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Apple Rejects Cold, Hard Cash at its Own Stores

by - source: Tom's Hardware US

Physical money isn't good enough to buy an iPad.

The iPad is opening up computing possibilities for many other non-traditional users, such as dogs, cats and even those nearing 100 years old.

Diane Campbell, who is disabled and on a fixed income, wishes to go onto YouTube to learn some new songs to play on her guitar. Instead of getting a computer, she's been saving up for an iPad. Slowly she saved up $600 in cash and proceeded to the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif.

"It took quite a long time for me to just save up this small amount of money to go down and purchase one," she said to ABC local station KGO. "I had my cash in the backpack and I went up proudly to the counter and told them, 'I would like to purchase an iPad.'"

To her surprise, the Apple store workers told her that cash wasn't a suitable form of payment for the iPad.

"They said, 'Sorry, we don't take cash.' And, so I looked at her and I said OK she's kidding," Campbell recalled. But Apple wasn't kidding, and she wasn't allowed to purchase an iPad without plastic.

The ABC station contacted Apple and was told that the policy is "a limit of two iPads per customer and you must pay by credit or debit card. Gift cards will not work either."

Apple declined to explain its policies, but store workers said it was to curb grey market sales of customers buying iPads in large quantities and selling them overseas at a profit.

Despite cash being "legal tender," the U.S. Treasury Department says that there is nothing in the law that requires businesses to accept cash as payment.

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chunkymonster 05/19/2010 3:10 PM
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-20+

Welcome to the Socialist State of Apple! All hail the mighty iPad!

This has to be one of the most ...... things I have ever heard of!

Just another reason to boycott Apple.

jchoefer 05/19/2010 3:12 PM
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-20+

Sounds like a case of discrimination to me.

If you don't have the income level or credit to get a credit card, you can't buy an iPad.

Jerky_san 05/19/2010 3:12 PM
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And this is why we in the US fail.. When companies can reject legal tender for payment..

Anonymous 05/19/2010 3:12 PM
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jquarter06 05/19/2010 3:12 PM
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-4+

I know there are some businesses that do not accept cash for a variety of reasons.

However, those businesses are usually smaller and don't want the liability of losing the cash. I wonder what reason(s) Apple has for rejecting cash?

nforce4max 05/19/2010 3:15 PM
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-20+

What will they take instead, liver? Kidney or perhaps a lung they charge enough for cheaply produced crap as it is. Also are my dollars/euros not good enough in cash? Then don't ask for RFID chip. Directed at Apple , we all know they read the articles and comment sections.

cichy69 05/19/2010 3:17 PM
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If I was in her position, I would tell the cashier to go and I would never buy again from apple. In fact, I never did, and never will.

laweinhander 05/19/2010 3:17 PM
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-11+

This is not that big of a deal, its apple's loss.
You all should be glad they are throwing profits aways like idiots that they truly are.

jellico 05/19/2010 3:19 PM
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-20+

My god, why does ANYONE do business with that company?! I swear, Steve Jobs is so uptight!

Anonymous 05/19/2010 3:19 PM
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-8+

I can hear Job's jackboots in the back round!

aerodrome

matt314 05/19/2010 3:23 PM
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-20+

Seems like every piece of news about apple just makes me hate them more!

Tmanishere 05/19/2010 3:26 PM
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-1+

I'm wondering if it's a theft-deterrent. They might still have people stealing those iPads, but it would make it difficult to stick up the register for cash with a gun at one of those places...

lamorpa 05/19/2010 3:25 PM
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-11+

I think US currency is 'legal tender' I didn't think it could be refused. She should just keep going to the store and purchasing the iPad and then offering the cash.

hakesterman 05/19/2010 3:28 PM
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-20+

Apple gets dumber by the Minute i swear..........

shovenose 05/19/2010 3:27 PM
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this is ridiculous!
apple is the stupidest. most retarded company i have ever heard of.
i sold the macbook someone gave me brand new for christmas within half a year cuz it was total JUNK!!!
just like anything apple makes
oops i have ann iphone (btu i didnt buy it) but that thing doesnt work too well weither . it crashes all the time.

as i sadi before, who would buy from that stupid company?

slayer10000 05/19/2010 3:28 PM
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-6+

funny they dont want cash but debit cards are totally fine cause really its the same thing as cash with out holding it on you

hotroderx 05/19/2010 3:28 PM
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-20+

seems like a form of discrimination to me since not everyone can have credit cards or debt cards.... I got feeling some lawyer gonna pick this up and its gonna be a easy victory in her favor. She disabled so its not like she could get out to a bank all the time anyway (depending on what the disability is). But i still think there should be a law against them not taking dollar thats just stupid

TunaSoda 05/19/2010 3:29 PM
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Steve jobs was potty trained at gunpoint

hillarymakesmecry 05/19/2010 3:29 PM
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-20+

Wouldn't apple make $10 more by not paying credit card fees?

I can't imagine refusing to take someone's cash.

What an arrogant company.

slayer10000 05/19/2010 3:30 PM
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-18+

slayer10000 :
funny they dont want cash but debit cards are totally fine cause really its the same thing as cash with out holding it on you

and to top it off what would stop them from buying one and still selling it overseas?

WR 05/19/2010 3:38 PM
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-2+

Don't need credit for a debit card. Just a bank account. Could also pay a stranger to use their debit card on the spot, luck willing.

p05esto 05/19/2010 3:40 PM
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-19+

KILL Apple now, they are a rotten apple.

donovands 05/19/2010 3:39 PM
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It's to track the sale. If you use a credit card Apple will store that info, and cross check to see if you've bought multiple iPads, which is against their policy. For some reason they feel morally obligated to prevent people from buying large numbers of iPads and selling them in countries where iPads are not available at a profit. In my country, it is ILLEGAL for businesses to not accept cash. They CAN reject credit cards and other fraud-prone pay vehicles.

ct1615 05/19/2010 3:42 PM
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-6+

apple not accepting cash does not affect me, i refuse to spend a penny on a single one of their products

figgus 05/19/2010 3:43 PM
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marco013 05/19/2010 3:49 PM
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-5+

What . She should have dotted his eye with her cane.

Burodsx 05/19/2010 3:51 PM
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I don't use credit cards. Any business that doesn't accept check/cash will find themselves with 1 less customer.

chunkymonster 05/19/2010 3:51 PM
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figgus :
So, what good is an iPad without a 3g contract or at least WiFi from an ISP? How would she pay for those?

Uh, I don't know, maybe the ISP could send a paper bill to her home every month? Companies still do that, ya know...

usersname 05/19/2010 4:04 PM
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alexmx 05/19/2010 4:09 PM
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-10+

donovands :
It's to track the sale. If you use a credit card Apple will store that info, and cross check to see if you've bought multiple iPads, which is against their policy.



You're right on that.

But if apple is not taking in consideration some other countries, how are they supposed to acquire any product?

ipads are sold here in Mexico at a premium price of 12,000 pesos (930 USD) for the 32gb 3G version, and that because of it isn't yet on mexican apple stores.

donovands :
For some reason they feel morally obligated to prevent people from buying large numbers of iPads and selling them in countries where iPads are not available at a profit.



maybe they want to be the only ones price-raping people... who knows?

Yoder54 05/19/2010 4:13 PM
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chunkymonster :
Welcome to the Socialist State of Apple! All hail the mighty iPad!This has to be one of the most ...... things I have ever heard of!Just another reason to boycott Apple.



This tactic is commonly used to fight the black market, and this was stated in the article. There was a time when US forces overseas used MPC and not green backs for money, and you had a ration control plate (plastic) that was used to track all purchases. It was as late as 1973. Why? To control the black market.

Also, it really has nothing to do with socialism. Why is our society so bent on calling everything they do not agree with as being 'socialist?' In the 50's and 60's we used 'communism.' Seems like history does repeat itself.


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