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Probably my worst Apple experience ever

S

slinky0390

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 22, 2005
156
0
So, I've been trying to get a 3gs to replace the original iphone I have and I went down to the Apple store and I don't think I have ever been treated so rudely in my life. I had been waiting in line for about 20 minutes when the "concierge" guy came over to get my name (this is where the problem started) he told me that I had to be the account holder to upgrade my phone (the bill comes in my mom's name but I am authorized to add/upgrade, and do everything she can with the account) So I tell the guy this and he says that I'd need to check with ATT to verify. I went to ATT and spoke with the manager and he told me I should have no problem picking up a phone from apple because I am authorized to do so on the account (they were sold out of phones otherwise I would pick one up there) I go back down to apple and wait another 15 minutes in line when the same concierge guy, in a rude tone, tells me to get off the line so actual customers can buy a phone if my name is not on the ATT bill that comes to my house. I asked to speak with a manager and after waiting 10 minutes for him, he simply told me to leave the store. Through the whole situation I was very polite and respectful to everyone, which is why I am dissappointed at what happened today. I almost want to switch to windows :rolleyes: END RANT
 
It's always hard to believe that a manager would simply tell someone to leave the store. Unless of course you're like 12, then he should give you a lollipop before telling you to leave the store.
 
Im not a fan of Apple stores. However, if someone treated me like that, I would have raised hell. But hey, what can you do? :rolleyes:

I suggest going to a different store in your area or ordering online.
 
I got the same annoying thing from them, although they were always great to us. They even had security escort my wife to her car after she picked up my preorder, cause there was like a hundred people waiting to get in. I've had a couple of snooty experiences, but nothing that bad.
 
slinky0390 said:
So, I've been trying to get a 3gs to replace the original iphone I have and I went down to the Apple store and I don't think I have ever been treated so rudely in my life. I had been waiting in line for about 20 minutes when the "concierge" guy came over to get my name (this is where the problem started) he told me that I had to be the account holder to upgrade my phone (the bill comes in my mom's name but I am authorized to add/upgrade, and do everything she can with the account) So I tell the guy this and he says that I'd need to check with ATT to verify. I went to ATT and spoke with the manager and he told me I should have no problem picking up a phone from apple because I am authorized to do so on the account (they were sold out of phones otherwise I would pick one up there) I go back down to apple and wait another 15 minutes in line when the same concierge guy, in a rude tone, tells me to get off the line so actual customers can buy a phone if my name is not on the ATT bill that comes to my house. I asked to speak with a manager and after waiting 10 minutes for him, he simply told me to leave the store. Through the whole situation I was very polite and respectful to everyone, which is why I am dissappointed at what happened today. I almost want to switch to windows :rolleyes: END RANT
Click to expand...


Whoa! YEah they are really rude around launches.

You should e-mail Steve or apple corporate.
 
There are two Apple stores an equal distance from our house. One of them is run by ass holes and has really snobby geniuses that want to fight you on everything.

The other store has great employees who will bend over backwards to take care of things and hate to tell a customer no.

Soooo, I wouldn't write off all Apple stores because of one jerk employee.
 
jmpage2 said:
There are two Apple stores an equal distance from our house. One of them is run by ass holes and has really snobby geniuses that want to fight you on everything.

The other store has great employees who will bend over backwards to take care of things and hate to tell a customer no.

Soooo, I wouldn't write off all Apple stores because of one jerk employee.
Click to expand...

I find that there is usually a "trickle down" attitude from the store manager to the employees...find me an Apple Store (or any retail outlet generally) with an ****** for a manager and the customer service will usually follow suit...
I'd get the managers name and write to Steve naming him (the manager) as the culprit...the odds are good you are not the first person to complain about him.

I once did this with a Mercedes dealer (ratted out the manager to MBUSA) and the guy called me asking why I ratted him out instead of calling him (again) and trying to work out the problem :rolleyes:
This guy was a MAJOR ****** and apparently MBUSA called him and told him to fix the issue with me, which of course, he did...:D
 
It was an Apple store in NJ. lol, if I was a manager I would give a 12 year old a lollipop and tell him to leave, but I am 19 and I thought they way they handled everything was very unprofessional. Some of the concierge guys let their orange shirts with ipods on them get to their heads.
 
You should've asked for a manager right away, after being told no. I say this because there is no reason that your particular specialist didn't want to help you. If he was told that he couldn't edit any accounts for anyone but the primary user, than guess what? He isn't going to. That's how being a good employee works. If you'd asked for a manager, things could have gotten cleared up *nicely* immediately.

He was obviously under the impression that he couldn't do anything for you, but then decided to take it up a level. That was obviously unnecessary.

Sorry for your experience, but it sounds as if the employee was just doing what he was told to do, then decided to be rude for some random reason. Apple experiences are usually good, it's usually AT&T that usually sucks. Weird. Sorry for your experience man.
 
JaySC said:
You should've asked for a manager right away, after being told no. I say this because there is no reason that your particular specialist didn't want to help you. If he was told that he couldn't edit any accounts for anyone but the primary user, than guess what? He isn't going to. That's how being a good employee works. If you'd asked for a manager, things could have gotten cleared up *nicely* immediately.

He was obviously under the impression that he couldn't do anything for you, but then decided to take it up a level. That was obviously unnecessary.

Sorry for your experience, but it sounds as if the employee was just doing what he was told to do, then decided to be rude for some random reason. Apple experiences are usually good, it's usually AT&T that usually sucks. Weird. Sorry for your experience man.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, I've worked in the world of retail and I know how it works, but what really burnt me was that I waited in line, and he told me to go to the AT&T store to make sure it's ok. I did that and then went back and waited in line again for the same guy to tell me that it doesn't matter what AT&T says. I just don't like when people waste my time, especially since I had other things to do other than being jerked around the mall for an hour or so. I did wind up getting my iPhone though, my parents "chapperroned" my trip to the apple store a little while ago and I was able to get it. I was expecting to have a problem because I was paying for it with the credit card that I pay for. Luckly everything went smooth and the specialist that helped me complete the purchace was really friendly and personable.
 
You should have went in and bought the most inexpensive item you could find, and then when Apple sent you the follow-up survey about your Apple Store experience (which they very frequently do) you could have absolutely reamed the employee(s).

Apple takes those surveys very seriously, believe it or not.
 
When the War Department went to buy her 3G, they said the account holder had to be present. She went to the AT&T account website and showed that she was authorized to make purchases on my account and she was fine and walked out the door in about twenty minutes with a new 3G iPhone....:eek::eek::eek:
 
I don't like this at all.

I would have fainted if someone told me to leave the store. Especially if I were being polite and courteous.

After I got up off the floor, I would have MADE sure to get names. Then I would be up late writing those emails to corporate, and sending copies to the store managers, so they know where THAT came from.
 
Well not sure where you live but I'm in New York and at the Westchester store EVERY experience I have had there has been great, to date iMac, MBA, 1st, 2nd 3rd Gen iPhones professional staff and I have never seen them rude to anyone even when 200 anxious people on line, they even had someone wheeling coffee to every one on launch days can't wait for next year:p
 
Sorry to hear about that, I've never had a problem with them. Maybe if they treated me mean, I would stop buying thing from them and save myself some money.:confused:
 
Knowing me i would have been very upset and sad and just walked out peacefully but if my dad was with there with me, his short fuse would have exploded. He already hates waiting for things, so he would have been ready to tell one of those guys in the apple store off if he got the chance :p
 
not defending Apple or ATT.... but.... we had a similar issue... Apple can only see the primary name on the account. This is actually AT&T's fault. They only allow Apple to see and do certain things. You may be an authorized person on the account to do what EVERYTHING but only the primary name shows up. The APPLE manager in here actually showed me what they could see, and then I logged into our AT&T account on one of their MB and showed them all the authorized users. You as an individual can see more than they could...
 
If you are respectful and polite and they ask you to leave for no valid/decent reason I would ask them for their name in a nice manner and if they asked why I would just say "to report you to corporate". Well I would try to do something in that manner but I probably wouldn't

Sorry for your terrible experience and I do hope you get a 3GS.

ChrisN
 
Well, thank goodness it ended there and you got it later. One guy in the forum here had some trouble with an Apple store and did a lot of running around, but sort of lost his cool for a second, then was banned from the store. While reading this it was like, "No Soup For You," and very insulting if he said that stuff with other people around. You did what he asked, you went to an ATT store to confirm, then you waited patiently in line all over again, but before you can even say anything he tells you to leave, my Jaw would drop. What the hell did he have you go to ATT if it wasn't going to change anything. I understand that Apple might not be synced with ATT's policies, but wow, no patience for their customers?

Even more shocking is when the manager asked you to leave the store. Sounds like you were polite and very patient, probably would have wanted was a clear answer on this and state what you went through, what the employee told you to do and did. For him to just tell you to leave, disgusting. Your good behavior and wanting to talk to a manager is rewarding with not only not being able to buy the iPhone, but anything from the store. That would have made me fill sick. Not that you wanted anything else, but man, what a way to make you feel like a bad person for doing nothing wrong.

And how did the manager know what you wanted to ask. Maybe you were about to drop the iPhone subject, but just wanted to give a complaint about the employee, for sending you on a wild goose chase and the insulting behavior at the line, which the manager should have been ready to give his up most attention to hear about.
 
They gave me a hard time as well. The account holder on my account lives in Florida, and I live in New York. So a day before I went to pick up my 3GS I got myself authorized user status on the account. The AT&T rep ASSURED me that I would be able to walk into an apple store and pick one up.

anyways, they gave me a hard time at the store, but after I assured them that AT&T told me I could do it, they let me into the store to at least try the transaction and see if it worked.


Low and behold, when they were activating my phone, my name showed up on the account and everything went smoothly.

So I would just ask nicely if you can be let in so that a specialist can at least try to activate it on your name...just make sure you have the last 4 SSN digits of the actual account holder.

Come to think of it, I couldve passed myself off as the account holder, considering they never even ID'ed me....lol
 
w3cum said:
not defending Apple or ATT.... but.... we had a similar issue... Apple can only see the primary name on the account. This is actually AT&T's fault. They only allow Apple to see and do certain things. You may be an authorized person on the account to do what EVERYTHING but only the primary name shows up. The APPLE manager in here actually showed me what they could see, and then I logged into our AT&T account on one of their MB and showed them all the authorized users. You as an individual can see more than they could...
Click to expand...

That may all be true but there is no excuse for the rude behavior by any Apple employee at that store. It sounds as if the Apple staff at the store you go to certainly had the right attitude...the bottom line here is that Apple should have assisted the OP in any way possible to help get him that rather expensive Apple product he "wanted" to buy. I will guarantee you that the head of Apple retail would far rather sell another phone than have his employees chase someone that wanted to buy a phone out of the store...
The Apple staff's behavior in this matter was despicable and an embarrassment to Apple Inc. If it were up to me I'd fire the lot of them right on the spot...chasing paying customers out of the store...unbelievable...especially in THIS economy...all that needed to be done was to show the OP what their screens read and try and help the kid get the phone...not chase him away...
 
That is BAd Apple in my store valleyfair san José ive gone to the store to pick up two iPhones in two Years and am not the account holder sorry abt ya
 
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