Plug icon over battery and when plugged in, not charging!

It is really hard to diagnose a device with an unknown history as there are so many unknowns.

Apple introduced Optimized Charging a few years ago. This exercises the battery and will sometimes cause the battery to drain or charge just to 80% or so. This will leave the plug symbol on the battery icon. If you click on the battery icon it should have a "Resume charging" option. See this Apple article for details:

About Optimized Battery Charging - Apple Support

There could also be a hardware issue with one of the laptop's USB-C ports or perhaps even the Logic Board or Battery. You can try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. Unfortunately the diagnostics rarely report issues so a passing diagnostic result doesn't mean much....a failing report is the only result that is actually informative & meaningful.

FYI, did you perform a clean install of macOS by erasing the disk followed by installing macOS after you purchased the laptop to make sure you have a factory fresh OS? The instructions for this are included in Step#6 in the Apple article I'm linking below for preparing the computer for sale or disposal.

Also, if you do return the laptop, then make sure you perform all the steps listed in the following Apple article for getting rid of an Apple computer:

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

Only you can decide whether you should return the laptop. Buying a pre-owned device of any sort is always risky even when you know the person selling the device.

DesssATron wrote:

Hello,

I have a MacBook Pro 13" that shows a plug icon over the battery icon. Is there a way to change this display or does it mean something certain? When I plug in the charger, it either won't work in any of the ports or it'll take around 30secs until it starts to charge. I've bought 3 chargers thinking the chargers were the problem, but could it be the ports or am I the problem & is everything is normal?

When the plug icon pops up I think it's telling me to charge the laptop but when I plug in the charger, it says "Battery Is Not Charging". I've tried both restarting and shutting down the device in different ways and each time I turn it back on, the same issues ensues. Not to mention multiple times the computer would die, be plugged in at least an hour before I attempt to turn it on, then the black screen with the empty battery pops up with the lighting under it & the black screen would stay there for hours while being plugged in.

Again, is the products the problem or it is me? I also have a MacBook Air 13" and when I compare the 2, I feel like the Pro dies faster then it should but the "Battery Health" says normal in the settings.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?!

P.S. I will admit I got the Pro refurbished through Walmart because paying in full through Apple was too much money & Walmart offers monthly payments and I've only had the laptop for a week. Should I return the Walmart Pro and just pay Apple or keep what Walmart gave me and just get things fixed?

On an Intel mac—

Try resetting the System Management Controller Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

On an M1/M2/M3 mac—

A SafeBoot Use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

Learn how to optimize the life of the battery in your Mac notebook, fix battery issues, and get service.

If you see Service Recommended on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro - Apple Support