JB Hi-Fi - Sold Apple Watch as New

jp185 on 24/04/2022 - 13:23
Last edited 24/04/2022 - 19:41 by 2 other users

Bought a brand new Apple Watch at JB Hi-Fi. Didn't think too much of it when none of the green arrow tabs usually on Apple products were on the box and not even partially charged.

Once arriving home and charged the item, the Watch was locked to the previous owner's account and could not even be used. This was supposed to be brand new, paid price of a new product.

Had to go back to the store, got it replaced with a new item, but still had to travel and waste time and fuel during weekend going back and forth from home, not to mention the previous owner getting alerted on our connection attempt to the Watch showing our details in terms of mobile being used and the location of our home. No compensation, no discussion of what is wrong etc by JB.

I had mentioned to them the issues in advertising and selling product as brand new when it has clearly been used, and that ACCC has actually investigated this issue back for JB Hi-Fi before where mobiles were being sold with contact and contents still on the phone. They told me they know nothing of it and just an honest mistake.

I know mistakes can happen, but that for me it alerts procedural issues in returned or traded-in products on due diligence of ensuring that products are factory reset and wiped. They did not attempt to take any liability of this issue nor mentioned any means of compensation. They even really asked us at first if we wanted a replacement for a new one…

Electrical & Electronics

Related Stores

JB Hi-Fi

Comments

- - BewareOfThe Dog on 27/04/2022 - 20:39
    
    Thank you. I was about to correct this. They have some cardboard loop packaging.
Davo1111 on 26/04/2022 - 02:28

+6

Jeeze just move On.
Briefcase Mong on 26/04/2022 - 09:02

+10

Feel sorry for the person at JB dealing with you
- MrThing on 26/04/2022 - 13:29
  
  +2
  
  I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with OP in real life, they sound terrible
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 04:26
  
  -1
  
  i’m genuinely wanting to know, for my own benefit, what part made you feel that way?
  
  from comments it seems like a lot of people are drawing connections on two different subject matters; me raising the concern, and me being frustrated with the experience and not being compensated.
  
  i’m not an ape, i can internalise my frustration and not lash out. i didn’t go in yelling for money.
  i never asked them for compensation, i never raised my voice at them, i never cursed at them.
  
  i mentioned the concern because it could happen to others. they acknowledged that it was an issue, they told me it was a mistake, i let them know it was fine.
  
  i didn’t feel that this was something to be viciously attacked for, so just wanting an understanding.
  - cookie2 on 28/04/2022 - 14:22
    
    +2
    
    The fact that you want to understand is awesome and a testament to your ability to think critically etc. But don't bother, you won't find any good answers from the ones bagging you and making assumptions. I reckon the ones acting like you're just the worst, are probably the highest maintenance themselves.
maxyzee on 26/04/2022 - 09:23

+4

The entitled radar going off on this one.
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 02:32
  
  +1
  
  i am entitled because i paid for a new product and was given a second hand product instead without it being told, which caused otherwise unnecessary inconvenience and resource consumption that could’ve been avoided.
  - cookie2 on 28/04/2022 - 14:23
    
    I can just imagine these same sentiments echoed years ago before our consumer rights were created. Some people don't like creating change and see no personal value in improvement.
p1 ama on 26/04/2022 - 09:32

+7

People like you are the exact reason why I would never want to run a small business or work in any role which requires dealing with the general public.

If you didn't want to spend the time running around, then it's on you to do your due diligence and check your goods before taking the long trip home. If you want to take the risk of going all the way home before checking your goods, then don't complain when sometimes you lose out.
- djsweet on 26/04/2022 - 11:38
  
  +2
  
  So you would never want to run a small business because you want to sell used items as new, and don't want to have to offer anything by way of apology or compensation when you get caught out? I, for one, am glad you don't run a business.
  - p1 ama on 26/04/2022 - 12:33
    
    +3
    
    Mistakes happen in the course of doing business from everyone's point of view. When you run an operation as large as JB HiFi, there are bound to be errors. By all accounts, the error was sorted out the way that it should be. OP got a new product, the interaction seemed to be pleasant and was not difficult in any way.
    
    People being general drama queens and always wanting attention is why I would never run a small business (or any business that deals with the general public). As with any customer service role, you end up spending the majority of your time dealing with the minority of the worst case.
    - jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 02:55
      
      -5
      
      sigh.
      few points - if you don’t understand these you shouldn’t run a business. and if that’s your outlook of how business operate, don’t run a business, this is coming from a business consultant.
      
      you can’t blame customer for the due diligence if you’re not demanding the same, if not more, of the seller who is representing the product and assisting the customer make the right choice.
      
      As i’ve mentioned already, the watch was out of battery, i couldn’t check until i got it charged at home. I’ve never owned an apple watch, i didn’t know how it was supposed to be packaged. you wouldn’t assume anything you buy new isn’t new, especially when you’ve been told by the sales assistant that it’s new and you pay for the new price.
      
      if you are running a small business and not checking your products that are being sold as new which are actually used, that’s not just on the buyer, it’s on the seller and the business.
      
      being a big corporation with large customer basis is not an excuse for mis-practice especially when sensitive information could be in said products. they have enough resources to fix this, they’re choosing not to on cost basis. big companies also rely on evidence and statistical feedback to be able to derive solutions E.g large write-off from compensation from said issue, complaints about said issue, ACCC reports about said issue. these all provide them with insight on the fact that there is a procedural issue that needs to be looked into. otherwise why would they continue to damage their reputation. for what, $20?
      
      much like 4, if you are running a small business and not made aware of these kinds of issues and they continue, then one day one report comes in and you get investigated for and cop a huge fine, that’s a loss on you. you’d want to know where errors are happening and where you could improve.
      
      if you are wanting to run a small business, and your business’ mistake cause inconvenience to your customer, any business owner would look towards compensation even at small value. it’s basic customer relation building for retention based on satisfaction and experience of shopping there. if you want to run a profitable business, you should look into what makes you the go to choice. if you can’t compete in any of the fields, don’t blame the customers for it when you haven’t built the right environment.
      
      Yes interaction was pleasant, i dont go demanding for money. it’s about the principles. i brought it to their attention because it has been historically documented incidences that has continued to happen with the business. i had assumed some sort of compensation was obvious if a clear mistake that violated legal matter, which they have a history of, has happened.
      
      if a customer from your small business came back dissatisfied because you sold them a used product as new, even by mistake, and your takeaway from that is “this person is a drama queen” and you don’t see an issue, that’s on you mate for your business failing. i wouldn’t have bothered to even make a post had they at least apologised for the mistake, which they didn’t,
      
      you mention minority of worst cases, which i assume you have grouped me into. I went back, got a new watch, let them know that it was of concern what has happened, they said they’ve acknowledge that, i left. There was no fuss, no conflict. if that’s your bar for worst case, again, don’t run a business.
      - dvsbastard on 28/04/2022 - 13:28
        
        +3
        
        @jp185: For someone so concerned about inconvenience you sure have a lot of time to write long posts…
        
        cookie2 on 28/04/2022 - 14:25
        
        @dvsbastard: So OP is judged if he doesn't or judged if he does? How dull.
        
        jp185 on 30/04/2022 - 00:09
        
        @dvsbastard: one was unnecessary time spent due to another’s action, one was my own choice.
        
        just as much as you could’ve gone and done anything else you’d find more productive for yourself instead of spend time here. you chose to read and comment, no body left you no choice but to.
      - p1 ama on 28/04/2022 - 14:28
        
        @jp185:
        
        you can’t blame customer for the due diligence if you’re not demanding the same, if not more, of the seller who is representing the product and assisting the customer make the right choice.
        
        What you don't seem to be getting is that I am offering you advice, not JB HiFi. If I were offering JB HiFi advice, then I would tell them that they need to do better in terms of their processes. As a consultant, you should know this - that your advice should actually help your client achieve better outcomes.
        
        I'm simply saying that if you want to avoid this issue in future you should do your own due diligence. It does not mean that JB HiFi has done the right thing. These are two separate issues.
        
        As i’ve mentioned already, the watch was out of battery, i couldn’t check until i got it charged at home. I’ve never owned an apple watch, i didn’t know how it was supposed to be packaged. you wouldn’t assume anything you buy new isn’t new, especially when you’ve been told by the sales assistant that it’s new and you pay for the new price.
        
        You said that you knew the seal was broken when you opened it.
        
        if you are running a small business and not checking your products that are being sold as new which are actually used, that’s not just on the buyer, it’s on the seller and the business.
        
        I never said that, it is definitely on the business. It doesn't change the fact that you can mitigate your own risk.
        
        being a big corporation with large customer basis is not an excuse for mis-practice especially when sensitive information could be in said products. they have enough resources to fix this, they’re choosing not to on cost basis.
        
        This might be true.
        
        much like 4, if you are running a small business and not made aware of these kinds of issues and they continue, then one day one report comes in and you get investigated for and cop a huge fine, that’s a loss on you. you’d want to know where errors are happening and where you could improve
        
        You should get JB HiFi to hire you for your advice. That's the win-win?
        
        if you are wanting to run a small business, and your business’ mistake cause inconvenience to your customer, any business owner would look towards compensation even at small value
        
        Great, so JB HiFi didn't make you happy - don't shop there next time. Is it that hard?
        
        Yes interaction was pleasant, i dont go demanding for money. it’s about the principles.
        
        There is no such thing as "the principle". In other words, "the principle" is always just another word for your ego.
        
        if a customer from your small business came back dissatisfied because you sold them a used product as new, even by mistake, and your takeaway from that is “this person is a drama queen” and you don’t see an issue, that’s on you mate for your business failing. i wouldn’t have bothered to even make a post had they at least apologised for the mistake, which they didn’t,
        
        The fact that you're still wound up over an apology shows that you're a drama queen.
        
        you mention minority of worst cases, which i assume you have grouped me into. I went back, got a new watch, let them know that it was of concern what has happened, they said they’ve acknowledge that, i left. There was no fuss, no conflict. if that’s your bar for worst case, again, don’t run a business.
        
        The fact that you are still posting about it here shows that you are a class-A loser and a difficult customer that I would just rather not serve.
        
        jp185 on 30/04/2022 - 00:05
        
        @p1 ama: if advice on me to check beforehand, completely fair and i get that, what i interpreted was that the fault was on just me.
        
        i said i didn’t think much of it at the time, hadn’t bought new apple product in years. there was no sign of tearing or sticky residue left etc and clean that it didn’t look like anything was there previously. i don’t think it’s reasonable to know straight from missing green arrow peel, especially if previously non-apple user was transferring to apple.
        
        Yes I can accept that my risk can be mitigated, but as explained. if also speaking generally for other products, all the signs are still not always there, such as internal damages in products. for which if you’re thinking - but how would JB know if it is internal damages, it’s not fair on them to take the heat for it. Of course it’s not, but these are big businesses, and as retail stores that buy large volume of inventory they are protected by corporate insurances, have a budget to write-off for compensation due to wrongdoing and also wield influenced to the brands - IE they can easily get compensated by the brands themselves for compensation they had to fork out because of the brands faulty products. to which those big brands also have insurance and budget for faulty products. they all get coverage, but only the customers who don’t have multi-million/billion dollar insurance policies take in the trickled down resource consumption and impact from this.
        
        the ones i mention on small businesses were more a commentary on your business acumen rather than reflection on JB. i think your responses to those show that you shouldn’t never open one because of customers, you should never open one because of yourself.
        
        I strongly disagree regarding your comments about principles and apologies. i actually think it’s the other way around for ego. By not apologising, it shows that they don’t see any wrong doing in the negative influence their action caused nor take accountability, even if it was by mistake.
        It’s like thanking wait-staff or bus drivers, or apologising when you bump into someone when you walk. you don’t that out of your own ego, you do it because it’s a gesture of your understanding to the situation and acting upon it.
        For example, you go to a restaurant and you’re about 80% of the way through the food then find dead cockroaches and rat droppings under all the food you were eating. I don’t think it’d be fair on you as a customer to pay for said food and staff being annoyed that you bring it to their attention, followed by the table next to you calling you a drama queen because they would have just taken those out and finished the food.
        
        your perspective might be that i’m a drama queen for thinking about not getting an apology, but my perspective is that you’re a d!ck if your ego is so high that anyone negatively impacted by your action doesnt deserve an apology because to you it’s not a big deal regardless of how the one who was actually impacted by felt about it.
- logisync on 26/04/2022 - 19:27
  
  +1
  
  also another reason why I prefer to buy online and avoid people holding up lines whinging about the tinniest of s%#t and wasting other peoples time.
dji1111111 on 26/04/2022 - 09:33

-1

Such an understanding group of people.

If they sold me a second hand watch as new and made me travel back and forth and waste my time, I would at least expect an apology, which the OP didn't even get.

No wonder the consumers in Australia have very little power
- p1 ama on 26/04/2022 - 09:57
  
  +6
  
  I would at least expect an apology
  
  If you're the sort of person for whom an empty apology will make you feel better or worse, then you need to get a better grip on life.
  - dji1111111 on 26/04/2022 - 10:12
    
    such an over dramatisation lol
    
    It won't change my life but I do appreciate shops that treat their customers in a friendly manner rather than be mindless drones. YMMV Feel free to interact with dicky shop attendants yourself if that's what you prefer
    
    Your logic will render any sort of thanks/apologies from shops worthless.
    
    I wonder why there's a term called "customer service" in the first place then?
    
    Shops would just hire people who stand there and take money without saying a single word.
    
    Same for cafes. I think you are the ones with life issues lol
    
    Most people will choose to spend their money where they are greeted with smile, where they thank you for your custom and make apologies when they stuff up.
    
    Thanks for proving my point that ozbargain community has a lot of people with issues and just enjoys bullying people who make forum posts. Meanwhile, they can never get anything wrong lol
    - p1 ama on 26/04/2022 - 12:28
      
      +1
      
      such an over dramatisation lol
      
      I'm not the one complaining on a forum about not getting an apology from some kid at JB HiFi paid $15 per hour. Who's the dramatic one?
      
      It won't change my life but I do appreciate shops that treat their customers in a friendly manner rather than be mindless drones. YMMV Feel free to interact with dicky shop attendants yourself if that's what you prefer
      
      I'm not advocating that shop attendants be "dicky", nor am I saying they should not be friendly. I am simply saying that if an apology from a shop attendant makes or breaks your day, then you are the one with the problem.
      
      Your logic will render any sort of thanks/apologies from shops worthless.
      
      Again, not what I am saying. The logic of what I am saying is that you should not get hung up on thanks / apologies.
      
      Thanks for proving my point that ozbargain community has a lot of people with issues and just enjoys bullying people who make forum posts. Meanwhile, they can never get anything wrong lol
      
      What has happened has happened. OP has two choices, to move on or to continue to be upset. I am saying that OP needs to choose to move on. You are seeing it from the POV of the JB HiFi employee who is not the person making the post. You are responding to a different post that was never made.
      
      Think about it this way:
      
      OP1: I'm a customer who was wronged, should I be upset? Answer: No, move on.
      OP2: I work at JB HiFi, should I treat a customer like crap? Answer: No.
      
      You can hold both views at the same time. The lack of nuance and perspective from your part and OP's part is astounding to me. If you want to continue being upset, go ahead, don't let the opinions of those online change your mind.
      - dji1111111 on 26/04/2022 - 13:18
        
        -3
        
        @p1 ama: Haha you put in such an effort to appear logical but you really aren't.
        These things don't have to make or break my day. Does every little trivial event make or break your day? If so, you really have some life issues.
        They don't have to break my day for me to come up with a decision that certain shops have shit service.
        
        There is a difference in offering a replacement while giving the attitude of "you got a replacement so what the hell more do you want" vs "sorry it appears this fell through the crack at our end". Yes, same outcome of getting a replacement but completely different experience.
        I certainly hope you don't approach any of your personal relationships this way haha
        BTW nice one belittling jb hifi staff while you are at it. You seem to have some superiority complex lol
        
        Please get it through your thick skull that people don't have to be "upset" or "lose it" just to feel like the shop owes them an apology. That's why I keep saying you overdramatise things to get your horribly put together argument across. Yeah, keep injecting the thought that I'm "upset" if that helps you sleep at night. As if I care some nobody on the internet thinks I'm upset
        
        p1 ama on 26/04/2022 - 14:42
        
        @dji1111111: You're still unable to separate out the question of whether poor service is acceptable with the question of how one should deal with it.
        
        It is perfectly logical to say that poor service is not acceptable, whilst at the same time, also understanding that sometimes things don't go your way and that doesn't mean that you should be demanding compensation every time someone slights you in whatever way.
        
        Please get it through your thick skull that people don't have to be "upset" or "lose it" just to feel like the shop owes them an apology. That's why I keep saying you overdramatise things to get your horribly put together argument across. Yeah, keep injecting the thought that I'm "upset" if that helps you sleep at night. As if I care some nobody on the internet thinks I'm upset
        
        No need to get upset little one, none of us are as smart as we believe. Expecting an apology is the literal definition of feeling upset. If I had the same experience as OP, you know what I would have done? Just taken my replacement or gotten a refund and shop elsewhere next time. It's not that hard.
        
        You sound like you need others to apologise to you and stroke your ego so you can feel like you're important. There there, do you feel better yet?
        
        dji1111111 on 26/04/2022 - 15:11
        
        @p1 ama: Haha now make up stories. I never said compensation should be provided here in this case. You made up the story that I'm 'upset' and now you made up the story that I would demand compensation in a case like this
        That seems to be your speciality making up stories. Please find where I said OP should have or I would react in a certain way in a case like this. I'm sure you can't because I never did. All I said is when a store stuffs up like this, at least an apology while providing a replacement goes a long way. If you can't get that through your extremely thick skull and continue to make up stories (which you have in your head and you somehow believe it has actually taken place. time to see a professional?), nobody will be able to help you
        
        Well, no, I think you explained yourself since you are the one from a while back that was being a t*at on a flight and was having a whinge here. How about you take your own advice? lol OP has at least been wronged while you are the one doing the wrong and you were having a ridiculous whinge HAHA
        A bit of self-awareness is required in this world which you seem to be lacking in a massive way HAHA
- Nebargains on 26/04/2022 - 14:14
  
  +3
  
  lol you think they sold a second hand watch as new? More like there was a breakdown in process and a returned watch was put back in with the new products without putting a sticker on it saying that it was returned and why (this is what they normally do).
  
  I mean c'mon, there is no scam here, they didn't deliberately deceive anyone, was just a mistake. One of the largest retailers in the country, you think that mistakes don't happen?
  - jp185 on 30/04/2022 - 15:35
    
    that’s literally what i said… i said i can understand mistakes happen, but it raises concern on the process.
    
    Yes but as largest retailers in the country, they need to be aware of their mistakes to know that it’s worth investing into fixing. They made over $300m in net profit for half financial year, and the CEO gets $3m+ on salary. they have resources to fix this but they’re not going to bother fixing the issue unless they know there is a benefit to the business.
    they won’t have the feedback or financial impact to reflect from if not brought up either by number of feedback or looking at their loss from compensation paid. until they bother to fix their internal issue, it’s only the consumers will continue to be negatively impacted by this
- DoctorCalculon on 27/04/2022 - 19:04
  
  I would at least expect an apology
  
  How much $$ is that apology worth, and could you trade it as currency at your next JB Hi-Fi purchase?
BuckyUnlucky on 26/04/2022 - 09:40

+1

Life happens, move on and stop wasting your time daydreaming of a perfect world
MXsoul on 26/04/2022 - 10:22

+5

I need compensation for reading this rant 🤭🤐
solidussnake on 26/04/2022 - 12:39

To be honest JB pretty much takes back anything which is great for the customer but bad when this situation happens, usually they pop a green sticker on it and should check off the list etc which obviously wasn't done. I've seen smashed surface laptops, cracked Tvs returned etc I just laugh 🤣but most importantly most things have a shrink wrap would would be a dead giveaway. But expecting compensation come on mate…
smpantsonfire on 26/04/2022 - 12:51

Screen protector would have been nice. Or an extra band.
cnitsuj on 26/04/2022 - 13:04

-1

You could claim the transport costs from JB.

You are entitled to recover reasonable postage or transportation costs from the business if the product is confirmed to have a problem, so keep your receipts.

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees…
DiscoJango on 26/04/2022 - 13:49

just compensate the op's minimum wage hourly amount of $15 and be on your way lol
auna on 26/04/2022 - 14:03

You should be checking products you buy before you leave
- pe arl on 26/04/2022 - 23:43
  
  And ideally, staff should be checking their stock to make sure they're not just putting used returns back on the shelf!
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 01:20
  
  +1
  
  i mean if should’ve been checked by them also.
  and i did check. there wasn’t any scruffs or anything. i didn’t know there was supposed to be green tabs across because i’ve never owned an apple watch, i don’t know how it’s packaged.
  the watch itself was out of battery so i didn’t get to see that it was locked to an account until i got home.
m34nstav on 26/04/2022 - 14:05

+3

Of all the problems in the world, and all the wrongs committed throughout history, this is definitely the most pressing issue to exist today.
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 01:21
  
  +1
  
  i mean, no ones holding you down here. you’re the one actively being on a discussion forum about these topics and reading it…
- cookie2 on 28/04/2022 - 14:27
  
  -1
  
  Yes, you shouldn't have commented because your time and other issues should be deemed more pressing and valuable.
Pet20220224 on 26/04/2022 - 14:11

apple products normally come in with completely sealed boxes, i recently bought an ipad and an apple pencil from a small shop, both boxes came in sealed plastic wraps so i knew they were genuine.

when you got your apple watch, was the box sealed/not sealed? if it's not sealed that's an instant red flag as it could have been opened by anyone.
- 2024 on 26/04/2022 - 16:27
  
  Not sure about iPads but brand new iPhones and Apple Watches don’t have sealed plastic wraps around the boxes… They have little stickers with green arrows, just like op said
  
  Apple has stopped doing plastic wraps as part of an environmental effort.
  
  I fact it’s fairly trivial and cheap to buy a plastic wrap machine lol
mrhugo on 26/04/2022 - 14:19

+5

It's always fun to read these threads where the OP thinks the OZB community will side/support them, only to find that the OP spends even more time trying to convince every man+dog that they are right resulting in the OP being downvoted to no end.

jp185
Member Since
20/04/2022

Prob doesn't want to damage their rep, so creates a burner account.
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 01:25
  
  +1
  
  i mean yeah new but first account, posted about something else days before but doesn’t quite fit your narrative to include i guess.
  feel free to pick up your medal at the local JB detective hugo
pe arl on 26/04/2022 - 14:21

+6

I get that retailers won't provide compensation for mistakes like this, regardless of the time and money the customer wasted because of the mistake, but at the same time, I feel like customers saying "mistakes happen, move on" also doesn't help things much. I've found that so many preventable (and sometimes bordering upon unacceptable) mistakes are common because procedural flaws in how some retailers operate don't get fixed - partly because no-one complains. I don't mean whinging and complaining and making unreasonable requests for compensation about tiny mistakes, but it would help if more customers expressed their unhappiness in a civilised way and formally requested that changes be made to make sure unacceptable mistakes aren't repeated in the future. Sure, it might fall on deaf ears at first, but if enough people do it, and more people come to expect better service, companies will take notice. Judging from the comments on here it seems most people just shrug and move on without saying anything even if in response to procedural issues that are bound to affect other customers too. In the long term, even small changes could save a lot of people a lot of time.
- dji1111111 on 26/04/2022 - 15:17
  
  +4
  
  Probably the only person here with some common sense and brain rather than posting useless comments.
  
  These are the same people who will be the first to complain when things actually happen to them
- burningrage on 26/04/2022 - 15:35
  
  This is a commendable opinion.
  
  I noticed a significant drop in level of service quality in almost all aspect of businesses ranging from hospitality to non-profit businesses.
  
  They all have one thing in common. They all blamed Covid as an excuse. I think is very unacceptable and thus grievance must be aired with the desire for better outcome in the future.
  
  To give a few examples in my case
  1. Hospitality. Sunday and Credit Card surcharging are mushrooming since January 2022 yet dining out price up nearly 50%. In 2020, Omi can be had for $10.90 now it is from $14.90 to $17.90. Do the food taste any better ? No. Better service? They shoved you to "contactless" phone QR order.
  2. Telstra. Ever since I moved to prepaid significant number blind spots in places where it should be 4 out 4 bars as these places a business districts. Eg. Eastland Timezone no signal. Knox City no signal in Coles 2. Chadstone. Almost no signal in DJ. When I submit tickets about it, it got an acknowledgement and almost immediately closed with no resolution.
  3. Samsung. Never able to reach its chat (crash) and phone (we are busy. Call again)
  
  So yes grievances must be aired but at the same time you must be able to pick between honest mistakes vs deliberate incompetence.
  
  I'd say in this case JB made an honest mistake. The mistake is properly remedied. Move on.
- jno on 28/04/2022 - 13:44
  
  Complaining on ozb ain't going to change shit tho lol lets be honest, some people just want the gratification of being agreed with not a better outcome for the community
burningrage on 26/04/2022 - 15:25

+2

OP. Can I just say one thing for ya

Shit happens.
- jp185 on 30/04/2022 - 15:42
  
  yes, i know. but i don’t want it to happen to others just as much as i don’t want it to happen to me again. idk you but id think it’d be nicer experience for you if it didn’t happen to you. that’s the whole point.
leeweesquee on 26/04/2022 - 15:46

+1

1st World Problem
ego22 on 26/04/2022 - 16:17

+1

I bought a new laptop from JB a few years ago that had already been signed into also. Returned it. And last year bought a "new" speaker off the shelf, got home, opened the box and found all the plastic had been taken off and put back on badly and the speakers had dirty scratches all over it.. so i guess it happens a lot. They just hope no one notices.
2024 on 26/04/2022 - 16:21

+1

Man that sucks.

I’ve seen around here companies like Amazon offering percentage off for mistakes, or even letting people keep incorrectly delivered products.

I’d suggest supporting the businesses that don’t leave you with a sour experience when they make a mistake.
ipiok on 26/04/2022 - 17:17

+1

While I wouldn't have expected anything other than a replacement, it would have been a nice gesture for the store to give you a gift card or something for the stuff around.
askbargain on 26/04/2022 - 18:08

Tell them you're an OzBargain member and they will chuck in a free strap.
Wasabi Ninja on 26/04/2022 - 18:32

-1

Wound never happen with Samsung. 😎
Local Bogan on 26/04/2022 - 18:50

+1

JB customer service is bad, they never recognise their mistake or apologise. They even accuse consumers of lying or manipulating information.

Currently taking them to QCAT cause they wouldnt honour a marketing email they sent to me. At no point did they ever apologise, understand or want to listen to my side of the story, just denies anything to do with my story.
- solidussnake on 26/04/2022 - 18:54
  
  Interesting !! care to elaborate ?
  - Local Bogan on 26/04/2022 - 18:55
    
    +1
    
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/691809
kiwimex on 26/04/2022 - 19:35

Can I get compensation for wasting my time reading this post /. thread
cute as duck on 26/04/2022 - 20:37

-4

I had mentioned to them the issues in advertising and selling product as brand new when it has clearly been used

Sounds like the type of "customer" me and work colleagues back in the day would be laughing about on our lunch breaks.

I bet the JB HiFi person was struggling to not laugh when you were spraying him/her with ACCC stuff.
- Morphio25 on 27/04/2022 - 03:14
  
  I don't know, in my experience threatening to make a complaint to the ACCC worked very well. I once bought an external DVD drive which was sold to me as new.
  
  I got home and plugged it in only to find the store's pirated copy of Windows XP on it. Needless to say I took it back and demanded a refund (after first having used the drive to reinstall Windows on my device of course).
  
  At first they refused so I pointed out that they sold me a used product as brand new and with pirated software in it and that perhaps the ACCC office around the corner from them might be interested in my story if they wouldn't help me.
  
  The guy went and got his manager and I had a refund 2 minutes later.
- 2024 on 27/04/2022 - 09:58
  
  +1
  
  Sounds like the type of “employee” me and my work colleagues back in the day would be laughing about during our lunch breaks
  
  I bet JB Hifi management weren’t happy that the last time all it took were two reports to the ACCC
  
  https://www.applianceretailer.com.au/ppfstmfspx/
snajper on 26/04/2022 - 20:52

Get an expensive lawyer and get yourself a huge compo. Your life will never be the same…..
Morphio25 on 27/04/2022 - 03:08

+3

They should've at least offered you a gift card with a small amount on it (say $15-20) by way of apology. Yes it's a mistake but it's their mistake and they need to own it and make it right.

If the watch was a return and they were going to resell it anyway then it should've been marked down.
umoddbro on 27/04/2022 - 03:20

+2

Happened to me about 10 years ago I bought a 'brand new' iPod from Myer, went home opened it and it still had photos/music from the previous owner. Went back for a refund and the old lady there insisted on giving me a store credit because it was 'used'….. I was like wtf? ended up getting my money back and haven't shopped at Myer since. It was annoying too as I was still in school at the time and had to catch the bus back and forth.
cookie2 on 27/04/2022 - 07:32

+4

No change happens if we all just accept.
yokel on 27/04/2022 - 14:57

I think it depends on the location of the store. If it is a store a high amount of volume/shrinkage/theft then it is too much of a challenge to run. You won’t get the greatest managers to take charge of these locations. The floor staff don’t GAF anywhere now generally, had trouble recently with 2x Apple watches I bought recently at JB Hifi. I went there to buy because of a catalogue special.
barghunt1 on 27/04/2022 - 15:46

+2

It’s happened to me a few times and has made me extremely wary of buying tech products. It has meant that I’ve avoided buying things I need or want. I would rather go without then get a used product sold as new.

PS: The stickers on the product isn’t always reliable. I was delivered a phone that was both used and faulty. I could tell it was used because the stickers had dust underneath it so already opened and it wasn’t packed right. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t used and tried to use it as I desperately needed the phone. Through use I discovered it was faulty. I was really annoyed having to return it because I got it at a good price due to price match and they were out of stock. The store put me through the ringer when I returned it. Such a terrible experience I haven’t shopped at that retailer since.
HumbleCat on 27/04/2022 - 17:04

+3

@jp185

I think you can send a report to ACCC mentioning the details. Beyond that, you can try contacting the support through email preferably and ask for a voucher or something. They wouldn't likely give you cash but a discount voucher might be likely.

I am surprised most people here are behaving so viciously considering you spent your time and money to travel all the way. I am surprised they are siding with a mega corporation that makes billions as opposed to you who got screwed.

And interestingly, they blame you for wanting to be compensated considering they would beg for a union job, have healthcare and pensions which many people, their betters, fought for years.

If you lodge a case with ACCC, you are helping to prevent this from occurring in the future. You may not personally benefit from it but rather planting a tree under whose shade you will never sit

If you did take a screenshot or have a record of the watch linked to the previous owners account, that will help you significantly.

Chin up, brush off the comments from the common rabble and do what you think is right.
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 03:45
  
  +1
  
  cheers for the insight.
  
  i didn’t want to make a big fuss of putting any report in which is why i didn’t mention which location and so on.
  
  my concern for that was, mistakes do happen, i don’t want any employee there to have personal/direct impact while employed there, which is why i mentioned my concern to the employee (somewhat higher up i assume because sales and counter employees couldn’t authorise exchange etc).
  
  it seems like a lot are assuming a connection between two separate subjects of me raising the concern to the store and me being frustrated on my inconvenience and not being compensated, as me having gone in and caused a fuss then complained to them, which is not at all the case.
  
  i literally went in got new watch, let them know that it is an issue to be careful with, walked right out…
cenakhoa on 27/04/2022 - 17:38

-2

I bought 1 watch from JB and had exact problems. It might happened somewhere in the supply chain, consider it bad luck. As long as they refund or gave you a new one, move on. If it happens again, just buy it from Apple store. The best you can do is rate them one star or made a complaint to accc. Blackmailing for compensation giftcard is not acceptable
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 03:37
  
  +2
  
  maybe it was my writing, but there was no (not even any intention of) blackmailing them. i let them know because it’s of a concern, not just to me, but for other customers and returnees.
  
  i had just assumed a compensation based on customer relation and retention for satisfaction but i never said i asked or demanded anything from them.
  
  i walked in, got new watch, mentioned the concern, they acknowledged it, i left. there was no fuss or conflict.
bmerigan on 27/04/2022 - 22:02

-2

Grow up. You don't deserve compensation for every little thing that inconveniences you.
- jp185 on 28/04/2022 - 00:45
  
  +2
  
  the idea isn’t just me trying to get money off of them. brick and mortar stores are dying because of overhead costs, but people still rely on in-store visits for on-demand purchases to receive goods straight away.
  With online purchases, at the expense of delivery time, you get exclusive deals, cash backs through apps, or much more competitive prices from different businesses which is why stores don’t do price matches on online only stores.
  
  The whole point of brick and mortar is to cut the inconveniences…
Deals For Days on 28/04/2022 - 13:32

I do think I'd also be annoyed if a large store like JB wasted my time with stuff like this.

Yes, 'easy mistake' but really how hard is it to ensure the products you're selling to customers are actually new? Especially tech/Apple products.

Can't say that I'd demand compensation in your place, but this is the sort of occasion where them taking a tenner off the price/throwing in a small gift card may be appropriate if you had to travel far to get the issue solved. I don't think it's reasonable for such a large company to be making errors like this when it's well a well known common return scam for Apple products (especially stolen ones).

If I'd had to travel far, I would have called and told them to handle shipping to collect the item and send the me correct one at their cost. Not keen on wasting an our going back and forth from the store to fix such an obvious error.

All that being said - this stuff happens. Can't say that I'd winge about it on ozb, but I am surprised so many commenter side completely with JB in this case. You do come across as Karen but seriously, travelling back and forth to the store for many people is worth 30-50 bucks of time depending on what they earn… or do Ozb not care about time and only money?
eatcroissants on 28/04/2022 - 20:43

+1

I am with you OP. They should atleast give you a proper apology.

It is a huge breach of privacy for the previous owner as well.
- DoctorCalculon on 02/05/2022 - 20:25
  
  It is a huge breach of privacy for the previous owner as well.
  
  The previous owner was stupid enough to not factory reset the device before returning it.
MrrMagic on 28/04/2022 - 23:47

-2

I'm with you OP, so many haters here.

I would of at least expected a small gift card and a decent apology just on the privacy breach.
- DoctorCalculon on 02/05/2022 - 20:27
  
  privacy breach
  
  There was no privacy breach. The activation lock on the device prevented OP's phone from pairing with the watch.

JB Hi-Fi - Sold Apple Watch as New

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