Verizon customer claims that the new iPhone 16 Plus she bought had been previously used
A Verizon customer claims that the nation's largest wireless carrier tried to pull the wool over her eyes by selling her a used iPhone unit as new. The consumer goes under the moniker of "TheCrazyLunchLady" on TikTok and right off the bat, she notes that just 12 hours after buying the iPhone 16 Plus from the carrier, she had to file an insurance claim.
She states that the iPhone 16 Plus she purchased had a crack on the screen before it was sold to her. After purchasing the device, she kept the phone in the box while she went to work because, as she notes, she wanted to buy a screen protector for her iPhone 16 Plus before taking it out of the box. She says, "I walked out of the store at 7 pm. And I was back by 3 o’clock the next day. And while I was at work, it sat inside the box it came in."
The Verizon rep blamed the customer for accidentally causing the damage to her iPhone's screen with her keys
When she returned to Verizon to complain about the screen, a Verizon employee put the blame on "TheCrazyLunchLady" saying that her keys must have caused the damage. On her TikTok video, the Verizon customer said, "So, now that I filed an insurance claim, they’re not gonna replace the screen. Because they don’t have replacements.” But she ended up getting a brand new phone in a brand new box which left her wondering whether Verizon at first tried to sell her a used iPhone as a new unit.
@thecrazylunchlady#iphone16plus#apple#iphone♬ original sound - TheCrazyLunchLady
She reached this conclusion when she received the new box and had to remove the tabs on the back of the box in order to open it. At this point in the video, she says that the box she opened at the Verizon store, which contained the scratched iPhone, did not have those tabs on the box. The box at the store was already opened. Furthermore, the white sticker that covers the entire display on a new iPhone in order to protect it in transit was already peeled on the first, damaged unit.
Peeling off the white sticker on her second phone revealed a flawless display."This, is a brand new phone. My other one, it has like this smudge and a crack," she said. It seems that the experience of "TheCrazyLunchLady" is one that other Verizon customers have gone through. Another TikTok subscriber said that she once bought a new phone from Verizon for $1,500 and was sent a box that already had the tabs removed.
When you buy a new phone at a brick-and-mortar store, you should always do this
A few other commentators revealed that they had gone through the same thing with one stating that the phone he bought as new was a refurbished model instead. Another response from a TikTok user came with the suggestion that instead of buying a new iPhone from a carrier, you should purchase it directly from Apple. The TikToker wrote, "This is why I only buy at the Apple Store."
Another TikTok subscriber had a great idea that might save some consumers who heed the advice. He wrote, "ALWAYS open the box in store even if you’re not setting it up right away. Most places that sell phones ask employees to check for this reason."
At the end of the day, "TheCrazyLunchLady" revealed that when she said that Verizon tried to sell her a used unit, she meant that it had been opened and used as a sample in the store by potential buyers. No matter what she meant, no consumer should have to pay full price for a phone they think is new only to find out that it isn't.
Have you ever purchased a "new" phone only to have undeniable proof that it was previously used? Let us know what happened by dropping a comment in the box below.
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