Comments on: I’m Starting to Think Apple Treats Their Customers Very Poorly

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:50:34 +0000

One thing I’ve noticed is you better have an appointment. If there is ANY issue what so ever, you better have an appointment. If you want to but something, then walk right in.

I had my screen and battery go out on my MacBook Pro. It took a little fighting to get the to replace the battery, but the screen was diagnosed in about 10 minutes. They kept it for 2 days and returned it.

But those guys at the bar WILL not help you unless you have an appointment.

I wonder how that model is working for Microsoft in their new Store??

- MC

By: what attracts women

what attracts women — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:26:00 +0000

My only justifications for not liking apple products is that they are somehow boring and lonely little devices. They are a very clean and prestigious feeling company, but I just find the interfaces of their computers to be depressing. It doesn’t seem like there’s all that much to do, and their kind of limited. I know the whole point of them is to not be that way, but I don’t know. I don’t care for the programs either – I know, I know – you probably hate that, haha!

By: Nate Piazza

Nate Piazza — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:02:05 +0000

Well have any of you heard of simply computing i don’t know if they are only canadian but they are a type of apple store they have very nice service they also due everything apple does but you don’t have to make an appointment!

By: Don

Don — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:32:02 +0000

I am astonished by the people here saying that you are somehow being unreasonable in asking to wait for an available genius. Making an appointment may be a way to avoid some pain but the refusal to let you be space-available is insulting and maddening when you have a malfunctioning piece of hardware.

I’m a little more sympathetic to the approach on computers, but the Apple store continues this approach with the iPhone as well. “Sorry, no appointments, come back in a few days” – and I have been told there were no appointments till the weekend is over – is simply not an acceptable response for a critical communication device.

Busy stores should have someone tasked with taking walk-ins. Maybe that means a 2 hour wait, but sometimes the need is desperate enough that you’d do it. The existing system is a statement that Apple’s time is more important than ours.

By: ForeveR

ForeveR — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:00:18 +0000

So.. what you’re saying is

1) You don’t follow the rules and expect special treatment, and if they don’t give you priority then you’ll throw a fit on your website

2) You don’t learn even after the first time that you need an appointment if you want customer service at the apple store

Seriously dude, how would you feel if you actually made an appointment and have some jerk waltz in and take your spot?

By: Tremaine

Tremaine — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:58:20 +0000

Sorry Thomas, I have to agree with Ed and the like comments. You have to make an appointment. The get really busy real fast and sometimes the appointments can drag on for a while. If you want to skip the line and whatnot buy an Apple Pro Care card. It’s like a VIP card and does work. I’ve brought one and used it and few times when I had trouble with my Mac I’m due to renew it. As far as issues with your computer, the tip I got from MacWorld magazine is to keep a log of all the issues you have. So I did just that I keep a dedicated notebook to my Mac for when I have issues and take notes of all the things that happened and the exact things that I did to try to fix (nothing like opening the computer or anything really stupid) or recreate the problem. The loved me for it. It took three trips, I pretty sure it was the USB from the mouse that was causing, they didn’t believe since Macs are so great and said that’s a PC problem (whatever) either way I got a new Mac out it. No one was ever rude and I didn’t mind doing what I needed to do to try to resolve the issue. I live with a techie (my mother) and have been in retail I know the drill and always try to be courteous, understanding, and give a bit of leeway to certain things. Mostly to keep my blood pressure and stress levels down. I always make sure when I have any kind of problem, I figure out ahead of time what I am willing to deal with/lose and how far I am willing to go. It’s just best to figure out and deal with your limits first. Always be prepared for the worst but work towards the best. But I am sorry you felt you had a bad experience. I do hope things go smoother and speedier for you next time.

By: Karen Schieck

Karen Schieck — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:23:05 +0000

I am new 1.5 years to Apple from PCs. I love the I Mac machine and I love Apple support! It is good to have immediate help with problems.

We just got a HP Touch Screen thinking we thought we need a PC in the house. I would trade it in a minute for another I Mac.

I haven’t been impressed with the couple of trips to Apple stores though. Like initially when we were looking into Apple computers.

Then we went into a Best Buy looking at hubs and luck into a salesman that showed us the Time Machine and we ended up buying a I Mac and the Time Machine.

I later went back to an Apple store for a class and was not impressed enough to go back. The store was crowded and you could do as well with the online tutorials.

By: Michael Kerney

Michael Kerney — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:05:07 +0000

If S.M.A.R.T. or service diagnostics says the drive is unreliable, REPLACE THE DRIVE. Drives are stupid cheap these days anyway. Is your data?

I guess the price of the convenience of having an Apple store is making an appointment. We don’t have one in this town, so I don’t really know.

But I suspect Steve Jobs would be upset at your kids being made to wait outside in the cold, if it poses a threat to organs he could potentially harvest in the future to prolong his own life.

Also: http://hijinksensue.com/2010/03/20/a-sudden-stevepiphany/

By: Cory Z

Cory Z — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:46:59 +0000

You should buy a Dell! And while we’re at it, trade in your car for a Yugo!

By: Cory O'Brien

Cory O'Brien — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:07:42 +0000

Aside from the ‘always make an appointment’ rule, which they don’t seem to publicize enough, I’ve actually had remarkably good service every time I’ve had to deal with the Apple Geniuses. Once, they replaced my broken iPhone even though it was a month past its warranty, and another time, they replaced my iPhone sync cable that had begun to fray with no questions asked.

Sure, they’re not perfect, but after trying to deal with ANY kind of issue at a store like BestBuy, I’d much rather wait for an appointment with Apple folks who usually care about the customer as more than just a number vs. trying your luck with a typical employee that just wants to do anything they can to get you to go away.