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Topic: iPad

Apple turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

Summary: Your cash is no good inside an Apple store - if you're planning to buy a new iPad or iPhone. The company's policy requires a credit or debit card to purchase these items.

Sam Diaz

By Sam Diaz for Between the Lines |

With the credits markets still rocky and the public still carrying a sour taste for big banks, you might think that cash would be king again. But there are some places where your hard cold cash is no good. For example, if you're thinking about walking into an Apple store and dropping some Benjamins for a new iPad or iPhone, think again. For those two items, it's credit or debit only.

Why?

Apple's not saying - not in the company's pricing policy and not to an "On Your Side" crew of a San Francisco news station that was asking on behalf of a local resident. KGO's Michael Finney told viewers yesterday about a computer-less woman named Diane Campbell who decided that an iPad would meet her needs and spent months saving - $1 here, $5 there - until she had $600, enough to buy the $499 iPad.

But when she walked up to the counter at the Palo Alto retail store and pulled out a wad of bills to pay for her new iPad, she was turned away.

An employee reportedly told her that the reason Apple only takes plastic and puts a 2-per-customer on iPads limit was to "prevent con artists from buying lots of iPads selling them overseas" for an inflated price, according to the report. But Apple would not confirm that explanation, Finney reported. Instead, it simply pointed to its pricing policy.

Instead of me chiming in about this, I'd like to hear what you have to say about this no-cash policy for iPads. Cast your vote or sound off in the talkbacks - or both.

[poll id="127"]

Topics: iPad, Apple, Mobility

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Talkback

253 comments
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  • oh, oh

    so sam has become the new phony outrage master of all things apple here at zdnet. ever since jason has fallen in love with his ipad and ed came to his senses and sticks to his microsoft turf you are at it now. gets you more hits, doesn't it?

    poor.
    banned from zdnet
    Reply Vote

    • Nope......

      @banned from zdnet Just showing an obvious truth. Please tell us if he is lying, if you can't just keep the babble to yourself because you just look like your whining because someone went against your product of choice.
      OhTheHumanity
      Reply Vote

    • Critics

      @banned from zdnet
      Critics are more reliant on ratings than any other writer. Quit picking on every blogger you read.
      _Papa_
      Reply Vote

  • Cash Kills

    I learned in my business that every time someone paid with cash, they were either crooked or abusive. If someone offers me cash, I turn them down flat. <br><br>Tradition and greed have to give way to the wisdom of experience. If Apple is reacting to their experience and trying to avoid issues, then I say let them.
    tomogden
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden

      Wow you are judgmental aren't you? My dad just paid cash for his new truck a couple years ago so would that make him crooked and abusive. I mean he is a retired police detective.
      bobiroc
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden
      Really does it matter to the business what people do with their money and how they spend it. I personally never use cash, but know many that still do and I don't see them changing anytime soon. They avoid credit cards like the plague which is smart for them. Money is money and for a business to turn it down like that is just showing how much the control factor plays on Apple's business model.

      Who cares if someone jailbreaks and iPhone, the majority will not be. I mean don't they send out updates to brick them, deal with it then and even then I still think its control freakiness at its best.
      OhTheHumanity
      Reply Vote

    • No you didn't

      @tomogden <br><br>I don't have to take anything you said as true. I'm guessing you have no business.<br><br>A disabled lady in a wheelchair wants to pay cash for a computer, and you are going to have us believe, it's 'crooked' or 'abusive'.<br><br>Please.
      rdupuy11
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden So, when I paid for my groceries today with cash I was crooked or abusive. Hmm... I thought I was just trying to be smart about managing my money.
      KerrieG
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden What ever happened to the fine print on American cash - you know - the part that reads "Legal tender for all debts, public and private."? do I need to bring a lawyer to your store just because I carry my spending $$ in greenbacks?
      zclayton2
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden What it says to me is that perhaps Apple can't trust their employees to handle cash - just maybe. But you'd rather imply that all people who use legal US tender to purchase product and/or service are crooked or abusive. Naw, I go back to my original thought - maybe Jobs is worried about his own employees being the crooks!
      cjcon
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden
      We all know the real reason that Apple is using this policy and it has nothing to do with security, crooks or abusive people. It has everything to do with control. They want to know who is buying their products and collect as much private information as they can!
      Just one more reason that I will refuse to do business with them.
      lrfocke
      Louis Ross Focke
      Reply Vote

    • You sir are either a moron or someone that doesn't have a business

      @tomogden
      Please post the name of your business so normal people won't go and embarass themselves when trying to purchase something
      akoobra
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden
      Maybe so, but unless the cash is counterfeit what the buyer does with the iPad after they buy it is their business. Reselling it for a higher price is all-American, right up there with ticket scalping, selling high demand carsfor more than sticker price, selling "classic" items for more than they cost when new.

      If the buyer is crooked, i.e. breaking some law, tell the law enforcement authorities and let them deal with it.
      bunkport
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden Doesn't the bill say "for all debts public an private?
      jhall
      jshall
      Reply Vote

    • All debts

      @tomogden
      The U.S. Government (admittedly not the best guarantor)
      marks its bills "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private". I wonder if this policy would stand up in a court of law? Are we going to be *required* to feed yet another Wall Street Fat Cat each time we buy something?
      _Papa_
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden ......I am a business owner. Are you implying that I am crooked and abusive because I object to paying the high rates charged by the credit card processing companies?...I suppose our ancestors were also crooked and abusive since they used cash or barter. What about the wisdom of experience for those who were traditionally greedy and went bankrupt because they over-extended their credit to live above their means and could not pay their credit card bills with the high interest rates? Dis their tradition and greed give way to the wisdom of experience? Hopefully it did and they are now using cash because they have learned that plastic is toxic to their well being.
      MsCharli1@...
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden <br><br>I guess it depends what business you are in. I deal with a lot of Alternative people and country (rural Western Australia). But even in this very specific business very very few want to use cash. In fact I only recall people I know personally wanting to use cash. <br>With small business you can assess this on a case by case basis - but this would be very difficult for a larger company and would put a lot of responsibility on the sales staff. Each business has to assess the risks, responsibility and cost and formulate policy to suit.

      I understand Apples policy. They are a prime target for cash abuse - their costs and security issues may also rise with having lots of cash in each store. They may also have obligation to somehow track sales of the ipad / iphone to do their bit towards ensuring international law is not compromised and doing this for cash sales may be too hard / costly.

      <br>< Sure it is easy to point the finger at the big bad apple but is it as un-American to do that as it is to refuse cash?

      I don't think many business owners would blink at Apples decision - other than to think maybe there is a way for the tiny percentage of legitimate cash sales to be accepted. But as we don't know why the policy stands nor have any clue about the possible complexities of the issue it's simply a waste of time.
      stuff@...
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden So my stolen checks that someone used would be ok along with stolen credit cards?
      ladyhenry
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden
      I don't know what business your in tomogden but not all people using credit cards are not really so nice. Look at how many people steal credit cards, credit card numbers and other forms of ID so they have "act so nice" so they can perpetrate fraud to the business without the business knowing and getting suspicious.
      Here are some links about credit card fraud and ID thief:
      http://www.paymentsnews.com/2009/04/issuer-credit-card-losses---credit-loss-or-fraud-loss.html
      http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-industry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php#idtheft
      http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/internet_scam_statistics.htm
      phatkat
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Apple's turns away iPad buyer; points to No Cash policy [POLL]

      @tomogden It sounds like you've got your head screwed on backwards or have been listening to too many "financial experts". Customer walks in, pays cash, takes merchandise, walks out. End of transaction. What's wrong with that?
      Tony R.
      Reply Vote
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