I'm not much of a Yelp person, but I feel like I have to comment on this store after reading the reviews about it then inevitably having to visit for an iPad repair for my wife.
I got there around 1:30 on a Saturday and was directed to a line to be helped for technical support. The line was long and I watched to see what was taking a moment. By the time I was about the 4th person back, I had three insufferable customers in front of me taking up the employee's time negotiating that their issue was more important than the people in front of us begging to be seen right then, even one asking for a manager. So I started watching and listening to others around me. The store seems to be divided, some being technicians while others work in sales (front half vs back half of the store).
By the time it was my turn, my wait time was about 90 minutes give or take. It was a bit of a setback for me since I had to be somewhere in 2 hours. But I was offered a few extra options like having Apple call me within a few minutes or to book an appointment for another time I can schedule around. I thought that was courteous at least, all things considered. I took the time as my wife really needed her iPad to work that day. I gave them my cell number to text when it was my turn, and I was surprised when I was texted back in 40 minutes later.
When I arrived I had to wait in line again, but was surprised when another employee walked the line to see if anyone was returning. I then took a seat and waited at the "Genius" bar for someone. While I waited, I was addressed by a guy named Ramil in order to place me with an available tech. He was really funny and stressed it'll just be a few more minutes. A supervisor walked by a couple minutes later and apologized saying some of the appointments ahead of mine were running a bit longer than expected and were working hard to get me seen. Apparently there is a time frame with a Genius here, being about 10-15 minutes. That makes sense as how else could they schedule an appointment (I work in production and understand scheduling all too well).
I sat and watched other technicians wondering what was taking so long. One tech at another table was being chewed out by another customer who was stressing that Apple's phones shouldn't break and they wanted a free replacement. At another table next to me another tech (who was adorable as adorable could be) was busting her a$$ helping about 4 people at the same time. I watched the line for a few more minutes too looking at the people checking in. There were a lot of really accepting people who understood the wait and their other options like I was given. But there were others as well who weren't as gracious. I even heard another customer vent to the person making appointments questioning why they even make appointments if they cannot honor the time. I used to say the same thing at the doctor's office, auto shop, and what not. But I've lived in a civilized world for some time and know that not all time commitments can be honored. One person even called the employee "racist" after being told a wait time. I watched that employee, and while their process appears more automated and robotic, racism didn't appear to play any role when making Genius appointments.
Finally it was my turn and I was helped by a tech who's name I cannot recall. She was really bubbly and funny. My wife's iPad was crashing a lot, which was the point of the visit. She looked at my wife's iPad and reset a setting. She also told me not to close apps the way I thought and showed me the setting where the apps are allowed to run. I had no idea swiping up apps was bad for the iPad and my iPhone. After resetting the thing she reset, she told me to keep a watch on the performance of the iPad and let her know if anything resurfaces. She let me know that I could have had Apple call me as well helping save the wait, and can call the next time or pay a visit back to the store. I thought that was cool being a former Samsung owner. My old Samsung's replacement had to be mail ordered and I was without a phone for a couple days. At least this is an option for same-day service. When I left, I really wanted them to know I was thankful, so I make sure I saw everyone who helped me on the way out thanking them extensively.
It's not the best of the best for stores, but I'm glad I watched how they work. After reading some of the other reviews of this Apple Store, these are probably those customers that want free stuff from Apple and are unhappy they didn't get their way. But if you're looking to go there for tech support, you can start by visiting a website getsupport.apple.com first and having them call you as my tech wrote down for me.
For those looking to leave Apple after they didn't get their way, please do. The Apple store would be a much happier place without people losing their $h!t at employees in front of me. And for those ungrateful, be happy you can get a working replacement the same day. read more