I don’t see how this changes the calculus. Presumably the parent knew this when they bought the laptop. People buy cars that are stupidly expensive to repair all the time. Just because the cost of ownership of a Honda Civic is lower than a Mercedes doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna go with the Honda.

If it works like iOS and just flashes a warning then I don’t see the issue. The self-check thing is invaluable when buying used devices.