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ANinjaPeanut

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 16, 2011
66
0
So,
I took my iPad into Apple yesterday after the glass on the bezel around the screen broke itself (weakness in the glass as I later found out).

I took it to the Apple store (Closest one which is 40 miles away from me) and told the genius what the problem was, they ran a quick diagnostics on it and found that it had been producing excessive heat (Which is what caused the weakness in the glass) they took the iPad back for a minute and when they came back told me that I'd have to pay another £250 for a replacement! Obviously I was not happy with this as the damage wasn't my fault and it isn't even a month old, I asked to take it up with the manager. The manager that was on duty was someone whom I had the displeasure of dealing with before, previously I had taken my MBP into this store to have a broken key fixed, the key wasn't fixed properly and whilst it was being "repaired" it had had damage caused to it, it was dented around the ethernet port which, I assume, was caused by a drop or very hard knock of some description. Eventually I got it fixed (rightly so in my opinion) but the manager was absolutely vile about doing it.
Anyway, this manager came out and told me that Apple would not cover it and that I would have to pay for the repair fee, as I have said, the damage wasn't my fault so I asked if there was any way for them to absorb this cost, he wouldn't do it.
So I left the store with the same iPad after the genius ruined my screen protector (they took it off, bent it in half and threw it in the bin without asking me).
I phoned Apple to get a replacement and told them the whole story, they said that the Apple store HAD noted down that the damage was NOT my fault and that it would be covered under warranty, the iPad is being picked up tomorrow and I've been told I can claim a free screen protector from them as well due to the damage caused to mine.
LUCKILY it seems to have all worked out well but I am shocked at the vindictiveness of the manager at the Apple store! He over-rode the decision to replace my iPad for nothing as he clearly holds some grudge against me.
Honestly I am disgusted at this behaviour as there is absolutely no need for it.

Sorry for the long post, needed a place to vent though.

EDIT: I realise that this post is badly written and makes me seem like I was wanting something for nothing, however this was not the case. I am still clueless as to how the iPad actually cracked, I treat all my gadgets with the utmost respect, I would have paid for the replacement in store but the replacement they brought out had a horrible yellow screen (I have no problem with a slight tint but it was REALLY REALLY yellow) andI did not want to give the manager the satisfaction of taking away a sub-par replacement that HE would have forced me to pay for.

EDIT 2: I would just like to clarify on my main post. SOMEONE at the Apple store whilst I was there noted that the damage was NOT my fault and that I WAS eligible for a free repair, the manager OVERODE this decision (Due to a personal disliking of me) and decided that I would have to pay for it (again, due to a personal disliking of me). I was eligible for a free replacement the whole time but the manager decided that, because he didn't like me, he would try and charge me for a replacement. If that isn't terrible behaviour/customer service then I don't know what is.
 
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I also had a really bad experience at the genius bar. I wanted to exchange my brand new iPad yesterday(less then 14 days old), I had to jump through hoops to do that. The new replacement one has issues and I need to take it back and I know they will give me problems.

Could I get the phone number you called? Just in case they won't exchange it again.

Thank you
 
I've only had one bad Apple store experience--it was when dealing with my iPad 2's dust-under-the-screen problem. I had a couple of different units with that problem, and the last time I took it in, the genius I got stuck with was a really cocky kid. Here were his troubleshooting steps:

1. Attempt to wipe the dust off the screen with a microfiber cloth in a very dramatic fashion.
2. Stare at the dust at different angles and repeat "that's really weird" about 3 different times.
3. Ask if I'm sure I don't use it in a really dusty environment. (I work in an office, not at a construction site. And the dust was there when I got the thing.)

He did replace my iPad eventually. He told me that he would do it one last time, but that was it and that he wanted me to inspect the iPad before I left the store to make sure I was 100% happy. I was fine with that.

I started inspecting and found a scuff on the back. I showed it to him, and he goes, "we can't keep replacing these for every little thing." Luckily it turned out to be just some debris that wiped off with a little elbow grease. What I didn't see at the store were the two deep scratches on the black bezel area (the lighting was not ideal for spotting stuff like that at the store. I only noticed when I got home. No biggie--screen protector hid it anyway.) Also noticed some minor debris, but not big huge chunks in the middle of the screen, so I stuck with that unit.

In the end, Apple employees are just retail workers like everyone else. Yes, they follow a pretty unique protocol in dealing with customers, but you're kind of at the mercy of who you get sometimes. I did submit a final complaint to Tim Cook's e mail address about my bad experience, and someone did call me about it, so that was a nice touch.

That was the one bad experience out of the several times I've gone there for help, so that's not a bad ratio I guess.
 
I'm not at all surprised. They treated me pretty poorly too. At least in my case they didn't further break anything. I'm glad they had the decency to pay to fix their mistakes for you. If you care, you can read my recent experience here.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/14745311/

Wow that's absolutely abysmal customer service, sorry to hear you had to go through that, glad you got it sorted in the end though.

I also had a really bad experience at the genius bar. I wanted to exchange my brand new iPad yesterday(less then 14 days old), I had to jump through hoops to do that. The new replacement one has issues and I need to take it back and I know they will give me problems.

Could I get the phone number you called? Just in case they won't exchange it again.

Thank you

I went through Apples website and got them to phone me, here's the link http://www.apple.com/support/ (I believe it's an international link, I'm the in the UK and it worked fine for me)
Good luck getting your iPad sorted :)

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I've only had one bad Apple store experience--it was when dealing with my iPad 2's dust-under-the-screen problem. I had a couple of different units with that problem, and the last time I took it in, the genius I got stuck with was a really cocky kid. Here were his troubleshooting steps:

1. Attempt to wipe the dust off the screen with a microfiber cloth in a very dramatic fashion.
2. Stare at the dust at different angles and repeat "that's really weird" about 3 different times.
3. Ask if I'm sure I don't use it in a really dusty environment. (I work in an office, not at a construction site. And the dust was there when I got the thing.)

He did replace my iPad eventually. He told me that he would do it one last time, but that was it and that he wanted me to inspect the iPad before I left the store to make sure I was 100% happy. I was fine with that.

I started inspecting and found a scuff on the back. I showed it to him, and he goes, "we can't keep replacing these for every little thing." Luckily it turned out to be just some debris that wiped off with a little elbow grease. What I didn't see at the store were the two deep scratches on the black bezel area (the lighting was not ideal for spotting stuff like that at the store. I only noticed when I got home. No biggie--screen protector hid it anyway.) Also noticed some minor debris, but not big huge chunks in the middle of the screen, so I stuck with that unit.

In the end, Apple employees are just retail workers like everyone else. Yes, they follow a pretty unique protocol in dealing with customers, but you're kind of at the mercy of who you get sometimes. I did submit a final complaint to Tim Cook's e mail address about my bad experience, and someone did call me about it, so that was a nice touch.

That was the one bad experience out of the several times I've gone there for help, so that's not a bad ratio I guess.

I really guess it is luck of the draw with the genius you get, could I possibly get that email address for Tim Cook please? I would very much like to complain about the behaviour of the manager.
The problem I have with this incident is that it was such a personal thing to do, it was no skin off of his nose to replace it for nothing; it was simply because he seems to hold a personal grudge against me, in my eyes it's just such a childish, vindictive, horrible thing to do.
 
Sometimes our perceptions dictate how we see people behaving or acting towards us based on our concerns/fears on how they will respond to our complaints combined with our general dislike in having to return or complain about things.

If he was indeed vile that is unfortunate. The first person I ALWAYS deal with is Apple Customer Service from their official website. They have been amazing with me the both times I had to call them.

Genius bar is kind of like a crapshoot at best as they do have limited authority and who knows what kind of crap they have to deal with on a daily basis...

Glad you got your situation squared away.
 
I've always had great experiences at Apple stores across the US.

I had a failed time capsule. They found a way to replace it as part of AppleCare I had on my laptop. I mentioned to one guy that I was having problems with an Apple remote. I just wanted a suggestion. He walked over and got one off the shelf and handed it to me. A friend had a similar experience with a wireless keyboard. It was draining batteries quickly. He went in with the keyboard and his receipt expecting a long discussion (he was new to Apple). Before he could finish his explanation they gave him a new one. He was majorly impressed.

I've also had cases where they couldn't help us, but I always felt that they made a good effort.
 
Wow that's absolutely abysmal customer service, sorry to hear you had to go through that, glad you got it sorted in the end though.



I went through Apples website and got them to phone me, here's the link http://www.apple.com/support/ (I believe it's an international link, I'm the in the UK and it worked fine for me)
Good luck getting your iPad sorted :)

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I really guess it is luck of the draw with the genius you get, could I possibly get that email address for Tim Cook please? I would very much like to complain about the behaviour of the manager.
The problem I have with this incident is that it was such a personal thing to do, it was no skin off of his nose to replace it for nothing; it was simply because he seems to hold a personal grudge against me, in my eyes it's just such a childish, vindictive, horrible thing to do.

I think it was just tcook@apple.com? Maybe t.cook? I don't remember.
 
I've only ever had one minor issue in the UK at the genius bar and it was a dead pixel on a MacBook Air. She wouldn't fix it (Policy though), I asked to speak to the manager and he just replaced it with a new MacBook Air. Not only did he replace it. He replaced a 2010 version with a 2011 version.

On all other occasions I've been very happy with the Genius staff and the managers in the Apple Store Chapelfield Norwich.

I've also had AppleCare UK replace another families iPhone 4 with a 4S because she went through about 4 replacements due to various different issues. (Screen not turning on, speakers not working, no signal at all on one unit).
 
If Apple confirmed the damage wasn't your fault and you're still under warranty, you should be entitled to a replacement, no questions asked. Glad someone higher up in Apple agreed with you.
 
I've only ever had one minor issue in the UK at the genius bar and it was a dead pixel on a MacBook Air. She wouldn't fix it (Policy though), I asked to speak to the manager and he just replaced it with a new MacBook Air. Not only did he replace it. He replaced a 2010 version with a 2011 version.

On all other occasions I've been very happy with the Genius staff and the managers in the Apple Store Chapelfield Norwich.

I've also had AppleCare UK replace another families iPhone 4 with a 4S because she went through about 4 replacements due to various different issues. (Screen not turning on, speakers not working, no signal at all on one unit).

Apple was good to me up until I bought a macbook pro lol :) If you asked me a few months ago I would have told you that Apple had the greatest customer service possible; it seems to be slipping now, mostly in stores.

The Bristol Cabot Circus one is quite good (depending on which side of exeter you live of course, it could be a LONG way!)

Yeah, unfortunately I live the other side of Exeter (North cornwall actually) and bristol is a lonnngggg way away, probably twice the distance ahaa. Think I'll have to resort to using the online service from now on unfortunately :(
 
The number one reason staff leave Apple stores in the UK is because of terrible ignorant ******** managers! I don't know where they get them! (I can't divulge any more) Not all are bad, statistically, but a lot...
 
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We live in Germany and there are a lot of Official Apple Resellers around and only a couple of Apple Stores that are too far away to get to.

A mate of mine bought a 27' iMac and started getting condensation inside the screen after a few weeks. He took it to a Reseller and they sent it off for repair. When he got it back, the same thing happened, so he took it back again.

Anyway, someone from Apple in Ireland must have picked up on it and rang him. They told him that the way he had been treated had been disgusting and that his iMac should have been replaced straight away.

He has to ring them when he gets it back and they will send him 'something' by way of compensation. He has no idea what they're going to send him and his imagination is running wild!
 
Awful...

It doesn't seem like you were trying to get something for nothing at all. You were absolutely right in pursuing your claim.

Customer service is becoming a thing of the past in many ways. Apple is usually OK, but I've had a couple of bad experiences with them.

I try to give companies the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it was the employee (as seems to be the case in your situation), not the company culture, but I've still noticed a steady decline in great service across the board.

It's almost to the point when I am shocked when I get good service these days.
 
sorry to hear that, i made fantastic experiences with the apple store staff both in swansea and cardiff back when i was living in the uk, at one point one of them even took the time to cook up something in garageband with me on one of their showcase machines for around an hour.
back home however, i made the experience that apple store staff are generally smug and dismissive. one time i was considering a magic mouse and asked them what differentiates it from lower priced mice of different brands, and instead of, you know, outlines the way it enhances the experience with apples OS (the guy knew i was considering the mouse for my macbook), he just looked at me and told me "because it's apple". / facepalm
 
So,
I took my iPad into Apple yesterday after the glass on the bezel around the screen broke itself (weakness in the glass as I later found out).

I took it to the Apple store (Closest one which is 40 miles away from me) and told the genius what the problem was, they ran a quick diagnostics on it and found that it had been producing excessive heat (Which is what caused the weakness in the glass) they took the iPad back for a minute and when they came back told me that I'd have to pay another £250 for a replacement! Obviously I was not happy with this as the damage wasn't my fault and it isn't even a month old, I asked to take it up with the manager. The manager that was on duty was someone whom I had the displeasure of dealing with before, previously I had taken my MBP into this store to have a broken key fixed, the key wasn't fixed properly and whilst it was being "repaired" it had had damage caused to it, it was dented around the ethernet port which, I assume, was caused by a drop or very hard knock of some description. Eventually I got it fixed (rightly so in my opinion) but the manager was absolutely vile about doing it.
Anyway, this manager came out and told me that Apple would not cover it and that I would have to pay for the repair fee, as I have said, the damage wasn't my fault so I asked if there was any way for them to absorb this cost, he wouldn't do it.
So I left the store with the same iPad after the genius ruined my screen protector (they took it off, bent it in half and threw it in the bin without asking me).
I phoned Apple to get a replacement and told them the whole story, they said that the Apple store HAD noted down that the damage was NOT my fault and that it would be covered under warranty, the iPad is being picked up tomorrow and I've been told I can claim a free screen protector from them as well due to the damage caused to mine.
LUCKILY it seems to have all worked out well but I am shocked at the vindictiveness of the manager at the Apple store! He over-rode the decision to replace my iPad for nothing as he clearly holds some grudge against me.
Honestly I am disgusted at this behaviour as there is absolutely no need for it.

Sorry for the long post, needed a place to vent though.

EDIT: I realise that this post is badly written and makes me seem like I was wanting something for nothing, however this was not the case. I am still clueless as to how the iPad actually cracked, I treat all my gadgets with the utmost respect, I would have paid for the replacement in store but the replacement they brought out had a horrible yellow screen (I have no problem with a slight tint but it was REALLY REALLY yellow) andI did not want to give the manager the satisfaction of taking away a sub-par replacement that HE would have forced me to pay for.

EDIT 2: I would just like to clarify on my main post. SOMEONE at the Apple store whilst I was there noted that the damage was NOT my fault and that I WAS eligible for a free repair, the manager OVERODE this decision (Due to a personal disliking of me) and decided that I would have to pay for it (again, due to a personal disliking of me). I was eligible for a free replacement the whole time but the manager decided that, because he didn't like me, he would try and charge me for a replacement. If that isn't terrible behaviour/customer service then I don't know what is.

So how are you following up with Apple about this issue? If you dont complain about that manager, things wont change.

Edit - I see you want to email Tim Cook. That's too ineffective of an approach...start calling Apple directly.
 
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Sorry to hear about your experience with the manager but do you really think it's a personal grudge against yourself or just that this particular manager is a bit of a jobs worth. You should call up Apple and lodge a complaint and request that they give you an official a response to your feedback if you feel that his attitude and response was inappropriate.
 
Exeter Apple store in Devon

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Thanks for that, I'll make sure to send an email off to that address :)

I've had dealings with a couple of Managers in Exeter and they were pretty good in the end. I had a Macbook with a prematurely poor battery, a mark on the inside of the screen, a firmware download problem and an intermittant keyboard issue.

It took a few seperate telephone conversations and a couple of visits to Exeter (which is about 60 miles from me), but in the end, all the issues were resolved. The keyboard and battery problems were the ones which the Manager was less than happy to attend to, being intermittant faults and battery related.

I was also able to return an iPad 3 even though it was slightly over the 14 day return period, after a conversation with a Manager, so I'm fairly satisfied in general with Apple Exeter.
 
Blimey, that's incredible, I thought Apples customer support was supposed to be quite good.

£250 sounds a awfully expensive, if you get no luck at Apple replacing it for free it may be worth trying these guys I live in Plymouth but I think they cover Exeter too.

They charged me £100 to fix my iPad screen which I thought was really quite reasonable, they collected it and delivered it back too..... bargain :)

http://www.teamk.co.uk/iphone-repairs/plymouth
 
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