Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share something really frustrating. Yesterday, I bought a brand new iPhone 16 Pro – not directly from Apple, but from a different retailer. I only unboxed it today, and as I was checking it to make sure everything was okay, I noticed these scratches on the side (photo attached). 😞

Unfortunately, the photo doesn't fully capture how bad they look in person. I contacted Apple Support, but since I didn’t buy it directly from them, they told me to return it to the place I purchased it. The problem is, I know that other sellers usually don’t care as much about replacing something that’s not “perfect” out of the box.

I’ve been using Apple products for years — several iPhones, iPads, Macs — and I’ve never seen anything like this, even after years of use, let alone right after unboxing.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? Did you manage to get it replaced?

Thanks in advance if you have any advice or experience to share!