MacBook Air logic board replaced but serial numbers changed

cocotechie

Hi guys

Need some advice as think my daughters been conned. She left in her MacBook Air 2017 to a local pc repair shop and was told there was damage to the logic board and it had to be replaced. They said it would cost €350 and take 4 weeks as it has to be delivered from apple. They have in their window they are an authorised apple reseller so felt safe enough.

I took her in to collect it this evening and I had took a photo of the serial number before she left it in. The guy demonstrated it, she said it was a lot faster and she asked to check serial number. At this point he said that will have changed as this occurs when you install a new logic board. I said grand but that won’t change the number on the casing. He said he changed it as it would be confusing to not have it matching. At this point my daughter said it’s a lot faster and the guy gave 30 off the price as he said she was paying in cash so she skipped out of the shop with it.

When we got gone it was tormenting me so I asked to check it and searched apples website for the serial number that was on the outside casing. It came back as belonging to a mid 2012 model!!! (Hers was 2017)

I then went into the system window and about and it said it was a mid 2013 model with ANOTHER serial number, different from the casing.

I messaged the computer guy being nice and calm with pictures saying he had said that the back casing was replaced to match the logic board serial number (which stank to high heavens the more I think about it) and it was matching 2012 model and about section said it was a 2013 model. I said I think he made a mistake and has mixed up the MacBook.

His reply was that it’s not possible as 2012 casing doesn’t fit 2017 model and that Mid13 to mid17 is exactly the same and if I want 2017 logic board it would be 648 + vat.

At this point I’m fuming, at no point we’re we told it was a 2013 logic board going into it but as well as that if it was brand new why the hell is it showing as belonging to an expired warranty on a 2013 model.

My question is this, if he swapped out an old logic board from 2013 MacBook and put it into my daughters 2017 MacBook would it say in the about section that it was a 2013 model or has he just given her an older model belonging to someone else. He definitely has a different casing on the bottom of it and his lies about it matching the logic board is crap.

I’m fuming as she is a poor student struggling as it is and I couldn’t afford to pay for it as I’m paying for college and accommodation as it is for her on my own. It’s terrible as I feel we have been taken for a ride and don’t want to let him away with it.

whippet

first of all there are only a handfull of Authorized Apple service centers in Ireland

CompuB
Mactivate
iConnect
Harvey Norman
Or the Apple Store in belfast

If you didn't bring the machine in to one of these stores they are not authorised and can not purchase genuine apple parts for a MacBook Air.

Authorised apple resellers will get deliveries from apple on a next business day (usually) basis for things like new logic boards.

So --- without doubt you did not receive a new logic board. As the cost from apple is about double what you paid.

My opinion would be that the repair shop has a way of sourcing parts from refurbished machines or damaged machines. The logic board that he sourced could have come from a mac that had a smashed screen and the user didn't want to pay for the repair some where else.

Replacing the logic board contains the ram and processor - so you should check what processor is now on the machine. If you do a serial number check on your original serial number you will see what the processor was (probably a Core i5 - but check the speed and variant number) ... then check the process in About this Mac on your machine and square them off.


The MacBook Air from 2013 to 2019 we all almost identical in terms of chassis and spec - just a different generation processor and onboard video. so if the SN on the casing and the SN on the logic board match it may well be a whole new machine rather than a patchwork of different parts.

Reality is that the repair shop isn't an authorised apple service centre so there is no way of knowing where or how they source replacement parts - and from experience the cost of a new logic board in a 2017 MacBook air is way more than what you did hand over.

cocotechie

Hi Whippet,

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I was conned unfortunately by a very untrustworthy business. I spoke to Apple and they have confirmed that he is not an authorised apple repair provider despite the fact he has a large sign in the window stating this.

I asked him to confirm that he put a new part in from apple and he insisted he did even after I sent him photos of the serial numbers and screenshots showing they were from an old machine. I told him I wanted my daughters money and MacBook back as it was and I was sending it back to apple to be repaired

He was very intimating and sent me a message to say that the MacBook will likely have more issues and stop working in the future. (I had left it into him as it was so slow)

I called to collect it and asked for the money back. He held back €50 as a fee for diagnosing what was wrong with it and said should I refuse to pay it he would not return my money or MacBook! He got very cross and was intimidating and asked me for my receipt to process my money back and then refused to give me the receipt back!

I left the shop upset and now the MacBook is totally unresponsive. The keyboard and trackpad no longer works and the cursor is just stuck in the corner. I was totally conned and paid any expensive price.

Big Daddy Kane

cocotechie wrote: »

Hi Whippet,

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I was conned unfortunately by a very untrustworthy business. I spoke to Apple and they have confirmed that he is not an authorised apple repair provider despite the fact he has a large sign in the window stating this.

I asked him to confirm that he put a new part in from apple and he insisted he did even after I sent him photos of the serial numbers and screenshots showing they were from an old machine. I told him I wanted my daughters money and MacBook back as it was and I was sending it back to apple to be repaired

He was very intimating and sent me a message to say that the MacBook will likely have more issues and stop working in the future. (I had left it into him as it was so slow)

I called to collect it and asked for the money back. He held back €50 as a fee for diagnosing what was wrong with it and said should I refuse to pay it he would not return my money or MacBook! He got very cross and was intimidating and asked me for my receipt to process my money back and then refused to give me the receipt back!

I left the shop upset and now the MacBook is totally unresponsive. The keyboard and trackpad no longer works and the cursor is just stuck in the corner. I was totally conned and paid any expensive price.

Suely false advertising and you are well within your rights to make a case with consumer protection? I don't know but seems he (business) has done/doing this on the regular?

They should be named and shamed at the minimum.

Did you take a photo of the "Authorised Apple Repair Provider" sign in window?

https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/shopping/misleading-advertising/

ClosedAccountFuzzy

Small Claims Court might be one route forward.