PSA: Mac Mini 2018 has literally just been made “Vintage” by Apple yesterday. So good timing, lol!
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As the final step (just to round out the thread), I sent the computer back using the Apple-provided packaging. There were some glitches with FedEx and Apple’s web site reporting the status, but it otherwise worked well.
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I dropped off the package at a local Walgreens store, which accepts FedEx packages on a Thursday afternoon. But for some inexplicable reason, FedEx never picked it up from them. The tracking number said it was still at Walgreens on Monday afternoon.
I drove over there on Tuesday and found the package still sitting in the FedEx out-box pile. The store manager had no clue, since there were several pick-ups over the weekend. I was able to convince the manager to release it back to me. I brought it over to a FedEx Office store (a mile away) and dropped it off there. It was picked up soon afterward and started its journey to Apple’s trade-in partner (a CTDI warehouse in Jeffersonville, Indiana).
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It arrived at CTDI on Thursday and soon afterward, the trade-in status on Apple’s web page changed to “received by trade-in partner”. But on Friday, the status changed back to “please send in your device”.
Needless to say, that got me worried. Did they lose it or something? I called Apple’s support phone number and spoke with a chat-bot. It said that the trade-in status was “received”. The web site still said otherwise, but I decided to just wait. If the database used by the chat-bot says it was received, then it’s probably just a web site problem.
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A few business days later (Tuesday), I got an e-mail from Apple saying that the trade-in was approved. The web-site status now reflected that. A few hours later, I saw a pending credit on my card.
Surprisingly, the credit was higher than expected. The appraised value (from the initial web-survey) was $165. The amount credited to my card was $174.90. I’m not complaining, but I was surprised.
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And today (a Friday), I see that the credit has posted for the $174.90 amount.
What will Apple do with it, if they are no longer selling refurbished 2018 minis? I don’t know, but I suspect they will refurbish individual parts and use them for repair service, since the model is “vintage” and will therefore be serviced until parts run out.
I just hope they thoroughly test any part that doesn’t get recycled, since something (I suspect either the flash memory or the T2) is flaky. But it’s their problem now.
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