Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple, iPhone
Has Apple cracked down on unlocker-resellers?
Is Apple hitting back at businessmen who buy, unlock and resell iPhones? Apple customers whose accounts show large, repeated iPhone orders are reportedly receiving emails canceling their orders and inviting them to enter the Apple reseller program, presumably with unlocking limitations.
TUAW reader Silvio Duque sent in a copy of a recent email to an Apple customer: It thanked the customer for his interest in Apple products. "While Apple appreciates your company's support of Apple's technology and products, the Apple Store you placed this order with sells products to end-user customers only, and the order has therefore been cancelled. You may wish to review the Sales and Refunds Policy."
TUAW has not confirmed this policy and we'd like to hear from any other readers whose orders got cancelled.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan said 10:42PM on 10-15-2007
i'm going to be honest: i'm tired of reading about the iPhone. there's a good chance i'll stop checking this blog if it continues to look like an iPhone blog. mark my words.
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toxicshock said 10:51PM on 10-15-2007
buh bye!
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Mitch said 11:17PM on 10-15-2007
Bye Dan!
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kai said 11:32PM on 10-15-2007
Why the hell not take advantage of becoming an Apple reseller - at least then they will be able to buy iPhones at wholesale rates (not a massive saving off RRP, but a saving nonetheless)
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Sean Ripley said 11:49PM on 10-15-2007
They cut me off in store. Puchased 18 in two weeks. I paid with a CC, easily tracked.
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Esteban said 12:52AM on 10-16-2007
I have the same problem, those guys from Apple keep canceling my orders I even try creating a new account, but it didn't work. So the only option I had is to ask friends to place small order for me.
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VanillaSpice said 2:01AM on 10-16-2007
@Kai - in this case, they won't want to, because in becoming an Apple reseller they will be singing many documents that completely prohibit them from selling modified Apple devices like unlocked iPhones.
Also, Bye Dan! It will be nice to again have comments being relevant to the article. Opinions abut TUAW generally do not belong on any one article, however, they can be sent to the "Contact Us" link (on every page) if you wish to make TUAW aware of your feelings.
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Pep said 2:14AM on 10-16-2007
Was yesterday at the Apple Store in Salem, New Hampshire (relevant because NH has no sales tax) to buy 2 iphones and the clerk told me that they have people who come and buy 5 iphones every day. Their limit was 5 iphones per day per customer. I wonder if Apple is going to crack on them.
I have bought 10 so far, with different cards and at different stores and no problem and no email...
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Hani J said 2:52AM on 10-16-2007
Here is the email they sent me - that was because I ordered more than 10 iPhones.
Order Date: 09/28/2007
Customer Name: Hani XXXXX
Web order number: XXXXXXX
Dear Apple Customer,
Thank you for your interest in Apple products.
It appears that your recent Apple Store order is for products intended
for resale. While Apple appreciates your company's support of Apple's
technology and products, the Apple Store you placed this order with
sells products to end-user customers only, and the order has therefore
been cancelled. You may wish to review the Sales and Refunds Policy at
.
For information about joining Apple as a reseller, visit
.
For orders that exceed nine iPods, please contact our Corporate Gifting
and Rewards team at 1-877-275-IPOD.
Thank you again for your interest in Apple.
Sincerely,
Apple Store Customer Support
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Danny Zumwalt said 5:59AM on 10-16-2007
I hope Apple shuts these (you) people down. What a bunch of leeches.
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Nick Pope said 8:01AM on 10-16-2007
They opened an Apple store near me a couple of weeks ago. I went in with my wife to get her an iMac. While we were checking out, there was a lady next to me with a huge stack of iPhones on the counter. I overheard one of the Apple Store employees tell her that she could not buy more than 5. Anything over 5 at a time (I wonder in what timespan?) and Apple considers you a reseller. The employee explained that in order to protect the Apple brand, they wanted anyone buying more than 5 phones to sign up as an Apple reseller. I noticed she bought 10 (2 credit cards) of the 20 she had stacked up.
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Alex said 8:35AM on 10-16-2007
This is one area in which I have to say not only am I not surprised that Apple is doing this but I fully stand by their right to do so.
The dev-team (and now elite team) will give away whatever they do for free, and that's the way it should be.
This is why I hate iPSF. This is what causes problems for the community.
You got a bunch of ppl who legitimately just want to use their phones on their current provider, and then you have these people who are out to make a buck off of any kind of software that they can come up with, no matter how small or simple it is.
Unfortunately in this case, they are not unlocking their phones for their personal use. They are doing it for monetary gain.
Apple won't actively stop people from unlocking phones, but people who try to profit off of it give all of us a bad name.
At Dan, well. good riddance. Guess what Dan, TUAW = The Unofficial Apple Weblog, and last time I checked the iPhone wasn't made by Microsoft, even if some newspaper did print that by mistake.
I hope the rest of the complainers follow your example.
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Pep said 12:20PM on 10-16-2007
@ Danny Zumwalt:
Leeches? Why leeches? If Apple doesn't want to sell the iPhone in my country just because it is waiting for a carrier deal that will bring more profit, fine, but in the meantime **I will profit** from it. It's their problem, not mine. If they had sold an unlocked phone worldwide as they should have, they wouldn't have this problem. IMHO, that serves them well, for being way too greedy.
All foreign ebays are flooded with unlocked iphones, and people in those countries are paying twice the price, because it's the only way for them to get a hold on one. Why not take advantage from it? Just because of some childish pride that wouldn't accept me taking advantage from Apple? Come on, they are here for the money the same way as me. Smart up and start selling it in those countries, or else I will.
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Different Alex said 11:48AM on 10-16-2007
I had the same experience in having online purchases canceled. I support Apple's right to do this but I think I'm surprised that they are. There are obviously several dynamics in play in the decision from supporting their carrier partners, maybe brand protection(although I don't really buy that one) and some others but why not charge $X for the phone and let people do what they want? It could potentially help them with iTunes sales down the road and they will sell a ton of devices. There is a market in Europe, or elsewhere, that is not being met now and the window won't last forever as other manufacturers are coming out with similar phones. I would be interested in hearing what others thought on why this is being done.
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kjaiganesh said 12:24PM on 10-16-2007
It is unfortunate that Apple would do this. But do they honestly think that this would prevent determined people from buying/selling iPhones in bulk?
As long as there is a market (people stuck with other carriers, outside USA and Europe, and simply ATT-haters), somebody will find a way to get around the system.
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jerrytommygal said 12:42PM on 10-16-2007
I'm just tired of Apple and its antics. Either they tell the whole world why they're doing such crazy stuff and alienating their international customers or withdraw the phone and shut up.
Not every Apple user lives in the USA, or selected countries in Europe. And they should know that. They did setup their international branches after all.
Apple fans are paying $700+ for an unlocked iPhone with no hope of support, falling prey to unscrupulous greedy people who're taking advantage of the demand for a phone that should be unlocked anyway. Why not have a dual pricing model like other phone companies do? Subsidise the locked one and sell the second unlocked at full price!
Why is Apple allowing us to be mistreated like this? We are their best sales people in a sea of Microsoft users. Why do we have to suffer the indignity of behaving like criminals just to buy a FULLY PRICED Apple phone??? Somethings not right.
Apple, sort it out soon because other phone manufacturers are beckoning and we just might settle for second best...
TIRED and disappointed Apple fan somewhere in this world!
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Todd Bernhard said 9:51PM on 10-16-2007
I wonder if Steve Wozniak got such an email...
"Wozniak says he probably purchased about 20 iPhones for himself and his friends"
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/61818,apple-legend-woz-blasts-iphone-price-drop-and-refund-policy.aspx
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