I've been a loyal Apple customer for over 10 years. I have an iphone, airpods, ipad, and macbook. Obviously I've spent a lot of money on Apple products and have been content to stay in their technological ecosystem.
Until I visited Apple Carnegie Library.
Exactly 88 days prior to my visit, I'd taken my Macbook Pro to Apple Montgomery Mall because it had stopped turning on. They offered to repair whatever was wrong for a flat fee of ~$600. The work that they did had a 90 day warranty on it (see photo).
Lo and behold, at day 87, just 3 days before the warranty expired, my computer suddenly refused to reboot. It would not turn on, and would not accept a charge.
I called Apple and arranged to have it returned and repaired under warranty. She asked if I wanted to mail it in or drop it off. Thinking I'd save some time by getting it into Apple's hands immediately, I said I'd drop it off at the store.
BIG MISTAKE.
She choose the Carnegie Library location, and set up the appointment. When I arrived at the scheduled time, I thought I'd be in and out in 15 minutes.
Instead, I didn't get seen for 15 minutes. When Bryan was finally available, rather than pull up the ticket the phone rep had written and accept the laptop, he plugged it in to charge and then disappeared for 20 minutes.
This was frustrating because I'd already done this at home, and knew it would not charge. I'd tested multiple cables and different ports.
When Bryan returned (after I asked another employee) he immediately copped an attitude with me. First he denied the laptop was under warranty. Then he admitted that the work was under warranty, but said that because my screen had a small, dime sized crack on it, I'd have to spend $600 on a screen replacement to get the "free" warranty work done to repair the not turning on issue, which was unrelated to the screen.
I said they didn't need to replace the screen, that it worked with the crack, and I simply wanted the warranty repair. I said I did not expect a free screen repair, I simply wanted the reoccurring issue addressed.
However, he insisted that the only way I could get a repair under warranty, without having to pay $600 for a new screen, was if it was done at the store. So I agreed.
By the time he finished submitting the repair and I could sign the agreement and leave, an hour had passed since my appointment time. The whole thing was taking much longer than I expected "dropping it off" to take.
The store was supposed to call me with an update after they checked the charger connections. They did not. Instead, they waited several days until a part came in. Then called in the evening, and left a message saying I needed to either pick up my laptop as it was (unable to turn on), or approve the $600 charge for the cracked screen before they sent it to the repair facility for the "not turning on" problem.
They also said the store would be closed for 3 days for the NATO summit, with my laptop locked inside it.
Because of the time it took them to order parts, and close for the NATO summit, by the time I could speak with them again, the 90 day warranty was expired.
So I called Apple, told them the situation, said I wanted the laptop to be sent from the store to the repair facility, and then shipped directly to me. I said I never wanted to step foot inside that store again. They said that was impossible. All they could do was transfer me to the store.
When a store employee got on the phone, she again denied that my laptop was under a warranty. She claimed that Apple did not offer a 90 day warranty on repairs, which is a lie (see screenshot), and I'd have to pay $600 for the repair. So I had to ask to speak to the manager.
When I began to explain the situation to the manager, he abruptly cut me off and would not let me speak.
Like his staffer, he lied and said that Apple did not offer a 90 day repair warranty. When I tried to interject, he interrupted and talked over me, refusing to let me speak. In a very rude manner, he said, "As a courtesy," they'd cover the cost of the repair.
Although this was dishonest, and not the solution I was looking for (I honestly just wanted them to honor the warranty), I agreed. However, the entire situation left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Examining the small print, I see that the device should have been returned to the original store where the repair was done for the 90 day warranty. I would have done this, but the Apple employee made the appointment at Carnegie Library.
Rather than explain the policy, they lied, gaslit me, and invented a multitude of reasons to charge me $600, which is the same as the original repair fee.
I am disgusted with Apple Carnegie Library's lying staff, poor communication, bad scheduling, lack of understanding of their own warranty policy, and lack of consideration for their customers time.
I don't intend to buy from Apple ever again.
Yelp won't let me attach the warranty terms, but you can google it. read more