Filed under: Odds and ends, Apple
Apple scammed out of 9,000 shuffles
Looks like Mike Teevee kept busy after visiting Mr. Wonka's factory. Somehow a guy in Kalamazoo, Michigan figured out a sequence of 9,000 iPod shuffle serial numbers, rang up Apple and promptly requested 9,000 "replacements." Apple shipped him the units, and he promptly sold them below MSRP to a bunch of very happy and blissfully ignorant customers. Needless to say, Mr. Teevee (real name Nicholas Arthur Woodhams) will be visiting Mr. Wonka's prison next.The scam worked for long enough to acquire over 9,000 shuffles, Macworld reports, because of Apple's return policy. Woodhams also used a prepaid VISA gift card and a UPS store mailbox to work his magic. Clever, but how long did he think this would last?
[Via Engadget and Macworld]
Special note for purists: I spelled Teevee without the "a" as I am referencing Mike's numerical prowess in the 2005 movie adaptation, not the original character from the Dahl novel or 1971 film. Thanks for noticing.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
waiownsyou said 11:47AM on 3-23-2009
Nice Apple Remote you got there.
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brian said 12:08PM on 3-23-2009
i still dont understand the wonka reference.
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SpyBoyCH said 12:30PM on 3-23-2009
the wonka reference is simple. in the book/original movie, the kids are all approached by a man ,Oscar Slugworth, a competitor (actually a wonka employee posing as a competitor) and asks them to steal wonka's formulas.
Victor Agreda, Jr. said 3:02PM on 3-23-2009
In the latest movie Mike Teevee uses several economic indexes and some statistical reasoning to determine where he could purchase a Wonka bar with a golden ticket.
Hence, one could discern the pattern used to generate the serial numbers. Except somehow this guy "guessed" them. Perhaps I should have referenced Uri Geller instead!
Darren said 12:29PM on 3-23-2009
The Shuffle has always been just a marketing gimmick, and the new model just reenforces that idea. No body needs their MP3 player to be a small as a stick of Trident Gum.
As long as these stolen Shuffles make their way into the hands of people who can be tempted to buy real iPods in the future, then it's no loss for Apple.
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SpyBoyCH said 12:33PM on 3-23-2009
speaking of stealing apple products, I'm still trying to figure this one out. http://www.iboostintl.com/display.asp?CategoryID=1987
This company is selling products that look suspiciously like apple products. I suspect they are buying them from the same manufacturer and loading them with only generic software.
Anyone have any ideas?
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balls said 12:52PM on 3-23-2009
Didn't something similar happen a while back with a different apple device?
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badtzmaru said 1:36PM on 3-23-2009
Speaking of the shuffle, itunes just informed me of a software update! something about bugs.
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t dot strange said 3:41PM on 3-23-2009
ITS OVER 9000!!!!!
sorry...I had to...
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eatmoreramen said 6:58PM on 3-23-2009
DAMN IT! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO ENTER THAT!!!!
Eugeniu said 2:34PM on 3-29-2009
Oh, hello. Yes, I bought 9,000 iPod shuffles the other day, but none of them seem to work. Can you send me 9.000 replacement iPods without me sending any of mine in? Thanks!
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