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Lots of iPad 3 around today at the reseller stores in Hong Kong for anyone that wanted one.

More importantly (to me) the new Apple TV was also available, though the price was a rather steep USD250.

Unfortunately Apple won't sell AppleTV here via the official Apple store for some unknown reason so we have no choice but to go to local resellers, I am hoping in a few weeks the price will drop to a more reasonable level (say around USD150) then I will get it.
 
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If I was the manager I would refuse to refund them just for the lulz!

In the UK you don't have to refund something if there is nothing wrong with it. Many stores have a 14 day return policy. But that's all it is, a policy. Managers can and sometimes will overrule it.

Actually based on the E.U law, which completes gaps in the UK law or overlaps it in some occasions, you get 30 days to return ANY electronic product and the store HAS to offer you a full refund or replacement, as long as it is in a resellable condition.
And you get 2 years warranty in all your electronic products btw in UK, whenever the stores says so or not. :)

It is amazing how some UK stores miss-advertise some stuff, like the payable extra warranty or return policy.
 
That's all the purchasers fault. Why should a seller be responsible for a mistake the buyer makes?

Really? So, you buy a gift for someone, turns out the person already has it and its the buyers fault?

Not everything in life is black and white. Theres always a gray area.
 
Actually based on the E.U law, which completes gaps in the UK law or overlaps it in some occasions, you get 30 days to return ANY electronic product and the store HAS to offer you a full refund or replacement, as long as it is in a resellable condition.
And you get 2 years warranty in all your electronic products btw in UK, whenever the stores says so or not. :)

It is amazing how some UK stores miss-advertise some stuff, like the payable extra warranty or return policy.

I don't think this is quite right. This is from Which? I think the salient bit is about buying on-line.

"I've changed my mind
If you bought it online, and you're still within the cooling off period you should be able to return it for a full refund.
If you bought it in a shop, it might be trickier. Shops don't have to have a returns policy, but if they do have one they must stick to it. So check their policy and see what it says. You might be entitled to a replacement or a credit note.


Read more: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rig...-your-legal-rights/your-rights/#ixzz1q2Y8W7F2
Consumer Champions Which?
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial

Regarding the warranty business, the EU does confer more rights than UK law, and I believe it can be 5 years. I depends on how long the item can be expected to last.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governm...merrightswhenbuyinggoodsandservices/DG_194650
 
It's a real shame that a restocking fee doesn't apply in this case.

Then it would affect us all. Nope its fine how Apple does it. The days of this happening are numbered as Apple gets better at releasing the tablets. As long as they have not been open I see no issues with them.

I like how Apple is able to handle stuff like this and move on. Good for them.:)
 
Is Apple allowed to force you to open the box before you can leave with it? The resell rate goes down a lot when you do that, and all Apple has to do is rewrap it when they get a return, but is there some rule against that? Just an idea...
 
I have a friend that works at an Apple Store and he said that they were dealing with unscrupulous resellers who returned shrink wrapped "New iPads" that actually had iPad 2's inside. Crazy.

This is the type of crap that could bring back the restocking fees.
 
Is there stock in the NYC stores then? Am flying out tomorrow for two days and want to pick up a 64gb wifi, would even get a 64gb 4g due to the price difference ($150 cheaper than the uk versions)
 
Is Apple allowed to force you to open the box before you can leave with it? The resell rate goes down a lot when you do that, and all Apple has to do is rewrap it when they get a return, but is there some rule against that? Just an idea...

Of course not...you leave the store with your new purchase shrink wrapped...just the way my Apple stuff arrives via UPS.. I'm nt about to phone Apple and tell them there was nothing in the boxes....:D

Joking aside....serial numbers and online activation make that type of fraud nearly impossible...if you just want to look at a brick, then fine.
 
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There's a lot of confusion here with regards to UK Consumer Law, and that last Copy + Paste from the "Sale of Goods Act 1979" (as though nothing supercedes it) simply confounded the issue.

Any consumer has a statutory right anywhere in the UK (including "Distance-Selling" (Online)) to return any goods to a store during a 14-Day period following purchase providing the items are in an unused condition & upon production of a verifiable Proof Of Purchase (this can be a receipt, bank statement, or even simply an employee of the store witnessing the transaction).

This simply isn't correct.
 
Lots of iPad 3 around today at the reseller stores in Hong Kong for anyone that wanted one.

More importantly (to me) the new Apple TV was also available, though the price was a rather steep USD250.

Unfortunately Apple won't sell AppleTV here via the official Apple store for some unknown reason so we have no choice but to go to local resellers, I am hoping in a few weeks the price will drop to a more reasonable level (say around USD150) then I will get it.

I think - If your country does not have iTunes content then Apple does not sell the Apple TV in that country officially - btw i used to live in singapore way back in 2006.
 
It's a real shame that a restocking fee doesn't apply in this case.

Yeah, because restocking fees are awesome when returning a closed product that will simply be resold to another customer. :eek:

P.S. Apple stopped doing restocking fees over a year ago.
 
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There's a lot of confusion here with regards to UK Consumer Law, and that last Copy + Paste from the "Sale of Goods Act 1979" (as though nothing supercedes it) simply confounded the issue.

Any consumer has a statutory right anywhere in the UK (including "Distance-Selling" (Online)) to return any goods to a store during a 14-Day period following purchase providing the items are in an unused condition & upon production of a verifiable Proof Of Purchase (this can be a receipt, bank statement, or even simply an employee of the store witnessing the transaction). Many stores extend this beyond 30 Day as Store Policy, particularly over the Christmas period, so as to not dissuade Customers from purchasing items as gifts only to be unable to return the goods come January. Outside of the initial 14-Day period, it is left to the discretion of the manager as to whether to restock the goods. Until then, the Store has a legal obligation to refund.

The only exceptions to this are items that clearly cannot be resold due to hygiene reasons even where it appears the items haven't been used (eg. Earrings, Underwear etc.). Even in these instances, the store has a legal responsibility to explain these exemptions to you at the Point of Sale.

Qualifications? Six Years in retail (x5 as a Store Manager (Argos)) & a Law Conversion on my English Degree (+ LPC) from University of Exeter, specialising in Consumer Law.

I'm just curious as to where this statutory right is contained. If you could refer us to it, I'd be grateful. I don't pretend to be well-versed in consumer law, as something I haven't studied for the past two years, but from what I recall and from what I looked at last night, the SoGA is the primary source of consumer protection legislation. The main reason I ask for the authority to support your claim is so that I know the answer for myself and others can be assured that what they're reading is correct.

I apologise if anyone believes me to be too opinionated: I haven't actually asserted my own opinion anywhere; I've simply stated what I believe to be the applicable law regarding the return of goods in the UK.

Also, I only mentioned my studies/employment history in passing at the end of my post to explain my interest in the area of discussion. I have no intention to name either of the highly-reputable European Universities I've studied at, nor do I feel the need to reveal which of Britain's most respected brands I work for.
 
Why are people complaining about these returns ?

The US apple online refurb store is going to be well stocked. Bargains for all.
 
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LobsterDK said:
Completely agree. I love how I know more about OS X than they'll ever know, but I can't have a job because I'm not 18.

Naive, youthful narcissism at its finest. Yeah, I knew more than everyone else on the planet at your age as well. Most everyone does. Then the planet taught me some life lessons, as it does to all naive young narcissists. :rolleyes:

So true, so true. We've been young, They have never been old. IMO around the age 30-35 you start to gain a small amount of wisdom if your looking for it. Man age 12-25 I had NO CLUE. If you think you know something for sure that's prob a sign you know nothing about it
 
You obviously don't understand economics.

When Apple has a "lack in supply of iPad", what we really mean is that there aren't enough iPads to meet demand... AT THAT PRICE. The bold part is crucial. In order to equalize supply and demand (and for Apple to maximize profits), sellers of products normally (throughout most of economic history) adjust the price. So in this case, the price should be higher until there is enough supply and then the price can be reduced to keep enough demand to eat the supply.
Congratulations. You understood the first day of high school economics.
But Apple doesn't adjust prices based on availability or use an auction system. Instead they launch with constrained supply, a fixed price, and the result is massive waiting periods and physical line-ups. The amount of time spent by people in line-ups is massive (and it has a time and therefore monetary-value).
No retailers use an auction system because customers hate it and because it massively increases transaction costs. (Transaction costs won't be covered until the third week of classes).

In addition, customers want transparency in pricing. A customer who will be happy to purchase an item for $500 won't even bother going to the store if the price is going to be $500-$1500.
The resellers are not doing anything evil or sleazy. They are not "gouging". The technical term is arbitrage. Apple doesn't adjust the price to match market conditions, which means Apple is actually under-selling the iPad during the first weeks with low supply. The resellers are noticing this arbitrage window which is basically money that Apple has left on the table and doing what Apple should have done and making the profit for the trouble. Their profit is the discrepancy between the market-price and the fixed retail price.
Yes, they are doing something sleazy, and what they are doing is gouging.

And it's pretty stupidly arrogant to tell the most valuable company in the world how they should be selling their products, particularly when you are doing it based on the first day (okay, maybe the first week) of HS economics.

Again - why don't other retailers sell products this way? Because they are too stupid?
Thanks to resellers, customers don't have to wait in line-ups. If you want it, you can have it on the spot - you just have to be willing to bid more than your fellow iPad addict. If you want it so badly you're willing to pay a few hundred bucks more, it can be arranged.
Well, you are leaving out transaction costs. It's easy to find an Apple store. It's harder to find a reseller, and much harder to find a reseller whom you know won't rip you off.

And I haven't seen any evidence that the presence of resellers means that people don't have to wait in lines. What I've seen (in previous years) is that genuine retail customers have to compete with resellers for products offered for consumers. Apple does have a program for resellers (see, e.g., BestBuy) - but the scalpers are ignoring it.

But the main point you are missing is that the fact that something can be *explained* by economics doesn't mean that it is *good*.

But more to the point, using an auction system would dramatically increase transaction costs, alienate customers, slow down the purchasing process, and basically cause Apple to sell far fewer products.

The fact that the resellers are returning the iPad means that Apple has done something right - they didn't move to an auctioning system - and frankly it would feel weird for them to do so - rather, they made sure they had adequate supply built-up this time.


Good for Apple. Good for the customer.
Of course they didn't move to an auctioning system. That would be tremendously stupid...as I think you do kind of know, theory or not.
The resellers will always find another arbitrage window to close. And that's good for the customer too.
There were recently some tornadoes in the midwest - maybe they can sell gas at $15/gallon to the victims. I'm sure they'll be happy to not have to wait in line.
 
A few days ago I witnessed this myself, when I bought my new iPad at the 5th Ave Store.

I thought there was something wrong with the iPad, there was about three dozen people lining up to return mass quantities of them.

I put two and two together, however and realized I had nothing to worry about.

Glad they have an embargo in place!

-Franky
 
Apple tries to offer a premium experience with their products. These exporters can't offer an Apple-style buying experience, so it's in Apple's best interest to reduce the opportunities for the resellers

I"m sorry, but buying an apple product isn't a premium experience.
I've been to dozens Apple stores and pretty much each and every has smelled of armpit (my job has me flying across the country regularly, so It's neither a couple of poorly managed stores nor a local or regional phenomenon).

And lately I've seen a trend for ALL employees to dress the same regardless of their job (retail vs technical support) so having to figure out which person is a 'genius' (since they don't all sit around the 'bar' seems to be more problematic.
Add to that the fact that a few stores I've been to have had only a couple employees with the POS (point of sale) sleeve on their mobiles, so with Apple's "No register" setup, finding which freak'in employee can check you out is like flashing back to playing Where's Waldo. (Annoying in the very least.)
 
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These are not typical Apple fans. Instead they are participants in a complex and curious trade driven by China’s demand for Apple’s fashionable gadgets — products that are made in China in the first place and exported, only to make the long trip back.
I think this may be applicable:

nelson.jpg
 
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The China custom charge a higher import tax, as high as 130-140$. No surprise that they came to return. But surprised that those returners are young and pretty.

young and pretty? you can tell by the back of their heads from that picture? for all you know 'ol girl looks like Chairman Mao. rofl rofl
 
Normal Teenager

"I am put down and treated like a normal teenager."

You act like a normal teenager, perhaps that is why you are treated as one?
 
Completely agree. I love how I know more about OS X than they'll ever know, but I can't have a job because I'm not 18.

Perhaps it's your sparkling personality. Technical knowledge is barely 1/4 of the job; the other 3/4 of the job is customer service, and you appear to be under-qualified in that regard (you know, as you grumble under your breath in front of a customer about how much smarter you are than them).

----------

You obviously don't understand economics.

I think you missed the Ethics module of that little course you did.
 
Buying up the stock of an item from a store solely to try to scalp it to others for a ridiculous price is called "gouging" and "sleazy" not "being an entrepreneur." There's definitely something wrong with purposely trying to make sure legitimate customers have no access to an item they actually want, when these pigs had no interest in actually using the iPad in the first place.

No, there isn't, and this story is a perfect demonstration of why not.

If there is plenty of supply to match demand at the official asking price, then there is no role for scalpers - as demonstrated here.

But if the official price is set too low, then there will be more demand than supply (those are really just different ways of saying the same thing: put the price up and the demand will lessen).

This is where scalpers play a role: they correct the price. If it was set too low based on the available supply, the scalpers set the price at the highest level that will still enable them to resell all their stock.

The only people who can complain about this are the original producers - but they only have themselves to blame for not setting their own price high enough.
 
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