LOL. That's why they have on line appointments. I've done the walk in thing and had to wait a few minutes, but never thought of complaining about it when I took the chance they would be busy and didn't have an appointment.
So, what happens when the store schedule is overloaded and you need your computer and the next appointment is
2 weeks away?
For every good consumer experience with any company there is always a bad one which can be reported. It is the luck of the draw whom you get and how much they know.
The average consumer doesn't read MR or for that matter google even the simplest problems. I am sure that ties up a lot of time in the stores.
If you want to get things done, you have to be persistent, especially when you know what is wrong and you know what you want done.
Example:
Had a broken MBP screen from a drop and went to the store, just to drop it off any have it fixed. The "Genius" kept telling me that I needed an appointment , but the first one was 2 weeks away.
I told him , that I had tested the MBP with an external monitor and it was working fine except for the MBPs own display.
Also told him, I just wanted to leave it there to be repaired and they could call me to let me know when it was done.
He kept telling me that without an appointment NOTHING could be done, i.e. before two weeks. (I have to drive about 45 min each way to that store, so would have been 4 trips, 2 of them wasted) After I told him that it was obvious what needed to be replaced (showed the screen) and that this was very unApplelike, he kept repeating his appointment story.
Step 2: I asked for the supervisor. Mentioned to the supervisor that I just wanted the MBP repaired and that there has to be a way without an appointment when it is obvious what has to be fixed. (Showed MBP screen)
Supervisor arranged a phone call with Apple for 8 a.m. next day = a Saturday.
Apple senior customer rep called around 8, asked me a few questions and issued a repair order. Since it was unclear whether the MBP still had AppleCare (bought on eBay) I gave them my cc for a depot charge of $ 130 apr.
The rep appreciated that I was honest and told him the MBP had been dropped.
On Monday a FEDEX box arrived to pack the MBP into, and after sending it to where they fix things
Monday night it came back on Saturday, again via FEDEX. (At that point I would not even have had an appointment at the store)
Complete new top, everything looked like new.
Best part: Apple never charged for it!
I had other positive customer experiences and a few encounters with unknowledgeable reps.
Again, it all depends on how much a given GENIUS knows and what kind of a person one gets.