I love the Consumerist. Honest I do. But all too often the ‘problem consumers’ are making it their soapbox. I’m all for the little guy getting a leg-up against corporations, but there are people who try to achieve what is right when fighting with businesses, and there is people who try to get what they think they are owed. In this case, the consumer in question isn’t trying to get a freebie, but basically an Apple store exercises its right to refuse a sale because they suspect the customer is going to unlock the phone. The customer responds by having a tantrum.
I still don’t understand the volume of commenters at the Consumerist who side against the consumer, but here is one of the few occasions I will join them:
Now I am about to lose it.
“First off, you have NO right to dictate to me what I do and do not do with a product I purchase. If I pay FULL RETAIL PRICE for something, I can smash it with hammers and throw the pieces off the Grand Canyon if I so choose!”
Purchasing an iPhone at full retail price carries with it no commitment to anything, and to make assumptions to what I plan to do with the phone is complete discrimination. What if I wanted to give it as a gift to my girlfriend and she would be able to activate on her own accord???
I explain all of this, calmly mind you, and then ask them to call their corporate office. Mrs. CSR #1 says “We are corporate”
So now they’ve lowered themselves to LYING to my face. Awesome.
“You’re corporate? I make more money in one day then you make all week Mrs. Corporate“
Now THEY’RE really pissed and tell me they are calling security. I tell them go ahead! I’m not stealing, Im not breaking things, Im not wildly running around the store naked & screaming “The iPhones are your demi-god! OBEY!” I am trying to PURCHASE a product and agree to the terms of their contract!!!!!
“We are denying to sell to you”
I fold my arms and wait. Three security guards show up and I take the ‘leader’ aside and explain. He has NO idea what to do. He actually calls the main office, his boss, and asks what to do in this kind of situation. The security boss says the store CAN deny me the sale and asks the security guard to pass along that message to me.