Fake iPad Pro Purchased from Myer

cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 01:53
Last edited 30/01/2018 - 22:52 by 1 other user

Hi guys,I am a long time member and lurker in the Ozbargain community. I wanted to share this experience so you guys are aware and not have to go through what I did.

Just before Christmas, I bought a iPad Pro as a gift for my husband from Myer. The Myer store I went to(investigation purpose I can’t name which store) had none in stock according to their system. The sales assistance said he’ll have a look and came back with an unopened sealed iPad Pro 10.5. I paid the full retail price and didn’t have any thought about inspecting the iPad.

Come Xmas day, gift unwrapped, the iPad felt very strange- it was lighter than usual, the charging outlet was faulty and the home button was jammed. iPad wouldn’t start at all. So I decided to make an appointment and go to Apple Genius to complain and replace this faulty unit.

Got the shock of my life when the Apple techi confirmed it's either a demo unit or it’s an empty shell unit!
It gets even more shadier…..The history of this unit went as far as being registered in 2013 to some bloke from US (was there even an iPad 10.5 at that time?) Get this- the iPad serial number nor the model number didn’t match the box serial and model number. The Apple tech said I had to go back to Myer store to deal with them directly. Which was a pain as I really wanted a replacement ASAP as we were going for a month holiday soon.

I went to a different Myer store as the original Myer store I bought it from was too far to travel. I felt such disappointment and anger as not only did I was turned away. But they made me feel like I’m responsible for it! They asked if this was the original unit? Stating to me that the serial number doesn’t match the box? Questioning why did it me a week to return to them. It was only open at Xmas, apparently Myer have a 7 day warranty with Apple. Anything after it gets more complicated? Is that true?

After much harassment, I left and drove 60km to the original store I bought it from. Thankfully, the Manager from the electronics was very switched on and quickly attended to me and swiftly gave Apple a call. After the earlier harressment, I was prepared to put up a fight for my consumer rights and report them to ACCC and take it up with TV news/media…etc. Thankfully, They reordered another unit as a replacement for me in the end. However, I was still annoyed that they needed my drivers licence copy for their records.

I was frustrated with the whole ordeal and felt I can’t trust anything that’s sold even from a reputable store like Myer and Apple. And how the hell did a fake unit get to Myer unknowingly and supplied by Apple?!

My warning to my Fellow Ozbargains - check your purchase items before leaving the store and make sure they are what it’s meant to be. I have so many questions to how I was responded by Apple and Myer. And how it should have been dealt with. Have you guys had something similar situation? I hate to think how many of us have been duped and our consumer rights wasn’t enough to protect us.

I’m just adding to my original post due to some comments from the community-
My intention is genuine and It is a serious concern There are scrupulous people out there that are getting away with scamming whether it’s scamming Myer or any retail shop. My point is that WE the end users will end up getting burnt and end up paying the price for it.
On a different scenario, I bought a mini iPad as well for my mum as a Xmas gift during the OW offer and did not plan to open to check the unit as I wanted it sealed when gifting her.
Now, Mum is living overseas. Hypothetically speaking, imagine if it was the Fake IPad that was going to be gifted to her. How am I, as a customer be able to excercise my customer rights if this happens? Myer will probably not honour it as it is no longer in their Return timeframe ( to ship it back to Aust) Apple will perhaps not entertain me as I purchase it from Myer. So that leaves me with nothing. We could report to ACCCto conduct an investigation and continue to fight for it but at what price?
Yes, I am so so relief that I got my replacement IPad in the end! And yes I have moved on… hence why I am giving you guys a heads up to take caution when purchasing big ticket item, that’s all. And yes, I did opened mum’s sealed mini iPad and thankfully it’s genuine. 😅

Electrical & Electronics Apple Tablet

Related Stores

MYER
MYER

Comments

  • whooah1979 on 30/01/2018 - 02:06
    +1

    our pro from myer looks and feels like the real deal. everything works and it updates.

    all the best with your dispute.

  • JIMB0 on 30/01/2018 - 05:10
    +14

    Maybe someone swapped out the real unit for a display model then resealed the box.

    • Brucet on 30/01/2018 - 09:13

      Spot on.

  • payton on 30/01/2018 - 06:21
    +2

    I went to a different Myer store as the original Myer store I bought it from was too far to travel.. After much harassment, I left and drove 60km to the original store I bought it from.

    So why did you originally buy it from the store that was 'too far away', let alone one that is 60km away.

    I hate to think how many of us have been duped

    The Apple tech said I had to go back to Myer store to deal with them directly. Which was a pain as I really wanted a replacement ASAP as we were going for a month holiday soon. I have so many questions to how I was responded by Apple and Myer. And how it should have been dealt with.

    Were you expecting to drop off a product bought from retailer A into retailer B and expected the latter to just cough up a new one?
    Did you make this post to exert pressure on Myer? Your story doesn't add up. It would take some very crafty 'repacking' for someone to just slip in a used product and seal it up to make it appear entirely brand new without any telltale sign.

    • ThithLord on 30/01/2018 - 10:13
      +8

      So why did you originally buy it from the store that was 'too far away', let alone one that is 60km away.

      What the hell has this got to do with anything? Seriously?

      • payton on 30/01/2018 - 10:18
        -5

        Seriously?

        If OP is going to have a big whinge about being asked to return the item to the Myer she bought it from, and it was '60 km away' (her words)
        I can ask why did she buy from a place so far away in the first place.

        • ThithLord on 30/01/2018 - 10:19
          +5

          You only buy stuff if it's in your immediate vicinity, mate?

      • cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 23:24
        +1

        Thanks for that 👍@Thithlord.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2018 - 06:41

    Got proof?

  • AssociatedRockyRaccoon @ MYER on 30/01/2018 - 06:56
    +22

    Really.

    You bought from X store, went to Apple they confirmed it was a dud, then you complained to Y store and wanted them to replace it.

    Finally you went back to X store and they fixed the issue.

    After many lines of dribble the real concern was

    You got sold a dud, and it was from a store miles from home, so you had to go back to the store you bought it from.

    Yep that sucks, yep that would annoy me also.

    They did rectify the problem.

    So you want the consumer laws changed. To something like. Any retailer must exchange/refunded any good bought at any of it's stores at any store.

    Hey I get an item in the mail, if its faulty they should compensate me for having to repack the item and so on. Where does it end. Maybe they need to pay me for the valium because it upset my day.

    My disclosure here is Mrs RR works at Myer as a casual (no where near Victoria). Myer has its issues, so this isn't a defence of an organisation that needs in my personal opinion some competent management.

    Now to explain how you could have got this Fake Unit.

    As JIMBO said, its not past a previous "customer" reboxing the dud unit, they swapped out and returning it to Myer (or any other store that has a liberal return policy)

    So customer buys iPad

    Look at this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TEJ7R1nd9w

    Replaces ipad with dud/fake unit, returns it to Myer (Or other retailer) sealed. Staff member refunds purchase price and puts it back in stock as its "never" been opened.

    Myer and staff havent watched video, so they dont know they have been scammed. Resells to you believing it to be a brand new unit.

    Not impossible, read some posts here on OzB how some game retail systems. (Giftcards with Giftcards etc)

    This can explain how the serial numbers dont match and the unit was previously registered in the USA.

    Now Myer, if competently run, would implement policies, making sure any returned item, even "properly" sealed is thoroughly checked, as taking a sealed unit as being unused etc isnt a guarantee that it is. They got scammed, so did you

    Myer should check who bought this originally and chase them down, but dont hold your breath on that one

    Sealed boxes now aren't proof to anyone that the product hasn't been tampered with.

    Life is like that, the Scammers have now mean that you and I and others, if we want return a product will have to wait while everything is checked and validated. Like Airport check-ins, even though I have done everything right I get inconvenienced.

    But thanks for sharing as it alerts us to possible issues in the future.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2018 - 07:06
      +13

      tl;dr

      Take it back to where you purchased it. Big retail stores can get scammed. Myer eventually helped so no issue. Move on.

      • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2018 - 07:36
        +6

        I read the title and thought bullshit

    • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2018 - 09:35
      +6

      Myer aren't franchised like Harvey Norman, so I don't particularly see an issue with returning a product to a different store.

      A little harsh calling the OPs story "dribble", and frankly unnecessary.

      • ThithLord on 30/01/2018 - 10:22
        +2

        Retailers do that as a convenience for the customer - it's not, at all, legislated under Consumer law that a chain store with different location has to deal with refunds etc at all locations.

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2018 - 09:49
          +1

          And nowhere did I say that it was legislated under law…

          What I am getting at, is that there is no practical reason as to why they can't do it other than being a bunch of dicks.

          In 99.99999999% of cases it would make no difference to them if it was returned to a different store.

        • ThithLord on 31/01/2018 - 11:20
          -1

          @Drew22: It's not a simple process, my dude.

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2018 - 15:04

          @ThithLord:

          Sure it is… They just have no interest in making returns a streamlined process.

        • ThithLord on 31/01/2018 - 15:33
          -1

          @Drew22: Have you worked for a retailer at corporate level?

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2018 - 18:15

          @ThithLord:

          Have you worked for a retailer at a corporate level?

        • ThithLord on 01/02/2018 - 08:32

          @Drew22: Lmao. Yes, I have. I know the returns process quite intricately, thanks, Drew.

        • [Deactivated] on 01/02/2018 - 13:44
          +1

          @ThithLord:

          Cool, and I've worked for some of the largest distributors in the world.
          I may know a thing or two about things like logistics and process efficiencies.

          Virtually every retailers (and distributors) sucks at practically all back of office tasks and processes.

        • whooah1979 on 01/02/2018 - 19:12

          @Drew22:

          I've worked for some of the largest distributors

          So a distributor like amazon fulfillment or a retailer like Walmart stores?

      • try2bhelpful on 30/01/2018 - 10:51
        +2

        In this case it would appear that fraud has occured somewhere in the process. I can see Myers would prefer the person return it to the original store so they can get to the bottom of what happened. In general the person with the fake would be the scammer, not saying it is in this case, so the store that sold it should be the one who replaces it. It also means they can look at other stock they may have to see if something systematic has happened. Sounds like someone needs to develop a plastic sealing method that is tamper proof. There will be big bucks for someone who can do that cheaply enough.

        I agree "dribble" was probably not a helpful phrase to use in this case however, the post was a touch verbose and overwrought.

      • cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 23:10

        Sorry I wanted to + vote you but accidentally neg you and have no idea how to undo it 😬

      • cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 23:11

        Sorry I wanted to + vote you but accidentally neg you and have no idea how to undo it 😬

    • psdillon on 30/01/2018 - 12:28
      +1

      You're a bit harsh - she didn't ask for the laws to be changed, and I didn't find the post to be dribble at all. It would be a very stressful situation, particularly when the first store she went to to rectify it were accusatory rather than politely asking her to go to the original store.

      Also, I now know that Myer have a pain-in-the-arse policy of returning to original store. I will definitely not purchase from Myer on a whim when I am away from home.

      • cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 23:31

        It was very stressful.. I only imagine the worse especially when I was given that ‘accusing look’ from the sales staff. ESP the thought of being accuse of something I didn’t do. It was overwhelming at that point.

    • pyro love bird on 01/02/2018 - 02:02

      Tbh even if you start implementing the 'thouroughly checking unopened item's a whole new set of people are gonna get angry and annoyed and you'll end up having another post about how it's too hard to return something that's still brand new. I've seen plenty of cases like this in retail and hate how people can take offence to me following store policy, they end up mad and want to file a complaint, we really can't win here.

    • sneakydean on 07/02/2018 - 15:39

      That YouTube Video is both Horrifying and awesome at the same time.

      But You shouldn't equate People taking advantage of a small saving

      read some posts here on OzB how some game retail systems. (Giftcards with Giftcards etc)

      To Scams that are essentially theft

  • Presence on 30/01/2018 - 06:57
    +8

    Most likely someone purchased it, swapped it, then returned it. Retailers often sell returned products as new :(

    • try2bhelpful on 30/01/2018 - 10:53

      The alternative is they don't allow people to return products for a full refund when they are unopened. I think I prefer the current status if it means that I can get my full refund.

  • Nutrino on 30/01/2018 - 07:41
    +6

    Haha, reminds me of return I experienced at retail. Some customer bought a laptop, returned it with the security seal intact. The customer service person who returned it was non the wiser.

    Apparently the customer opened the box from the bottom of the box and had put library books in the box to make it feel like the same weight. We had a laugh that day, the books were overdue to the local library too, hahaha.

    • coin saver on 30/01/2018 - 08:26

      I just recently scored a good fish pond from Bunnings for $10. It had somehow been returned for a refund even thou it was not a stocked item they just wanted to get rid of it quick.

  • holdenmg on 30/01/2018 - 07:41
    -4

    Your first big clue was buying an "IPad Pro"

    If it had that on the box I'd run a mile too.

    What you needed was an "iPad Pro"

    Seriously though…

    You could post the Serial Number of the offending unit and the box Serial Number if different.

    This would enable us all to see the Build Country, Build Year,
    Build Week, and Production Nr…

  • altomic on 30/01/2018 - 09:20
    +2

    Myer should be arrested and thrown in Jail!!!

  • try2bhelpful on 30/01/2018 - 09:56
    +1

    Now you have that our of your system you can have a Bex and a good lie down.

    Good to have the information out there but shit happens, even from large retailers. If I was Apple I would not have touched it with a barge pole either, because it is not a "faulty goods" issue it is a "sold a fake device" issue - which is the responsibility of the store that sold it. The whole issue becomes tricky because there is little guarantee that it is not you that is doing the scam, in fact it is something that is most likely to be you. Yes, it is a pain that you were given the run around, but they fixed it in the end. Frankly, I won't stop buying from Myers because of this, in fact it shows just how important buying from reputable brick and mortar stores are - I think you would've had a much bigger problem if you had bought this from a mail order place overseas.

    • Slippery Fish on 30/01/2018 - 10:25
      +1

      Bex was dangerous, hence why it was discontinued.

    • cathaygirl on 31/01/2018 - 00:18

      AGREE! Check your purchase before you leave!

  • marketingpolice on 30/01/2018 - 09:59
    +2

    Confused, don't all Apple products have plastic wrap around box? Surely not possible to return it with shrink wrap intact? So did previous owner buy it somewhere else (grey import) not open it then bought one from Myer and switch the two and return Grey Import to Myer? Is that what we speculate?

    • djsweet on 30/01/2018 - 10:32
      +1

      Its not exactly difficult to shrink wrap something and doesn't require expensive machinery. I used to do it all the time where I worked. It is very easy, although getting it to look brand new would take a bit of effort.

    • BertieBrown on 30/01/2018 - 11:15

      Thing is, if there’s enough of an incentive people will find a way.

      Look at counterfeiting, this is just a derivation of that in a sense and there are some very credible looking counterfeit notes in circulation and you’d imagine that shrink-wrapping a box, something that is done on an industrial level wouldn’t be that difficult to achieve to a point where it looks near identical to another manufacturer shrink wrapped product.

      Yes, I know that notes are produced on an industrial level too, but there is surely far more intricacy and detail involved in copying a note as oppose to shrink wrapping, which is presumably more difficult to discern for signs of manipulation.

      It’s a fair question though, don’t get me wrong, certainly I hadn’t considered people would actively do this, but remember that if there’s enough of an incentive people will find a way. I never imagined that HSBC would launder money for Mexican drug cartels :/

  • Seraphin7 on 30/01/2018 - 10:06
    +8

    Alternative headline … bought a product, had a problem, returned to retailer, retailer sorted it out.

  • cloudy on 30/01/2018 - 10:09
    +3

    I guess the problem Myer and any retailer of any product has now is if they sell an item, and come one returns it saying it’s fake they will have no way of knowing if it really was.

    Someone could buy item, take real iPad out and go back with shell and claim it’s what they got. This is 101 Ebay scam where buyers claim refund from PayPal disputing item.

    Pretty tough to be in a retailers shoe too if u think about it.

  • Cave Fire on 30/01/2018 - 10:24
    +2

    It seems the first manager did what I expected, Given the cost of this item, it's going to be a target for these type of frauds. Heck, you could even substitute a fake product and get a refund or exchange on the same day.

    • BertieBrown on 30/01/2018 - 11:08

      It’s such a weird situation, I can understand the Myer store wanting the original store to handle it. But, all the same it still pays to be polite and on the level, which according to OP the staff at the first store weren’t.

      • zonra on 30/01/2018 - 11:52
        +4

        I don’t get how the staff were impolitie and/or in any way out-of-line?

        I went to a different Myer store as the original Myer store I bought it from was too far to travel. I felt such disappointment and anger as not only did I was turned away. But they made me feel like I’m responsible for it! They asked if this was the original unit? Stating to me that the serial number doesn’t match the box? Questioning why did it me a week to return to them. It was only open at Xmas, apparently Myer have a 7 day warranty with Apple. Anything after it gets more complicated? Is that true?

        Those are justified actions when you try to return big ticket items to any stores, even more so for opened / fake / for-all-I-know-you-swapped-it-out-yourself items.
        Instructions to return to original store to investigate is entirely valid and necessary to prevent abuse.
        Imo, Myer went above and beyond by giving OP the benefit of the doubt and replace the item for him. There is absolutely no way to prove that OP didn’t swap out the real iPad for a toy one, not saying that he/she did, just pointing out Myer’s perspective.

        • Cave Fire on 30/01/2018 - 12:54

          Yeah, that's what I was trying to get at. Given how easy it is to fake these items, may be hard to get a refund. This would especially be the case in specialist stores like Harvey Norman etc, where this fraud would happen more. Perhaps Myer is a soft target. Would also be terrible for the OP and family to receive an incorrect product and perhaps Xmas would be a good time for this scam. The reason is that staff are too busy to properly inspect returns and there is a chance the item is not opened for some time as it is a gift.

        • BertieBrown on 30/01/2018 - 15:04

          According to the OP, they claim they were harassed by first Myer store? OP writes, ‘After much harassment, I left and drove 60km to the original store I bought it from.’ Now, I interpreted that as the OP was harassed, but maybe OP meant they harassed the Myer staff?

          Hey, I agree, if a customer comes in with something like that and I was the manager of the store I’d be handballing it back to the original store for sure.

          I also agree that Myer did what they were supposed to do. I’m wondering, seeing as the manager seemingly just ordered another one, whether they were aware or had strong suspicions that maybe something suspect was going on, or that it was likely a staff member was trying to pull the Mickey?

          Edit; I guess all I’m trying to say is that there needn’t be any argy-bargy or agro going on, it’s not necessary. Seems like a lot of the time customers and staff are flying off the handle unnecessarily. Of course it’s all hearsay, we’ve only got OP’s word and there’s always two sides to a story.

        • cathaygirl on 31/01/2018 - 00:01

          @Jawanzar:
          No I certainly did not harass Myer staff. But I was in disbelief at the staff’s attitude at the second Myers store. They did not even try to hide it and just assumed I swapped the unit. Just try to imagine if you were in my shoes…

        • cathaygirl on 31/01/2018 - 00:12

          @shadako:
          I agree. If you read my update to my original post. People are buying Xmas gifts and won’t be opened for some time. And like many others, I also post presents overseas to love ones. Anyway, lesson learnt.

        • pyro love bird on 01/02/2018 - 02:08
          +1

          @cathaygirl: whilst the looks and such are uncalled for, can you really blame them for suspecting you?

          It is certainly suspicious to bring back a fake or dud and ask for a refund. There's no real proof that you yourself didn't do it and they just need to take your word for it. They were probably worried that was the case. Especially with such a high demand, expensive item.

  • psdillon on 30/01/2018 - 12:34

    I hope they catch the original scammer via credit card or CCTV. Otherwise, I hope Apple passes on the coordinates to police when they turn it on.

    • cathaygirl on 30/01/2018 - 23:44

      That is what I would like to know as well. The Myer store could trace back any returns. Hopefully that could lead to the scammers and shed some light eventually.

  • AdrianW on 30/01/2018 - 15:21
    +1

    OT: I bought an external hard drive from Officeworks once, it was a returned item and had an appropriate discount. It looked new though.

    Got the thing home and found a bunch of dodgy videos on it (looked to have been home recorded).

  • googoogaga on 31/01/2018 - 22:33
    +1

    Since MYER has the original iPad box with serial numbers, can't they trace it with the help of APPLE to see who that iPad is registered to now? there should be a paper trail to find the offender and lock em up. SCUMBAGS

    • JIMB0 on 01/02/2018 - 19:49

      It was probably sold on to someone else via Gumtree, trading post etc. So whoever is using it now would likely be innocent. Only hope would be finding the person who returned the iPad, even if they paid with cash Myer should have asked for ID when returning such a high value item.

  • tomwood on 02/02/2018 - 00:01
    +1

    Could've been a supply chain problem accident with Apple in China… Why would you worry about giving a copy of your licence to Myer though, what are they gonna do with it!?

    • Wiired on 10/02/2018 - 22:07
      +2

      free fake license with the next fake iPad

  • [Deactivated] on 17/02/2018 - 00:11

    thanks for the heads up. being from hong kong luckily am paranoid and check everything when I buy it, but wouldn't bother at Myer as I'd assume it to be fine. But I will now! thank you and sorry you had such a bad and stressful experience.

  • JediJan on 19/02/2018 - 22:33

    Years ago I purchased a GameBoy game (I think it was BigW … in those days games were kept separate from the boxes so it was up to staff member to retrieve the game from under counter) as a Christmas gift which was posted overseas. Caused some upset when child opened game box … no game! Fortunately, when I returned to store and told them the game was missing, they believed me … phew! Happy ending, but what a worry that was at Christmas.

    Also sister in law once wrapped up some gifts for Christmas only to find some were but empty boxes too!

    Last year my son purchased a new DS game and did not open it until he arrived home; wrong game was inside the box! I sent him back to the store immediately, and thankfully no problems and the game was replaced then and there.

    I appreciate these incidences are no where the value of an iPad, which appears to be a fraud problem. Our problems were both human error incidences. Just saying; they can happen. These days we open these games at the cashier’s counter to make sure all is correct inside. They don’t mind at all. Yes, the outside wrap has to be opened, but at least we won’t have the worry again. Don’t walk out with empty boxes!

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join