Do Apple Geniuses deserve their title?

mikeinternet

mikeinternet

macrumors 6502a
I may just be venting a bad experience but i think others would agree Apple "geniuses" are just glorified sales people. They have a couple basic things to check for but it always comes down to a stupid problem or a complete rebuild.

Basically a keyboard spill on my macbook pro is causing the hardware to malfunction in a way that keeps it from going into sleep mode. 2 Geniuses and a authorized repair shop later and all agree I need a complete rebuild not covered under warranty, 1200 dollars.

Kept digging around online and discovered there are actually 5 different sleep modes and that they can be activated with terminal. I'm now using "hibernation" mode which works fine and I'm preferring anyways because while in this sleep mode it uses zero battery.

None of those guys even came close to actually trying to solve my problem. I've been using apple for 10 years now and never needed tech support which I love, but I got to say this was an awful experience all along the way.

Applecare is not worth it.
 
iThink that the first part of your statement speaks truth. The Geniuses have been helpful at some points and at other times I have found them to not being capable of solving my problem. Remember that they are all different and all people.
 
the other problem could be your expectations and their job description vary, thus the difference in experience. To me it all boils down to $$$ and who can apple afford to put in their stores? my guess is not the type of geniuses everyone wishes for, but doesn't mean they aren't there anyways.
 
I'm now using "hibernation" mode which works fine and I'm preferring anyways because while in this sleep mode it uses zero battery.
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Incorrect. "Very little" battery is not the same as "zero battery."

Applecare is not worth it.
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I've had mixed experiences with AppleCare- some Geniuses have been really good while some others not so much. Applecare has paid for itself in my cases, so it has been worth it to me.
 
Must i tell you again?? PLEASE BUY YOUR SELVES A SILICONE KEYBOARD COVER!!

I have protection on both my keyboards and just yesterday for the first time a cup FULL OF COLA!!! spilled on my keyboard omg!! guess what, nothing happened yeyee:D:D:D:D:D:D

Im sorry for your loss.
 
Wrong.

Genius has to pass annual test on
- Hardware diagnostics
- Software diagnostics

They are paid to follow guidelines set by Apple and common sense. Including User damage = not covered under warranty.

If someone wrote a note that it's liquid damage, there is nothing they can do.

No standard manufacturer warranty covers user damage. Perhaps the problem is in your chair.

Apple tops 2009 customer satisfaction
http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/02/19/apple.tops.satisfication/

Apple leads HP, Dell in consumer satisfaction survey
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/06/25/apple.consumers.satisfied/
 
miles01110 said:
Incorrect. "Very little" battery is not the same as "zero battery."...
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From what I've read it is zero battery. They say you can swap the battery in this mode. Although I haven't tried it myself.

SchneiderMan said:
Must i tell you again?? PLEASE BUY YOUR SELVES A SILICONE KEYBOARD COVER!!
...
Im sorry for your loss.
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I think I will be getting one, wish I had this tip sooner. Also thank you for your compassion it would have been nice coming from apple. Although the work around which seems to make everything fine would have been even nicer.

Consultant said:
Wrong.

Genius has to pass annual test on
- Hardware diagnostics
- Software diagnostics

They are paid to follow guidelines set by Apple and common sense. Including User damage = not covered under warranty.

If someone wrote a note that it's liquid damage, there is nothing they can do.

No standard manufacturer warranty covers user damage. Perhaps the problem is in your chair.

Apple tops 2009 customer satisfaction
http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/02/19/apple.tops.satisfication/

Apple leads HP, Dell in consumer satisfaction survey
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/06/25/apple.consumers.satisfied/
Click to expand...

- I'd love to see those tests.
- I wasn't looking for a unwarranted repair. I just would have been saved a lot of pain if they were more knowledgeable.
- Of course customer satisfaction would blow away other companies, they make way better stuff. That doesn't change the fact they are a pain to deal with on the phone and in person.

I guess I just want them to be demoted to Apple "people". I understand they are all individuals but none I have met deserve their title.
 
I'm a big fan of Apple's mail-in service. It's done by third-party service providers and there's less of a hassle if the repair is in a "gray area."

Some of Apple's geniuses tend to be a little overzealous when it comes to accidental damage. Give us a break. If you've had a notebook for several months or years, you're going to small cosmetic scratches, scrapes and dings. It's just the nature of the product (particularly a product made of a thin aluminum).

If you're an Apple Genius use some common sense. There's a difference between accidental damage that's minor and cosmetic in nature and accidental damage that causes major system problems.

There's a reason Apple is only major PC manufacturer that doesn't offer some type of accidental warranty coverage on their products (Dell, HP, Sony, Gateway, Lenovo, etc all do).
 
jaw04005 said:
...
There's a reason Apple is only major PC manufacturer that doesn't offer some type of accidental warranty coverage on their products (Dell, HP, Sony, Gateway, Lenovo, etc all do).
Click to expand...

My girlfriend's DELL is covered for accidental damage like a spill or drop and she paid around 150 where as my applecare was 250 and only covers me when their product flat at fails for no reason.
 
mikeinternet said:
- I'd love to see those tests.
- I wasn't looking for a unwarranted repair. I just would have been saved a lot of pain if they were more knowledgeable.
- Of course customer satisfaction would blow away other companies, they make way better stuff. That doesn't change the fact they are a pain to deal with on the phone and in person.
Click to expand...

Sample test
http://training.apple.com/pdf/support-essentials-sample-test-10.6.pdf

It's not that they are unknowledgeable, it's that the computer is documented as water damage, and they cannot offer any service due to that.

If you think that's a pain, then you have not tried to build a custom pc with one bad part causing the computer not to start up.
 
mikeinternet said:
I may just be venting a bad experience but i think others would agree Apple "geniuses" are just glorified sales people. They have a couple basic things to check for but it always comes down to a stupid problem or a complete rebuild.
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That's as far as I got in this thread. Others may agree, but not me. I have had very satisfactory experiences with the help from the Genius Bar. You are clearly wrong that it "always" comes down to the same things. It does not. Perhaps "frequently" as a replacement would enhance the accuracy of your statement.
 
I despise the whole concept of the genius bar, the geniuses at them, and booking slots to get any help.

The couple of times I have tried to use them, they've been useless.
 
ok first of all..

we on macrumors.com are pretty much the exact opposite of the new apple users that have no clue about apple products. Many of us know more about apple products than apple store employees.

for me..the genius is the person that can switch out my broken product for a new one. sounds trivial..but it is quite hard to do that with another brand.
 
iOrlando said:
ok first of all..

we on macrumors.com are pretty much the exact opposite of the new apple users that have no clue about apple products. Many of us know more about apple products than apple store employees.

for me..the genius is the person that can switch out my broken product for a new one. sounds trivial..but it is quite hard to do that with another brand.
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I like how you try to speak for the whole of macrumors and do so to a member who has been here 2 years longer than you. Personally I'm noticing the quality of members declining with site age, but I blame the iPhone for that. :p

Aaaanyway, yes, applecare's limitations and the apple "geniuses" suck, and not in the fun way.
 
mikeinternet said:
I love it when they google your problem as if you haven't tried that yet.
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Most people don't try that, believe it or not. You're a geek -- you're on MacRumors. "Normal" people don't Google computer answers. They just go to the Apple Store because it's the easiest thing in their opinion.

And frankly, if I were them, the moment you'd tell me that there was a liquid spill, I'd place all blame on that. It's not like I'm going to say, "Oh, well maybe *this* will work instead"... I'm going to leave it right there because it was your fault, and it's not my job to find some alternative way to fix something that isn't warranted.
 
ziggyonice said:
Most people don't try that, believe it or not. You're a geek -- you're on MacRumors. "Normal" people don't Google computer answers. They just go to the Apple Store because it's the easiest thing in their opinion.
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I disagree. Sure you have to be at least a little into computers to be on these boards but I think most people will at least search their problems first. Especially since you have to wait a day or two until you can make a reservation to speak with a 'genius'.

ziggyonice said:
And frankly, if I were them, the moment you'd tell me that there was a liquid spill, I'd place all blame on that. It's not like I'm going to say, "Oh, well maybe *this* will work instead"... I'm going to leave it right there because it was your fault, and it's not my job to find some alternative way to fix something that isn't warranted.
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Like I said I wasn't expected a unwarranted repair. I just thought for what we pay we deserve a little friendly assistance. For the cost of apple care they could flat out replace 1 in 10 computers.
 
mikeinternet said:
I disagree. Sure you have to be at least a little into computers to be on these boards but I think most people will at least search their problems first. Especially since you have to wait a day or two until you can make a reservation to speak with a 'genius'.


Like I said I wasn't expected a unwarranted repair. I just thought for what we pay we deserve a little friendly assistance. For the cost of apple care they could flat out replace 1 in 10 computers.
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Really? Do you help "Not computer people" very much? If you do, and they all Google their problem before asking you, I REALLY envy you. I hardly know anyone who Googles their computer issue before going to the manufacturer or their tech-savy friend for help. It just never occurs to them.

Oh, and while the computer doesn't need any power during hibernation, it will use some if it's available. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to wake it up except with a hard switch, which most computers don't even have now days.
 
ziggyonice said:
Most people don't try that, believe it or not. You're a geek -- you're on MacRumors. "Normal" people don't Google computer answers. They just go to the Apple Store because it's the easiest thing in their opinion.
Click to expand...
I disagree. Sure you have to be at least a little into computers to be on these boards but I think most people will at least search their problems first. Especially since you have to wait a day or two until you can make a reservation to speak with a 'genius'.

ziggyonice said:
And frankly, if I were them, the moment you'd tell me that there was a liquid spill, I'd place all blame on that. It's not like I'm going to say, "Oh, well maybe *this* will work instead"... I'm going to leave it right there because it was your fault, and it's not my job to find some alternative way to fix something that isn't warranted.
Click to expand...
Like I said I wasn't expected a unwarranted repair. I just thought for what we pay we deserve a little friendly assistance. For the cost of apple care they could flat out replace 1 in 10 computers.
 
SchneiderMan said:
Must i tell you again?? PLEASE BUY YOUR SELVES A SILICONE KEYBOARD COVER!!

I have protection on both my keyboards and just yesterday for the first time a cup FULL OF COLA!!! spilled on my keyboard omg!! guess what, nothing happened yeyee:D:D:D:D:D:D

Im sorry for your loss.
Click to expand...
This is why I don't ever eat or drink when I am around my computer, accidents do happen, sorry to hear you got nowhere with the Mac Geniuses, all I could say is you should have not been drinking around it in the first place then you would have never had this happen in the first place.
 
Mike Macintosh said:
This is why I don't ever eat or drink when I am around my computer, accidents do happen, sorry to hear you got nowhere with the Mac Geniuses, all I could say is you should have not been drinking around it in the first place then you would have never had this happen in the first place.
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I guess that all is well now I can laugh about it. But I wasn't actually drinking near my computer. What happened was I held my General Tso's tofu up to my camera to show a friend and didn't realize i was pouring it out.
 
mikeinternet said:
I guess that all is well now I can laugh about it. But I wasn't actually drinking near my computer. What happened was I held my General Tso's tofu up to my camera to show a friend and didn't realize i was pouring it out.
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Oh well then thats different :p, but anyways not trying to be a ass about it, but I guess in your case don't even take a picture of food around your Mac or accidents will happen. XD

Anyways sorry about the loss, and sorry you got nowhere with Mac Geniuses, all I can say is if its already cost you $1200 for repairs just go ahead and buy a new one, and when you do keep liquids away. ;)
 
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