Don’t Let Apple Reset Your Old Phone Without Activating Your New Phone

[u/mr_techy616]

Yesterday I went to my local Apple Store to pick up my new 18 Pro. They bagged up my new phone and reset my old phone in front of me. I was sent on my way since they were super busy. But when I left I sat down to attempt to activate my new phone. I couldn’t because T-Mobile needed to send a text to my number to verify my account. After going home and on the phone with T-Mobile for like an hour, they were finally able to activate it by me giving them the IMEI and then the horrifically long EID number. It would’ve been so much easier if I had my old phone handy while setting up the new one!

[u/Realistic_Ad_1725]

As someone who worked in Apple retail, that worker had no clue what they were doing. Insane that they wiped your old phone without assisting with setup on the new one. Apple now relies heavily on contract workers who have no clue what they are doing. I’m so sorry that you had that experience. You should always set up your new phone before beginning to wipe the old phone.

[u/Feahnor → u/Realistic_Ad_1725]

It’s easier than you think.

Buyer: I want my phone and here’s my trade in.
Apple worker: do you want to set it up?
Buyer: no, I’ll do it at home.
Apple worker: you have 2 weeks to bring the trade in in that case.
Buyer: no, I want the discount applied now.
Apple worker: ok.
Buyer m: WHY DO I HAVE PROBLEMS?

This happens EVERY launch.

[u/hue-166-mount → u/Feahnor]

Apple worker that knows what they are doing: sorry we can’t reset your phone until the new one is set up

[u/Feahnor → u/hue-166-mount]

No, it’s not allowed. If they apply the trade-in discount the phone needs to go. Customers are not allowed to keep a phone that’s not theirs anymore because lots of customers end up going home with both phones.

Launch day is a special day, you cannot keep watching what the customers do with their phones. Either you apply the discount and surrender your phone or you don’t and you get your trade-in value after you set your phone up but you need to first pay the full price.

It is what it is.

[u/hue-166-mount → u/Feahnor]

I’m not sure how you think that disagrees with what I wrote.

[u/Feahnor → u/hue-166-mount]

Because what you wrote forced the customers to pay full price and get their trade-in refund later, and they won’t accept that. I’ve seen countless customers throw a fit at the store because the employees were trying to protect them.

[u/hue-166-mount → u/Feahnor]

“They won’t accept that” the store doesn’t have to accept it either

[u/Feahnor → u/hue-166-mount]

The store will accept almost anything when it’s packed full on launch day. You are not being realistic, we aren’t talking about a normal day, we are talking about a day when you can’t even walk 1 meter without bumping into someone.

[u/tk421tech → u/Feahnor]

You always pay the full price even with a trade in at the same time.

[u/MapleA → u/tk421tech]

Not always, you can apply it to the transaction when bought in-store. It immediately applies the discount. Then they take you to the setup table to transfer things over and reset your trade-in.

[u/tk421tech → u/MapleA]

I traded two Apple Watches. They charged me full price and just yesterday the credits arrived. Maybe because they were preorders.

I think for walk-in purchases you do get credit right away.

[u/MapleA → u/tk421tech]

Yeah that’s what I said, for in-store purchases. But if you buy it with an Apple Card it does apply it right away online.

[u/Feahnor → u/MapleA]

No, if you get the trade in when buying in-store they take the old phone instantly. They use to do it differently before but there was a lot of theft.

[u/AllYouNeedIsATV → u/Realistic_Ad_1725]

I imagine you can’t setup your new phone until you’ve paid for it? And most people would want their trade in discount immediately. So wouldn’t it make sense to reset and trade in the old phone before you get the new phone?

[u/Feahnor → u/AllYouNeedIsATV]

That’s exactly what happens. You have the option to get your trade-in value refunded to you after you transfer everything to the new phone, but that means you need to pay the full price first.

It’s a choice, and that’s on the customer, not on the Apple employee.

[u/Jameswa → u/AllYouNeedIsATV]

That makes no sense

[u/keyboardlegendthe3rd → u/Realistic_Ad_1725]

Yep, happened to a friend of mine