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Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

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Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#171

Post by strogonoff »

ksec wrote: post #158
strogonoff wrote: post #11

Apple retail policy in Hong Kong[0] is similar, no 14-day returns unlike most other countries, and even defective refunds seem doubtful (you can see that the policy only specifies conditions for exchange, though it does mention refund procedures it doesn't state when it would occur and so is likely open to interpretation by the management). [0] https://www.apple.com/hk/shop/help/exchange_return

Yes Hong Kong has had that since iPhone 4 or 5 if I remember correctly. A few years later Apple said the problem were people abusing the system, basically buying iPhone, taking out some component, or even the Screen, replace them with other parts and sell those official parts for profits. Then returning the iPhone to Apple. They also raised the price of latest iPhone by $100 since iPhone 5 because of China reselling.…

Still it is an iPhone with two physical SIM slots, which to me makes it an interesting deal.

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#172

Post by gambiting »

pembrook wrote: post #155
gambiting wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And everywhere in EU sellers have to accept a return within 14 days for any online purchases, for any reason. And no, they can't charge a restocking fee. You can only be asked to pay for the postage back. And in general, the responsibility for the goods is always with the seller first, manufacturer second. If your laptop breaks and the seller says "oh the manufacturer declined warranty" then sorry, tough luck, it's t…

In the EU however, you generally are paying for that extra protection in the form of higher prices from retailers. There's no free lunch. The market isn't perfectly efficient, but it's pretty damn efficient. It's not like companies operating in countries where warranty is the law will suddenly say "welp, I guess we'll just have to accept less profit in the EU then, hopefully global consumers don't catch on!" Whether…

I'm honestly curious - how so? In all my adult life I have been comparing prices between EU and US and they are always about the same once you factor in taxes. Yes the VAT can make items slightly more expensive, but VAT has absolutely nothing to do with the retailers responsibility for the product, right?

>>On a risk adjusted basis, the cost is the same.

I'd love to see how you came to that conclusion. In EU the seller is always responsible for 2 years after sale for the product, in the US a 2 year warranty will be few hundred dollars on laptops and other expensive items. The difference is definitely not the same.

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#173

Post by sperrholz »

sss111 wrote: post #31

Apple had a lot of trouble with the Indian market back the early 2010s. They had to pull AppleCare+ out of the country because people were abusing it a lot. [†] Same goes for the country's biggest online retailers, both Amazon and Flipkart also switched to a replacement-only policy in India. "Most analysts agree that many many buyers were abusing the company's refund policy. With many buying latest smartphones, and r…

> people were abusing it a lot

Why frame it so negatively? You could as well say "people saw that Apple was ripe for disruption".

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#174

Post by wolfretcrap »

kjrose wrote: post #136

Can anyone tell me if this is due to cultural differences where abusing a refund policy is common place and accepted, so having something that is generally intended as a "good faith" policy simply doesn't work? Or is this that there are small groups of very organized individuals abusing it and ruining it for the rest of the country?

I don't think anyone getting such returns/refunds approved is getting accolades by their family members or friends. Usually such people don't tell anyone about it and if they are smart better they keep quite.

So it's not about culture, just that it's worth it here in India because most people aren't making $30 an hour here so lot of pitty scam schemes are profitable for them.

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#175

Post by Grustaf »

monksy wrote: post #26
Grustaf wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s reasonable to expect a replacement product, but why should you be able to return it for cash? You already made the decision to buy one, I don’t think it’s Apple’s responsibility if you change your mind.

You received a defective product. Why would you be expected to keep a relationship with a party that didn't meet the expectations from the get go?

You made the decision to buy a product. You got a defective one and they offered you a replacement. With the replacement you will be exactly where you set out to be. With less money, and with a working product.

Even in Sweden, consumer law paradise, I’m pretty sure you can’t ask for your money back.

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#176

Post by sdajk3n423 »

rocknor wrote: post #168
sdajk3n423 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this stereotyping? I can say with 100% confidence that 100% of the malicious scam calls that I get are from India.

Because of your stupid statement about it being ingrained in the culture. It's more like a combination of unemployment, English know-how, ineffective/overworked police because of underfunding, the existence of this attack vector and a little tech knowledge to exploit it.

The Philippines meets all of these criteria that you enumerated, why don't they pump out scammers like India?

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#177

Post by ksec »

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #108
sans-serif wrote: post #19

In my experience Americans sort of take for granted the breadth and depth of consumer protection you enjoy. I'd wager that in an insignificant portion of countries Apple expanded to, they have had to significantly cut back on refunds/warrantees they offer to combat fraud and abuse.

> In my experience Americans sort of take for granted the breadth and depth of consumer protection you enjoy. As a european, it's amusing to hear you say that as the majority of European countries have far, far more stringent consumer-protection regs than the US, such as mandatory 2 year warranties, distance-selling laws, legal rights to a refund or replacement, and so on. Apple's 90 day warranty is a joke when you c…

That is why you used to read about Apple's exceptional services. They are and only happens in the state. Such as free repair for certain thing or giving cheaper discount to repair etc. In EU and UK those services are expected.

Now Apple doesn't do it. They push you to buy a new product whenever possible along with AppleCare+. Apple Retail employees dont run on commission in US ( Not sure if that is still the case). I remember someone said Apple Retail Italy runs on commission basis. I also know Apple Retail employees also has KPI based on AppleCare+ they sold in the past few years.

Yes.... the whole Apple Retail experience is going against how Steve Job originally envisioning it. For Tim Cook, it is nothing more than a cost center on balance sheet.

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#178

Post by kjrose »

wolfretcrap wrote: post #174
kjrose wrote: post #136

Can anyone tell me if this is due to cultural differences where abusing a refund policy is common place and accepted, so having something that is generally intended as a "good faith" policy simply doesn't work? Or is this that there are small groups of very organized individuals abusing it and ruining it for the rest of the country?

I don't think anyone getting such returns/refunds approved is getting accolades by their family members or friends. Usually such people don't tell anyone about it and if they are smart better they keep quite. So it's not about culture, just that it's worth it here in India because most people aren't making $30 an hour here so lot of pitty scam schemes are profitable for them.

Oh, I don't mean like "you get accolades", but more of a, everyone is doing it, so why not me?

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#179

Post by NikolaNovak »

sperrholz wrote: post #173
sss111 wrote: post #31

Apple had a lot of trouble with the Indian market back the early 2010s. They had to pull AppleCare+ out of the country because people were abusing it a lot. [†] Same goes for the country's biggest online retailers, both Amazon and Flipkart also switched to a replacement-only policy in India. "Most analysts agree that many many buyers were abusing the company's refund policy. With many buying latest smartphones, and r…

> people were abusing it a lot Why frame it so negatively? You could as well say "people saw that Apple was ripe for disruption".

That may well be the most hacker news / silicon valley comment ever... I don't even want to know if it's /s or not! :)

Re: Products purchased at Apple Store in India cannot be refunded or exchanged

#180

Post by wolfretcrap »

axaxs wrote: post #119
juancb wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what's the story behind the return abuse in India?

I'm just an observer of forums and whatnot, and not Indian, but have a couple guesses. 1 - People buying a handful of phones and comparing them, then returning all but the one they decide to keep. 2 - Semi related, one of the ten thousand phone comparison Youtuber channels.

No average Indian asking for return doesn't have YouTube review channel.
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