Michael Wynne Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 So after dropping myi iPhone 4 and watching it bounce at least a few times on concrete steps, i damaged the audio input hardware inside the phone ( which I find ironic ) . So after trying some work arounds it became clear to me that I would need to do the dreaded trip to the apple store where apparently service is no longer necessary, because there is an app for that too. On arrival, the gentleman in the blue shirt who was inquiring about my visit informed me that I could exchange it buy purchasing at a reduced rate. I said great lets do it, and he said i would need to make an appointment, and I could make that appointment on an a app on my phone. I said well why don't we just do it now and he informed me once again that I would need an appointment. Never mind as i looked around there were at least six employees standing around with clip boards. It became apparent to me then that these guys were not customer service associates, they are in fact apple product and policy informants and enforcers designed to move you along in the appropriate direction. And since I drank the macintosh koolaid, many years ago. I'll be back on Sunday at noon once again giving them my business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Haven't used an Apple product since the late 80's, other than my iPod, which is gathering dust for the past year. Never felt the magic, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrider Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 I don't care for the way Apple does business. I own only one Apple product, and only because of it's Firewire connector. It currently sits dusty on my shelf. Far too many alternatives out there to be forced to to business their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Li Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 i think the experience usually changes drastically when u make it clear you want to spend lots of money lol lots and lots. I bought a mac pro and was the darling of a very very busy flagship store. I had to bring it back to get the hard drive looked at and it took me a week to find a slot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordi Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Yea... Their in-store "service" experience is not so good. First problem is the gatekeeper that you ran into, although the dweeb should have told you that you could make an appointment with the "genius" (using that term VERY loosely) on any of the computers / ipads / iphones in the whole place. They use the appointment system as an electronic "please take a number" device... And no, your appointment time doesn't actually mean that you will see anyone at that time, OR that you won't be skipped over in line by someone with a more expensive problem. I have never been turned away completely like that. Sure, I might need to wait a bit longer, but when I went in (without an appointment) for the Macbook Pro power brick recall - I was placed in the queue like anyone else and waited my turn. Just don't go in on a weekend, or you will be waiting until the following Tuesday. I would contact the management of that store about the droid that put you off - he isn't supposed to do that, when the availability of devices to make the appointment are all around you... AND IN HIS HAND as well. (Yea, he could have done it right there with you in about 15 seconds) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Haven't used an Apple product since the late 80's, other than my iPod, which is gathering dust for the past year. Never felt the magic, I guess. Have used ONLY Apple products since the late 80's... I guess I felt the magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Liston Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 The trick with the apple store is to make an appointment online with a genious before you get in the car to go there. When booked, you will get a "genius" that, although I mock their job title viciously, they know their stuff. These are the guys who know the system, and I always feel like they are on my side and honest. The clipboard folk however, are just clerks with wildly varying skills. It's funny when they try to up sell you however. Like the guy who asked me if I needed consulting on my backup plan. I said, "Sure, that would be great. I have backup problems. I have an 8 station iSCSI setup with 100TB online, but I have another 300TB of data that I can't even fit online. How do I back all that up?" This is usually when people just lie and try to go through their scripts. But this guy was just like, "Wow, I've never dealt with iSCSI before. How well does it work?" And like that, I didn't hate the guy like I wanted to. Oh, also, don't pay cash. They haven't really figured that out yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Oh, also, don't pay cash. They haven't really figured that out yet. They've also looked at me funny when I've asked for a printed receipt instead of accepting an emailed one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordi Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Yea... I've gotten the same look from my rental customers when I ask them if they want a paper receipt instead of an emailed one - Explaining that according to my terms with SquareUp, I have to at least offer it. None have wanted it. The times, they are a changin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Ragon Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 I've got nothing but great stories of really good customer support.. I set up a apple server once for a guy that paid me to do it.. I contacted the enterprise level service via phone, they give me a time, and then they called me back.. the tech support walked me though the extensive set up, including a lot of DNS help, well beyond the basics.. I was so ecstatic about this level of support.. I will sing the praises for sure on this one. Also.. I've had several issues for graphics cards going bad on towers.. All the apples stores in my area are insanely busy all the time.. so you have to make an appointment to see their techs. Never a problem getting free help. Try calling for a router issue, and most of the time you get someone that you almost can't understand from netgear or cisco. Another great one that I had to deal with lately was Western Digital.. their web site walked me though the RMA replacement, dropped it in the mail, and get another HD back in days!! good going WDC! -Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 The "Apple Experience" can be a bit annoying, but if your willing to play by their rules and setup appointments in advance, I can say that the level of support I have received has been leaps and bounds better than any computer support issue related to purchases from an online-source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 I have experienced the positives and the negatives. The real problem comes in when you need something serviced right now, not in a few days. If there is a problem I can't figure out on my own, and I have to go to the apple store (which has only been twice in 10 years), I'll call ahead. One time I had a power cable for my macbook crap out, I stormed in like I was ready to tear the place down (even though I was "acting"), and they swapped it out. I was in and out of the store in less than two minutes. Being in the hot seat for customer service myself, I do understand what it's like when you get overwhelmed with customers, and I understand when people get frustrated. I see the whole appointment thing as a way to manage the influx of people, especially on weekends, but damn if it ain't frustrating as all hell when all you need to do is replace your iPhone. That's an easy fix that should have happened right away and had you in and out of the store in one minute. It doesn't require a "genius" for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 I'm with Dave. I've had both good and bad experiences with Apple. I can recall one time where I did make an appointment in advance, went down and waited for damn near half an hour, finally got to the Genius... and they told me my appointment was for the next day. My head almost blew off. They quickly diffused the situation, diagnosed the problem... but informed me that it would cost about as much to fix the item (an iPod) as it would to buy a new one. My head blew off again and I walked out, leaving much blood and brain matter on their immaculate white ceiling. But that was some years back. Now, there's all kinds of independent service people who can do this sort of thing. There's a whole aftermarket industry of people who do all the stuff that Apple won't do for customers. I think there's very much a need for Apple consumers to be proactive and learn the workarounds to do what you need to do. On some levels, the Apple Store people are clueless; on others, they're remarkably kind and generous, and (on occasion) very bright and helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think Apple needs to take the approach that I do when dealing with customer service. I ask myself "What would Manfred do?". The answer is usually the correct course of action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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