CHINA’S second-largest e-commerce player JD.com has been accused of selling refurbished iPhone product on its website, according to CCTV’s Weekly Quality Report.

    A woman surnamed Wu said she bought a brand new iPhone 5C through JD’s own distribution channel for more than 3,000 yuan (US$484). But a month later, the phone began to have technical problems.

    When Wu took the phone to an authorized Apple service outlet in Beijing on Feb. 16, 2014, she was told that there were burned marks on the back of the screen and the serial number on the motherboard indicated a corresponding 16G blue iPhone 5C that had been registered in the U.K. in October 2013.

    “The serial number on the motherboard did not match with the serial number on the exterior of the smartphone,” said the test report issued by the authorized Apple service shop.

    Apple’s official customer service center confirmed that the serial number on the motherboard was registered as a 16G blue iPhone 5C, while the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) on the back of the product was of a 32G pink iPhone 5C.

    Only when the serial numbers on the motherboard, the SIM tray and the outside packing matches, the product is proven to be an intact Apple iPhone, said Apple’s official customer service center. That means Wu’s iPhone is likely a refurbished one as the three numbers are different.

    In a reply through its official Weibo account, JD.com promised reliable supply sourcing and vowed a thorough investigation.

    “JD.com is authorized to sell iPhone by all three major mobile carriers in China and by Apple. The phone in question was sourced through appropriate channels from an authorized distributor,” said the company.

    The unit was purchased by JD.com from a wholly owned subsidiary of Unicom, an authorized distributor of Apple products in China, on Dec. 3 before it was sold to the customer Dec. 21, added the statement. (China Daily)