Apple Friendly Center

Reviews 3

AL

Ally Janicello

I went in the store the Thursday before July 4th to bring in my phone that needed to have the front screen that needs to be replaced. Expectedly, I had to wait an hour and fifteen minutes to see a genius. When I go to the genius bar, I began the process of resetting my phone so it could be sent off to get repaired. (I forgot to mention that I have a basic Iphone 6) During this process, I receive my loaner phone. I was assured that I would have no issues with the phone and that it would behave just as my other phone did. Within AN HOUR of having the phone, I began having issues. It refused to send texts, make calls, or connect to wifi. Whenever I would try to make calls or send texts, it would lock up. After an hour and a half of this, the phone completely shut down (with 54% battery life) and refused to turn on. No amount of connecting it to power or anything would turn it on. When it finally turned on 4 HOURS later, the phone had automatically reset itself. I called the store immediately that night and told them my issues. I was told to come back to the store the next day, and I said that I was unable to because I lived 45 minutes from there and was going on vacation for the 4th of July. I was told with a cool tone, "Well I dont have any other options for you, maam." SINCE THURSDAY, Ive had to reset my phone to factory settings THIRTEEN times. In addition to that, my phone BY ITSELF reset itself 5 times. I cannot connect to the internet. I cannot take calls. I cannot send texts. I have two small children, and it is crucial that Im able to be contacted incase of an emergency. My sons first birthday was this weekend, and I was unable to get any pictures because of the stupid malfunctioning phone. I couldnt even restore my last backup because the phone would reset itself every time. The last 4 resets, Ive had to set up the phone as a new phone, leaving me with NO CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ANYONE, virtually rendering the phone useless. Its not even so much about not having acces to internet. I was told this was agood phone where I shouldnt have any issues. I was told that it would act the same as my original. I wasnt even told this was a second hand phone ( That Im now finding out thanks to customer service) that the genius so kindly forgot to tell me. Im angry. Im hurt. Ive been lied to. And most importantly, Ive missed out on my sons very first birthday pictuers. I now have an extremely bad taste in my mouth with Apple. And this particular store. I know thatn ot every store and associate is like this. Maybe if the particular genius wasnt so obsessed with getting a sprite from her associate, and took the time to make sure my phone wasnt CRAP, then all this could of been avoided. Im not on the phone with customer service for half and hour and theyre doing all they can do, so kudos to them. GO TO ANOTHER STORE!!!!

DO

Doug Wilson

I echo the sentiments of those who abhor the arrogant and horrid customer service of Apple, and their over-priced products which, in my opinion, are of questionable quality. I recently bought a Macbook Pro for my daughter for college. Less than 6 weeks into the semester, the screen cracked. All she did was shut the screen when she went to bed and then opened the screen in the morning. The Apple store refused to fix the issue under warranty, saying that she "broke it because she had been too rough" and, "well, the screen is so thin in order to make it light and portable." Could it be possible that the design or material is flawed since such a thin screen can crack under the mild flexing of lifting and shutting the lid??? When she first went to the store to get it fixed, they wouldnt even speak to her without an appointment, which meant she had to make another trip to the store the following day. While she was standing in the store with the store personnel, she called me to ask for my help about what to do to get the unit fixed. I asked to speak to the store personnel and they REFUSED to speak with me on the phone! (I live in Seattle and she attends school in North Carolina - so not really a possibility for me to be there in person) citing that they "only speak to people in person and never over the phone"(?!?!) All I wanted to ask was what my options were in fixing the issue and/or what the warranty covered. Oh, by the way - the repair is going to cost approximately $500 (a third the cost of the laptop) and she has to leave it at the store for a week. To whomever at Apple might be listening - your products are fragile and over-priced, and your customer service is some of the worst I have ever encountered, especially given your supposed reputation in the market. I will never, ever, buy one of your products again, and I will never, ever step foot in one of your stores. Im not interested in being gouged, ignored, and left with so little recourse. You shouId honor your warranties. I rate you at zero stars.

A

A Private User

Bought an iPad and was disappointed in its inability to multitask. Cute, and might be good on an airplane, but its very weak compared to any laptop PC. Anyway, I decided to return it within 2 wks as the very detached and preoccupied rep had assured me I could. (I cannot imagine why Apple would hire someone with such low "people skills" and such low computer knowledge.) Supposedly Apple has a reputation for excellent customer service, but I saw no evidence of it. When you walk into a store ready to spend nearly $700, you at least expect to be treated politely. Well, dont expect it at the Apple Store. After using the iPad for a few days, I realized that, though "cute," it just wasnt robust enough to justify carrying it around. So, I decided to return it only to find that Apple charges a 10% "restocking fee." I had specifically asked the representative about the return policy and she had told me I could return the product within 2 weeks and that Apple "just wants their customers to be happy with the product"... she made no mention of a restocking fee. So I had to pay 10% of the cost of the iPad or I had to keep it. I paid the 10% and promised myself I would never buy another Apple product. And just a note for anyone who might be considering an iPad... it appears that Apple is trying to follow the old model for printers where you are sold a printer then you discover that the price of the refill ink cartridges is more than you paid for the printer. But in Apples case, they sell you something like the iPad and force you to go through the Apple iTunes store for EVERY functionality that you might need... everything from apps to photos to books to songs needs to be downloaded through iTunes and you have to sign up for the iStore and give your credit card number at the time you purchase the iPad. And again, dont trust the reps in the Apple Store. The rep who "helped" me had no idea what she was talking about, and was obnoxious to boot.