Apple's Support Site Now Lets Customers Schedule Repairs at Apple Authorized Providers

[tampageek]

My last "in store" repair at an actual Apple Store took a week and a half. The times I've had a "return to depot" repair, I pretty consistently had the machine back in my hands after two or three days. So none of this seems bad to me... anything Apple can do to improve their repair experience is a plus.

That said, my experiences with Apple's service over the past decade is getting eerily similar to what I experienced with Dell 10-15 years ago. Around 2000 Dell's service was amazing - but, by 2004-2005, their service (and most of their products) sucked. I really, really don't want Apple to continue down that road.

They could hire more geniuses. No?

 

[Westside guy]

They could hire more geniuses. No?

Works for me... it's not as if they don't have the money to do so!

 

[JDee]

I wish Greece had an official Apple Store and support instead of resellers...

I wish Ireland, where Apple has their European Headquarters and where they funnel 16 billion Euros worth of revenue through would have an Apple Store.

 

[kagharaht]

So these authorized repair centers can do screen replacement like the Apple Stores?

 

[crisss1205]

While these are easy to do, Apple don't actually allow APR to carry out screen replacements. They get sent to Apple to be done as they require the new screen to be calibrated properly which requires a stupidly expensive price of kit, which no APR is going to purchase.

Some Best Buy stores do in fact do screen replacements in store, but that is very limited at the moment.

Also, this is nothing new. My local Best Buy has been taking appointments on Apple.com since earlier this summer.

 

[TheHorrorNerd]

That is ridiculous. How does anyone at Apple find that acceptable?

No one else in the repair world (manufacturer) other than MS offers in person repair.

Wonder if anyone at Apple has thought of making products that don't fail as a way to ease backlogs at their Geneius Bars ?

yeah because it's Apple's fault that people routinely break their phone's display...

 

[Jim W]

Tim Cook should resign just for the fact that they killed Aperture, if you want my opinion. Photos is a bloody joke. Shoe box for snapshots for old ladies and teenagers. Surely they have the bucks and engineers to update Aperture. They are rapidly becoming an iPhone single gadget company.

Regarding the original question of repairs, I had to have my 2013 Pro sent in or on sited 3 times. Not acceptable. Finally fixed. Almost 6 months of problems.

I've been with Apple since the Apple II introduction, Steve and Woz were there in SF. As an Apple authorized video/photo VAR sold several hundred Mac Pros and MBPs. Quality of the Mac software has become appalling.

 

[Tikatika]

This is laughable. The only authorized repairs places are 2 hours away from me, in the same city as three Apple stores with Genius bars.

I can remember the day when Dell would send a certified tech to my house under their extended warranty plan. Admittedly, he was there a lot , but it sure was nice service.

Sorry, feeling Apple sad these days at all the changes.

 

[crisss1205]

I can remember the day when Dell would send a certified tech to my house under their extended warranty plan. Admittedly, he was there a lot , but it sure was nice service.

If you have AppleCare Protection and a Desktop Mac, they will send someone to your house.

 

[Westside guy]

yeah because it's Apple's fault that people routinely break their phone's display...

I've never taken my iPhone to the Apple Store for service. I have, however, had to take various Apple laptops in over the years. Those supposedly don't share the same support personnel as iOS devices, but (at least in my area) the delays are just as long.

My week-and-a-half in store repair was for a MacBook Pro we'd just purchased this past spring - the keyboard and trackpad had stopped working. They said they had the part, so they planned on an in-store repair. But it turned out they didn't have the part, and one delay led to another...

 

[bizzle]

This has been live for at least a couple of months. We use it at my shop and it's all iPhone whiners.

While these are easy to do, Apple don't actually allow APR to carry out screen replacements. They get sent to Apple to be done as they require the new screen to be calibrated properly which requires a stupidly expensive price of kit, which no APR is going to purchase.

Apple refuses to sell the equipment to AASPs.

 

[AZ63]

Ugh, why do they still have the iOS 9 style pins on the map??

I prefer the pin as opposed to the blob.

 

[sunseeker]

Perfect! Another reason to NOT go to an Apple Store - or whatever Angela wants to call them now. The PR is puzzling. Isn't the GB supposed to be a way to get people into all those fancy new stores to buy dongles? Maybe they're phasing out service? That would go along with everything else they're getting rid of these days....ports, magsafe, airport, displays, bla bla bla......

As far as I can tell, they are phasing out, or at least refocusing, the Genius Bar. I tried to book an appointment today and the option seems to have gone from the Apple Store App.

 

[iMacC2D]

Removed.

 

[cerote]

The one near me has never answered a single email I have sent them (maybe 3 or 4 over the years asking about repair options). And the one time I went in they stood there chatting with the one other person in there which seemed to be a friend hanging out with them.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Amazing how you guys are complaining about this. Must have crappy Apple Stores in their areas.
I think it was just last year when I gotten an appointment to my Apple Store for my dead MBP hard drives. Came in two days later confirming my issue and had a replacement ready. I asked if there were any third party recommended HDDs and the Genius employee showed me the Seagate 1 TB SSHD for less than the Apple Replacement pricing. Good service overall and I am glad that I can schedule appointments at closer repair stores if something goes wrong.

 

[jrlcopy]

Can't wait to schedule my repair, get there, then be told that the issue was caused by "being dropped multiple times on a hard surface."

Uh yeah... I tried taking a product to a third party place once, only to be told that I should take it to the Apple store and that they weren't able to test.

 

[Luscious]

No one else in the repair world (manufacturer) other than MS offers in person repair.

Both Dell and HP offer in person next business day repairs on most of their items. Granted it's not done by a Dell or HP employee but instead by a local firm they contract with who are "certified" but either way if you have a Dell or an HP with a next business day repair warranty somebody will come to you and do the repair at your location after you work with a support rep and they determine a hardware repair is necessary. They also both offer accidental damage protection as well for an additional fee so they'll even cover repairs if you are at fault for the damage. They'll even replace the unit if it's necessary without any additional fees. The only downside is it usually takes more than a business day because they have to ship the part overnight and only once it's received can you schedule the repair with the person who is actually doing it. If the device is beyond repair you have to send it in but the turn around time is usually about a business week.

I work at an IT firm that resells both Dell's and HP's and most of the time their next business day repairs work pretty well other than the fact that it's usually really two business days. Maybe 5% of the time we have an issue and the first repair doesn't fix it.

For the amount Apple charges for AppleCare they really should offer something similar. Then again it's so hard to repair newer Macs that it's probably not possible in most cases.

 

[r.harris1]

I used the third party repair service back in October for a covered repair to fix screen-gate (reflective coating coming off) for my 2013 MBP. It showed up in the repair options on the Apple site. It was great and this place actually wanted to see me and wanted my business. Awesome.

 

[wolfaaron]

The Apple authorized provider near me can't even replace batteries. They say that they ship the phone out to Apple. I think they should not authorize any third party unless they know that they can provide every service that a regular Apple Store can. Or at least be able to do the basic like screen and battery repair.

I'm stuck with an bad battery until I can make it to a real Apple Store in February.

 

[B.K.]

No one else in the repair world (manufacturer) other than MS offers in person repair.

yeah because it's Apple's fault that people routinely break their phone's display...

Bet MS wouldn't make you wait a week just for an appointment.

 

[bcave098]

Both Dell and HP offer in person next business day repairs on most of their items. Granted it's not done by a Dell or HP employee but instead by a local firm they contract with who are "certified" but either way if you have a Dell or an HP with a next business day repair warranty somebody will come to you and do the repair at your location after you work with a support rep and they determine a hardware repair is necessary. They also both offer accidental damage protection as well for an additional fee so they'll even cover repairs if you are at fault for the damage. They'll even replace the unit if it's necessary without any additional fees. The only downside is it usually takes more than a business day because they have to ship the part overnight and only once it's received can you schedule the repair with the person who is actually doing it. If the device is beyond repair you have to send it in but the turn around time is usually about a business week.

I work at an IT firm that resells both Dell's and HP's and most of the time their next business day repairs work pretty well other than the fact that it's usually really two business days. Maybe 5% of the time we have an issue and the first repair doesn't fix it.

For the amount Apple charges for AppleCare they really should offer something similar. Then again it's so hard to repair newer Macs that it's probably not possible in most cases.

Apple also offers on-site service for desktops with the AppleCare Protection Plan.

 

[claud9999]

I called a number of these third parties to see about my 6S battery replacement (I have a winner!) and they all said they couldn't do the battery replacement and would have to ship it in to get it replaced. Same day service? No. A week to get an Apple Store appointment, at a mall which is always fun around the holidays.

And to be clear, I live in the Silly-con Valley, so you'd think the third parties could handle a simple battery replacement. *I* could handle a battery replacement, just wouldn't be under warrantee!

 

[efktd]

Wow. Apple has even managed to make their genius bars thinner.

 

[ScholarsInk]

That is ridiculous. How does anyone at Apple find that acceptable?

I went to college in a major city, so that was even worse (since tourists flood the Apple Stores too). It was impossible to the point that there are things I never got looked at during my warranty.