Beware of offers to pre-order the iPhone 14.

As the launch date of the new iPhone approaches, many posts have appeared on social media and in Apple user groups offering pre-orders and guaranteeing early delivery. However, the official release date and specific phone models have not yet been confirmed. Therefore, accepting deposits of tens of millions of Vietnamese dong from many people is unfounded.

"The iPhone 14 series will launch on September 7th, pre-orders start on September 9th, delivery on September 16th" or "I have a sister flying back from the US, she'll bring back a new iPhone" are examples of messages posted by numerous accounts on various social media groups in the past few days. These people confidently quote prices for all versions of the iPhone 14 series with different storage capacities. Furthermore, they require customers to pay a deposit of 50-100% of the device's value upfront.

These accounts are pricing the iPhone 14 at 26 million VND, and the Pro Max version at 37 million VND. Furthermore, the promotional images and colors are based on rumored prototypes and have not been verified by Apple.

Exchange with ZingAccording to Mr. Ta Hung, a long-time iPhone seller in Hanoi, similar cases have appeared for many years, every iPhone launch season. Many customers have been scammed, losing large sums of money because they trusted the sellers and transferred deposits in advance.

"Most scammers require customers to pay a deposit of 50-100% of the machine's value. Reputable sellers usually only accept 1-2 million VND as a deposit, once they are certain the goods are available," Mr. Hung shared.

Meanwhile, Mr. Phuc Buu, a mobile phone dealer in Vung Tau City, believes that attractive offers such as "phones arrive early on the first day" and "best price on the market" are just deceptive advertising tactics.

"Apple hasn't even launched yet, it's uncertain how many versions there will be, what the price will be, or the release date, so accepting deposits of 20-30 million VND is highly likely a scam. Furthermore, iPhone prices fluctuate wildly on the first day, potentially changing by tens of millions of VND in a short time. Therefore, guaranteeing the earliest availability at the cheapest price is illogical.""Mr. Buu said."

This person stated that many regular customers had approached his store requesting pre-orders and deposits, with the condition that the product would be available on the first day. However, Mr. Buu did not dare accept the orders because the availability of imported iPhones is very uncertain, especially with early shipments. Therefore, the store could not guarantee the availability of the device.

In 2021, during the pandemic, Apple Vietnam instructed domestic retailers not to accept deposits from customers pre-ordering the iPhone 13 series because the company could not guarantee fulfilling all pre-orders. Accepting deposits but delaying delivery could damage the company's reputation and negatively impact the customer experience.

Exchange with ZingAccording to experienced sellers of imported iPhones, customers who want to buy the new product early should wait. Furthermore, users should absolutely not place large deposits based solely on unsubstantiated advertisements.

Furthermore, demand for imported iPhones is no longer high. According to retailers, the iPhone 14 series will be released in the first week of October, about two weeks later than Apple's first-tier markets. In addition, officially distributed iPhones have advantages in terms of warranty support, competitive pricing compared to products imported through unofficial channels, and retailer support.

Mr. Phuc Buu said that the focus of selling laptops is on having them available early in the first few days for users who need them. "Customers who buy imported iPhones early are mainly doing so for gifting purposes. Therefore, they seek out the most expensive versions, with new colors and higher storage capacity.", this seller revealed.