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iPhone Sprint Scam!

s15119 said:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB411933&cv=820&_requestid=450636#fbid=th82-0lA_7_

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB411933&cv=820&_requestid=450636#fbid=th82-0lA_7_
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I'm not sure what an FYI from AT&T's support forums is supposed to prove.


Arnezie said:
He just isn't going to get it I'll post the picture of my receipt showing from the AT&T store that I added Apple care +
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See, that would be just fantastic because then I would actually believe you. Now only if you hadn't wasted my time and started with that instead of meaningless unhelpful replies, we could have saved all of the agitated back-and-forth. :eek:
 
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1350504560.729270.jpg
Like I said in my original post YOUR WRONG!!!!!!
 
Arnezie said:
View attachment 370175
Like I said in my original post YOUR WRONG!!!!!!
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Great, I'm wrong. Happy to admit it when there's actually proof on the table and especially when that proof runs contradictory to everything I've ever seen or been told.

I have absolutely no problem admitting to evidence presented in a reasonable manner, but I don't make a habit of believing unsubstantiated claims from rude people whom I don't know.

Do you?

Thanks for the pics! :p

P.S. I ignored it once, and I can't again (especially when in ALL CAPS): it's "you're," not "your." Just FYI.
 
willmtaylor said:
I'm not sure what an FYI from AT&T's support forums is supposed to prove.




See, that would be just fantastic because then I would actually believe you. Now only if you hadn't wasted my time and started with that instead of meaningless unhelpful replies, we could have saved all of the agitated back-and-forth. :eek:
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Why are you so upset. You've been tossing around insults. You made an error. It's not our fault. Man up and stop being so insulting.

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willmtaylor said:
Great, I'm wrong. Happy to admit it when there's actually proof on the table and especially when that proof runs contradictory to everything I've ever seen or been told.

I have absolutely no problem admitting to evidence presented in a reasonable manner, but I don't make a habit of believing unsubstantiated claims from rude people whom I don't know.

Do you?

Thanks for the pics! :p

P.S. I ignored it once, and I can't again (especially when in ALL CAPS): it's "you're," not "your." Just FYI.
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The only rudeness has been on your part. You tossed around insult, were sarcastic and just so sure you knew everything. The answers you seek are all within. Good luck.

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Arnezie said:
View attachment 370175
Like I said in my original post YOUR WRONG!!!!!!
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Bazinga.

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willmtaylor said:
I'm not sure :
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If you had said that from the outset, you wouldn't come accross as such a d....
 
s15119 said:
Why are you so upset. You've been tossing around insults. You made an error. It's not our fault. Man up and stop being so insulting.

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The only rudeness has been on your part. You tossed around insult, were sarcastic and just so sure you knew everything. The answers you seek are all within. Good luck.

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Bazinga.

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If you had said that from the outset, you wouldn't come accross as such a d....
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Thank you sir ;)
 
s15119 said:
Why are you so upset. You've been tossing around insults. You made an error. It's not our fault. Man up and stop being so insulting.
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I'm not exactly sure what you're reading or inferring, but I'm not upset at all. Happy to get to the bottom of the whole deal, to be honest. :) I never mind a little heated back-and-forth.

I don't see how I "made an error." I was operating from information of multiple firsthand accounts, VZW reps, AT&T reps, and Apple reps. Apparently, either they ALL have incorrect info., or there were exceptional circumstances regarding this particular purchase of AC+.

I'll ask you the exact same question as I asked Arnezie, do you make it a habit of believing those with contradictory claims/assertions who offer no proof or evidence? For your sake, I certainly hope not. :eek:

BTW, I wasn't the one with posts that had to be edited by the MODS for being insulting, that was Arnezie. You might find my tone condescending, but I haven't been the one name-calling. :p

Peace-out, bros!
:apple::apple::apple:​
 
willmtaylor said:
or there were exceptional circumstances regarding this particular purchase of AC+.
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:rolleyes:
Your words
If you're ignorant of the facts or have difficulty with reading comprehension, perhaps your time would be better spent elsewhere.
 
It is wrong but if you drop it and it cracks you'll be sorry so always good to have AC.
 
captainfester said:
It is not illegal to sell products as bundles. They can sell an item packaged anyway they want.
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Thank you. This is correct. It's not illegal. It might be dishonest, but certainly not a criminal offense.

Applejuiced said:
They're forcing consumers to purchase items they dont want in order to get the iphone.
You find that legal, ethical or right?
What if you go to a gas station to get gas and they tell you that you need to get wiper blades or windshield fluid or they wont sell you any.
They're also breaking their agreement with Apple and its bad business practice.
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I do find it legal. I really don't see why it's not ethical, though I personally don't agree with it.

If a gas station, in your hypothetical did that, i would go to a different gas station and they would lose my patronage. As mentioned above, there is nothing illegal in bundling products and selling bundles. Just because something is in demand, rare, or hard to find, does not mean it's "wrong" to bundle it with other stuff. Do you complain that your TV comes bundled with a remote control, even though it has buttons on the side built in? Do you complain when best buy bundles a tv, blu-ray, and 10 3d glasses into a nice package? Do you complain that a car comes bundled with a 10yr/100,000mile warranty? What if I want to buy an iphone5 without having it bundled with a set of earpods and lightning cable? Who do I complain to?

My point is: almost everything sold can be considered a bundle. It's 100% not illegal nor unethical.

Applejuiced said:
Not sure, Im not a lawyer.
Are you?
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I'm not a lawyer, but I can say with 100% confidence that bundling is not illegal, and no crime is being broken.

That being said, it might be breaching a contractual provision between Sprint and the franchisee, or reseller; or between Apple and the reseller.
 
Arnezie said:
:rolleyes:
Your words
If you're ignorant of the facts or have difficulty with reading comprehension, perhaps your time would be better spent elsewhere.
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I'm not sure how that applies, as I was neither ignorant of the facts which I had investigated and found to be true from multiple independent sources, nor was I misunderstanding any of what you said.

I simply chose not to believe the unsubstantiated words of a stranger. I'll ask again, is this something that you, personally, make a habit of (to assume that I would)?
 
Applejuiced said:
Not sure, Im not a lawyer.
Are you?
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People claimed it was illegal like they knew. If you don't know, just say you don't know. I don't know, but I suspect there is no law against it. If there is, I'd be interested in knowing about it.
 
Okay, here is the deal...
It is illegal to force someone to buy accessories in a bundle if you don't have it in writing. Come on people, a 10-year-old would recognize that. You cannot advertise the iPhone 5 as being $199 but when you go to pay be told you have to purchase something else too.
Some laws actually do good.

I went into a Radio Shack to buy an iPhone 5 and was told that I would have to buy an accessory to purchase the phone, "it was corporate policy". I demanded to see it in writing and the associate just walked away. So, the manager appears and states the same thing; I HAVE TO BUY AN ACCESSORY TO BUY THE IPHONE 5, no exception whatsoever. I told him that what he is stating is illegal but he did not care, he stuck to his demands. He further stated that I could return the accessory in a week, but I absolutely had to buy it now. I decided to go along with it because finding an iPhone 5 in SoCal is tough.

Once I got home I messaged Radio Shack Corporate via Facebook and told them, in a professional manner, exactly what had happened. The next morning I had a reply stating that they were appalled by my experience, what the manager said was absolutely wrong, and they would get to the bottom of it. Another reply stated that the district manager had become involved in this and that I could return the accessory immediately without any trouble. I did return it and the non-manager employee that originally stated that I had to buy an accessory with the phone stated that the district manager had visited the store and he acknowledged that he was wrong and that the situation had been straightened out. I can only hope that the manager was fired and that others who were cheated and lied to come forward.
 
CarcinogenX said:
Okay, here is the deal...
It is illegal to force someone to buy accessories in a bundle if you don't have it in writing. Come on people, a 10-year-old would recognize that. You cannot advertise the iPhone 5 as being $199 but when you go to pay be told you have to purchase something else too.
Some laws actually do good.

I went into a Radio Shack to buy an iPhone 5 and was told that I would have to buy an accessory to purchase the phone, "it was corporate policy". I demanded to see it in writing and the associate just walked away. So, the manager appears and states the same thing; I HAVE TO BUY AN ACCESSORY TO BUY THE IPHONE 5, no exception whatsoever. I told him that what he is stating is illegal but he did not care, he stuck to his demands. He further stated that I could return the accessory in a week, but I absolutely had to buy it now. I decided to go along with it because finding an iPhone 5 in SoCal is tough.

Once I got home I messaged Radio Shack Corporate via Facebook and told them, in a professional manner, exactly what had happened. The next morning I had a reply stating that they were appalled by my experience, what the manager said was absolutely wrong, and they would get to the bottom of it. Another reply stated that the district manager had become involved in this and that I could return the accessory immediately without any trouble. I did return it and the non-manager employee that originally stated that I had to buy an accessory with the phone stated that the district manager had visited the store and he acknowledged that he was wrong and that the situation had been straightened out. I can only hope that the manager was fired and that others who were cheated and lied to come forward.
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Very well done.
We gotta stand up and do something about bad business practices like that instead of letting it go and say its ok to be treated that way.
 
A lot of retail locations do things like this with not just extended warranties but with addons.
 
CarcinogenX said:
Okay, here is the deal...
It is illegal to force someone to buy accessories in a bundle if you don't have it in writing. Come on people, a 10-year-old would recognize that. You cannot advertise the iPhone 5 as being $199 but when you go to pay be told you have to purchase something else too.
Some laws actually do good.
Click to expand...

What law do you think it's breaking. You're one of 3 people screaming it's illegal. None of you can back it up with any evidence. What law do you think it's breaking. I'll wait.
 
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CarcinogenX said:
Okay, here is the deal...
It is illegal to force someone to buy accessories in a bundle if you don't have it in writing. Come on people, a 10-year-old would recognize that.
Click to expand...
What law says this? The situation you describe is not bait-and-switch. There is no law against bundling, no criminal code, no ordinance, nothing. I've searched the databases I have access to (WestLaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law), and cannot find any statute or code that says shops cannot sell products bundled with other products, or that shops have to sell a product as they receive it from the manufacturer. In fact, any such law would be insane!

I can understand why people who have had this happen to them are upset, but consider all the other forms of bundling that we enjoy. At Trader Joes: I can't buy just one peach, I have to buy them in a shrink-wrapped pack of 6; At most shoe stores, I can't buy just one shoe; Practically all consumer electronics products are bundles as is: Can you buy an iphone without the lightning cable and USB charger? Aren't those bundled accessories?

CarcinogenX said:
I can only hope that the manager was fired and that others who were cheated and lied to come forward.
Click to expand...
So dramatic! A person just trying to earn a living bundled an accessory to make an extra buck; it's not bad enough to be fired in my opinion. Maybe a stern talking to, but not fired. It's not like be embezzled money or misappropriated stock.
 
This has nothing to do with bundling as that is 100% legal and seen quite often.
This is completely different. It is a shame that you cannot recognize the difference. A retailer cannot advertise a product at a given price, then charge more for it. I have no idea what law this falls under but it is a fundamental principal of our economic system. I mentioned this in my original email to RS but it was never addressed.

Imagine if you went to buy a can of Monster at your local 7-11. Theoretically, they charge $4.00 just like everyone else in your neighborhood. So you hand the guy $4 to pay and he states, “In order to buy a Monster at $4 you have to buy a truck tire for $50, no exceptions” You see the $4 a can Monster price is written all over with banners, displays, stickers, etc. It is not documented anywhere that you have to buy a $50 truck tire, it’s just this guy telling you that it’s corporate policy. You say, show me this in writing, I only see where I can buy a Monster for $4, he says I don’t care, you HAVE TO BUY a $50 truck tire with your Monster, end of story. You can return the tire a week later, but you have to buy now it with your Monster.
Would you buy the truck tire to get your monster?

Either way, you two are complete idiots. As a business owner I hope I am blessed to deal with people of your ilk more often. I have never done ill to a customer, nor would I ever condone it, but it’s always easier to deal with “simple” uneducated folk.

To quickly summarize, like a normal person with an IQ above 30 the district manager immediately recognized that what happened was absolutely wrong and was quick to state that there was never any policy in place like the manager had mentioned, they can only charge the advertised price for any item, and he offered a complete refund, a screen protector and a $25 gift card. He also stated that upon hearing of this there had been a complete re-alignment of how RS deals with customers in his district and in short: No more harassing about accessories. We’ll see when I buy the iPhone 6.
 
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I have to say that I’m really concerned by the fact that more people do not realize that what I stated above was illegal activity. I was not really all that surprised when a 20 year old Radio Shack CS guy stated that I HAD to buy accessories, but I was completely blown away by the fact that a 35+- year old Store Manager stated the exact same thing with the same level of veracity.

I guess people are not taught like they used to be.

I don't know the law exactly, but I can tell you it is illegal to kill someone for fun.
I can guarantee you with 100% confidence that it is wrong without quoting the exact phrasing of the law. My reference made earlier is really simple stuff that every American should know outright.

It just makes me wonder how many people per year get ripped off for how much??
 
It might be morally or ethically wrong to do this, although that even depends on your personal morals, but it definitely isn't illegal. It's called free enterprise. The store has an item that is in high demand and is trying to make a buck, nothing wrong with that! I wouldn't fall for it and would definitely complain, but there is nothing illegal about what they are doing.

If you truly think that they are breaking the law, call the police or speak with your local magistrate and try to press charges, I guarantee they'll laugh in your face!
 
Applejuiced said:
I never had a problem with AT&T in my area for over 14 years now.
Solid signal, no dropped cals, very fast data speeds etc...
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That's interesting because the AT&T wireless TDMA network from 14 years ago has been scrapped. What you have now is Cingular's network branded as AT&T.
 
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