I've never set foot in one, and I never plan too.
How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
141–150 of 288 posts
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#142Yes! The Genius Bar experience has been terrible (especially as a somewhat socially anxious person) the past few times I've been there. A lot of sitting while constantly busy employees buzzed around, unsure if I was waiting in the right place, hoping someone would come by and ask what I there for. It's like they're emulating the real bar experience, with a bunch of overworked and inattentive bartenders. Just give me…
Honestly I have felt many times that the Apple Store could use a vending machine for iPhones. Anything that somebody might want to just grab and go no matter how expensive.
Some universities have those- they're honestly pretty neat.
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#143> There was the time he visited the Easton Town Center location to buy a laptop for his 11-year-old daughter and spent almost 20 minutes getting an employee to accept his credit card. In January, Smith was buying a monitor and kept asking store workers to check him out, but they couldn’t because they were Apple “Geniuses” handling tech support and not sales.
This is nothing new. It was very difficult to just buy a laptop from my local store in 2014. Apple stores have never worked like any other store. The purpose is for passers-by to see lots of people inside as social proof.
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#144My biggest complaint about the Apple Store is the long wait times when your computer breaks. You often have to wait for a few days to even get an appointment. But the award for the most asinine thing about the Apple Store is their insistence on not having a proper area to pay for things. So people just wander around wanting to buy something and not knowing where to pay for it. And they end up wasting a lot more time…
The stores are more sterile and the employees and service is more "clinical" and less "hands on." I miss the original stores' refurbished/discount tables/bin they used to have. You could find great deals on those tables.. Oh.. one other thing that annoys the hell out of me about the stores an service. I bought a new iphone8, I asked if they could transfer the iphone5 data+ apps to my new phone. They said no, do it yo…
You can’t be serious? You think it would be reasonable from a security perspective if Apple was capable of transferring your data?
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honestly I have felt many times that the Apple Store could use a vending machine for iPhones. Anything that somebody might want to just grab and go no matter how expensive.
Some universities have those- they're honestly pretty neat.
Airports even have them too, branded as “Best Buy”...
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
It sounds like this situation can be remedied in multiple ways: * Email a customer a reminder email with explicit instructions on who to talk to in-store * Train the Genius Bar techs to point a customer to the receptionist when looking for an appt * Put up a sign in-store that points customers to the receptionist * Have the receptionist wear a differently-styled uniform than the techs (nametag, color, etc) This does…
Or, have the Genius bar receptionist near the Genius Bar. Only in furniture stores am I expecting an employee to grab me as soon as I walk in the door.
Like I said, anything can happen. As far as I'm concerned, it is the customer's responsibility to show up for the appt. It is then the associate's responsibility to initiate the required services - whoever that associate may be.
On a personal note: As a customer, I take the concept of a schedule appt much more seriously than simply browsing.
With browsing: I am a tentative customer of a product. I am new business. Whether you want new business is up to you. If I have a bad experience, I'll go somewhere else.
With a schedule appt: I am a current customer. I have already bought into your product, and now I have an issue with it. If I have a bad experience, I am now under the impression that I have wasted money and time with consulting your associates.
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honestly I have felt many times that the Apple Store could use a vending machine for iPhones. Anything that somebody might want to just grab and go no matter how expensive.
1000% agree. I don't always want someone to walk me through setting up my iPhone. I've used them since the very first one, I don't need any help. Take my money already and let me get out. Even just picking up a set of airpods for my wife took far longer than it should have. A vending machine would be all kinds of awesome, maybe like the ones Best Buy has at the airport (which sells some Apple products like airpods, c…
I had the opposite experience once at the Ala Moana store. Needing the 1/4 in. headphone adapter (separate rant) I waited patiently, got someone’s attention, and made my purchase. They kindly informed me that next time I should self-service with the Apple app. Meaning I should have walked in, pulled item from shelf, checked myself out, and walked out.
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
For others who see this and are willing to adjust the settings to use FaceID with sunglasses - just turn off Require Attention for FaceID [0]. Personally, I prefer FaceID (which surprised me!) to TouchID except in bed, when I desperately miss TouchID. [0] https://www.imore.com/how-make-iphone-x-face-id-work-sunglas...
FaceID works fine for me with my sunglasses and "require attention". I did also have trouble unlocking while laying in bed though. For awhile I thought it wasn't recognizing me without any glasses on, but then I realized that when I don't have any glasses on, I hold the phone much closer to my face, and it doesn't recognize me that way. It unlocks fine without glasses as long as I hold it at the same distance. Still…
It's mainly that I used to be able to unlock with my head on my pillow, and now I can't, since it obscures half my face.
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#149They are successful in spite of themselves. When you can treat the customer with complete disregard and they still trip over themselves to line up and buy your product, what is onus to change? I find their employees very smug like they are just so important that us common folk can fuck off and wait or simply be ignored until they decide to help/serve us.
I filled out their survey after purchasing two XS Max's (for the fam, I'm a 1+ guy). They never even acknowledged my complaints about the terrible customer service I received.
I guess it works until it doesn't......
Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster
#150I went in a few months to get a hardware thing fixed with an appointment set and nobody helped me. I waited for like 10 minutes past by appointment time and everyone was booked up. I tried pestering people but everyone was helping someone else and asked me to wait for another associate. Eventually I gave up and left the store. I'm sure their analytics never even noticed me, their data says I just never showed up for…
> I sold the old half broken macbook and switched to a thinkpad Di you switch to thinkpad just because of this service support issue? Because I don’t think thinkpad is better in service dept
You can't dump a glass of water on a MacBook and expect it to still work. You can on a ThinkPad. Lenovo has a partner network and Lenovo authorized service centers worldwide that can fix your Thinkpad when it eventually does break.
Admittedly I'm biased as I work for Lenovo ASP and reseller and daily with a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. My MacBook Air stays at home.