Mailed 2 Apple Watches by Apple. Never ordered them. Never charged for them.

[collin_]

Credit reports aren't usually updated right away and most credit cards only report once a month. So be sure to monitor your report over the next few weeks even if you end up contacting Apple about the unordered merchandise.

Also would you be able to post the shipping label with all your personal info and the tracking number redacted?

Not sure if I should post it since there's a decent amount of info on it that I don't fully understand, but it is addressed to me, my address, and my phone number, and it says it's from "OHL C/O APPLE INC" in Mount Juliet, TN.
[doublepost=1551811909][/doublepost]Okay I have an update. I called Apple and they said "it sounds like you've won the watch lottery," but after I requested billing info, they looked it up and said it was not from Apple. I forget exactly what they said when I asked why the shipping label says it came from Apple, but I think they basically just implied that it could say that on the box even if it wasn't from them. So basically Apple doesn't know what's going on either and they said it must have been ordered from a carrier. They didn't say much other than that I should thoroughly inspect the packaging once I receive it (it is currently with family members because it went to my old address) to try to find which carrier it came from, and reach out to the carrier from there. Anybody know if cellular Apple Watches come with some sort of indication of the carrier they came from?

 

[Allyance]

Did you happen to notice where they were shipped from? If they came from Apple, then they would have been shipped from China directly, as was mine.

As a basically honest guy and an Apple stock holder, I would hope you would do the right thing and contact Apple. If they say you can keep them, then keep one and pay it forward by giving the second one to someone in your family or friend who would not normally be able to afford one.

Could have come from other resellers; Best-Buy, Walmart etc. You do what makes you feel good.

 

[circatee]

Wait, hang on. You've moved, and said order was sent to your old address?
Honestly, how is this not some type of fraud by someone (not you)?

Surely if you moved, your address on your carrier's account and Apple account, all match the NEW address, no?

 

[jaybar]

How many carriers sell Apple Watches? If there could be a small number, you could call each. The watch will give you the IMEI and Serial number. The shipping label should also give the tracking number. Each shipper has their own format.

 

[collin_]

Wait, hang on. You've moved, and said order was sent to your old address?
Honestly, how is this not some type of fraud by someone (not you)?

I mean I literally just moved weeks ago. I still haven't updated my address on a lot of services except the essential ones (like with my bank in order to obtain proof of address to get my license). Pretty sure my family just got a Dollar Shave Club order meant for me, too. I should probably update that...
[doublepost=1551812523][/doublepost]

Did you happen to notice where they were shipped from? If they came from Apple, then they would have been shipped from China directly, as was mine.

As a basically honest guy and an Apple stock holder, I would hope you would do the right thing and contact Apple. If they say you can keep them, then keep one and pay it forward by giving the second one to someone in your family or friend who would not normally be able to afford one.

Directly from a warehouse in TN to me, which seems kind of odd. I think I will end up giving one away, because lord knows I'm not voluntarily handing them over to a carrier when 1. I don't have to and 2. a large corporation will end up paying for the replacements no matter how this plays out. I'm not trying to be a brat I just genuinely don't see it as immoral, and I'm not going to entertain the holier-than-though morality trolls earlier in this thread. I'm getting ahead of myself though because nobody even knows what happened yet.

If I find out that for some reason, a consumer (rather than a shipping insurance company) would suffer loss as a result of this, then I will gladly send them back to wherever they came from.

But for now the FTC legally considers them to be a "free gift" and that sounds good to me!

 

[Knight3]

Not sure if I should post it since there's a decent amount of info on it that I don't fully understand, but it is addressed to me, my address, and my phone number, and it says it's from "OHL C/O APPLE INC" in Mount Juliet, TN.
[doublepost=1551811909][/doublepost]Okay I have an update. I called Apple and they said "it sounds like you've won the watch lottery," but after I requested billing info, they looked it up and said it was not from Apple. I forget exactly what they said when I asked why the shipping label says it came from Apple, but I think they basically just implied that it could say that on the box even if it wasn't from them. So basically Apple doesn't know what's going on either and they said it must have been ordered from a carrier. They didn't say much other than that I should thoroughly inspect the packaging once I receive it (it is currently with family members because it went to my old address) to try to find which carrier it came from, and reach out to the carrier from there. Anybody know if cellular Apple Watches come with some sort of indication of the carrier they came from?

That's the reason why I asked if you could post a snap of the label cuz it may seem like it was from Apple even if it's sent from another carrier.
[doublepost=1551813339][/doublepost]

I mean I literally just moved weeks ago. I still haven't updated my address on a lot of services except the essential ones (like with my bank in order to obtain proof of address to get my license). Pretty sure my family just got a Dollar Shave Club order meant for me, too. I should probably update that...
[doublepost=1551812523][/doublepost]
Directly from a warehouse in TN to me, which seems kind of odd. I think I will end up giving one away, because lord knows I'm not voluntarily handing them over to a carrier when 1. I don't have to and 2. a large corporation will end up paying for the replacements no matter how this plays out. I'm not trying to be a brat I just genuinely don't see it as immoral, and I'm not about to get in an argument with all the holier-than-though morality trolls earlier in this thread. I'm getting ahead of myself though because nobody even knows what happened yet.

If I find out that for some reason, a consumer (rather than a shipping insurance company) would suffer loss as a result of this, then I will gladly send them back to wherever they came from.

But for now the FTC legally considers them to be a "free gift" and that sounds good to me!

I don't have an issue with any of that morality clauses either but as long as you're not a victim of identity theft and you have a legal authority to keep it, I'd say go for it. You've already talked to Apple about it and I don't see anyone else being charged for it when the label clearly says your name.

Good luck

 

[magicschoolbus]

If you ordered them and put in your credit card info, and never got charged - I would say keep them.. as the credit card companies could have your back and stick up for you on your end.

Since 2 apple watches just fell out of the sky on your porch - I would hold onto them for a month or two.. make sure nothing shady happens on your bank statements, credit reports, etc.. and if all works out and nothing pops up.. keep them.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Ok let's not get carried away
.

You are right, what was I thinking, honesty and having morals is dead now.

 

[collin_]

If you ordered them and put in your credit card info, and never got charged - I would say keep them.. as the credit card companies could have your back and stick up for you on your end.

Since 2 apple watches just fell out of the sky on your porch - I would hold onto them for a month or two.. make sure nothing shady happens on your bank statements, credit reports, etc.. and if all works out and nothing pops up.. keep them.

I didn't order them, but yeah I agree with that plan. Definitely not going to go out of my way to call every phone carrier and find out where they might have come from.

 

[bbednarz]

You are right, what was I thinking, honesty and having morals is dead now.

Get off the high horse. Read what he said a little while ago. He called Apple, they said they weren't shipped from them. He has tried to contact the right people.

Who is he supposed to return the watches to? Is he supposed to just call every wireless carrier and store that sells Apple Watches until he finds the right one? As long as his identity isn't in jeopardy I see nothing wrong with keeping them.

 

[44267547]

I didn't order them, but yeah I agree with that plan. Definitely not going to go out of my way to call every phone carrier and find out where they might have come from.

I just want to say, I can appreciate you responding in this thread respectably to others and you have taken a lot of measures it seems to try to figure out exactly what happened here with the watches, when others would just ignore what others said in your situation . My biggest advice, is keep watch on your credit, Keep a timeline of when you received the watches, Talked with Apple, ect, I would take photos just as a precaution, and keep us updated in the future if anything actually happens out of the situation.

 

[casperes1996]

My suggestion is to send Apple an email saying "For my next free gift, I'd like an iMac Pro, please. Thank you for the two Watches as well. You did miss my birthday a bit, but I won't hold it against you"

 

[Beachmusic18]

Just wanted to say, I agree with Relentless Power. As I read this thread I was struck by your polite responses and willingness to calmly repeat things you’d previously stated. That’s refreshing in today’s internet forums! I wanted to add, JUST in case you weren’t aware of this...the watches require that you have an iphone. If not, you’ll be spending a like amount on a new phone to use with the watch that you must not have been yearning for already!

Also, like Relentless, I hope you’ll update us if this is ever cleared up. I’m a bit worried about the squirelliness of this—your name and address, evidently your email too if you got a tracking #. What the heck!!!

 

[casperes1996]

I don’t want to derail the thread, because that’s not what this is about. But in the case of somebody’s confidentiality that might be compromised due to a security breach, absolutely, you should have an attorney involved to help clear any potential fraud that the OP doesn’t expect yet. These types of situations can be extremely problematic and take months to resolve with a credit company, and an entire investigation has to be conducted. It’s not a good situation.

Right - I don't want to get too off-track either. It's just the phrasing "Contact your/my attorney". I think most people where I'm from will never need to talk to an attorney in a lifetime, aside from maybe when buying a house. And it'd never be directly associated with them, i.e. it'd just be contact an attorney. But I digress; Just a tad confusing to me

 

[44267547]

I think most people where I'm from will never need to talk to an attorney in a lifetime

In the instance of fraud, it has nothing to do with contacting an attorney in a ‘lifetime’, its everything to do with the circumstances of the current situation. Any type with fraud involved with credit card, fraudulent purchases, security breaching/infiltration, as serious as Fraud is today in the cyber criminal world, having an attorney is almost a ‘must’, especially when it comes to clearing credit scores, restitution and any other type of law-enforcement corroboration. In the totality of circumstances of how serious it is with somebody’s personal information being compromised, you almost have to have an attorney in _those_ situations. Times have have changed, because of how dynamic criminals are today.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Get off the high horse. Read what he said a little while ago. He called Apple, they said they weren't shipped from them. He has tried to contact the right people.

Who is he supposed to return the watches to? Is he supposed to just call every wireless carrier and store that sells Apple Watches until he finds the right one? As long as his identity isn't in jeopardy I see nothing wrong with keeping them.

I agree with this...at some point I would just keep them too. How much work would I really be willing to put in on this? It wasn't my screw up in the first place.

 

[artfossil]

The unintended consequences of receiving over $1000 of "free" merchandise could be very unpleasant indeed.

Speaking for myself, I'd be most worried about identity theft and I'd want to try to get to the bottom of who ordered the and how these watches got to me.

There are only six carriers who offer cell phone service for Apple Watch, according to Apple:

• AT&T
• C Spire3
• Sprint Wireless3
• T-Mobile USA
• US Cellular3
• Verizon Wireless3

I'd be making six phone calls.

(I also wouldn't be able to keep $1000 of unordered merchandise, but that's my choice.)

 

[JWGold]

I’ve already explained how this is a known identity theft scam. You’ve indicated you’ve checked your credit. It takes a long time for these things to show up on your credit. My only word of advice is, be careful. If you activate them in your name, and eventually, the truth unfolds, you will be on the hook for the devices, especially if you’ve activated them and retained possession of them. In the worst case, they could come after you for fraud for saying you never ordered them, yet you have them active under your name.

 

[casperes1996]

In the instance of fraud, it has nothing to do with contacting an attorney in a ‘lifetime’, its everything to do with the circumstances of the current situation. Any type with fraud involved with credit card, fraudulent purchases, security breaching/infiltration, as serious as Fraud is today in the cyber criminal world, having an attorney is almost a ‘must’, especially when it comes to clearing credit scores, restitution and any other type of law-enforcement corroboration. In the totality of circumstances of how serious it is with somebody’s personal information being compromised, you almost have to have an attorney in _those_ situations. Times have have changed, because of how dynamic criminals are today.

I'm not sure if maybe I'm not understanding you properly, or perhaps I myself am not being clear enough as to what confuses me.
It's not the contacting of an attorney. It's the "having an attorney" part. I.e. a pre-existing relationship with a specific attorney, rather than just going "well, I'll find a attorney" as in any random one you decide to contact.

 

[magicschoolbus]

Is it possible you activated new phones and fell into a grace period for promotional items/deals?

 

[44267547]

Again, JWGold is right in Post #68. If this is a case of fraud with these Apple watches, it’s going to take some time for that appear on the OP’s credit report, it doesn’t happen overnight or even the next week, because the balance for the watches that is due eventually, has to be subsequently overdue/not paid with a late payment, which then gets reported to the credit bureau—>which then affects your credit—>which could be up to a month or longer before you notice/see any movement on your credit report. This is why I mentioned keep watch on your credit, and keep a trace of all the info regarding the watches, [i.e. when you received it, pictures, etc.]

 

[SeptemberC]

About 10 years ago I received 6 large boxes one evening from the FedEx man. I assumed that my husband had ordered something as they were addressed to him. When he got home he was surprised as he had NOT ordered anything. We opened the first box to find pottery barn style office furniture pieces. We called the company the next day and they could not tell me WHO had ordered them. But they would give me the last 4 digits of the card that was used. NOPE it wasn’t our card. We stored the boxes in our garage for over 6 months. We never heard another word. We donated the furniture pieces. IT WAS A WEIRD FREAKY EXPERIENCE!

 

[Beachmusic18]

Secret admirer who wants to workout with you? S/he’s waiting for your thank you!

You mentioned you had JUST moved and it was out of state I assumed because of the new license. In the course of the move, you are giving former and new addresses, and heavens knows what other information...phone numbers for certain. Could someone involved in your move have used your info, knowing you were no longer at that address, set up a new account and had the watches sent to the old (empty?) address, not counting on a tracking number being sent to you?

Love,

Nancy Drew

 

[collin_]

Thank you guys for all the great points made in this thread, some of which I never would have thought of myself. I've read everything and taken it all into consideration.

I don't think I'm going to reach out to the carriers, but I'm also not going to use either of the watches yet, because @JWGold made a great point about how that could relate to liability in the case that this is some sort of fraud.

For several reasons I really don't think that this is a case of fraud, but I will be monitoring all my accounts, and I won't be touching the watches for at least 31 days.

I will keep you guys updated.

 

[SDColorado]

I had a similar sort of thing happen with a motorcycle jacket, that was valued at about $700. I ordered one and received two by accident. I was told to keep the second as a gift since it was their mistake. I told them I didn't need two, so they suggested I just pay it forward and give it to someone else if I didn't need the second and that is what I did.

If don't need the second of the two identical watches, you could always consider doing the same. Find someone to give it to that could not otherwise afford it. I think karma works itself out that way and I felt a lot better about them not accepting the return