I recently purchased 5 broken 2011 MacBook Pros from a certified state recycler. Their auction description was very generic, and didn't even include photos of the actual computers (even described them as "2009-2011" models), but I entered a low bid hoping they would be useful for parts to repair other computers (I refurbish Macs as a hobby and a bit of extra spending money).
Well, the computers arrived and to my surprise they are all in beautiful condition (9/10 cosmetics), but are all suffering from the dreaded 2011 GPU issues, which Apple does currently have a replacement program for. My nearest Apple authorized repair center (SimplyMac) is about an hour away, and I was hoping I could have them all repaired under that replacement program. I have a few questions, though, mainly to prevent myself from looking like an idiot and making a 2-hour round-trip drive for nothing!
1. Does the replacement program cover non-original owners? Obviously these computers were purchased by the original owners, then recycled or sold for scrap once the video cards failed. The recycler then sold them at auction (they had 50+ of them, but I only took a chance on one "lot" of 5). I know AppleCare must be transferred to a new user, but am unsure how the replacement program coverage works with 2nd or third owners, etc.
2. Will it look "odd" if I bring in 5 units for the exact same replacement/repair? Does the replacement program have any sort of "one repair per person" type of regulation? Do they even care, since they probably get reimbursed for the repair by Apple, etc.? I could imagine there are people who may go out and buy 50 of these things to have them all repaired by Apple for free, and then just r-esell them. Obviously I purchased them legally, and can provide that documentation, but do I need to provide original proof of purchase from Apple? Again, not sure how this works. Worst case scenario, I do just keep them for parts for future use.
3. I noticed one of the computers has a mis-matched bottom plate; the serial number on the logic board does not match the bottom plate (off by 2 digits). All others do. Will they refuse the repair based on this fact?
The computers are all-original, and do not appear to have been touched or altered in any way. Original RAM, hard drives (wiped), etc. No damage or missing screws or anything that would make me think they were worked on by anyone at any point.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Well, the computers arrived and to my surprise they are all in beautiful condition (9/10 cosmetics), but are all suffering from the dreaded 2011 GPU issues, which Apple does currently have a replacement program for. My nearest Apple authorized repair center (SimplyMac) is about an hour away, and I was hoping I could have them all repaired under that replacement program. I have a few questions, though, mainly to prevent myself from looking like an idiot and making a 2-hour round-trip drive for nothing!
1. Does the replacement program cover non-original owners? Obviously these computers were purchased by the original owners, then recycled or sold for scrap once the video cards failed. The recycler then sold them at auction (they had 50+ of them, but I only took a chance on one "lot" of 5). I know AppleCare must be transferred to a new user, but am unsure how the replacement program coverage works with 2nd or third owners, etc.
2. Will it look "odd" if I bring in 5 units for the exact same replacement/repair? Does the replacement program have any sort of "one repair per person" type of regulation? Do they even care, since they probably get reimbursed for the repair by Apple, etc.? I could imagine there are people who may go out and buy 50 of these things to have them all repaired by Apple for free, and then just r-esell them. Obviously I purchased them legally, and can provide that documentation, but do I need to provide original proof of purchase from Apple? Again, not sure how this works. Worst case scenario, I do just keep them for parts for future use.
3. I noticed one of the computers has a mis-matched bottom plate; the serial number on the logic board does not match the bottom plate (off by 2 digits). All others do. Will they refuse the repair based on this fact?
The computers are all-original, and do not appear to have been touched or altered in any way. Original RAM, hard drives (wiped), etc. No damage or missing screws or anything that would make me think they were worked on by anyone at any point.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.