Can I buy my company internship laptop? Will they hunt me down if I keep it?

Question

[For reference, I am currently a junior in college, so still definitely learning how to approach workplace issues.] I wrapped up an extended summer internship this past March, and I have unintentionally been holding on to the laptop I received, just because the latter end of the semester was especially taxing, and returning my laptop wasn't exactly on the forefront of my mind.

In my last few weeks at the company, my boss (who was actually leaving the same date as me) had CC'd me in an email with HR explaining my termination, as well as asking for details on how to return my laptop. HR had emailed back noting my termination date, but didn't address anything in regards to returning the technology. I recognize that it's definitely on me that I had not followed up, but again, I was swamped with school, and frankly, just happy that I wouldn't be dealing with work anymore. I remember when the summer internship program was ending, our internship recruiters had given instructions as to how to return the laptops, but promptly after ending my internship, I had been locked out of all my emails, so I couldn't refer back.

My family has seen no issue with my not returning the laptop, insisting if the company wanted it, they would follow up, which I agree with. However now, my mother has been asking if she can use the laptop for her own personal uses, and I'm concerned that they'll be able to track me or I'll get in trouble (old Quora questions have been making claims that I could get sued for holding onto this, which I obviously would love to avoid.) The laptop is really lovely (a 2020 Macbook Pro, I believe), but definitely has company software on it, as I remember a terminal-base thing that was preloaded into the laptop that would link straight to any company pages that were necessary.

Do you think it would be crazy to just email IT and ask if I could buy the laptop off of them or if this would be outrageously expensive? Or would we be able to continue using the laptop until [insert anxiety-inducing scenario here]. I'm thinking it would be best to just email IT asking how to return it, but I know my mother would be extremely disappointed and my family would call me overdramatic for being anxious about this, but just wanted to get outside opinions.

Answer 1

You should definitely contact the company you had your internship with, remind them that you still have their laptop and ask how to return it. It is company equipment so the ownership is theirs and holding onto it when no longer working for said company could end badly for you.

They probably have some list of devices in their ownership and sooner or later they will take inventory. Best case is they will just contact you and ask for its return.

What your family is encouraging is theft.

It is also worth adding that if you let other people use it, you are essentially letting outside people onto company equipment and if they find that out it could get a lot worse as it might be possible to get hold of things only company employees should see.

Answer 2

You should promptly contact the company to ask for ways to return the laptop as soon as possible. You should have returned that laptop on your last day of work.

Please pick up the phone now (today), and call HR, or the hiring manager, or recruiter, or the IT department. Some of them will definitely point you to the right person to return the laptop.

In addition to making the phone call, you can also send them an email to have a paper trail in case they accuse you of intentionally not returning the laptop. But, emails tend to be slow or can even get lost. So, make sure you call first, and send a follow-up email if necessary.

This MacBook Pro laptop is expensive. But, even if they had given you a cheap laptop, you should have still returned it ASAP as this is a matter of being professional and responsible.

The longer you keep it, the more likely the company may have unfavorable opinion about you. If they have to track you down to ask for the return of this laptop, they may not even want to offer you the second term of internship the next time.

Answer 3

Since the other answers thoroughly answer the "can I just keep it?" question, I'll address this part instead:

Do you think it would be crazy to just email IT and ask if I could buy the laptop off of them or if this would be outrageously expensive?

The resale value of the laptop probably won't be the sticking point. Rather, I'd imagine it will be the company's willingness or ability to do it at all.

At the companies I've worked for (past and present), doing something like this is usually incredibly difficult. Most companies, certainly those big enough to take interns and have IT departments, just don't have processes in place to execute the retail sale of depreciable assets. They have to work out the sale price, how to collect money from you, how much sales tax to collect and how to report it, and probably numerous other things.

One you get past the mechanics of the sale itself, you also have to consider the software installed on it. Your company may have installed third-party software that is tied to enterprise licensing that they can't easily (or even legally) transfer to you. It might also contain proprietary data that you're no longer entitled to possess. Even if they can sell it to you, they would probably need to first have it returned to them in order to wipe it and restore it to factory defaults.

There's also the practical matter of who actually owns the laptop. Lots of companies lease their laptop and desktop fleets. The laptop issued to you may in fact be leased, and therefore not the property of your company and not theirs to sell.

Answer 4

The laptop may have controlling software that they can use to block it.

I know of a case where a company executive kept the iPad they had been issued with. Refused to return it over the course of several emails - even told the person in IT who controlled the issuing of devices that they don't have authority over them.

IT shut the device down and the exec was furious :) Got returned eventually. Exec is on the list of "never employ again".

Answer 5

It's their laptop.

If you do anything to actively conceal that you have their laptop, that could turn it into theft or fraud. For example, if they ask you to return the laptop and you lie that you returned it six months ago.

Your contract may contain duties that you have after leaving the company. For example to return all company property (or destroy any information, paperwork etc. in your possession that doesn't have actual value, except it could cause damage). And if the company doesn't know where the laptop is and who has it, it might be legally lost property, and you would have to do reasonable steps to return it to the owner.

Apart from that, it is likely up to the company to pick it up.

Answer 6

TL;DR

One way or another, the laptop must be returned into the company's possession so that they can securely wipe it.

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It sounds like your family is sabotaging your professionalism. From a professional standpoint, your number one priority is to return the laptop, period.

You can certainly ask whether buying the laptop from the company is a possibility.

You can send an email but preferably you should call. Either way, start your conversation like this:

Hi,

I completed my internship in March but was never given instruction on how to return the company laptop, can you help me with this?

If it helps and is a possibility then I would be interested in buying the laptop from the company.

Sincerely, Danielle

(555) 555-5555

If you and your family have been using it for personal reasons then get your files/data off of the laptop if you wish to save it.

Answer 7

You probably won't be sued - but they could report the laptop as stolen (the computer will be listed as an asset, there should be a record somewhere that it was issued to you and there will not be a record that you returned it), and you'd still be in trouble. If there's company installed software on there, then there's also the problem of licences and so on. Just because the company hasn't followed up on it, there's no guarantee that they won't.

Your best course is to approach the company, explain what happened and apologise. You could ask about buying it, but a second hand 2020 MacBook Pro isn't cheap, and they would also have to buy a new replacement themselves.

Either way - make sure you get some evidence from them that you returned or purchased it.

Answer 8

It is pretty much possible that the company would give off the computer or sell it off for a small price.

A lot of companies have a policy to give only brand new stuff to their employees. If this is the case, they have nothing to do with returned laptops/phones/etc except to dispose off them in one way or another (e.g. selling them to some refurbrishing/recycling business at a minor price).

This is why some companies simply write off the items given to employees when they leave.

On the other hand Definitely don't assume this is the case until you get it confirmed in written or spoken form.

There are a great deal of companies erring to the other side: WHERE IS THE PENCIL YOU GOT FROM THE COMPANY STORE BACK IN 1973 AND WHY YOU DIDN'T RETURN IT AFTER IT BEING USED UP? IT HAS A BALANCE SHEET COST OF $1.60 AND YOU OWE THIS $1.60 WITH THE PROPER INTEREST RATE FOR 49 YEARS APPLIED.

Answer 9

Forgetting to return your Laptop is not a crime, because as most crimes the crime in question (theft) requires intent. But keeping it can definitely considered as crime, depending on jurisdiction. Also the company might not be legally allowed to give or sell the device (also depending on situation and jurisdiction). If the company buys the device as company property it might get tax benefits. But this binds the property to be used as company property for some amount of time. Within this time it could even be against tax legislation for the company to sell you the device.

So the best thing to do would be to contact the company, tell them you’ve forgotten to return the Laptop and ask them where to return it. The company will probably care little about this delay.

Most likely if you held on to the laptop you won’t get sued, but if you are (and if they are able to prove that you intentfully kept the laptop) you will have a criminal record, which will make getting a job in the future much harder. If your mother wants to use a Laptop for private purposes she can easily obtain one legally without you having to incriminate yourself for her.

Answer 10

Check your contract

Most likely your contract explicitly instructs you to return any company equipment upon termination.
There'll also be a bunch of language around not using the equipment for non-work purposes (social media being a common example these days)

You undoubtedly need to return it.
You hanging onto a company laptop is a security-breach, especially if you have any sensitive info on it (such as VPN access to the company systems)

I would send IT/HR an email and query what you should do with it. Most likely they'll ask you to swing by and drop it off, but if you're too far away they may spring for a courier for you.

They'll most likely just be glad you reached out to return their property.

Answer 11

I agree that you'll almost certainly have to return it.

To add something else that no one else has mentioned yet, I know that some companies I have worked for will eventually just pass the value of the laptop on to a debt collection company, and have the debt collection company chase you for the money.

If this was to happen it would likely affect your credit scores and stuff, which you probably don't want to happen.

Answer 12

@JamesSneeringer Have Already posted good answer according Can I buy? part but I would like to extend even further.

Some big tech companies sometimes sell their old equipment that is terminated from the usage. Even if a company implements such a procedure into practice, it certainly won't be the same computer. It probably would be some old model with completely wiped-out software along with operating system. Sometimes they just remove hard disk out of place in order to shred it mechanically to make thinks easier for them.

You have to return it anyway to let them protect their intellectual property (both their direct products/information and 3rd party software licenses)

Against other answers I would recommend not to ask if you can buy it! If I was born as a tech lead/HR officer, after hearing such a question I would assume that my ex-intern have just done something extraordinarily irrational to the equipment. I would then assume that some company asset as information is in danger and I would implement appropriate company policies about that instant. (to wipe it out remotely probably)

Edit

When I was working in a previous company, I managed to buy an old computer from them. It was done through some kind of lottery and it was exclusive for current employees only. You couldn't just point out a specific machine an say 'I take this one'. You had to put x in a spreadsheet on machines you would be interested in and maybe you would be chosen in the lottery.

It was an old machine from before 8 years. The disk was already clean so I had to install some old Windows on it to make it work properly.

My current employer does not sell them but grants them to poor schools or to nurseries instead.

Answer 13

Several answers emphasize that you can't just keep the laptop without mentioning it, so I'm going to give a bit of advice about strategy to maybe get what you want.

First, you should remind them that you have the laptop before they come calling you. This clarifies that you aren't trying to steal it.

Second, "ask and you shall receive". Directly and politely ask if you could buy the laptop for a nominal price, say, $100. You know it might theoretically bring them more than that at some kind of surplus sale (you'll say), but this would save them the trouble of disposing of it, and would be a favor greatly appreciated by you, very useful in your studies.

Here's some example text:

Dear [office manager],

How have you been? I just finished up my final exams and am about to head home for the summer. Before I leave town, I want to remind you that I still have the laptop you issued me last year, and no one told me where/how to return it. I was wondering, if you don't have plans to issue it to someone else, would it be possible for me to buy it from the company for a nominal fee, say $100? I know that's not the full market value of it, but it would be a really great help for me in my university studies, and would save you the trouble of disposing of it. Please let me know either way!

All the best,

Danielle

I have made such a request at a former employer, and it was granted. The $100 was nowhere near the value of my equipment but (1) every employee got a new computer when hired, so they couldn't re-use the stuff and (2) the process of wiping, re-inventorying, packing and shipping and selling at surplus sale is a hassle for a busy office manager, and really doesn't yield much of a payback for that hassle. You are offering them a way of saving the trouble while doing a good deed for a college student. Ask humbly, so they can really feel good about themselves for granting the request.