Apple Store iPhone return

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Level 1

25 points

Apple Store iPhone return

I exchanged an unopened iPhone 13 Pro yesterday for a different color. The box was unopened. The employee proceeded to remove the security tab on the outside and opened the box. I didn't notice when he did so and I'm not sure why he opened it. There was no reason for him to have opened it.

He said he returned the phone onto my account, then proceeded to charge me for the new phone. I see the charge on my account but I don't see the credit.

The strange thing is, he said my return was going to account ending XXX and those 3 digits DID NOT match my card. But, while I was at the store, I received an email that I was credited and the amount matched what I expected.

My question is - how long will the credit take before it appears on my app where I can see a credit placed toward my account balance? I'm nervous abuot getting my credit because he opened the unopened box and because the card number ending didn't match my card but the receipt for the return came through to my email address which is linked to my AppleID.

Posted on May 8, 2022 5:47 AM

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Answer 1

Jeff Donald

Level 8

44,670 points

May 8, 2022 8:05 AM in response to Nyobie

Returns/credits to a credit card account generally take 5 to 10 days to finalize. It can take a little longer, but that’s pretty unusual.

I’m a former Apple Store manager and it’s standard procedure to open returns. You’d be amazed at the number of people that try to return items with broken phones or objects of similar weight as the item they purchased. Even the security seal doesn’t stop a thief from trying.

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Answer 2

Nyobie Author

Level 1

25 points

May 8, 2022 8:27 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Thanks for your response! I’m shocked people would find a way to unseal a sealed box and take the device out of the box then try to return it. The employee though, didn’t seem to be looking for that. He was talking about whether I had already set the phone up on a plan or not and I already told him no. He looked confused, but I told him I do this with my phones every purchase - buy it outright, then hop online during my setup process, swap the SIM from my old device, get into the VZ system and affect the update after transferring all my data. Maybe he was just surprised that there are people out there who know how to do this stuff, but the person I was with, when she told me he opened the box, said that this is what he was asking me and we both saw how confused he was.

In any case, I’ll let this go for a week before checking my account to see if the credit appears. I don’t understand why, if the box was sealed and I had my receipt plus there’s no plan connected to the device, that I can’t get a refund same day like any other return. That’s unreasonable in my opinion. Especially for a device user who owns thousands of dollars worth of Apple devices and buys them as gifts for others.

Thanks again for your response. I guess some of us who are upstanding citizens pay the price for the shady characters out there. :(

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Apple Store iPhone return

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