"They said I could get rose gold or gold at the normal price, but not black because it was more popular. It was outrageous," the woman said.
"I don't want a gold phone. I'm not a Kardashian.
"I was already nervous about spending a fortune on a phone, and they wanted me to buy this extra stuff - including a $30 selfie stick. It took the price up to about $1490.
"I've never spent money on a smartphone before - it was supposed to be a treat, but I didn't want to be forced into buying junk I didn't need.
"I said 'I'm perfectly capable of taking selfies with my own arm, thanks'."
When she said she didn't want to spend money on the items, the staffer told her she could buy a power bank instead, but insisted couldn't get the phone in black unless she bought one of the accessories.
She left the store without buying a phone.
PB Technologies marketing manager Paul Nicol told the Herald the iPhone 7 plus was initially sold in a "bundle" with a power bank, so the company could break even when they first came out.
He said when the phones arrived in New Zealand, other resellers that had stock made buyers sign contracts to buy the phones.
"Instead of making people sign up for an expensive contract, we made a bundle with a power bank," he said.
Nicol said the bundle deal ended last Friday, however, and the staffer must have missed the memo.
He also said that a selfie stick and a car charger were never part of the bundle deal.
"This person should have been able to buy the phone," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Commerce Commission said additional costs must be clearly identified.
"If a store advertises an item for a price and they don't clearly identify all the additional compulsory costs, even if those costs are for additional products, it is potentially a breach of the Fair Trading Act," she said.
"Consumers are entitled to consider that any price quoted for a good or service is the price that they will be asked to pay to purchase it."
She said it was not a breach of the Act to sell different-coloured phones for different prices or to sell bundled products.
In November, a member of the forum Geekzone shared a similar experience with buying an iPhone from the store.
"I got one from PB Tech in the end for the standard $1199. They did say it was meant to be sold as a bundle with a power pack - despite no mention of that on their website," the user wrote.
"We had a bit of a staring match and they said they'd 'make an exception' for me. Even though I got what I wanted, I felt a bit let down."
According to Apple, the phones became available to New Zealanders from Friday, September 16.
