[Ti] Apple Store Service blows

[Sherman Gregory]

I guess I feel the need to jump and add my $0.02 worth about the 
Apple Store service blowing.

I spent right around $40,000 of my own personal money in the Fashion 
Valley (San Diego) Apple Store in 2002.  I purchased a couple of Macs 
for myself, but most were given away to push friends into switching 
(Friends don't let friends do Windows).  You would think that I would 
get a little respect there, but that is not the case.

Recently I took in a  PowerBook (1GHz/DVI) to finally collect on the 
rain check for the "double your memory for $40" offer.  This machine 
was purchased for a friend in early December, and I had been trying 
to collect on the memory offer since.   First they threatened to 
charge me $40 to install it making it really a "double your memory 
for $80" deal.  After they discovered that I did have AppleCare they 
were nice enough to do it for free.  The idea of charging $40 for a 5 
minute job is crazy.  This should be simple customer service.  I 
offered to change the memory right there at the so called "Genius" 
bar, but was told that they could not let me do that because I might 
damage it.

So I left the machine there while I did some other shopping.  When I 
came back, it was ready and they gave it to me.  I started to walk 
out with it, then I thought, I had better turn it on and check it 
out.  IT WOULD NOT EVEN BOOT!  They had not tested it.  So I went 
back to the Idiot Bar to show them.  They took the machine in the 
back for 20 minutes or so and then came out and told me that the 
mother board was dead.  So their technician that was so much more 
qualified than me to change the memory had killed the computer, and 
had not even tested it. They were embarrassed and did get me a new 
PowerBook to replace it, but transferring the data took another hour 
that I really did not have to spare.   So overall all it cost me an 
hour and a half or so to get a  5 minute memory swap.

A general complaint that I have about about the Fashion Valley Apple 
Store is that everything takes so long.  The process of checking in a 
computer for repair can take an hour.  The system is very 
inefficient.  Buying a computer takes way too long there too.  The 
system is slow, the people are slow.  Everything just takes way too 
long.

I think that the Genius Bar would be more aptly named an Idiot Bar. 
I have spent way too much time hanging around the Genius Bar listing 
to the idiots there interacting with the customers and spreading as 
much misinformation as correct information.  Several times I could 
not resist jumping in and helping out the customer myself.  It is 
really quite pathetic.  There is one intelligent life form that works 
there, but the rest should be sent back to Radio Shack or McDonalds 
or where ever he came from.

Another interesting experience I had there recently was before the 
Big Als were shipping.  They had one non functional unit on a 
rotating display.  I was looking at it, and opening and closing it. 
Just generally checking it out.  A "Salesperson" came over and told 
me not to touch it because the display weighed 250 pounds, and I 
might knock it down.  This display is suspended on 4 steel cables.  I 
don't think that I could knock it down, and if that is possible, they 
should re-engineer it instead of sending customers away.

But now it gets better.  After we told me not to touch it, he turned 
and walked away.  He did not ask me if I had any questions, he did 
not ask me if I would like to pre-order one.  He did not tell me 
about the early bird promotion or any other promotions.  He did not 
say "Can I help you?".   Nothing.   This guy has probably been to 
Home Depot Customer Avoidance Training.

I used to like going to the Apple Store, but I really think that the 
place is going down hill.  I have had several negative experiences 
there lately.  It is just not fun anymore. I think that the Manager 
there is an idiot and should be fired.  I have not been too any other 
Apple Stores, but I think that this one is becoming an embarrassment 
to Apple.

I met the district manager there once (when I was spending $15,000 on 
Christmas presents). I think her name was Stacey, but I am not sure. 
She seemed nice.  I don't know how to contact her, or I would sent 
this same rant.  I wonder if she would care.

     Sherman