Been a loyal customer for 15 years and have spent almost 20 grand in the store. Tried to warrantee an iPhone 11 and even though it still worked and was waterlogged they said they couldn't prove it was mine. They gave me a POS iPhone 8 and I had to spend all the time to set it up only to go back in a week later when they finally figured out I wasn't lying. Now I get to reset up my phone again and pay $100 for the privilege with no compensation for the hassle. This is just one of many bad experiences I've had with Apple over the past several years. I very rarely hear people with Samsung galaxy is bitching and it looks pretty or two. Barring some stellar effort on the part of Apple to make up for some of the massive inconvenience and glitching poor products I will be out as soon as this contract is up. read more

Made an appt for battery replacement at 4:40pm, arrived a few minutes early, so waited, got checked in and was told to come back at 6:10pm. Rushed back in time, a bit early, but still had to wait until nearly 7pm for them to be done. Although some folks there are quite nice, others are smart ass rude. One guy started to argue with me when I told him I heard on the news that Apple will soon allow 3rd party apps as default (replace Safari, or Maps, etc) He said he knows all the latest developments and Apple would not do that. I present to you: https://mspoweruser.com/following-major-ftc-probe-apple-planning-to-allow-3rd-party-apps-as-default-on-ios/ He also said Apple maps was actually google maps. I pointed out that they were open source maps with TomTom navigation, but he still argued. Oh well. He spun some other yarns, but I will not reiterate it all here. Suffice it say, the less time I am at this store the better. Also when another person finally checked me out 50 minutes late, I mentioned the youtube tutorial that shows how to replace battery in 3 minutes, and again I go an argument that it was not possible. Oh well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JRqocmm24 read more

Got an appointment? Go stand in line for 10 minutes. Check in after that long line? Wait for 20 minutes before anyone comes to talk to you. Finally got to talk to a "genius" and he eventually, after one hour of pointless analysis programs and futzing with the settings, agreed with my original request to replace the screen because the ear speaker was not working and there were two bright spots (called screen flare or some such). From the beginning (6:25, early for my 6:35 appointment) I explained that I need to be home because of an urgent medication I give a family member. As the appointment dragged on the staff told me that my phone will be ready by 8:30 or sooner. It was not until nearly 9:00 that I ran out of the store around half the mall as the enternece I used was now gated off because the mall was basically closed! After talking to four different staff members insisting that I would just give up on getting it repaired because I NEEDED to leave, they continued to reassure me that would be ready "any moment." Eventually after they could see that I was upset and I began to raise my voice, someone emerged from the back room and ask why no one had told me the phone is ready. I don't have any words for how stupid this was. On the plus side, they let me use their bathroom in the back which was not too dirty. The mall map shows a legend for restrooms but no actual restrooms on the map which is bizarre. I'll reach out to Apple and explain what the problem was, I will take a deep breath and not be upset that a 20 minute fix ended up taking two and half hours. But I am very upset. This was more than inconsiderate, it was dishonest and a frustrating experience that could have easily been avoided. I'll go to Walnut Creek next time I need to visit the Apple Store. read more

This store caused me money that I didn't need to pay. Late last year, AT&T had a promotion that if you traded in your iPhone for a new one that costs less than $800, the new phone will be free. I went to the Apple store and they told me that I can trade in my phone to a newer one at their store, that they can process the transaction for me and I can get the AT&T promotion. I asked them a number of times if they can do that or if I should go to the AT&T store in the same mall. They said they can do it. So I went ahead and traded my phone for one that costs under $800. AT&T did not qualify me for the free phone promotion because they said that the Apple store did not send the traded phone to them. So now I I have to pay for the balance the cost of the phone. read more

It's hard to say if I'm more disappointed with Apple or this store, but there was enough wrong with my experience to write my first yelp review--ever. I drove 1.5 hours down to have my son's broken Mac book pro screen fixed or buy a replacement Mac. I know they are expensive to fix or buy, but just wanted something reliable that works. First I was told it would take 40 min to see a tech. I asked if this was an expensive fix, because if so I'd buy a new one, skip the wait and be on my way. A couple 100 dollars he said. Great, I'll wait. An hour later the tech is looking at my screen and says it's $450 to fix. Gulp. Ok. Almost 40 minutes later when we finish up the prep to send it away, he says "oh wait, I can get you a deal." He disappears. Then he comes back and apologizes, the repair is $750!! He asked if I wanted to proceed? I was ready to buy a $1300 replacement computer that day. Instead, after 2 hours of this experience they lost a 30 customer. We've been unhappy with these kinds of slights from Apple for the past few years. This was the last straw. Time to switch to PC, Google and Samsung and be over with it. It's really kinda said, but I think they don't get it. The same arrogance IBM displayed 30 years ago. read more

I have been here three times and each time the customer service is horrific. The wait times are excessive even when there are hardly any customers and a number of employees are just standing around. When they do wait on you, they are not helpful nor knowledgeable. Today, I just came in for a return and had to wait 15 minutes before an employee, who was standing around and said previously said he could not process a return, broke down and did the return for me. I complained to one of the manager that the employee should not have had me wait so long if he could have done a return all along. The manager defended himself and the employee. The manager could not have cared less about my feedback. The manager was also one of the employees who was, incidentally, standing around while I waited. I think the mystery as to why this place has such crappy customer is solved - comes from the top. read more

I have been here at the genius bar for about 30 MINS. I was greeted and told to sit at the bar...then a fellow came along who began to check out my computer...I thought I needed a battery. I did need a battery he said BUT My macbook is so old Apple cannot sell me one. I am ok with that but now I have waited 30 minutes to see someone and will give it about 10 more minutes and then I must GOOOOOOOH. i have an I phone, a MacBook , an IMAC and watch...It saddens me to see such extremely poor service... affected disservice and studied disregard leaving me questioning why I continue to support Apple products. Yes, I unplugged my MacBook packed it up and left the store after waiting 50 mins... read more

I LOVE APPLE!!! --- But, this store represents Apple horribly. My god, the people who work at this location are RUUUUDE. I am so sad to know that Apple has people like this representing them. From beginning to end, everyone we communicated with at this location seemed totally annoyed and even classless. *TIP: Do all of your Apple interactions over the phone with their main call center number: 800-MY-APPLE. They will treat you so much better, and they will not talk down to you as if you are ruining their day just because you exist. The call center is trained better than the people at this store. I hope that the management at this store location sees these unhappy reviews, and makes a change. (Though, honestly, usually when everyone at a store is grumpy and horribly rude, then the management is the main fuel for the terrible atmosphere.) ...Good luck, friends!! read more

If I could give this Apple store a 0 star I would. We brought a cord to be replaced and they wouldn't. Why do I buy apple care if they are not going to honor it?? Skip this store and go to big cities. Definitely customer service is a no go here. read more

I can't believe the arrogance of this company, I walk in to buy a new IPhone and am told I must make an appointment to shop. Holly S@&! And the earliest appointment was two and a half hours. I hate that I have to go to Best Buy but I made my purchase and was home before their earliest appointment. I know there are other phones but I choose to give my money to an American company that manufactures in China rather than a Korean company that manufactures in China read more

Just came in to get my computer checked out because it was not charging and felt like it was over heating as well. Needed a new cord and even with having a Apple care plus warranty they charged me 20. The guy also refused to clean the inside saying it would take too long and he does not have time. Had to send it off to be cleaned and they do more extensive diagnostic. Was told at least I have the warranty. Here's what is funny I had brought an older computer in before they diagnosed it and cleaned it replaced a few screws for free all with out a warranty. I think Apple service is going down hill and I won't be buying another Apple product again only to be treated like every other company. read more

My child's iPad had a jammed up lighting port, like the charging cable's tab had broken off into it or whatever. I knew I could mess things up if I was too forceful, so I decided to do the cautious thing and let a genius handle it. I only had to wait a minute or so before a genius was there to help me, which was great. I explained my problem and she took it into the back to evaluate it. She came back out and gave what seemed like a sensible description of why the problem couldn't be fixed and that my only choice was to replace the entire iPad. I said I'd think on it and took it home. I'm a little handy with screwdrivers and solder and so I researched guides on how to fix the charge port. Looks like they now solder the charge port onto the logic board and so you need some advanced skills and equipment if you're going to try to replace it. So I accepted defeat and took the iPad to my wife and said the iPad was totally screwed. This is when my intrepid wife decided to not accept defeat, didn't care what any genius had to say and took a tiny awl to the port and pried out some little bits of stuff. Sure enough she plugged it in and it started charging just fine. Anyways who knows if this review is fair to the genius. They're probably not allowed to do high risk measures to fix things, although they are plenty happy to take a provably fixable product off your hands to "recycle" it? This problem seems to be more with Apple's strategy in general. They should make their products more fixable for not just consumers but also their own staff of geniuses. At some point if you can't replace a charge port your design is broken, Jony, I'm sorry. read more

I got Airpods for Christmas, I used them for one hour when the left AirPod lost battery. I called Apple, replacement part was sent, they sent the incorrect part. After 1hour and 15 mins on the phone I got a new part sent. When it arrived, it was the correct part, just will not connect to my phone. After 1 hour and 26 mins on the phone I was directed to the store. I am currently in the store, it has been an hour and 20mins three techs have said my airpods are defective, yet it is not being replaced, only pieced meal together. read more

I set up a Genius Bar appointment over the phone for 5:45 and the rep warned me that if I don't check in before 5:55 my appointment would get kicked out of the system. I got here at 5:43 and checked in. It's now 6:12 and no one has helped me. I guess the responsibility of punctuality is a one sided thing in this scenario. I have to leave now without being helped. Update Turn out it was human error. The person pushed the wrong button and I was never put in line. Everyone was very apologetic and they rescheduled me since I had to leave. Here again now and it's going very well. Was helped within 2 minutes of entering the store and the guy has been beyond helpful and kind. Update 2: This place is a crap shoot. Could get a person that knows what they're doing or you could get an idiot. For me it's been about 50/50. I had an appointment for 5:45 and I showed up at 5:55. Damn. Too late. The woman at check in said she would put me right back into the system and that I was checked in. I double checked to make sure that it wasn't just reverting to me being a walk-in cause I didn't have two hours to wait. She reassured me that I was checked in for an appointment. It has now been an hour and I'm still a couple people back in line. People that walked in 45 minutes after me have been helped. Today I got an idiot. read more

Apple customer service has gone totally to pot. My neighbor bought a brand new iPad on Monday in the store and they sent her home with a "promise" to set it up for her after the first of the year. She's not at all computer savvy and needed it done for her. The store staff said they were "too busy" to help her and gave her a card to make an appointment in January. She had to pay someone to do the basic set up for her. Compared to the Apple store, the Verizon store is fantastic! I recommended she go there instead, but she had an Apple gift certificate that she thought was only usable at the Apple store. I would avoid this store. This is an EPIC customer service failure. read more

The service at this particular mac store is unparalleled to any other. On several occasions I have made last minute Genius bar reservations and gotten in within the hour on busy weekends. I'm not saying it happens every time, but I am always amazed at how many employees they have working at one time. There are usually always 30 customers in the store with an average of 15 employees working and taking care of people's needs. I will always go back to this store if and when I'm ever in Santa Rosa. read more

Apple - you still suck. Went in on a Wednesday to exchange my 7th pair of ear pods (keep the receipts on file) to a completely empty store. Greeted first by a woman who asked if she could help me. I explained the ear pods were not working and she then informed me I'd need to see a "technician". That's a first, but - okay - I'm game. Sends me to the rear of the store to the "technician". "Are you the technician?", I ask the guy I've been sent to. "Uhhhhhhhhhh... No." I look back to see if I can catch the eye of the woman who sent me to the rear of the store. Nope - she's gone. Non-technician guy swipes away on his iPad and nervously talks into his ear piece as if he's just walked off Air Force One. "Ummmmmm... I'm going to have send you to a manager." For what? "Manager" is busy. So busy in this empty store that I've now been there for 15 minutes. "Manager" comes over to me and says, "you need to see technician." Really? 8 minutes later a new guy walks over to me and says, "how can I help you?". "I'd like to exchange these ear pods for a new pair." And guess what this guy says? "You'll need to see a technician." Douche bags. Every single person. read more

I went into this Apple Store thinking they would be able to exchange my iPad Air 2 since it was purchased in August of this year. The associate who helped me was so un helpful I could not believe it. He kept telling me that it was a tough call to make whether he should exchange my iPad for me or not. He even told me "If you had come in one month earlier we could have done something for you; however, since it's almost two months we can't help you!" WHAT! He told me that I could spend even more money on calling Apple Care and they could send me a new device. I walked out of this store very unhappy and very unsatisfied. I will never go back into this Apple Store ever again. Luckily, I did call Apple Care and they were the most friendly people on the phone and great customer service. They didn't argue with me they said they are sorry the product showed up at my house in the condition it did and they are sending me a brand new device for absolutely nothing! Apple Store in Santa Rosa you can learn a little something from Apple Care's customer service if you expect to keep your customers happy. read more

Can not give this Apple Store any praise. Even when you setup an appointment through the web site or they stick you in on a last moment thing, they make you wait and other people who show up AFTER you get service first. They have their so called Genius Bar talking smack to people, not all but there were a few that I listened to while waiting for over an hour. One guy was almost condescending to this older lady. However, Sean, at the Santa Rosa store after complaining to him he was able to take care of the issues I had with my wife's iPad. Even though this is one of the busiest stores, there are several employees who are just shooting the breeze with their friends who walk into just to say hi. Just counted three people walk around doing nothing and complaining about their jobs. Four people are just talking about nothing and they pass along what they are doing to other people so they can go home. Again, Sean was very helpful. I may just have to go to the SF store from now on as this has happened way to much. May send any complaints into apple and see what they can do to tell these people to get off their butts. Will see what happens in the next few minutes and may update this. read more

4 month old Macbook; All C ports defective- The plugs fall out with the slightest movement. Although this issue is all over the web, the guy at the front of the Santa Rosa, Ca. store said he never heard about this! This Macbook is used for medical care and the power cord and peripherals stop connecting with the slightest movement. This computer has always been on a desk, indoors and cords rarely removed. OBVIOUS manufacturing and engineering defect. Store will not fix on site or replace. "It is our policy..." Try that response in the ER when you're sick. I guess it will have to be sent into factory for repair. How many of us are losing connectivity and data because of this? Do NOT buy a Macbook unless you know this is fixed. read more

Been here 2x to have my iPhone serviced, and its always been taken care of promptly. This store has a bit of that 'superiority' air that many seem to have taken on, but they have been prompt and courteous. This store is a bit smaller, and less inventory than others, but for us N. Sonomans, works great. read more

Received excellent service today from Anthony. He promptly solved the issue that my phone was having. Everyone I encountered was professional and friendly. Thank you! read more

I had a problem with my IPHONE, and they fixed in less then 5 minutes. Thanks Apple! read more

**Best way to make a change is to call / write their management and tell them to read Yelp reviews** THE RUDEST PEOPLE on the planet! ...My God, the people who work here are all so incredibly rude and heartless. I went into this store to get assistance for an elderly woman who relies on her macbook computer for everything. This store gave us the run-around and always sounded annoyed every single step of the way. They ended up making our laptop repairs worse than when we started. Apple computers are amazingly wonderful in many ways. But the customer service at this store is shamefully bad. My poor elderly friend ended up having way too much stress and became so heartbroken by how they treated her. They made nothing better, only worse. If you can, let the management know about these terrible reviews! Maybe they will start training people to be more patient and kind. ...Otherwise, just go to another store if you can help it. Good luck, everyone! read more

I was sold on buying a pair of Beatz earbuds due to the warranty that Apple supposedly stand by their product. Much to my surprise my 2nd set after one year went out at me and went into the Apple store and they told me that I'm audible 1T with my earbuds. My question is, why am I spending a $100 on a pair of air buds that can even make it for 1 year? Did not buy the Apple hype they are full of it they do not stand by their product buyer beware read more

It's apple, so what good should I tell you about it? Apple if already sells a product without any security measures, so the store can never be better than the product it sells, so this one is as bad as the product it sells. At least they left me alone when I compared my cell phone screen to the new Iphone 5 model, guess what, the iphone one is smaller. So if they start telling people about the secuirty risks, I will update my rating for them, until than it is what it is. read more

I had an incredible experience with Cat (Catherine) in the store today...I had a complexity of problems with getting and accessing a new phone. She walked me through everything and basically said she would stay with me til the problems were worked out. And she did...I am so grateful. read more

My husband just bought me a new iPad 2 for my birthday. After having it for less than 1 week I dropped it and shattered the glass. I brought it into the Santa Rosa Plaza Apple store and was able to speak wih a tech within 5 minutes. He examined the damage and said the computer was beyond repair. He offered me a replacemet plan which I really couldn't afford because we had just bought the iPad (800.00) He excused himself and returned about 10 minutes later and said he could replace it with a brand new one (this one time only) at no cost. I am so grateful beyond words. I really feel as though they valued me as as custmomer and went over and beyond to accomodate me. Needless to say I am an Apple custormer for life and will most definately let all of my friends and family know as well. Eternally Grateful... read more

We've been Apple users since the beginning of time. I remember distinctly just a few years ago trying to get help and being told that since I didn't purchase extended Apple Care I could go fly a kite. Then something happened and Apple got the message that their support was hideously bad. They've gone in the other direction now and are SUPER helpful both on the phone and in person. I wouldn't have known that there was a shift but the day I went to buy my new iPad the sales person in this store happened to say, "we've cleaned up our act for support." I decided to test it out. So, first download the Apple Support App and then you can do everything from booking a genius appt to having them call you back in two minutes (they stole this idea from Amazon but what the heck, it's great). In addition to newer Apple products, I have an old Mac Mini that wants to die so I started by called the help line and got the sweetest, most patient gal in Texas who spent an hour on the phone with me while we went through every possible solution to make the Mini shape up. At the end it wasn't quite right so she encouraged me to make a Genius Bar appointment which I did for the Santa Rosa store. Again, we got a hip, cool, kind character who spent 90 minutes testing and reloading systems and finally the old Mini is running as great as it's going to get. The process was enjoyable, and FREE! Yes free. Plus I got to witness the geniuses helping a ton of people around me who were very happy. While I was waiting for stuff to load I played with everything in the store and accidentally tried to blow out a Sonos speaker by pumping up the volume so high the entire place froze in horror as Santana belted out a song. (It didn't hurt the Sonos at all!) Things have changed...use the Apple App and get the service they should have been giving all along. Yes, things in tech can change for the better. Hallelujah. read more

As with my apple products, I've had mixed experiences with this store. For one, I resent having to consult a "genius"- especially when this particular genius argues with me over whether or not my logic board has gone out for the FOURTH time or if I have somehow poured water on my laptop, or even if it is the logic board and under recall, if they will even fix it because it was once repaired by apple in Canada. AGH! However, for the first time they were extremely helpful, without hassling me a bit. When my magnetic cord on my new laptop sparked and turned the cord black-they replaced it, no questions asked-in under two minutes. In passing, go and check out the concierge. He's the best looking guy working at the Mall. read more

For crying out loud! I just want to buy a phone cord and maybe a new case. Within 2 minutes I'm ambushed by 4 different people assuming that I can't manage to navigate the accessories wall without assistance. How do I say, "I'm just looking" and have you believe me? I would spend more $$ in there if I felt like I was allowed to make my own decisions. Part of customer service is reading your customer, not just your knowledge of the latest iOS. Back off a bit! Apple products speak for themselves, but the human element of the entire process is annoying as hell. If have a question, I'll ask. Until then, maybe give the customer the benefit of the doubt. read more

I came into Apple today because I had a suspicion that my replacement iPhone through my insurance company was faulty. Long story short, I was right. I made an appointment at the Genius Bar where an angel named Darren ran a diagnostic test which showed me the hardware was, indeed, broken. In less than an hour Darren walked me through getting a free replacement through my warranty and restored all my data from iCloud. No run around, no gimmicks, just a nice guy and excellent, efficient customer service. Thank you Darren and Apple for the awesome experience. :) read more

My husband, son and I went to get our new iPhones today. We got the worst service. The one helping us was trying to rush and didn't want to take the time necessary. The manager came and said even though we came in at 5 pm, we can't do anything else for you at 5:50 pm. They didn't mind taking the big chunk of money but then after didn't want to help us to see it through. My first negative yelp review, but I felt they were extremely rude and unprofessional. ESP the manager on tonight. Seems like some folks don't want to work hard and provide good service. Long story short my phone is still not dialing out. Will have to work without a working cell tomorrow. Extremely upset and disappointed. read more

First this store is always packed with kids playing on the products with no parent in sight. I went there to check out the new IPad but could not even get close enough to "play" with it myself. I would suggest that the staff police this type of behavior a bit more since it is frustrating they allow kids to stand around playing. Secondly, I went in to discuss the Apple TV and was blatantly lied to by a "genius". He said I could surf the web using safari which, just to let you know, you can not. He also listed off many other of the great functions of the Apple TV but when I got it home - a. none of it was true or b. you had to buy a subscription to use the app. When returning the product I asked for the manager who brought the employee that sold it to me. The employee said he never did nor would have said those things. Funny I had my husband and teenage daughter with me when it was purchased and returned and they confirmed that he did in fact say these things while selling it to me. I feel like the manager believed our side of the story, but it was frustrating to be called a liar to my face. For now on I will be doing my research and purchasing online to avoid this store. read more

Bought 2 new IPhone 12s with protective covers. We were given the wrong cover sizes that didn't fit the 12. Came back and got the correct ones. OK, an inconvenience. The worst part was that transferring our IPhone 6s data to the new phones had some issues that the associates could not fix. They setup a call from the Apple tech center to resolve the issue. They never called! Went back to the Apple store and they set up another tech center call... never happened. So we are stuck with a new iPhone 12 with some transfer issues from our old 6 that we have no idea how to resolve. Would caution everyone to not leave the Apple store with any unresolved issue as this can be a real pain to resolve afterwards. read more

Took my phone into the store for a new battery and since it was still under factory warranty they did it for free, in an hour. That was pretty cool, kinda nice being able to be off the charger and use my phone, until the next day and my phone starts freezing screen went green and shit off for 10 minutes. Finally boots back up and open the camera phone gets incredibly hot and again with the lovely green screen. Call apple again because you can't just call the store that broke your phone for some reason and now that awesomely free battery change has caused me a $40 free to apple and a deposit of $500 for the replacement phone they have to send me in Order to see if they are able to fix my phone. What a joke read more

Very unprofessional. The lady helping me was chewing gum as she talked.... So gross. She's either a supervisor or has just been there a while because the guy helping me couldn't help me get a screen protector so he asked her if I could look at screen protectors and she VERY rudely told me that "it's not something you look at it's just glass or plastic that's it". Still chewing gum through every word. On the job? Really?? Trash Additional notes: This place has a 2.5 star rating with an overwhelming amount of bad reviews. Seems like nothing has been addressed by management. No comments, no apologies, same snarky customer service representatives. This store is a disaster.. read more

I generally love the Apple stores because I love the products. I've had great service at many other locations but not so much at this one. The customer service here is JUST OK. I had a genius bar appointment a few days ago and the guy who helped me was nice but not very friendly. He was kind of introverted and didn't talk a lot. He fixed the issue with my laptop, which was seemingly simple and that was it. Honestly, I'm the one who accidentally messed up the location of the startup disk and I could have fixed it myself but I figured I should just take it in to be sure I didn't do anything wrong.. I go there for good service and piece of mind but I shouldn't have to be the one trying to make conversation with you. I just didn't want to awkwardly sit there. Today my husband and I came again to make a purchase. We weren't greeted when we walked in and were walking around the laptops trying to figure out which would best fit his needs. After about 15 minutes, countless employees having walked pass us, he went up to someone to ask how to make a purchase and it turns out we had to check in at the front... Why didn't the people at the front tell us that?! I guess it's been a while since I bought something at the actual store because last I remember you just walk upto anyone and they slide your card and grab your stuff. Also, a manager walked past us three times, never smiling, never saying hello, just stairing at his ipod.. Not even helping anyone else. Well, we went back to the front and waited to get checked it. There was another person checking people in that got two people in front of us when we had already been waiting, but it's fine, whatever.. The guy who did end up helping us was the same that my husband approached and he was awesome. Very friendly and nice. He didn't really educate my us on the differences of the computers but it's probably because my husband seemed to have made up his mind. We had a good experience with him, but not the store as a whole. It wasn't very busy as it's usually packed and I feel like they need to hire friendlier people, especially management. At least say hi if you walk past someone who looks confused. I get that it's apple, your products sell itself, but still, at this point I would rather make my purchases online or on base. read more

I just recently switched to a mac, and ran into troubles when I attempted to transfer files from my PC. I really made a mess of things and thought that I had ruined my computer. "Albie" helped me out and was great. It turns out that I had my "File Vault" turned on and that was what was causing the problems with backups and my memory problem. I only wish that there were more self-help resources for mac users since I could have figured this out myself if the information was out there. read more

The good, the bad, the ugly. (re: phoning the store.) The Ugly aka Round 1: Horrible customer service on the phone. In fact, couldn't even get through to the store to ask questions before I sent my non-computer-savvy friend in to spend upwards of $2K on a new system--on my recommendation. The first human I ended up talking to wasn't even at the store (the robotic call system routed me to tech, for some reason) and wanted all sorts of information from me before he'd be willing to transfer. I told him this was frustrating, I didn't feel like giving out my email, I just wanted to talk to a person at the store about their specific services and buying a system, and why was that so hard to--and then he hung up on me. That sucked. The Good aka Round 2: ended up on a call with Dan T. from the Austin, TX, customer service call center (evidently, the main store reroutes their calls when lines are busy), and he was a CHAMP. Super helpful and patient and nice. Also: he had all the info I needed for that store, so he solved my issue in one. He needs a raise, stat. The Bad: However, just calling into this store is an ordeal. I'd recommend the store make a change in their phone-in protocols, because the only reason I called back was sheer determination and the fact that I was doing this on behalf of a friend. But Apple made it reaaaallly hard to stay the course. read more