I bought a MacBook Air and already have buyer's regret...

[ccochran]

I bought an Early '15 MacBook Air from Best Buy in May and I now I am regretting it big time. The Best Buy Apple salesman told me that the MBA had a 6th gen processor, only their floor models were the "Early 15" and that I would be getting a "Mid-17", and that AppleCare plus would cover all accidental damage free of charge and that I could request a new battery from Apple whenever I wanted. None of this is true and I only found this out recently. Convienently after the return periods for both my MBA and AppleCare have passed.

Now I want the '17 MacBook Pro for various reasons. Better hardware overall, ability to upgraded to 16 GB of RAM, and brand new.

I want to get as much as my money back as possible but I doubt Best Buy will refund me unless I go in kicking and screaming. My only other option is to sell.

The specs of my MacBook Air:
-Early 15
-126 GB SSD
-8 GB RAM
-1.6 Ghz Intel i5
-mint, brand new condition

I also have a black soft-shell snap-on case, a wireless Logitech mouse, and a lime green laptop bag that I would be willing to bundle with my laptop.

How can I get the majority of my money back? Trade-in or sell? How much should I price the laptop as? Should I try and sell the AppleCare with it?

Thank you

EDIT: I paid ~$1,014 for the MacBook Air + AppleCare. ($800 MBA + discounted AppleCare for students + tax). I have opened the box and used it a handful of times.

 

[ZapNZs]

Have you tried returning it to Best Buy and speaking with a manager? If the information you were told was that inaccurate, I would hope that management would recognize this, take responsibility, and work with you...especially if you told them you wanted to put the refund money towards purchasing a pricier Apple computer from them. They may make an exception to their return policy given the circumstances.

Otherwise, you could sell it on Craiglist in an attempt to do a direct sale, where you do not have to pay a seller's fee and don't have to lose half+ what you paid as you could with a trade-in. When you purchased it, hopefully you got it when the price was around $750 before AppleCare, because with all the ongoing sales you are going up against such sale pricing, and at a time when a "newer" revision was just released.

If the unit is unopened in the clear shrinkwrap, and provided you purchased it on a good sale, I think you could probably recoup a reasonable percentage of your initial investment. If the unit has been opened, I think it is going to be harder to do this because open-box versions of this Air have gone on sale for as little as $630 (without AppleCare, obviously.)

 

[CatherineVeraGat]

How much did you pay for the laptop? (With tax)

 

[ccochran]

Have you tried returning it to Best Buy and speaking with a manager? If the information you were told was that inaccurate, I would hope that management would recognize this, take responsibility, and work with you...especially if you told them you wanted to put the refund money towards purchasing a pricier Apple computer from them. They may make an exception to their return policy given the circumstances.

Otherwise, you could sell it on Craiglist in an attempt to do a direct sale, where you do not have to pay a seller's fee and don't have to lose half+ what you paid as you could with a trade-in. When you purchased it, hopefully you got it when the price was around $750 before AppleCare, because with all the ongoing sales you are going up against such sale pricing, and at a time when a "newer" revision was just released.

If the unit is unopened in the clear shrinkwrap, and provided you purchased it on a good sale, I think you could probably recoup a reasonable percentage of your initial investment. If the unit has been opened, I think it is going to be harder to do this because open-box versions of this Air have gone on sale for as little as $630 (without AppleCare, obviously.)

I have not tried with Best Buy just yet and I do not expect to have any success. Their customer service is notorious for being ****.
[doublepost=1499218136][/doublepost]

How much did you pay for the laptop? (With tax)

I updated the OP

 

[ZapNZs]

I have not tried with Best Buy just yet and I do not expect to have any success. Their customer service is notorious for being ****.

It may be worth trying, even if it does not work, since that would be the best financial outcome. Especially considering you are looking to spend more money, it's a good reason for them to make an exception.

 

[gnasher729]

What you paid is about the exact same price that you would pay for a refurbished early 2015 MBA on Apple's website itself. So there is nothing wrong with the product you bought, it is an older model and it is sold cheaper than the 2017 model for that reason.

The battery: You will get a new battery any time you want it, if you pay for it. Or if it loses its capacity faster than it should. It should be good for 1,000 full charges or so. Use the MBA plugged in when you're at home, and 1,000 charges last for years.

AppleCare: I don't think AppleCare for Macs ever covered accidental damage.

Best Buy isn't going to give you your money back for the laptop if you just return it. They _might_ take it back if you buy the MacBook that you wanted and pay the difference, so that's worth trying.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

What you paid is about the exact same price that you would pay for a refurbished early 2015 MBA on Apple's website itself. So there is nothing wrong with the product you bought, it is an older model and it is sold cheaper than the 2017 model for that reason.

The battery: You will get a new battery any time you want it, if you pay for it. Or if it loses its capacity faster than it should. It should be good for 1,000 full charges or so. Use the MBA plugged in when you're at home, and 1,000 charges last for years.

AppleCare: I don't think AppleCare for Macs ever covered accidental damage.

Best Buy isn't going to give you your money back for the laptop if you just return it. They _might_ take it back if you buy the MacBook that you wanted and pay the difference, so that's worth trying.

Best Buy is currently selling new, early 2015 MacBook pros with those specs for $824.99. They're offering open-box deals starting at $774.99.

AppleCare+ for Mac is now available in the US (plain old AppleCare is no longer sold in the US). Similar to AppleCare+ for iPhone and iPad, it does include two incidents of accidental damage (though the definition of accidental damage is a bit different).

If the salesperson said the OP would be given a mid-2017 and he was given an early 2015 (and especially if it was a refurbished early 2015), that's certainly something to discuss with the store manager. Of course, so would mis-stating the coverage terms of AppleCare (or AppleCare+). "You can get a battery whenever you want" is just not true - Apple decides whether a replacement is justified, and whether that replacement will be covered by warranty, AppleCare, or the customer. Same for "all accidental damage" - AppleCare+ covers just 2 incidents of accidental damage.

So either the salesperson mis-spoke, the customer misunderstood, or a combination of both. The store receipt should describe what was sold. Everything else is the customer's word against the salesperson's.

If the customer understood he was getting an early 2015, then there's not a lot the store is going to do for him after the 14-day return period. If it was bait-and-switch, he may have legal remedies that last beyond that return period, and the store may be willing to listen.

If the OP decides to sell to someone else, AppleCare+ will enhance the value. However, it's worth checking to see if the student-priced AppleCare+ can be transferred to a non-student.

If the OP prefers to get a refund of AppleCare+, he can call AppleCare. He may not be able to get a full refund at this point, but a partial refund will be available.

 

[Squonk]

Best Buy is currently selling new, early 2015 MacBook pros with those specs for $824.99. They're offering open-box deals starting at $774.99.

Could you give me more details and possibly a link for this machine? Thanks much!!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I found it by going to bestbuy.com and typing "MacBook Air" into the search box.

As a child, I was trained by my late mother to "Look it up." Considering there was a public library a block away, I learned my way around the library. Today, it's not necessary to leave our chairs, whether our goal is enlightenment or the current price at a major retailer.

I provide links to resources like Apple support articles, which save me the trouble of reiterating their contents. I don't feel the same obligation when it comes to promoting a particular retailer's deals. If someone is in the market and stands to save a few dollars, they can do the work.

 

[Squonk]

I found it by going to bestbuy.com and typing "MacBook Air" into the search box.

As a child, I was trained by my late mother to "Look it up." Considering there was a public library a block away, I learned my way around the library. Today, it's not necessary to leave our chairs, whether our goal is enlightenment or the current price at a major retailer.

I provide links to resources like Apple support articles, which save me the trouble of reiterating their contents. I don't feel the same obligation when it comes to promoting a particular retailer's deals. If someone is in the market and stands to save a few dollars, they can do the work.

I tried looking on BestBuy and could not find anything for such pricing. I see that your original post said MacBook Pro and not MacBook Air. I was searching for a Pro - of course that price was too good to be true.

EDIT - I found what you saw for $824 now. Still not as good as $699 Microcenter deal a few weeks back.

 

[danny_w]

I have not tried with Best Buy just yet and I do not expect to have any success. Their customer service is notorious for being ****.
[doublepost=1499218136][/doublepost]
I updated the OP

On the contrary local store customer service at BB has mostly been exceptional in my experience. It is certainly worth a try, just be calm and courteous.

 

[ccochran]

On the contrary local store customer service at BB has mostly been exceptional in my experience. It is certainly worth a try, just be calm and courteous.

I will go to Best Buy tomorrow. Still recovering from 4th celebrations haha. I will update the OP once I do

 

[Tazoawake2016]

Best Buy is currently selling new, early 2015 MacBook pros with those specs for $824.99. .

Could you give me more details and possibly a link for this machine? Thanks much!!

He made a typo. He meant the Air, not the Pro. The Pro has never dropped that low.

 

[Squonk]

He made a typo. He meant the Air, not the Pro. The Pro has never dropped that low.

Yep - I figured that out too.

 

[pauljbax]

I would try your luck on eBay or Amazon. Don't limit yourself to just one. And CraigsList or a FaceBook sales group.

I bought an Early '15 MacBook Air from Best Buy in May and I now I am regretting it big time. The Best Buy Apple salesman told me that the MBA had a 6th gen processor, only their floor models were the "Early 15" and that I would be getting a "Mid-17", and that AppleCare plus would cover all accidental damage free of charge and that I could request a new battery from Apple whenever I wanted. None of this is true and I only found this out recently. Convienently after the return periods for both my MBA and AppleCare have passed.

Now I want the '17 MacBook Pro for various reasons. Better hardware overall, ability to upgraded to 16 GB of RAM, and brand new.

I want to get as much as my money back as possible but I doubt Best Buy will refund me unless I go in kicking and screaming. My only other option is to sell.

The specs of my MacBook Air:
-Early 15
-126 GB SSD
-8 GB RAM
-1.6 Ghz Intel i5
-mint, brand new condition

I also have a black soft-shell snap-on case, a wireless Logitech mouse, and a lime green laptop bag that I would be willing to bundle with my laptop.

How can I get the majority of my money back? Trade-in or sell? How much should I price the laptop as? Should I try and sell the AppleCare with it?

Thank you

EDIT: I paid ~$1,014 for the MacBook Air + AppleCare. ($800 MBA + discounted AppleCare for students + tax). I have opened the box and used it a handful of times.

 

[robeddie]

Sounds like the OP didn't do his research, then waited too long after purchasing to do anything about it.
Not much sympathy coming from this direction.

 

[Boyd01]

I bought an Early '15 MacBook Air from Best Buy in May and I now I am regretting it big time. The Best Buy Apple salesman told me that the MBA had a 6th gen processor, only their floor models were the "Early 15" and that I would be getting a "Mid-17"

Well that was definitely bogus. The MacBook Air was not updated until June 5 but you purchased in May. You really didn't miss anything there however, the only difference in the new model is a 1.8ghz instead of 1.6ghz i5 processor. In fact, EveryMac still considers this a 2015 model and not a 2017: http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...book-air-core-i5-1.8-13-early-2015-specs.html

Aside from that, it can't hurt to see if Best Buy will help you. I have always had good results with exchanges and refunds there myself. But the real problem is, you didn't do your research, made a bad choice and then made it worse by waiting two months to do anything about it.

Hope you can find a way to recover some of you losses.

 

[dacreativeguy]

The 2017 MacBook Air wasn't announced until June 5 at WWDC. If you bought it in May, there is no way you should have expected to get a 2017 model! Regardless, the only difference between the 2015 and 2017 is 1.6 vs 1.8ghz processor. You wouldn't even notice that difference in normal use.

 

[MacWanker]

I also bought another macbook air 13 from best buy in May 2017, and made damn sure it was the 2016 spec - which it is.
It may show 'mid 2015' in the 'about this mac' tab, but it is 2016 spec - 4GB was standard on the 2015 model, but 8gb was standard on the 2016 model.


Check the box - what is the model number shown?

It should be:
MMGF2LL/A (2016, 8 GB, 128 GB SSD)
or
MMGG2LL/A (2016, 8 GB, 256 GB SSD

If it isn't showing 8GB on 'about this mac' and either of those model numbers, take it back.

 

[alphaod]

Honestly, I'm not sure what you can do two months after purchase.

I'd say stick with it and see how you can manage with it unless it financially makes sense to sell it for the new computer. "Wanting" the new computer isn't always the same as "needing" the new computer though sometimes they become one and the same, but rarely.

 

[aarond12]

This whole post makes me wonder if OP is trolling. It's easy to return things to Best Buy.

 

[Juggar]

This whole post makes me wonder if OP is trolling. It's easy to return things to Best Buy.

Not past the 15 day mark.

Thats why its good to get at least "elite" status so you can get 30 or even 45 day returns.

OP has literally nothing to complain about, this is BUYER'S REMORSE plain and simple.

It sounds like the sales rep might have mis spoke, either way, there is no 2017 model. The 200 mhz bump in CPU power is so meaningless it's still considered an early 2015 model. There is literally no difference in the models besides that 200 mhz. How could you possibly have got a "mid 2017" model when they physically didnt exist? Thats what I would say as the manager..... scammy story to say the least. It would raise a few eyebrows at the customer service desk, thats for sure. You should have come back next day with this issue.

Duh the Mac Pro can have 16 GB but its not upgradable, its soldered on and any of those with 16Gb would have cost you quite a bit more. Especially buying one in store at bestbuy. You knew this going in, that the mac pro was better... so you cant make that argument. If you didnt do research then thats on you.

Having dealt with customers like you I would explain all of the above in a nicer way and tell you "Sorry, but I cant do that".

Unfortunately for you, your exact Macbook air is on sale for $699 right now and some are even getting $100 off with the edu coupon making it $599. Resale is good on mac but a you're going to lose $300 at least reselling it. I would wait until the $699 sale at bestbuy is over, thats for damn sure.