Apple Quoted Me $430 for My Watch Trade-In, Then Rejected It and Returned It Without the Band
I recently purchased a new Apple Watch Ultra and decided to trade in my previous Apple Watch through Apple's trade-in program.
During the purchasing process, I entered my watch's serial number into Apple's website and was quoted a trade-in value of $430. Based on that quote, I proceeded with the purchase and sent in my old watch.
After receiving my new Apple Watch Ultra, I received an email stating that my previous watch was ineligible for trade-in, meaning the original $430 valuation would not be honored.
To make matters worse, when Apple returned my old watch, the watch band was missing.
I contacted Apple Customer Service to understand what happened, and their response was essentially:
- They acknowledged that the website had provided an inaccurate trade-in valuation and apologized, despite the quote being generated after I entered my device's serial number.
- They stated that the watch was ineligible for trade-in and that the original $430 quote would not be honored.
- Regarding the missing band, they explained that I had accepted terms and conditions stating that accessories would be removed during the trade-in process and would not be returned.
My frustration isn't necessarily that the trade-in was rejected. It's that Apple's own system quoted me $430 using my device's serial number, which influenced my purchasing decision. Only after I had purchased the new watch and sent in my old one was I informed that the device wasn't eligible.
Now I'm left with my original watch, missing its band, and a new Apple Watch Ultra that I purchased under the impression I would receive $430 toward the purchase.
I understand that trade-in estimates are subject to inspection, but this wasn't a disagreement over the device's physical condition or a reduced valuation. It was apparently an eligibility issue that Apple's system failed to identify before I made the purchase.
Has anyone else experienced something similar with Apple's trade-in program?
I'm curious whether anyone has successfully escalated a situation like this, particularly when the original valuation was generated using the device's serial number.
I generally expect a better experience from Apple, and this entire process has left me pretty disappointed.