Online vs physical Apple Store

[MowingDevil]

If you purchase a MBP online can you then go to the local (official) Apple Store and have them deal with it in person?

Hate to think you have to deal w/ them on the phone & mail your product in every time something needs to be done.

 

[EricNau]

Yes, if you buy your mac online you can still utilize all of the service options, including the genius bar.

 

[BlaqkAudio]

You should also check around to see if there is a trustworthy Apple Authorized Service Provider nearby. Often times they can perform repairs on-site, saving you time. It took Apple 8 days to replace my MBP's fans (including shipping back and forth), something that could have taken a repair shop a few hours.

 

[AquaMethod]

Yeah, you can—provided you have an Apple Store nearby. The closest one to me is about four hours away, and yes the phone-and-mail combo gets old really fast. But they do overnight your machine both ways, so it's not terrible.