Ontario university student shocked laptop removed from box and replaced with books

An Ontario student starting her first week of university was shocked when a new laptop she ordered online turned out to have books inside instead of the MacBook she ordered.

“There is a serial number on the box, so someone must have opened the box, took out the laptop and replaced it with two books of equal weight and size,” said Mahi Mankad of Brampton, adding, “someone seemed to put in some effort to put in the books to fool the customer."

The new Apple MacBook Air was purchased for $1,674 and when the family first called Apple and FedEx, the courier company that delivered the package, they felt like they were stuck between the two companies.

Mankad was planning to start school with her new laptop but now isn’t sure when she will be able to get one.

“My old laptop is kind of slow and I thought I could use an upgrade and that university would be a good time to do that," said Mankad.

Her father Hardik Mankad was shocked when he saw the laptop box contained two copies of “The Art and Making of the Greatest Showman” books that appeared about the same size and weight of the MacBook.

While no one can say for certain when a swap of the books for the laptop happened, Hardik Mankad said it was clear to him that is what happened when he contacted both Apple and FedEx.

Brampton resident Mahi Mankad received books instead of a laptop in an online order. “I said yes, we received the box, but you don't know what's in it. It’s not a laptop – it’s books” said Hardik Mankad who added, “the box was not sealed, there was no tape around it and it had been tampered with.”

While Hardik Mankad contacted CTV News because he felt frustrated going back and forth between the two companies, following an investigation Apple worked with FedEx to give him a full refund.

In a statement a spokesperson for FedEx told CTV news, “At FedEx, our number one focus is delivering reliable service and a great experience to every one of our customers.”

“While we do not discuss specific details involving our customers, in the unfortunate incident where there is an issue with the contents of a delivered package, we work very hard to determine why and immediately find a solution.”

“FedEx works directly with the shipper for any claims requests. Should it be warranted, we process claims from the shippers in accordance with our published terms and conditions.”

CTV News reached out to Apple Canada but did not get a response before publication.

The family has now received a full refund of their $1, 674, but they say for their next laptop they plan to buy it in-store and not purchase it online and have it shipped to their door.

Also, the family had to sign for the package that they received in good condition, which they did before looking inside. If you're ordering something, especially something expensive, you may want to make sure it's the correct item before signing for it.