It became apparent a few months back that I may well be in need of a new laptop. My precious, pink Dell had become of a certain age and was starting to ‘go through the change’. My poor old laptop was suffering from over heating and the fan had started making curious, groaning noises. The battery was no longer able to recharge and so was replaced in attempt to rectify the issues and the whole machine seemed to just slow down no matter how many times it went for surgery with the resident IT Technician (my hubby). In essence, my laptop was simply ‘past it’, it even seemed to feel heavier in comparison with the ‘younger models’ now available .My haggard, old Dell no longer wished to lay upon my lap as a laptop would, instead it fancied spending time alone being a Desktop PC with constant access to juice (a power supply), not dissimilar to the customers I serve at the bar.
I have always been a Windows girl when it comes to computers, but since Windows went ‘metro’ I am just not feeling it anymore. I already own an IPhone 6 Plus and our household has two IPads. It therefore made sense to at least investigate the possibility of extending the apple brand even more so with a Mac of some sort. From the moment that I began researching the comparisons between Windows and Mac I realised that a Mac was probably going to suit my creative needs far more than a Windows machine. Unfortunately, whilst a Mac may suit my personal requirements, it seemed that it didn’t necessarily match my budget. I resigned myself to the fact that it was highly unlikely I was ever going to be able to afford or justify spending that amount of money on a laptop.
I love shopping, especially when I have the chance to bag a bargain, for these reasons I am an avid follower of the online auctioning site, Ebay. I have a ridiculous score somewhere up in the thousands purely because I cannot back down when it comes to a good old bidding war. Anyhow, I decided to have a look at the possibility of purchasing a second-hand Mac, it was then that I realised it may be possible to get hold of a Mac for far less than Apples overstated prices. I found the ideal laptop at the ideal price (a 13 inch 2015 model Macbook Pro) and decided to go for it. Paul even backed up my idea and suggested I bid up to £700 on the machine I was after to save spending over the odds through Apple.
I was over the moon the next day when I discovered that I was in the lead to win the laptop, I sat literally watching the seconds tick down to the moment it was confirmed I had won the Macbook. I then contacted the seller and he told me that he would be sending the item that weekend as he was currently working in London. His feedback assured me that he was a reputable seller with a good score and so I relaxed in the knowledge that whilst I may have just parted with the best part of £700, I would soon have my new (well new to me anyhow) Mac in my hands.
I spent every day jumping whenever the postman walked by and by Tuesday my patience had worn thin, I began to worry that perhaps it had somehow got lost in the post and so returned to the sellers profile to contact them regarding the matter. It was then that I learned the seller had cancelled my order and now had five negative feedback comments upon their profile, all of which were regarding items of great expense such as laptops and mobile phones. My heart sank and I felt sick, I realised that I was just one of many people who had been scammed.
I contacted the seller immediately to find out what he thought he was playing at but as I feared, he failed to reply. Following this I phoned Ebay to find out where I stood financially, they assured me that I would be eligible for a full refund and was covered by the buyer protection scheme, as I had the good grace to use Paypal, thank flip for that! I contacted the seller once more to let them know I wasn’t a complete idiot and that they should expect contact from eBay regarding an investigation of their fraudulent activity. I couldn’t believe the cheek of the guy, he actually asked me to cancel the order from my end to save him having to refund me!? He then sent me a realm of offensive messages when I refused to do so. Unbelievable!
In all honesty, I was upset more than annoyed. I had been so excited about getting my hands on a Mac, especially a Mac at such a small price in comparison to other online retailers. I made a decision never to use Ebay to purchase technology again and decided to consider a Windows machine after all.
That afternoon, I drove the kids into town to meet up with my good friend Denise (Hi Denise if you’re reading) for a playdate at the local soft play. I say local but as we live in the back of beyond this in reality means a forty minute drive, it’s totally worth it though purely for the sit down whilst your kids burn off some energy. The kids had great fun, whilst they were running around working up a sweat I filled Denise in on my latest news, including my internet scam woes. Denise suggested that I don’t give up and keep on looking for a Mac.
Whilst Dee went to grab some much needed refreshments, I had a quick google on my phone to see what prices Macs were going for in the local shops. It was then that I spotted PC Worlds pretty outstanding offers for refurbished laptops and perked up a bit. Perhaps I might be able to get a Mac after all, it was worth a shot surely?
Just then as I pondered upon the possibilities, my phone pinged to notify me I had received contact from Paypal. The refund which I had been told would take a few weeks had been escalated and had arrived at that very moment, far earlier than expected. I saw this to be a ‘sign’ and after some encouragement and persuasion from Denise (Yes Denise I am blaming you for what took place after soft play), I decided to pop into PC World on our way home to look into my options. I wasn’t intending on coming home with a brand spanking new 13 inch Macbook Pro, that however is precisely what I brought home.
I am really chuffed that I bit the bullet and went for the purchase after all, I managed to get a really good laptop for what I consider to be a really good price. I will admit that I spent a few hours last night umming and arring about how to carry out simple tasks such as changing my desktop wallpaper and organising my file structures, but after less than twenty-four hours I feel like I am already a convert! No longer am I ‘Little Miss Windows’, I have now graduated to ‘Mrs Macbook’ and as they say “Once you get a Mac, you don’t look back.”
16 comments
Wow. As they say in a county adjacent to my own…wel jel.
I love an apple product, so in my dreams I also have a Macbook pro. My mother in law has a tasty one, i may inherit it in her will one day, when it’s probably so old it’ll be worth nada!
I did however just treat myself to a new Lenovo…and I’m still buzzing from having a laptop that doesn’t take ten minutes to load every frame! Woop!
Thanks for linking to #coolmumclub
I love it !!! It was a bargain too 🙂
oh wow, lovely! I’m a huge apple fan and sit here typing on my mac book air which is up there as my favourite thing after my kids! Good for you, hope you enjoy all the fun things it has on offer. Sorry to hear about your bad experience, some people are just plain horrid!
mainy – myrealfairy
#fancyacoffeefriday
I love apple too! I love my MacBook :)))
Harsh ones on the scam! But I have to say I am a huge apple lover and one you’re mac…now turning back! I think you will probably find the same too now. Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub lovely x
Oh what a horrible experience but thank goodness for Paypal!! So glad you got your money back and was able to buy yourself a MacBook in the end yay! #Thank you for linking up to #fancyacoffeefriday
It was a bit of a kick in the stomach moment but thank good for eBay and PayPal saving the day!
I love ebay, and it makes me really angry when people use it to mess people around and try and scam money from them! So happy this all worked out for you in the end though and you got your shiny new MacBook! x #fancyacoffeeFriday
It hasn’t put me off eBay luckily
Ooh lovely, we used to have one and I loved it but sadly we sold it to bump up the deposit we needed for the house.. haha!!
Oh god I couldnt sell this lol
Well done. The computer sounds brilliant and it’s nice to have what you need to do better blogging etc. Good luck Rachel.
Cheers Angela, I love my Mac!
Ebay can be a nightmare with tech – even selling it! (I sold a phone a few weeks ago and the guy gave me the wrong address… it’s still somewhere in Royal Mail’s snail-like system with the cash in limbo, sigh) So glad you managed to get a refund and the macbook you wanted in the end though! I’ve never tried any apple stuff apart from the ipod, maybe when this laptop dies… 🙂 #tuesdaytreasures
I’ve given up selling anything of any value on ebay, if you’re not getting scammed by buyers inventing damage and asking for refunds, there are people who want something for nothing AND for you to deliver it to them, and then you pay a fortune in fees for the privilege! Glad it all worked out in the end for you! #TuesdayTreasures
Thanks Emilie I currently have 40 items listed with eBay so I hope this time round it all goes ok