher.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

Wouldn't apple be able to tell if the customer activated the watch or used the laptop attached to the customers apple id? I know its not perfect but its something. Strange that Apple wouldn't honor the claim, sounds like there is something missing from the story. Apple also has the serial numbers of the devices so they could simply add the serials to a list of stolen merchandise, if it ever pops up just deactivate the devices?

 

[Chaos215bar2]

I will definitely not use that kind of service, given there is no real recourse.

There’s absolutely a recourse: File a dispute with your credit card.

 

[ckorhonen]

This has happened to me twice in the past year with Apple orders and also with BestBuy Same-Day delivery; either the order is marked as delivered or remains in the pending state indefinitely.

Each time I've been refunded, but I've had to spend time on the phone or live chatting explaining the situation. Its really irritating how time consuming the process is.

 

[Cuesca]

I absolutely won’t use any gig-economy delivery service. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash… I don’t trust any of them. They are overly expensive, and you’re trusting your driver not to cause an issue. I’d rather just pay a little extra for overnight shipping.

Hopefully the guy can just do a chargeback on his purchase.

The amount of tipping that is required for them to not spit in my food is just not worth the hassle.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I would not trust Uber to deliver an expensive device, and I wouldn’t even use them to deliver food — I just don’t think they have the capacity (or inclination) to put a thorough vetting process in place that could prevent these situations. This is all on Uber — they are the contracted partner.

 

[sw1tcher]

The underlying issue appears to be that Apple and its courier partners like Uber have inadequate measures in place to prove that an order was actually delivered, leaving the burden of proof on the customer in incidents where theft may have occurred.

Don't know if anyone else has commented on this yet, but an easy solution is for the delivery person to take a picture of the ID or driver's license of the recipient/person who placed the order *and* get a digital signature through the delivery app that will get sent to Apple for confirmation.

If person who placed order won't be there, then there should be an option in delivery app/Apple's online order page to designate an alternative person who they authorize to accept the delivery. Alternative authorized person will also need to provide an ID/Driver's license and signature.

No ID/driver's license and signature? No delivery. And products go back to Apple store. If Apple store doesn't receive the undeliverable items, then Uber and/or the courier are on the hook for the cost of the items.

 

[MacWiz_007]

I barely trust Uber Eats with my $40 Chinese food order!

 

[compwiz1202]

The amount of tipping that is required for them to not spit in my food is just not worth the hassle.

But it worked the other way for once for us. Thought I'd give the higher tip for Valentines, and it came FAST. The restaurant had still let the food sit under heat too long, but that's not the courier's fault.

 

[Mr. Dee]

For expensive items like that, all Apple and Uber need to do is this.
Uber driver picks up item at Apple Store, presents both driver license and Uber ID.
Confirmation sent to customer
Doesn't get it and there is solid proof from the customer, Uber driver has $2,000 pulled out of their account and suspension.

Uber driver can protect themselves by simply getting the customers signature.
Take picture of you giving it to the customer.
Everybody happy.

 

[jagolden]

OK. Someone ordered almost $2100 USD of highly desirable and even higher blacmarketability Apple products, and the expect Uber to delivery it safely (or at all).
Get your lazy a** out of the chair and go pick it up yourself!

Truly, you can’t fix stupid.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Get your lazy a** out of the chair and go pick it up yourself!

It was not the customer who decided to use Uber.
It was Apple themselves.

 

[jcb10]

The problem is compounded by the fact that police departments in some jurisdictions refuse to investigate petty theft. In this latest case, for example, the customer from California said they were unable to file a police report about the incident.

$2000+ is a felony, not petty theft, even in California. Maybe they're too short-handed to investigate or physically come out, but the local PD would likely have a means to report online or by phone.

 

[Cuesca]

But it worked the other way for once for us. Thought I'd give the higher tip for Valentines, and it came FAST. The restaurant had still let the food sit under heat too long, but that's not the courier's fault.

It's too inconsistent for us sadly, I had a bunch of these free UBEReats credit on my Chase Sapphire card. I decided to use it on a boba tea place which I am a regular with. Order four, one blew up and the driver was still expecting a 25% tip.

 

[B-Mc-C]

That sounds strange. Every police department I've had contact with always accepts reports. Whether anything is actually done, however, is a different story.

But even if the individual story is incomplete, it is really disappointing Apple has chosen to rely on a gig economy company from both a (regularly promoted by Apple PR and Marketing) company values standpoint and, most importantly, a customer service perspective.

This right here. Unable to file a police report is pretty much the guy admitting he was lying about not receiving it. Also, in California, the threshold is $950, which the iPhone 14 Pro Max alone would exceed.

 

[compwiz1202]

OK. Someone ordered almost $2100 USD of highly desirable and even higher blacmarketability Apple products, and the expect Uber to delivery it safely (or at all).
Get your lazy a** out of the chair and go pick it up yourself!

Truly, you can’t fix stupid.

My conspiracy theory is the customer knew the UE driver, and had them sit at the AS so they'd get the order and steal the products, but now they failed because they aren't getting restitution.

 

[compwiz1202]

It was not the customer who decided to use Uber.
It was Apple themselves.

But did the customer pick same day? Those usually come Uber or Postmates etc... Unless it was like my Best Buy order. Saturday I picked 2day, but they did it same day for free. Then ordered early Sunday. The only choice was same day, but then at like 8pm, I got an email they couldn't do it, so I had to go on and change to 2 day. Then FedEx loses it, then finds, and then it arrives. Seemed like some HHGttG snenanigans.

 

[Chriss_m]

Wow. Police don't accept police reports, let alone investigate, the theft of over $2000 worth of goods in the United States now? Jeez. Might be time to provide a private policing option - not nice obviously, but at least then some people would have access to justice rather than nobody.

 

[Chriss_m]

Apple's choice of partners is quite worrying, shows lack of judgement and is a reflection of Cook's values. Uber Eats, Goldman Sachs, what next?

You should see who they partner with in China.

 

[lazyrighteye]

Currently, it’s a requirement for all Uber drivers use a smartphone for navigation. It just so happens that every smartphone has a camera. I’m no process Jedi, but it certainly doesn’t seem an overly complex process tweak to require a simple photo of all delivered packages (plenty of carriers do just that). Immediately removes a significant amount of ambiguity around whether a package was delivered or not. Sure, a driver could photo the “delivered” package and then take said package. But it’s a pretty easy step to implement that would go a long way toward improving delivery success.