One might think that ordering a cell phone is as simple as placing the order and waiting for it to arrive.
However, there are a host of issues that can present themselves during this process. For example, a phone could get damaged, it could be snatched off one’s doorstep by a porch pirate, or, somehow, the customer could receive an empty box instead of their order.
While the latter may seem improbable, it’s more common than one might expect. In February 2023, a Verizon customer reported that the iPhone they ordered came with a box, cable, instructions, and no phone. Then, in October of this year, another Verizon customer claimed she tried to upgrade her phone to the new iPhone 16 Pro Max, only to receive an empty iPhone 14 box when the delivery arrived.
TikTok user James Piechocki (@jamespietheplantguy) was excited to receive a new iPhone for his wife for Christmas. However, when the box arrived, the UPS driver was quick to deliver some bad news.
In a clip with over 642,000 views, Piechocki shows a UPS driver on his doorstep. The driver is holding what appears to be an empty box.
Over the course of the video, the UPS driver opens the package and, while there is the requisite paperwork implying that the box should have contained a phone, it does not.
“The phone should have been right there,” the driver states, referring to an empty area in the box.
“I’m going to refuse this…for obvious reasons,” the UPS driver adds.
“I guess my wife will get her new #iPhone from @Verizon after #christmas,” Piechocki writes in the caption. “HUGE THANKS to my @UPS delivery driver for refusing the empty box.”
While this could have been a simple accident, in October, PCMag reported evidence to suggest new iPhones are being stolen through allegedly obtaining their tracking numbers.
However, this appears to most often take the form of “porch piracy,” where the package is swiped after it’s already been placed on a customer’s doorstep.
Although it’s unclear what happened in Piechocki’s case, others have reported similar incidents. One user on Verizon’s forums claimed they ordered an iPhone 14, only to receive an empty box. Another made a similar claim about an iPhone 14 Pro, and on Reddit, there are countless stories of people ordering phones and receiving empty boxes.
That said, there does appear to be an explanation in some cases.
For people who request to trade in a phone, it seems that Verizon will occasionally send an empty box for them to do so; however, if one is tracking the package with their new device, and then notices that it is empty upon arrival, they should reach out to Verizon support for assistance.
@jamespietheplantguy I guess my wife will get her new #iPhone from @Verizon after #christmas ????♂️ HUGE THANKS to my @UPS ♬ original sound - JamesPieThePlantGuy
In the comments section, some claimed that this was simply the aforementioned return box, while others alleged that there could be something more nefarious going on.
“100% re-taped using 2" clear tape. The original security tape is 3" but when the box gets tipped at an angle you can see the line from the 2" clear over the security tape,” said a user. “That's a good driver.”
“Literally impossible since those packages are weighed and auto rejected if they don't match the correct weight. which means it was opened and resealed while in transit,” alleged another.
“I work in IT at a large business. We’ve received empty boxes a few times when ordering new phones. Someone likely stole it at one of the warehouses,” stated a third. “Possibly this is false and just a return box.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Verizon and UPS via email and Piechocki via Instagram and TikTok DM.
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The post ‘That’s a good driver’: Man orders iPhone from Verizon. Then his UPS driver steps in appeared first on The Daily Dot.
