Apple Store employee:"We no longer help you set it up your watch..."

[MasterControlOp]

That sucks. My apple store experiences have always been great, even when the store is busy they always made sure my new whatever was good to go before they moved onto the next customer.

 

[xraydoc]

I’ve always found Apple store employees a little too helpful.
Kind of a joke, but I’ve had to refuse setup help so many times, I was the one who felt bad about it, not the employee.

 

[bruinsrme]

To me getting home with a new device and getting to set it up is half the fun of ownership!

I worked at a store, we took pride helping the new owners set up their new devices.
Other stores nearby referred set up to calling Apple care.
Personally, I felt setting up devices was one of the most important things that separated the Apple stores from other retailers and products.
This is something Apple should fix, immediately.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I worked at a store, we took pride helping the new owners set up their new devices.
Other stores nearby referred set up to calling Apple care.
Personally, I felt setting up devices was one of the most important things that separated the Apple stores from other retailers and products.
This is something Apple should fix, immediately.

I think this was an isolated incident as I have never had Apple not offer to help me set up a new device. I just prefer to do it myself. The OP must have got a bad geek.

 

[bruinsrme]

I think this was an isolated incident as I have never had Apple not offer to help me set up a new device. I just prefer to do it myself. The OP must have got a bad geek.

Last I check the Apple store in Dedham Ma referred customers to the phone set up

 

[44267547]

I worked at a store, we took pride helping the new owners set up their new devices.
Other stores nearby referred set up to calling Apple care.
Personally, I felt setting up devices was one of the most important things that separated the Apple stores from other retailers and products.
This is something Apple should fix, immediately.

If Apple is selling the product, (which is direct from them), and given the price point of what they charge for their devices, they shouldn’t be denying _any_ service to a customer when it comes to setting up an Apple Watch, pairing AirPods, ect.

Now, I personally have never been denied from Apple for setting up an Apple Watch or any other device, that is what separates Apple from other retailers, and these are the types of things of what customers will come back to your store, is because you have to make it personal. And ironically, Apple claims the Apple Watch is one of the most ‘personal devices’, so assisting a customer with the set up should be hand-in-hand given that motto.

 

[danny842003]

I actually find apple store staff uncomfortably helpful. It’s a trait I find with a lot of Americans and American companies. I would like to say the fault isn’t on their part but I’m a dour Northern Englishman and they really grate on me.

 

[pika2000]

So I've been pretty excited about getting my first watch, been going back and forth between LTE or not Aluminum vs SS. There isn't a store within 250 miles of us so knowing we were going to be in Birmingham, Al I started making plans for my Black SS watch.
Employee indifference is just a fact of life and I figured I just got unlucky to get the salesperson that I did. The fact that she didn't own a watch herself didn't make me feel any better or that she had an Aluminum watch brought out and didn't catch it herself. But when I asked her about setting it up she said they no longer did that. She said I was free to have a seat at one of the tables and could ask someone for help if I needed it.
What? Whenever I went with my wife to get anything from either Apple or Best Buy, there was an amazing amount of support setting it up. I sat at a table near some more experienced looking Apple logo shirt people and the one kind woman confirmed it. She suggested I write Tim about it. Fortunately she was able to walk me through the set up and it now has my info on it. Thank you Nancy!
Anyone else bought a device as of late and experienced this same lack of support?
BTW love my new watch, now to figure out all it's tricks and capabilities!

Wow, that's really odd. Or maybe that store is not as well staffed and maybe there's an SOP if they deem that not enough staff around?
I don't know, but I wouldn't discount few bad Apples/mid managers here and there. I am lucky enough to enjoy great services on almost every Apple stores I visited (US, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan locations so far). But I'm sure there are bad ones out there. In the end, it's humans servicing humans.

 

[petrosil]

Last I check the Apple store in Dedham Ma referred customers to the phone set up

My experience also. I don't know if they send this email out to every new watch owner or not but that evening I had an email from them and the subject line said: "Get even more from your new Apple Watch." Inside the message was:

See for yourself with an online Personal Session.

Give us 30 minutes and we can help you discover some amazing things about your new Apple Watch Series 4 and many of its innovative features.

During your session, you will be on the phone with an Apple Specialist and following along while watching the specialist's shared screen on your computer.

1. We'll walk through your areas of potential interest. Find some inspiration.

2. Focus on specific topics.

3. Answer your questions.

Schedule your session

What we could explore
· Set up your Apple Watch Series 4

· Stay connected when you're away from your phone

· Stream songs with Apple Music right from your wrist

· Monitor your health

After scheduling, you'll receive a confirmation email with additional details on your session.

For technical support, such as how to transfer data to your new device, please visit Apple Support. If this was a gift for someone, please forward this email to them so they can schedule a session.


Has anyone else gotten emails offering phone based support on their purchases?

 

[bruinsrme]

My experience also. I don't know if they send this email out to every new watch owner or not but that evening I had an email from them and the subject line said: "Get even more from your new Apple Watch." Inside the message was:

See for yourself with an online Personal Session.

Give us 30 minutes and we can help you discover some amazing things about your new Apple Watch Series 4 and many of its innovative features.

During your session, you will be on the phone with an Apple Specialist and following along while watching the specialist's shared screen on your computer.

1. We'll walk through your areas of potential interest. Find some inspiration.

2. Focus on specific topics.

3. Answer your questions.

Schedule your session

What we could explore
· Set up your Apple Watch Series 4

· Stay connected when you're away from your phone

· Stream songs with Apple Music right from your wrist

· Monitor your health

After scheduling, you'll receive a confirmation email with additional details on your session.

For technical support, such as how to transfer data to your new device, please visit Apple Support. If this was a gift for someone, please forward this email to them so they can schedule a session.


Has anyone else gotten emails offering phone based support on their purchases?

Here’s the issue I have.
customers would come in and we would ensure they had the latest iOS and watch OS.
We would help them set it up and they would walk out with updated devices and a fully functional watch.
They were able to interact with not just the set up person but other specialists.
If it was their first watch other specialists would make it a point to congratulate them on the purchase, throw out some reminders about apps or to describe some features (always welcomed because the set up table would get busy).
During the time the iOS or watchOS was updating it was an opportunity to get to know each other and share some life experiences.
Sitting on the phone waiting is uncomfortable at best.
I loved working the set up table.