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

unplugme71 said:
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
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Or buy one of those keyboard condoms that still lets the hot air out. The worst thing I've ever spilled on my MBP was a cup of orange juice. The trackpad button was super sticky for a long time until I gave it a good cleaning but otherwise the computer worked fine. I was very lucky considering the acid AND sugar it had. When I'm working in a chaotic environment, I try to always drink out of a bottle with a screw top and keep putting the top back on. Otherwise, I keep my drink on the floor.

Over the years, I have received quite a few out of warranty gifts from Apple and when I have paid for a repair, I thought the cost was fair and quickly done. Have nothing but ecstatic praise for all my customer support from Apple over the years! The haters don't know what they are missing.
 
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guzhogi said:
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."
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You should have told him, "If I were any other shopper, I would have bypassed your store" and then walked out or perhaps asked as a follow-up, "By the way, when do they play the music that you have to dance to?"
 
Black Belt said:
Understaffed. Why does it take a week to get an "appointment"? If my phone is dead (their fault not mine), they get to deal with me now. Of course it took hours. And nowhere to sit in the meantime. That's ********.
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Not a dig at you or your post, nor Samsung, but a genuine question.

Having never had a problem with a phone either iPhone or pre-iPhone, what happens if your Samsung phone breaks? Does the phone shop swap it out, do they send it off for repair, do you get a loaner, what happens?

As I say, genuine question.
 
teslo said:
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.
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My orange juice spill was horizontal. The cup was off to the side and I hit it with my arm, spilling the orange juice sideways across the MBP. A riser would have helped, but it's not comfortable to type that way. I'm just more careful with open containers and haven't had a spill since. Put all your liquids in a closed container and you won't have to worry about it anymore. They even have screw top converters for cans (although I always had trouble putting them on the cans so don't use them anymore).

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Tech198 said:
First hand experience,, while definitely not the last, they bend over backward for customers which most others don't do, would be the only thing that puts Apple in the lead here...

Besides, this stops at the retail level.... I have a literally argue, complain, and p**ss of the executives at Apple, just so i could get a free iPhone from them, which was their fault originally anyway.

No company should take 7 weeks of constant nagging to get what they deserve, so my advice.... if your got a valid reason to, be prepared for a battle on ya hands. This is regards of what Apple puts up on their pages regarding their policies.... I always wondered why they do their own pages on government based policies, but its just to reassure users better.

Aside from that,, ya the retail genius bar's are ok :apple:

I wouldn't hardly call it best, particularly, when all other companies must "follow the rules" when I look at it, a waste of my time since even i know it will not solve the issue i actually asked. But all companies must do that i know..... however the geniuses are a little "off", since every one u speak too must go over the same troubleshooting steps u've already done...
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Just reading this, I wouldn't want to help you either. Maybe it was your attitude that slowed things up. "You get more flies with honey than vinegar" applies to all human interactions.
 
0815 said:
Wow, I guess I am lucky here - I still can get same day appointments.
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Location seems to matter. I've seen lots of complaints posted about this, but every time I've wanted an appointment I've been able to get one within an hour or two. Just checked to see what it's like at this moment. It's 1:50 and the next available appointment at the closest store is 2:45.
 
talmy said:
Location seems to matter. I've seen lots of complaints posted about this, but every time I've wanted an appointment I've been able to get one within an hour or two. Just checked to see what it's like at this moment. It's 1:50 and the next available appointment at the closest store is 2:45.
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Probably location and whether the person is trying to get an appointment on a product launch day or something. I go to the Mall of America store and have never had an issue getting an appointment the same day or the next day and when I go I usually talk to someone right around my appointment time. And if it takes a little longer I enjoy looking around and talking to people about Apple stuff. People are always in a good mood and chatty at my Apple store. Sometimes other customers ask me for help or an opinion if I'm standing right there and I'm happy to help.
 
I always felt the Genius Bar was kind of lame. Perhaps I'm just a know it all. :p They are ok, but most don't comprehend the more technical details about my issues and they always grab another person to assist.
 

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0815 said:
But in my limited experience in going to the genius bar (I so hate that word), they always try to bend the rules and usually try treat you as if you have a warranty (Of course, there are reasonable limits to that)
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Yeah, they did replace a broken mouse for free for me once. The problem I always had is that they've repeatedly "fixed" the same problems over and over on our lemon iMacs under warranty, and then eventually the iMacs died out of warranty. We just wanted a new iMac each time instead of a repair because we always knew this would happen. Of course, they couldn't make such a big repair for free after the warranty expired and the iMac suddenly won't boot.
 
Many may (rightly) say Apple aren't the innovative company they were a few short years ago. But they still are market leaders when it comes to being second to none for customer care. They repaired my 4 year old iMac power supply for nothing - under a little known UK consumer law (6 years on electrical goods) which very fee other British firms will honour and ignore. This is one of the reasons I switched to Apple a good while ago. And tho they're certainly not the same trendsetters of yore - they've still kept to their legacy of providing superlative and impeccable after sales assurance.
 
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Roomers said:
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?
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Most problems that people have are software problems. If there is something with your software you can't figure out, you make an appointment, and they'll figure it out.

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talmy said:
Location seems to matter. I've seen lots of complaints posted about this, but every time I've wanted an appointment I've been able to get one within an hour or two. Just checked to see what it's like at this moment. It's 1:50 and the next available appointment at the closest store is 2:45.
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Just pray that your Mac doesn't break when the iPhone 6S gets released :D
 
Always had great experience at the Genius Bar and just recently had a three hour phone session (1st ever) with Apple support and was very impressed. Even though they didn't directly solve my problem, they helped me figure out my self-imposed iMessage/FaceTime problem on my MacBook.
 
I have always had great experiences at the Genius Bar. They always find a way to help. I used to maintain Macs at a video post production house and I worked briefly for Apple as an at home iOS customer support person so I am more knowledgable than the typical customer. I also know how horrible some people can be so I am always calm and polite when dealing with service people - anywhere, not just an Apple store. I never demand things, I ask nicely. And guess what? I always get what I want.

So I always recommend the Genius Bar.
 
This doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Apple's customer support has been great to me over the years. Never had a single complaint.
 
Black Belt said:
Understaffed. Why does it take a week to get an "appointment"? If my phone is dead (their fault not mine), they get to deal with me now. Of course it took hours. And nowhere to sit in the meantime. That's ********.
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Apple stores are not understaffed. They are dealing with the "too many cars on the road" problem. When you have too many cars on the road, you do not build more roads. You find out why there are so many cars and reduce those reasons. In Apple's case, they need to find a way to keep people from wasting time at the Bar, ie, why's my battery not lasting(Facebook on 100 percent brightness), etc.
 
One of the major problems with the time and amount of customers is not actually apples fault. It is actually the general public. People that get service usually do not know passwords and don't have a backup. It couldn't be any easier with icloud or time machine, but this is what causes angry people. They have no option if their device is broken to loose information, or to come back if its not.

NT1440 said:
When I was hired by Apple (then I promptly told them to shove it when they said I had to leave my current job if I wanted to be part time in the store) they told me that Geniuses are sent to California for a two week training course...though I don't know if that's true.
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This must have been years ago. There are many employees that work at apple stores with other jobs. The full time employment and part time employment is about 50/50 in the stores. All Geniuses are full time employees. They are also ALL trained in California for about a month. They are a lot more knowledgable then what most people realize or give them credit for.


Black Belt said:
Understaffed. Why does it take a week to get an "appointment"? If my phone is dead (their fault not mine), they get to deal with me now. Of course it took hours. And nowhere to sit in the meantime. That's ********.
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Its always apples fault. You sound like all the people who are always unhappy and can't take any responsibility for anything. What you do not realize is with any electronic device its not if they will fail but when. You also take for granted the support options that are available for you through the apple store. Next time get the warranty through your carrier and then tell me what you think about spending an hour at the apple store. Probably the person who goes to the store without an appointment on a Saturday afternoon and expects the attention of a three year old immediately.

HenryDJP said:
Understaffed with employees? Heck no. They are overstocked with customers! That's why you can't get an appointment for at least a week. That's why I don't bother with Apple store anymore unless I'm buying something online that I can walk in a pick up asap. If I have to have something repaired then at least I prepare myself for the worst.
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The problem is most people go to the apple stores at the busiest times. Such as 4:00 or later on the weekdays, and on a saturday or sunday afternoon. While you cannot always help it, people need to realize they are not the only people on the planet.

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sualpine said:
Apple stores are not understaffed. They are dealing with the "too many cars on the road" problem. When you have too many cars on the road, you do not build more roads. You find out why there are so many cars and reduce those reasons. In Apple's case, they need to find a way to keep people from wasting time at the Bar, ie, why's my battery not lasting(Facebook on 100 percent brightness), etc.
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exactly, do you know how many people are there to reset their apple id password. At any given time at least one person. This is what should be an easy task, but it takes time.
 
peterh988 said:
Not a dig at you or your post, nor Samsung, but a genuine question.

Having never had a problem with a phone either iPhone or pre-iPhone, what happens if your Samsung phone breaks? Does the phone shop swap it out, do they send it off for repair, do you get a loaner, what happens?

As I say, genuine question.
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The phone shop gave me a new phone.
 
I've only had to deal with them once. Last week when I dropped and smashed my iPhone 6. I had AppleCare+ though so they replaced my phone fine. They did tell me I needed to unpair my apple watch to create a backup on the phone. Didn't know that. But the guy was pleasant enough.
 
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