Apple Continues to Provide Top-Rated Tech Support on Strength of Genius Bar

[MacRumors]

Apple had the highest overall customer satisfaction for tech support among more than 3,200 computer owners surveyed by Consumer Reports, unsurprising given the company has been top-rated for tech support since the not-for-profit organization first surveyed customers about the topic in 2007. Apple has also routinely topped multiple J.D. Power and Associates studies for customer satisfaction over the past decade.

Apple earned high marks for the Genius Bar located at the back of most Apple retail stores, where customers can book an appointment to receive face-to-face technical support and troubleshooting for iPhone, iPad, Mac and several other Apple products and services. Consumer Reports praises the Genius Bar's free lifetime support as a differentiating factor over similar services, which generally require paying for help.

Windows-based PC makers did not receive the same accolades for tech support among survey participants:

"The help desks at Windows PC companies often didn't live up to that name. For four of the six PC brands in the survey, tech support solved only half of the problems consumers brought to them. Even the best of them--Lenovo and Dell--came through just 61 percent of the time."

Consumer Reports found that most Windows-based PC users were most satisfied by phoning tech support rather than seeking online help through web, chat or email support. Best Buy's Geek Squad and Staples' EasyTech services were found to be a step behind the Genius Bar, given that Apple serves as both the retailer and manufacturer and is subsequently more knowledgable about its own products and support information.

Apple provides 90 days of complimentary phone and online chat support that can be extended for up to two years with an AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and other products. AppleCare+ also protects against up to two incidents of accidental damage with an applicable service charge, such as a cracked screen from dropping the device or water damage.

Article Link: Apple Continues to Provide Top-Rated Tech Support on Strength of Genius Bar

 

[0815]

no surprises here - in the rare cases I had go go the the genius bar, they never met my expectations, they always went way above my expectation.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Apple provides 90 days of complimentary phone and online chat support that can be extended for up to two years with an AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and other products. AppleCare+ also protects against up to two incidents of accidental damage with an applicable service charge, such as a cracked screen from dropping the device or water damage.

Some of that is right. AppleCare+ is 2 years for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch (3 years for the Edition watch), and does have accidental damage coverage. AppleCare Protection Plan for Apple TV and iPod is 2 years, and for Mac is 3 years, no accidental damage protection.

 

[adamw]

Great to see the Apple Support Genius Bar team being recognized for their outstanding customer support.

 

[teslo]

Some of that is right. AppleCare+ is 2 years for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch (3 years for the Edition watch), and does have accidental damage coverage. AppleCare Protection Plan for Apple TV and iPod is 2 years, and for Mac is 3 years, no accidental damage protection.

yeah, i lost a whole computer to a simple last-two-sits-of-a-bottle-of-beer a couple years ago. whole thing wasted, and i'm sorry, but i'm not about to sink another $1500 into replacing the insides over a 1-2 week period where i have to RENT a replacement as well. logical or not, when i get it back, i'm not gonna trust the thing for my heavy workflow on strict deadline when my rent depends on it.

i really expect some sort of water resistant seal that still allows heat dissipation on ALL laptops keyboards, soon i hope. it's just such an incredible achilles heel, i refuse to accept my $3k investments are in theory 2 seconds away from a liquid fatality.

plus, i'm pretty sure i couldv'e saved the thing if apple used normal goddam screws on the back. sometimes, your special 'apple screwdriver' is nowhere to be found. #fact

 

[BDIs]

Consumer Reports praises the Genius Bar's free lifetime support as a differentiating factor over similar services, which generally require paying for help

Every time I have scheduled an appointment they have always been extremely behind schedule (by at least an hour on 2 different occasions) and they have REQUIRED an Apple support contract to book. Not sure where the free is coming from?

 

[AngerDanger]

no surprises here - in the rare cases I had go go the the genius bar, they never met my expectations, they always went way above my expectation.

So they must have met your expectations at some point on their way up, right?

 

[0815]

I once brought my computer (27 iMac) in for a small repair - I didn't pack it well enough and the screen in one corner cracked and had a big spider web (it was hitting some hard part in my car - 100% my fault for being in a rush and stupid .... anyway they repaired that free of charge. I didn't even had to ask for this. Also, the machine was out of warranty, but I still didn't pay anything for the repairs.

 

[bushido]

that moment they ask u if u r running the latest OS like that has something to do with a broken lets say speaker. r they saying a certain hardware defect wasnt supposed to work on a prior os? that wuestion always drives me up the wall and i am sure it annoys them too lol (speaking of the iPhone

 

[keysofanxiety]

no surprises here - in the rare cases I had go go the the genius bar, they never met my expectations, they always went way above my expectation.

Mine too. They replaced two 15" MBP chargers, even though one of them wasn't in warranty - they just sorted it out as goodwill. In 2012, they replaced my Early-2011 15" MBP with a brand-new 15" 2012 after its Logic Board failed on two occasions.

I had a keyboard issue with my 2011 as well. Dropped it off at 1PM. Got a call at 10:30PM that very day to say it was repaired and ready for collection at my earliest convenience.

They replaced the Logic Board in my friend's 2011 17" MacBook Pro even though the case had suffered significant impact damage and the SD card reader was mashed. "You won't be able to use the SD card reader, hope that's OK". Later he chose to get the top case repaired for I think about £150. It was around Christmas time 2012. I went into the store with him after they did the repair. They handed it back. When they processed the receipt, the Genius shrugged his shoulders and said "well, looks like you don't have to pay". For whatever reason, it was just processed free-of-charge. I don't know if that was an error or whatnot, but boy was that a nice pre-Christmas surprise.

 

[talmy]

yeah, i lost a whole computer to a simple last-two-sits-of-a-bottle-of-beer a couple years ago. whole thing wasted, and i'm sorry, but i'm not about to sink another $1500 into replacing the insides over a 1-2 week period where i have to RENT a replacement as well. logical or not, when i get it back, i'm not gonna trust the thing for my heavy workflow on strict deadline when my rent depends on it.

i really expect some sort of water resistant seal that still allows heat dissipation on ALL laptops keyboards, soon i hope. it's just such an incredible achilles heel, i refuse to accept my $3k investments are always 2 seconds away from

I feel your pain. I was still within the first year when a spill killed a MacBook I had at the time. I managed to find a place that would fix it for $300, but then I gave the computer away, since I had to buy a replacement in the interim.

I did find out (but too late) that I could apply for a refund on the AppleCare I purchased. Apparently any time in the three year period you can apply for a refund for the unused time.

FWIW, Lenovo Thinkpads have keyboards that are isolated so that spills won't kill them.

 

[Mad Man]

Mine too. They replaced two 15" MBP chargers, even though one of them wasn't in warranty - they just sorted it out as goodwill. In 2012, they replaced my Early-2011 15" MBP with a brand-new 15" 2012 after its Logic Board failed on two occasions.

I had a keyboard issue with my 2011 as well. Dropped it off at 1PM. Got a call at 10:30PM that very day to say it was repaired and ready for collection at my earliest convenience.

They replaced the Logic Board in my friend's 2011 17" MacBook Pro even though the case had suffered significant impact damage and the SD card reader was mashed. "You won't be able to use the SD card reader, hope that's OK". Later he chose to get the top case repaired for I think about £150. It was around Christmas time 2012. I went into the store with him after they did the repair. They handed it back. When they processed the receipt, the Genius shrugged his shoulders and said "well, looks like you don't have to pay". For whatever reason, it was just processed free-of-charge. I don't know if that was an error or whatnot, but boy was that a nice pre-Christmas surprise.

Thats the big thing for me - they are super generous with out of warranty repairs.

 

[teslo]

So they must have met your expectations at some point on their way up, right?

no, they were conceived in the womb of the Store by the Rod of Jobs - there was nowhere to go but down. luckily, these Apple Offspring were born with zero defects and Jobs saw them and 'twas not ashamed.

 

[unplugme71]

yeah, i lost a whole computer to a simple last-two-sits-of-a-bottle-of-beer a couple years ago. whole thing wasted, and i'm sorry, but i'm not about to sink another $1500 into replacing the insides over a 1-2 week period where i have to RENT a replacement as well. logical or not, when i get it back, i'm not gonna trust the thing for my heavy workflow on strict deadline when my rent depends on it.

i really expect some sort of water resistant seal that still allows heat dissipation on ALL laptops keyboards, soon i hope. it's just such an incredible achilles heel, i refuse to accept my $3k investments are in theory 2 seconds away from a liquid fatality.

plus, i'm pretty sure i couldv'e saved the thing if apple used normal goddam screws on the back. sometimes, your special 'apple screwdriver' is nowhere to be found. #fact

I don't feel bad for you.

There are two solutions to your problem.

1) Don't drink/eat next to your computer
2) Place your MacBook (*) on a riser

http://store.apple.com/us/product/T...482_pcrid_52243346050_&cid=aos-US-kwg-pla-btb

 

[macduke]

Apple service has always been the best I've used. The people on the phone are always friendly and easy to listen to and understand.

One time I emailed Steve Jobs and he wrote me back with one of his signature short responses and put me in touch with a senior iTunes engineer. I was having some issues I was having with apps installed on my iPhone 3G around August 2008. No joke. I'm pretty sure I even posted about it here with screenshots at one point. My first Apple product was the iPhone in 2007, then the MacBook Pro in early 2008. My third was the iPhone 3G. It was that kind of service that made me a huge fan and I've stuck with them ever since.

One time my rMBP came on inside my bag and got pretty hot. I was quickly escalated up through a few higher tier people and took it to a local Apple-certified shop (no Apple Store near me) and they ran a bunch of diagnostics and had a higher-up Mac hardware engineer review the results. They determined my machine didn't have any serious damage but the information they got would help make sure a problem like that wouldn't happen again.

As for the genius bar, they've been pretty good in my limited experience with them (I've had few problems with Apple hardware in general).

My iPhone 5 was past warranty and the genius bar guys swapped it because the lock button was malfunctioning.

Once my 2012 rMBP was having screen retention issues with those stupid LG displays. They did a test and said they couldn't really see it too much, but I noticed it, and explained to them how I'm a designer and it really bothers me, especially in darker environments such as my home office. I didn't even have to ask them, I just explained to them why it bothered me and they went ahead and took the machine even though it didn't pass their test. I think they shipped it to Texas, put the better Samsung screen into it, and shipped it back before the end of the week! I couldn't believe how fast the turnaround time was. Now I have a ridiculously beautiful screen. I'm halfway scared to upgrade to a newer model because the screen is so perfect, but I trust that if I have issues in the future they will take care of me.

 

[Mad Man]

no, they were conceived in the womb of the Store by the Rod of Jobs - there was nowhere to go but down. luckily, these Apple Offspring were born with zero defects and Jobs saw them and 'twas not ashamed.

I am very sorry to hear that no one loves you and that you had a bad day. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[teslo]

I did find out (but too late) that I could apply for a refund on the AppleCare I purchased. Apparently any time in the three year period you can apply for a refund for the unused time..

ugh. yep, good to know. now.

that feeling when you look at your dripping computer, can't open the back, and you know the extra ~$300 you spent on applecare won't help you. then you find out you could have at least gotten the ~$300 back. lol i'm living it all over again. so i guess my story is one of Geniuses failing to inform me of this. bummer.

 

[Piggie]

I know it's probably just a UK thing, and perhaps Americans here have a different view on the word.

But labelling anyone, esp someone working in a shop a "Genius" is a really embarrassing term.

It's like wearing a badge on your chest which says "I'm clever"

I do wish Apple would change this word to something else which sounds more professional and understated.

Genius, just sounds so "up yourself" self proclaiming you are amazing.

As I say, Americans may have a different view on this, and it may just be a UK type of thing, where it's more "classy?" Not to state to the world, with a badge, that you thin you are amazing.

 

[teslo]

I am very sorry to hear that no one loves you and that you had a bad day. Hope you feel better soon.

was tongue-in-cheek. not every apple joke with a little criticism is meant maliciously. i thought it was kinda funny. sorry if it put you off.

 

[mrgraff]

Last week, my sister's cellular provider refused to touch my niece's iPhone because it was so physically damaged, they were worried we would try to pretend that they broke it.

Drove over to the Apple Store, and a genius took just a few seconds to unlock and reset the phone, no questions asked, no pressure to buy a new one, and no appointment despite the crowded store.

 

[guzhogi]

Every time I have scheduled an appointment they have always been extremely behind schedule (by at least an hour on 2 different occasions) and they have REQUIRED an Apple support contract to book. Not sure where the free is coming from?

They have been late with me as well, but they've always been courteous, knowledgeable, and free in my experience. If it's something easy, they fixed it right away. They're also super nice when people bring in PCs to help set up people's iPhones/iPods.

I went to a Microsoft Store once to get help installing Windows 7 on my rMBP, and the guy who "helped" me was totally rude. He actually told me, "If I was any other person, I'd puke on that." He also said that I was installing it wrong, it would take them 48 hours to do and cost $49. I later got a Windows 8 install, and was able to install it perfectly without any help. But why would a simple Windows install take 48 hours and $49? Apple would've done it for free. If Microsoft was a mom & pop store, that would be one thing, but Microsoft is an international company with billions of profits. Surely they can afford to do this for free and do it immediately. Regardless of size, there's still no excuse for being rude.

 

[teslo]

I don't feel bad for you.

There are two solutions to your problem.

1) Don't drink/eat next to your computer
2) Place your MacBook (*) on a riser.

thanks so much.

1) admirable ethic of yours, but not entirely plausible for everyone, especially for professionals who can sometimes spend 8-14 hrs on their laptop per day.
2) wouldn't have helped. i honestly don't see how this helps beyond a minority of situations involving spills. those tend to come from above, not horizontally or from below.

 

[0815]

ugh. yep, good to know. now.

that feeling when you look at your dripping computer, can't open the back, and you know the extra ~$300 you spent on applecare won't help you. then you find out you could have at least gotten the ~$300 back. lol i'm living it all over again. so i guess my story is one of Geniuses failing to inform me of this. bummer.

You should get SquareTrade Warranty - not AppleCare - SquareTrade covers also accidental damage with no questions asked. At least that is how it works for the phones - pretty sure it works the same for laptops.

 

[Roomers]

Free lifetime support? I'm missing something.

What kind of support can you get from the Genius bar on an out-of-warranty device, or something past the 90-day complimentary support period?

 

[rdlink]

yeah, i lost a whole computer to a simple last-two-sits-of-a-bottle-of-beer a couple years ago. whole thing wasted, and i'm sorry, but i'm not about to sink another $1500 into replacing the insides over a 1-2 week period where i have to RENT a replacement as well. logical or not, when i get it back, i'm not gonna trust the thing for my heavy workflow on strict deadline when my rent depends on it.

i really expect some sort of water resistant seal that still allows heat dissipation on ALL laptops keyboards, soon i hope. it's just such an incredible achilles heel, i refuse to accept my $3k investments are in theory 2 seconds away from a liquid fatality.

plus, i'm pretty sure i couldv'e saved the thing if apple used normal goddam screws on the back. sometimes, your special 'apple screwdriver' is nowhere to be found. #fact

And I am not willing to accept not being able to have my toaster sitting on the edge of the bathtub while I'm in my bubble bath. :roll eyes:


Get real. You put liquids around electronics you accept the risks. Period.