We have six Apple Stores within about 10-15 miles from each other, and no matter how many employees are on the floor or behind the bar, there aren't enough brains to go around. Instead of "what have you done for me lately, Apple?", we said, "Let's do something for Apple." So we started an Apple User Group with headquarters that allow us to teach, support, and provide active collaboration with the Apple Stores, to help serve Apple users who may need a little more help than can be given in a retail store. We meet, teach, and provide support every day. We have workshops, seminars, guest speakers, daily classes, and it's a place where all Mac/Apple users can get together, share experiences, solve problems, and learn -- home-based, and professional users alike. Give a little back to Apple.
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Apple Prepping Genius Bar Changes: Focus on Shorter Wait Times, Multitasking, Overnight Repairs
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In the very early days of the Apple retail stores the genius bar wasn't used for checking in service, it was used to get help and questions about your Mac. Back then they actually hired real Mac heads that knew their way around Macs very well and the genius bar didn't need appointments because it wasn't filled with OCD people like on here.
My Nearest Apple store is in Sydney which is 3 hours by flight from Auckland. It is quite a different experience from my usual PC parts shopping. Went in to get an iPad and they directed me to a chick with an iPad that put my name in a queue and had to wait my turn to be called on. I'd be happy to just do a grab and go as I normally do in other places. I do see a need for the personal one on one experience for some customers who wanna feel special lol, g/f took a photo of me talking to the store employee and it looked like I was selling the iPad to her more than her selling it to me. 
There are a few AASP's in my area, I may try them the next time my logic board goes up.
I rarely call Apple Care since my issues are easy to diagnose, either a busted HDD, or a busted LB.
I hope that employee was anonymous or I'm certain he would be instantly fired upon Apple finding out that he dared to voice resistance to the almighty Jobs. He should be fully capable, after all, of helping three customers at the same time while simultaneously taking both his lunch and bathroom breaks!
This is the problem with Apple. They don't want to hire more people to make things better, despite being awash with ungodly amounts of free operating cash. "Next year" will be "Mac" year while this one is an "iOS" year because they don't have the staff to do two things at once...until NOW at least. Now they can simply write code for iOS with one hand while writing it for the Mac with the other hand and sipping coffee with the help of a mega-jumbo straw!
Don't complain, though or even think about unionizing or your barely above minimum wage job will go to someone else.
I should give them a call and ask an OS X Engineer why my old Spotlight comments won't work. *sigh*
Me either.. When I heard this was coming, it was the perfect excuse to get a new job.
I worked too hard, with poor hours, and not enough salary, and had to deal with too many morons on both sides of the genius bar.
When I heard that instead of making the store larger and hiring more people to handle the larger volume that we would now be doing overnight repairs and 4 appointments at once, I started updating my resume.
Geniuses have been trained to multi-task at the Genius bar for a very long time, it's nothing new. It's always been encouraged and part of training from what I understand. There are often opportunities to multi-task (iPhone restore, Archive & Install, Disk Utility verification) so it makes sense then to help another customer while a product does its thing.
For everyone moaning about the 15 minute slots, more often than not 15 minutes is enough time to replicate an issue, isolate it and then either fix it there and then or book it in for service. There will always be a few exceptions that require a lot more time, but generally, most issues are simple. Customers often think their problem is unique and complex and need hours of dedicated support, but they're rarely right.
For everyone moaning about the 15 minute slots, more often than not 15 minutes is enough time to replicate an issue, isolate it and then either fix it there and then or book it in for service. There will always be a few exceptions that require a lot more time, but generally, most issues are simple. Customers often think their problem is unique and complex and need hours of dedicated support, but they're rarely right.
Tech support...
In November 2009 I ponied up for ProCare. I was told for one year this would put me "at the front of the line," for repairs and guarantee me 24 hour turn around among other things. 4 months later I went to use my ProCare again. I was told, "we no longer do that, but we'll make a special exception." Since then, with ProCare paid for, I haven't gotten 24 hour turn around times on repairs, head of the line service, or a concierge to pay attention to me. How far the Apple has fallen from the tree...
In November 2009 I ponied up for ProCare. I was told for one year this would put me "at the front of the line," for repairs and guarantee me 24 hour turn around among other things. 4 months later I went to use my ProCare again. I was told, "we no longer do that, but we'll make a special exception." Since then, with ProCare paid for, I haven't gotten 24 hour turn around times on repairs, head of the line service, or a concierge to pay attention to me. How far the Apple has fallen from the tree...
people hate "multitasking" customers would get so pissed when I would help someone else while we were waiting for something to load, etc...
and even more pissed when that 2nd person ends up taking forever..
customers do not like this, it will not work well for them
a least now i know wtf a genius bar is though
and even more pissed when that 2nd person ends up taking forever..
customers do not like this, it will not work well for them
a least now i know wtf a genius bar is though
As an ex-genius who just left the company in the last month as this was starting, I can tell you it's a complete cluster ****. I've spoken to some of my coworkers and they said it's just gotten worse. They are getting more backed up and overworked every day. No one wants to be there.
Glad I got out in time!
Glad I got out in time!
Quoted for truth
From another ex-Genius who visited a store for a hardware swap today.
Once in our small Premium Reseller shop, we was used to multitask all the time, which was great! I wasn't so called Genius.. but I was helping more customers with hw or sw related problems, sometimes also selling products or chatting with Apple fanboys - all at once.. everyday. It was more like Friend Bar in fact I can't remember a day I wasn't happy to be at work.
I think this is going to be a good step.. not just for customer, but for a Genius too. For me, it would be quite frustrating to watch all the people waiting, when I'm able to do more.. just because of one-to-one person system.
I can't remember a day I wasn't happy to be at work.I think this is going to be a good step.. not just for customer, but for a Genius too. For me, it would be quite frustrating to watch all the people waiting, when I'm able to do more.. just because of one-to-one person system.
As a former Genius I know that this has been going on for at least 9-12 months. I was always expected to multitask, as many customers have issues that simply cannot be addressed in 15-20 minutes but don't necessarily need to be checked in. In our store there were already morning and evening repair shifts. Before I left they were starting to train and pull Creatives for the iPod/iPhone queue. The Geniuses, quite frankly, are overstressed and stretched thin.
I feel like I was let go for caring too much about about customer issues and not enough about that 15-20 minute time limit. I got into the game to help people. Management didn't seem to care about the amount of stress it put on customers or employees. You're just expected to deal with it and live up to the expectation. That "rising to the occasion" thing is part of working at Apple, but now it's going too far.
It saddens me that they are bringing this atmosphere to all the stores. I loved my job there, even though it was incredibly stressful. I've seen this coming for quite awhile.
I feel like I was let go for caring too much about about customer issues and not enough about that 15-20 minute time limit. I got into the game to help people. Management didn't seem to care about the amount of stress it put on customers or employees. You're just expected to deal with it and live up to the expectation. That "rising to the occasion" thing is part of working at Apple, but now it's going too far.
It saddens me that they are bringing this atmosphere to all the stores. I loved my job there, even though it was incredibly stressful. I've seen this coming for quite awhile.
I don't know what store you worked at but I can't believe you'd be fired for "caring too much" frankly because in Apple retail one can not care too much.
The multitasking was the norm at my store as well but I did repairs during the day, opposite of the change. As for us being overworked and underpaid, I can't support that enough. Going home every night and hating your life isn't fun. Management had no sense of reality, everything was demanded to be done the second it was uttered from their mouths and expected five minute miracles.
I can not stress enough how much of a terrible place Apple retail is to work. For the mediocre pay the stress alone isn't worth it. Unless you drink the "Apple kool-aid" you will not fit in. You will be made into an outcast. Unless your head is up your ass like management and the majority of your coworkers you will get nowhere.
I was one of those kids who drank the kool-aid and I still got screwed. Apple takes full advantage of their employee's love of the company. I haven't walked into that store since then because it will hurt too much.
I know that I did everything I could to perform the way they expected. I miss it. I miss the insanity, my co-workers and the company.
This change they are making is just going to make for more disgruntled, abused Apple employees.
I know that I did everything I could to perform the way they expected. I miss it. I miss the insanity, my co-workers and the company.
This change they are making is just going to make for more disgruntled, abused Apple employees.
Maybe Apple could push Congress to allow them to hire illegal immigrants and perhaps get to pay less than minimum wage to boot while working 80 hours a week? I mean that's how Apple treats their employees anyway, so why not? Like I said before, Apple is Anti-American. They are Pro-Communist in nature. They believe the upper 1% should make ungodly amounts of money (namely Steve and some of his closest cohorts) while everyone else should work their butt off for less than the poverty line. That sounds like the height of the Communist Party to me. Frankly, MOST of the large corporations are heading in that direction. Profit for the CEO, Board of Directors and shareholders are the ONLY things that matter. Everyone else is a pawn to be used and abused and fired when not needed. With little unionization, you can expect to be fired for no reason what-so-ever with little to no recourse to the situation.
Even the Supreme Court has shown themselves to be in the majority of these days to screw the common man and back corporations at any cost (apparently a non-entity known as a corporation now has the same rights as any human, probably more). And yet this fall the clueless American public will buy into that "kool-aid" and put the same people back in control that got us into this deplorable situation. Forget about using technology so the average man can live in world like the Jetsons. Corporations just want more productivity than ever and expect you to work while traveling, waiting in airports, etc. while the top brass go on golfing trips and resort retreats. It's becoming more and more like the Middle Ages all over again only with technology. I guess mankind never learned a thing from the French Revolution and the bourgeois attitudes of the day that are present now in the ultra-rich just as they were then in upper class of their day. Yes, socialism is evil because it means the top 2-5% can't live off the misery of the other 95-98% of humanity working their butts off just to stay alive. They tell themselves they DESERVE to be there and the stupid lower classes are lazy uneducated bums that deserve even less than they have. They're completely out of touch with reality. I'm sure a few up and coming lawyers and future lobbyists will tell me how wrong I am, but I know better.
Even the Supreme Court has shown themselves to be in the majority of these days to screw the common man and back corporations at any cost (apparently a non-entity known as a corporation now has the same rights as any human, probably more). And yet this fall the clueless American public will buy into that "kool-aid" and put the same people back in control that got us into this deplorable situation. Forget about using technology so the average man can live in world like the Jetsons. Corporations just want more productivity than ever and expect you to work while traveling, waiting in airports, etc. while the top brass go on golfing trips and resort retreats. It's becoming more and more like the Middle Ages all over again only with technology. I guess mankind never learned a thing from the French Revolution and the bourgeois attitudes of the day that are present now in the ultra-rich just as they were then in upper class of their day. Yes, socialism is evil because it means the top 2-5% can't live off the misery of the other 95-98% of humanity working their butts off just to stay alive. They tell themselves they DESERVE to be there and the stupid lower classes are lazy uneducated bums that deserve even less than they have. They're completely out of touch with reality. I'm sure a few up and coming lawyers and future lobbyists will tell me how wrong I am, but I know better.
Agreed, and way off the mark on both the form of government and Apple.
I hated working for Apple Retail after some time, but I'd always admit that the entry pay was better than most retail chains, and the HR department was better than I could've ever imagined.
You don't believe that China is Communist?
By manufacturing there that Apple is aiding the enemy of democracy? Apple is not alone in this, but that doesn't make them any better than the rest of Corporate America putting personal gain for the top 5% ahead of the foundations of this country and Western Civilization. Instead, the U.S. takes its stand against Cuba, a worthless token stance against Communism and makes China, the largest Communist country in the world (with nukes to boot) our favored trading partner, despite massive trade deficits and the absolute outsourcing of the country's jobs and wealth to an enemy of democracy and freedom. But I guess those mean nothing to you or anyone else that supports manufacturing and trade with China.
There's no rule here that says you have to like all Apple products, or any Apple products to be here
I don't like the iPhone and iOS, yet I have 2 Macs and I like them. Where do I fit in?
The fact you even have desire to fit in here is the problem. I have plenty of friends, I'm here to express my constructive opinion. I'd love to find a bar full of people like this. More entertaining than night at the movies.