iPhone 16/Plus Stop ordering and returning

[Iron Curtains]

For many years now, it has been incredibly easy to secure a launch day iphone if you do the pre steps and wake up at 5am to press a couple buttons to preorder.

I'm sorry but I just dont have any sympathy for someone who has the means to get the iphone but dont want to do the simple thing of preordering at launch. It's not the fault of people buying and returning, its the fault of the person waking up at 9am and being upset the delivery window has already slipped.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

This is bullsh*t. If I am paying so much money, then I want to pay for device that I really want and not regret later that I choosed wrong. Sometimes the color has different tones in certain lights. Yes, you can go to the Apple Store and see colours in person, but these stores are showrooms with artificial light to impress the customer but you will use it in different conditions and see different colours of the phone in real life usage.
On the other hand, there are people who live far from Apple Stores and it is more comfortable to order 2-3 phones and choose colour by using few days.
This year I bought 2 iPhone 16 Pro Max - desert and white. I was using desert for few days but realized that in case it is not unique and sold it and keep white. But every my new phone get immediately screenshield so I waste one for phone that I get rid of. So this is my fee.. but as I said FOR MY MONEY I WANT TO GET WHAT I WANT AND MAKES ME HAPPY.
And I am not doing anything wrong if Apple allowed this. Managers from Apple know very well what are costs and if it is profitable for the company or not. And if it would not be they would not prolong the period from 14 days to 30 days during Christmas.

I just can't even relate tbh. Just pick a colour at purchase and own the decision. It is a mass produced consumer electronic, not a wedding dress. Apple should charge a restocking fee to customers who have a history of ordering multiple devices and commiting these devices to the refurbished sector IMHO.

 

[Josieb1]

We technically did two returns this time, I say technically as we picked them up in the Apple store and immediately returned them, so still sealed. We had to do this as they were purchased via Barclays Finance and we wanted to change the storage size, which you can’t do. We then bought two with the right storage size using a different payment method. Our last phones were purchased in May 2020 and we originally went for the same storage size, but afterwards thought that as we keep them for four years or more maybe we should up the storage.

 

[Moukee]

As long as you purchase with a genuine intent to keep the device, I don't see anything wrong with returning it after you found out something is not to your liking. A device that expensive needs to meet expectations.

For example, say you ordered the phone for the improved camera system only to find out the difference isn't noticeable to you compared to your current phone. Or you ordered the 16 because you thought Camera Control would be amazing for you to use only to find out the positioning of the button is really uncomfortable for you after a couple of minutes using it.

Or you thought Desert Titanium would be the color of your choice only to find that you don't like the look of it in different lighting conditions. If you order a black color and then return it for a white one, clearly you didn't make up your mind beforehand. But swapping Desert Titanium for Natural Titanium for example is kind of understandable in my opinion.

Maybe you also wanted to try the "Max" size this time because you thought the rounded edges would be comfortable enough for you to use it, but you figure out it wasn't and exchange the Max for the regular Pro instead.

On the other hand, if you order a device with the intent to return it from the very beginning, just to unbox it or try and generate clicks on your small YouTube "review", then that's just stupid.

 

[JaraCz]

I just can't even relate tbh. Just pick a colour at purchase and own the decision. It is a mass produced consumer electronic, not a wedding dress. Apple should charge a restocking fee to customers who have a history of ordering multiple devices and commiting these devices to the refurbished sector IMHO.

I have history of returning few products per year. But I have history of buying few Macbook Pros in Max variant, few iPad Pros, few iPhone Maxs per year and another products that you can see in my description.
So, I do not think Apple would want to charge me restociking fee for amount of money I paid them last 7 years.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I have history of returning few products per year. But I have history of buying few Macbook Pros in Max variant, few iPad Pros, few iPhone Maxs per year and another products that you can see in my description.
So, I do not think Apple would want to charge me restociking fee for amount of money I paid them last 7 years.

What you buy makes no difference to me and you should be treated like anybody else.

 

[JaraCz]

Obviously, your business knowledges are very poor.

 

[TheRealAlex]

The amount of people I see on this forum ordering the latest iPhone and then returning within the return window is really frustrating. I would suggest it’s only so those doing it can take part in the pre-order/new release hype with no real intention of keeping the device. But it takes away a phone from someone else waiting during launch, not to the mention the environmental impact and administrative burden.

Has it bothered anyone else seeing this practice be mentioned on here?

It’s free money.

order new iPhone each year make 5 TikTok Videos make 5 Instagram videos unboxing, and first impressions. Return it with in a week. Thanks to the algorithm that’s gonna pay you probably $2000.
Rinse repeat, with A new product.
You don’t even need a “Channel” or a personality brand anymore. It’s just views.

No one is gonna give up Free Money.

 

[stocklen]

It’s free money.

order new iPhone each year make 5 TikTok Videos make 5 Instagram videos unboxing, and first impressions. Return it with in a week. Thanks to the algorithm that’s gonna pay you probably $2000.
Rinse repeat, with A new product.
You don’t even need a “Channel” or a personality brand anymore. It’s just views.

No one is gonna give up Free Money.

and that, in a nutshell, is where the majority of the Vision Pros went!

I wonder how many of those were purchased out of curiosity or for attention seeking in social media with zero intention of keeping it more than 13 days 23 hours and 59 minutes.....

... quite a lot I imagine.

 

[the-bigwig]

Apple is the most powerful company in the world, it has the most success and money, as much as in any country. How does it feel to defend a company for which we are all nothing but bags of money? We are Excel posts, and the result for shareholders, nothing more. Do you want to please a powerful company at the expense of your own convenience?

Especially since if any product goes back to Refurbished, it's still pure profit for Apple - this company doesn't "lose" just gains, even after discounting or paying for delivery to a courier company.

 

[PaladinGuy]

Returns are a very important business component that removes friction from the buying experience. You don’t want people to not buy your product because they’re concerned they may not like it and be stuck with it.

If you’re a small company, you may not be able to swing it. However, Apple is one of the richest companies on earth. It makes no sense for them to change their policy. They already monitor individuals who make numerous returns.

 

[Ctrlos]

The amount of people I see on this forum ordering the latest iPhone and then returning within the return window is really frustrating. I would suggest it’s only so those doing it can take part in the pre-order/new release hype with no real intention of keeping the device. But it takes away a phone from someone else waiting during launch, not to the mention the environmental impact and administrative burden.

Has it bothered anyone else seeing this practice be mentioned on here?

Just going to an Apple Store and spending 10 minutes holding the device would save them a lot of time and money.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Most likely they go into the pile of replacements sent to people and stores for when a phone stops working within its warranty period. Any surpluses end up in refurbs online after a while.

Yes but unless the item is faulty you have to pay for return postage and return it in the same condition as it arrived, so it's not free browsing.

Apple is not what it used to be . . . . .

 

[chmania]

In the EU, at least, it is 14 day return policy, no questions asked, with free return costs. So, one can try anything within the 14 day period without losing any money. So, why not? A company's business or profit is not our concern!

 

[Gsxr750]

For me it is the exact opposite… i‘m too lazy to return them, which is why i make sure i won’t have to beforehand 😅

Haha same here. I don’t want to have to go through the hassle of it. Reviews, although can be biased a lot of the time or even most of the time, will give a better look into quality and performance of whatever it is.

This guys a complete narcissist though. Always had to argue anything you say, even if he was saying the same thing the day before.

 

[chmania]

Returning something is a very simple matter, if you buy it through certain channels. The pick up point is most times few hundred metres from home. When you need to return something, the return ticket is generated in your computer, all you have to do is wrap the product back, paste the ticket and hand over to the pick up point. Money will be in your bank in a day or two. It is always good not to buy from the manufacturer, but from the distribution. And, it is always good to wait few weeks before buying something just released. It is after all 2024, not the 90s last century.

 

[bigjnyc]

Source to back up your claim of all those pro-photo users? Because I can provide plenty for those that don’t like it. Or are you just assuming a false positive claim. LOL

If you claim it’s so “usable”, please enlighten me as to how display just my Recent Photos. The cornerstone of all previous Photo version.

"Not liking it" and "Unusable" are 2 very different things, and I think that's where you're getting hung up here.

I can see my recent photos just fine as soon as I open the photos app, its the first thing that comes up and is displayed...... My advise to you would be to play around with the settings within the photos app. It's very customizable as it relates to the views, the layout and which categories you can see or hide..... Once I took the time to play around with all of that I grew to like the new layout.

 

[chmania]

"Not liking it" and "Unusable" are 2 very different things, and I think that's where you're getting hung up here.

"Not liking it" comes before "unusable," so devices will be returned quite frequently.

 

[raylo32]

The sad thing is that Apple supports all this and knows it can charge whatever it must to pay for the churn. IOW, we still buy the darned things no matter the prices. I would almost consider going back to an Android and all the work that would entail, except then Google, and THEIR business practices. There are no saints here in big techworld.

 

[chmania]

The sad thing is that Apple supports all this and knows it can charge whatever it must to pay for the churn. IOW, we still buy the darned things no matter the prices. I would almost consider going back to an Android and all the work that would entail, except then Google, and THEIR business practices. There are no saints here in big techworld.

Apple, Google they both come from one country...😏

 

[Moukee]

The sad thing is that Apple supports all this and knows it can charge whatever it must to pay for the churn. IOW, we still buy the darned things no matter the prices. I would almost consider going back to an Android and all the work that would entail, except then Google, and THEIR business practices. There are no saints here in big techworld.

I returned a Google Pixel 6 Pro after a couple of days of testing it for multiple hours per day. Google didn't charge me anything, no restocking fee or whatever.

Iirc Samsung had a program when their foldable phones were new where you could test them for up to 90 days and return them for a full refund, even if the device had slightly worn.

So I'm not sure why you'd think Android manufacturers support this practice any less than Apple does.

 

[Howard2k]

The amount of people I see on this forum ordering the latest iPhone and then returning within the return window is really frustrating. I would suggest it’s only so those doing it can take part in the pre-order/new release hype with no real intention of keeping the device. But it takes away a phone from someone else waiting during launch, not to the mention the environmental impact and administrative burden.

Has it bothered anyone else seeing this practice be mentioned on here?

Wait, surely you're not suggesting that people do research and make an informed purchasing decision?

 

[Howard2k]

I just can't even relate tbh. Just pick a colour at purchase and own the decision. It is a mass produced consumer electronic, not a wedding dress. Apple should charge a restocking fee to customers who have a history of ordering multiple devices and commiting these devices to the refurbished sector IMHO.

Agreed 100%.

 

[Atreyu25]

Now imagine how many phones youtubers return when they do 'I BOUGHT EVERY COLOR AND SIZE IPHONE!! DO NOT CHOOSE WRONG!!! WATCH THIS VIDEO!' and after they're done with the video, they return like 10 phones. I'd say at least make returns a bit harder for a month after release or something.

Actually it’s good business for everyone.

Apple can enjoy free advertising, the influencer can enjoy an income from the video.

 

[raylo32]

The more puzzling thing is how anyone who can't decide on a color from the digital images on Apple.com can somehow use digital images or video from an "influencer" to make their decision. LOL. Good grief.

Actually it’s good business for everyone.

Apple can enjoy free advertising, the influencer can enjoy an income from the video.