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Apple store selling 3rd party items at registered retail price. Advice wanted.

A

Artmuzz

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2008
377
20
I was wondering if someone could give me some advise.

Recently I went on holiday to London and while there I tried to buy top of the range Panasonic earphones but I was told they were discontinued from various electrical stores. I then visited the London Apple store at Regent Street and found the earphones there. They were selling for £199.95. I then bought them for that price but now I am regretting it. Today I went into my local Panasonic shop and found the same earphones going for only £99. I then asked the saleman if this was the right price and he told me they were which got me angry considering I was £100 more for them at the Apple retail store:mad: He then mentioned that £199.95 were the RRP but because those are the last in stock from Panasonic they have gone down in price by 50%. He also told me that Apple shouldn't be selling discontinued items at the RRP of £199.95

I was wondering if I was to get in contact with Apple about this matter would they refund me the £100? I was also thinking of sending them back to get my money back but I am scared that if I do that I will not be able to buy them ever again if the two that were in stock at my local Panasonic centre get sold.

Please advise

Art

Please advise
 
I could be wrong about this, but I don't believe that Apple ever sells anything at less than MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price here in the states). Can you still get them from the Panasonic Store? If so you could see if you could return them to the Apple Store (10% restocking fee) and then purchase them from the Panasonic Store, wouldn't be as good as the price from the Panasonic Store, but better than the price from the Apple Store.
 
I was thinking of getting the £100 difference credited back to my bank account but the nearest Apple store from me is about 100 miles away. Would it be possible to phone Apple at their London retail store phone number and ask for the price difference back? Or would I be better emailing them? I was stupid paying those ridiculous prices that $Apple$ charge for items.

Please advise

Art
 
Artmuzz said:
I was thinking of getting the £100 difference credited back to my bank account but the nearest Apple store from me is about 100 miles away. Would it be possible to phone Apple at their London retail store phone number and ask for the price difference back? Or would I be better emailing them? I was stupid paying those ridiculous prices that $Apple$ charge for items.

Please advise

Art
Click to expand...

Since Apple sells at RRP (or MSRP) I wouldn't think you'd have much luck getting them to "reduce" the price but I suppose you could give it a try. If the cost of the phone call isn't an issue, I'd say give them a call, it couldn't hurt.
 
I too say give them a call. Failing that, return them and get your money back. I'm sure you'd be able to find them on amazon or something cheaper if all else fails.
 
Buy the cheaper ones, return them to the Apple store unopened = no restocking fee. Simple
 
It's recommended retail price, not registered. Recommended, as in what Panasonic SUGGESTS Apple should charge. Apple charged what Panasonic recommended they should. That Panasonic themselves have them on clearance as a discontinued item is irrelevant. Apple can choose clearance or selling them full price or whatever they wish (except, possibly, below cost - that's illegal in some places).

Apple chose to be selling them for Panasonic's RECOMMENDED retail price of £199, and you chose to buy them at that price. You may follow Apple's return policies if they apply to you, or plead your case and hope for the best. But seriously, lose the entitlement attitude. I know that if I worked for Apple, I'd have *zero* desire to help someone with your attitude.

BTW, in your shoes, I'd be just as ticked... but mostly at myself for not price shopping better.
 
Doc750 said:
Don't buy them from apple ...
Click to expand...

In fact, don't buy anything from Apple that isn't made by them, unless it's a special offer and you've checked elsewhere.

At my local store I've been told, twice, that I should go to Maplin or somewhere else to buy stuff. A midi keyboard that I wanted was almost twice the price, a cable was over twice the price.

I don't blame them - they don't let anyone else sell their hardware for less, and they don't sell anyone else's for less, than RRP/MRSP.

Shop around - and in fact, with the various bar-code apps available for the iPhone, and convenient high speed wireless internet in store, you can shop around while you're looking! You could even order through the Amazon app while you're there...

Tiptopp
 
markie said:
But seriously, lose the entitlement attitude. I know that if I worked for Apple, I'd have *zero* desire to help someone with your attitude.

BTW, in your shoes, I'd be just as ticked... but mostly at myself for not price shopping better.
Click to expand...

And what is wrong with my attitude that you say I have? Eh? I know I was a bit in a hurry to get the earphones and that I couldn't get them anywhere else in London at the time I was on holiday there I decided to buy from Apple. The point I am trying to make is that I was totally shocked after buying them from Apple to find out that Panasonic were selling them 50% cheaper plus online shops on the net are selling them over 50% cheaper. If you were a member of staff at Apple I'd probably think that you had a bad attitude too if you couldn't care less. In my opinion Apple love charging ridiculous money for their products and 3rd party gear but I guess I'm to soft for buying the earphones at that ridiculous price. At the end of the day Apple should be selling at what the earphones are selling at the current price.

Art
 
Doc750 said:
Don't buy them from apple ...
Click to expand...

I wish I'd known that before buying them:(

BTW does anyone know what the original Recommended Retail Price of those earphones were? I am saying £199.95 only because it has it mentioned on a Panasonic earphones item description on eBay.

Art
 
Last edited:
Artmuzz said:
And what is wrong with my attitude that you say I have? Eh? I know I was a bit in a hurry to get the earphones and that I couldn't get them anywhere else in London at the time I was on holiday there I decided to buy from Apple...
Art
Click to expand...

...you shopped around and thought that was a fair price at the time, now you don't think its a fair price.

Return them to apple and pay the restocking fee... then buy them cheaper and you still come out saving your money = win, win for you.
 
Well it's pretty easy, call the Apple store and ask if you can return them. If not, too bad. That's the price for not being patient and checking prices at different stores.
 
I'll give it another try to the last posters answer: Well it's pretty easy, call the Apple store and explain your situation, sometimes they are a lot nicer than some people around here, you might get someone nice and get what you want, if not ask to return them, possibly getting restocking fee charges, and then if you haven't done it yet, buy the other ones from the other store, either way good luck to you and I hope you get a good resolution.:)
 
Call and talk to a manager. Just tell him that you realized that the earphone model you purchased from Apple were discontinued line, and every other store was selling them at 50% off, and you feel ripped off. You'll either get back some cash, Apple store credit, or nothing.
 
Buyer beware!

Apple have done nothing wrong, you just found an item discounted elsewhere. Apple don't oue you anything, sorry.

You could, I suppose, but the set from panasonic, and take them with your apple receipt back to the apple store.

But seriously, you were in the apple store, they have a computer or two lying around, check the price on amazon while you're there!
 
Artmuzz said:
And what is wrong with my attitude that you say I have? Eh? ...In my opinion Apple love charging ridiculous money for their products and 3rd party gear but I guess I'm to soft for buying the earphones at that ridiculous price. At the end of the day Apple should be selling at what the earphones are selling at the current price.

Art
Click to expand...

Your "attitude" is that you feel that Apple should be selling items for as cheap as possible. Apple's shareholders feel otherwise. You made a bad choice - Apple didn't force you to buy them.... they merely facilitated your impulse decision. And to be fair, the whole Apple store strategy is to encourage impulse buying, you are not the first one to succumb. But that is what Apple pays their store designers for.

So suck it up, return them if you can. You aren't first to regret making a poor buying decision - but at least admit it and move on. And be glad your impulse buying didn't include a car, or jewellery. :)

One other piece of advice. Many stores will price match plus (Apple not being one of them, I don't believe). It can pay to find the more expensive store, and point out that their competitor's price. I just got an external HD for the competitor's price, plus 10% off the difference (or $6 less than I could have bought it for at the cheaper store.)
 
gorjan said:
Well it's pretty easy, call the Apple store and ask if you can return them. If not, too bad. That's the price for not being patient and checking prices at different stores.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when I think of it I wasn't very patient when it came to buying those earphones from Apple. The problem was that I asked in a lot of electrical shops in London and was told they were discontinued. I then went to one shop who had the phones for £149 but they had to order them in as they were out of stock. I then became very frustrated and as a last resort I visited the Apple retail store in Regents Street where I seen them on sale for £199.95. I didn't really like the price Apple were selling them for but I bought them as a form of panic buying as I was thinking I wouldn't get them again as I was told they were discontinued. it wasn't until I got back home from my holiday that my local Panasonic shop told me they could order them for me for £99.

the only problem of returning them to Apple is that the nearest Apple store from me is 100 miles away.

Art
 
SkippyThorson said:
Apple puts a unique pricing and barcode sticker on items they sell. This would be both an idiotic and dishonest move.
Click to expand...

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but I don't see how this is dishonest. If he buys a brand new unopened set of the exact same headphones and he is within the guidelines of his return policy it's a no harm, no foul situation. The only thing unique about the one Apple sells is the sticker on the back which they will be able to replace and then sell the headphones again for their RRP. In that scenario the OP hasn't stolen anything or committed any crime. He would simply be returning the identical product for a full refund per Apple's policy. So could you elaborate on where that is idiotic or dishonest? I can see where you are saying it could be considered as dishonest as he wouldn't disclose he purchased the returned item elsewhere. However, if they are getting the same item back brand new and unopened and they can resell it as such I'm pretty sure they aren't gonna care if the returned item was purchased at another store. He's not ripping Apple off?
 
Colonel-Panic said:
You are of course entitled to your opinion, but I don't see how this is dishonest. If he buys a brand new unopened set of the exact same headphones and he is within the guidelines of his return policy it's a no harm, no foul situation. The only thing unique about the one Apple sells is the sticker on the back which they will be able to replace and then sell the headphones again for their RRP. In that scenario the OP hasn't stolen anything or committed any crime. He would simply be returning the identical product for a full refund per Apple's policy. So could you elaborate on where that is idiotic or dishonest? I can see where you are saying it could be considered as dishonest as he wouldn't disclose he purchased the returned item elsewhere. However, if they are getting the same item back brand new and unopened and they can resell it as such I'm pretty sure they aren't gonna care if the returned item was purchased at another store. He's not ripping Apple off?
Click to expand...

Well... In the end, he'd buy it from one place for $99, and then would hand it back to Apple, who will sell it for $199. I guess no one is losing money, but if they turn him down, then what? He's got to return the other, and all that work was for nothing.

I guess there have been more "idiotic" things done in the past, but to go through the work of doing that, just to get a "no" and be back where you started seems a bit outrageous. There's a chance it'll work, and if it did, then I can't really argue anything.

My point about that sticker, though, is what if Apple realizes it's not on the other package the OP plans to return? It's only on their products, and it's on nearly all of their accessories. They may not like that, but then again, they may not care.
 
Colonel-Panic said:
You are of course entitled to your opinion, but I don't see how this is dishonest. If he buys a brand new unopened set of the exact same headphones and he is within the guidelines of his return policy it's a no harm, no foul situation. The only thing unique about the one Apple sells is the sticker on the back which they will be able to replace and then sell the headphones again for their RRP. In that scenario the OP hasn't stolen anything or committed any crime. He would simply be returning the identical product for a full refund per Apple's policy. So could you elaborate on where that is idiotic or dishonest? I can see where you are saying it could be considered as dishonest as he wouldn't disclose he purchased the returned item elsewhere. However, if they are getting the same item back brand new and unopened and they can resell it as such I'm pretty sure they aren't gonna care if the returned item was purchased at another store. He's not ripping Apple off?
Click to expand...

Just put yourself in the same situation, but different. If you were a small shopkeeper, and if one of your non-regular clients did the same thing.... then is it still OK? Assume 20 people a day are returning another store's merchandise, under the same circumstances. Is it still OK?

Yep, no harm no foul may apply in this particular case. But that does not necessarily make it "right".

To take it further. What if the un-opened headphones were faulty, and injured someone (don't ask me how!)... should Apple then be stuck with the liability? Would the switcher then have to come forward because the "no harm" part of the clause was negated....

He made a bad decision. We all have. Oh well.... move on and learn the lesson. Don't stick somebody else with the mess.
 
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If it was purchased on a credit card, many companies have price protection policies in place. Does not hurt to ask.
 
Today I phoned Apple's London Regents Street store as some members on here suggested I do and was appalled by the attitude of a member of staff I was put through to. Anyway, I told him that I had seen the Headphones sell 50% cheaper at the Panasonic store and everywhere online after buying them and that with me being a loyal customer of Apple I wondering if I could get some of the money back as a price match than return them. His ton of voice gave me the impression that he couldn't care less and told me that I would have to go to my nearest Apple store and return them then abruptly he said "thank you for phoning Apple" then hung up:eek:

This experience has left me very angry towards Apple. I tried to be polite but I get this in return. At the end of the day its my own fault for throwing my money towards that greedy fat bellied money grabbing Apple company but really isn't the old saying - the customer is always right:(

Art
 
Why should he care?


You bought the item, they didn't trick you into the purchase.


EDIT: In this case the customer is wrong.
 
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