What to Do If You Receive a Bad Trade Offer From Apple
Sounds familiar? You have taken such good care of your old MacBook that Tim Cook himself would not have distinguished it from a new off-the-shelf model. You sucked at him, protected him from harm, and are now ready to trade him for something newer and better. Since your MacBook is perfect , you expect big payouts .
You send it to Apple (or more accurately, to a third-party company that Apple contracts to conduct reviews). They look at it, find a few flaws, and underestimate your offer. Your dreams of getting a good slice on your next purchase are shattered.
On this scenario, The Verge told this week to expose the company Phobio from Atlanta, standing for trade-in service from Apple. According to Nick Statt, a number of people wanting to do better with MacBook exchanges reported that Apple / Phobio found unexpected defects in their device, such as “more than three blank spots on the display,” resulting in serious problems. reduction in the cost of exchange.
Problem? Some people – even Statt himself – can’t find these faults when they get their MacBooks back after declining a trade offer.
How big is this drop in value? In some cases, hundreds of dollars. And it’s terribly frustrating, especially if you really can’t find out what’s wrong with your system. Do not expect further clarification (or proof) from Apple, Phobio, or any other parties related to the exchange process.
You can always say no to bad sharing experiences
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to accept Apple’s offer for a replacement. To our credit, if your revised exchange value is much lower than your expectations / stated conditions after verification, you will receive an email asking you to accept or decline the revised amount. Don’t feel obligated to say yes just because Apple / Provio has your device. Say no and you will get it back completely free of charge .
In a perfect world, all you need is time, assuming you haven’t made a purchase yet, expecting your estimated exchange value to stay the same. (If so, you will be hooked for cash, so consider swapping your device before buying something new if you need that money, unless there is a promotion that requires an exchange at a point purchases.)
However, there have also been reports of cases where, in the process of checking for a replacement, a device actually damaged a person’s device, regardless of what state it was in when the owner shipped it. This is probably a rarer situation, but you should keep this in mind when assembling your MacBook and sending it in for inspection. As one of the Apple commenters described in a post on the support forum :
I just returned my laptop after declining the exchange cost and it has a HUGE scratch on the front of the laptop that was not there when I sent it. They didn’t even put it in the bubble wrap you send it. Also, I do not see absolutely any “white spots” that they claim were on my screen.
And another one from the same branch:
“I have had good trading experience in the past, they were sold over the counter. But now I had to send him. The deal was canceled with a very general response and no reason given. But when I returned my laptop, it was walled up. So, a perfectly working MacBook Pro is now walled up, and Apple is not responsible for the device shipped. This is not the kind of service you expect from Apple. “
If I were trading my MacBook , I would start with detailed snapshots and videos of every inch of the machine. This includes the boot process and display, power up, and display of atest page that has no visible flaws. I’m not going to go so far as to say that having proof in your back pocket will guarantee you damages from Apple if your exchange device is returned in a different condition than you sent it in, but it won’t hurt. (To do this, make a video of the unboxing process when you return your MacBook.)
In other words, imagine you are selling your MacBook to someone on eBay. Let’s say you need to cover enough bases to ensure that you win the resolution process if a customer later claims that you sent them a brick.
You might even consider ditching the Apple exchange process entirely, or at least go straight to the Apple retail store to start the process instead of shipping your MacBook to Apple. If you choose the second path, do not admit defeat: demand confirmation of verification. Escalate the problem. Take your “defective” MacBook to the Apple Store for a second opinion. Do not give up.
I would say that the personal verification process is much better, even if it costs you a little money, than risking the dreaded “something is wrong with your MacBook, but good luck finding” email. Visit third-party laptop sharing stores in your area or on the Internet; Consider services like Craigslist, eBay, or the Facebook Marketplace. or even contact a major retailer with an exchange program (like Best Buy) to see if you can get a comparable deal in person.
While there is no guarantee that you will have a worry-free experience with an Apple alternative, it is worth weighing the risks, potential costs, and final payout. Instead of mailing it in, I would probably sell my MacBook to a brick and mortar dealer, even if it cost me $ 50, just for peace of mind. Or go the Apple route first and, if your laptop is returned to you in good condition, try your luck elsewhere if the offer wasn’t what you hoped for.
Regardless, don’t give in to the pressure to accept a low offer. You may have to wait a little longer and deal with the more frustrating process of getting rid of your old computer, but the effort is worth it, if only to make sure you don’t feel like a victim of a situation beyond your control.