These cases suck. There is no way to know if the customer is scamming the company or the company the customer.

What do you do in a case like this? No one wants to eat a $2000 brick?

I bet Manager Keith is conveniently forgetting that his store has a shrink wrap machine in the back storeroom, too. Just because Apple seals the boxes doesn't mean one of his employee's can't reseal that box after jacking the goods.

@CRCError1970: Apple MacBook boxes are not shrink wrapped they are sealed with a sticker.

@dave_coder: Sure, that's how they come from the factory. Who says this is how it was purchased?

Alright, let's not jump to conclusions here. Plug it in, turn it on, and see if it does anything.

@CRCError1970: The reason I say that is because I had a friend buy an XBOX360 from a Best Buy that had been shrink wrapped. When he got it home he found it was a brick and obviously had been repacked.

Sounds like another reason for the golden rule when purchasing electronics to be stated...

After purchasing, but before you LEAVE THE STORE, open it and see if you're getting what you purchased. That way, you're certain you received what you paid for and they are sure they sold you what you paid for.

I've been doing this for about 10 years now and I've never been ripped like this. One can argue that it's not practical to open your merchandise before leaving the store, but is it more practical to go thru the nightmare this guy will go thru? Logic people...love it...use it.

@dave_coder: Please buy direct of from an Apple store. Best Buy is at best a shady used-car dealer anyway. Porn in the DVD player that's "NEW."

Or. The rock is a feature.

@Andy Barlow: That's actually a great tip, thanks. I've never had a problem but you never know.

@dialing_wand:

PS - Apple should fix it just because. 1 Brick/Heavy Object replacement per person with proof of purchase. Is it too much to ask?

Think of the children.

@Andy Barlow: Oh, I agree. Open it there.

But also: never, ever, let "there" be a Best Buy.

@dave_coder: The fact that there is no way to know, means the customer wins. If best buy wants to stop the practice, they will take measures to prevent this. Best buy's failures are not the customers fault.

I do believe that is the exact opposite of a Mac Book Air.

Prove it.

Sorry, there are just way too many of these "substituted goods" posts.

IF these were factual, my first telephone call would be to the local PD. Second call is going to the state AG to encourage a state wide investigation of the merchant.

Instead these complaints land on consumer forums.

Sounds too much like an attemtp to shake down the merchant and/or manufacturer.

@Corporate_guy: But then it's a question of responsibility. It could be argued that it's the customer responsibility to open the box in the store to make sure that he/she is getting the right product.

Not siding with Best Buy here...just treating it as if I were running a small business with say ten employees and someone came along with a brick telling me I owe them a new laptop.

@Andy Barlow: Yup, this works. I bought a scratched CD, exchanged it for another one. I opened the new one right in front of customer service and it was cracked. Better then driving home, opening it, then having to go back again for the same CD.

I'm not sure about the Mac Book but I do know that brand new video games consoles/handhelds have bar code stickers attached directly to the unit themselves that are scanned through a hole in the box. I know for a fact that this was true of my DS, PSP, PS3 and 360, so I don't get how things like this happen to people.

Just wait for the charge to post. A chargeback should be pretty easy.

talk about "bricking" right out of the box!

@rpm773: Yeah, aren't Macs supposed to be easier to use than PCs? This seems much simpler. No pesky "buttons" or "computer" to confuse anyone.

Isn't the serial number on the box? Can it be traced?

@RB_Bhoy: HAH! Great line.

@Michael Boyd: What about the serial number on the brick? Perhaps we can find the home store where that was purchased?

I don't want to be the first to say it, but really, I don't think the brick is all that good looking.

@Michael Boyd:

I just double-checked my Air box, and it's a sticker.

@Corporate-Shill: Rather than make the customer (regardless of whether or not he was the substituter or not) "prove it", the company has an inherent interest in making sure that they're selling the correct product.

If the store employees know that all merchandise is checked out before it leaves, it makes in-store theft a wee bit harder to perform.

It also protects the store from scams like this - before the customer leaves the store, they're acknowledging that the correct item is in the box.

It's easier to avoid problems in the first place than to resolve them afterwards. Bad publicity for Best Buy, regardless of the customer being right or wrong. If he's right, they look like they can't sell products worth a damn. Wrong, and they look like a ripe target for cons (as if they weren't a good target already).

I recently bought a macbook at Best Buy (Nearest apple store is not near, got assaulted by reciept checker, but that's another story) The checkout people would not let me open the box until I had paid for it, and they made sure to tell me that as soon as I opened it is subject to a restocking fee. They found it really odd that I wanted to check it.

@dave_coder: 1000 assistant managers are laid off, 8000 salesmen are forced into a 25%-50% pay cut, I would look toward employee theft (taking back 50% pay cut). I they took half my (already lousy) pay, I would probably pocket whatever I could (If I was that type of person)

I hear there's a revolutionary new material called "plastic" that can be made into clear product packaging!

(Even a little plastic peep-hole would do!)

yes but a restocking fee if you return it as is.
if obviously damaged on there part no restocking fee.
also i agree with machael boyde. why weren't the police called? Why isn't a lawsuit being filed? there are a alot of these and the depression is bad for anyone. The serial number should be on the box. I think that is a great clue.

Thanks to Consumerist, I now open all boxes. Just in case.

Recently, I witnessed, a customer trying to return a GPS. The model in the box, was not the same, as on the box. I still wonder : was he trying to scam, or he was a victim...

@Thaddeus: I'm wondering the same thing. Can Apple trace it?

@Thaddeus:

Well there must have been a real MBP in their at some point. The serial number will match the machine.

I have had luck with major best buy issues with:

Sarah Pieper
Geek Squad Public Defender
Executive Resolution Specialist
Best Buy Co., Inc.
Phone: 612-292-0154
Fax: 952-430-4997
sarah.pieper@bestbuy.com

@Michael Boyd: Depends. A couple of scenarios here:

1. While sitting in stock at Best Buy (or even at their suppliers or shippers warehouse) someone opened the box, took out the system, put in the brick. From that point on, even if serial numbers are scanned, the assumption is that "Apple sealed it at the factory" and nobody ever opens the box to make sure it's not a brick. In this case, there's really nothing to trace... someone else is using the macbook, and probably hasn't registered it.

2. A customer bought the macbook, took it out, replaced it with a brick, and then returned it under the auspices of changed mind, cold feet, got two for Christmas, whatever. The store didn't check inside the box when they took it back. Eventually they tried to sell it again, and someone got the brick. Again, the person who stole it probably isn't going to send in the warranty registration card to Apple, so even with a serial number on it, it won't be discovered.

The third option is that whichever way it was stolen, it ended up in the black market and some unsuspecting dupe will or has bought it on eBay. In that case, they won't know its stolen and will try to register it. Catching it here relies on two things: (1) that Apple gives enough of a sh!t to compare registered S/N's against a "stolen list" - not likely. (2) that if BB sold it and took it back, at some point they scanned in the S/N as sold. I've seen BB scan S/N's irregularly. I don't know if this even goes anywhere where it can be cross-checked and used to detect a crime.

Long winded response, I know, but unfortunately the serial number is not as useful as a theft deterrent as it should be.

One part of me feels sorry for the guy, the other part of me is saying "That brick is not secured in the box. It is just lying in there loose. You would know when you picked up the box that there was something odd right away"

@cjones27: It's only slightly less useful than this: [www.theonion.com]

I had something similar happen with an iPod I bought direct from Apple. The shipping box had an empty, ripped open iPod and nothing else (not even the ear buds or USB cable). I called up Apple and explained the situation. The CSR said that they would be sending a new one out and opening an inquiry with the shipper. Two days later I had a box with (gasp!) an iPod in it!

I have no idea what the outcome of the inquiry was, but it didn't really matter to me as Apple made things right even though it wasn't even necessarily their fault. If Best Buy won't cooperate I'd give Apple a call. Just make sure you're nice on the phone and they'll take good care of you.

@SamitaCachimba: the largest problem is that on computers, the serial numbers aren't scanned, they're on the unit themselves, or on the boxes in some cases. You can't do anything without opening the box. That being said, it would be a smart thing for laptop makers to put the hole in the box and the serial number there, but that won't happen. I'm still wondering how the DS thing happened knowing that the serial number has to be scanned...but I digress.

@Corporate-Shill:

Though it may not alwyas be practical, I think the retailer helping the customer check the merchandise at time of purchase is a great service to both.

A local Little Caesars pizza store has begun opening the boxes of every Hot 'N Ready pizza they sell in front of the customers to verify that they are getting the topping they wanted. I was pleased to see this, since I once forgot to check myself and got home to find a cheese pizza in a box that was supposed to be pepperoni.

@rpm773: I don't see the power cable in that box. And where is the on/off switch?

@CRCError1970:

Noticed the first picture, The Macbook boxes have a handle on them. If they shrink wrapped it, then it would defeat the purpose of the handle on it and dave is right, they have a sticker that seals it.

@kurtisnelson: I think they would have a hard time justifying restocking a brick.

Okay, I only just saw the "I got a rock" tag. Love you, Laura.

@babyruthless: Ha! Made my evening.

"I'll buy anything that's shiny and made by Apple."

Sounds oddly familiar...

@Thaddeus: You're just not a Mac person.

@rpm773: LOL!!!

First, try reinstalling the operating system.

Well, part of that $2000 went to the bubble wrap.