Local Apple reseller iStore has announced a guaranteed cash back for iPhone owners. iStore says iPhone owners (as part of a new upgrade, contract renewal or cash purchase at any iStore) are guaranteed cash back of up to R5000 when they trade their current iPhone for a new one. For a cash purchase, the value will be discounted from the price of the new iPhone.
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And thus commence, two months before the new iPhone arrives in South Africa, the game of wait Apple has perfected so well. The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that was launched yesterday evening will only be available in South Africa before December. This waiting game is so powerful that in the UK, where the iPhone will be available in ten days, people have camped outside an Apple store in London, not to buy the phone but to sell their place to buyers.
The announcement by iStore is, more than anything, playing the waiting game and creating demand. When the new iPhone phones arrive in South Africa, there will be little need to market them. Consumers will be lining up at iStore all around the country, waiting to upgrade their old iPhone for the new.
The new upgrade at iStore is available for all iPhone owners, regardless of where the current phone was bought. But the owners have to obtain a voucher to retrieve this deal.
“If you are due for an upgrade on your iPhone anytime between now and 28 February 2015, all you have to do to obtain your cash back voucher is register at www.myistore.co.za. The voucher will be sent to you by e-mail, and can be redeemed at any iStore when trading in your current iPhone for a brand new one.”
The different iPhone versions are as follows: R5000 for an iPhone 5S, R4000 for an iPhone 5C or iPhone 5, R2500 for an iPhone 4S, and R1500 for an iPhone 4. This values applies to a new contract or an upgrade, in which case the amount will be paid to the customer by electronic funds transfer.
To ensure that consumers get a guaranteed price for their iPhone, the iStore’s voucher is locked in at the minimum trade-in value of the customer’s current iPhone, even if the phone’s value declines, and is valid for a period of six months.
