Apple delivered wrong iPhones and are not refunding

Hi, i got a call from a different exec after I emailed the CEO.

Hopefully they help you resolve your case as they did with me.

Was just about to post positive news too! So good to see others getting somewhere.

I’d emailed Big Tim C last week and have dealt with someone in executive complaints this week. My replacement is being delivered tomorrow. It’s a shame that they can’t disclose details of how it went wrong, but good to see that others are also getting their phones too. I still don’t understand how the other team could flat out refuse to accept that any mistake could have happened at one of their facilities.

sorry to hear that you’ve had this issue too.

Unfortunately, those completing these investigations have a very rigid view that no mistakes can be made at point of dispatch. If your invoice says iPhone 15 Pro Max, they will say that it’s not possible for any other device to have been dispatched. So it must have been switched by either the courier or yourself. The courier will complete an investigation and confirm that nobody tampered with the parcel.

They will also ignore any request to check this thread.

Even after I spoke to an exec, they agreed to replace my device (which has arrived), but for security purposes couldn’t disclose whether anything had gone wrong and how. They wouldn’t accept responsibility. It was like they were doing me a favour, giving me a phone that I’d paid for.

Was it a brand new, legit iPhone SE? Factory sealed etc? You can check the serial number here: Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support

Paypal is covering this type of fraud

<If you received a completely different item, if there are missing parts, if you received a different quantity, or if you received counterfeit or damaged goods, PayPal Buyer Protection could cover you>

Hi. Sorry to hear that you’re also having this issue.

Firstly, I just want to confirm that you received an 15 Pro Max, instead of a 15 Pro? Was it sealed?

It’s interesting that you’ve received a higher model than the one you ordered and they’re still not interested.

Secondly, you mentioned that the box had been tampered with. How do you know this?

As you can see from the earlier posts on this thread, none of us received a resolution from Apple customer service. We were all told that they’d completed an investigation and found the correct device had been shipped and therefore declined a replacement.

Apple will not provide any information regarding these investigations, or their order fulfilment processes. They will not track the device you were supposed to receive nor will they trace the origin of the device you have received. They are not able to block phones that haven’t been activated by you. IMEIs cannot be blocked unless you know the network that the phone is active on (if at all).

Those of us who were able to get our complaints understood, did so via the Apple feedback channel, or by emailing the CEO.

Im conscious that this thread is monitored by Apple and have seen posts removed. So the best advice I can give is to read each of the comments on here, be calm and concise in any communication with Apple and raise it to the highest level. I hope that you get someone to listen to you and resolve this issue.

Yes I was quite surprised too that I received a higher model. It was also 1 TB. But when the advisor said it didn’t belong to an iPhone in the UK, I was very hesitant to keep this phone or order another via the online store. As god knows if the products we’re receiving are genuine or not.

The reason I thought the box was tampered with was that the paper brown seal was cut and then plastic tape put over the top to seal the box again. The packaging was similar to one of the images earlier posted on this thread. Also the box of the iPhone itself had scratches and dents on it making it look like an old and used phone.

when I checked the Apple coverage page, I found out that the phone I received was purchased in September 2023 and obviously didn’t match with the serial number on my invoice.

I have also emailed the CEO, hopefully will get a resolution or will have to then speak to my credit card company.

I’d go back to DPD, confirm that Apple have completed their investigation which found they’d sent you a phone, not chocolate. Then request DPD investigate it themselves as it’s clearly been stolen while in their care.

Yep my box looked like that too. Did DHL deliver your box? Also report it to action fraud as that’s what I did and got a crime reference number. https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us

Sounds like you’ve got it under control. I honestly wouldn’t wish this journey on anybody, so good luck to you.

From what I’ve read online, and heard from Apple tech support, I think these devices might be picked and shipped from the same facilities, even if they are being sent by a mobile network. Which explains the Tesco Mobile thing.

You may have some joy by contacting Tesco Mobile. That QR code might be a eSIM. Maybe they can contact Apple and tell them that they’ve sent their customers device to you by mistake.

Their customer has potentially also received the incorrect device (but not necessarily yours).

I’ve just checked both shipping boxes I received. Both look exactly like yours. DPD delivered both.

I think the most likely cause here is that your shipping label was simply stuck on the wrong box.

Barclays would not honour my dispute because Apple provided them with evidence that included, but was not limited to, weight checks completed at each handover point up to when it’s loaded on the van, as well as CCTV footage. Apple and Barclays were 100% satisfied that it hadn’t been switched. This tells me that means it must have been wrong to begin with. Unfortunately, this comes back to my previous point of Apple investigators not accepting this as a possibility.

Tesco might be your key here. They should know who that phone belongs to.

I followed up with Tesco mobile today. The associate I spoke to in the store connected with colleagues in head office for advice while I was with him. He advised

• Tesco can't track the phone that was delivered to me, and there isn't a way of finding the intended recipient
• Tesco stopped using DPD for phone deliveries as they had a number of customer complaints regarding phones going missing.
• Their theory (but unproved as far as I know) is that the delivery drivers allegedly use an RFID reader to scan the box and reveal the contents then stolen/switched

The Tesco associate he probably shared more than he should have with me, so I would't want to say here that this is Tesco's official position.

I suspect what has happened here

• The driver owns an RFID scanner and has high quality, professional looking tape to re-seal boxes (what if, because Apple ships so many of these boxes, you can actually buy the right size tape online for this job, and that's why all our boxes look the same?)
• The driver scans the box, sees the content is a high value iPhone 15 Pro Max
• They open the box, swap in a cheaper phone model (a Tesco iPhone SE stolen on an earlier date) so the weight feels about right, applies tape so it doesn't look tampered with, and if the recipient opens the box they see a new iPhone

When you look at an iPhone box there is nothing much to tell them apart. It was only because we had another iPhone Pro Max delivered (from EE rather than Apple) on the same day (my wife's) that we spotted they were different size boxes before opening them. The labelling on the back is actually pretty small, so I would bet the vast majority of people wouldn't spot it was the wrong phone 'till later.

Where I may have gone wrong with Apple when they phoned me, was saying "I couldn't see the box had been tampered with". I wasn't with the box at the time, and hadn't noticed the tape when I opened it.

It did. But it took a few days for them to call me to discuss my email. Then they took a few more days to review everything and make a decision. I wasn’t too bothered about them taking a few days. After waiting 6 weeks for someone to actually listen to me, I just wanted them to get it right.

Id recommend providing as much detail as possible, but try to avoid opinions and accusations. Don’t forget to include your phone number.

Hi ahmedr92.

Have you complained to DPD?

I’ve found a lot of instances via Google of deliveries tampered with by couriers and in most cases, the courier has covered the cost of the item.

Its weird that Apple do not tell people immediately to raise it with the courier instead of them.

Got the same issue, ordered a iPhone 15 pro max 256gb but received iPhone 14 pro max 1tb. and the shipping team of Apple refused to provide a refund or replacement for that. Even though i didn’t open the box iPhone 14 pro max…

I've sent an email to TCook email and report the issue to Action fraud. Still waiting for the response.

is there anything else I can do?

Hi Ryan,

I have finally received a call this morning from an Exec.

He offered either a refund or replacement, I choose a replacement and now waiting for a shipping email confirmation but I am a bit scared of receiving a fake iPhone again.

I will update you when I will hopefully receive the phone.

how about you, did you hear back from

them ?