Fedex lost my trade-in, and Apple says they won't honor the trade-in credit.

Question

Level 1

19 points

Fedex lost my trade-in, and Apple says they won't honor the trade-in credit.

I placed an order for the iPhone Pro Max 11 via the Apple Online Store, and requested a trade-in credit for my iPhone 8 Plus. Received the 11, received the trade-in kit, prepped the 8, shipped it in the trade-in box using the Fedex label provided, and handed it over to Fedex. I got a receipt with tracking number, date, and location of turnover.

The trade-in was tracked for four days, and then, after it got to "Lower Swatara TWP, PA (the site of an Apple warehouse), nothing. It has said "Delivery Pending" for the last two weeks.

After multiple conversations with support reps from the entire ladder, I have been promised phone calls, email followups, and other expressions of "support," but absolutely no fixes. The last rep I talked to said it was Apple policy that if the trade-in is lost by Fedex, the customer will NOT receive the promised credit. I am currently on a 1-hour hold while yet another "senior" rep is found to help.

Anyone else run into a problem like this? Could that really be Apple's official policy?

[love how cs reps are great at explaining what you've told them (3 times), but not quite as good at providing solutions.]

Thanks for any suggestions?

Posted on Oct 22, 2019 12:14 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

jgh Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 22, 2019 1:31 PM in response to Michael Black

Hey, Michael. I guess you thought my "two hours" comment was in reference to no replies to this. Not so. It was, in fact, a comment that I had by then been on hold for two hours. Nothing to do with the forums.

I know exactly what the forums are all about; I have been an Apple customer for 30 years and 6 months.

Also, after 2 hours, 15 minutes, they just hung up on me. For the second time today. SMH.

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Answer 2

jgh Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 28, 2019 12:36 PM in response to jgh

OK, so after literally hours (over weeks) on the phone with Apple AND Fedex, I finally got an Apple rep with enough clout to actually make something happen. Trade-in credit issued and received.

As a 30-year Apple customer, in the last month, I learned two things about Apple support in 2019: (1) Assuming you're not a complete noob, the only way to talk to someone who (a) actually listens to you, (b) has the power to get other Apple employees to help, and (c) actually wants to help solve your problem, is to spend hours of your valuable time actively seeking this person. (2) Apple's support system appears to be lacking in advice/assistance for long-time citizens of the Apple user community; it's great (and necessary) to help noobs, but it should be easier for an Apple support rep to be able to escalate a problem that is CLEARLY not solvable by a Tier 1 or Tier 2 rep. Surely Apple old-timers who do their own troubleshooting, present to Apple support with a problem well-documented and described, and say that they have already done everything that a Tier 1 rep would recommend, can be recognized and their issues escalated to someone with more than rudimentary Apple knowledge and experience.

I should not have had to spend all of this time and effort just to receive a $300 credit that I was owed. It's just ridiculous.

Still love Apple, though.

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Answer 3

JimmyCMPIT

Level 7

29,258 points

Oct 22, 2019 1:36 PM in response to jgh

Apple didn't loose your phone. You need to straighten this out with FedEx

Lower Swatara TWP, PA shows a fedex receiving facility

I typed Lower Swatara TWP, PA Apple into google and I got back Cider as the first hit.

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Answer 4

Oct 22, 2019 1:21 PM in response to jgh

Counting what? These are voluntary user community forums. People respond when or if they have time and see a post they fell they can help with.

Unfortunately there really is nothing anyone here can do to help you. Your stuck having to deal with FedEx and Apple yourself. What did FedEx say when you told them about the failed delivery? Until someone at Apple accepts it, it is FedEx’s responsibility.

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Answer 5

Oct 22, 2019 5:19 PM in response to jgh

I don’t have anything to suggest other than calling both Apple and FedEx and be polite, but persistent in escalating your call to a supervisor and upwards as needed until you get someone to react to the tracking information and indication of non-delivery by FedEx (or non-receipt of package by Apple).

There is not much else anyone here can offer.

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Answer 6

deggie

Level 10

167,363 points

Oct 22, 2019 7:24 PM in response to jgh

FedEx screwed up or misunderstood you when you contacted them. They said contact the shipper and in this case you are the shipper. They were probably under the impression that you didn't receive your new iPhone.

Apple works with a 3rd party, Brightstar, on trade-ins and you were shipping your iPhone to them. Once they receive your iPhone and inspect it they then pay Apple. If they don't receive your iPhone then no payment can be made and Apple cannot help you whatsoever. There is nothing their employees can do to fix the situation as they have explained to you.

Your shipment went awry at a FedEx shipping facility. You need to contact FedEx and keep asking for a supervisor until someone realizes that you shipped the package to Brighstar and they can start an investigation into what happened to your shipment. Be sure to provide them with your documentation on how much Brightstar was going to pay for your iPhone. It is then up to FedEx to compensate you for your loss.

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Answer 7

Rudegar

Level 10

174,396 points

Oct 22, 2019 10:55 PM in response to jgh

it may differ from country to country in terms of laws but once

I had a defect oven send back to the store, the store claimed they never received it

I contacted the postal service and it turned out they could provide a signature from the store, had that not been the case the they would be viable by law to pay me as they had lost the packet.

maybe when Fedex say shipper they are not talking about apple? as they would be the receiver rather than a shipper?

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