iPad "welcome to ipad mini"

[bigbadbibbins]

I just opened an ipad air that is supposed to be "new". The box is a bit dirty and the little slip inside says "welcome to ipad mini". When I tried to chat with apple support their website said my coverage was expired and I needed to pay 29 dollars. My serial number begins "F" which I read, means it's refurbished.

So....I'm guessing amazon sent me a used unit, correct?

 

[myrtlebee]

I just opened an ipad air that is supposed to be "new". The box is a bit dirty and the little slip inside says "welcome to ipad mini". When I tried to chat with apple support their website said my coverage was expired and I needed to pay 29 dollars. My serial number begins "F" which I read, means it's refurbished.

So....I'm guessing amazon sent me a used unit, correct?

There is definitely something wrong with this. That is not a new unit. The key here is to find out when you place your order if it says "sold by and ships from Amazon". If so, you're usually guaranteed not to have a problem like this. If says "sold by [random seller] and fulfilled by Amazon" you're still usually okay, but not sure if the stock was aquired by Amazon through Apple as in the first case. If you bought it and it said "sold by and ships from [random seller]" then Amazon has nothing to do with it, and it was stock in the possession of a seller acquired from who knows where. Same thing with an item bought in Amazon marketplace. Check and see if Amazon fulfilled or shipped your order, if so call them and tell them this. Their customer service is usually great. Good luck.

 

[Bananas Ananas]

I just opened an ipad air that is supposed to be "new". The box is a bit dirty and the little slip inside says "welcome to ipad mini". When I tried to chat with apple support their website said my coverage was expired and I needed to pay 29 dollars. My serial number begins "F" which I read, means it's refurbished.

So....I'm guessing amazon sent me a used unit, correct?

This sounds really sketchy indeed. If your coverage is expired, then the unit can't be new. I would recommend contacting Amazon about this issue and I'm pretty sure they'll resolve it to your favor. Their customer support is often amazing and if you bought from 3rd party seller, then their A-Z guarantee will protect you. If nothing helps, then contact your credit card company that you used to make the purchase and file a dispute.

 

[iMi]

The easiest way to confirm if the unit is new would be to check support coverage online.

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

Check the serial you have now. Also, once you get a replacement from Amazon check that serial, too. You can do it before you open the box. If new, it should say serial is valid but not found and that you should sign in with your Apple ID for more details.

Once you open and activate the device, check again. It will have the activation date as the starting date of service with support expiring 90 days later and warranty 12 months later.

Hope this helps. Amazon customer service rocks. You won't have any problems.

 

[bigbadbibbins]

Yeah, I made sure when I bought the ipad that it was "fulfilled by amazon" just in case any problems arose. I don't trust the marketplace sellers. And sure enough...

Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[GGJstudios]

I just opened an ipad air that is supposed to be "new". The box is a bit dirty and the little slip inside says "welcome to ipad mini". When I tried to chat with apple support their website said my coverage was expired and I needed to pay 29 dollars. My serial number begins "F" which I read, means it's refurbished.

So....I'm guessing amazon sent me a used unit, correct?

Yes, it's a used unit. Certified Apple Refurbished products come with the same warranty as new products. You can buy Certified Apple Refurbished products at Apple's refurbished site.

 

[HarryWarden]

Yes, it's a used unit. Certified Apple Refurbished products come with the same warranty as new products. You can buy Certified Apple Refurbished products at Apple's refurbished site.

I'm guessing he knows that Apple sells refurbs. He was just inquiring as to whether he was sold a refurb that was likely marked as "New" by a third party on Amazon. I had a similar inquiry recently for which I received gracious help via MR Like him, I bought a model (the iPad Mini 2) that Apple doesn't sell as "new" anymore.

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm guessing he knows that Apple sells refurbs. He was just inquiring as to whether he was sold a refurb that was likely marked as "New" by a third party on Amazon. I had a similar inquiry recently for which I received gracious help via MR Like him, I bought a model (the iPad Mini 2) that Apple doesn't sell as "new" anymore.

The point is that Amazon doesn't sell Apple Certified Refurbished units. Apple does.

 

[myrtlebee]

I bought a model (the iPad Mini 2) that Apple doesn't sell as "new" anymore.

Apple does sell iPad mini 2 new: http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/
They also still sell the first gen iPad Air and, surprisingly, the first gen iPad mini new.

 

[HarryWarden]

Apple does sell iPad mini 2 new: http://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/
They also still sell the first gen iPad Air and, surprisingly, the first gen iPad mini new.

What I meant to say was that you can't get a size over 32 GB for the Mini 2 even though the Mini 3 is the same exact tablet just with Touch ID. If you're looking for a 64 or 128 GB Mini, there is no reason to pay a premium to get the Mini 3.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

Try actually calling AppleCare directly, and offering to forward them a copy of your proof of purchase. Apple's website's just going by when their system predicted the unit would've been sold. They don't actually get sale data from Amazon.