Atrocious Apple support

[syphern]

Well after hearing about how amazing Apple support is and how they are really good to people etc I have had the worst experience. Some background...

iphone 7 32gb and the haptics turn off intermittently... reset and its better so i thought it was a software issue. Restored it, set it up as new, used back up, restored it again from new. Nothing it kept coming back. Spoke to online apple support who told me I need to take it in and to tell them I have restored it...

Fast forward to a few days ago when I took it in. Didnt have a "genius" appointment so I waited 3 HOURS... the next genius appointment was 1 week in the future... so I waited like an idiot thinking ill get the famous world class customer service!

So eventually my turn comes i told the "genius" that i have restored it and its likely a hardware issue... he IGNORES me and messes around with the settings to look at the logs etc. Then he askes his other "genius" friend who says its a software issue... I again tell him I have restored it from new and it didnt work. This is what really got to me:

He says the itunes restore that they use is DIFFERENT to the one I have used at home. Its a better firmware! I think huh? never heard of this... I then say I have done a DFU restore from scratch. He gives me a blank look and tells me the update I did was just putting the software on top of the old one. LOL

So i decide to continue... he obviously knows better as hes using his super special restore powers right... he pulls out a macbook... and connects my phone to it, opens itunes and presses RESTORE! nothing different...

He then says after its done to come back if it happens again...

And 2 days later it happened again! Now I have an appointment with them on wednesday and honestly im not that assertive I need to be in this case as this dude wasted 4 hours of my life last week. Need some advice please...

 

[Applejuiced]

Not much you can do but follow their procedure. Your issue is entered in their system and then it should get replaced.

 

[auero]

Lately, I've had several interactions with Apple Support and it was horrid as well. I hope it's just bad luck, but it's hard to convince myself that's the case when on three or four different occasions the support was poor.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Didnt have a "genius" appointment so I waited 3 HOURS...
.
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Now I have an appointment with them on wednesday and honestly im not that assertive I need to be in this case as this dude wasted 4 hours of my life last week.

Why blame it all on the dude when you were the one who wasted 3 hours of your life from not making the appointment?

 

[heyyitssusan]

That is why you are supposed to make an appointment before you go and why Apple encourages you to make an appointment to ensure you'll get taken care of. It's a risk you're taking by walking in but at the end of the day there is nobody to blame.

 

[syphern]

Why blame it all on the dude when you were the one who wasted 3 hours of your life from not making the appointment?

as mentioned there were no appointments until next week. if they want good customer support then they need to hire more people.
[doublepost=1476735540][/doublepost]

That is why you are supposed to make an appointment before you go and why Apple encourages you to make an appointment to ensure you'll get taken care of. It's a risk you're taking by walking in but at the end of the day there is nobody to blame.

so you are trying to say the people with an appointment will get treated better? So why do they allow walk ins then??

 

[eyoungren]

You mention that the 'genuis' looked at your logs and then restored your device?

I'm asking the question because at that point the guy would have had nothing to go on except your reports. Restoring would have wiped any logs that might have had clues to the issue. Absent anything other than your report and the fact that the 7 is a brand new iPhone and probably did not appear defective to him he couldn't justify replacing the device or even trying to troubleshoot it.

So he restored, noted your comments and the fact that he restored and told you to return if it happened again on the assumption that new logs would be generated.

I am not defending the genius (they all seem to have taken a course in arrogant rudeness lately, similar to Starbucks barristas of the early '90s), just stating what's probably his perspective.

Hopefully you can find someone who will treat you better the next time you go in.

 

[jgelin]

Dear lord I have had the worst experience with them this launch. From a hissing phone to their replacement that they gave me not having its desolate fully in the case. 2 trips to Apple Store, 7 hours on chat, 4 in store not including the hour drive there and back. I am tremendously disappointed in Apple and their team. It is certainly not what I have read about not what was going on when a friend was working there some months ago...
[doublepost=1476736651][/doublepost]

I am not defending the genius (they all seem to have taken a course in arrogant rudeness lately, similar to Starbucks barristas of the early '90s), just stating what's probably his perspective.

This is the most accurate depiction of their behavior since about 6 months ago for me.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

They got you in after three hours instead of making you wait?! How atrocious!

 

[noteple]

The bulk of people want to come in a lunch and after work.
Instead of handling an appointment your genius was tied up with you for the time it took for a diagnostic and restore.

As a walk in I've had the best success dropping by when the store first opens and the worst an hour before they close.

 

[44267547]

No matter the outcome, at least your device should be replaced at no cost to you.

 

[kevroc]

He says the itunes restore that they use is DIFFERENT to the one I have used at home. Its a better firmware! I think huh? never heard of this... I then say I have done a DFU restore from scratch. He gives me a blank look and tells me the update I did was just putting the software on top of the old one. LOL

I was told that before about their special "restore", had to accept it and figured I'd just have to go back and say it's doing the same thing. Wasn't happy about it but figured I'd just follow protocol. Went back a week later and got it swapped out. Funny enough, the guy that swapped it probably wouldn't done that the first time, it's a little hit and miss.

 

[maxsix]

Apple has become a Walmart sized company targeting Walmart style mass volume sales. In achieving the high unit volume sales of iOS devices, they're challenged to deliver quality products and services including support at the store level.

To make matters more difficult they portray themselves as special, thereby creating very high expectations for the customer. It's these expectations that cause customers to be disappointed.

Apple talks a good game and paints a rosy picture. But it's just a consumer electronics company that happens to have a brilliant carefully crafted image. One that is very hard to live up to.

 

[eyoungren]

Apple has become a Walmart sized company targeting Walmart style mass volume sales. In achieving the high unit volume sales of iOS devices, they're challenged to deliver quality products and services including support at the store level.

To make matters more difficult they portray themselves as special, thereby creating very high expectations for the customer. It's these expectations that cause customers to be disappointed.

Apple talks a good game and paints a rosy picture. But it's just a consumer electronics company that happens to have a brilliant carefully crafted image. One that is very hard to live up to.

I think this is much more recent.

I've had ONE bad experience and that was late last year. Every experience before that I haven't needed an appointment and the genuises were great.

My very first visit was November 2009 when the genius diagnosed my out of warranty and obsolete Titanium PowerBook as having a dead logicboard. Didn't have to even touch it, but he did.

The following year I needed screws for a 17" Aluminum PowerBook, again obsolete. The genius found me some screws in the back even though he didn't have to.

Every visit since then has been great. I don't know what changed in September 2015, perhaps Stave Job's passing, but whatever it was things are now the way they are.

 

[Alexrat1996]

@Newtons Apple

 

[ZipZap]

I was told that before about their special "restore", had to accept it and figured I'd just have to go back and say it's doing the same thing. Wasn't happy about it but figured I'd just follow protocol. Went back a week later and got it swapped out. Funny enough, the guy that swapped it probably wouldn't done that the first time, it's a little hit and miss.

They simply have a way to do it faster in the store. Today by fusion drive was fixed as it had become disconnected (SSD not connected to HDD). The rep fixed thenput Sierra on the machine. OI swear it was less than 10 minutes to load Sierra. I can't do that at home, even with an USB drive.

 

[2298754]

Fast forward to a few days ago when I took it in. Didnt have a "genius" appointment so I waited 3 HOURS... the next genius appointment was 1 week in the future... so I waited like an idiot thinking ill get the famous world class customer service!

Yes, this is how walk-in appointments work... Reservations always get first priority. You should've made one.

What makes you more important than the dozens of other people waiting to get their devices checked out?

 

[mi7chy]

Not to sound like an apologist but any service will take a hit when swamped as currently is the case with all the iPhone 7 hardware and iOS 10 issues plus walk-ins will always be 2nd priority to scheduled appointments. And, the issue sounds like firmware/software so exchange will unlikely solve it. Your options are to have patience or go back to the fully baked iPhone 6S series until they work out all the issues.

 

[T5BRICK]

as mentioned there were no appointments until next week. if they want good customer support then they need to hire more people.

Uh. It doesn't work that way. The same thing would happen at your doctors office if you just showed up.