Advise on Refurbished MacBook Pro 14

[KNSmax]

Hi all,

I have been an avid reader of this brilliant forum for some time.
Now I find myself in need of some advice / information.

I have recently purchased a MacBook Pro 14 from Apple refurbished store in the UK to replace my still reliable 2017 13 inch Pro which I will have to use in my business as clamshell mode due to the old windows not longer fit for purpose.

The 14 is a base mode and more than ample for my needs.
I have few more days of the 14 days window before I am allowed to return the machine as I have encounterd few problems.

The wifi is very erratic, with my old Mac side by side the old Mac consistently shows speeds 5 times faster than the 14 Mac, I have reset the router and there is no change.

Safari often gets stuck when loading.

The fingerprint sensor stopped working after 4 days, I reset the unit and it worked fine for 3 more days and then it as been hit and miss.

The battery count had 6 cycles on the unit on delivery, I do appreciate that it is a refurbished and it as a large discount, is it normal to have 6 sycles?

Before I make some decision I would like to ask what is the best thing to do in my position, would Apple swap the unit or would I have to return and ask for a replacement.

Any help or reccomendation would be much apreciated.

 

[JPack]

Refurbs don’t guarantee a new battery or chassis is installed, so having cycles is normal.

Try the computer at other locations outside. Does it still have Wi-Fi issues at work? At the mall or library? Many of wireless issues are related to the home environment.

 

[KNSmax]

Thx fro swift reply,
I have tried both at work and at home with the same result, even taking the Mac closer to the router.
It only works at full speed when connected via ethernet cable.

 

[JPack]

I’d pack it up for return. Test the Wi-Fi at the Apple Store one last time and then ask for a refund.

 

[VanWinkle]

Thx fro swift reply,
I have tried both at work and at home with the same result, even taking the Mac closer to the router.
It only works at full speed when connected via ethernet cable.

The battery cycle thing isn't a problem at all (in fact, six cycles is great), but this is a legitimate issue that you definitely need to go to Apple about.

 

[profcutter]

Yeah the wifi and the fingerprint reader problem would be enough for me to do a refund, and retry. Refurbs are usually perfect.

 

[KaliYoni]

Any help or reccomendation would be much apreciated.

You didn't give any details about the macOS version on the refurbed MBP but this bug might apply to you:

https://www.macintouch.com/post/28455/macos-wifi-bugs/#more-28455

or

Recent Apple updates leading to Wi-Fi issues

Meter is currently tracking an issue that is affecting M1/M2 Macbooks and leading to slow internet connection, drops in Zoom calls, and entirely losing a Wi-Fi connection.

www.meter.com

Status Records - UCLA Status

systemstatus.ucla.edu

 

[KNSmax]

You didn't give any details about the macOS version on the refurbed MBP but this bug might apply to you:

https://www.macintouch.com/post/28455/macos-wifi-bugs/#more-28455

or

Recent Apple updates leading to Wi-Fi issues

Meter is currently tracking an issue that is affecting M1/M2 Macbooks and leading to slow internet connection, drops in Zoom calls, and entirely losing a Wi-Fi connection.

www.meter.com

Status Records - UCLA Status

systemstatus.ucla.edu

Thx for the reply and link which i will have look at.
The Mac arrived with Monterey and i installed Ventura, maybe some update might resolve the bugs.