Business ProfileforMacs at Work, Inc.

I had update my 2014 MacBook Air which resulted in the system crashing and kicking up the firmware lock. I called apple support and they said the service to reset the firmware password was free, however, I would need original proof of purchase. I expressed to the customer rep that I am not the original owner of the laptop and therefore have no way to furnish the document necessary for the firmware password reset. Apple support mentioned I would need to seek a third party assistance and would have to pay to get these issues resolved. Apple support created an appointment with Mac's At Work for me. The admin from Mac's at work contacted me and asked what information I can provide in regards to authenticity. I found this process peculiar as I am sure that she is aware that if I had the proof of purchase it would be a free service covered by apple. I went to my appointment, got asked tons of personal information, such as; where did I buy the Mac, from Who, where I live, what the password should be in the event they resolve my issue and need to check for authenticity/ and any supporting evidence that I was using this Mac as its rightful owner. I was charged a $75 evaluation fee which I thought was very strange as I was there for a particular service. I get a call back the next day saying they are not able to fix my issue and that I have to go to apple with the proof of purchase which they know I do not have. Why charge me this evaluation fee just to tell me what apple support told me in the beginning? Why did apple support send me to a third party if they knew third parties won't be able to fix this issue? This is a highly unethical and unreasonable charge. Now I have a MacBook that will not work, I can't do anything about it apparently. And I'm out $75 because "administrative and technician fee's". I expressed my concerns to Mac's At Work over the phone before driving 40 minutes to get a "im sorry you're out of luck" response.

This was our message to the customer which was emailed to him on 01/20/2022 after exhausting much of our time and resources trying to resolve his problems through our consultations with Apple on his behalf and repeated attempts to communicate Apple's detailed requirements with the customer (which had also previously been explained to him prior to his scheduling an appointment with us, at which time he claimed to have the necessary documentation):

Hello Kenny,
Just to clarify, Macs At Work is not the Apple Store nor are we a third party. We are an Authorized Apple Service Provider that is subject to Apple's rules and regulations. We attempted to use the receipt which you recently provided via email and presented it to Apple Service Managers in the hope that they would accept it as proof of purchase but they did not consider what you had provided as acceptable proof. We went above and beyond to go to bat for you on this matter and argued your case that this was all that you had to prove that you had purchased the device from someone else who had made the purchase online, (who apparently is also not the original owner). Unfortunately, despite our efforts Apple would not budge in this matter. I am willing to offer you a courtesy discount of $20 off of the $75 you paid for our time and effort, but I cannot refund the entire amount, and shipping devices back to our customers is not part of our service.

Our pick up times are between 12pm and 4pm Monday thru Friday. When you come in to pick up your device I will process the credit for you.

Kind Regards,
The Macs At Work Team