Apple store refuses to sell to girl speaking native language from Iran Fair or Foul?

by Brendan Mcdonald Posted 2012/06/21 05:01:40

Related Topics: iPhone, Apple, Iran, News, iPad, Bad, Country, Born, Denied, Foul, Language, Spanish, Racial, Sell

63 votes
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	Fair	8 votes	13%
	Foul	55 votes	87%

A 19-year-old woman in Alpharetta, Ga., claims that her local Apple store refused to sell her anything after she was heard speaking Farsi with her uncle while she was trying to buy an iPhone and iPad.

"When we said 'Farsi, I'm from Iran,' he said, 'I just can't sell this to you. Our countries have bad relations,'" Sahar Sabet told WSB-TV.

I will specifiy that the 19 year old is an American citizen, but used our trade embargo on Iran as a excuse not to sell to her. But wouldn't that be like if someone was speaking spanish and you you ask if their from cuba, or ask if someone whos asain if they were born in North Korea. I feel this to be racial profiling, and we have a trade embargo against the country not a individual who happens to speak the native language of said country.

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sean 2012/06/21 05:26:36

Foul

+10
Appholes
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More polls by Brendan Mcdonald

mikeeonly 2012/08/04 07:12:46

Foul

maybe she hasn't been here very long

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Brosia 2012/07/22 01:06:30
boots 2012/06/28 01:09:46

Foul

+1
SUE APPLES ASS OFF!!
She would win so big that they would have to lay off at least 2000 Chinese sweat shop workers.

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Iamfree 2012/06/25 20:57:35

Foul

I would have preferred an "Other" option. U.S. policy about technology being sold for transport to Iran is confusing. The woman told the employee they were planning to purchase a item to be sent to a cousin in Iran. I would say the employee was being overly cautious because the law is not completely clear. I do feel badly for this young lady, however, and I think Apple owes her an apology, which she should accept.

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DDogbreath 2012/06/24 22:04:53

Fair

I'd rather see "racial profiling" used at the airport then have my mother groped by TSA gestapo.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" Benjamin Franklin

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ajracestables1 2012/06/24 21:36:22

Foul

+1
Why do they care.

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Alummina 2012/06/24 17:32:36

Fair

+1
oh,,,please.

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rknothead 2012/06/24 12:56:45

Fair

+2
As a store owner, I wouldn't sell to anyone I cannot communicate with. And the fact that she was buying it for someone else in Iran...Apple did the right thing.

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Brendan... to rknothead 2012/06/24 19:17:05

+1
She was not buying it for someone else....she speaks english, the employee over heard her talking to her father and asked what language she was speaking with him. The girl is an american citizen she was born here.

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rknothead to Brendan... 2012/06/25 16:41:23

just in case you've forgotten 9/11, it was islamic terrorists who attacked us and from various countries in the middle east and we've even seen American born islamic terrorists get involved. It's simply being aware and diligent to those facts that I would hope led this employee to refuse selling this device to an arab speaking girl. I see no problem with it.

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Brendan... to rknothead 2012/06/26 05:10:17

You really don't see the problem with that?

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rknothead to Brendan... 2012/06/26 13:15:23

no i don't. I put up with the TSA and I do travel a lot. They are a direct response of terrorist attacks on our country. I don't like it, but that's the world we are living in. It's every American's responsibility to be watchful everywhere they go, and not just when traveling in foreign countries. It might make some people mad, but I'm not too happy about having to wait in long lines at airport security either....and who's to blame for that?

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Elley to rknothead 2012/06/29 05:43:22

+3
So this girl is to blame? And blaming her would solve the terrorism problems? Is she the Middle East? Is she THE terrorist? Is she Iran, Cuba, North Korea or a representative from one of these countries? Isn't it our weakness that when we cannot go grab and punish someone bigger we start bullying the smaller ones? And you think the Iranian government would care about this girl? To what extent has Apple solved the terrorism problem? Start thinking outside the box! Aren't the governments having a blast while making all their people busy with these funny, childish, and silly stuff???!!!

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rknothead to Elley 2012/06/29 17:04:30

I never said this girl is to blame...I simply asked the question...do you have the answer?

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Gloria to rknothead 2012/06/25 12:17:40

She speaks English but was overheard speaking to a friend in their native language.

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Kibelle 2012/06/23 14:27:21

Foul

+2
Way to ruin your reputation, Apple.

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beach bum 2012/06/23 10:33:53

Foul

+2
foul

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shadow76 2012/06/23 08:13:20

Foul

+1
If this is true and really happened the guy should be fired.

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venus 2012/06/23 03:47:46

Foul

+2
what an idiot

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antlergirl21 2012/06/23 02:01:36

Foul

+1
She can't help what her nationality is...

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psiEnergos 2012/06/23 01:51:51

Foul

+3
Regardless of our relations, store employees are not customs agents. If an embargo is to be enforced I believe the ball falls into their court (I could be wrong about the customs agents having the role, but not about the store employees).

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joshua ben-ami 2012/06/23 01:17:36

Foul

+2
If true big Foul, it would be a private discussion, why would store rep be listening in anyway??????

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Brendan... to joshua ... 2012/06/23 02:04:35

+1
Just being noisy man. People need to learn to mind their own business besides if he sold it to her when she was getting on the plane to go back to Iran....IF she lived there it would of been seized by customs to prevent American goods from going there. I honestly think that guy did it for discriminatory reasons not because he was worried about American and Iranian relations.

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flyingseaturtle BN 2012/06/23 00:21:48

Foul

+1
She is from Iran and not in Iran.

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La 2012/06/22 23:35:28

Foul

+1
She's an American. Just because she moved from Iran is no reason to discriminate against her.

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mobilsq 2012/06/22 23:29:32

Foul

god bless america

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Brendan... to mobilsq 2012/06/23 02:07:30

+2

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Bastion 2012/06/22 23:24:26

Foul

+6
Widespread ignorance.

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Gloria 2012/06/22 23:21:58

Foul

+2
What an ignorant putz. Apple should fire him immediately.

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scbluesman13 2012/06/22 22:40:29

Foul

+4
The policy apple holds about not selling to Iran without the expressed, written consent of the US government has to do with overseas shipments that cross international waters. It does not apply to US citizens who are of Iranian descent or Iranian people on US soil that want to buy apple products. Not only is this Apple store clerk acting in a racially discriminatory way, but he's misapplying the rule he's trying to hide behind. Shameful on both counts.

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bob h. 2012/06/22 14:33:38

Foul

+2
They're out there, and there's a million of them. This one's a racist just looking for more people to hate. And I'm sure he claims to be a good christian.

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maskedArab 2012/06/22 03:58:16

Foul

+3
Racism, Racism, Racism, It's true, American society is and have been plagued with Racism, past and present, wising up.

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Q 2012/06/22 00:14:51

Foul

+4
I'd say that the idiot who refused to sell to an American citizen because she speaks Farsi and is from Iran no longer works there. Apple won't tolerate that sort of nonsense nor should they.

Typical brain dead hate filled moron, good luck finding another job.

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Zuggi 2012/06/21 17:48:25

Foul

+5
Seriously, Apple?

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Rubyking 2012/06/21 15:47:48

Fair

+2
she should learn whatever language he wants her to

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La to Rubyking 2012/06/22 23:37:44

+1
Um, she could speak English as well. She just spoke her native language to her uncle about some of the products.

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Rubyking to La 2012/06/24 16:46:38

+1
then her uncle should learn english

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La to Rubyking 2012/06/26 00:23:46

How do you know he doesn't speak English? :/ Just because they chose to speak in Iranian....

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Rubyking to La 2012/06/26 04:04:29

why would they choose to speak in Iranian? if two people spoke my language and they decided not to around me I would throw them out of my shop too

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La to Rubyking 2012/06/28 01:04:49

Why? What right do you have to hear and understand everything other people say in their private conversations? :/

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