On March 30th, I ordered a new MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 from B&H Photo. Super thrilled about getting it. Received it quickly, but just had a chance to dive in with it in the last couple of days. Beautifully packaged, as expected from Apple. All the factory seals were in place and everything seemed flawless until I pulled the paper wrapping back and noticed fingerprints on the shell of the laptop. Opening it up, there were a few small smudges on the screen. A little weird, more than anything. I didn't order an Apple Refurb. Not a good impression on an over $4000 purchase.
I contacted B&H yesterday, early afternoon on April 4th, and explained the fingerprints and my concerns. Mostly, I wanted to ask if Apple maybe sent out a refurb by mistake. The B&H rep was extremely short and defensive with me. He basically told me this was totally normal due to factory testing and quality control, then repeatedly cut me off before I could fully ask any more questions. I get that products are handled by people in a factory and QC handles and inspects them at distribution. Fingerprints aren't a big deal and happen, but I've never before received a new Apple product or even an Apple refurb that's been factory-sealed by Apple and has fingerprints all over it. Isn't a thorough cleaning a big part of the QC process? The B&H rep said no, and before I could even ask more questions, he started repeating that B&H does not accept returns on computers. I wasn't asking for this, but okay? It's hard to believe that's even legal considering lemon laws and Apple certified reseller policies. At this point, I realized this call was in the last few hours before B&H shuts down for Passover. Got it.
All in all, things seemed normal with the computer during setup, but all this definitely tainted things a bit. So, of course, I've jumped down the rabbit hole online. I verified by the serial number that this was, in fact, a brand new Apple product, not a refurb. I've noticed someone else on a forum had a similar occurrence, but this seems rare. I started looking at the log info and noticed the battery already had 8 charge cycles on it before I had a chance to run it unplugged for more than an hour total. From what I understand, 1-2 cycles make sense for a new product due to testing and QC. Not 8 charge cycles. That was yet another red flag to me.
Having wasted most of my day, I contacted Apple, fully explaining the situation and the 8 cycles. I bought AppleCare+, not that it matters in this circumstance. After being shuffled through various reps, I finally got a supervising tech who apologized for the fingerprints and explained that 8 cycles just meant "thorough inspection and testing." "Don't worry," she said. I had AppleCare+, and they would have me covered if there were more issues (yeah? Never mind my time and annoyance dealing with repairs). One thing she did mention was that the MacBook was tested/inspected/QC'ed at a factory in Pennsylvania. So, living in PA, my immediate response to this was a very sarcastic "great." Long exhale. The Apple tech then said something like, "so maybe it is a lemon?" and recommended returning it to B&H. She said that I absolutely have 14 days from purchase to do it. Though, because B&H was closed at that point, it will be over 14 days until they are open again. She agreed that might be a problem.
Honestly, I was fine moving on. If the MacBook works, it works. It's undeniably fast and appeared solid.
That is until late last night when I was playing a standard def video during my very first attempt to fully discharge the battery to 20%. At just under 40%, the MBP fan started running at full speed. Awesome. Next came the "service" alerts. Fantastic. I powered down the MacBook. Now it won't start with or without the power supply. I'm done with messing with this computer.
So this morning, I once again contacted Apple. I spent just under an hour talking to reps, with only one transfer this time. All the Apple reps in this process have been polite, apologetic, and seemingly very understanding. What I want is simple. I do not trust this MacBook and truly fear I may have received a lemon. I do not want to send it to Apple for repair; I want a new one. Maybe it's just a bad battery, or maybe it's worse. I want to start fresh, and I did not buy an Apple Refurb, which is the best I will have. I wish Apple offered something for my time and misery having been shipped this disaster, especially considering the 30 years of dozens of Apple products I've purchased.
Due to Apple policy, the rep said "unfortunately," repair is my only option with them. She wishes she could do better but can't. They won't replace this computer with a new one because I purchased it from B&H and not Apple - even though Apple shipped it. The rep understood that since I bought this computer from B&H, I would, at the least, need to wait until the 14th to set up a return for a full refund. And at that point, I could possibly be told that the 14-day return policy has expired. The only option I was left with is to head to the nearest Apple repair location or be shipped an Apple repair box. Since I'm currently in the PA Poconos area, I don't want to drive well over an hour each way to get to the nearest certified Apple repair.
Thoughts?
I contacted B&H yesterday, early afternoon on April 4th, and explained the fingerprints and my concerns. Mostly, I wanted to ask if Apple maybe sent out a refurb by mistake. The B&H rep was extremely short and defensive with me. He basically told me this was totally normal due to factory testing and quality control, then repeatedly cut me off before I could fully ask any more questions. I get that products are handled by people in a factory and QC handles and inspects them at distribution. Fingerprints aren't a big deal and happen, but I've never before received a new Apple product or even an Apple refurb that's been factory-sealed by Apple and has fingerprints all over it. Isn't a thorough cleaning a big part of the QC process? The B&H rep said no, and before I could even ask more questions, he started repeating that B&H does not accept returns on computers. I wasn't asking for this, but okay? It's hard to believe that's even legal considering lemon laws and Apple certified reseller policies. At this point, I realized this call was in the last few hours before B&H shuts down for Passover. Got it.
All in all, things seemed normal with the computer during setup, but all this definitely tainted things a bit. So, of course, I've jumped down the rabbit hole online. I verified by the serial number that this was, in fact, a brand new Apple product, not a refurb. I've noticed someone else on a forum had a similar occurrence, but this seems rare. I started looking at the log info and noticed the battery already had 8 charge cycles on it before I had a chance to run it unplugged for more than an hour total. From what I understand, 1-2 cycles make sense for a new product due to testing and QC. Not 8 charge cycles. That was yet another red flag to me.
Having wasted most of my day, I contacted Apple, fully explaining the situation and the 8 cycles. I bought AppleCare+, not that it matters in this circumstance. After being shuffled through various reps, I finally got a supervising tech who apologized for the fingerprints and explained that 8 cycles just meant "thorough inspection and testing." "Don't worry," she said. I had AppleCare+, and they would have me covered if there were more issues (yeah? Never mind my time and annoyance dealing with repairs). One thing she did mention was that the MacBook was tested/inspected/QC'ed at a factory in Pennsylvania. So, living in PA, my immediate response to this was a very sarcastic "great." Long exhale. The Apple tech then said something like, "so maybe it is a lemon?" and recommended returning it to B&H. She said that I absolutely have 14 days from purchase to do it. Though, because B&H was closed at that point, it will be over 14 days until they are open again. She agreed that might be a problem.
Honestly, I was fine moving on. If the MacBook works, it works. It's undeniably fast and appeared solid.
That is until late last night when I was playing a standard def video during my very first attempt to fully discharge the battery to 20%. At just under 40%, the MBP fan started running at full speed. Awesome. Next came the "service" alerts. Fantastic. I powered down the MacBook. Now it won't start with or without the power supply. I'm done with messing with this computer.
So this morning, I once again contacted Apple. I spent just under an hour talking to reps, with only one transfer this time. All the Apple reps in this process have been polite, apologetic, and seemingly very understanding. What I want is simple. I do not trust this MacBook and truly fear I may have received a lemon. I do not want to send it to Apple for repair; I want a new one. Maybe it's just a bad battery, or maybe it's worse. I want to start fresh, and I did not buy an Apple Refurb, which is the best I will have. I wish Apple offered something for my time and misery having been shipped this disaster, especially considering the 30 years of dozens of Apple products I've purchased.
Due to Apple policy, the rep said "unfortunately," repair is my only option with them. She wishes she could do better but can't. They won't replace this computer with a new one because I purchased it from B&H and not Apple - even though Apple shipped it. The rep understood that since I bought this computer from B&H, I would, at the least, need to wait until the 14th to set up a return for a full refund. And at that point, I could possibly be told that the 14-day return policy has expired. The only option I was left with is to head to the nearest Apple repair location or be shipped an Apple repair box. Since I'm currently in the PA Poconos area, I don't want to drive well over an hour each way to get to the nearest certified Apple repair.
Thoughts?
