I recieved an empty box of Iphone 15 with onky data cable init

[thoscar02]

I am not an Sky customer but was very interested in this topic because, just before Christmas, I purchased an iPhone 15 Pro direct from Apple, using their interest-free loan offer and with a trade-in on my iPhone 12.

In weirdly similar circumstances to you and your courier, my courier (DHL) first tried to deliver my new phone to the wrong address (the photo they uploaded was definitely not my front door) but, apparently, there was no-one at home so DHL returned it to their depot.

I was out the next day so arranged for them to deliver it the following day but, this time, they texted me to say that they were 'running late' and, as a result, my phone was returned to the depot for a second time.

On the third attempt they did finally deliver it (on the Friday before Christmas) but to my utter shock and horror, when I opened the iPhone box there was no phone inside and no cable either.

To be fair, everything with regards to the packaging seemed normal although, curiously enough, the text on both of the security strips, on the underside of the box, was upside down in relation to the text printed on the box itself, which did seem odd, I must admit.

When I then checked online with photos of the undersides of other iPhone boxes, it was clear that this text is always facing the same way as the text on the box so must surely indicate that my box had been tampered with.

Anyway, I was obviously straight on to Apple and sent them lots of photos of what I had received and they said they would investigate for me and that I should also contact the police, which I did.

At this point I calmed down a bit until, that is, a few days later when I received the following devastating e-mail from Apple:

'We have completed our review with the carrier regarding your shipment, and confirmed that it was successfully delivered. As a result, we’re unable to provide a replacement or process a refund.

Sincerely,

Apple'

WHAT!?!?!

Yes, it was delivered but the box was empty!

So, now, I will be paying for a phone that I do not have.

I did contact Barclays, who are supplying the money for the loan, but they said that they could not help me, therefore I am left feeling as if I have been a victim twice over: first by whoever stole my phone and second by Apple who have washed their hands of the whole affair.

Still, I will pursue this with the police and I may even write to Watchdog to see if they can help - well, you never know.

The obvious (and very expensive, for me) lesson here is NEVER to buy from Apple online (if at all) and probably not to do so before Christmas either.

Finally, one question: Is it not possible for Apple to trace these phones, once they are being used, using either the Serial or IMEI numbers or is that something only the carrier can do?

[Dee2208]

Hi , 

Sorry to everyone who has been a victim of receiving empty boxes without goods in it. 
I am one of those people too , but  I ordered apple watch not an iPhone .

I just want to share a bit of my story , I got nowhere with Sky they were absolutely useless , they said I received my delivery and that I am liable to pay for a watch. 
The same day I filled online complaint to Financial Obmudsman , my case was accepted , be prepared though if you go that route you will have to wait 2-3 months for Obmudsman  to contact you and look into your case.  
Unfortunately what happened to me was that investigator couldn't find evidence of any wrongdoing on Sky part as they provided him with all details how goods are despatched and how closely staff are monitored, so his exact words were from beginning that is very hard to prove negative from consumer point of view .  

If there is anyone who has positive outcome from similar experience please can you help ? 
I am lost here and don't know where else I can go from here , paying for something monthly that I never received for next 2.5 years seems really unfair.  

[thoscar02]

Hi @Dee2208 I am so sorry to learn that you have become yet another victim of these thieves and, to be honest, contacting the ombudsman is usually a waste of time.

As for me, I spoke for three and a half hours on the telephone to various people at Apple the other day,  good job it is an 0800 number, ostensibly to try and get my stolen phone blocked but that seemed to be nigh on impossible for them to do, for some reason.

Anyway, I was eventually put through to a helpful and friendly guy in South Carolina who said that he would sort this out for me so, hopefully, I am getting somewhere now.

However, before contacting Apple, I visited my local police station and they advised me that, since I had not started paying my direct debit (it begins later this month), I was well within my rights to cancel these monthly payments because, according to the Sale of Goods Act 1979, I do have 30 days in which to cancel my order if, during that time, I have not received the goods for which I was about to pay during the next two years.

The police also told me that the bank (Barclays in my case) might be upset but that I was well within my rights to do this and I definitely will do it if I don't get a satisfactory result since why should I pay for something that I have not received?

I have threatened Apple that this is what I plan to do so let's see what happens between now and when my direct debits begin, in eleven days time.

[H4iderali]

@Dee2208 @Hamza4 

same happened with me 15 pro max.

baby wipes  inside the box

That's ridiculous. I am left with paying for the wipes.

CECAS also does nothing.

Any positive output?

[caesarome]

---

@H4iderali wrote:

Any positive output?

---

This was posted yesterday @H4iderali :

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Mobile/Empty-iPhone-box/m-p/4546544/highlight/true#M192363

[thoscar02]

Well, I am still on the case, having been to the police, again, and I even sent Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, an e-mail asking if he could help me to resolve this although, I must admit I wasn't expecting a reply.

However, two days after I had sent my e-mail, someone from the Executive Relations.department in Ireland did call me and said that they would reopen the investigation.

This did make me feel slightly more positive until, four days later, they called me again to say that, following the re-investigation, the answer is still the same - no replacement iPhone and no cancellation of my purchase.

Well, given that both investigations by Apple lasted no more than four days, and with it being Christmas Day and Boxing Day during their initial investigation, I cannot see how thorough said investigations could have been.

In such a short time-frame surely it must have gone something like this:

Apple to DHL:

Did you deliver the parcel to Mr Carswell?

DHL to Apple:

Yes, and here is a photograph to prove it.

Apple to DHL:

Okay, fair enough.

Apple to Me:

Dear Tom Carswell,

We have completed our review with the carrier regarding your shipment, and confirmed that it was successfully delivered. As a result, we’re unable to provide a replacement or process a refund.

Sincerely,

Apple

This was the exact e-mail that Apple UK sent me following their initial, so-called investigation, something that I was told, when I first contacted them about my stolen phone, would take two or three weeks to complete rather than the four days that it actually took.

So, since Apple UK clearly believe DHL to be completely innocent here, I must assume that they consider me to be the villain of the piece which, as you can imagine, makes me feel very angry since I am a completely innocent vistim.

Anyway, following this confirmation of their original decision, I contacted Barclays Bank, the provider of the loan that I am about to start repaying in February, telling them that I have not received the phone and that Apple refuse to help me so, as far as I am concerned, I don't feel as if I should be paying for something that I did not receive..

As a result of this Barclays have raised a Section 75 Claim, whatever that is, and will investigate for me.

So, I am now waiting for them to contact me with their findings and, should this go against me as well,, I do feel that I am well within my rights to cancel the direct debit and not to pay them a penny.

I admit that this would be unfair to Barclays, since they have already paid Apple, but what else can I do?

I feel so angry about the way that I have been treated by Apple in that they have exonerated DHL and, have made me out to be the criminal here, which I am definitely not!

[Jonako]

Hi I have just sat down to open my new IPhone 15 Pro from sky mobile to fine there is no phone or charge lead in the box!!!!!! Has anybody else had this happen and how was it handle? Thank you

[caesarome]

@Jonako 

I have moved your post to here where if you go back up the page you can read other people experiences of similar issues.

If you are yet to do this then you need to report this to Sky so it can be investigated by Sky and DPD as this does appear an industry wide issue so not just a Sky problem.

[Daniel0210]

@Jonako 

You need to report it to Sky asap so they can commence an investigation in conjunction with DPD. 

[Jonako]

Hi thank you for that, I'm still on hold as we speak, I called them at 19:57 and guy said he'll try and get me through to the right department. It doesn't sound like anyone has much joy in getting refunded. The worse thing is I cancelled the contract yesterday and wasn't going to accept delivery so the iPhone would just go back but my wife took it when I was out so I thought what the he'll ill have a look at it when the kids have gone to bed and see if I want to keep it after I'd played with it! WHAT a joke this is 

[Lee_B]

This has happened to me. Ordered an upgrade for an iPhone 15 pro max. DPD send me a notification via the DPD app to say I am next on the delivery. I sat an waited and the DPD van did not turn up. I checked the app and the driver wrote that I refused it due to damage packaging and took a photo of the box (which did not look damaged from inside his van).

I contacted sky and they said they will investigate it so to wait 24-48 hrs for them to ring me. 

I then get a notification on the dpd app saying as requested they have changed the delivery and will now deliver it on Wednesday. I did not request this but thought maybe the sky advisor had done so. 

took delivery of the package today, nothing looked tampered with the sky box and it did not look damaged but when I opened it there was an empty old iPhone SE box inside. 

Now I have to wait up to 5 days for sky to do an investigation. 

I contacted dpd and all they said is to contact sky. 

In my opinion it is definitely a scam by the DPD drivers/staff. 

My area is Leeds and my local dpd depot is Morley. 

[JF7]

This is still happening. Had my empty box delivered today. Sky said that they would look into it. 

[Daniel0210]

@JF7 

Sky will investigate along with the courier company (usually DPD) so unfortunately it's not a quick process.