That does suck. I normally expect a wait when I go there but 45 mins seems excessive.I did. Got in line. Was third in line. 45 minutes for a person to take my $. Apple fan but store processes like this are trash. Not a slight on the employees.
That does suck. I normally expect a wait when I go there but 45 mins seems excessive.I did. Got in line. Was third in line. 45 minutes for a person to take my $. Apple fan but store processes like this are trash. Not a slight on the employees.
They were still doing the we have to assign you a salesperson thing. Saw salespeople with phones in hand not going to me or 2 people in front of me. I almost left. Actually told the line monitor (is he trained to run a transaction?) I was about to leave.That does suck. I normally expect a wait when I go there but 45 mins seems excessive.
Now that is a proper customer experience. Apple can do it at times but there are some serious issues when this is not the standard approach.Totally different experience here in the UK, I walked into the Apple store in Birmingham, I looked at the 11 Pros to decide what colour I wanted, asked an apple guy what line was for iPhone, got in line, there ware about 5 people in front, a lady came and took my details and what device I wanted and how I was to pay, waited about 5 mins then got took down stairs, the phone was bought to me and the sales guy immediately, he scanned it, I paid and then left, it took about 10 minutes all together from getting in line to walking out the store, nice fast service.
Adam
Sounds like it’s an effort to prevent lines around the store and unruly line sitters. There have been horror stories from previous launch lines with cutting, assault, etc.
By making walk ins inconvenient, you level the playing field for online reservations.
Apple does this on purpose to make it seem like the launch is better than it really is.
No one is flocking to buy the new phones like they did in the past. Only us tech nerds care...most people I know don't give a crap and they are keeping their current phones because to them it hasn't changed much over the past few years. People are keeping their $1000 phones longer now.
I went to the Apple Store in my area over the last weekend and it wasn't any more packed than it normally is. I saw maybe 3 or 4 people waiting outside in line.....with this ridiculous barrier for 4 people lol I went just to look at the new phones. I refuse to buy in an Apple store because the process is so annoying. I could walk in and out of a Best Buy in like 10 minutes. That is what I did last year with the XS Max....went to Apple to look at them....placed my order on the Best Buy app while in the Apple store and it was ready when I got to Best Buy.
Apple is starting to annoy me. If Android wasn't so crappy I would have left already lol
It's a form of punishment to discourage unscheduled walk ins. There's no good reason anyone has to wait hours in a non crowded store to buy something sitting on a back room shelf.
Apple does this on purpose to make it seem like the launch is better than it really is.
No one is flocking to buy the new phones like they did in the past. Only us tech nerds care...most people I know don't give a crap and they are keeping their current phones because to them it hasn't changed much over the past few years. People are keeping their $1000 phones longer now.
I went to the Apple Store in my area over the last weekend and it wasn't any more packed than it normally is. I saw maybe 3 or 4 people waiting outside in line.....with this ridiculous barrier for 4 people lol I went just to look at the new phones. I refuse to buy in an Apple store because the process is so annoying. I could walk in and out of a Best Buy in like 10 minutes. That is what I did last year with the XS Max....went to Apple to look at them....placed my order on the Best Buy app while in the Apple store and it was ready when I got to Best Buy.
Apple is starting to annoy me. If Android wasn't so crappy I would have left already lol
The experience is broken. I had a reservation, then stood there for 35 minutes so someone could hand me a box I prepaid for and I walked out. It’s ridiculous.
It's a real mess. Could be resolved if the company put a little less focus on the "image" it is trying to convey in these stores (whatever they call them these days) and a lot more focus on efficiency.The experience is definitely broken. When I was waiting for an hour for the employees to find my S4 Apple Watch last year (I had ordered for pickup), I sat down bored and getting increasingly more annoyed because they kept acting like the order didn’t exist/could not find any record of it.
But the absolutely insane part of this situation was that apparently I was sitting at one of the Genius tables that are now unlabeled and not a bar. So there was a steady stream of people with broken Apple products, including the watch I was waiting an hour to pick up, sitting around me being helped. I’m just sitting and waiting, I’m not going to sit in front of a product demo table, so I sit at an empty table... then you’ve got someone with a Genius saying his Apple Watch shut off and won’t turn back on... as I’m waiting for my new Apple Watch.
At this point 1/3 of the Apple Store is dedicated to people getting help with broken products... it’s not good business to leave customers waiting idly around that. If I were them I’d split the repair business entirely just to clean up the store experience.
On the flipside, I’ve also felt awkward going to the Genius Bar when regular customers are within earshot. Like I need to whisper my problems. It’s all very awkward.
The experience is definitely broken. When I was waiting for an hour for the employees to find my S4 Apple Watch last year (I had ordered for pickup), I sat down bored and getting increasingly more annoyed because they kept acting like the order didn’t exist/could not find any record of it.
But the absolutely insane part of this situation was that apparently I was sitting at one of the Genius tables that are now unlabeled and not a bar. So there was a steady stream of people with broken Apple products, including the watch I was waiting an hour to pick up, sitting around me being helped. I’m just sitting and waiting, I’m not going to sit in front of a product demo table, so I sit at an empty table... then you’ve got someone with a Genius saying his Apple Watch shut off and won’t turn back on... as I’m waiting for my new Apple Watch.
At this point 1/3 of the Apple Store is dedicated to people getting help with broken products... it’s not good business to leave customers waiting idly around that. If I were them I’d split the repair business entirely just to clean up the store experience.
On the flipside, I’ve also felt awkward going to the Genius Bar when regular customers are within earshot. Like I need to whisper my problems. It’s all very awkward.
Best Buy will price match so don’t let them charge you extra.I stayed because he opened the new phones, without asking, before wiping my old phones. He used the old phones’ SIM cards in the new phones too. That seemed weird to me, but maybe that will save me an activation fee?
I did stop him from restoring from a back up, don’t worry and did finish at home. Which was funny because apparently my wife and I are each others’ devices to authenticate and could not receive texts. (They dinged but didn’t show up on the setup screen).
These carriers must be giving good kickbacks to encourage all of this locking. Even Apple’s payment plan requires a major carrier contract, even though the financing is through Citizens One with a credit check and even requires AppleCare to ensure the device is protected for the life of the loan... what does AT&T have to with that transaction at all?
I guess I’d rather be locked for 60 more days than pay an extra $100 at Best Buy or drive out to / deal with an Apple Store after launch.
I guess I have been lucky. I have very enjoyable experiences buying at all the local Apple stores since my first iPhone 4.The way I see it, if nothing else, people buying unlocked, SIM-free phones where literally nothing needs to be done except scan the phone and pay for it like any other accessory should be able to walk in and buy it just like buying a case, any day, any time.
I like the Apple stores, but buying anything from them really, really sucks.
The experience is definitely broken. When I was waiting for an hour for the employees to find my S4 Apple Watch last year (I had ordered for pickup), I sat down bored and getting increasingly more annoyed because they kept acting like the order didn’t exist/could not find any record of it.
But the absolutely insane part of this situation was that apparently I was sitting at one of the Genius tables that are now unlabeled and not a bar. So there was a steady stream of people with broken Apple products, including the watch I was waiting an hour to pick up, sitting around me being helped. I’m just sitting and waiting, I’m not going to sit in front of a product demo table, so I sit at an empty table... then you’ve got someone with a Genius saying his Apple Watch shut off and won’t turn back on... as I’m waiting for my new Apple Watch.
At this point 1/3 of the Apple Store is dedicated to people getting help with broken products... it’s not good business to leave customers waiting idly around that. If I were them I’d split the repair business entirely just to clean up the store experience.
On the flipside, I’ve also felt awkward going to the Genius Bar when regular customers are within earshot. Like I need to whisper my problems. It’s all very awkward.
It took me, with the decision made and stock confirmed, about 10 minutes to buy a case. First you have to find someone.. then they pass you off to someone.. then that person goes to get the case out of the back (I had already pulled the drawers out and it wasn’t re-stocked) room.. they were gone for about 5 minutes.. for a case.
Making a customer wait for a much more expensive device they have already paid for or JUST need to give payment for is ridiculous.
I don't think Apple is clueless on this front. I think they're 100% against doing "transactional experiences" like that in their stores.Wal-Mart emails you when the item (or items) are ready, then you go to the front of the store, stand in front of this Willy Wonka booth-looking thing, swipe your credit card, and your item deposits itself right in front of you.
And you leave. Two or three minute experience.
Wal-Mart has figured this out. Apple is clueless on this front.
What if you went to buy something, even if you just wanted it, and the store asked you if you really need it... or said, we have them right here and will sell you one in an hour.. have a seat on those cute little chairs.OK. Sorry to play the devil’s advocate here but do you really need a new phone today? Can’t it wait a few weeks or months that everything settles down?
There is no point of hurling: you’ll get the same phone, you’ll get a better software and you won’t have to queue at all. See, problem solved.