Texas Mom Buys iPad, Gets Box Stuffed With Notepads

[Vampirate Kitsune]

Quote:

Bobbi Linden, Texas Mom, Buys iPad, Gets Box Stuffed With Notepads

Courtney Akers wanted a tablet for her 15th birthday but never imagined when she opened her gift that she would get the 20th-century paper version.

The Sealy, Texas, teenager was supposed to get a new iPad and that's what her mother Bobbi Linden thought she had bought at her local Walmart. But a half-an-hour later, as Courtney ripped the plastic wrapping from the Apple box, all she found was a stack of yellow notepads that weighed the same as an iPad.

“I thought they were joking,” Courtney told KHOU TV in nearby Houston. “And they weren’t.”

The family rushed back to Walmart but despite explaining the situation for more than two hours, the store manager refused to give them their money back.

“I explained I wouldn’t have done that, and that we do not have an iPad,” Linden said. “She was just saying she has never seen it happen before and she couldn’t help us.”

Yet similar scams have happened and appear to be on the rise. Thieves have bought iPads and replaced them with clay and other fraudulent fillers and returned them for a refund in seemingly unopened boxes at other Walmarts and big box stores across North America.

A frustrated Linden contacted KHOU 11 News and the station pressed Walmart’s corporate office to investigate. After tracking the package, a company spokesperson agreed that the family had fallen "victim to a scam artist’s greed."

And for Courtney, it would be a sweet 15. Walmart apologized and said it would provide her with a free iPad.

news video on website

[Eisefin]

I had a similar incident happen three years ago when I purchased a DS for my brother for his birthday. Upon opening the box, it was packed with a brick of clay the size of the DS and the same weight. It was also at a Wal-mart. Luckily for us, we got great service and were given the DS we wanted.

[Blood Valkyrie]

Does Walmart want even more lawsuits?

[Ringoringa]

I guessed it was Walmart. I was so right. blaugh Don't they check the boxes they get back? Seems like that's a prudent thing to do when people return stuff. You know, take a peek inside, and make sure it's actually there.

[Commander Sigma]

God damn, some people are disgustingly self-absorbed and greedy. It's bad enough they're stealing it from the store, but now they're ******** over the legitimate customer as well.

I shouldn't be surprised since these scams are almost as old as time itself, but it's still infuriating.

[thunder and storms]

Wow. Talk about a way to screw somebody's day over.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART! WE GOT YOU A NEW CAR!"

"OH, THANK YOU, MOMMY! THANK YOU, THANK Y--" *Car engine is actually a ton of bricks* "...Just WTF."

[kakteed]

Ha! I buy wholesale 'cause ma family's a business, ********!

But seriously, stop buying your expensive s**t from Walmart.

[David2074]

"After tracking the package, a company spokesperson agreed that the family had fallen "victim to a scam artist’s greed.""

If they purchased it from Wal-mart and Wal-mart sold and shipped the product then it sounds to me like Wal-mart (not the family) is the one who fell victim to a scam artist's greed. What scam did the family allegedly fall for other than shopping at Wal-mart?

In the interest of full disclosure, I shopped at Wal-mart earlier today. I'm probably safe though because I doubt anyone had an interest in swapping the contents of my house brand nyquil or can of tub and shower cleaner. My bag of Cheetos is looking damn suspicious though. I better open it just to check. lol smile

Oh good grief. My cat is now eating Cheetos. She heard the wrapper and came so I gave her one just to prove to her it was something she did not want. It seems I was wrong. She is now happily crunching on Cheeto number four. Honest - I usually feed her good quality food.

[Ju Tru Nix]

Vampirate Kitsune

Quote:

Walmart apologized and said it would provide her with a free iPad.

It's not free. The mother paid for a product and Walmart should honor the sale. It is the stores responsibility to ensure the quality of their merchandise and the fact that they were fooled does not remove them from the responsibility of double checking the returns.

[yay_its_molly]

Wow, Walmart should check the packaging on everything that gets returned to them, especially something like that. Even if the customer resealed it. That's just messed up.

[emerald_Fox01]

I gotta agree here with what everyone's saying. Soon as the item gets returend walmart should check the package as its returned while the customer who's returning it is there before they give out refunds. I mean come on man its common sense in the first place. What kind of people do they employ there?

[Thefruitsong]

Walmart's looking rather stupid now a days.

[Destined Savior]

Thefruitsong

Walmart's looking rather stupid now a days.

No kidding.

[Intuet]

At least the box wasn't stuffed with maxi-pads.

[Robotic Man Slaughter]

I try not to buy things from wall-mart. Apart from being a trashy store (in my area anyway., garbage and stomped cigarettes everywhere inside the building) they don't seem to care enough about their work. They really need to check things first. So it takes a second to open the box and look, it won't hurt anybody to wait for them to check.