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Other Is Apple cutting back on Genius Bar support?

F

Faize

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 23, 2011
124
34
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon.

Thus, I can't help but wonder if Apple is cost cutting their Geniuses away? Or has the upgrade to iOS 12 bricked billions of iPhones worldwide or something?
 
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I think it's seasonal. I believe that right now, they have set aside big blocks of time to set up phones/watches. It was that way during Batterygate, too, but then I needed to take in some device or another after that died down, and things were back to normal. I set up an appointment for the next day. Since there is no more physical genius bar, it's kind of hard to tell who's smart and who's not anyway.

I have three grandchildren and usually just keep a ready supply of lightning cables around the house. Ours don't usually last long enough to wear out. :)
 
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pst23 said:
They always want to send stuff away for repairs too n
Click to expand...

Yeah, I noticed. Which really makes them no better than Samsung or any of the Android manufacturers.

slpslee1 said:
I think it's seasonal. I believe that right now, they have set aside big blocks of time to set up phones/watches. It was that way during Batterygate, too, but then I needed to take in some device or another after that died down, and things were back to normal. I set up an appointment for the next day. Since there is no more physical genius bar, it's kind of hard to tell who's smart and who's not anyway.

I have three grandchildren and usually just keep a ready supply of lightning cables around the house. Ours don't usually last long enough to wear out. :)
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that new hardware setup is done by the sales folks - this is totally anecdotal, but I've never had someone sell me a device and then call someone else over to set it up.
 
Faize said:
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon.

Thus, I can't help but wonder if Apple is cost cutting their Geniuses away? Or has the upgrade to iOS 12 bricked billions of iPhones worldwide or something?
Click to expand...

Not sure if you noticed but Apple just released its new phone. This causes quite a stir at the Apple stores.

Hard to believe you wear out a cable in two months. I have never had a single cable stop working.
 
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One thing i'm starting to notice is apple's times/dates/availability shown online is not always reliable. I tried to preorder a iPhone XS Max to my store when it first dropped and apple said they wouldn't be available at my store. I tried to set a genius appointment on thursday and it said saturday at 3:05 PM is the earliest they could get me. Yesterday, I went into my apple store and picked up an XS Max and had availability for a genius appointment...I've learned to not trust that estimator.
 
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It seems my local Apple Store Genius Bar appointment availability has gotten longer and longer for over a year. That and sales service are not what they used to be in my local store. Heck, I visit "local shops" wherever I go on trips like a pilgrimage ;) They are way better than my local shop.
 
My last few visits I never get called up to the “bar”. I’m given a place to wait in the store and the tech meets me on the floor.
 
My recent experiences with Geniuses at my local Apple Store has been extremely positive but it seems obvious that they're stretched pretty thin. They were very helpful and accommodating but they were seemingly pressured to hit some internal productivity metric. I don't know if this reflects a shortage of skilled employees or not. The Geniuses that I encountered were genuinely interested in sorting out my issues - but then again I didn't show up with stuff a reasonably knowledgeable user could fix themselves.
 
lookn4wifi said:
My last few visits I never get called up to the “bar”. I’m given a place to wait in the store and the tech meets me on the floor.
Click to expand...

The bar's been an abstract concept for years now. IIRC, the physical bars were removed sometime around the beginning of this decade. Is your local Apple store one of those that hasn't been renovated in ages and still has the old school cash registers and everything?

redshifted said:
My recent experiences with Geniuses at my local Apple Store has been extremely positive but it seems obvious that they're stretched pretty thin. They were very helpful and accommodating but they were seemingly pressured to hit some internal productivity metric. I don't know if this reflects a shortage of skilled employees or not. The Geniuses that I encountered were genuinely interested in sorting out my issues - but then again I didn't show up with stuff a reasonably knowledgeable user could fix themselves.
Click to expand...

Oh, the Geniuses themselves are as wonderful as they've always been. It's just that getting a chance to talk to one is becoming a PITA.

I still remember way back in the day when my iPhone 3GS' headphone jack broke, I managed to book an appointment for half an hour later - something completely unimaginable nowadays.

AppleHaterLover said:
Sorry but could you please elaborate on how you get Apple to replace your worn lightning cable for free?
Click to expand...

AppleCare? The Genius just takes a quick look at the cable, goes into the back to grab a new one, I sign in a couple of places on their iPad, and then I'm off. I've never even remotely been given a hard time about it.
 
I've got no problem with the Genius folk. Just sales and getting an appointment. I'd really like a survey on the Jordan Creek Apple Store. Maybe I'm the problem ;)
 
Faize said:
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon.

Thus, I can't help but wonder if Apple is cost cutting their Geniuses away? Or has the upgrade to iOS 12 bricked billions of iPhones worldwide or something?
Click to expand...
Sorry, but it’s ppl like you wearing out cables and making genius appointments. I’ve never wore out any lightning cables ever.
 
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If anything Apple are focusing more and more resources on the Genius Bar to handle the volume. Worth keeping in mind that:
1) Launch = heavy traffic
2) An appointment system at a store is still far ahead of the competition even if they occasionally they want to send away devices (to investigate and better understand the causes behind faults)
3) You have an incredibly lenient store if they replace a worn out lightning cable every few months.

Generally speaking though, they are getting busier as people become more aware of the services they provide.
 
My local Apple Store has a very good system, it never shows any availability ever. So you have to drop by 10 minutes before the store opens and get in line.

Might seem ridiculous but my success rate is 100% in being seen by a Genius within the hour.
 
Has anyone here gotten battery replacement for 29 dollars? And if so, is it at least 5 days apart when getting the appointment?
 
With the introduction of AppleCare plus, and the introduction of in-store repair, the process of getting a product repaired or replaced is a much longer process.

Representatives at the Genius Bar appear to be much more stringent on the criteria in which they judge an item to be damaged or acceptable to subjected to repair. While reserving time was usually to be expected, no longer is there timely availability for same day walk ins.

Replacements used to involve a swap, now repair options are used unless unfeasible. Perhaps it was a response to the abuse of the limited one year warranty, or it could have been a cost cutting measure to allow the rich to become richer.
 
Do people really take the time to to go the store to get a replace cable? Buy a bunch on Amazon. Cheap. They come right to your door.
 
Tsuchiya said:
If anything Apple are focusing more and more resources on the Genius Bar to handle the volume. Worth keeping in mind that:
1) Launch = heavy traffic
Click to expand...
That is true, but the launch was already 10 days ago as of when I started the thread, and it'll have been 2 weeks by the time my appointment comes up. Or am I missing the memo on some kind of Bendgate-style post-launch controversy?

Tsuchiya said:
2) An appointment system at a store is still far ahead of the competition even if they occasionally they want to send away devices (to investigate and better understand the causes behind faults)
3) You have an incredibly lenient store if they replace a worn out lightning cable every few months.
Click to expand...
Is that so? The main reason I've stuck with iPhones is because of the excellent post-sale service and support. If not for that, the Android camp would be right when they say that we're overpaying for underpowered hardware.

Tsuchiya said:
Generally speaking though, they are getting busier as people become more aware of the services they provide.
Click to expand...
Wait - other than repairs, what services do they provide? Lessons for the computer illiterate crowd are the only thing that come to mind.
 
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Getting a dock would be a good idea if you keep wearing out the Lightning cable from constantly plugging / unplugging your iPhone. The Apple docks are more expensive, but also durable and nicely match the finish of the iPhone. I've been using the same dock with my iPhone 6s Plus for three years.
 
Faize said:
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon...
Click to expand...
The coolest iPhone trick ever:

BP4W0UfCAAAKvDr.jpg

If it doesn't help and it's still hard to get a "timely Genius Bar appointment" here is the ultimate solution to your problem:

 
bobbype0 said:
Has anyone here gotten battery replacement for 29 dollars? And if so, is it at least 5 days apart when getting the appointment?
Click to expand...
I scheduled a same day appointment through Apple with Mobile Kangaroo. Kangaroo replaced my battery for $29. I spent about 20 minutes waiting.
 
Last edited:
Eh, I never knew they replace cables. I’ve worn through two so far in all these years. I am gentle with them but noticed in the worn ones that they swelled up and turned brown near the lightning connector. I guess a side effect of upgrading annually is that I had sufficient spares.
 
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