TL;DR: Bought an "Open-Box Excellent" MacBook Pro. It was iCloud-locked to the previous owner and completely unusable. Physical store couldn't process the return. Mail-in return was rejected because the device is locked. Apple Store couldn't help. Citi denied my chargeback. I am out $2,100 for a device I cannot use and never could. I have the receipts, chat logs, and rejection letters.
FULL STORY
April 11: Purchased a 14-inch MacBook Pro listed as "Open-Box Excellent" for $2,089 at my local Best Buy.
The defect: Opened the box, powered it on, and it was Activation/iCloud Locked to the previous owner. Completely unusable. Best Buy resold it without wiping it or verifying it was unlocked.
Strike 1, the store: Returned two days later. The manager and Geek Squad confirmed the lock. Their system would not allow them to process the return. They directed me to call support for a mail-in label.
Strike 2, the mail-in return: After multiple contacts with phone and chat support, I got a FedEx label and shipped it to the Best Buy Returns Center in Kentucky.
Strike 3, the rejection: A week later the laptop arrived back at my door with a letter stating they "cannot accept the return due to the device being locked by an iCloud account," and instructing me to unpair my Apple ID before resubmitting. I cannot unpair an account I do not own. This is the exact condition that makes the laptop defective.
Strike 4, Apple Store: Brought the laptop and my Best Buy receipt. The Genius Bar confirmed the lock but said they have no ability to remove Activation Lock in-store.
Strike 5, the chargeback: tried to dispute the charge with Citi the cc issuer, Denial letter arrived: reason given was "the merchant's cancellation/return policy was not followed."
This is circular. The reason I cannot follow their return process is the same reason the product is defective.
Now I have a very expensive paperweight and neither BB or the bank wants to help me.
What to do?
Best Buy sold me an iCloud-locked MacBook Pro for $2,100, refused the return, and Citi denied my chargeback. I have documented everything and need help escalating.
byu/mciki inpersonalfinance
Posted by mciki
34 Comments
Escalate with bank and Best Buy, email both legal departments. Have you spoken to a human on the phone at Citi?
Have you tried contacting Apple Support to remove Activation Lock? If you have proof of purchase and can provide the requested information they can remove it for you. They don’t do this in store – you have to contact them by phone or chat.
[https://al-support.apple.com/#/al/agreement](https://al-support.apple.com/#/al/agreement)
It’s sounds like you didn’t actually try to escalate it with Best Buy after they incorrectly returned the mail in. Why did you not do that?
Not sure there is a magic solution here. A few options though:
Continuing to pester BB and the bank.
Reach out to your state AG’s consumer protection division
Reach out to the local news station.
File a small claims suit.
Why do you think companies “want to help you”? Nobody wants to help you, all is automated.
Step 1: Buy at Amazon
Step 2: Buy with Paypal
Step 3: Pay Paypal with a means to do a charge back later on.
You need 3 levels of defense, you only have 2.
Next:
Do a lot of negative publicity on social media and tag them.
Use AI as your lawyer. To a bunch of deep research questions on Chatgpt and Gemini, then write letters and emails to the legal departments.
If no result, contact your legal insurance and lawyer.
If you submitted the dispute online or through mobile, I would try calling Citi and talking to an actual person about the dispute you want to file. If you explain the situation, they might be able to do something more than what the automated system can do.
You could also try going back to Best Buy and talking with the manager, explain that you tried to return it the way they said and it was rejected. Maybe they’ll have another solution.
Good luck OP
Contact your state AG or a senators office. They have teams that assist their constituents with all types of stuff. Being contacted by a US senator office or AG office tends to grease wheels.
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Complain to Better Business Bureau. Ordered a PS5 from best buy. They have subbed their delivery to this terrible outfit. The driver marked it as delivered but didn’t devliver. Best Buy, Chase and the 3rd party delivery service kept yanking my chain.
I wrote a complaint on BBB. Best buy emailed me an apology and reversed the charge.
Send Best Buy a certified letter at the address for dispute resolution in their terms and convictions. “Mandatory Informal Dispute Resolution Process”
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/terms-and-conditions/pcmcat204400050067.c?id=pcmcat204400050067
Install Linux Mint.
Almost for sure the Macbook pro was stolen, someone went to best buy and purchased a new macbook pro and returned the stolen one to best buy, then sold the new mac book pro on eBay or something.
No one is going to be able to remove the lock, apple designed it so that it litterally cant be unlocked without the original apple ID’s password.
Your only option is to push your CC provider for a charge back, push Best Buy (You may need to pursue legal action in small claims court) or attempt to get in contact with the owner of the original apple ID (they may not be helpful as again I would almost guarantee this was stolen)
Also, if you bought in a local store contact the state attorney general and file a complaint.
Just contact apple. Their support can remove the lock with valid proof of purchase.
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Go directly to Apple support about it.
While you’re doing that, aren’t Apple IDs email addresses? You could email the previous owner and ask them to remove it from their account.
what the heck is this lol
I don’t get how you can go through so many steps without taking two seconds to google, and finding out Apple will unlock for you with no issue with proof of purchase. that’s a ton of effort directed wholly the wrong way, and how did no one else figure this out for you along the way (if you couldn’t)?
this is some wild incompetence by all parties.
I’ve gotten many things done via X complaints. Best Buy being one.
I would escalate with your credit card. They are the only ones you have a chance of making any progress with.
If apple support can’t help you then make a BBB complaint on bestbuy. Last time I had an issue that was the only way to fix it after over a month of trying everything
You need to sit down with a manager at the Best Buy who sold you this. If not then then schedule a meeting with the general manager they will 1000% help you there is no chance they’re gonna risk you snitching to the local AG or BBB over $2000 that’s petty change for a big company like BB
Worst case you could sue in small claims court.
When Best Buy tried to fix my iphone screen, they claimed they couldn’t do it because they found water damage so put the screen back on and I went and picked it up. Well when I turned it on they had messed it up completely, you couldn’t see anything. The douches working the counter just gave me blank stares. Store manager was also of no help. So I searched the GM’s name and sent an email detailing my experience. He got back to me within a few hours apologizing and asking for my address to send me a new phone free of charge. He also offered gift cards but I told him while I appreciate it, he made me whole again with the new phone and I was grateful for the swift response. Might be a good route to try here.
This doesn’t help your current situation but I closed all my Citi accounts years ago because their customer service is terrible. I had someone steal the info from multiple credit cards and go on a shopping spree- every credit card company sent alerts for suspicious spending and removed all the charges except for Citi. They wouldn’t budge so they lost my business. Maybe they’ll lose yours too?
I will never buy a open or refurb product from Best Buy ever again.
Does it have a warranty for open box? You may be able to get a replacement by describing what you can’t do and submitting it through warranty. Don’t tell them what you think the problem is. Let them figure it out for themselves.
Otherwise…
You need to escalate with Best Buy. Get to managers, regional managers, etc… they sold you a faulty product. It’s not usable.
Next step is social media/news. Corporate unfortunately responds better when their reputation is hit.
Final step may be small claims. Make sure you have good documentation of the issue, the payment, and steps you took to resolve it with them.
Small Claims court.
About $100 to file, and you don’t have to be all legalese in your filing.
IANAL, but it sounds like the MacBook was NOT an “open item” but a USED item, and your proof of that is the locked laptop. Is Best Buy in the habit of letting a potential buyer lock the laptop prior to purchase? If a buyer took it home, regardless of how much time passed between purchase and return, that’s pretty much the definition of used. Best Buy failed to get it unlocked before reselling, so it’s on them to make things right.
IMHO, a letter of service for the Small Claims case is usually enough to get them to act. It’s not worth the money for them to go to court.
Your local Clerk of the Court should be able to give you an idea of what needs to be done. If they don’t, there are community groups that provide basic legal assistance.
We got scammed by a rental car company and Citi denied our dispute without even asking for our side of the story. After challenging that – we went down every avenue of proving the rental car company was at fault. Citi finally approved the dispute.
We’re not Citi fans anymore. I’ve never had an issue with filing a dispute through any other CC provider.
It’s all on Best Buy , you need to drill drill drill baby, nothing to do with Apple
There are ways to get the iCloud removed but it costs, basically the service has an inside employee being bribed. I used to run a phone repair store and along with legitimate tools other not so legal methods were also advertised to me. I can look at what current pricing is if interested
Apple support will unlock the device if you provide proof of purchase.
If you call Apple, they will reset it for you if you have a receipt with the serial number on it.
I guess the lesson from all this is when buying an open box Apple device from anywhere, check if the device is unlocked and ready for your AppleID.
If the store/seller gives you a hard time, walk away. No matter how good the “deal” is, THIS is way more of a hassle – and you’re out $2100.
I would also send a letter to the Minnesota AG’s office (or Consumer Protection, if they have a dedicated department) as well as your home State’s AG, too.
These are clearly unfair business practices – BestBuy store should have seen that you just bought the device and processed the refund. Now, you’re hoping Apple can unlock it for you (and I really hope they can).
You should also follow up with Citi for the chargeback portion. You recieved defective product, they might not have received all of your documentation