apple policy on stolen phone

I don't know of any oil place that will give you a replacement car because I say my car is defective. If you turn on a Iphone and it says locked by a phone carrier please call the phone carrier to unlock it. Then apple should show a little responsibility. The phone is not defective it is locked because it was stolen. Replacing a part or performing standard maintenance is one thing. Completely replacing a product because it is locked down because the EMI has been reported lost or stolen. Not good business. By the way could you send me the name of the oil change place you use. Would love a replacement car. Do they replace your car with new car or is it refurbished. Will they let me upgrade to a Porsche? Wow that would have worked really well with the broken rear window. I could have went to your oil change place and have them refurbish the entire car for me... no questions asked. Super cool. What was the name of the oil place again?

I was too quick to respond. If we use a car analogy it would not be an oil change. To compare Apples to Apples, it would look like this. I would need to steal a car, hot wire it, and take it to a dealership. Tell the dealership the key does not seem to work so I had to hot wire it. I think the car is defective could you replace it for me. The car dealership responds with “I am so sorry you had to go through all this trouble, let me see if we have a replacement for you.” Without checking the Vin number to see if the car is stolen, or if I even purchased the car from the dealership, they give me a used updated model and send me on my way. They make a new key for the car, and discover the car works. They never bother to see if the car is stolen. They “refurbish” the stolen car and sell it to another customer. That would be the car dealership, apple store comparison you are looking for. Oil change is maintenance, more like buying a charger for your phone. I agree you can by a charger without providing a serial number. But to replace a stolen phone that has been locked down, and refurbishing it for profit is not good business or respectful to your customers.

I called Apple today and talked to support. Since no one seems to know Apple’s policy on stolen phones except to say it is like an oil change, or a lumping every electronic/hardware company, and saying they are all the same.

After talking to an apple rep there is a difference.

Apple works under the honor system, if the phone is not working they will replace it without question. They do not ask for a receipt or proof of purchase. (This is unlike any other store policy I’ve heard of. Even if I buy an extended warranty, it has not been my experience that the product is replaced without any proof of purchase. So they are just a tad bit different from best buy on that one. Go to Wal-Mart without a receipt. (yes Wal-mart sell phones and computers, and according to roaminggnome has a policy similar to Apple)

Apple will not replace a phone that is locked down by ATT or another phone carrier. Locking down Apple's IPhones is a new policy started about a month ago. This started because the U.S. government and law enforcement agencies have been working with the phone carriers to get this program started due to the increase of I-phone theft. If the phone says it is locked by a carrier, and to contact the carrier, Apple will do so. If the phone is reported stolen they will keep the phone and contact the original owner.

If a phone is locked they will check the EMI number to see if it has been reported stolen to Apple. Again if it is in their database as stolen they will take the phone and try to contact the owner.

The rep claimed that they do not just blindly replace phones, and they will check the EMI number to see if it has been stolen.

The above was told to me by an Apple rep.

After doing my own research, I have found that Apple has replaced phones that have been reported stolen. When they do that it makes it impossible to make a claim with the insurance company. The phone is listed as replaced by apple and the stolen phone is now in the Possession of Apple.

I am assuming you can make a police report against Apple, and ask for your stolen property to be returned. The property is not really Apple's. Even Pawn shops have to return stolen goods if they get caught with them.

I am still in the process of filing my insurance claim. They make it hard, I have to get the claim certified by a notary, have a copy of the original receipt, the EMI number, copies of my last phone bill, my identification etc.

It took two days to get everything together, but I will fax it all tomorrow.

The insurance company will take a few days to process the claim. I reported the phone stolen to the police, apple, and my carrier. If Apple takes my stolen phone and gives the thief a replacement, then Apple will be in Possession of stolen Goods. Since they are in business to sell Iphones then they have intentions of Selling stolen goods. Since it has been reported stolen to Apple then it means they knowingly received stolen goods with the intention of selling them. Sounds like Apple's policy could be more like every other pawn shop, not every other electronic/hardware shop. Sorry didn't mean to insult the pawn shops. More like every a fence, isn't that what you call people who receive stolen property with the intention of selling them "a fence"? Is Apple fencing it's own phones? No wonder there is a proplem with people stealing I-phones, Apple is making it profitable for them. I have read that stealing I-phones is more disirable then wallets now a days.

BTW I know walmart and Best Buy are not makers of computer/phones, they are resellers. I have a Sony computer with an extended warranty. I had to take it in 3 times. Every time they got my make model and serial number. Each time I showed them my extended warranty. I asked what if I lost my warranty, and they told me they could pull it up from my personal information. But the key is I would have to provide them with my personal and computer information. Each time they did not replace my computer, but instead they boxed it up, sent it to their repair shop and I could pick it up in a week or so. They told me after I took it in for the 3rd time, that I could get a new one under the lemon policy if I needed it repaired a 4th time. It never broke again, so I never got a new one. Point being, it would have been hard for me to steal a computer and have Sony cover it up, by replacing it with a clean one. So Apple's policy is not like every computer maker. Some are a bit more responsible.

To be honest I found the people at Sony very pleasant to work with. I don't have an issue with working with a company to get things corrected. I prefer to wait a week to get my computer back then to pay 350 to get my window repaired, 150 in insurance deductibles, and all the hassles of reporting my device stolen to the police, phone carriers and apple store. The additional stress of loss information, the anxiety of knowing your personal information is out there.

Waiting a week is cheap and less stressful, and if it slow downs crime then I am all for it. Make the thieves wait a week while Apple repairs the stolen property, and let them have to take it in a few time before they get a new one. Then we will have time to file our insurance claims. Make em wait!!!