> No, they had no choice, as I made clear many times now.
Everything you pointed to only confirms what I'm saying. Anyone who wanted the phone could get it. Some people got tired of waiting and decided they don't want one anymore and want a refund instead - and they can't get one, despite of being promised otherwise many years ago. Those people end up with no phone and no refund unless they change their mind again and confirm their shipping address. That's still shitty, but distinct from "taking the money and running away".
From what I've been told refunds were still being processed, although very slowly. That I have no way of verifying though (but no reason not to believe it either - although I also wouldn't be surprised if it was about people taking legal action...).
As I said, the default is that consumers are entitled to refunds regardless of whether they were promised or not. The fact that anyone has to take it to court in 2025 tells me this is not a reputable company. Furthermore I don't have any reputable way to know if the phones are actually shipping on time in 2025. I think that anyone filing a lawsuit would probably take the phone instead of incurring the expense of suing for a few hundred dollars. But here we are...
> I think that anyone filing a lawsuit would probably take the phone instead of incurring the expense of suing for a few hundred dollars.
You'd be surprised.
I've personally managed to convince a few people to choose to get the phone right away rather than wait for a refund in conversations similar to this one - and they got them. It's not as easy as it may seem, and some people didn't want to hear about it at all. People left hanging for so long react very emotionally and I can't really blame them. I'm not even sure how I'd react myself with my own order if I didn't have inside knowledge and haven't seen things moving firsthand.
Everything you pointed to only confirms what I'm saying. Anyone who wanted the phone could get it. Some people got tired of waiting and decided they don't want one anymore and want a refund instead - and they can't get one, despite of being promised otherwise many years ago. Those people end up with no phone and no refund unless they change their mind again and confirm their shipping address. That's still shitty, but distinct from "taking the money and running away".
From what I've been told refunds were still being processed, although very slowly. That I have no way of verifying though (but no reason not to believe it either - although I also wouldn't be surprised if it was about people taking legal action...).