Obvious answer is to return it to the retailer. Duh
ya think so, but we contacted the retailer and discovered its a dead end. They won't even spend the money to send us a return label. The customer account used to order the laptop was not my wife's, but a fake account. So even if they sent us a return label there's a risk that whoever accesses the fake account will just get a cash credit that can be converted to actual cash. Unbelievable, but yes, the retailer is that stupid. I guess being so big (A->Z) makes that not matter.
To them it's more trouble than its worth to retrieve it.
The credit card company, retailer, and even the police cannot be bothered with it.
But the serial number is now reported as stolen merchandise, meaning no warranty. That's the extent of the action taken.
So it's a write off, and basically garbage.
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Don't destroy it, Take it to an. Apple Store, or a Best Buy, explain what happened, and tell them to take it. Someone could use that
See above.
But even "theoretically" the only entity that has the ability to "recover" (clear serial number, etc..) the item is Apple. But those recovery costs aren't even worth it. And, I'm certainly not going to waste an ounce of effort to help Apple, or the retailer.
At most, I could re-box, stick a pre-paid return label, and set it on my doorstep for pickup (additional cost to retailer - see where this is going??). But then I risk the thief just stealing it again - off MY doorstep. I'm certainly not going to drop it off anywhere - why even risk a door ding when parked outside the UPS store?
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And you assume this for what reason?
1. Credit card number gets stolen, and laptop is ordered and delivered to address associated with card.
2. Package gets taken off doorstep by a thief.
Coordinated steps require a certain level of organization. It's not simple theft.
