Apple support - What utter ****

How strange...

I've broken my phone twice, (dropped it once and got it wet another) both times just walked in the shop, said err I've broken this, given them my contact details, handed it over, get given a receipt with a repair order number on it and a phone number to ring if nothing happens.
Text message arrives on spare phone before I've even walked out of the shop "we've received your phone and will repair asap and let you know"
An email arrives in a few days "yep, not covered under warranty" it'll be £94 thanks.
Ring number, pay over the phone and within a week, bosh a replacement arrives on the doorstep (unless you opt for the "pick it up in store" option).

The only way they could make it better is if they just said, "do you just want a new phone for £94 at the counter and we'll throw this one away for you" there and then.
 
Apple support is the best of any company I've ever experienced. Have never had anything but a brilliant experience with them, and I've had to use them a number of times over the years. Shame you had a bad one
This has been my experience with them in the past.

I'm actually taking my rMBP in on Saturday because of the fan annoys is ridiculously loud occasionally when not under load. Spoke to someone on the live chat, they booked me in for an appointment.

The Mac is out of warranty so not sure if I will have to pay anything at all for the appointment. It was purchased by my company who I'm sure have contracts with them so hoping things go well.
 
I own a fair bit of Apple gear and have visited the store in the past on over a dozen occasions - never once had a single issue. Most of these were visits to have iPod Nano's that I bought my neices repaired. On four occasions they never repaired them but just gave us new ones.

About a year ago I took my ancient 2008 Macbook to the store (Brent) because the dvd drive wouldn't release an Aperture dvd. They replaced the entire drive free of charge because it was faulty.

Had my old iPhone 4 battery changed just last week because my parents who used it stated it was getting overly hot - and bugger me it was. Took it into the store and they changed it on the spot for £8. This was done through an online appointment.

The £25 charge for booking online is highly unusual for starters. I've never heard of that one and personally I've got nothing but praise for the company.
 
I own a fair bit of Apple gear and have visited the store in the past on over a dozen occasions - never once had a single issue. Most of these were visits to have iPod Nano's that I bought my neices repaired. On four occasions they never repaired them but just gave us new ones.

About a year ago I took my ancient 2008 Macbook to the store (Brent) because the dvd drive wouldn't release an Aperture dvd. They replaced the entire drive free of charge because it was faulty.

Had my old iPhone 4 battery changed just last week because my parents who used it stated it was getting overly hot - and bugger me it was. Took it into the store and they changed it on the spot for £8. This was done through an online appointment.

The £25 charge for booking online is highly unusual for starters. I've never heard of that one and personally I've got nothing but praise for the company.

That's because it'd be a lot worse for them if the battery exploded. :p
 
That's because it'd be a lot worse for them if the battery exploded. :p
True, but this is an ancient phone now so I wouldn't have complained if it did (unless it took out my room :p) I'm surprised the thing even holds a charge!
 
Weren't they going to go under due to the fact no one was buying their products...
They're a fashion accessory maker nothing more!:p

It was in the 1990's after they got rid of Steve Jobs and the whole company was mismanaged nearly into oblivion. That was 14 year ago so not sure why you raised the point? :confused:

I'm not in the habit of buying fashion accessories but tools to do the job and that has lead to me using Apple computers and tablets I can't see how this idea of a fashion accessory comes to mind.

Apple are doing very well, as their stocks indicate. I personally, though, find their business model contrived and their product range stagnant.

Business model contrived? Sell quality hardware, give away services that make them work well together and take 30% of everything you sell via the iBookStore, Mac App Store or iOS App Store is hardly a complex model.

Also amuses me how people say their product line is stagnant. Apple aren't Samsung and don't throw a thousand ***** products in the hope something will stick. They're conservative and release products when they're ready.
 
Hang on, does anyone else find it stupid and confusing that you've got to book an appointment to speak with someone about repairing their own product? What a truly ridiculous system. I'm sorry but if I went into a store and was told to go home and book an appointment online just so that I could come back into the same store to talk to someone about a repair, I'd be asking for the manager there and then. It matters not that the repair is down to something caused by you, that is utterly shocking service!
 
In which case you are only going to see the unsatisfied customers. What's the percentage of customers that get referred to your employer as compared to the number of repairs Apple carry out?

Who said the customer was unsatisfied? You are missing my point which is that generally, the customers are UNAWARE that they are being told the wrong info. Just because they have claimed on their insurance, doesn't mean they are unhappy with Apple. As far as they are concerned, Apple have told them the right thing. This is ripping the customer off and I feel Apple are the worst for doing it. Maybe that's why they are the richest :D If I were to pick out 100 laptops at my work from say 3 of the big repair companies; Apple, Know-how, Tech guys. I could guarantee that Apple would have a greater percentage of units that were mis-diagnosed.

I would also remind you, that that was only part of my gripe with them and it's just my view on them. Some of their policies are disgusting and for that I think they are an atrocious company. Money grabbing when they don't need to. It would be stupid of me to say they don't have a great amount of happy customers, they are the biggest after all and the products themselves do have amazing quality and blooming big prices to match! ;)
 
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Hang on, does anyone else find it stupid and confusing that you've got to book an appointment to speak with someone about repairing their own product? What a truly ridiculous system. I'm sorry but if I went into a store and was told to go home and book an appointment online just so that I could come back into the same store to talk to someone about a repair, I'd be asking for the manager there and then. It matters not that the repair is down to something caused by you, that is utterly shocking service!

You'd complain if every time you went to the store there was a line out the door and you had to waste 8 hours in a line. You can't have it both ways.
 
You'd complain if every time you went to the store there was a line out the door and you had to waste 8 hours in a line. You can't have it both ways.

Except for the obvious fact that he was already at the store and had to go home to make the appointment online. Why couldn't he make an appointment then and there? Or they do the right thing and fit him in, surely they can't be that busy. That's absolutely ridiculous, they're a shop, not a Doctor's surgery! This is the problem with Apple, their devices are amazingly simple but they make everything else so overly complicated. No wonder most Apple users are elitist hypocrites.
 
I can't speak for the employee that didn't offer the option of using the devices in the store to book an appointment or the option to wait. I'm not sure if you've ever been in an Apple store, but to claim "do the right thing and fit him in, surely they can't be that busy" suggests you haven't.

I guess you could always send your laptop or whatever back to a logistics company for a month where it will be smashed up and lost, that's what Asus are for.

If you have an alternative to an appointment booking system then I'm sure Apple are all ears.
 
@dirtybeatfreak usually when I make an insurance claim I want a brand new product not a refurb or repair job so BER is great, the insurance company can sell the refurb after you repair it if they want.

Most people do want that, but their policy does not cover it unless it has been specifically stated as 'new for old' or named/priced items. Generally, the insurance company will aim to put you back to as close as they can to the position you were before the incident which damaged your item, or as they call it 'like for like'. If the item is damaged too far or they/we cannot guarantee that any problems arise from anything repaired in the incident, then you would get brand new yes :)
 
I cracked my ipad air screen. I phone customer support. The support member told me to send pics of the damage to his email. I did and he phoned me back 20 minutes later saying that he had authorised a replacement.

Got a mint refurb the very next day with no bother. Great service for me.
 
I've had to book appointments a few times, I flat out refuse to believe there was a £25 charge.

Never had a problem with their customer service, had a few deceives replaced totally hassle free.

Some companies are easy to deal with in terms of customer support, Apple are one of them in my opinion.
 
I don't think it's unlucky

i do. on four occasions that i can think of they have been the absolute best customer service ive ever had

ive been to the 'genius bar' without an appointment too . a civil conversation was enough to fit me into a gap between other customers . on this occasion they took my faulty macbook off me and gave me it back 3 days later with £500 worth of new parts inside. under warranty. had two instant iphone replacements and had a charger posted to me after explaining a fault to the phoneline.
 
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Except for the obvious fact that he was already at the store and had to go home to make the appointment online.

he could have used any of the macs in the store to book an appointment. or got one of the staff to do it on their ipad. ive done that too
 
Hang on, does anyone else find it stupid and confusing that you've got to book an appointment to speak with someone about repairing their own product? What a truly ridiculous system. I'm sorry but if I went into a store and was told to go home and book an appointment online just so that I could come back into the same store to talk to someone about a repair, I'd be asking for the manager there and then. It matters not that the repair is down to something caused by you, that is utterly shocking service!

you book the appointment instead of speaking to someone about your own product. nearly all problems will be sorted at the genius bar thing. you put whats wrong when you book your appointment and 99% they take your word for it and swap your product. one of the few companies that still go by the whole ''customer is always right'' ethos

if your turned up at LGs headquarters with a nexus 5 or posted it unsolicited and said ''fix this'' do you think they would ? (they use a generic repair company to do all their uk repairs anyway)

i cant see how for anyone , booking an appointment then going in and getting your problem sorted there and then can be more difficult or slower than posting it off then waiting for it to be posted back (like nearly all other tech manufacturers make you do)

you can also just use the phoneline to do things the old school way . or even a web form where they call you back

some people just want everything!
 
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Quite a funny thread.

Apple Retail has never charged money for appointments, period.

You went to the right website? :)
 
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