Apple Store Refuses Exchange After Selling Wrong iPhone 17 Model
On February 22, 2026, at 1:43 PM, I went to the Apple reseller Gürgençler located in Terracity Mall in Antalya to purchase an iPhone 17 Pro Max by trading in my previous device, an iPhone 12 Pro Max. All of my discussions with the staff, including the pricing and trade-in process, were clearly about buying an iPhone 17 Pro Max. After reaching an agreement, I completed the payment using a QR code through my mobile banking app.
They then brought out the box and opened the new phone in front of me and my husband. While the phone was still inside the packaging and had not yet been taken out, we realized that the device inside was not an iPhone 17 Pro Max, but an iPhone 17 Pro. I immediately stated that I had specifically negotiated for the Pro Max model and that I did not want to purchase the 17 Pro. However, the staff told me that since the box had already been opened, they would not accept a return or provide a refund. As a result, I was essentially forced to accept and purchase the iPhone 17 Pro.
I find it extremely unfair that despite a clear verbal agreement for the Pro Max model, I was left with a different device and given no opportunity to correct the mistake. I am a doctor, and I rely heavily on WhatsApp to communicate with my renal transplant patients, responding to approximately 100–150 urgent messages daily. Because WhatsApp on my iPhone 12 Pro Max had become extremely slow and I was unable to properly send images, I had no choice but to start using the new iPhone 17 Pro immediately for patient care—even though it was not the model I intended to buy.
Afterward, I contacted Apple customer support and spoke with a representative who simply apologized but did not offer any concrete solution. I have all invoices and purchase documents for this transaction. I request that the iPhone 17 Pro I was forced to accept be exchanged for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, as originally agreed, and that I be allowed to pay the price difference between the two models. I kindly ask that this issue be reviewed and resolved in my favor as soon as possible.
