Why won't Apple properly educate their 'geniuses'?

[apollo1444]

Originally Posted by Minhimalism

Making this thread to bring up something I've run into one too many times at the Apple store recently.. a lack of knowledge on the part of the geniuses. I'm honestly incredibly tired of being put down and treated like someone who knows NOTHING about my iPhone.

Case 1 : A woman was asking a guy in the store if they had any unlocked iPhone 5s for sale, and he said no we don't offer any iPhone 5s unlocked, sorry. So I decided to help her out by telling her if she can find a store with Verizon ones in stock or even AT&T ones, and as long as she buys the latter outright, they'll be unlocked. The retail guy cut back into our conversation and said "That's not true, you're severely misinformed. I tested a Verizon phone myself and none of them are unlocked. Don't spread rumors." Of course, the woman believed me and thanked me for my help and went to go see if other stores had devices she could purchase outright.

I think both of you are kind of mistaken... the only way to get an unlocked one is buying it at the apple store device only and making it sure the rep don't activate a service plan on it! people have reported in this forums they come unlocked as they are if you push up for this process

the verizon model is unlocked but we all know the LTE limitations it might be a good option for european use
an AT&T one can be easily unlocked with better LTE support for the americas tho'


*EDIT I heard the news you can buy an unlocked phone OFFICIALLY now cool.

[LapsangSouchong]

That's too bad. I've had good luck with Geniuses and sales staff (and there's a difference).

[Leonard1818]

Originally Posted by Mrbobb

I know walking into any business and meddling in between the staff and other customers is bad etiquette. If u do this in a third world country the shopkeeper will ask you to leave.

A third world shopkeeper shouldn't be turning customers away regardless... Not to mention, I presume the OP is talking about an American company (Apple) in America so third-world etiquitte (regardless of context) is pretty irrelevant. Finally, have you had the pleasure of working with a sales associate and have someone from the mid-east interject? They walk up and flat out interrupt you and the sales associate, start demanding things of the salesperson, always want to "negotiate" prices in retail stores, and are flat-out rude. That's my experience with how commerce must be carried out elsewhere in the world -- etiquitte out the window.

[MHaynes772]

Originally Posted by Minhimalism

Making this thread to bring up something I've run into one too many times at the Apple store recently.. a lack of knowledge on the part of the geniuses. I'm honestly incredibly tired of being put down and treated like someone who knows NOTHING about my iPhone.

Case 1 : A woman was asking a guy in the store if they had any unlocked iPhone 5s for sale, and he said no we don't offer any iPhone 5s unlocked, sorry. So I decided to help her out by telling her if she can find a store with Verizon ones in stock or even AT&T ones, and as long as she buys the latter outright, they'll be unlocked. The retail guy cut back into our conversation and said "That's not true, you're severely misinformed. I tested a Verizon phone myself and none of them are unlocked. Don't spread rumors." Of course, the woman believed me and thanked me for my help and went to go see if other stores had devices she could purchase outright.

Case 2 : Every damn time I walk into the Apple store at a certain mall near me, they question my phone SO much. It's an unlocked AT&T one (through unlock_fusion) but of course I don't tell them that. It's not how mine was unlocked- it's that they treat me WORSE because it's unlocked. They don't EVER believe me when I say a device-only AT&T phone is unlocked, and today my genius was even surprised I had a nano sim because she thought T-Mobile had nothing to do with iPhones. After trying to convince her that unlocks are through IMEI and all of that stuff.. she even asked me if I work for Apple and how I knew all of this information.

My question is.. why do Geniuses / retail people have to belittle their customers? Shouldn't you not argue with the customer regardless? In the case of the woman who wanted a phone.. he outright SENT away a potential customer. Not only did he refuse to admit they were unlocked, he recommended she find a DIFFERENT phone even though she want an iPhone 5. I just don't get it sometimes. Something as simple as a memo from Apple saying that Verizon phones are unlocked or AT&T outright ones are unlocked would help SO much because geniuses always tell me unlocks are illegal and only done through jailbreaks. It's ridiculous.

(This goes without saying but yes, I have had some truly pleasant experiences with geniuses, but this is about the ones who think their customers know nothing.. when it turns out they know even less.)

They have to follow a guideline of what you can and cannot say. Every employee can randomly search forums and start just speaking on what they find out on there. Every store's information would start getting chaotic.

(Until today), there are no officially unlocked iPhone 5's. If it's not on www.Apple.com, then an employee cannot comment on it. And also, if someone was to get a Verizon iPhone 5 device only, they cannot use that on AT&T's LTE network. As opposed, when the official unlocked iPhone comes out, it connects to AT&T's 4G LTE network.

I don't know if you're the same way, but I've seen people go into Apple stores, acting like they know better (even if they do) and they're overly arrogant, wanting to prove someone wrong. **** like that gets old, real fast. And frankly, I'm sure they dont want to put up with it.

Instead, if you politely interject, and position that you've heard otherwise and you can show them where you found this information, it goes over a lot better than snapping into the middle of a conversation acting like you know better and want to prove someone wrong.

[Minhimalism]

Originally Posted by apollo1444

I think both of you are kind of mistaken... the only way to get an unlocked one is buying it at the apple store device only and making it sure the rep don't activate a service plan on it! people have reported in this forums they come unlocked as they are if you push up for this process

the verizon model is unlocked but we all know the LTE limitations it might be a good option for european use
an AT&T one can be easily unlocked with better LTE support for the americas tho'


*EDIT I heard the news you can buy an unlocked phone OFFICIALLY now cool.

Yeah that's what I meant by outright, with no contract.

Glad we can buy them as officially unlocked now though.. Will save a lot of people a lot of hassle.

I agree with you guys on a lot of the points made though.. I guess they really are just doing their job. I just feel like sometimes it's a bit much if they are condescending and treat me like I don't deserve the same treatment everyone else does (like asking a manager for permission to service my phone because it was unlocked.)

Honestly not trying to pick fights with them though. I've never thrown a fit just gotten annoyed and vice versa. Thanks for all the input guys I swear I'm not trying to blindly rage or hate I can see the other side more clearly now.

[MHaynes772]

Originally Posted by Minhimalism

Yeah that's what I meant by outright, with no contract.

Glad we can buy them as officially unlocked now though.. Will save a lot of people a lot of hassle.

I agree with you guys on a lot of the points made though.. I guess they really are just doing their job. I just feel like sometimes it's a bit much if they are condescending and treat me like I don't deserve the same treatment everyone else does (like asking a manager for permission to service my phone because it was unlocked.)

Honestly not trying to pick fights with them though. I've never thrown a fit just gotten annoyed and vice versa. Thanks for all the input guys I swear I'm not trying to blindly rage or hate I can see the other side more clearly now.

From my experience with them, if it's an unlocked phone that didn't come unlocked by Apple, then it technically voids the warranty and they can refuse service on the phone. Because it's basically jailbroken.

The computers and systems they hook them up to can tell if a phone was jailbroken/unlocked and how it was down, etc.

[bcooln]

have bad experience with the genius too, but i always have too experience with the phone support. the genius guy at apple store, didn't want to trouble shoot my phone because i have tmobile, but the phone support doesn't care if i have tmobile or not. they just sent me a replacement phone to exchange. so now i have problem with my phone, i don't even bother go to apple store anymore, just call phone supports.