Wow that is probably the worse Apple Store experience I have ever heard. Did you have it on your renter's insurance or personnel property insurance? Also I don't own an iPhone, but doesn't it have a remote erase function? Sorry to hear about your bad luck.
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iPhone thief takes my iPhone in while my friend is working at Apple store
- Thread starter nervouschimp
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And here's another one posted only yesterday
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5884975#post5884975
What is the world coming to?
Don't be sorry. Your antagonist is a troll. I am a long time lurker, recent poster to this forum and I have seen over the past year that most people on this site just ignore his needless torments and baiting. I suggest you do the same. Life is just better ignoring the trolls of this world..
Wow. I don't care if the OP is telling a true story or not - this thread is worth the entertainment alone!!
Are you stating your life is the internet?
Last i checked there are no trolls in real life.
Thanks atiffa
Hey nervouschimp, I'm the girl who posted yesterday about similar treatment involving my laptop:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5889645&posted=1#post5889645
I'm also being accused of making this up, though why I would bother to do that I do not know. So I wanted to express solidarity.
And to connect in case there is any way we can help each other out.
My laptop was actually not returned to the person who brought it in for repair - the police have it. But I was informed by a store employee recently that it is in fact store policy to return merchandise to the person who brought it in for repair if they request it, even if they are aware that the property is stolen. IMHO, this defies logic. The detective on my case did suggest that companies like Apple have no vested interest in discouraging theft because the vast majority of people whose computers are stolen will go out and buy a replacement, so the company makes more money. But I'm amazed that this behavior is not illegal. My detective also says that if it is something with a serial number, it is the legal responsibility of a buyer to verify that the merchandise is not stolen, or they are liable for arrest for possession of stolen property. He compared it to cars and VIN numbers.
This whole situation is so messed up and I can't find anyone at Apple willing to help or even just to tell me why it is taking so long.
Good luck to you.
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5889645&posted=1#post5889645
I'm also being accused of making this up, though why I would bother to do that I do not know. So I wanted to express solidarity.
And to connect in case there is any way we can help each other out.
My laptop was actually not returned to the person who brought it in for repair - the police have it. But I was informed by a store employee recently that it is in fact store policy to return merchandise to the person who brought it in for repair if they request it, even if they are aware that the property is stolen. IMHO, this defies logic. The detective on my case did suggest that companies like Apple have no vested interest in discouraging theft because the vast majority of people whose computers are stolen will go out and buy a replacement, so the company makes more money. But I'm amazed that this behavior is not illegal. My detective also says that if it is something with a serial number, it is the legal responsibility of a buyer to verify that the merchandise is not stolen, or they are liable for arrest for possession of stolen property. He compared it to cars and VIN numbers.
This whole situation is so messed up and I can't find anyone at Apple willing to help or even just to tell me why it is taking so long.
Good luck to you.
It doesn't make any sense for the company to not cooperate with police. If their policy had something to do with not wanting something to happen to someone who may have unknowingly bought a phone on craigs list, it would be irrelivant.
Turning over the info is for investigation, not arrest. They would use the info, knock on the guys door, ask to see his phone, check the serial, possibly take the phone into custody and interview the guy.
It's not like a postit note with a guys address is going to warrant the po-po busting down the guys door and taking him "downtown".
No sense. Pics or it didn't happen. I want you're friend at the Applestore holding a piece of paper with your handle on it, as well as the police report of the robbery and the list of missing items submitted to the insurance company. If possible, hugging or shaking hands with the guy who stole it.
Turning over the info is for investigation, not arrest. They would use the info, knock on the guys door, ask to see his phone, check the serial, possibly take the phone into custody and interview the guy.
It's not like a postit note with a guys address is going to warrant the po-po busting down the guys door and taking him "downtown".
No sense. Pics or it didn't happen. I want you're friend at the Applestore holding a piece of paper with your handle on it, as well as the police report of the robbery and the list of missing items submitted to the insurance company.
If possible, hugging or shaking hands with the guy who stole it.
It is illegal. Apple would be in knowing possesion of stolen property. THAT'S why I don't believe it. Also, if they knowingly gave it back it'd be distributing stolen property. Perhaps a lawyer can confirm, but I think the only LEGAL thing you can do if you are given something you know to be stolen is to return it to the person who legaly owns it or the police.
I'm not a legal professional, but couldn't apple's legal department have some type of obstruction charges against them? Since your friend is/was an employee, and seeing she provided the manager the information, Apple is in possession of evidence. I guess this could be classified as withholding evidence or something? Again, I'm not a legal pro...
I guess it depends what the subpoena specifically said, and that's probably what apple delivered.
true story or not, this is a good read...
As a person whose laptop was stolen, I have zero sympathy for the person who bought it on craigslist, who found a "good deal" way below market value, and might have guessed something was up, except that he or she preferred to turn a blind eye. There is a penalty for buying stolen property, and that penalty is that you are arrested for possession, fingerprinted and questioned and then released if you are clearly not the one who did the actual stealing. Plus you lost the $500 or whatever you paid for the laptop that is worth $1700. (I saw a macbook listed on craigslist for this price a week after mine was stolen.)
what about the customer who didn't look on craigslist for a deal too good to be true, but who went and bought the computer new at full retail value? Aren't we more deserving of company sympathy?
Law student, not lawyer, but it's a little more complex than that in my knowledge.
I know the poster of the stole macbook issue was saying something along the lines that her detective said if something has a serial number it's the persons responsibility to ensure that it is not stolen. However, its significantly different than car VIN's because there is no government database to which one reports stole laptops. She was very fortunate in her situation that she got this e-mail saying that her computer was in for repairs, but in any other situation the possesor of the laptop (thief or not) wouldn't be able to enter the serial number on Apple's website and determine it's stolen (iphone may be different due to the subscription status).
So, as I mentioned on the iphone story, Apple can't just go on the word of the previous owner/detective and immediately turn it over. She could, hypothetically, have sold the computer at one point, realized she got a bad deal or just changed her mind, and reported it stolen to get it back. Apple requires subpoena's etc. to ensure that no one's screwing them over too.
Pain in the ass? Yes. But necessary.
Just curious, but could you tell me where you got this information. Sorry, law student habit kicking in. I need citations!
see now that i beleive. I'm sorry that your friend went through such an ordeal, I can't beleive the hostility nowadays towards microsoft employee and fans walking into apple stores.
I, for one, am quite happy with the way Apple acted. I don't need to worry about the police coming to my house if I had a problem with a used product (Well, he DID bring in a MBP...and he wasn't white, so yeah, I'll give you his contact info) I 'm surprised so many of you are perfectly fine with a company handing over your information to the police without court order.
This isn't anything personal or against the OP, just the way I feel about it. Sorry about your loss, good luck!
This isn't anything personal or against the OP, just the way I feel about it. Sorry about your loss, good luck!
Bingo. It really sucks and is frustrating to those who got robbed, but it's vital to maintain our privacy rights.
Just curious, but could you tell me where you got this information. Sorry, law student habit kicking in. I need citations!
Not sure what information you mean. I'm an editor, not a law student, so I don't know for certain about the punishment for being in possession of stolen property but the police did tell me they had to arrest the person who brought the macbook in for possession of stolen goods, and I imagine they would also fingerprint that person because they fingerprinted my apartment (and made a huge mess doing so which I hope was not for nothing) - to make sure that person was not at the crime scene.
Just to be clear, I personally never asked Apple to turn any personal information over to me, but to the police, who have procured an arrest warrant and a subpoena for that information. So at this point, Apple is refusing to cooperate with the legal process.
Thanks, cdenes. Hearing your story makes it easier to deal with everyone who thinks I would make crap like this up for no reason. I am a life long mac user, I have no reason to slander them. I post this story now, because I am astonished that even after a subpoena, apple would not cooperate. This story should have ended well with a nice "stupid criminal brings stolen goods back to apple store" headline, but thieves have nothing to loose when they bring stolen property to Apple. They can even leave with the stolen stuff they brought in.
To anyone offering hindsight to our friend at the store, she had no idea it would go like this, and they were very busy that day. She was shocked that they just let the guy go. It was not her doing, she was just trying to help, and going against protocol, I'm sure. I want her to keep her job, so I'm glad she didn't take things too far.
Heres an update to the situation... my wife just IMed me that the detective just called and said Apple is going to provide the info we requested. YAY!
Does SJ read macrumors?
Wish us luck!
Good luck, cdenes.
Does SJ read macrumors?
Wish us luck!
Good luck, cdenes.
Yes I do. I had my secretary make a few phone calls and your detective is getting the info as we speak.
Gotcha. I guess I got confused because you were saying that the penalty for possesion of stole property was... (fill in the rest here).
Quick law lesson (because I'm procrastinating), but the crime of possesion does not simply constitute the act of possessing, but there is a mental component as well (ususually knowingly possessing). As I think I've noted in my previous posts, at the moment we are completely unaware if the person who brought the macbook in actually knows it was stolen. And that is probably where Apple legal is resisting. (Although in your case, I'm actually suprised the police got the laptop back and not the name. I would typically think it would be the other way around.)
Apple is resisting because, if the person who brought it in happened to be completely innocent, it would look terribly bad that they were revealing people's identification to the police.
Now, if the police had tracked this guy down (let's say waited for him to come back and pick up the macbook?) and gathered enough evidence to charge him with theft (say, fingerprints matched from the crime scene), then Apple would be more likely to cooperate. But clearly their legal department is sensing that this is not the case.
I do wish you luck. I'm a lifelong mac customer too and am shocked at the treatment I'm getting form the corporation and here. I emailed SJ last night. Let's see if that gets me anywhere!
On the other hand, I'm disheartened to hear you waited for over 2 months for Apple to respond to the subpoena. Does law student on here know if there is a time limit within which a response is required?
I've only been waiting a month so far and do not relish waiting another one.
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