Family finds clay-like material inside Apple Watch box

PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- Instead of a new Apple Watch, a local family said they found globs of a clay-like material pressed into the sealed box.

The product was sold at a nearby Walmart store and managers there said they won't take it back or give a refund. Instead, they suggested the family contact the manufacturer.

Sergio Gonzalez said he's the one who opened the Apple Watch box Sunday night. He was helping his little sister set it up when they found an unexpected toy surprise.

"So I'm like, 'Whoa, what the heck?' I pull it out, and it's PlayDoh," he said.

They showed ABC13 several clumps of brightly colored, plastic-wrapped clay.

Their mother tried returning the box to the Walmart on Shaver Street where she bought it, but ran into a problem.

"They're saying they don't want to give her the money back," Gonzalez said.

Walmart said in a written statement, "It's unfortunate our customer had a negative experience. We've examined surveillance video to make sure proper security measures were followed and must refer the customer to the product manufacturer."

The family said they believe Walmart sold it, so Walmart should make it right.

"They're saying contact Apple. It's their problem. We bought it from Walmart," Gonzalez said.

ABC13 reached out to Apple, but the company has not yet commented on the problem. The family is hoping Apple will make it right.

In the meantime, they have some advice for the store.

"I hope they go do inventory on all their products and make sure everything's in there," Gonzalez said.

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