Called Apple for my free dock connector adapter

[ChesneyHawkes]

Retailers usually have the following term E&OE Errors and Omissions Excepted. This is a legal disclaimer.

Trading standards will investigate , however Apple will not be found in breach. As long as they pull the product and investigate within 24hrs they are covered. They corrected the error in that time. You could cancel the order if you weren't happy, but the adapter isn't the reason for buying the product, is it?! It's a grey area but Apple can just refuse to sell their product to you, it's their product.

This would be different if you've actually been charged for the item because it would form a binding contract, but I guess Apple can argue that they haven't charged you for anything until it ships.

With regards to pricing, I've been buying Apple products for the last 20 years. The pricing on the phone has nothing to do with Apple bumping up the prices specifically. Because of exchange rate fluctuations Apple adjust their currency conversion rate between £ and US$ so the price is more of a reflection of the volatility of exchange rates. They want it to convert back to the same amount in US$ which is their base currency when reporting results. Also Sales tax in US is lower that the 20% VAT in UK.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Good for Apple. Mistakes happen -- even at Apple. They shouldn't be raked over the coals for inconsequential human error. Prior to the pre-sale Apple's iPhone 5 web page clearly stated what was included and the adapter was not on the list.

 

[Daveoc64]

You could cancel the order if you weren't happy, but the adapter isn't the reason for buying the product, is it?!

Of course it could be!

If you use your iPhone with a car audio kit every day, there's absolutely no way for an iPhone 5 user to do that until the adaptor is released next month.

It might have had an influence on whether or not someone decided to buy it. I was certainly hoping for an adapter to be included (as I had seen all of the tech blogs etc. show the screenshot of the Apple site before they changed it). I didn't actually buy it from Apple, and by the time I did I knew it wasn't included, but it's quite an inconvenience nonetheless.

 

[reputationZed]

My guess is that the vast majority of buyers would rather have had the $29 connector with the phone than the $29 headphones. (I believe I read where the prices were the same)

Better still would have been if Apple had shipped neither in the box but provided a coupon for the owner to get their desired choice.

What do you base that on. I can see there would be some who would rather have the adapter, and giving us a choice is not a bad idea, but how did you arive at the conclusion that a vast majority of buyers...?

 

[ct2k7]

At what cost is this righting a wrong? Trading standards etc, these people all need to be paid so realistically it is a huge waste of money, time and resources. What is your time worth? Personally I would just forget it, even if you feel wronged....

I was ordered by a court to refund the cost of something to a customer once. The customer disputed the inclusion of a battery in a product.

I'm not planning on following this right now as I'm going out to Florida for a few months anyway

 

[thewitt]

Sucks that he didn't get one like many others did but that's the luck of the draw.

No one received a free adapter in the box. They did not ship from China with the iPhone, they shipped separately. They are not made at Foxconn

Even with the misleading wording on the order page, the description of what came in the box was always correct.

 

[s15119]

Nothing is free. Nothing.

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They offered him a refund if he wasn't happy with his purchase. That, according to one posters, is all they have to do to comply with the law.

It's certainly all they need to do to comply with common sense.

 

[byeehaaw]

Nothing is free. Nothing.

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It's certainly all they need to do to comply with common sense.

the iphone 4 bumpers were free

 

[nfl46]

Why are you complaining when you know it was a mistake? I'm glad they didn't give you one.

 

[SouthsideJohnny]

What do you base that on. I can see there would be some who would rather have the adapter, and giving us a choice is not a bad idea, but how did you arive at the conclusion that a vast majority of buyers...?

Well let's settle this like adults and go ask 150,000,000 users personally. I'll take 75 million and you can take the other 75 million.

Results are due by 10 am next Monday.

 

[reputationZed]

Well let's settle this like adults and go ask 150,000,000 users personally. I'll take 75 million and you can take the other 75 million.

Results are due by 10 am next Monday.

Can we make it Tuesday, I have a golf outing on Monday and only 63 million of the 75 million people I was going to ask will be there.

 

[Millionaire2K]

Come on! The price increase around the world is insane, you could expect 1!!! connector for your equipment (probably worth hundreds of $).
In Austria the prices increased by 50€ (~65$).
I can imagine the outrage, if the price in the US would be: from: 270$ instead of the 199$

Listen I do agree we should have gotten 1 connector in the box. But we all knew they were not including it. We did not buy the phone 4 it. To try to get it is just "tacky".

 

[d123]

We did not buy the phone 4 it.

I didn't even buy an iPhone 5 to get it

 

[SouthsideJohnny]

Can we make it Tuesday, I have a golf outing on Monday and only 63 million of the 75 million people I was going to ask will be there.

Well, ok then.

 

[yanki01]

lol, geez

 

[AppleFan91]

Pathetic. You were going to buy the phone regardless. I'm glad they didn't give it to you. You're just looking to take advantage of a small mistake

 

[JS82712]

Good. You should not get it. You know in your heart it is a mistake. You also were going to buy the phone without it. So stop trying to take advantage of a simple error and enjoy your phone.

And you are the reason why apple thinks it's okay to screw consumers with that ridiculous adapter price.

 

[uktivo]

I thought there was a European law stating all new phones from Jan 2011 need to have a micro USB charging input?
Does anyone know anything about this?

If so, surely Apple must included this adaptor in the pack to ensure they meet thus legal requirement?

 

[uktivo]

Actually it's a 16 year old specification.

 

[i-John]

The iPhone 5 not including an adaptor is a big deal for a lot of people, not just because of the cost, but because it's not going to be available until next month (and presumably supplies will be constrained).

It was never advertised as included in the first place. There was a mistake in the ordering system that added it as a separate item (not included with the actual iPhone 5).

 

[KPOM]

This is kind off subject but I've noticed how Americans have a very strong sense of entitlement, I work for a furniture and electronics rental company, these guys sign an agreement to rent to own something, and then pay some money towards it, after that if we run into issues they beleive it's theirs, and don't have to return or pay for it, keep in mind I'm American, but there are a lot of people who think they are entitled to everything.

I wouldn't call it a sense of entitlement. If anything Europeans have a stronger sense of entitlement as there are more social "protections" and "rights" codified into law there. Americans have a more aggressive style of negotiation. It isn't quite like buying a rug at a market in the Middle East, but people are more comfortable in asking for or "demanding" something from retailers as a bargaining tactic. The sense is that you don't get what you deserve, you get what you bargain for.

 

[Daveoc64]

It was never advertised as included in the first place. There was a mistake in the ordering system that added it as a separate item (not included with the actual iPhone 5).

The error was displayed during the checkout process, before the customer had completed their purchase.

 

[Mrg02d]

This is kind off subject but I've noticed how Americans have a very strong sense of entitlement, I work for a furniture and electronics rental company, these guys sign an agreement to rent to own something, and then pay some money towards it, after that if we run into issues they beleive it's theirs, and don't have to return or pay for it, keep in mind I'm American, but there are a lot of people who think they are entitled to everything.

Enough with the anti American sentiment already people...Everyone on earth is guilty of bs and greed...

 

[Millionaire2K]

And you are the reason why apple thinks it's okay to screw consumers with that ridiculous adapter price.

And you are very rude!

 

[armoredsaint]

i bet OP would sue if a bank gave him a million dollars by accident and would feel it's his to keep too.