It is impossible to say that the “gray” technique is a fake. Rather, it is smuggling, imported into the territory of Russia bypassing the law. As a result, you may have quite a real Apple MacBook in your hands, but without the RosTest logo on the box, and, accordingly, without warranty service.

Let us remind you of three very important points:

1. Apple has an International Warranty, and it means that even if the Apple device was purchased in another country, it is obliged to take it for repair and carry it out with high quality or replace the faulty equipment with a new one. There are some "buts" here: you will most likely change to a new one only if you pay extra, but at least they won't put a cheap Chinese display instead of the original Retina or whatever you change there.
2. Apple accepts legally sold devices for service IS FREE... Yes, the warranty is not lifetime, but only for a year (counting down from the moment the device is activated). But in addition to it, there is the Apple Care Protection Plan, which extends the warranty to three years, as well as special warranty programs for batches of devices with defects.

For example, in February 2015, a free repair program for MacBook Pro laptops was launched, in which the video card was defective. We think there is no need to translate into numbers how much a regular repair would cost, and so it is done for free.

Important!If you have problems with your MacBook Pro, which can be blamed on a faulty view (artifacts on the screen or even a blue / black screen with no hope of turning on the laptop), go right here and check the serial number of the device. If your laptop is protected by this warranty program, you can send it with documentation to the nearest official service center (Russian SCs can be found ).

This program covers devices released between February 2011 and December 2013 - 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pros.

By the way:Apple is now trying to reimburse those who were forced to repair faulty laptops at their own expense. If suddenly this is your case, contact the company representatives. Maybe we can get the money back.

Since January 1, 2014, Apple's International Warranty applies to Russia. That is, it makes sense to buy the so-called “white” equipment. Why? See points 1 and 2.

It is important to understand that not every store selling Apple products sells exactly “white” equipment. On the contrary: there are only a few such stores. The entire list of markets in which you can find the "correct" MacBook laptops and other "apple" gadgets is on the official Apple website in Russia ( ).

Differences between the "gray" MacBook from the official

Outwardly, it can be two absolutely identical working devices, but only if it breaks down, one will be accepted for free repair, and for the second, you either have to pay money, or even refuse the service.

A frequent case from the last example is a MacBook with an “author's”, not factory-engraved Russian keyboard. Even if it was bought in the USA or Europe, and it was brought to you as a gift, having made engravings without permission - write it up.

So how do you tell a "gray" MacBook from a legally sold one?

1. We look at the batch number. Part No. it should be written “RS / A”, i.e. the laptop is intended for sale and use in Russia. American models are suffixed with LL / A.
2. The model must be supplied with a Euro plug and a power cord designed for use in Russian power grids. If you are handed a box, and an adapter for it, or even offered to buy an adapter separately, without leaving the store, leave without regrets. You are being sold something that will not be serviced under warranty.
3. All reference numbers on the box and on the MacBook itself (engraved on the back cover) must match. There must be a RosTest badge on the box and on the lid - this means that the model has been tested by the authorities of the Russian side and meets quality standards.

Some craftsmen manage to paint the RosTest sign, so be careful: the box with the Mac should not be damaged or not opened in your presence.

1. The instructions inside the box in Russian and the description of the model on the box in Russian are also a good sign that you guessed right with the seller.
2. The keyboard of a MacBook intended for sale in Russia must be Russified. In this case, Russian letters should be applied evenly, by engraving, and not by stickers / overlays over the English ones.

Whether the computer is under warranty (if so, in which country), what and when it was assembled, and other useful information can be extracted from the serial number of the MacBook (see the About this Mac window). You can enter your serial .

Which Mac do you use - gray or white - and have you had any Apple warranty service before? Share your experience in the comments below.

The following two tabs change content below.

Elizabeth

Without a twinge of conscience, I ask "phone number" from unfamiliar guys and girls. In order to check whether the lock button fits comfortably under the finger and whether autofocus works quickly :) I would like to visit MWC and keep a live blog from the thick of things.

• Mikhail 01/07/2016

  Judging by the text, the original MacBook actually makes no sense to buy, because the warranty is only for a year and with a bunch of restrictions. For a laptop with such a non-childish price, it's about nothing. Therefore, "gray" may not be worse.

  Answer

  • Elizabeth 01/08/2016

    Michael's answer:

    Not all "gray" laptops will be fixed at all. Free of charge under warranty or simply under the official service program without free service. And to risk giving the “craftsmen” an expensive laptop with the ability to get their hands on a device without half of the original internals is also a good chance :-)

    Answer

• Nemo 01/07/2016

  It is very good that nowadays it makes sense to buy white devices in Russia, but I suppose you can look at it from the other side. Provided that a person treats the device with care, most likely it will not break down and will not have to be repaired, and the money not overpaid for a white device, I suppose, will be enough for one repair, which I note - it may not be needed.

  Answer

  • Elizabeth 01/08/2016

    Nemo's answer:

    No matter how careful the attitude to such a technique is, this device will not save you from a factory defect. And due to the handwritten engraving of the keys and other interference, the laptop may not be taken at all. So yes, on the one hand, you can save money, but on the other, is it worth it?

    Answer

    • Nemo 01/11/2016

      Elizabeth's answer:

      Perhaps I missed something, but if I'm not mistaken, the gray devices do not have an international guarantee, and if there is a defect, then it can be returned to the store where they bought it. And no one advises to repair a laptop yourself; there is saved money for this at the time of purchase.

      Answer

Recently, there have been talks on the Web about two years of Apple's official warranty in Russia. It is a myth. As always, someone heard something, did not understand, but sounded false information to the whole world. It's time to figure out how long the warranty on the iPhone in the Russian Federation and on other devices of the company lasts.

Let's run a little ahead.

The warranty for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch in Russia is exactly one year from the date of purchase. It's official.

Journalists and bloggers who have been talking about two years are wrong. The only device with a two-year warranty is the Apple Watch Edition, the very expensive ones made of gold and released back in 2015.

Now in more detail.

Three types of guarantees in Russia

First of all, let's figure out what kind of warranty is valid for Apple equipment in Russia and what it means.

First, Apple shares the Consumer Protection Act warranties, its own 1-year limited warranty, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Shares, but does not limit the effect of the laws of the Russian Federation. At least that's what the company says.

Roughly speaking, by law we have 100% rights, under the Limited Warranty 120%, and with AppleCare we have all 300%. You will have to pay extra for the latter.

As part of the Apple One Year Limited Warranty, we have all the rights provided for by the laws of Russia, but with nuances from the corporation itself.

For example, according to the law, the consumer has the right to choose what to do with a defective product: demand a refund, demand repairs, or replace a defective product.

In the case of a complaint about a low-quality iPhone directly to Apple, the latter will decide what to do: repair the faulty device, replace it, or return the money paid.

Personally, it's not entirely clear to me how Apple believes that this is not limited by current legislation. Anyway.

In any case, most often the company or service centers simply replace the broken device with a new one. In any case, it is much better than gutting your old device, replacing the faulty part, and giving it back to you. Agree.

There is also a third type of guarantee - AppleCare, which must be purchased separately, and which costs quite a lot of money. We will not talk about it today, we will restrict ourselves to "free" service options.

Disadvantage and significant disadvantage

This is a small but important digression. It is not directly related to our topic, but it will not be superfluous to figure it out.

By law, any smartphone is a technically complex product (it has a touch screen, satellite communications, and so on). Accordingly, you can exchange it or return money for it only within the first 15 days after purchase, but only on condition that any deficiency has been identified. This can be, for example, a non-working speaker, a jammed button, or something like that.

After 15 days after the purchase, we have two options: either agree to repair, or wait until a significant deficiency is identified. The latter presupposes a newly identified deficiency after its elimination, the presence of various defects (two or more) or a defect that cannot be eliminated without losses incommensurate with the cost of the device. For example, a smartphone costs 50 thousand rubles. If you have to change the motherboard, which costs 26 thousand rubles, then congratulations - this is a significant drawback. It can be expressed not only in money, but also in time. For example, it takes more than 45 days to eliminate such a defect for one reason or another. Then we can demand a refund. The only way.

In Russia, the warranty is 1 year

We figured out that there are several types of guarantees in Russia. At least, only two are free: under the Consumer Protection Act and Apple's 1-year limited warranty. The latter is one year, period. There is nothing more to discuss.

But according to the law, we have a slightly different situation. Let me explain now.

During the one year warranty, we can contact:

• Apple
• directly to the salon where we bought the device in white
• to an authorized service center

During the first year of the warranty, there will always be a warranty from the seller or the manufacturer - there is not much difference.

But what if the marriage manifested itself after a year and a half?

Then the second year of the guarantee will be in force, provided only by the law "On Protection of Consumer Rights". For the "second year of legal warranty" to take effect, three important components must be present simultaneously.

First- the product must have been warranted by the manufacturer or seller. If, for example, the iPhone was bought in Russia, in white, then no problem - the warranty will always be a year, which means that the first condition is met.

Second- if the gadget breaks down during the second year of use, the first warranty period must expire by that time. It is logical, but believe me, situations can be different. For example, the second year of use has already gone, and the seller's warranty has not yet ended, since the device was being repaired, respectively, the warranty period is extended for the period of repair.

Third and most important- you will prove that the product has been found to be defective. Quality control, expertise - if you are deployed in an authorized service center (they really can), you will be obliged to carry out all these delights yourself and at your own expense. And only with an official piece of paper that the smartphone has a manufacturing defect, it will be possible to contact the SC, and the latter will be obliged to accept your goods.

If an organization bails, you can always go to court and punish a negligent service with compensation for moral damage, a fine, a forfeit, and so on.

Why is everyone talking about 2 years?

Firstly, Apple itself caused the confusion by not very correctly posting such a wording on its website.

Moreover, it is not clear what kind of "delivery" is being discussed there. The law has a clear concept - the transfer of goods to the consumer, which in fact implies the date of purchase. And yes, sometimes the product can be delivered to the consumer. Perhaps this was meant.

Secondly, knowing everything that I have described in the above, authorized service centers go to the consumer's meeting and accept defective goods without any delay within the second year from the date of purchase. And this is where the myth came from that in Russia there is a two-year warranty on Apple equipment.

But one more time. Any service center has the right to accept the device for repair for the second year after the expiration of the basic warranty, but is never obliged to do this. It's at his discretion.

Therefore, do not be surprised if some, even a three times authorized SC, suddenly refuses to give you warranty repairs on the 15th month of using your smartphone. In this case, it will be you who will prove the existence of the marriage. Accordingly, you cannot demand examinations or quality checks - this is only at your own request and at your own expense.

Third year warranty. It happens?

Yes, this is not a mistake. In the event of a marriage, you can demand a refund even for the third year from the date of purchase.

You can even file a claim for a defect in the device within 3 years!

Few people know about this, but it really is.

The Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights", namely, Part 6 of Art. 19 gives us this opportunity. But here, of course, there were some additional conditions.

First- the disadvantage must be 100% significant. We have already discussed above what this implies. Second- you will have to prove the existence of a significant drawback yourself. Third- You can apply outside of two years from the date of purchase, but during the entire service life of the product. Apple is always 3 years old. Hence the term for the appeal. For example, if you bought a sofa, and the service life of it is indicated in the passport - 10 years, then you can contact about its marriage two years after use, but within these same 10 years.

According to the logic of the law, at the end of the product's service life, it must be thrown away. In fact, it is clear that it is not.

Personally, I haven’t had any practice in dealing with a disability beyond two years. Submission of a claim after the end of the warranty, but within two years - yes, but I did not check the three-year period on my own skin. Share the known cases in the comments, interesting.

When does the warranty start?

Another common misconception. Many believe that the warranty begins to run from the moment it is activated. This is true, but only partially.

Device activation (first turning on and entering Apple ID data) is a call from the company itself that the device has started to be used. For one reason or another, Apple may not have information about the sale of the device. In this case, the warranty will begin either from the date of activation or from the date of shipment of the device to the partner.

In fact, the official warranty for an iPhone, iPad or other gadget begins to run from the date of sale of the device and only on the condition that the product was purchased from an authorized partner of the company or directly from the online Apple Store (there are no physical ones in Russia).

If the site contains a date that is different from the date of purchase from the officials, then the site has a special form through which you can contact the support service. You will need to present a copy of the receipt. Subsequently, the start date of the warranty will change to the current one. More details.

Checks are different

On its website, Apple always refers to a sales receipt (not a sales receipt). In general, it does not matter in principle - contact the service center with a cash or sales receipt. However, in order to avoid problems and misunderstandings in the future, when buying an "apple" device, it is better to ask the seller to issue a sales receipt in addition to the cash register. Will not be superfluous.

By the way, there is one more pitfall here.

If the seller did not give you a cashier's check, but gave you a sales receipt, then, most likely, this device has not been officially sold, and the money you transferred for it will not go to the cashier, but to a specific seller in the pocket. This is fraud, a criminal offense and all that, so you always need to demand a cashier's check, that is, break through the cash register. Tovarnik is just an addition to the cashier's check.

Apple has a very confusing warranty. Formally, it does not exist at all, but in fact it is much broader than what should be provided by law.

The confusion is added by the fact that the Apple website contains two warranty texts that differ from each other in terms of one year (for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch) or two years (only for Apple Watch Edition). Both types of guarantees, as indicated on the website, operate separately from the requirements provided for by law and complement the rights specified in the Federal Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights".

The Apple Warranty applies to devices purchased anywhere in the world and is validated after the serial number has been verified. To make claims under the Federal Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights", it is necessary to confirm that the device was purchased in Russia and intended for the Russian market (that is, it was imported legally and received a Rostest certificate). Stores selling gray or used equipment may have any warranty period or may not have one at all - usually such stores try to limit their liability for equipment of which they are not sure of the quality.

Russian stores (for example) provide a 1-year warranty for Apple equipment, this period coincides with the one indicated by Apple. In the legislation, there is no requirement at all that obliges the manufacturer or seller to establish a warranty period, but if the manufacturer has indicated it, the store cannot give a guarantee of a shorter duration. A guarantee from the seller is needed so that the buyer does not have to run around the service centers, but presents a claim to the organization from which the product was purchased. But some stores limit this right - they refuse to accept the goods for inspection and send the buyer to the service center.

Consumers have the right to choose whether to claim service under Apple's Limited One Year Warranty or under consumer law rights, such as product non-compliance with a contract, as mandated by Federal Consumer Law. This Apple Limited 1-Year Warranty is in addition to and under no circumstances excludes or restricts your statutory rights.

Important! Apple's Limited 1 Year Warranty does not apply to consumer protection claims.

Formally, Apple does not establish a warranty on its devices under the Federal Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights." The law does not require this. However, the company still provides its own warranty, which, although called limited, significantly expands the rights of the consumer. For example, in paragraph 1 of Art. 18 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights" has an important clarification regarding technically complex goods, which include smartphones, tablets and computers. If you find a defect in such a device 15 days after purchase, you will not be able to demand a refund or exchange for another product, since the law only provides for repair. There is no such limitation in Apple's warranty terms. You can check what kind of warranty is provided for a particular device by its serial number on the Apple website.

Apple does not refuse to comply with the requirements of the Federal Law "On the Protection of Consumer Rights" and accepts claims in relation to many products within two years from the date of sale. Usually this period is mistakenly considered as a warranty period, although it is outside of it - this is an additional year after the warranty has ended. Some sellers think that this is the period during which they or the manufacturer need to be in warranty, and they are partially right.

Where did the myth come from that the minimum warranty period for any product is two years? Probably from clause 5 of Article 19 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights", which states that the consumer has the right to make claims about the quality of the goods within two years from the date of sale in cases where the warranty period stipulated by the contract is less than two years. But, firstly, the consumer must prove that these shortcomings or the reasons for which they appeared, arose before the purchase of the product. And, secondly, this article, as indicated in it, is valid only if the warranty period has been established for the product. If there was no guarantee, a claim within two years cannot be formally presented. But Apple makes concessions and actually gives its products a two-year warranty instead of one year.

Your MacBook Pro won't turn on? The battery has run out of charge? Or something else happened? While Apple products are of high quality and long lasting, they can also malfunction over time. LLC "Your mobile service" carries out professional warranty repair of MacBook Pro in Moscow. We are an Apple Authorized Service Center and are committed to providing you with the best possible service using manufacturer technology.

Important Warranty Information

Apple MacBook Pro warranty repair is an additional service that the manufacturer offers to its customers for one year. This program does not override consumer protection law. Thus, the user can choose between these two types of guarantee. There is also an optional AppleCare Protection Plan, which is paid separately and is valid for 3 years from the date of purchase.

Apple may be denied warranty service if:

• traces of unauthorized repairs will be found;
• a non-original charger was used;
• the user has neglected the instructions given in the operating instructions;
• Water gets inside your MacBook Pro.
• chips and other components have failed due to high voltage.

A few days ago I decided to buy myself a MacBook. At first, I searched around Avito and realized that a used MacBook Air in good condition would cost quite a lot, and no one could give any guarantees. You can remember at least this post.

Well, then I decided to look for a new laptop in stores. In the end, everything did not work out quite according to plan.

Having opened Yandex.Market, I was rather unpleasantly surprised by the prices, but what to do, the dollar exchange rate leaves much to be desired. Since I have absolutely no complete trust in Yandex.Market (he showed the new MacBook Air 13 "256gb, Early 2014 in Euroset for the amount of 50 something thousand rubles, but in fact this device has long been out of stock), I decided to search, to be sure, on the sites separately.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the MediaMarkt website! There, in addition to the list of MacBooks with prices, there were several models without prices, but with the note "The product can be purchased only in the MediaMarkt store."

So, MacBook Air 13 "256gb, Early 2014 was found in the MediaMarkt store MEGA Belaya Dacha for only 64999 rubles!

For reference

At the time of this writing, the 2014 model is hardly available anywhere, prices start at 75 thousand, and a similar 2015 model in the same store costs as much as 85k +

So I called the store and they told me the laptop was the last one in stock.
I arrived at the indicated store, where after an hour of searching (about the sluggishness of the employees of this chain of stores, you can write a separate post, but now not about that) this laptop was dug up and agreed to sell it to me.
True, the box was not sealed, to which the seller said that, probably, the laptop was previously in the window. But since the condition was clearly new, I did not object. Just in case, I clarified whether there will be an official one-year warranty. I was told that yes, of course it will be.

So I squeezed the toad and quietly bought this device.
Having arrived home and played enough with overseas equipment, I decided to check the warranty. And then disappointment awaited me:

(I have no idea what kind of strange inscriptions in an incomprehensible language appeared next to the name when checking the serial. The laptop itself is for Russia, model code MD761RU / B)

Apparently, the display case had already been activated before. And so Apple believes the warranty is over. Of course, I decided to contact Apple and MediaMarkt tech support to find out how to fix this problem.

Communication with MediaMarkt

I wrote them a request explaining the situation. I was asked to send a purchase number. A day later, a young man from support called me and said that there was no need to worry, they were not in any way worried about information from the Apple website, because their store was doing repairs during the year on its own, they only needed a check.
It is worth noting here that for some reason the serial number of my laptop is missing on the check. But I was told that this shouldn't be a problem. Well, I'll believe it for now.

Correspondence with MediaMarkt

I AM:
Good afternoon. I bought your Macbook Air (Early 2014) a couple of days ago. The device was from the showcase, since the model I needed was not left in other copies. The laptop is in a new state, but, apparently, it was activated via the Internet a long time ago (when they put it in the window), so they write on the Apple website that the warranty has already expired. What should I do? I paid a large enough amount and do not want to lose the guarantee! I ask a person who knows the topic for sure to answer, since I have repeatedly come across the fact that some employees do not understand Apple-related issues at all. Thank you.

MediaMarkt:
Good afternoon, dear Alexander.
Thank you for contacting us.

Please specify the number of your purchase. This information will help us understand the situation.

I AM:
Good afternoon.

Purchase number 408 *****

I also ask you to note that I already wrote in support in the VKontakte group, and the group administrator also asked me for the purchase number and then said that he had informed the management.
Please, somehow take this into account, so as not to upset the same question twice.

Thank you.

MediaMarkt:
Dear Alexander.
Thank you for the information provided.

We will understand the situation in detail and provide you with feedback.

According to the information we have, the store employees contacted you to resolve the issue and informed you that the guarantee is provided by the store on the basis of the sales receipt and is 1 year from the date of purchase.

If you have any additional questions, you can ask them in a reply letter or by calling the help desk of the Media Markt store.

All this, of course, calmed me down a little. But if I more or less trust the Apple authorized service center, which directly took the laptop from me, then I am already a bit afraid of taking the MacBook for repair in the store.
And yet it is very unpleasant to buy a rather expensive MacBook from an official supplier and not get an official guarantee. So I decided to contact

Apple

On the official website, when checking the warranty, there is a button "Confirm purchase date". I followed the link and sent a request to Apple.
The next day I received a letter with a request to send photos of the check, and after a while another letter came. It said that confirmation of the purchase date was denied, since, according to their information, the laptop had already been purchased and activated earlier.
I replied that I did not agree with this decision, after which I was asked to call them in order to clarify the situation.

Correspondence with Apple

Apple:
Hello Alexander!

We have received your request asking us to set a purchase date for your MacBook Air product.

In order for us to fulfill your request, we need a copy of your MacBook Air product receipt.

Please reply to this message without deleting the information below by attaching a scanned image or photo of your receipt.

Place of purchase:
Purchase date:
Purchase amount:
Product Serial Number: |
(For instructions on finding the serial number of your device, see here.)

We will continue to process your request as soon as we receive your check.

I AM:
Good afternoon.

Place of purchase: MediaMarkt, TRK MEGA-Belaya Dacha, 1st Pokrovsky proezd, 5, Moscow region.
Date of purchase: 04/01/2016
Purchase amount: 64,999 rubles
Serial number: ************

Apple:
Hello Alexander!

Thanks for contacting Apple.

We have reviewed your request, but unfortunately we are unable to update the purchase date for your MacBook Air product.

Apple's warranty begins on the date you originally purchased the product from the retail store. According to our records, the date of purchase is 05 September 2014 and the date the warranty expires is 04 September 2015.

We recommend that you contact the retailer or company that sold you your MacBook Air to verify the information on your receipt.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

I AM:
The Macbook Air I bought, as I was told in the store, was previously a display case, so it was activated earlier.

However, look at everything from the buyer's (mine) perspective.
As an end consumer, I just came to a store that is an official reseller of Apple products in Russia, and bought a laptop there, there is a receipt, everything is in order. And then it turns out that there is no guarantee for the laptop. This is not my fault.

Why can't you provide me with a warranty based on this? I bought a new laptop (it is definitely not used, it was deactivated, in the box, the number of battery charging cycles is about zero), and you say that there is no guarantee. I don't care when, who and why activated it earlier, give me my guarantee.

Thank you.

Apple:
Hello Alexander!

Thanks for contacting Apple.

After reviewing your comments, we came to the conclusion that we can more effectively solve your problem by discussing it over the phone.

On the phone, after several minutes of investigations, I was transferred to a separate specialist, who promised to try to understand the situation. To do this, I sent him photos of the check to his personal-corporate email.
They promised me to contact the American office and find out if it is possible to correct the purchase date listed in their system and give me a guarantee for my freshly purchased laptop.
Let me remind you once again that the check does not contain a serial number (thanks, MediaMarkt), so I have some doubts about the positive decision. But I, if anything, will try to succeed.
So far I am waiting for an answer.

What I want to say. Be careful with the purchase of display cases. Not only can they be plugged by visitors to the store to holes of not quite proper quality (I was lucky, I even had the number of battery cycles somewhere around zero), but also from Apple, which start counting the warranty period from the moment of the first activation , such a problem may arise.

As will be the answer from Apple, I will definitely unsubscribe here.