Help... please...Is there a way that Apple can reinstall IOS?

You need to call Apple support at the appropriate number on that knowledge base article I cited since the retail version of Snow Leopard will not install on your MacBook Pro. If they can confirm that your MBP came with Snow Leopard, then they can arrange for a machine-specific disk to be sent to you (I think the fee is around $16 US). If the machine came with Lion isntalled, we need to then talk about your next step.

That sounds like the reason you are being blocked from the install, the previous owner installed Lion so you do not own it and cannot install it. If the machine was purchased with Snow Leopard, then the previous owner was oblicgated under the Use Agreement to provide you with the install disks.

The model number encompasses a lot of different machines. Look at the serial number on the bottom of the machine. We don't need the whole thing... if there are eleven "digits" (counting any letters as digits) in the number, give us the last three. If there are twelve, give us the last four.

The issue here is that we need to know exactly what system that machine should have shipped with in order to advise you further. You will need to obtain the original install disks if it shipped with a system older than Lion (Mac OS X 10.7).

One thing you can also try is holding down command-option-R at startup. This forces it to start up in internet recovery mode, meaning it will boot from Apple's servers. (You'll know you're in internet recovery mode if a globe appears on a gray screen at startup.) If it insists on an Apple ID and password in this mode, then the machine did not ship with Lion or later.

The A1286 should be a 15" MBP built in 2011

From what I'm seeing at the link below, that model number can match machines ranging from 2008 all the way up to 2012...

http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=A1286

Hopefully that's correct, but if they had you purchase a retail copy of Snow Leopard for $20, that won't work if your machine shipped with a system newer than 10.6.3. Machines that came with 10.6.4 through 10.6.8 installed cannot boot from the retail disk. You would need a replacement for the original disks.

Also, replacements for those original disks would be the only way you could get the iLife suite. That doesn't come with the retail disk.

You are very welcome...but as Thomas says, and I also said a couple posts previous, you will have problems installing from the retail 10.6.3 disk if the machine shipped with a later version of Snow Leopard...if the install stops and says it cannot install on this volume or machine, you need to call Apple back and explain they had you buy the wrong version of Snow Leopard and you need the machin-specific version.

But you are on the road now to straightening this out.