Advice on reporting counterfeit iPhone

sammysanchez · January 2012

I need some advice from the Brooklynian community.

I bought an iPhone 3GS from Wireless Choice, the authorized AT&T reseller on Flatbush Ave. near the Seventh Ave. subway stop. I was having problems with major battery drain, so two weeks after buying the phone I brought it to the Apple store in Grand Central. They confirmed that the phone was counterfeit.

To my surprise, counterfeit iPhones are rare. At one point at the Apple store, there were six or seven Geniuses gathered around me gawking at the phone, because none had ever seen a fake one before.

The first thing I did was contact the AT&T reseller on Flatbush. He feigned shock and dismay when I told him the phone was fake. But I am sure he knew it all along. For example, he installed Cydia on the phone, and told me not to go to the Apple store about the battery drain issue. He said he couldn't do anything with my account or reverse the upgrade because his "systems were down."

Not to my surprise, AT&T was useless as well. They said the only way to get a replacement phone at a reasonable discounted price ($150 vs. $650) was to return the phone and have the upgrade on the fake phone reversed. Only the AT&T reseller could do this.

I decided to take a different course of action by reporting the counterfeit phone to the police. This process has taken a while and in the meantime has left me to wonder if I am doing the *safe* thing. I discovered that this AT&T reseller has really bad merchant feedback. He has my personal information. I've seen unsavory looking characters filtering in and out of the back room in the store. I am not not sure if I should go through with filing the report.

Does anyone have any suggestions or lessons learned from a similar experience? Or, does anyone have experience with this store?

Thanks.

bkchickie · January 2012

There was a Consumerist article about these AT&T resellers, and I want to say that it was about two or three years ago. What I learned from the article: go to a genuine AT&T store & not a reseller. IIRC, AT&T was also useless in resolving that complaint.

Did you use your credit card to buy the phone? Call and see if they have buyer protection, or if there is any recourse for buying counterfeit merchandise.

Have you contacted the NYS Attorney General's office? I also wonder if this is an issue that the FBI, FTC, or even ICE would be interested in pursuing. I have been reading a lot about government agencies cracking down on counterfeiting, and I'm guessing that this item was imported from somewhere outside the US.

Finally, I'm really surprised Apple isn't more interested in this because an AT&T authorized reseller is selling a counterfeit product to undercut Apple's profits.

inpixels · January 2012

To report suspected counterfeit or imitation Apple products, contact [email protected]

http://www.apple.com/legal/contact/

also of interest

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/03/lost-iphone-prototype-apple-san-francisco-police_n_947782.html

P.S. you should have gotten an Android phone

amighty · January 2012

That sucks, I hope you can get it replaced. Frankly, I'm surprised it worked at all - did the iTunes store and Siri work?

I stopped by this store the other day to get some accessories, and it was a good 90 minutes before they closed and there was a guy or two in the back room, but the door was locked and they waved me off. It was shady.

Similarly, we bought a blackberry last year at the Verizon store (just up Flatbush from there) and they also pulled some shenanigans with the pricing and we ended up taking proof of a cheaper price from the Verizon website and they acted surprised and gave us the same discount.

My advice would be to stay away from "authorized resellers" unless you really know the people working there.

Also, I just got my new phone at the AT&T store on 34th and 8th (by Penn Station), and it was about as painless (except for wallet pain) as it could be. They were nice, efficient, and didn't do more that the obligatory push to buy accessories. Easier and quicker than the Apple Store which, while also nice, I don't think they are quite as familiar with the AT&T service plans/options.

God forbid, but maybe you can chuck it at the heads of the local muggers.

bkchickie · January 2012

Amighty said:God forbid, but maybe you can chuck it at the heads of the local muggers.

It's probably bad karma to joke about this, but I heard that back in the 80s people carried around muggers wallets as decoys. Maybe we all need to start carrying muggers iPhones!

tateinbk · January 2012

High school students have already mastered this technique for when their phone rings, they hand over the decoy phone to be confiscated.

amighty · January 2012

Wait, I just re-read your original post --- 3GS? That's the 99 cent iPhone, so I can't understand why the discounted price would be $150 or unsubsidizec at $650. Even th 4 is $99 on a new contract. Get your money back or raise hell and go to a real store or just order it from the website.

Alternatively, buy a used 3GS off Craigslist or eBay and just have your number ported over. It will be less that $150 for sure

idlewild · January 2012

If you paid with a credit card why not contest & block the charge? AMEX is usually pretty good about taking the card holder's side. You might as well cancel your AT&T account if they're going to give you the run around. I would think they're somewhat responsible if they authorized these mutts to be resellers.

bkchickie · January 2012

Amighty said:Alternatively, buy a used 3GS off Craigslist or eBay and just have your number ported over. It will be less that $150 for sure

Just make sure to see the original receipt. I think that a lot of those iPhones that get stolen from our neighbors end up on Craigslist.

Advice on reporting counterfeit iPhone

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