I went to the Apple Store in Halifax today. A lady who was triaging customers before entering the store turned out to be extremely difficult and curt, making me feel like I was stupid when I asked her for help. I wasn't able to download anything on my phone and because I didn't know why she became very curt and told me that she wouldn't make an appointment for me if I couldn't explain what the problem was -- the very reason I was there. I'm 70 years old and have no training in technology but I was taught manners. This person should be taught basic personal communication skills, let alone good manners. read more

This place is so not for me, so maybe Appleheads can take this review with a grain of salt. While booking an appointment online to meet with their Genius bar sounds cool and is convenient, in theory, it also makes them feel a little less accessible. I like the option of being able to just walk in and see someone right away to fix whatever problem I have. Since they're by appointment only, that's not so much the case. I'm glad someone else had told me to book in advance, otherwise I could have wasted quite a bit of time. Also, when I walked in for my appointment, I wasn't quite sure how to proceed, and the person on the other end of the counter wasn't so sure, either. I was told to sit, they'd check me in, and then two of the staff bickered in front of me over who would have to see me. Maybe I'm a little biased because the Genius bar tech took only 2 seconds after looking to flat-out tell me that they would make no attempt to fix my broken iPad, but I find their service a little inflated, and their prices even more so. Clearly, I'm not pleased that a product that is less than two years old that cost a lot of money is broken for no explainable reason, so I expected some empathy, but got little. More a shrug, followed by an inflated price tag to get a new product. It would have cost me almost as much as a competitor's brand new tablet to replace my out-of-warranty three year old product. Listen, the store is super bright, full of shiny things, and organized in this "stations" set-up. It does have a modern esthetic. It's clean and well-staffed with employees that spend most of their time playing with their toys, but I found the whole thing to be both intimidating and vain. But I guess that's part of the brand. I'm just clearly not their target audience. I've had better service at "lower end" stores, and that's where I'll continue to go now that I no longer have any ties to the Apple brand. read more

Having used only Apple products for the past six years (I shampoo with iPod minis and use iTunes gift cards as cutlery), my love and appreciation for iEverything is pretty much a given. Still, I've never quite warmed to the Apple Store experience, despite having done the pilgrimage in San Francisco, Manhattan and now Halifax. Aesthetically, it's a fine looking mall store. Well, it's really just an all-white-everything rectangle tucked away in the corner with a dozen or so communal looking tables, each with their own 'Genius.' In that sense, it kind of feels like a science fair where you're supposed to go from table to table to see what each staff member is showing off that day. If you've never really used an iPad or just want to pretend you have an iPhone 5 for ten minutes or so, this is great. For those of us who have most of those things already, I'm not sure what the appeal is. When I visited, I wasn't looking to play, I meant to make a purchase which is when things got complicated. First off, none of the Geniuses could help me with anything beyond what was on their specific table. Second, what I was looking for didn't have a table of its own. Third, there didn't seem to be any roaming Geniuses offering up service on the fly. Lastly, there were no on-the-shelf products that I could pick up and take to a check-out, mostly because I don't think there actually was a check-out anywhere. In the end, it was a combination of all those things that broke me. I left empty handed with an even stronger resolve to just stick to Apple's online store rather than get lost in the white mall maze. read more

The staff and their customer service / Genius Bar is excellent. They always help me find a solution to help me fix my iPhone when there's an issue. read more

If I were addicted to Apple products (I'm looking at you, Adam S!), I would probably give this place five stars. However, as an old fuddy-duddy who still uses a flip phone, I can't fully appreciate the magic that is the Apple store. :-D I love the service "system", for want of a better term. Someone greets you at the front when you first walk in. During our visit, there appeared to be one clerk for every three customers; however, I was given time to browse on my own with only a friendly "hello" or "how are you today?" until I appeared to be in need of help. Then a clerk materialized beside me and asked how he could help me. These guys are super-friendly. Come to think of it ... they were all guys. Do women work at Apple? I was looking for some speakers for my iPod Nano, the only this-century piece of technology I own (not counting my PC). This clerk couldn't help me so he handed me off to a co-worker who told me all I needed to know about the speakers I was admiring. He answered all my questions and was patient and super-friendly the entire time. And when we went to pay? No cash registers. I LOVE IT. He took us to a non-descript counter to process our debit transaction on what looked like a funky iPhone. Then he emailed me the receipt. HAVE YOU EVER. So very many gadgets, so little time. They are indeed pricey, but it's Apple so of course they're pricey. All their products are set up for people to play with at their leisure. There is no end to their selection of accessories and toys. I had a great experience here, and although it will probably be awhile before I buy another Apple product, at least I know it will be a pleasant experience. read more

I'm an Apple girl. It wasn't always that way. In fact, it happened so gradually that I didn't even notice. Then I realized how many of their products were scattered around my room, and I threw up my hands in defeat. Now Halifax is apparently big enough to get an Apple store of their very own, and while it's certainly lovely enough at first glance, it doesn't quite hold up under closer scrutiny. It's all white plastic curves and bright lights, and walls lined with colourful products. The staff are easily identified in their blue shirts, name tags and beaming Apple smiles. They're all very nice and very suited to their stations, but in terms of general help? Yeah, it can be a bit hard to attract attention. My first purchase was a laptop case, which ended with me awkwardly holding it against my chest in the middle of a store trying to figure out how I was supposed to pay for it. You see, cash registers are just not hip enough for Apple. Neither are any indicators of where you should go to pay. Which is deeply, deeply annoying to me. You instead have to find someone to ask, and they will then lead you to whoever has the special phone that is equipped to take payments. There is no way to tell who this person is. You can only guess. If it weren't for that fact, and the fact that it took them about five months after the iPhone 5 release to bring in more than three cases for it, I would like this store more. I want to like it more. It just won't let me. read more

Shopping at the new Apple Store in Halifax feels like shopping in an episode of the Jetsons. In other words, if you're a geek like me that loves shiny new gadgets and a high tech check out experience then this is your kind of store. I had researched my purchase beforehand and excitedly walked into the store to hear what I can only describe as angels singing and spotlights pouring down on a multitude of technology treasures. There is a heaven and it is located on the 2nd floor of the Halifax Shopping Centre. :-) After fondling, ahem...I mean admiring the iMac I had intended to purchase I was approached by an associate asking if she could assist me with answering any questions. I was by far the easiest customer she'd ever encounter as I knew what I wanted and just wanted to hand over the cash and walk out. It was then that my mind was blown. Using her iphone she checked the stock. She then placed my order (again with her iPhone) with the behind the scenes stock room for the iMac and another associate walked right up to us and put the box down at our feet. She then used her iPhone to scan the bar code, enter my payment details and then seemingly out of nowhere a cash drawer opened up in the end of one of the display tables. She then asked if I wanted my receipt printed, emailed or both. I responded both and "bam" there was a receipt coming out of the table. Mind blown. I walked out totally mesmerized not only by all the drool worthy items but by the entire shopping experience. After all, how cool is it that instead of paper flyers beside items they have iPads instead with the specs of the items. You can even press a tab on the iPad and an associate will be alerted on their iPhone that you are requesting assistance and they will walk up to you in the store. On my second visit I was again impressed that the sales associates are knowledgeable and friendly but not helicopters. If you need one there are many you can walk up to for assistance but they don't ever make you feel like you're being watched and getting ready to go in for the sell... Not surprising really when the products sell themselves. Almost :-) read more

OK, I'll admit it... I'm a little bit Apple obsessed. In fact, whenever I visit my sister in Boston, you can pretty much guarantee that I'll be making at least one trip to the local Apple store. But now that we have our very own, that may come to an end. I braved the crowds today to make my first trip to the Apple store and I was not disappointed. Like all Apple stores, this is an immaculately manicured shop with clean and organized tables lined with gorgeous devices. Even if you're not an Apple user, seeing their machines displayed so well really does help you appreciate the design. The crowds actually weren't too bad, I didn't think. It was definitely very busy, but only marginally more than you'd find in any other Apple store in bigger cities. My favourite part of every Apple store, though, is the accessories section. There are just so many cool gadgets! Personally, I want to try the Lark, which is an iPhone compatible alarm clock wristband that wakes you up using vibrations so you don't disturb your sleeping partner. Brilliant! Apart from that, there is a large assortment of bags, cases, headphones, keyboards, hard drives, cables, docks, speakers, alarm clocks, microphones... If you're looking for something even remotely Apple-related, they probably have it. The staff here were all very friendly and not too intrusive. It can be a little awkward to approach one so you can pay for your purchases (there is no set purchase counter), but this is a minor detail. I can't speak to Halifax's Genius Bar, as I've yet to use it. But I will recommend, based on previous experience at other Apple stores, that you reserve your appointment online beforehand. (There's also an Apple Store iPhone app you can use to make your appointment.) All in all, I'm super excited for this store and, judging by the crowds (including many people taking photos of themselves under the famous Apple logo), I'd say the rest of the city is pretty excited, too! read more

With the exception of my iPhone and ancient iPod Nano, I am not an Apple user. The most experience I've ever had was in elementary school, where our computer lab was stocked with Macintosh Color Classics. I'd never set foot in an Apple store prior to today, and wouldn't have done so if it weren't for my new iPhone 4S going on the fritz. I had to book an appointment to be seen at the Genius Bar, which was done when I brought my phone into Rogers Wireless. When we arrived, I played with a Macbook after being checked into the system and prior to being waited on. This presented a grand opportunity to revisit some classic 90s Mac games, such as OutNumbered! and Kid Pix. Sam, my customer service rep, was friendly, thorough, and helpful. He determined that my phone's battery was toast and presented me with a new phone (free under warranty) in a reasonable amount of time, and I walked out of the store feeling pleased with my experience. I won't hesitate to head back if I encounter any more issues with my phone or if I feel the need to cross over to the Mac side. read more

Please don't hover as soon as I enter. Makes me cranky. And I just don't get the cache of buying there. I can get most apple products anywhere. Maybe the accessories are worth the stop. read more

Thrilled with the knowledge level at the Halifax Apple store. I go there knowing what I need and they always manage to help me get in and out in minutes. If what I need isn't in yet, the staff can give me a solid estimate. Do they hover? Well yes, it's an Apple store. Is it pricy? Apple has never been known to give anything away, that's for certain. Is the iTunes/App Store business model diabolical? HELL yes, though I admire their success Its truly the people that make a difference in retail and this location has a GREAT team! read more

Word of warning- I was excited when I purchased my first new iPhone (7 Plus) which was over 1200 dollars. I had problems with it almost immediately so finally Apple replaced it with what I was told was a new phone. Within a month my phone had to be replaced again. After many questions, I discovered my phone was replaced with a refurbished phone - not a new phone. The Halifax Apple store acting manager does bot call it used or refurbished because according to her, the exterior case is new so technically it's not a "used" phone. Defective phones are sent back to the factory, disassembled, then the parts are reused in replacement phones under warranty. This is my second "new to me " IPhone 7 plus. I want what I paid for, a NEW phone, nothing more! Paying $1200. for a second hand phone is appalling. I would never recommend Apple phone. read more

This is the most bizarre customer service experience I have ever had. I have a mac mini in need of repair. I live an hour away from the apple store so had a friend drop it off so that they could diagnose the issue. They are by appointment only which would have been three days later at a time I can't drive all the way in - just to have them tell me they need to look at it for which I have to stand there in person??? Totally weird and un-customer-service-friendly. But it gets better. When I tried to call the store I got routed to a call centre in Virginia or somewhere that will only help you after you provide them with all your personal data down to your postal code. Save your time and money and go to Mac East in Dartmouth. read more

I have been at the Apple Store in Halifax several times and they swapped out my MacBook Pro for a new one because I was having a problems. The support team there is awesome and will do whatever they can to correct your problem. To tell the truth I didn't know there was a service that would even support you when you don't have warranty until I purchased my first MacBook Pro used. I just want to say keep up the good work and many thanks for the service you have provided to me. read more

After phoning the Apple Store in Hfx, I was told to bring my ipod into the store to have it repaired. Upon arriving I realize I need an appointment. Fast forward 1 hr 10 mins later after roaming the mall, I'm sitting waiting at the "Genius Bar" Finally someone comes out and says that despite the fact that I was told my repair was still covered under warranty (it is less than a year old, but I did have the screen replaced by 3rd party), it was not in fact covered as I had the screen replaced. When I told the associate that I was disappointed that I was not told that on the phone, and was in fact told the opposite I understood. I was not mad that they wouldn't repair it - only that they told me over the phone that they would, and to bring it in. So, then he decides to ask me if I would be interested in purchasing a new Ipod touch for $99 since I had just bought one less than a year ago (I have actually bought 3 in the past year for all of my children). I say yes I'll buy a new one. That's when Aaron decides to say he's got to go check. Needless to say 5 minutes later, Aaron comes out to tell me that the deal that he JUST offered me was not possible. Huh??? Surely you wouldn't offer a customer something that you couldn't? So, I ask to speak to Brian -the Manager. Brian comes out and tells me that they can't do the deal because my screen was replaced by a third party. First of all, we had already established that before I was offered the 99.00 replacement ipod. I might also point out that the screen had NOTHING to do with the fact that it was broken - it just wont charge!! Secondly, there was no dispute as to whether Aaron offered me the deal - he admitted he did. But would Brian stand behind what his employee offered me? No. So apparently at the Apple Store in Halifax their "Genius" staff can make offers to you that their Management will not honor." As the woman sitting next to me remarked to the associate who was less than knowledgeable with her iPhone - perhaps you should take the genius off the wall.... Yes, perhaps. Or perhaps you should not offer people things you aren't willing to provide them. Or, perhaps you should honor what you offer. read more

Insanely happy, went in because of a faulty adapter and had a new one, traded in my old one and was out in less than 30 minutes.

Apple has the best customer service, as proved by this place. I came here and they replaced my Ipod nano 7 Gen three times! Quite neatly placed apple products around the entire store. There is also a kid table with several iPads. Great place to hang out and browse the different products! read more

I just went today and had a terrible experience. All I can say is I hope you don't have to deal with floor manager Brian Larson. He is unbelievably arrogant and condescending. I called ahead to make sure the store had a part I needed and was told it was there, and then drove 30 minutes for pick up. When I got there I was told the part was not in the store and I'm certain the person I spoke to on the phone did not even look. As I PAID $25 each way to the store I asked for the manager and spoke with BL. Obviously I was angry and his attitude was basically 'tough' we're an Apple store. He didn't ask who I spoke to on the phone and didn't care at all that this misinformation cost me $50. As I said, what angered me the most was his arrogant and cavalier attitude. He acted like a complete ass and certainly seemed to see me as just one of the many fish for Apple to spear........ I hope you don't have to deal with him, or this store. read more

Not impressed. Ref: Ipad2 attempted purchase. I approached staff to ask if they would price match Ipad2 that was on sale at Bestbuy, Future Shop and Staples at $30 less. Staff mbr checked with three other staff members who were obliviously hesitant to make any kind of commitment to a simple price match. Rather than make a decision, the clerk came back and said he didn't think they had any in stock anyway. Seriously? You didn't even check! Well, that's what you get when you hire a flood of 18-20 yr olds "adults" to flood the sales floor. So I drove the three km to Bestbuy who were happy to assist me with the product purchase. I can guarantee the Apple store will never see my business. read more

Well Apple store and their customer service sucks they treat us like computers and not like humans . I spent two days there and multiple hours they still didn't fix my problem . I called Apple Store customer service and without giving your first name or your email address they won't respond to you I will not buy anything else from Apple will I support them in the future ?no I will not!! I will take out as many articles as I can and try to tell people that there's customer service isn't right yes I will do that in all my years I have never been treated so ignorantly and rudely. I asked David a guy that works at the Apple store in Halifax if he could address me by my last name where he was quite a bit younger than I was just out of respect . He would not serve me he told me until I put my first name in his iPad, they wouldn't serve me I don't understand why !?you need my first name in your iPad to fix my phone ? When did customers start getting treated like this? why do we accept this behavior from these company's . Yes, I like apple products but because of Apple service I will be getting rid of them. They lack customer service to the point that they shouldn't even work at McDonald's in the kitchen !!! Most of them aren't capable of working anywhere. This is not acceptable behavior how can they get away with treating you so badly. they call themselves geniuses . they still haven't fixed my problem , they erased a lot of information off my phone and they didn't even at least apologize or say I'm sorry .well sorry doesn't cut it now . they should've backed up my phone first even I know that so who really is the genius here so thank you Apple store in Halifax for messing up the last two days and I will no further be one of your customers and I will rant and I will let people know how you treat your customers thank you for your time and consideration for reading this. When did computers become more valued than the customer. Are they trained to be so indignant , do they get customer care training or do they only get training for their computers in their technology and their devices?! read more

I was there yesterday and the clerk, I spoke with, was so rude that I left the store. I will buy somewhere else rather than deal with attitudes such as theis. read more

What a terrible experience. I wanted to buy a specific item and had some questions. I stood in the store for about 20 minutes looking for help and was intentionally ignored. It was awful. read more

The best customer service I have ever received in any store - bar none. I am very happy with my new IPod Nano and the wonderful help I received setting it up from them teaching me how to sync music on it to helping me find the right accessories for using it with my car's stereo system. All staff were pleasant and more than happy to help in any way they could which was greatly appreciated by someone like myself who is far from tech competent. read more

I have bought MacBook pro 13inch with touch bar in July 2017. It was running a bit ok on the first few months. After that, it started restarting on its own. It says Kernel restart every single time. It hangs on me and I am unable to work with it. So I called the apple support and they did some test but could not fix the issue. Later I went to the apple store in the genius bar on a Thursday afternoon. Waited 2 hours to see someone. Finally, someone was there to see me. They did some testing and the guy told me that it is an issue with the hardware and they do not have the hardware on stock so they have to order it and I had to go there again to drop it off. So they called me back when the parts arrived and its half an hour away from where I live so went there and gave it to them. They changed the motherboard and told me that the issue has been fixed. It was on January 18 2018 I recieved my laptopp. After two days of using it,t the problem started again. I am unable to save anything in my laptop as it gets restarted everytime. It makes weird fan noise and hangs on me everytime. As I got busy with work, I was unable to find time to get it fixed, so called to book an appointment and each time I call, they say we are booked for this week. Finally, on Feb 23, 2018, I was able to go there. I showed my laptop to the genius bar again and they did some testing again and said it is my hard drive that I am having an issue with. I was told to leave the laptop to them and they will return it after 5 business days. I told to give me a spare laptop but told me to buy a new laptop and return it after 5 days. I never had to expect this kind of solution. I am losing my patience already and told to keep the laptop and give me a new one and they said, they have to try it three times before I get a new laptop. Well, I was very pleased with my windows laptops. I had never had this kind of issues with Windows laptop, and I do not know what else to say. I am never ever buying another MacBook again. Microsoft surface laptops are the best products on the market. read more

I went in to the store unsure about what I was buying, even IF I was buying. I was approached by a young man named Royal who turned out to be the best, most courteous and comforting staff member I've ever met in an apple store. In what can be an intimidating environment, Royal guided me through every product that was tailored to my needs. He asked all the right questions and personalized the entire experience. I make music so Royal was able to give me specific details about what I would need from a computer. Halfway through our interaction it felt like we were making music together, he had me laughing, he made me think, he was on my wavelength. I don't just recommend this apple store, I recommend Royal. If that young man isn't promoted and flown to apple headquarters, you would be very lucky to work with him and have him guide you through your computer buying experience. Needless to say I dropped a bunch of money and won't hesitate to go back and spend more, as long as there are folks like Royal working there. read more