What is your personal experience with apple products and apple stores?

[Dandorma]

I took a second mortgage to get Macs for my small design firm what is now gone! Even the macs I have are not holding the value apple promised, not even close!
Was one of the early 50 buyers of the G5 when first arrived. have over 7 mac products. I used our apple store in cherry creek Denver. Recently, needed a some help from them. Assist. Mnanager was very helpful. manager was disrespectful!
In the wake of that, I decided not to spend money on apple products for no until and unless the do something about their local stores and they start working on loyalty and their product pricing.
That was my 2 cents for the day and my personal experience with buying macs.
what is your?
What is your take?

 

[UngratefulNinja]

Taking a second mortgage to buy any brand of electronics is always going to be a bad idea :/

 

[California]

Wow, you mean you mortgaged your house to buy 1.6ghz or 1.8ghz single processor G5s?


You did take a hit. But that was six years ago.

That said, i cannot stand my local Apple store people. They are "nice" but truly "dumb" when it comes to helping customers.

They still have that corporate idea that no customer should be able to work on their own computer and put memory in or a new hd in, and have that old fashioned Apple idea that once a machine has been touched, it is de virginized and therefore Apple cannot help you. They also do not know as much about the machines as a "genius' should.

I usually know more than they do when I go there.

I prefer third party Apple Certified Techs.

To me, you have to know how to solder to be a true Apple genius. Most of them get confused on ram upgrades.

 

[carlgo]

I've had three desktops and two laptop, two airports, one time machine, even two Apple printers including the awesome Select 360 Laser, an iPhone...good grief, that is a lot of stuff.

Not one of these devices failed or required repair. New models were needed to run the latest software.

Apple stores have been fine for me. Once I was explaining a product to my wife in terms she understood, but an Apple guy decided to interject with a torrent of techno jargon and wouldn't let up, even after a fairly pointed attempt to get rid of him. He basically chased us out of there.

Why the longevity? Luck for sure. I have taken things apart to add memory, but no big physical or software hacks and my weak computer skills don't stress out the machinery.

 

[feelthefire]

My personal experience has been...the apple products are great (with the exception of my new uMBP's loose hinge that is "normal") but the Apple stores are the SUCK. Pushy salespeople who feed you line after line of sales crap, or total lack of attention entirely. Overpriced third-party products with limited selection in the store (of course I know I could order online. But if I do, it won't be from Apple...). I never go to the Apple store unless under extreme duress. It's just too indoctrinating for me...like a store for cult members.

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

I haven't bought anything better than an 3G 8 GB iPod nano from my local Apple store, but here's what I can remember:

The sales people walk you through the features and usually stop if you say "I know, I just want to buy it."

They're generally eager to help.

The only Genius I've been in contact with, aside from my neighbor, was helpful. Although that was just to reinstall the nano's OS.

However, at Crocker Park in Ohio, my mom bought a 16 GB iPT. The guy who sold it to her was at least 70-years-old and had no clue how to work the thing. I had to show him how to turn it on rolleyes. Since we live near Albany and we didn't have a computer at the hotel, we went to the Genius Bar and got the iPT past the "Connect to iTunes" screen. The Genius was quite helpful.

 

[rancorus]

I have a very good experience with apple products so far. The ipod mini I used for two years worked great except that I had to get the battery refurbished halfway through. It took about a week to get it back which wasn't too bad. The ipod touch I bought when they first became available still works great. I purchased my first mac only a few weeks ago and haven't experienced any problems so far.

I only made one purchase at an Apple Store and it was the mac I am using right now. It was on a monday night at 8pm so the service was immediate. I was inside for only fifteen minutes in which I asked a few questions about the mac, the back-to-school promotion and office for mac, purchased the computer and ipod and left the store. Like someone said, the specialist at the Apple Store stopped selling me the features of the products when I told her I wanted to buy it right now.

I hope my experience with apple will stay the same as time goes on.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Apple products and Apple stores.

 

[aethelbert]

I find that the products function as advertised for the most part, but I think that they probably develop more design flaws in time than most other manufacturers. The computers work fine, which is all that I care about. However, my HP computers also work just as well, so I don't really hold any loyalty to Apple anyway.

As for the stores... I think that they're a nightmare. The sales staff is typically annoying while trying to sell me everything under the sun when I've already said that I don't want anything but the computer. The tech support people are always condescending, but I've never really found them to know what they're talking about. For this reason, I am now using third party resellers and repair centers. It does seem, though, that the stores in Switzerland are coming along better than the ones in the US, so my trend may change if the upswing continues.

 

[Eidorian]

Annoyingly cheerful staff for the most part. I have to play dumb to get good treatment from the Geniuses. I can burn the floor staff to a cinder with my knowledge and the Geniuses will treat you like dirt if you show any intelligence. I just keep quiet when I have to go.

I do my Apple shopping all online now. I haven't gotten anything since iWork 08' though.

 

[hyroboarder]

One time I went in. This was the during the white/black macbook era. I asked the guy what the difference was between white and black books, and he said uh, yeah bigger hard drive more ram etc. What he should have said was, the black is a 200$ paint job if you were to spec them out the same. I do realize you can't get custom spec'd products there but still.
Besides that, I've really only had positive exp. at the store. I tried selling an apple tv to my mom one father's day, and an employee was eavesdropping. He came over and told me I should work here lol. Other than that, when I got my first ipod (when they weren't popular) the employee put the apple bag on my back for me like a backpack. i felt special.

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

I do all my Apple shopping online as well, usually getting refurbished things, so the only contact I have with the Apple store is when I need to kill some time or buy something that can't be had as a refurb.

 

[Stuipdboy1000]

Took my out-of-warranty MacBook in to the Apple store due to a faulty hard drive and got told I would have to pay £108 to get it replaced. Also got told that it could take as long as 5 days to repair it. The next morning, got a call, they had fixed it and it was ready to pick it up. And they did it all for free. Didn't charge me a single penny, and they replaced a cracked palm-rest too!

Can't fault any experiences I've had.

 

[suburbia]

Annoyingly cheerful staff for the most part. I have to play dumb to get good treatment from the Geniuses. I can burn the floor staff to a cinder with my knowledge and the Geniuses will treat you like dirt if you show any intelligence. I just keep quiet when I have to go.

I do my Apple shopping all online now. I haven't gotten anything since iWork 08' though.

This is very true with my experience with the 3 local Apple Stores as well: Annoyingly and contrived cheerful floor staff and "Geniuses" who do not like their customers to know much about their product. Must be an ego thing. Apple Store and The Gap should always open next to one another, since their floor staff seems interchangeable.

Good to know at least Apple is consistent with the image they're putting out across the world.

 

[allmIne]

I just got 45% educational discount on iWork '09. Needless to say, I'm happy!

My MBP had a faulty battery, and I went through two faulty Magsafe adaptors before getting one that worked, but Apple was great throughout.

No complaints whatsoever. The store staff, unfortunately, have their 'metrics' to obtain. That's not their fault - it's those managing the sales policies that are to blame. Far removed from the sales floor, I'm sure

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

From what I've read across the interweb, it seems service at the Apple store, at least for Geniuses, is a crapshoot; Sometimes they're really helpful, other times they're mean and look down upon you if you know more about the product than them.

 

[jvette]

I have purchased my share of stuff both online and in the store. The people in the store on the most part don't have a clue what they are selling or what it will do. The one positive is you get instant satisfaction and get to take it home with you. I once complained about the people who waited on me when I purchased a Imac and was told by the manager that I should make an appointment with a special shopping assistant who would know more about the product. I told the manger to shove it and train his sales people. He kind of told me that was my best option so if I need something right away I educate myself on my purchase and go to the store and tell them what I want and buy it. The problems I have had with online purchases is they can take time to receive the product. Most new computers come from China so it leaves a lot of possibilities for delay in shipping. Just last month i purchased a MAC mini with 2 to 3 day shipping that took about 8 days for me to get it because it got held up in customs for clearance.

Overall I have been very happy with the product. I currently have a bunch of apple products and have had one Imac replaced under warranty.

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

The people in the store on the most part don't have a clue what they are selling or what it will do.

It is iMac and Mac. MAC is an acronym for a networking thing.

I agree with that. At my Apple store, they needed to assemble ~3 people to determine whether the new Intel mini could run the same software and whatnot as a G4 mini. It sounded like a few of the people there didn't even know what a G4 is.

 

[Eidorian]

It is iMac and Mac. MAC is an acronym for a networking thing.

I agree with that. At my Apple store, they needed to assemble ~3 people to determine whether the new Intel mini could run the same software and whatnot as a G4 mini. It sounded like a few of the people there didn't even know what a G4 is.

This is all too common. If it isn't what's on display it doesn't exist.

 

[kellen]

Genius bar needs revamped. Just to verify that a set of headphones didn't work I had to make an appointment. Then they are never on time, but the one time I was 2 minutes late they gave away my appointment.

Sales people need to be able to sell as well. I have gone into the store so many times knowing what I want, only to have 3 different answers, then finally get someone to get it for me, but he can't ring me up! I have to wait another 15 minutes for that person to become available.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I hope Apple is reading this thread!

I just moved to a new apartment, but previously I was within walking distance of three Apple stores in the LA area (and yes, I have walked to each of them ). The one in Century City was just mobbed and I couldn't even find someone to help me pay for the item I'd already chosen and had in my hand. It must have been a really bad time to go there. The store in The Grove is also always mobbed, because of its location. My only purchase there went smoothly but I stayed as short a time as possible. Definitely not a vibe I liked.

The store in the Beverly Center is where I've made most of my purchases. As others have said, sometimes you'll get someone who knows what they are talking about, and sometimes not. I have no complaints with the Genius Bar, in fact they replaced two products for me on the spot, no receipt, no nothing. That was pretty cool! OTOH, there is one sales person that I always try to avoid (why is he always working when I go there?!?). When I went to look at an Apple TV, the sales guy told me that I certainly could use my external drives through the USB port. That sold me -- but of course as I now know, it wasn't true at all (without hacking). I don't think he deliberately lied, I think he just didn't know any better. Actually, the Apple TV is the only Apple purchase I regret. I am not happy with it, because the UI is just so slow and unresponsive. And I don't want to rip and encode all of my DVDs just to have them show up under "My Movies". I am thinking of the Mac Mini + Plex alternative, which at least can read VIDEO_TS folders directly.

In total, I have 5 iPods, 3 iPhones, a MacBook, an Apple TV, and an Airport Extreme. As I said, I am really only unhappy with the Apple TV. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to the Apple store, but I would now educate myself about the products first and never rely on a salesperson (but this is true at ANY electronics store). I bought my last iPod and my iPhone 3GS online.

As for my Apple experience as a whole, I am happy since switching from Windows almost two years ago, but I still use Windows at work, so I sometimes get my keystrokes confused . My MacBook with OS X is not as stable as I would like, but it's much better than Windows ever was. Currently, OS X has a problem where it keeps losing my Internet connection and saying I have a self-assigned IP address, which is really stupid of it (but none of my three iPhones have this problem. All on same Airport Extreme). I reboot daily to get around this problem. It also tends to hang when I tell it to restart (endless spinning ball) about 1 in 5 times. So I don't think "it just works" is really true, but it's a good marketing idea. And it's mostly true. OS X is definitely much better than Windows, which has the motto, "It just doesn't work!"

 

[MWPULSE]

Well it depends where i go, my experience of apple stores in london, is that they are quite a busy bunch of chaps/esses so thus they never really focus on the real issue at hand of your problem, this can make them rather annoying really quickly. The store in Leicester on the other hand is alot more relaxed. Less hubbub about, but then again its not a huge city like london.

I find that my gripes with apple mainly coem out with individual employees, sometimes they are abit of a pain, and yet sometimes they are very relaxed, but it again depends where i go!

I'd say my experience with apple is about 8.5-9/10.

PTP

 

[TRAG]

They are all nice, but I do feel as though only half of them actually use Macs. And out of the half, half of those are really knowledgeable. But I generally don't as questions when I go. Anything I need to know I learn from this site or other tech sites.

 

[Not Available]

Well... I don't have an Apple Store in my country (Premium Resellers, nothing to do directly with Apple), but I have some experience with Apple products.

My first Apple product was a 1st generation iPod Touch, the 16GB model. It looked very nice at the beginning, but in time, I've found it to be horrible. First of all, the battery life kills me. When I had to go to a foreign country, I was so happy I had a device with a browser, an IM service, music and videos, I didn't think of anything else. So I got it with me, and, after about... 5 minutes of browsing the web in the airport, the battery was on red. I couldn't believe it. I was very, very disappointed. And it did not happen only then. Throughout the trip, the battery life kept sucking... power
Next, the compatibility. There isn't much you can do right now with it. I've bought TWO applications which did not support the 1st gen Touch. And the games are also running slowly, as they are made for the latest iPhone, and then made to run on the others as well, just for the money. The accelerometer also has a lot of flaws. There are many ways you can trick it, as it is very unresponsive. Also most of the applications require a network connection in order to be used at their fullest. But if I don't have a router nearby, or I am on the road, what do I use an ip0rn Touch for?
Last but not least, the Store. I live in Romania, and there is nothing I can buy from that store. Music & Videos are under DRM, the applications... only the best-known ones, and so on. The Store is not developed at all, but there are some retarded fanboys which keep it alive. Wouldn't it have been nice if saurik could upload his Winterboard on the Store, and the other users could launch themes for it? The stock iDevices' level of customization is very very low. Every phone has at least a few themes, and you can customize the sound. Not the case of our iTouches.

I'm also having a hard time with my MBP. Well... not quite. I love it, but I'd have liked it to have at least three USB ports. I use them a lot, and it kind of sucks that a 2006 Alienware had four USB ports, and a 2009 MBP doesn't. And I don't find it right to have to pay + $1000 for it...

But I can't complain about OS X at all. It does everything just GREAT, I love using it, and the tools available. And it's normal, in fact, this is how Apple started. As a computer manufacturer, and their OS was amazing when it first came out.

I also find the ads to be very funny and artistic (damn, I love the G4 entirely. its design, AND the "Window Shopper" ad. haha, it was amazing).