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cableguy108

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
4
0
I haven't posted here in a long time... I need a little help if you guys could...

I currently own a jailbroken ATV2, and I was looking to purchase an ATV3 to have for my upstairs tv. I went to Best Buy to purchase an ATV3, and found an open box one for $91, which I purchased. I got home and immediately hooked it up to my TV, and noticed that my plasma, (which is 1080p), said that it was outputting 720p. I looked under the settings, and noticed that it was in fact, an Apple TV 2.

The previous owner had bought a ATV3, and returned it with their ATV2 in the box. Their netflix account is still linked to it, their itunes is still linked to it, they didn't wipe it.

My problem is, do I return the ATV2? Bring it up to Best Buy? Or should I keep it, and jailbreak it? If ATV2's were still available, I would've purchased one of those due to the jailbreak capabilities. The only thing that worries me is that I now have a warranty for a ATV3, which I do not have, and if this ATV2 goes bad, I have no warranty and am unable to prove that it was BB's fault. Any thoughts? Thank you!
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
Aren't people like paying $200+ for an ATV2 because they can't jailbreak an ATV3? U MADE OUT!
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
Wow, what a fail. Someone tried to scam Best Buy and left their account info on the Apple TV 2? And, the unit they returned (while older) is the one that's worth way more in the aftermarket?

Worst case, sell it on eBay and buy another one. :)
 
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mmomega

macrumors demi-god
Dec 30, 2009
3,879
2,089
DFW, TX
I doubt BestBuy would know what you were saying or even care after you explained. If so yours has much more knowledgable associates than my local stores.

If you want a 3 you can bring it back and show them that the part numbers on the box and the aTV are completely different. They sold you a discontinued model for the price of an open box new model. Was there mistake for not checking.
 

scottw324

macrumors 6502
Mar 5, 2012
453
1
Worst case, sell it on eBay and buy another one. :)

I am with this guy. Sell it for more, and then buy a new ATV3. You could also use it for a bit with the individuals Netflix account until they change the password. On second thought, maybe not. You might get in trouble for identity theft if you do.
 

weckart

macrumors 603
Nov 7, 2004
5,834
3,510
1. Clean it of prev. owner's details
2. JB it, install XBMC and plug ins
3. Sell on eBay, CL whatever for twice its RRP
4. Profit.
 

RedCroissant

Suspended
Aug 13, 2011
2,268
96
I haven't posted here in a long time... I need a little help if you guys could...

I currently own a jailbroken ATV2, and I was looking to purchase an ATV3 to have for my upstairs tv. I went to Best Buy to purchase an ATV3, and found an open box one for $91, which I purchased. I got home and immediately hooked it up to my TV, and noticed that my plasma, (which is 1080p), said that it was outputting 720p. I looked under the settings, and noticed that it was in fact, an Apple TV 2.

The previous owner had bought a ATV3, and returned it with their ATV2 in the box. Their netflix account is still linked to it, their itunes is still linked to it, they didn't wipe it.

My problem is, do I return the ATV2? Bring it up to Best Buy? Or should I keep it, and jailbreak it? If ATV2's were still available, I would've purchased one of those due to the jailbreak capabilities. The only thing that worries me is that I now have a warranty for a ATV3, which I do not have, and if this ATV2 goes bad, I have no warranty and am unable to prove that it was BB's fault. Any thoughts? Thank you!

Return it to Best Buy and tell them what the issue is. The original purchaser essentially stole from Best Buy and was stupid enough to leave their info on the device to easily locate them. 1080p is better than 720p(of course) and Apple, although slowly, is adjusting the OS to be able to do what was previously only available by jail breaking.

This way, with the previous owner's information still on it and with the serial number on the box, you'll be able to prove that you were not at fault, you'll get the product that you paid for, and they might even make the ATV2 an open box item that you can purchase anyway after talking to a MANAGER(not a regular sales associate). But most likely they will give you a new ATV3 for the price that you paid for the ATV2 and return the ATV2 to the original owner after they investigate.
 
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bigboar

macrumors 6502
Oct 26, 2012
364
0
Ohio
I haven't posted here in a long time... I need a little help if you guys could...

I currently own a jailbroken ATV2, and I was looking to purchase an ATV3 to have for my upstairs tv. I went to Best Buy to purchase an ATV3, and found an open box one for $91, which I purchased. I got home and immediately hooked it up to my TV, and noticed that my plasma, (which is 1080p), said that it was outputting 720p. I looked under the settings, and noticed that it was in fact, an Apple TV 2.

The previous owner had bought a ATV3, and returned it with their ATV2 in the box. Their netflix account is still linked to it, their itunes is still linked to it, they didn't wipe it.

My problem is, do I return the ATV2? Bring it up to Best Buy? Or should I keep it, and jailbreak it? If ATV2's were still available, I would've purchased one of those due to the jailbreak capabilities. The only thing that worries me is that I now have a warranty for a ATV3, which I do not have, and if this ATV2 goes bad, I have no warranty and am unable to prove that it was BB's fault. Any thoughts? Thank you!

I will trade you my atv3 that i just bought a week ago from best buy for it...

Edit: now you have me wondering.. My best buy had 5 open box models available and I am wondering if i shoud go buy them and see if i can get lucky...LOL
 
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dgalvan123

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2008
684
22
. .. My problem is, do I return the ATV2? Bring it up to Best Buy? Or should I keep it, and jailbreak it? If ATV2's were still available, I would've purchased one of those due to the jailbreak capabilities. The only thing that worries me is that I now have a warranty for a ATV3, which I do not have, and if this ATV2 goes bad, I have no warranty and am unable to prove that it was BB's fault. Any thoughts? Thank you!

It sounds like you really actually wanted an ATV2 (not an ATV3), and you got one for $91. That's an incredible deal, since, at this time, they are only available on ebay/CL for ~$140+. So, you have what you want at a great low price.

The answer is obvious: Keep it.

As for the warranty: do you feel lucky? ;)

Seriously I've never heard of an ATV2 or ATV3 "going bad". I think it's pretty rare. But given this was a used unit, you don't really know it's history. So do this: keep/use it for 30 days (or whatever Best Buy's return policy is), and if you find some problem in that time, return it to Best Buy with receipt, get your money back, and purchase either an ATV3 at Best Buy, or buy a refurbished ATV3 for $85 from Apple.com. Note the Apple warranty on an ATV3 is only 1 year anyway. If the thing doesn't break in 30 days, it's probably not going to break in 1 year. Just make sure you do all your messing with it (jailbreaking) soon. While bricking an ATV is almost unheard of, I'd expect it's more likely to happen when jailbreaking than during regular use (but still extremely unlikely since you can always "restore to factory settings").
 

dgalvan123

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2008
684
22
Return it to Best Buy and tell them what the issue is. The original purchaser essentially stole from Best Buy and was stupid enough to leave their info on the device to easily locate them. 1080p is better than 720p(of course) and Apple, although slowly, is adjusting the OS to be able to do what was previously only available by jail breaking.

This way, with the previous owner's information still on it and with the serial number on the box, you'll be able to prove that you were not at fault, you'll get the product that you paid for, and they might even make the ATV2 an open box item that you can purchase anyway after talking to a MANAGER(not a regular sales associate). But most likely they will give you a new ATV3 for the price that you paid for the ATV2 and return the ATV2 to the original owner after they investigate.

The most ethically clean option is to do what RedCroissant suggested above.

One moral issue I didn't think of before: we don't actually know that the original purchaser intended. It is possible that the original purchaser returned the ATV2 instead of the ATV3 by mistake.

Hear me out: If it seems plausible to assume the original purchaser was absent-minded enough to willingly return an ATV2 without wiping any of their login information, then it's just as plausible to assume they were absent-minded enough to put the wrong ATV unit in the return box. In this scenario, they bought the ATV3, perhaps thinking they'd get 1080p and the ability to jailbreak, then realized they couldn't jailbreak, so intended to return the ATV3. But, in all the switching out of the identical-looking ATVs, put the ATV2 in the return box instead, not realizing their mistake until later, perhaps after the OP purchased the open-box ATV2 from Best Buy.

In that scenario, returning the ATV2 to Best Buy may give the original purchaser a chance to realize their mistake and recover their ATV2.

I'd expect this alternate scenario is not very likely. But frankly the situation is already rare, and the OP's proposed explanation also seems unlikely: Who would be clueless enough to want to upgrade from ATV2 to ATV3 AND YET be ethically gray enough to be willing to steal from Best Buy AND YET also be savvy enough to do it in this way; by purchasing, switching, then returning?)

I wouldn't blame the OP at all for keeping/jb'ing/selling the ATV2. Just saying I hadn't thought about other possibilities when I posted earlier.
 

cableguy108

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
4
0
Thanks for all of your guys' input...

My thinking is this... While it is hard to prove that the OP had the intentions of returning an ATV2 in the ATV3 box, it is still essentially "stealing" from Best Buy. Inadvertantly, I get that it might happen since the ATV's look identicle, however as soon as you plug in the unit, there is a distinguishable way to discern the problem, your information is either linked, or not.

The moral side says to return it, ask them to replace with an ATV3, and ask them what they intend to do with the ATV2, if possible, would they sell it at a deeply discounted price bc 1.) it is an old model, 2.) they in turn hadn't done their due dilligence to ensure it is in fact the correct product, and 3.) I was mislead, made to take extra steps to correct their problem

The other side of me says wipe it, jailbreak it, and throw it on Craigslist. There are no ATV2's being sold in my area, as I already checked ;)

I already jailbroke my ATV2, so I really don't have a need for one, bc it is easily swapped from room to room, but, the point for me was to get a 1080p ATV3 for my home theater room, and if it isn't 1080p, it doesn't belong in my home theater room, so a JB ATV2 is essentially pointless.

Thanks for all of the replies!
 

BJMRamage

macrumors 68030
Oct 2, 2007
2,710
1,233
email the person and ask why their information is on your newly purchased AppleTV.
 

RedCroissant

Suspended
Aug 13, 2011
2,268
96
email the person and ask why their information is on your newly purchased AppleTV.

Or better yet, write to them suggesting better genres of movies and TV because you don't like seeing their bad taste pop up on your TV. I think that might freak them out even more.

But yes, my advice would still be to return it and correct the problem. Even have Best Buy wipe it after they contact the person to figure out what happened.
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
Or better yet, write to them suggesting better genres of movies and TV because you don't like seeing their bad taste pop up on your TV. I think that might freak them out even more.

Or start watching really weird movies that aren't in keeping with their "Recently Watched" list. Start watching lots of horror movies. Or eco-documentaries :p

When they show up on their "Recently Watched" list on their other devices, and start seeing unusual selections in the "Recommended For You" section...

(This is assuming they were smart enough to assign multiple devices to the same Netflix account, and that they're still using at least one of them.)
 

urkel

macrumors 68030
Nov 3, 2008
2,795
917
I went to Best Buy to purchase an ATV3, and found an open box one for $91, which I purchased. I got home and immediately hooked it up to my TV, and noticed that my plasma, (which is 1080p), said that it was outputting 720p. I looked under the settings, and noticed that it was in fact, an Apple TV 2.

The previous owner had bought a ATV3, and returned it with their ATV2 in the box. Their netflix account is still linked to it, their itunes is still linked to it, they didn't wipe it.
I have this very exact story. Open box ATV3 for $79, got home and noticed 720p. Noticed the old owners netflix was on there along with their email. Best Buy confirmed it and no problems and refunded.
 

RedCroissant

Suspended
Aug 13, 2011
2,268
96
Or start watching really weird movies that aren't in keeping with their "Recently Watched" list. Start watching lots of horror movies. Or eco-documentaries :p

When they show up on their "Recently Watched" list on their other devices, and start seeing unusual selections in the "Recommended For You" section...

(This is assuming they were smart enough to assign multiple devices to the same Netflix account, and that they're still using at least one of them.)

Or...:)...ha ha ha, start watching independent films, LGBT films(if they're not LGBT that is), and even documentaries on religious violence and stuff... that way, their significant other will start to wonder about them just a little. I would never do that though, but thinking about all the possibilities to mess with someone like that is hilarious.
 

wknapp0924

macrumors 6502
Sep 14, 2012
410
15
Honolulu, HI
I have this very exact story. Open box ATV3 for $79, got home and noticed 720p. Noticed the old owners netflix was on there along with their email. Best Buy confirmed it and no problems and refunded.

<~~~~Going to my local Best Buy to try to find an Apple TV 2 in an ATV3 Box. There are some really dumb crooks in the world if this is their way to rip off Best Buy.
 

peeaanuut

macrumors 65816
Sep 10, 2007
1,048
1
Southern California
wait, so I have 2 aTV2's and have no interest in jailbreaking. So I could sell em both and get 2 aTV3's and still have extra cash? Heh. I had no idea they were in high demand.
 

dgalvan123

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2008
684
22
wow ok. I had no idea. Gonna have to look at listing em now. Thanks!

You'll probably get more for them on ebay if you jailbreak them and install plugins first. That way you can advertise them as already jailbroken. People will pay more if they don't have to hassle with jail breaking. And/or you'll open up your listing to people who are not savvy enough to jailbreak, which also will drive up the auction price.

Check here:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sac...pple tv 2&_pppn=r1&_dcat=168058&LH_Complete=1

One jailbroken unit sold for $350! That's unusually high. If you don't jailbreak and just sell you can probably get $150+. If you do jailbreak, you can get more.

Since I'm guessing you probably bought your two ATV2's for $100 each, here's how I predict it will end up for you:

Spent: $200 (original ATV2 purchases)
Earn on ebay: at least $300. (for selling both)
Net: you're $100 richer than you were BEFORE you bought your ATV2's.

If you buy your ATV3's on apple's refurbished site for $85 each (so $170 total), you will have only spent a net of $70 of your original money, and that will have covered the time you spent enjoying two ATV2's AND two ATV3's.

$70 for four ATVs? Not bad.
 
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