iPads of clay sold in Canada
Future Shop and Best Buy may have sold as many as 10 fake iPads
By Ben Camm-Jones | Macworld UK | Published: 08:38, 18 January 2012
As many as 10 fake iPad 2s made of clay may have been bought by unwitting Canadians, according to a report.
The CTV News website claims that Future Shop and Best Buy have launched an investigation after the fake devices were sold in their stores in Vancouver.
Apparently scammers had bought real iPads from the stores - paying by cash - removed them from their packaging and replaced them with modelling clay. After re-sealing the packaging they returned the boxes and got a refund.
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The boxes full of clay were apparently then put straight back on to the shelves and sold to unsuspecting customers.
"Customers don't expect to receive this kind of product from Future Shop, so it's a very serious matter and something we are addressing right away for anyone who has been impacted," a Future Shop spokesman told CTV.
One man who bought one of the clay-filled boxes said he was treated like a criminal when he tried to return the box. He contacted the retailer's head office, Apple and local police but it was only when he contaced CTV that he was taken seriously. He received an apology, a full refund and a real iPad 2 as compensation, according to the report.
