Trade-In Macbook Pro Mysteriously Shows Up in Find My Device and Apple Account Two Weeks After Trade-In Is Completed

In January 2026, I did what I thought was a factory reset of my 2017 Macbook Pro using Disk Utility with an Apple Tech over the phone for the purposes of trading it in for Apple Account (AA) credit. I followed the prompts of the technician over the phone until the erase procedure was completed. After the completion, I asked the tech whether I needed to remove the Macbook from my Apple Account and/or Find My app and she said something to the effect that the Macbook Pro is automatically removed from your Apple Account once you do a factory reset. Unfortunately, I believed her only to discover later that it had not been removed. 

I originally had applied for the trade-in program online with the intention of mailing it in, but then, I decided to take the laptop to an Apple Store in New York City for the trade-in. Without checking Find My and my Apple Account to see if the laptop had been removed, I dropped off my Macbook at the Apple Store Grand Central in New York City. I received the credit to my Apple Account immediately on the spot at the Apple Store. I checked my Apple Wallet where my AA credit balance was visible so I assumed that the trade-in process had been completed and the serial number of my Macbook recorded as having been traded-in. 

But then a week or so later, I received an email that Apple is still waiting to receive the trade-in Macbook Pro. Within the same few days, I discovered that my Macbook Pro was still showing up on my Find My and under my Apple Account under the name that I had given to that Macbook. Why had the name of the Macbook not been erased during the factory reset? I could see the location of my Macbook in Miami Lakes, FL. It seemed like someone was already using it, but did not change its name nor did Apple remove it from my Apple Account. I called Apple and the man on the phone said he could handle the trade-in and record the laptop as having been traded in. He then transferred me to a tech who was clearly incompetent because she “helped” me remove the device from my Find My—something I already knew how to do that. But she did not and could not address the more crucial question as to how it was not disconnected from my account once I gave it to Apple. How did Apple sell a used laptop, but fail to remove it from my Apple Account? This is ownership issue that Apple should have done its due diligence for. She also did not remove it from my Apple Account, but only from Find My Device. A few days later, I discovered that whoever had my Macbook Pro had attached a Roku TV, Sony Android device, and AirPods to my Apple Account. How is this possible without my password? I have changed my password. Was the Macbook stolen from Apple? Why did Apple not have my laptop as a traded-in item? It did not make any sense. I was able to remove those devices from my Account, but how was it possible for anyone to add my device in the first place? The over-the-phone tech displayed a lack of concern of the broader systemic security issues and appeared not to understand how these issues are the result of inexplicable security breaches. The whole situation is baffling to me. 

I would appreciate intelligent, constructive feedback and some easy ways to find a Apple Tech whose expertise is in this area. I no longer trust the Apple techs that I get over the phone. They’re grossly incompetent. I’ve been an Apple user for more than 30 years and I’ve never incurred these types of issues before. Apple techs used to be highly knowledgeable and reliable.