Question About iPhone 6 Plus Model Discrepancy

[brent1977]

Hope somebody can help me out. Just bought a sealed iPhone 6 Plus from highly-rated seller on Swappa. Model was listed as A1524 - Sprint unlocked. I confirmed that the unlocked Sprint model would work with Cricket and also liked that it included Sprint compatibility and at least some Verizon compatibility if I ever needed it.

When I received it, checked everything over and all seems fine. No issues with device.

My question is about the different model numbering and what appears to be a discrepancy. First let me point out up-front that the device serial and IMEI both match between the About screen and the box. Having said that, though, the phone shows A1524 on the back like it should. The box, though, shows A1522 and MGAX2LL/A - both of which I thought were the unlocked GSM model. The About screen shows NGA82LL/A as the model, but I can't find anything about that.

Am I missing something here? How can the serial and IMEI match but the box and phone seem to be for different models.

Anybody shed some light? Thanks!

 

[Gav2k]

iPhone 6 Plus (GSM/North America) A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (CDMA/Verizon) A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (Global/Sprint) A1524

iPhone 6 Plus (China Mobile) A1593
[doublepost=1465456118][/doublepost]NGA82LL/A refers to the a1524 model

 

[brent1977]

iPhone 6 Plus (GSM/North America) A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (CDMA/Verizon) A1522

iPhone 6 Plus (Global/Sprint) A1524

iPhone 6 Plus (China Mobile) A1593
[doublepost=1465456118][/doublepost]NGA82LL/A refers to the a1524 model

Ok. Thanks. So model number on About page is consistent with A1524 printed on the back of the phone.

But the box shows MGAX2LL/A and A1522 on the same label where it shows the same serial and IMEI found in the About page of the settings... I'm confused.
[doublepost=1465457515][/doublepost]Just a follow-up, here's the label from the back of the box. It seems far-fetched, but is it possible seller would print his own labels made to look like official Apple ones? Maybe to sell replacement or refurbished iPhones as new in sealed boxes?

 

[VSMacOne]

That label looks shady. It's missing the FCC stamp and the barcodes seem much too short. It definitely sounds like you were sold a different model than advertised.

 

[brent1977]

That label looks shady. It's missing the FCC stamp and the barcodes seem much too short. It definitely sounds like you were sold a different model than advertised.

Well, crap! Guess I should've paid more attention to the box label when I got it. I thought to check the condition, the serial number, the IMEI thought to check the condition, the serial number, the IMEI, warranty, but not the model number on the box.

Appreciate the reply. Not sure what to do. Maybe try emailing Swappa...

 

[VSMacOne]

Well, crap! Guess I should've paid more attention to the box label when I got it. I thought to check the condition, the serial number, the Miami I thought to check the condition, the serial number, the IMEI, warranty, but not the model number on the box.

Appreciate the reply. Not sure what to do. Maybe try emailing Swappa...

I would definitely contact them, unless the phone you got will work on Cricket. But even then I would notify them because that's shady of the seller to do that.

 

[Shadowbech]

The model number starting with N would probably indicate that it's a replacement unit at the Apple Store. Not sure if the seller replaced the unit at the Apple Store due to defect? I see that you said sealed box. So I guess the seller sealed it like as if it was brand new?

 

[brent1977]

I would definitely contact them, unless the phone you got will work on Cricket. But even then I would notify them because that's shady of the seller to do that.

The phone works on Cricket, but it bothers me that the seller seems to have been misleading about the condition. I specifically sought a sealed/new.
[doublepost=1465495092][/doublepost]

The model number starting with N would probably indicate that it's a replacement unit at the Apple Store. Not sure if the seller replaced the unit at the Apple Store due to defect? I see that you said sealed box. So I guess the seller sealed it like as if it was brand new?

That was my fear. That they had a replacement, repaired, or used phone; put it in a non-matching box; printed their own label to make it look like it matches; and then sealed it back...

 

[brent1977]

Emailed Swappa and they just said it was the responsibility of the seller and to contact directly. Said all Swappa worried about is whether the device that's sold matches the listing.

Seemed to me like new vs. used sort of falls into that, but guess not. Also thought they would be concerned since seller has other items listed.

Have contacted seller to see, but was actually hoping to hear some comments and/or opinion from someone at Swappa since they deal with this all the time. If seller did do some trickery, not like they'll just come out and admit it

Thanks again for responses and info.

 

[VSMacOne]

Emailed Swappa and they just said it was the responsibility of the seller and to contact directly. Said all Swappa worried about is whether the device that's sold matches the listing.

Seemed to me like new vs. used sort of falls into that, but guess not. Also thought they would be concerned since seller has other items listed.

Have contacted seller to see, but was actually hoping to hear some comments and/or opinion from someone at Swappa since they deal with this all the time. If seller did do some trickery, not like they'll just come out and admit it

Thanks again for responses and info.

That's surprising that they don't care about this. It's pretty clear that the seller lied.

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

Try the website above to get a date for when your phone was manufactured. Putting your serial number in will give you a bunch of helpful details.

 

[brent1977]

That's surprising that they don't care about this. It's pretty clear that the seller lied.

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

Try the website above to get a date for when your phone was manufactured. Putting your serial number in will give you a bunch of helpful details.

Thanks. Looks like the mfg date was November of 2015.

Another thing that I'd really like to have answered (and Swappa didn't seem interested in) is why the device was even listed as an A1524 in the first place. If the seller didn't open it, they should have listed it as a TMobile A1522 like was printed on the box?? So, if it was sealed and unopened, what made the seller decide to sell it as an A1524??

From the tone of the emails, I sort of got the impression that the person replying to me on Swappa isn't on my side, already. Everyone I've ever dealt with there in the past has been friendly and helpful.

Here's the info from the site you linked...

Family name:
Group1: iPhone
Group2: 6 plus
Generation:
CPU speed: 1.4GHz
Screen size: 5.5 inch
Screen resolution: 1920x1080 pixels
Colour: Space Gray
Production week : -45- (November)
Production year : -2015-
Model introduced: -2014-
Capacity: 16GB
Memory - flavour: xx
Factory: DQ (China - Foxconn)

 

[VSMacOne]

Family name:
Group1: iPhone
Group2: 6 plus
Generation:
CPU speed: 1.4GHz
Screen size: 5.5 inch
Screen resolution: 1920x1080 pixels
Colour: Space Gray
Production week : -45- (November)
Production year : -2015-
Model introduced: -2014-
Capacity: 16GB
Memory - flavour: xx
Factory: DQ (China - Foxconn)

Yeah that's not a new phone. It wouldn't have stayed in inventory anywhere for that long.
I would definitely try the CS again and hopefully escalate it to a manager. They need to make this right!

 

[TheIntruder]

Model numbers with N prefixes denote a replacement unit.

My replacement iPhone 5 has one, and it's been noted here before.

But IIRC I came across something that indicated that they might have abandoned that practice.

I have an A1524 myself and it works fine with GSM MVNOs.

The issue seems to be you paid for a brand new phone and received a replacement unit, which could actually be new, or remanufactured.

 

[TsuaSai]

Swappa doesn't really care at this point there isn't anything they can do. Just open up a dispute with Paypal they will inform you to do the same thing. I sold a phone on there that the buyer didn't feel match my description due to a finger print they claimed wouldn't come off. I have no idea if it was there or not. We just agreed on a lower price and moved on and I did a partial refund. I would at least want some kind of refund if I were you.

 

[brent1977]

I would definitely try the CS again and hopefully escalate it to a manager. They need to make this right!

Will give the seller a little bit longer to respond and contact Swappa again if nothing. Based on how responsive seller was during process, think they would have replied by now.
[doublepost=1465528640][/doublepost]

Model numbers with N prefixes denote a replacement unit.

My replacement iPhone 5 has one, and it's been noted here before.

The issue seems to be you paid for a brand new phone and received a replacement unit, which could actually be new, or remanufactured.

Thanks for confirming this. I had no idea about the N designation until it was posted above. I thought it was odd that I wasn't able to find much information on that model number.

That's exactly the issue. It works on Cricket, but I specifically paid a bit more and chose this specific one because it was sold as "new/unopened". I'm extremely picky, keep my devices in perfect condition, and then resell later to cover upgrades. Who knows how much wear is already on the battery. For all I know, the phone is refurbished/repaired by the seller.
[doublepost=1465528807][/doublepost]

Swappa doesn't really care at this point there isn't anything they can do. Just open up a dispute with Paypal they will inform you to do the same thing. I sold a phone on there that the buyer didn't feel match my description due to a finger print they claimed wouldn't come off. I have no idea if it was there or not. We just agreed on a lower price and moved on and I did a partial refund. I would at least want some kind of refund if I were you.

I was hoping to get from them the kind of information I'm getting here. I thought that, dealing with this all the time, they might be able to explain away some of my concerns. I've never filed a dispute with PayPal before to know how it even works so will have to educate myself on that. What I would like to do is just return the thing and be done with it - even if I have to pay shipping. My fear then would be that the seller would claim I returned it damaged or something...

 

[brent1977]

Just a follow-up update as a courtesy to those who responded... Swappa still appears to be staying pretty much hands-off. Said I should start a dispute with PayPal so I did. Seller is saying he's willing to accept return and then refund, but keeps communicating directly via email and appears to be resisting working through PayPal resolution (would seem to be big red flag). Isn't there just some button he has to click in there to "accept return" or something??

If I ship it to him now to the address he provided via email, I don't see what would prevent him from just telling PayPal that I never shipped it to him. Even if I can provide proof of delivery, he could just say it's the wrong address and he never said to ship it there.

Additionally, he keeps saying things like I need to send it back to them "as it arrived" and "exactly the way it was shipped". Wondering if he's going to try to refuse or reduce refund since it's no longer sealed.

 

[VSMacOne]

Just a follow-up update as a courtesy to those who responded... Swappa still appears to be staying pretty much hands-off. Said I should start a dispute with PayPal so I did. Seller is saying he's willing to accept return and then refund, but keeps communicating directly via email and appears to be resisting working through PayPal resolution (would seem to be big red flag). Isn't there just some button he has to click in there to "accept return" or something??

If I ship it to him now to the address he provided via email, I don't see what would prevent him from just telling PayPal that I never shipped it to him. Even if I can provide proof of delivery, he could just say it's the wrong address and he never said to ship it there.

Additionally, he keeps saying things like I need to send it back to them "as it arrived" and "exactly the way it was shipped". Wondering if he's going to try to refuse or reduce refund since it's no longer sealed.

Red flags. Refuse to do anything outside of PayPal. Keep all of this documentation and make him handle this through PayPal. Otherwise you have no way to make sure you get a refund.

 

[brent1977]

Red flags. Refuse to do anything outside of PayPal. Keep all of this documentation and make him handle this through PayPal. Otherwise you have no way to make sure you get a refund.

At this point, I'm leaning toward just giving up and letting the issue drop. I'm tempted to pursue it just on principle, but I have a working phone right now. If I try to pursue the return, I risk ending up without either the phone or the money.

I used iBackupBot, and it shows the charge cycle count at 3. So, assuming it's reliable, the phone at least has a new battery.

I keep trying to dial back my paranoia and give the seller the benefit of the doubt, but they keep doing more stuff that makes me think they're up to something.

 

[VSMacOne]

At this point, I'm leaning toward just giving up and letting the issue drop. I'm tempted to pursue it just on principle, but I have a working phone right now. If I try to pursue the return, I risk ending up without either the phone or the money.

I used iBackupBot, and it shows the charge cycle count at 3. So, assuming it's reliable, the phone at least has a new battery.

I keep trying to dial back my paranoia and give the seller the benefit of the doubt, but they keep doing more stuff that makes me think they're up to something.

Well it's your money. You do what you gotta do.
But I wouldn't drop it. That's blatant falsifying of a package. It's obvious he got a replacement phone from Apple and is trying to sell it as new. Shady any way you look at it.

 

[brent1977]

Well it's your money. You do what you gotta do.
But I wouldn't drop it. That's blatant falsifying of a package. It's obvious he got a replacement phone from Apple and is trying to sell it as new. Shady any way you look at it.

Seller has gone completely silent since I said I would prefer sticking within the PayPal dispute process and asked whether it presented him with any option to accept the return request or anything rather than just send me messages/comments. Maybe just because it's weekend.

Went ahead and "escalated" the dispute with PayPal to where they are supposed to get involved. Tried to provide all the details, but worried someone not familiar with iPhones may not see any significance in some of the issues. Also selected the option to accept partial refund as an alternative and chose an amount that would bring the price in-line with mint/replacement devices.

 

[TheIntruder]

There's really nothing fundamentally wrong with "white box" service replacement units; Apple hands out thousands of them every day in their stores. They're substantially new, with many of the major components replaced with new. And early in the model life cycle, when there is no to little customer returned stock to draw from, they are new units off the factory floor.

But, there is the principle--they are service parts and can't be considered brand new retail stock, and come in the aforementioned white boxes without any accessories. The seller obviously had to take some pains to put it in a retail box and fabricate a false label for it.

That kind of misrepresentation opens up all sorts of issues, and to me, shouldn't be allowed to go unnoted in the seller's feedback at the very least, even if you both agree on a reduced price or refund as part of a settlement.

 

[brent1977]

There's really nothing fundamentally wrong with "white box" service replacement units; Apple hands out thousands of them every day in their stores. They're substantially new, with many of the major components replaced with new. And early in the model life cycle, when there is no to little customer returned stock to draw from, they are new units off the factory floor.

But, there is the principle--they are service parts and can't be considered brand new retail stock, and come in the aforementioned white boxes without any accessories. The seller obviously had to take some pains to put it in a retail box and fabricate a false label for it.

That kind of misrepresentation opens up all sorts of issues, and to me, shouldn't be allowed to go unnoted in the seller's feedback at the very least, even if you both agree on a reduced price or refund as part of a settlement.

Exactly. I wouldn't have objected to purchasing a direct Apple replacement - had it been sold as such. Seller still has multiple other "new" items for sale on Swappa, so wonder if all are the same.

 

[brent1977]

Update: When I "escalated" the PP claim, they contacted the seller and the status switched to "Awaiting other party's response". Almost 48 hours now and still the same so seller apparently isn't responding to them. Status says he has ten days to respond, but not sure what happens if he doesn't. Checked other listings on Swappa, and he's still been responding to questions/offers on there.

 

[Shadowbech]

Update: When I "escalated" the PP claim, they contacted the seller and the status switched to "Awaiting other party's response". Almost 48 hours now and still the same so seller apparently isn't responding to them. Status says he has ten days to respond, but not sure what happens if he doesn't. Checked other listings on Swappa, and he's still been responding to questions/offers on there.

I'm not sure what happens. I know for eBay, paypal always sides on the buyer, unless the seller have documented proof. I would also contact paypal and see what they say if you haven't.

If you have not yet already, just like eBay, you can also rate the seller a feedback so you should definitely leave a feedback.

 

[brent1977]

I'm not sure what happens. I know for eBay, paypal always sides on the buyer, unless the seller have documented proof. I would also contact paypal and see what they say if you haven't.

If you have not yet already, just like eBay, you can also rate the seller a feedback so you should definitely leave a feedback.

If nothing back after the ten day period, will definitely contact PayPal. Not sure what proof he could provide in his favor. The item was sold as new and evidence all seems to say otherwise - "N" model number, device/box label mismatch, warranty status/issues, mfg date. Plus, that it was correctly listed as an A1524 when A1522 was incorrectly printed on the supposedly unopened box seems to rule out a simple mistake (to me anyway).

Swappa allows feedback/ratings to be edited. So, I modified my original positive comment/rating accordingly. Initially, I had said transaction went smoothly, item as described, etc., etc. Now, I modified it to say things seemed good initially, but have now found item was resealed rather than new and in process of trying to resolve.