So not only did they steal my shipping fee by not delivering it on time, but stole the phone as well. I sort of regret not waiting to get the 512 GB. Right now I have a 64 GB iPhone X max and I have such bad storage issues on it, however it’s a miracle my X max has survived this long. It has battery swelling and I need a working phone for my trip. It sucks that no one is held accountable for this and now I’m locked in with this phone for 36 months.

File a claim with UPS. You have the Verizon store rep as a witness.

Ok. I already bought a new phone and I don’t think I can exactly just return it, but will UPS be able to find out who did this? At this point, I just want someone to be held accountable for doing this.

Edit: I just got home and went through some of the tissue paper in the box (I was really excited to get my phone so I literally just grabbed it from the top of the box and ran to the store) and there’s an iPhone 12 in there at the bottom of the box. It isn’t on my receipt, I didn’t order an iPhone 12. When they call me tomorrow to finish transferring my line over (I have a temporary phone number for now while they cancel my last phone order, I guess they can’t until tomorrow) so they’re gonna call me and I was gonna let them know I got a free iPhone that I didn’t order? Im so genuinely confused.

Like, was it put in there on accident during packaging? But if so, why wouldn’t whoever stole my phone steal the 12 as well? Did they put it in there? I’m just very bewildered by this whole experience.

You should be able to get compensation for the value of the lost phone, not a replacement phone sent... so your already having bought a new phone won't factor into it. Filing a claim might start some internal investigation within UPS, but I doubt they'll share any of that with you, and you'll never know if they found who took it.

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They are having me refunded for the phone, and I just bought the 256 GB today. I couldn’t wait because my X max is on its last legs, has battery swelling, screen popping off and hardware slipping out, and will randomly go black and not turn on. I had no other choice than to buy a new lesser phone because I’m leaving for a road trip tomorrow and need a working device. I had purposefully ordered it ahead of time for this trip so that’s why I’m upset but I had to do what I had to do.

I paid out of pocket for another phone with less storage, because they didn’t have the 512 GB in stock and couldn’t get it overnighted. I’m leaving for a road trip tomorrow and I need a working device. I had ordered the 512 so it would come in time for my road trip. And they are refunding me for the 512 GB phone which was stolen.

And thank you, I just need to come to terms with that sometimes things just happen and I might not get justice for this but it’s ok :):)

>I was really excited to get my phone so I literally just grabbed it from the top of the box and ran to the store

That's very different from what you wrote in your post above, where you said "So, we went to go open my new iPhone and put the screen on. The box was empty. The phone has been stolen out of it beforehand."

Which phone did you excitely grab and run to the the store with?

At this point, your story is so mixed up and hard to follow, if true at all, that I give up.

It’s just wild that couriers are so brazen now with theft that they don’t even care anymore. Despite all the supposed checks and balances in place.

The iPhone 14 box was empty, not the shipping box. The iPhone 14 was inside the shipping box. When they ship them, they put them in brown cardboard boxes.

The iPhone 12 is at the bottom, under tissue paper, receipt, and a bunch of papers explaining how to transfer the phone and the phone plan, etc. I’m assuming the iPhone 12 is in there since it’s wrapped. I’ll let them know tomorrow and they can let me know what to do with it. I wonder if it’s someone else’s phone they ordered.

UPS (and every ship co) have a ton of internal sorters. No they don’t know who touches every package - impossible. This stuff happens often and sometimes they are caught internally and handed over to police. Some hubs even search after shifts. With the employment crisis this type of thing will increase. Id avoid shipping an iphone during the holidays….

Exactly. I was told by the Verizon store representative that they hire seasonal outside help for the influx of holiday orders, which apparently explains a lot of the theft according to them.

I didn’t want to and was sketched out by it, to me it doesn’t seem rational, but they didn’t have any in stock and I didn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t get a trade in if I had gone to the apple store and bought one. They did mention as I was ordering one that they saw lots of theft but I didn’t think it would be from the couriers themselves, or that it would happen to me.

I have learned and will definitely not be ordering an iPhone ever again, especially not over the holidays. Sadly I was unable to choose when my X Max kicked the bucket 🥲

Either way, I’m getting refunded for it but the whole situation has been a mess and ridiculous.

I’m assuming that they don’t ship the iPhone box itself uncovered.

UPS has been an absolute travesty lately. I had a physical Apple Credit card replacement delivered By UPS.

The card was improperly delivered to a business in the wrong address in an adjacent city to mine. Even noted on the tracking info (that’s how I found out).

I immediately filled out an undelivered package claim to UPS. Within 3 minutes, I get a “package lost” report back from UPS. UPS completed their investigation in 3 MINUTES!!

Well, I decided to drive to the business address listed on the tracking info. A label sticker from my small envelope had stuck to one of the other large packages that had been delivered to this business. The business gave me my package after I showed them my drivers license. All was well.

But the fact that the UPS driver could actually scan the item (and they did, since this address was noted on tracking), and not receive some type of alarm, is astonishing.

UPS is absolute garbage in my opinion

Ya problem with shipping items. I always prefer to pick up the devices in store. Removes all these issues. I despise the online system we have today and Courriers are damn annoying. Always missing deliveries. Marking delay because they simply didn't want to go up stairs if it's a large building. Just leaving tags for you to go to a pick up location. I just had a shipment and the nerve of them to hold it at the shipment center and not even deliver it

That's correct. For me at least, I received my iPhone in the apple packaging which was in a plain looking brown cardboard box.

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I worked in a FedEx Ground hub. 99.9% of thefts are always in the warehouse before they even get to the trucks for delivery.

I’m sorry for your stolen phone. It happens a lot in the warehouses.

This, to me anyway, is the most frustrating part of the whole thing. Very rarely do we not get compensated when these things happen nowadays, so that’s just an inconvenience. But the fact that it derailed your due diligence is the killer. Try not to let it ruin your trip.

This. Just upgraded from Xr to a the 14pro. Had it delivered to the store to prevent this from happening.

Yea, I tried really hard to advocate for myself and I think I did a decent job, the lady at the Verizon store called and she really did try to get me a new phone overnight shipped. However, I really think that the 256 GB should be enough storage for me. I just can’t stand feeling taken advantage of. As long as I’m getting refunded for the phone I never received, it is what it is. Just very frustrating overall.

Ya smart. I always take store delivery as well. Their problem if something goes wrong. And I must prefer to just head to the store at my own convenience than having to wait all day for the delivery dude + it’s super easy to miss sometimes too then they just head off and leave you some note. Tracking says delivery attempted. Half the times they never even actually attempt anything. Just mark it as that

Happened to me like 7-8 years ago. Someone working on the truck stole my new iPhone and I contacted apple and they got me a new one

I should have asked for store delivery, I wish I did. They didn’t really give it as an option. Hindsight is 20/20. Thankfully it got resolved and I got a phone in my hands by the end of the day, at least. Lesson learned.

Have it held at station for pick up or sent to the store. Why do people keep getting phones delivered to their house after reading a million reddit posts like this. Why?????

Yes they will, file a complaint with UPS. Also that iphone is now a paperweight as the imei is blocked for all major carriers.

In my defense, they didn’t give me store shipping as an option. This is my first time on my own phone plan (I just got off of the family plan) so I just sort of assumed it was standard. They just asked me for my home address to get it shipped there. They probably didn’t want to deal with all the deliveries, especially over holidays.

Edit: I did pick it up at the station. They came for delivery once, I missed them bc I was walking my dog, and I had to call customer service to tell them to not take it out for delivery again the next day, and to just hold it at the station. So I guess it was likely stolen before it was even shipped, or while being processed at some point, according to some of these comments.

Did you order through a phone carrier or through Apple directly?

Apple directly

People never learn...

Ya at least you got it worked out. But a close call. Sometimes the idiots deliver it to a wrong address and the person accepts it knowing it’s not even his name. But this doesn’t make sense with a phone. Because the phone needs to be signed. They can’t just drop it off anywhere. It has to be verified by the name and stuff. The phone companies ship it with those conditions. So it’s just bad delivery people.

But ya next time just request it to be sent to the nearest store. Easy peasy

Yea, they also sent me an iPhone 12 which I had noticed in the very bottom of the delivery box once I came back from the phone store. I didn’t get charged for it and it’s wrapped in plastic so I’m assuming it hasn’t been tampered with.

They said they’d be giving me a call tomorrow to complete the number transfer (I have a temporary phone number since apparently they had to like, cancel or close a service ticket for the stolen phone or whatever, I don’t know) so when they call me tomorrow I’m gonna let them know I was given a free phone by accident.

Thank you. I will file a complaint tomorrow. I really hope they’re able to do something because if this person stole my phone, I think it’s likely they’ve stolen others.

Wow that’s amazing. So the 12 was in the same delivery box as the 14 pro or a separate shipping box?

It wasn’t stolen. When you purchase a phone with a trade in option they ship you an empty box separately, and typically before your actual phone arrives. Your phone is still in transit. You received the trade in shipping box to mail in your trade in phone.

it was in the same box. It was beneath tissue paper and a bunch of papers from Verizon. It’s totally wrapped in plastic so I’m assuming there’s a phone in there still lol. I’m just super confused as to how it ended up in there, I just feel like I have so many questions I won’t get answers to.

Just keep it lol maybe it’s a gift from the delivery people for misplacing the package. The delivery guy opened up another box and sent placed the phone In yours lol haha imagine

Ya send it back if you want sure

So, I think I didn’t word this properly, my apologies.

When I say I opened the box and the iPhone wasn’t in there, I mean the actual iPhone box, not the shipping box. You know how they come in a white box container with a picture of the iPhone on the front and what not? I mean I opened that box and it was empty. Like the literal container.

I did get an empty trade in box as well, it was sent when I received the internet equipment.

Sorry for the confusion, so many boxes and I’m not sure how to word it. Lol

Edit to add: I grabbed the iPhone’s box, out of the top of the shipping box. I didn’t open the white iPhone box itself bc I wanted the store associate to put my screen protector on and I wear so much sunscreen that I would have gotten the beautiful new screen covered in zinc oxide residue and what not. So I opened the iPhone container for the first time, in store, in front of the associates. They thought I was playing a prank on them at first when I asked where the phone was.

Haha! I considered it, but I don’t need another phone. Additionally, it sounds like it won’t really turn on or even work, like it needs to be activated with a phone company. Especially if it was someone else’s order that got mixed in with mine perhaps.

And if I were to sell it, someone else might not be able to turn it on if it was meant to go to someone else and is disabled, and I wouldn’t sleep well if I knew I may have screwed someone out of money for a deadweight iPhone.

Damn those drivers apparently make bank or more than your typical delivery driver. Sad to see them ruin a rather good reputation

Having a lower capacity phone just means you'll need to offload photos and video a bit more often. You save some cash too (assuming you're refunded for the stolen device).

Yea, I am getting it refunded. She (the associate) told me that 256 GB should be more than enough, though, and most of her sales are actually the lower option (168 GB or whatever it is, I don’t recall). I hope it will be enough and that she wasn’t just trying to satiate me since she couldn’t get me the 512 GB phone next day before my trip.

Worked security at ups. Sure, ups will know every person that scanned that package, but if let’s say the box was damaged and set aside to be repacked, it could have been intercepted by anyone during that period. That means whoever stole it, was able to get it out of the security shack they have at that location. Ups might replace it, but nobody is getting in trouble unless they were really dumb.

Drivers aren’t stealing phones. They make a fuck ton of money. It’s the employees inside. Your phone never made it to the package cars.

I have 512gb and have over 5200 songs, over 4200 photos, and 70 videos, and still have 430 gb left. 256gb should be enough.

Now? I remember when the iPhone 4 came out and FedEx "lost" A LOT of those packages in transit.

The drivers are more closely tied to the deliveries as well. But I have seen drivers drop a package, take a picture of the delivery, then take the package and walk away. With all the cameras, though, it’s getting tougher. What’s needed is a secure handoff, with no way for the packages to be stolen.

Thanks, I appreciate this. It helps calm my self doubt about how I handled the situation.

That’s what I’m thinking, especially since it was re-taped. I ordered via Verizon and in store today I was told they use that brown masking tape for packages, and clear tape means it was opened and re-sealed outside of the Verizon warehouse. My shipping box had clear tape on it. So maybe at some processing center or something like that, it was stolen. I guess I’ll never know.

Sounds like an ideal situation for automation of sorting.

As well, 1TB > 512 > 256 no matter what anyone says.

128GB is worthless.

Contact Apple and see if they can search for it based on the IMEI or serial number. I believe that it'll check in to the activation server and might be trackable.

sorry to hear that. on the other hand, 256 is plenty unless you shoot in ProRaw

I ordered a MacBook Pro last year just before Christmas and the last update I had on shipping was that it was in a facility in a major city. That status stayed that way for two weeks before I called both Apple and UPS for an update. UPS said the package was “lost” (probably stolen) and Apple sent me a new laptop, no questions asked. I understand the incentive of trade-ins with your phone provider but Apple also has a trade-in program (maybe it’s not as good; I don’t know, never used it). I’ve started ordering direct from Apple now for this reason. They will send a replacement for any lost item during shipping with little to no questions asked.

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File a police report. The shipper should have the original serial number, which can be remotely traced to who activated it. It's a criminal matter, not merely something to complain to a company about.

I just got my Apple Watch stolen by ups 😑

Not for OP to do, it isn’t his phone or responsibility until it’s in his hands. It is still Verizon’s phone and they can do whatever they like

And water is wet. Have your carrier order you another phone after contacting them with the details of this unfortunate occurrence.

OP I would report the phone stolen to Verizon since you still have the box so it can’t be activated on their network and I’m pretty sure the IMEI goes into a national database that all the carriers use. I think Apple can also put activation lock on it too if you call them.

And it cost $0 for you not to be a dick to OP and victim shame them…

But also $0 for me to offer some useful perspective.

this is why I always just pick up in person

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Damn sorry to hear. When it comes to expensive items like an iPhone or Macbook, I always go in-store to pick it up. Just can’t trust people these days.

UPS delivered a phone about ten years ago the box and anti tamper tape was intact but all the air pillows inside of the box were deflated. All I could figure out was the box was slammed multiple times in an attempt to damage the contents. Luckily the phone was made to military specs as to durability. Still have it but it’s 3G.

Could you trade it in for a 512 after your trip?

I still have a phone on my account Verizon is “waiting on a return” from UPS where, in the UPS exception notes it says “package fell off the back of the truck”. It’s dumb how none of this is being policed or QC by either side.

I’m sorry for the stress this has caused, and that you didn’t get the phone you ordered. I really think, though, that you are unlikely to fill the 256 GB model unless you are planning to take a ton of Pro RAW images or a bunch of 4K video. For regular people just snapping pictures and quick video of their lives, you’ll be fine.

I once bought the 512 GB version, but when I next upgraded, I looked at my storage and was using less than a quarter of the capacity, so I dropped back to the 256 GB for my current phone. I pay no attention to how big my apps are, hardly ever delete anything, and keep the full sized photos on it, and I’m still only using 94 GB. My wife uses even less than that and she also pays no attention to how much storage she uses.

Unless you are a YouTube content creator, or a travel blogger, I really think you can feel comfortable with this phone meeting your needs. If you can, try to put the whole thing behind you, focus on what a great phone you have, and let yourself really enjoy it. It’s an amazing device.

Personally I don’t think I’ll shoot in ProRaw but still need the 512 due to lossless music downloads

This is most industries in general. If you’ve ever worked retail and paid any attention you’ll notice there are more cameras on staff than customers. Shrinkage from shoplifters is expected and built into the system/budget. It’s harder to catch and prosecute and often enough too dangerous to stop in the moment. They also know staff is going to steal but internal thieves are often brazen and think they know how to cheat the system. Lots of places have fake camera domes to draw the attention of internal thieves to one area while having hidden cameras elsewhere.

Source: worked LP and Security for many years.

Apple products typically require a signature anyways.

I have 25k photos, 1.5k videos and still over 200gb free of a 256gb phone.

I could easily go with a 128gb these days.

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No don’t. Their courier is their responsibility.

It must be super frustrating. Depending on the method of your payment, but I believe you can call the credit card company to dispute the charge.

UPS doesn’t take pictures that is Amazon. There’s idiots everywhere but a UPS driver is 1000 times less likely to steal than an Amazon driver because of the difference in pay and benefits. Amazon driving is a bullshit medium tier dead end job and UPS driving is a high end middle class career.

Like someone else said tho UPS requires signatures for Apple. Doesn’t stop warehouse people from stealing but it’s also possible the box ripped and the phone got lost. I’d personally not tape an empty box but I’ve taped a lot of ripped boxes as long as the contents look intact. The conveyor belts are no joke. Someone I worked with had their arm pulled off. Imagine what they do to boxes.

It is worth filing a claim and mentioning it to UPS though. They do take theft seriously and investigate it if it’s possible.

I upgraded to a 13 promax a year ago, and wanted the 1tb because I knew I’d have a lot of music on it. Couldn’t find a 1tb anywhere, but it seems I don’t really need it. I still haven’t added the 8000 to10000 songs I have on my iPod, but even won’t use up half of the 516gb.

OP, I have a 128gb iPhone 12.

I have about 30 games, 10gb of music, every app I could ask for, and 4,000 photos & videos.

I still have 30gb left.

Unless you’re legit putting 15k+ photos, or filming movies on the damn thing, 256gb is fine for 99% of people.

This is exactly why I don’t have electronics shipped to my house. In store pickup only.

If you have the box for the stolen phone still and some record of your purchase of that specific phone, as in matching serial numbers, you might try contacting apple to get them to disable that phone to discourage the thief from stealing again.

>I wish I had just waited for a 512 GB because I worry 256 isn’t enough space.

Ok I tell everyone this: If you think you might need more space, you really don't. The only people who need the 1TB etc. are professional videographers/vloggers who use iPhone for some weird reason. For everyone else it is much cheaper to just pay for as much cloud storage as you need for the duration of owning the phone. Chances are you already pay for Amazon Prime which already gives you unlimited free uncompressed photo storage.

If you bought it from Verizon, you’ll have 14 days to return the phone and pay a small restocking fee. (This is in US not sure if OP is in a different country)

Yea, it's a shame it has come to this because of worthless thieves.

Not exactly the same scenario (different shipping method), but I ordered an iPad Pro from Apple and didn't realize it was sent by basically an Uber Eats driver. I got lucky that it actually arrived, but I'll never willingly order delivery from anywhere that uses that type of delivery.

I've had terrible luck with Grubhub, Uber Eats, etc food delivery where the drivers stole part of the order causing me to spend too much time trying to get a refund. And I still ended up screwed by a few bucks.

I wish these people were held accountable. It could be such a convenient service if it weren't for shitty people.

>Additionally, it sounds like it won’t really turn on or even work, like it needs to be activated with a phone company. Especially if it was someone else’s order that got mixed in with mine perhaps.

I would try to activate it anyway. Maybe it isn't tied to whoever purchased it. Legally you are protected. If they ask for it back they would have to send you a paid return label.

I’d imagine Verizon would be doing something like that since they had to take the L with it

Do you happen to know how much you used on your previous phone? I'm not restrictive in any way on my 256GB model and it still has plenty of space. I don't record a lot of video, but have tons of pictures. Music is mostly via Spotify so there's not a ton downloaded for offline use.

It still sucks that this happened and I wish they could more easily catch the thieves. However, maybe if you look at your old phone capacity usage you can determine if the 256 GB is really an issue or not. Otherwise, Verizon should have a 30-day(ish) return policy and you could potentially return it to another Verizon store during your trip and get a larger capacity phone.

> Either way, I’m getting refunded for it but the whole situation has been a mess and ridiculous.

You got your refund quickly and you got a new phone before your trip (albeit not in the exact configuration you wanted). I’d say that’s about as good as it gets in these types of situations. Verizon handled it well, you didn’t seem to have to argue with them about it, and you were made whole.

Even if you do shoot ProRaw, you can always convert to JPEG through shortcuts

This is why I refuse to buy certain things via online purchases. For a phone, I walk right into that Apple Store and purchase first hand. While OP might not have that option, which I can understand, somethings I don't chance.

/u/i__jump I'm sure you've already gotten great advice here. Best of luck to getting a replacement.

FYI Fedex takes pictures now of high value items since no one wants signatures anymore due to covid.

Might not be your biggest worry right now, bur 266GB will be enough, I have it and take a lot of pictures and 4k videos, and I haven't ran out of any storage. Good luck!

They’ll just but the imei of the stolen phone on a list of stolen phones and it will never be able to be activated. In other words it will be worthless to whomever has it.

Maybe if you asked Verizon, they would let you order the 512 you want and use the 256 you have until it arrives? (By extending return/exchange window)

Never understand why people will take the time to write a long ass post on Reddit for such a simple solution. Just file a claim with UPS. This stuff happens all the time

Bro you will not need more than 256GB. I run 128Gb and still have plenty of space. Especially with everything being in the cloud.

Hey I also struggled to get my new phone from ups. But luckily I got it. UPS is such a garbage company I don’t think I’m ever going to use them again. Next time I can just wait for a phone at the store.

The iPhone 14s SIM card is internal, they just have to turn the SIM off and the phone is useless. That’s why Apple started doing this

Reach out to apple with a police report. My Apple Watch ultra was stolen by the UPS driver about a week ago. Caught the dude literally opening the box.

I know there are bad people everywhere but when I order from Verizon everything comes FEDEX. I had thought Verizon switched?

If you have the IMEI of the stollen phone you can report it to Verizon’s lost/stollen equipment department. Verizon will put it on their blocked list which instantly and permanently bricks the phone wherever it is, whoever has it, any carrier.

If you somehow got it back, repentant UPS driver let’s say, you and only you, can call Verizon to restore the phone to life.

256gb is plenty. You have iCloud.

Depends on what you do with it obviously. Maybe you take a lot of 4K videos.

Weird how they could even know it’s a phone. Where I live my new iPhone gets sent in a large box that is absolutely not marked. Not even the senders name (Vodafone) is on it. Not even as the return name.

Stopped caring after I said you go to the Apple Store just for a screen protector install. Can’t be more sad than that.

The blocking will only prevent the phone from connecting to any cellular network. It will not stop it from working like an iPod Touch (smart functions and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/..., as in everything that doesn't involve cellular)

I suppose, but that’s what the cloud is for, no?

Also, if you are taking 4k videos, I’d imagine you have a nice desktop or macbook to render the videos which you could also use to store.

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Sync them to iCloud and turn on optimize storage. It will offload the bulk of the data for 4K.

(Buy extra storage for the $12-40 a year or so it’s very well worth it and it’s better than just leaving them on your phone)

Wtf its almost 2023 just stream

ya i don’t get how ppl need so much memory? i have the 11 pro at 64gb and still doing well 3 years later. like 10k pictures, 1k songs, plenty of apps. where tf does ur memory go?

I do stream 90% of the time. But sometimes I don’t always get the best coverage

Though I agree, I am afraid this is not key point of the post.

I see. I was reading a post from 8 years ago about a stolen phone and I wonder if it was yours, lol. Sorry that happened to you, it’s a really disappointing situation

Yea, I got the 2 TB of storage on iCloud. On my 64 GB X max, it wouldn’t upload any of my stuff to iCloud until I upgraded, because if it can’t upload all of it, it won’t upload any. I should be fine with iCloud for photos. If anything, it motivates me to clean up my camera roll.

I had a similar situation when I ordered my 12PM. I had to track it to the UPS shipping center and wait almost an hour for them (one very kind lady) to find it. Once she did the box was beat up and held together with scotch tape and didn't feel heavy enough for a phone to be inside it. She suggested that I open it in front of her so I did and it was empty. She called for the manager to come down and he was pissed off at her for wasting over an hour with one person. He told me that he would look into it and get back to me which I thought was a simple way for him to tell me to fuck off and let the lady get back to work.

I insisted/demanded on getting names, phone numbers and what he was going to do to find my phone. I called the Apple card people to put a stop on the payment which for some unknown reason(s) is next to impossible when you are paying yourself. Apple didn't want to put a stop on it because UPS said that it was delivered while they knew that it wasn't. UPS was a nightmare of we found it, no we didn't, yes we did, no we didn't. It took three months to resolve it and get the phone. I learned that there were a number of iPhones that disappeared (UPS refused to release actual numbers) from that location. I like the way Apple presents their products, but I think that they should do a better job of packing the ones that they ship

Wow thanks for letting me know. I actually might consider this. I’m just trying to figure out if 256 GB is genuinely not enough for me, or if I’m just being upset and difficult because I didn’t get what I want.

Thank you for this! Verizon says the phone will be blocked and locked. Unfortunately, it seems like whoever stole it is likely to turn around and sell it to an unsuspecting person, which is sad. But, still not my issue. At least I have been refunded :)

This is interesting additional information, thank you for contributing this! I didn’t know that. They made it sound like the phone would be completely unable to turn on.

They didn’t take your phone you dolt. They have to do specific things for Apple because they have a contract with them .

I actually just saw a comment above, someone shared Verizon lets you return within 14 days. I actually might do that, the store associates might hate me but I’m trying to learn to be less of a people pleaser anyways. Especially since I’m going to be on a payment for 36 months, and if I don’t stick with that phone for 36 months I won’t get my $800 trade in value I guess, which is the only reason I was really adamant about getting my 512.

The phone will turn on, but cannot connect to a cellular network if you block the IMEI. For iPhones you can lock them up completely if they are registered in your Apple ID via Activation Lock (AKA Find My).

Thank you for your sympathy, I appreciate it. I can’t help but feel like this is somehow my fault, it’s my first phone buying experience and my first time having my own line (I was on a family plan previously).

I think it was definitely stolen in a warehouse at some point in processing and shipping. I don’t think it was stolen at the original Verizon warehouse, because they use brown tape, and the store associate told me that clear tape on the box indicates it was tampered with. The shipping box had clear tape, so I’m thinking maybe at some point in some UPS processing center, it was opened and stolen, then sealed back up.

This is actually super interesting, thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge! I guess it makes sense though. I have heard of people who worked retail who had to get searched before going home.

I’m sure the sales associates could care less. This seems like a good plan to get you a phone for your trip then trade it for the one you had originally tried to purchase. Good luck!

Thank you for your comment! I would like to say, I don’t think I worded my original post well about which box was which.

It was the white iPhone container box (you know how they come in new white boxes with a picture of the phone on the front) was empty. It was still inside a brown shipping box. So someone opened my shipping box, grabbed the white iPhone box out, opened it and removed the phone, then put the iPhone box back in the shipping box.

I had grabbed the iPhone box, from the top of the brown shipping package, and ran to the phone store with it, and opened it there in front of the associate, where we found it was empty, so clearly deliberately stolen.

Yea, the Verizon associate tells me this happens very often. I wish they gave me the option to ship it to the store, or that I knew that was an option.

Thank you! This is exactly what I will be doing. I really appreciate it!

I don’t, lol. I’ve decided I will be using the phone for my trip, so I have a working device for safety, then returning it and getting the 512.

Yes, the store associates were incredibly helpful. Tracking the package down was a pain in my ass in the first place, since it was 2 days late even though I paid for overnight and I was never sent a tracking number. The tracking number I was sent, which I thought was for the iPhone, was just for my internet equipment. That arrived when the phone was supposed to arrive. I was running around town and getting passed around customer service call centers. Then when I got the phone, it wasn’t even in the case. I just have to laugh about it a little, honestly.

On my previous phone, I had to buy the 2TB of iCloud data. My apps would offload themselves, my phone was constantly having issues because I had no space, and I could only have 1 social media app at once.

Edit to add: I’m going to return the phone after my trip and order a 512, and have it sent to the store. I’ll be in a 36 month payment which I’ll have to follow through to get my $800 trade in at the end of the 36 months. To me, the $200 price difference over 36 months is worth it to not have to worry about storage. I’m just wondering if I should order it now, so it’s at the store when I’m back from my trip?

Email them threatening legal action against UPS. Doesn’t matter if you have any intention of hiring a lawyer. That message (and a complaint to the Better Business Bureau) will likely end up in some kind of benefit for you. Sorry this happens. People can be shitty.

Is pro RAW something like a camera setting? I love photography and one of the big reasons I was so excited to upgrade was so I could take amazing photos on my iPhone with the nice camera. So once I figure out what pro RAW is and how to use it, I will definitely be using it.

I’m not a professional content creator but I create content for fun. I want this phone to edit my extreme sports videos, travel stuff, take high quality pics of my friends, things like that.

How did my phone being taken out of the shipping package, removed from the iPhone box, empty iPhone box placed back in the shipping package, and sealed again, fulfill anyones contract with Apple?

That’s exactly what I was wondering- how did they know a phone was in there? I looked on the box and there is no indication. Unless it was stolen directly at the Verizon warehouse, but I don’t think so, because it would’ve been packaged up with the brown tape Verizon uses. It was resealed with clear tape, and the store associate told me that’s an indication it was tampered with.

My internet equipment I ordered at the same time as the phone came via FedEx with a tracking number. It actually arrived when the phone was supposed to. It took me like 2 days to finally track down the package with the supposed iPhone, because it came late and I never received a tracking order.

Idiots. Not like they could activate the phone on any carrier now if you file stolen claim. The IMEI is tied to you.

That is terrible. Sorry for your inconvenience. I get so excited over new devices. I would be crushed.

That’s ok. Also, nah I didn’t have Reddit back then lol

I ordered a new iphone & got two day shipping. had my mom stay at my house all day so i could have someone sign for it. They “missed” us two days in a row.. despite having someone at my house both days. I spent 4 hours on the phone with UPS two days in a row trying to find out where my phone was. No one from UPS could get me answers or change the delivery instructions for me. As soon as i got verizon involved, my phone was ready for pick up at the store. (Which the manager told me they were NOT allowed to do). Im so glad i got Verizon involved. I have decided that time i order a new phone, i’ll pick it up from Verizon. Every time i use UPS to ship my phones, there is a problem.

I’m so sorry that your phone got stolen & i hope that you are able to get this all resolved!

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Any RAW format is the image exactly as captured by the camera’s sensor. Pro RAW is the one used by your iPhone. They are uncompressed and look awful until you manually ‘develop’ them in software, but you have complete control over the image so they are favored by advanced photographers. They are really large, though, and could eat into that 256 GB.

Edit: corrected typo

I wish I could do in store pickup for my Apple products, but the closest Apple Store to me is in Las Vegas, which is 2 hours from where I live.

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Today at my work an ups guy was caught at opening packages in toilet

Scanned them maybe at the warehouse? Doubt a Verizon employee took it.. surely they get free phones etc (no idea btw if they do). I imagine at the processing facility it was scanned and removed. Would be my best guess at least

Dude what do you need so much storage for. They have iCloud too ??

Take the packaging with you on the trip. Stop by another Verizon store and trade it if they have what you want. If not, try another store. Don’t settle for what you don’t want or you’ll never be happy

Thanks for sharing your experience OP. For myself, I always buy phones in the carrier store, or order them directly from Apple online. Buying phones through carriers online always seems like such a hassle to me, and asks for possible issues. Anyways, you confirmed for me to not order lol Edit: spelling

Better business bureau is a joke.

The rest of the lost/advice is good.

Ok, I’m not sure if that would be overkill or not but I guess I could. Mostly because, I want accountability for this somehow. But I wouldn’t be able to as I leave for my trip tonight and won’t be back until the 2nd, so it might be too late to file a report.

Yes definitely do not order. This was my first phone buying experience and it’s been awful. I went in to the store, and ordered it in store, but they didn’t carry the 512 GB in stock, so they had it shipped to me. They didn’t give me in-store delivery as an option, so I didn’t know it was offered, but now they are. I would’ve ordered directly from Apple but then I wouldn’t get my $800 trade in

Yea, they will be refunding me for my stolen phone and the associate texted me today to let me know she was still working on getting the ticket order cancelled. I sat with her as she called in to whoever manages the claims for Verizon in store, and she called them twice to confirm that they were taking care of the issue. They said it would be taken care of tomorrow (today). Well today, she texted me saying the claims center or whoever hadn’t put enough information in and they’re still waiting to get to the ticket. She’s working very hard on my behalf as I witnessed her call twice to confirm that whoever manages these claims for Verizon would be doing their job. I bought a 256 GB in store yesterday because I needed a working phone for my weekend road trip, and after my trip when I come back the 2nd, I will be ordering the 512 GB, having it delivered in store, and returning the 256 GB. They said I’ll need to pay a $50 restocking fee but honestly, I’ll pay that over my dead body. I was advised to file a police report and I think that’s what I’m going to do.

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I was advised by some people to file a police report? I’m not sure if I should or not, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.

I wish they gave me that option! Now I know.

Thanks, they are working on getting this returned for me though.

I have about 11,000 photos and that’s after cleaning my camera roll. I’m not a professional photographer but it is a hobby of mine and I edit my extreme sports videos as well

I was told to file a police report about this.

Apparently Verizon has already disabled it

Thank you very much. I did get a 256 GB yesterday in store but I think I’ll be returning it and ordering a 512 GB for in store pickup when I get back from my trip.

Yes that’s what I’ve decided on doing!

It’s actually already being resolved by Verizon, I wrote this post after heading into the store to ensure they resolve the issue.

Wild. Do you work in a shipping center or was he there delivering packages?

I’m going to file on now with my local PD.

Reach out to apple too. They were super helpful. They wanted the police report, a picture of the packaging, I want to say the receipt? Overall the process was seamless and they over nighted my watch.

Good luck!

It was stolen.

I’d do it on the hope that they’d catch the person. I doubt they will but you can hope.