TL;DR

The story: I needed a very basic MacBook for program testing and application reviews. Because of this specific use-case, the system needs to be from 2014 and above. And since I wasn't ready to splash a huge sum for a system I'll barely use only a few times quarterly (or whenever the review request comes), I set my budget to between 280k to 325k (or 350k at most), which should be enough for a foreign used 2014/2015 MacBook.

Not knowing that the popular 'wuruwuru' sharp practices of Alaba and computer village has found their way to the Garrison market, I set out to shop confidently, hoping to get a good bargain at the end of the day. Now, the unfortunate thing for me was the position of this shop (Mega Vision Computers, Ogbunabali, Port Harcourt). It's sitting at number 1 Aguma Street, which made it the very first shop I started my search with.

According to them, they have a 2014/2015 MacBook pro, and the price was well within my set budget of 300k. This was like "a prayer answered" to me, but I didn't just buy it outrightly but went to 3 other shops to make inquiries. Out of the 3 other shops, 2 have the same model within my set budget, while the pricing of the other person was much higher than the market average. I returned back to Mega Vision to pick his (and was offered a 10k discount).

Unlike the other 2, Mega Vision's PC wasn't showing the year and I complained about it bitterly, letting him know it's of huge importance to me. He assured me of the year, that it's a 2014/2015 system, and they can always make amends if it ends up not being the case. So I Paid and took my leave.

It was barely 4 hours after I left his shop I discovered that the meager-resourced PC is a 2013 MacBook and not 2015 as they insinuated. I notified them of this, and they promised to get the right model that I should give them a little time. When they finally got back to me, it was with a different story. The story was that I need to bring 380k as the model they brought is 2015 and not 2014. I took the bait, hoping to price it down to 350 or 360 at most. On getting to their shop, I realized it was another 2013 MacBook he brought.

I challenged him to take back his PC and refund me but he'd have none of it. Seeing the many red flags (and being one that's knowledgeable about these sharp and fraudulent practices), I sought for ways to minimize my losses by offering him to take 20k (or slightly more) and refund me the rest, but he insisted that he has used the money to order for new products and that the only time I will get a refund is whenever he sells the one I returned (which is always never going to work - as it is with tricksters).

How can you order new products with it when I left your shop in the evening and complained not more than 4 hours after I left your shop, I asked! But he returned my questions with abuses, reminding me of his 'God-status' as long as Ogbunabali market is concerned. When I insisted on taking action, he warned me to either drop the system & wait for a refund only whenever he sells it or go ahead and do my worst.

Now, being left with a few options, I thought of involving the market head (not existing at the moment), using force men, or bowing to his whims and caprices. While still reflecting on these thoughts, he came up with another option: that he had seen a 2014 MacBook from his neighbor, and that I should collect it for 380k.

How can a 2014 MacBook be 300k on Monday, and now 31% higher simply because I asked for a refund, I asked! He replied with the "every seller has his own price" phrase. Well, the idea looks better than leaving him with my money and the system. So, I kindly asked him to allow me to pick from any of the other stores or even the particular one I sent him by text. He replied with insults and name-calling (some are captured in the attached screenshot), reminding me that I'm childish and stupid and that he's only trying to help me.

Well, I had no option other than to ACCEPT MY L in peace, pay the extra money, have my peace, and cross anything that sounds like Mega Vision, Mega darkness, Mega fraudster, and its derivative from my list of places to shop in Ogbunabali market.

Even at this last point of our transaction, he maliciously swapped the 256GB storage on the 2014 Mac (forgetting that he told me the storage size earlier) and replaced it with the 128GB storage on the one I returned. When I confronted him about it, he denied it vehemently, until I showed him the clear pointers, before he reluctantly agreed and place back the 256GB storage.

So, in the end, he came out the victor, while I took ill (after crossing the Bonny Sea more than 4 times, with rain beating me in most of them). Still yet, I ended up with a shiny MacBook with a defective trackpad.

Now, will I want someone else to go through this traumatic experience? Never! Hence, my next thread on the Top 8 Checklist for Buying a Used MacBook in Nigeria.

Pesin wey una suppose put call on top hin head, ambush, beat the shit out of him. Tie him naked inside bush and leave him to die.
No bagar can try such nonsense with me.

I don't know how you people make money so easily and waste it so quickly and more easily in this hard times. With just 250k, you will still get a good machine from genuine dealers that will serve your purpose or even much more better. I can't tolerate a fraudster to swindle me just like that without me bringing mobile police to drag his ass out in the full glare of the whole market even if it will cost me to pay double of the product's price to the police.

kernniejay:
I don't know how you people make money so easily and waste it so quickly and more easily in this hard times. With just 250k, you will still get a good machine from genuine dealers that will serve your purpose or even much more better. I can't tolerate a fraudster to swindle me just like that without me bringing mobile police to drag his ass out in the full glare of the whole market even if it will cost me to pay double of the product's price to the police.

Trust me, I was shocked with the whole deceit, and all the contacts on my list are very far from this location.