I recently purchased a Mac Mini on eBay and everything was fine until a few months in when it started showing a "Remote Management" screen indicating it's managed by MARS INC. I reached out to MARS, but they weren't helpful at all. When I called Apple for support, the advisor told me there's nothing they can do about their own device! This is really frustrating. If anyone else is dealing with a similar issue or has suggestions on how to resolve this, please share your thoughts. I'm at a loss and this has been going on for weeks!
4 Answers
This is primarily an issue with Mars—it’s not Apple’s fault. Mars should remove the device from their management, but it sounds like they’re not willing to help. I suggest trying to set up the Mac offline to see if you can bypass the setup without being able to connect to the network. Also, reporting the purchase to eBay as stolen might help.
It sounds like your Mac Mini might have been stolen or just not properly released from Mars' control after it was sold. Since Mars manages the device, they won't want to remove it from their system. Unfortunately, Apple isn't able to help without proof of ownership. Your best bet might be to file a police report against the person who sold you the Mac on eBay for selling stolen property.
Just to add on, if you confirm it was reported stolen, you can consider telling your credit card company to dispute the charge. This could potentially help you get your money back since you purchased what was essentially stolen property.
I wouldn't jump to conclusions about it being stolen right away. I've had devices that were supposed to be removed from management still show MDM prompts. Try contacting Mars' IT department directly again, sometimes they can help track down the issue. In the future, it's safer to buy secondhand from places that offer a guarantee, especially for Apple products.
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