On September 3rd, I took my phone 5 (eligible for the sleep/wake button replacement program) to the Apple Store in White City after booking an appointment for that day. The phone was handed in, inspected and a Genius Bar Work Authorisation receipt was sent to my email; the emploee who took in the phone suggested that it will be ready within 7-10 days and that I would be notified by phone and by email to my Apple ID registered address.
10 business days passed and I did not have any update, so on Monday September 15th, I called the store to check on the status of the repair. They said that my phone was ready and on the 9th and an individual with my name came into the store and received my phone... And the horror story begun!
I immediatly explained the situation (I never received any phone calls from the store nor emails confirming the completion of the repair) and asked them about the ID of the person who walked in to the store and stole my phone. To the time of this writing, I have never received a straight answer on that. I also asked them how come I have not received a confirmation email regarding both the completion of the repair and the pick up recept. The response was "we send it to the email address indicated by the person who picked it up" (!!!if this is not plain stupidity, let alone major security hole, then what is?!?). The line manager of the store ensured me that he will investigate the matter and get back to me within 24 hours.
Not only that phone call never happened, the communication with the store was a horrible and inefficient experience, as I had to explain the situation over and over again to different personnel answering the telephone. After a million phone calls, a London Metropolitan Police Department crime report and several hours of communication with a senior and a supervisor of the Apple Customer Relations EMEA, I was ensured -verbally- that I would get a replacement. Indeed, 7 days after the fact, I was contacted by the apple store and notified about a replacement phone.
My solicitor suggests that, as this is a case of both identity fraud and physical theft caused by the incompetency of the apple store employees, I should not accept the replacement phone and aim for a further compensation agreement. However, I really want to get this over with and never set foot in the Apple Store in White City again!
10 business days passed and I did not have any update, so on Monday September 15th, I called the store to check on the status of the repair. They said that my phone was ready and on the 9th and an individual with my name came into the store and received my phone... And the horror story begun!
I immediatly explained the situation (I never received any phone calls from the store nor emails confirming the completion of the repair) and asked them about the ID of the person who walked in to the store and stole my phone. To the time of this writing, I have never received a straight answer on that. I also asked them how come I have not received a confirmation email regarding both the completion of the repair and the pick up recept. The response was "we send it to the email address indicated by the person who picked it up" (!!!if this is not plain stupidity, let alone major security hole, then what is?!?). The line manager of the store ensured me that he will investigate the matter and get back to me within 24 hours.
Not only that phone call never happened, the communication with the store was a horrible and inefficient experience, as I had to explain the situation over and over again to different personnel answering the telephone. After a million phone calls, a London Metropolitan Police Department crime report and several hours of communication with a senior and a supervisor of the Apple Customer Relations EMEA, I was ensured -verbally- that I would get a replacement. Indeed, 7 days after the fact, I was contacted by the apple store and notified about a replacement phone.
My solicitor suggests that, as this is a case of both identity fraud and physical theft caused by the incompetency of the apple store employees, I should not accept the replacement phone and aim for a further compensation agreement. However, I really want to get this over with and never set foot in the Apple Store in White City again!
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