So. Ordered my 15 pro max online via the Apple Store. Arrived after a 2-ish week wait.
Opened the worryingly flimsy outer packaging, but all looked ok. Hang on, it’s the wrong colour. Oh well, this one looks nice, so I won’t make a fuss.
Booted it up and again - all looked ok. Initially.
First red flag, the whole ‘bring your old iPhone close to setup’ didn’t work. Ok try setting it up manually.
Hmmm. Wi-Fi won’t connect. Nor will it log me into my Apple ID. Then the phone reboots itself. And again. And again. Jesus.
Took it into an Apple Store today to be told that it’s a fake. Wtf? How the hell is their supply chain security so poor that this can happen? I’m also a little annoyed that the store manager dealing with me was a little accusatory, implying that I had done the switcheroo. Looking back l can kind of understand, but I was pretty upset at the time so wasn’t happy about his tone.
My guess, although completely without any evidence, is that it was probably swapped out by the courier, DPD. But who knows. The store manager said the box was also fake, and when he looked up the serial number it had been logged numerous times in similar incidents.
Anyway, was given a number to call on Monday. Great.