Flipkart user gets defective iPhone 15 with fake battery; here’s how the company responded

Flipkart recently hosted its Republic Day sale where buyers got massive discounts on smartphones including the latest iPhone 15. An iPhone 15 customer has now reported that he has received a defective handset with a fake battery. The buyer, Ajay Rajawat, took it to X, formerly known as Twitter, to raise this issue. He even shared a screenshot of the phone’s settings where it says that “unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine battery.”

In a post on X, he wrote, “I ordered iPhone 15 from Flipkart on January 13 and I got it on January 15 but Flipkart has committed fraud they delivered a defective iPhone 15 and the box packaging was also fake. Now they are not replacing it.”

I have ordered iPhone15 on Flipkart in republic day sale and today I got it.but it is not charging and it is showing that the battery is not genuine ...what could be the solution for this .......is this a fraud by @flipkart
Help me @AppleSupport @Apple @GyanTherapy @yabhishekhd pic.twitter.com/LIoSORAXeB

The buyer has accused Flipkart of fraud and not helping out a customer after selling them a defective item. In subsequent post, he added, “I have ordered iPhone15 on Flipkart in republic day sale and today I got it. But it is not charging and it is showing that the battery is not genuine ...what could be the solution for this .......is this a fraud by @Flipkart. Help me @AppleSupport.”

Flipkart’s response to this post is, “Sorry to hear this. We do understand your concern related to the order received. We see that we have already reached out to you. You have our assurance that we are looking into your concern related to the order received and we'll get in touch with you via a call/email.”

Responding to Flipkart Rajawat wrote, “You just provide assurances but no ground reality in this”. The problem is not an isolated event. Many smartphone buyers have experienced similar incidents on popular e-commerce websites. If you are unsure about the authenticity of the iPhone you bought online. Here’s how to verify a genuine product.

Sorry to hear this. We do understand your concern related to the order received. We see that we have already reached out to you. You have our assurance that we are looking into your concern related to the order received and we'll get in touch with you via a call/email. (1/2)

— FlipkartSupport (@flipkartsupport) January 23, 2024

How to check if your iPhone is fake or real 

To steer clear of such incidents, here are a couple of things that you can do to find out of your iPhone is original, refurbished or fake.

Check for Model number 

Check the first letter of the model number: Locate the model number on your iPhone (Settings > General > About > Model). If the first letter is M or P, your iPhone is most likely original. If it's N, it's refurbished by Apple, and if it's F, it's refurbished by a carrier or third-party vendor. 

Check on the Apple website 

1. Visit Apple's Check Coverage website: https://checkcoverage.apple.com/
2. Enter your iPhone's serial number (Settings > General > About > Serial Number)
3. Check the information displayed. If the phone is original, it should show the original purchase date and warranty status. For refurbished iPhones, it may indicate "repaired iPhone" or "replacement iPhone."

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