Reports are circulating that UK iPhone distributor O2 has fired around half a dozen employees and is investigation another 20.
The unfortunate employees apparently bought the iPhones using their 20% staff discount. They then sold the handsets on, presumably for a profit as supply of the iPhone dried up.
An industry source is quoted as saying:
‘It is actually nothing new that staff in mobile phone shops have supplemented income with this abusive perk. What is fresh is that O2 is cracking down on the practice in a sign that mobile firms are no longer prepared to turn a blind eye. The iPhone is an iconic product for O2 and it makes sense to start there, but I predict that we will see this spread across the sector. The days when this kind of scam could be ignored are over.’
Are you an O2 employee? Let us know your thoughts.
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My mate just got fired for this. So what if they sell them. Its not abusive to buy something cheap and sell it for a profit, how the hell does business work in the first place? Sorry o2, how much did YOU pay for those iPhones, and how much are YOU paying your employees to start with?
BDBMX – I believe it is somewhere within the terms of their getting the discount. It would be interesting if you friend could either confirm or deny that.