Beware of Open Box Apple Products (Activation Lock nightmare)
I recently purchased an Open Box Macbook. I turned it on, set it up, and started to use it. Afterward, I noticed that Find My was turned off. I tried to turn it on, and lo and behold, it was activation locked to the previous customer.
This is a nightmare situation, and I'm not the only one on Reddit posting about this.
#1. There is apparently a bug that allows you to Erase All Content and Settings, and after you enter your password to detach it from your iCloud account, it fails. However, it will still erase your MacBook, and allow the MacBook to activate and show the initial setup screen. I completed this on my Mac mini, checked my iCloud device list, and it was still listed. I'm not sure how this happens, but my experience is that it's possible.
#2. Best Buy's system is supposed to protect against activation locked devices and refuse the return. There must be a glitch in the system or a way for the activation lock to be reactivated after the return... That said, don't count on that glitch benefiting you.
#3. Best Buy's default response is that you need to request the activation lock to be removed by Apple. This can take an indefinite amount of time, and Apple employees have indicated mixed information about success rates. Some people online said that only the original purchase receipt will suffice, not the open box receipt. Others said that any Best Buy receipt with the Serial # will suffice. I do not know for certain but you don't want to be in this situation.
#4. After multiple days of talking to everyone under the sun, a supervisor found someone that knew a work around to force the return through. This doesn't seem to be a process most supervisors know about. I had to beg and plead for them to find a way. The email address matched the former customer's name, so it was extremely clear I had not caused the activation lock. Otherwise they were insisting it could not have been activation locked when they sold it to me, because the previous customer would have been prevented from returning it. Obviously, this was not true.
#5. If you have a Time Machine backup of an activation locked device, DO NOT restore from your Time Machine backup. I understand this will cause the activation lock to be restored as well.
#6. Inspect all Open Box devices before you purchase them. I looked at another Open Box device during the exchange, and when the manager opened it so I could inspect the device, the charging cable was missing and the device was at the Disk Utility screen in an unactivated state. The WIFI network list was not loading, so there was obviously no way of knowing if it was activation locked. The manager sent it back to Geek Squad. There are obviously quality control issues with Open Box Apple devices, and you should count on it being difficult to return, even if it wasn't your fault.
#7. As frustrating as it is, if you end up in this situation, be kind to everyone you interact with. There's no need in making an enemy. The employees you speak with are probably not the people who caused the problem, but if you are kind and persistent, it is possible to find someone capable of helping you.
TLDR; Beware of Best Buy Open Box Apple Devices. It is possible for a device to be activation locked ,even if you see the initial Set Up screen when it is turned on. Returns are a nightmare if the product is activation locked, so check ahead of time. You can check under System Information to be sure the product is not activation locked.