Has anyone ever heard of Apple shipping the wrong MagSafe with a MacBook?

[Bassmingo]

I've just bought a used mid 2015 Retina pro 15". The owner had taken care of it and it was pristine, original box, plastic wrapping etc, it really is almost like NOS.

But before buying, the owner allowed me to run some checks including the diagnostic tests. The test revealed the charger was 60w and not 85w. (I'd never have caught that) The owner claimed that it was the original charger and he bought the Mac from new. It wasn't a deal breaker, I'll just buy and 85w and sell the 60w. The owner seemed truthful and given the condition of the Mac I'm inclined to believe him, but barring him accidentally mixing up his charger for a 13" owning friend's, has anyone ever heard of Apple accidentally shipping a Mac with the wrong wattage power supply?

I'm more bemused and curious than anything else.

 

[nicho]

I've just bought a used mid 2015 Retina pro 15". The owner had taken care of it and it was pristine, original box, plastic wrapping etc, it really is almost like NOS.

But before buying, the owner allowed me to run some checks including the diagnostic tests. The test revealed the charger was 60w and not 85w. (I'd never have caught that) The owner claimed that it was the original charger and he bought the Mac from new. It wasn't a deal breaker, I'll just buy and 85w and sell the 60w. The owner seemed truthful and given the condition of the Mac I'm inclined to believe him, but barring him accidentally mixing up his charger for a 13" owning friend's, has anyone ever heard of Apple accidentally shipping a Mac with the wrong wattage power supply?

I'm more bemused and curious than anything else.

Curious: what test did you perform to determine that it was a 60W charger rather than an 85W charger (which would be written on the charger itself, usually right underneath the bit that plugs into the wall)

 

[Bassmingo]

Curious: what test did you perform to determine that it was a 60W charger rather than an 85W charger (which would be written on the charger itself, usually right underneath the bit that plugs into the wall)

The apple diagnostics test (Power on +D) revealed that the charger was 60w (it was plugged in during the test) and not the correct 85W.

I'm aware the wattage is written on the charger itself, but it had completely slipped my mind at the time that the 15" requires an 85 watter. I just saw a working MagSafe and was satisfied.

 

[Spudlicious]

If the original purchaser had been getting by with the wrong charger for five years it can't be a problem? I'd be interested to know the battery condition.

 

[nicho]

The apple diagnostics test (Power on +D) revealed that the charger was 60w (it was plugged in during the test) and not the correct 85W.

I'm aware the wattage is written on the charger itself, but it had completely slipped my mind at the time that the 15" requires an 85 watter. I just saw a working MagSafe and was satisfied.

What you haven't revealed though, in either post, is what it says on the charger (ie, could the diagnostic test have had an error)

 

[Juicy Box]

What you haven't revealed though, in either post, is what it says on the charger (ie, could the diagnostic test have had an error)

This 100%

Apple's HW Diagnostic Test isn't always the most accurate, although in my experience, the inaccuracies are false-negatives. I have mentioned this in previous threads.

Multiple occasions, I have seen the Diagnostic Test pass a GPU that was failing and showing a lot of artifact on the screen during the test.

Even the HW Diagnostic tool that the Genius uses in the Apple Store tends to give false-negatives in my experience.

The Apple Store's tool passed a failing HDD many times, and refused to replaced it under warranty because their test showed it was fine. It took the total failure of the drive, where it wouldn't even mount, to get their test to show that there was a problem.

 

[Bassmingo]

If the original purchaser had been getting by with the wrong charger for five years it can't be a problem? I'd be interested to know the battery condition.

Health: 87.7%
Manufacture date: January 26th, 2016
Cycle count: 533
Status: Good
[automerge]1597327718[/automerge]

What you haven't revealed though, in either post, is what it says on the charger (ie, could the diagnostic test have had an error)

Apologies, it's 60W, so the diagnostic was correct.

 

[nicho]

Apologies, it's 60W, so the diagnostic was correct.

Then, I highly doubt that there would be a mix-up at the purchasing stage. That's about a 0.001% chance, with the balance covered under "someone switched them at work - deliberately" or "a friend switched them accidentally" as you suggested before.

 

[Bassmingo]

Then, I highly doubt that there would be a mix-up at the purchasing stage. That's about a 0.001% chance, with the balance covered under "someone switched them at work - deliberately" or "a friend switched them accidentally" as you suggested before.

I would agree. Anyway, as it is eligible for the battery recall, the battery is getting replaced next week, and I've just purchased an 85W which I'll sell the 65W to pay for. so all's good.

 

[robvas]

Hard to do since they aren’t the same size

 

[kohlson]

Having purchased a couple of MBPs over the years, along with a fleet of MBA, we have a few chargers around. The 85 is larger, at least when shipped with my late 2013. Hard to imagine that a 65 fit correctly in the molded tray in the package.

Nonetheless, you seem happy at the overall outcome, so all is good. Enjoy your new purchase!