alt Hacker NewsApple won't even let you pay the fee in some cases. I've been fighting with them trying to figure out why they won't accept my ID verification since March. They keep saying my devices are linked to another Apple Account, but I purchased them all directly from the Apple Store and none of them have ever touched another account, so what the fuck.
You could try returning them, if apple say they were tampered with before you got them then apple will either have to accept the return or say apple are lying.