Apple Brea Mall

Reviews 3

AC

Aces Havasu

The overall experience was somewhat clouded by working with guys that were very nice but acted too smart for me. I am educated and a software developer for many years. So, the grade school communication skills were a little too much for me. I actually felt patronized by one of the guys there (cant remember his name). So, much so, that I ended up working with another "genius" who was much better. These guys obviously know their stuff. And, they have protocol to follow. But, after visiting them once and then returning home to follow all of their instructions including backing up and erasing everything on my iPhone 5S to return it to factory new condition, I returned only to really be at square one again. Since I was dealing with new people, we went through all of the same things again just to arrive at the same conclusion. My very expensive iPhone 5S would not hold a charge and yet their diagnostics said everything was fine. Even as we wiped the phone clean again and watched as it went through 2% of battery every 15 minutes while sitting empty and alone with zero activity on their counter. Comment from the Apple Genius, "we cant prove that its losing battery since our diagnostics say its fine". I suggested that he just watched it decline by 4% in less than 30 minutes when its advertised to last 250 hours in standby mode. Seriously. The phone died within two hours if I used it at all. And, it was still under warranty!!! They did offer to replace the battery for free as an accommodation. I shared with the manager that I was just going to go buy a new phone because I really didnt have time to keep messing with this. They were 100% sure it was related to software or apps that I must have loaded even though we restored the phone to factory settings and erased EVERYTHING that was on it. He then suggested that with the new phone that I DO NOT RESTORE my backup. So, lose all my pictures, texts, videos, and apps. That would be the only way that they could be sure that it wasnt me. Crazy right! Long story short. I took the new phone. Did not restore anything and left it on my counter all night. Battery went from 20% to 19% while I slept. Very cool. I restored ALL of my stuff this morning including every app and every setting. All 13,000 texts. All 1,000+ pictures. Everything. Phone has run perfectly all day. Battery declined barely as expected. Everything back to normal. And, a big shout out to Eric (manager) for dealing with me long enough to do the right thing. Ive heard about battery challenges with iPhones forever. And, now can confirm them. I just wish that Apple would be a little better at working with their valued and long time customers instead of having their "Genius" talk down to them. Still believe in Apple. And, love their products.

GE

Gee Gee

My daughter and I went into the Brea, Ca store yesterday. Her phone had been acting up---would not perform a software update, or even allow outgoing or incoming calls. We put our name in and waited two hours. We were assigned a Genius by the name of Zachary Donovan. Donovan asked to run a diagnostic test. My daughter told him that if the diagnostic test would in any way compromise ANYTHING on her phone----primarily her Notes----she would prefer to go home, back up the phone, and return at a later date. Genius Donovan said the testing would do no harm. We proceeded. The testing indicated that she was out of memory. Donovan asked her to eliminate Apps, and videos to make room for an update. She did. After a time, he told us there was enough room to successfully install the software update. Once again we asked if installing the update would in ANY WAY compromise anything on her phone---specifically, her Notes. Again, Zachary Donovan assured us that it was simply an update and would not compromise ANYTHING. I reminded him of the importance of her Notes and that we would be happy to go home and back it up if there was even a remote chance of losing anything. Again he assured us nothing would be lost. Mid-way through the software update, the process stopped. The phone crashed and EVERYTHING disappeared. In a blink of an eye, notes that my daughter had kept for years, were gone. Just gone. Donovan called over another "genius" by the name of Jade Smith. Smith said Donovan was "new to the team" and just "practicing." JUST PRACTICING ?????? Apple allowed a newbie to PRACTICE on my daughters phone and eliminate years of memories?? HOW DARE THEY!! Smith claimed that this event could have happened under other circumstances---he said---this would have happened had she lost the phone." She DIDNT lose the phone----instead she put it in the hands of an imbecile who had NO RIGHT to be dealing with customers. Should my daughter have backed up her notes---absolutely. However, thats not the issue. The issue is that Apple put their customers memories in the care of an employee who was practicing and we had the sickening misfortune of stumbling upon him. And for all this you know how they "made it right"? They handed her a hard drive free of charge. I will not stop until Zachary Donovan and Jade Smith no longer have an opportunity to ever create this kind of destruction and heartache again.

RA

Ralph Castellanos

Come here if you want to feel invisible for an hour and a half. I had two very different experiences today, at two very different Apple stores. Everything was going great at the Los Cerritos store, until they sent me to Brea. On my way to the Brea store, I called to confirm a phone they were holding for me, and I was assured it would take no longer than 10 minutes to receive it. This store must be located somewhere in the twilight zone, because this was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I arrived at the store at 3:30pm. I check in with a mustached gentleman in skinny jeans who asks me to wait at the Macbook table. 10 minutes go by, nothing. 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, I get fussy and ask a tall dark fello how much longer I would have to wait, appearing annoyed, he looks down at his ipad and says, "They know youre waiting, just hang tight at the table." So, I go back and hang tight. Hanging tightly, I wait another 30 minutes before frustration sets in and, at this point, Ive seen employees go on break and return, customers enter and leave with new products, and, as I take a look around the store, several other employees chatting it up with one another, all trying oh so desperately to avoid the slightest eye contact with any customer, burying their heads in their ipads as I look their way. An hour and a half passes. I just cant hang any tighter, I approach a women who looks like shes somewhat in charge of this chaos. I tell her how long Ive been hanging tight, and how I was told it would only take ten minutes. She scrolls through her registry of customers, and, at the very bottom, she finds my name. She assures me someone will help me within minutes, joyfully relieved and ever so trusting, I return to the table hanging tighter than ever, another 20 minutes rolls by before I finally get some help. 10 minutes later I was walking out, so happy to leave, never wanting to return. I was in my car and on my way home well after 5pm. God knows how long I would have waited had I not spoken up. The moral of the story, dont go to the Brea store unless you want to feel invisible for an hour and a half whilst you "hang tight."