Apple Store Refuses to Sell iPad to American Customer Because She Spoke Farsi

[letinsh]

Just saw this. It was cleverly left out of the news report in the video. Kind of an important piece.

Of course it was - conveniently buried at the end of the 6th paragraph in the written story, too.... because then people couldn't be outraged over intolerance, arrogance, profiling, (insert PC term of indignation de jour) and it wouldn't really be news. Sensationalism to elicit a response....kinda like it's done here....
:r_c:

 

[nikecar]

All the more reason to buy an Android. They can do everything an iPhone can and the sellers don't even care if you're from this planet, much less the USA.

Technically. It doesn't matter what brand you get, you still can't ship it or take it to those countries

 

[silverfang77]

So if I went to visit Iran, I'd be prohibited from taking my Droid 4 with me?

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

 

[dgstorm]

Hmmm... I have to disagree with this perspective. It isn't up to Apple to "police" what she does with the product after the sale. While it is up to Apple or any other company to make sure they don't export directly to Iran, this individual customer is an American citizen. She was purchasing the device in the United States, and once she bought it the onus was on her to follow the U.S. Government's policy of not exporting to Iran.

However, keep in mind that there were two people in this story that were discriminated against. The man in the story, Zack Jafarzadeh, never said anything about where the device was going when he was trying to help an Iranian friend by an iPhone, yet he was also refused service. That is discriminatory no matter how you slice it.

 

[syndicate0017]

So if I went to visit Iran, I'd be prohibited from taking my Droid 4 with me?

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

That wouldn't be exporting to Iran....So, you could bring your D4 with you.

 

[MissionImprobable]

That wouldn't be exporting to Iran....So, you could bring your D4 with you.

The actual policy says that you can't transport any electronics like that without permission from the Gmen beforehand.

"PROHIBITED DESTINATIONS The U.S. holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a U.S. person wherever located, of any Apple goods, software, technology (including technical data), or services to any of these countries is strictly prohibited without prior authorization by the U.S. Government. This prohibition also applies to any Apple owned subsidiary or any subsidiary employee worldwide."


That's Apple's stated policy, but it actually Applies to all U.S. goods so long as those countries are under embargo. Hence the same reason that there isn't a modern car from the U.S. in Cuba today.

That said, it is interesting that they make not of Farsi speakers. I doubt that they ask every Spanish speaker that comes in if he or she is from Cuba, etc.

 

[syndicate0017]

The actual policy says that you can't transport any electronics like that without permission from the Gmen beforehand.

"PROHIBITED DESTINATIONS The U.S. holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a U.S. person wherever located, of any Apple goods, software, technology (including technical data), or services to any of these countries is strictly prohibited without prior authorization by the U.S. Government. This prohibition also applies to any Apple owned subsidiary or any subsidiary employee worldwide."


That's Apple's stated policy, but it actually Applies to all U.S. goods so long as those countries are under embargo. Hence the same reason that there isn't a modern car from the U.S. in Cuba today.

That said, it is interesting that they make not of Farsi speakers. I doubt that they ask every Spanish speaker that comes in if he or she is from Cuba, etc.

And he would be doing none of those things. That whole policy is about intent to sell/supply. Bringing your phone with you is not an intent to sell/supply.

 

[meishkov]

Just more proof that Apple is beyond Ghey...

No kidding. First frivolous lawsuits nonstop, now discrimination against potential customers. Glad I've never owned an apple product n will never. This doesn't really change my outlook on them tho, as I don't really find this that surprising. They dictate how u must use your phone, so hearing about them dictating who can actually own their products was just the next step in their path. Have fun, apple fan boys, trying to back your favorite north Korean-like company.

Sent from my OG using DroidForums

 

[dgstorm]

That wouldn't be exporting to Iran....So, you could bring your D4 with you.

No. Actually, right now, if you are travelling to Iran, there are certain devices that you must get specific permission from the U.S. Government to carry with you into the country, because of the embargo.

Also, on a separate note, after doing a bit more digging, it seems that the current embargo law does require companies or individuals to specifically not sell to an individual if they suspect/know either that the device may/will be sent to Iran. So, from a certain point of view, the employee was following the policy correctly (assuming that he really did find out from her that she intended to send it to Iran). However, and this is a BIG however, the problem in this instance is not that he was following policy, but was the way he went about it. According to several reports that I found regarding this story, the employee profiled the teenaged girl because she was speaking Farsi, and not because he already knew her intentions. He interrogated her based upon the fact that he knew she was speaking Farsi.

So, I pose the question to you: The U.S. also has a trade embargo against Cuba, does that mean that every Spanish speaking person that comes in to an Apple store should be grilled to see if they intend to send their device to Cuba? Where do you draw the line?

 

[dgstorm]

The actual policy says that you can't transport any electronics like that without permission from the Gmen beforehand.

"PROHIBITED DESTINATIONS The U.S. holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a U.S. person wherever located, of any Apple goods, software, technology (including technical data), or services to any of these countries is strictly prohibited without prior authorization by the U.S. Government. This prohibition also applies to any Apple owned subsidiary or any subsidiary employee worldwide."


That's Apple's stated policy, but it actually Applies to all U.S. goods so long as those countries are under embargo. Hence the same reason that there isn't a modern car from the U.S. in Cuba today.

That said, it is interesting that they make not of Farsi speakers. I doubt that they ask every Spanish speaker that comes in if he or she is from Cuba, etc.

Lol. It looks like we were typing the same response at the same time, but yours was a bit faster.

 

[syndicate0017]

No. Actually, right now, if you are travelling to Iran, there are certain devices that you must get specific permission from the U.S. Government to carry with you into the country, because of the embargo.

I looked it up and the importing of items is blocked as well. Though, what he'd be doing is not technicaly classified as importing, they specifically state that bringing them during travel falls under importing. Kind of stupid, but an embargo is an embargo I guess. Apple's policy says nothing along the lines of importing, thus why I tried to argue my side further above. I had to go to a homeland security PDF to find that bringing certain devices during travel is blocked.

Though it says nothing about specific devices and Apple's policy only seems to apply to exportation/sale. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take issue to you bringing it during travel.

 

[dgstorm]

The whole thing seems kind of stupid. I understand the point of putting economic pressure on a country by using an embargo, but this particular situation seems a bit "extreme." With the embargo situation as it is, she wouldn't even be able to send it to Iran via UPS or Fedex, nor would she be able to take it with her on a plane without special permissions. Thus, stopping her from buying it in an American store is pointless to begin with. The Apple policy was likely not really designed to work at the retail level.

 

[Dave12308]

They once refused to sell me an iPhone 4 because I didn't have a "valid government issued ID" with me at the time.

I wouldn't have a problem with this if I were paying with a credit card, only problem is, I was paying cash. And the device was an upgrade on an already existing line. They had VZW reps in the Apple store for launch day, and the nice VZW woman saw what was going on - and PERSONALLY escorted me down to the Verizon store to make sure I got one.

And hell, i'm not even from Iran. I'm originally from San Diego.

 

[nikecar]

No. Actually, right now, if you are travelling to Iran, there are certain devices that you must get specific permission from the U.S. Government to carry with you into the country, because of the embargo.

Also, on a separate note, after doing a bit more digging, it seems that the current embargo law does require companies or individuals to specifically not sell to an individual if they suspect/know either that the device may/will be sent to Iran. So, from a certain point of view, the employee was following the policy correctly (assuming that he really did find out from her that she intended to send it to Iran). However, and this is a BIG however, the problem in this instance is not that he was following policy, but was the way he went about it. According to several reports that I found regarding this story, the employee profiled the teenaged girl because she was speaking Farsi, and not because he already knew her intentions. He interrogated her based upon the fact that he knew she was speaking Farsi.

So, I pose the question to you: The U.S. also has a trade embargo against Cuba, does that mean that every Spanish speaking person that comes in to an Apple store should be grilled to see if they intend to send their device to Cuba? Where do you draw the line?

The problem with Cuba is the wet feet policy where any Cuban touching US soil is granted assylum and allowed to stay. You generally, if I'm not mistaken, just cannot get on a plane to go to Cuba, as they are restricted from US. i don't think there are direct flights to Iran, so anyone taking something to Iran would go through a country that normally wouldn't be restricted.

Before you could bring things to Cuba, and I think still you can bring some things for your family back home, but usually its cash.

 

[MissionImprobable]

I looked it up and the importing of items is blocked as well. Though, what he'd be doing is not technicaly classified as importing, they specifically state that bringing them during travel falls under importing. Kind of stupid, but an embargo is an embargo I guess. Apple's policy says nothing along the lines of importing, thus why I tried to argue my side further above. I had to go to a homeland security PDF to find that bringing certain devices during travel is blocked.

Though it says nothing about specific devices and Apple's policy only seems to apply to exportation/sale. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take issue to you bringing it during travel.

I'm not sure what you're saying. Traveling with it on your person is considered exportation by the government under the ban. Importing it to Iran is the same as exporting it from the United States, they just don't state it as it is redundant.