Apple’s Partner Cautions against Buying New iPhone 6 from Dubai

Apple’s official partner in Africa, Core Group Africa has alerted Nigerians on the danger of buying Apple iPhones from the Dubai grey market.

Core Group Africa, Apple’s official representatives in Africa, who sounded the note of warning against buying Apple products, especially the most recent iPhone 6 and  6+  from unauthorised sources in Dubai and other destinations, said such buyers would not be entitled to any warranty and also forfeit FaceTime, a video telephony feature that has been permanently removed from all iPhones sold in the UAE.
Core Group Africa could not confirm when the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are coming to Nigeria, nor could it confirm the price.  However, it reminded Nigerians that it is worth waiting for the official launch since that has numerous benefits for the customer.  The iPhone 5S was the first iPhone to be launched officially in Nigeria. 

According to the group, "Firstly the grey market iPhones imports were already advertised at around N200,000, whereas the likely official price, if judging from the price of the iPhone 5S earlier this year, should be around N135,000.
"Secondly, most grey phones come into the country via Dubai, and in Dubai, FaceTime is not allowed, so these phones cannot be used to communicate with other iPhone, IPad and Mac users over this video link. Furthermore, iPhones brought in via the parallel market do not qualify for warranty.
"Another key point is that Core Group Africa is launching a trade-in program for all officially imported iPhone 6 and 6 plus’s, meaning that they will give Apple customers who buy from official resellers the opportunity to trade in this iPhone next year for a new one, provided it was officially imported."

Core Group has been at the forefront of the campaign to enlighten Apple fans about the disadvantages inherent in buying from grey market. Grey market basically means goods that are distributed outside the authorised channels.
According to the experts, grey market disrupts the economy through tax evasion by unscrupulous importers who avoid official supply chains. This leads to loss of revenue to government which has a direct negative impact on the overall economy, and employment.
Apple customers have therefore been reminded to always buy from only the authorised resellers in Nigeria. In Nigeria, Core Group Africa operates through 22 authorised resellers and the Apple iStore in Ikeja, Lagos. Convenient free services such as in-store tech support, device setup and demonstrations are also available from a knowledgeable team of Apple heroes.
Core Group Africa is the exclusive Apple distributer in Nigeria, which acts as exclusive and dedicated full-service brand custodians, managing the brand's presence from end-to-end, taking care of logistics, distribution, sales, marketing, retail operations and regulatory compliance.

"The problem of grey products and goods brought into Nigeria from unauthorised channels has been a problem in the Nigerian industrial landscape for quite sometimes. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and other quality control regulatory bodies, have been campaigning and putting measures in place to stem the importation of grey products into Nigeria, because of the adverse effect on the economy and more importantly, the lack of warrantees and protection for consumers. The battle continues, "the company said.

See full story: Thisday