Mac store sold me a Chinese computer and sold me Apple Care for a different computer

On September 30, I flew from my home in Costa Rica where there are no Mac stores, and took my laptop in for service at a Mac store in Michigan. 

An associate advised me that my laptop would need to be sent somewhere else for service. 

I needed a computer for work, and could not wait the weeks it would take to service, so I bought a new one from the store, along with Apple Care, while they sent my old laptop away.

I have been traveling on vacation, and haven’t used the new computer much until today, when I received an email that said I only had 14 more days to add Apple Care to my new machine. 

This was confusing, because I did buy Apple Care at the time of my purchase. 

I looked under “About My Mac”, and the serial number from my receipt doesn’t match the laptop that the store sold me. 

Furthermore, as I started to type, I realized that I have Chinese or Japanese characters printed on my keyboard. 

I don’t know how to work this keyboard; every few minutes when I hit the caps lock bar it starts to type in Chinese or Japanese.

I spent my morning, instead of doing the things that I needed to do, on the phone with Apple Support. 

After 3 hours of speaking to different people, they told me that I need to get in touch with the store I bought the computer from. 

I called the store and was told that a manager wasn’t available to speak with me. 

I assume that you can understand how upset I am and what a difficult position I’m in now. 

I have a laptop that is typing Chinese characters much of the time, I’m in Costa Rica where there are no Apple stores, and I need a laptop that works. 

(We don’t have addresses here and in general it’s quite a challenge to send and receive get mail). 

I can't figure out how to turn the Chinese keyboard off - I have Googled it and tried everything but it’s still happening. 

More than anything, I would like to experience some level of support from Apple in this issue, as I have so far only experienced frustration and wasted time. 

This is not my mistake, it is Apple's, and yet I feel I’m the one paying the price, and still have not been able to speak to anyone who seems to care about resolving this.



MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 15, 2023 4:30 PM

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7 replies

Oct 15, 2023 7:07 PM in response to KCSKCS

<< I realized that I have Chinese or Japanese characters printed on my keyboard.  >>


if the keyboard you received has only Roman letters embossed on the key caps, it is not a Chinese keyboard.


Mac Keyboards are the same internally, world-wide. There is no such internal difference between keyboards -- that is all done in


system preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources ...

Just select US English or Spanish and you are done.


EDIT: Tom Gewecke's excellent answer was not present when I started composing, and what I posted was not intended to contract what he wrote.

Oct 15, 2023 5:07 PM in response to KCSKCS

KCSKCS wrote:

On September 30, I flew from my home in Costa Rica where there are no Mac stores, and took my laptop in for service at a Mac store in Michigan. 
An associate advised me that my laptop would need to be sent somewhere else for service. 
I needed a computer for work, and could not wait the weeks it would take to service, so I bought a new one from the store, along with Apple Care, while they sent my old laptop away.


This is not my mistake, it is Apple's, and yet I feel I’m the one paying the price, and still have not been able to speak to anyone who seems to care about resolving this.



An you contacted the store where the purchase was made...


AppleCare+ serial number is different then a Computers serial number.


Check your coverage

My Support - Official Apple Support


you have a limited 14 days for an exchange or refund for any reason—see Returns & Refunds Order status

Only items that have been purchased directly from Apple, either online or at an Apple Retail Store


Returns & Refunds - Shopping Help - Apple




Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

or on line https://getsupport.apple.com/


or call AppleCare Support at 1-800-APLCARE (800-275-2273)


Outside the USA—Contact Apple for support and service by phone

See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support





Oct 15, 2023 9:14 PM in response to KCSKCS

KCSKCS wrote:

do have Chinese characters printed on the keys. Pic attached.

Yes, that is the keyboard called "Chinese Pin Yin". It is essentially the same as the standard US keyboard, but has those symbols on the Caps Lock key, because Caps Lock is the most common way to switch between Chinese and English. The two symbols are the first characters of the Chinese words for Chinese and English.

Oct 16, 2023 1:29 PM in response to KCSKCS

KCSKCS wrote:

they asked, "so you're saying you did not buy that computer in china?"

Whoever asked was probably unaware that Apple routinely sells machines in the US with over a dozen non-US keyboards, including Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, French, German, etc. I would imagine that getting one of these by mistake at a retail store is pretty unusual. Perhaps some customer had ordered it specially and now is wondering what the store did with it....


I would be curious what the part number is on the box


MacBook Language Keyboard Codes - Apple Community


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Mac store sold me a Chinese computer and sold me Apple Care for a different computer

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