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Has anybody ever got support at an Apple store?

sunfast

sunfast

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 14, 2005
2,135
53
The battery on my MacBook has died completely. I'm fortunate enough to be near an Apple Store (where I bought it in the first place) so I thought I'd go to the Genius Bar thing and save myself the cash of calling apple.

So I've been trying for nearly three weeks to book an appointment with the concierge thing and every day they say it's full up! I've been trying early in the morning (7am sometimes) and had no luck. :rolleyes:

So I wondered if anybody here has succesfully got an appointment. (It's London Regent Street btw)
 
I use Regent Street. Turn up at the store and book an appointment with the person on the Genius Bar. Once you're on the system you can jump the queue if they call out names of people that aren't there. I've never had to wait more than 30 minutes from registering my name, and I can fill that easily enough thanks to the free Wi-Fi and a Costa latté (buy that before you register of course).
 
The problem is in this thread - basically the battery just stopped working. I tried all the apple recommended tricks but didn't get anywhere and I think a few people have experienced similar problems.

Thanks for the advice though dynamicv - looks like heading in has got to be the best bet! :)
 
sunfast said:
The problem is in this thread - basically the battery just stopped working. I tried all the apple recommended tricks but didn't get anywhere and I think a few people have experienced similar problems.
Click to expand...
Your Macbook is less than a year old, so I would call Apple. If it is a simple to explain problem, such as yours, they usually help even when you are outside of that 90 day phone support period.
 
Do this... Call the store or go into the store, and ask for a manager. Explain your situation to them about not being able to get an appointment for such a long time. They can log into their system and give you an appointment for the next day before anyone else can.
 
Concierge also resets every day at midnight...you can always try after midnight instead of at 7 AM. :)
 
if ur not too far from the store, go there to make an appointment. slots are given priority for in store reservations.
 
I'm pretty lucky. There is an Apple store four miles down the road from me. I find on the weekends the place is pretty packed and there is a wait for service, but in the middle of the day during the week I'm usually able to get service right away.
 
Well when my Mini died I called Applecare and they just told me to take it to the Apple Store and I guess he was supposed to set up an appointment for me which he didn't. I went down to the Apple Store and told them what happened and they just worked with me in between other customers so if you drive down there they will probably just squeeze you in somewhere.
 
In my experience, in-store customers are NOT given preference over customers making appointments online. If the spots are filled up, the spots are filled up.
 
I went to the local apple store after work but they were full, they said to just go on-line and make appointment with the genius bar and I got in the next day. I have no complaints about their service.
 
TonySwartz said:
In my experience, in-store customers are NOT given preference over customers making appointments online. If the spots are filled up, the spots are filled up.
Click to expand...

i wish that were true, but i know for a fact that thats not the way the system is. on the show room mac, you're given more choices and priority than you're given when you're connecting to the concierge from outside the system. i guess its a way to prevent people from making appointments and never showing up. if the customer is already there, they're more likely to show up.
 
I guess the London Regent Street store must be one of the more popular ones ;) !

My local Apple Store on Long Island does not seem to have this problem. At around 4:45 PM on Saturday, I was able to make a 6:15 PM appointment for the same day. And I could also have had an appointment at 6:30, 6:45, etc.

What was interesting is that at each time slot they called numerous people and most of them did not show up.

I assume they must overbook just like airlines, hotels etc.
 
dougnewman said:
I guess the London Regent Street store must be one of the more popular ones ;) !
Click to expand...

Something of an understatement. Is it still the highest-grossing Apple Store in the world? It certainly looks like it on the infrequent occasions when I'm there.

The geniuses are great at sorting out problems - if you can get at them. As dynamicv said if you have time to hang around you can get a standby slot.
 
>>...battery on my MacBook has died...[under warranty]... trying for nearly three weeks to book an appointment with the concierge...

Yours is a warranty problem...and you cannot contact anyone at Apple for three weeks? You do not need any appointment to get a warranty problem handled.

How much longer are you going to complain in online forums? Until your warranty expires - then blame Apple for your problem?

So - to answer your original question: YES, I have received a lot of support at my local Apple store. Several hours' worth. But if I had a warranty issue, I wouldn't be booking time for "tech support."

Clint Bradford
Mira Loma, CA US
 
clintbradford@m said:
>>...battery on my MacBook has died...[under warranty]... trying for nearly three weeks to book an appointment with the concierge...

Yours is a warranty problem...and you cannot contact anyone at Apple for three weeks? You do not need any appointment to get a warranty problem handled.

How much longer are you going to complain in online forums? Until your warranty expires - then blame Apple for your problem?

So - to answer your original question: YES, I have received a lot of support at my local Apple store. Several hours' worth. But if I had a warranty issue, I wouldn't be booking time for "tech support."

Clint Bradford
Mira Loma, CA US
Click to expand...

Chill. It's not the issue that he can't contact anyone at Apple. I'm sure if he called the service number, he could get help. I think the problem is that he can't get an in-store appointment. Depending on which store he's going for, appointments do fill up fast. The whole purpose of booking an in-store appt is that so that the genius bar doesn't get bum rushed with 50 people at a time demanding service. Regardless if he's still in his 1-year warranty or has Applecare, the genius bar will replace his battery.
 
Indeed. The geniuses are one of the few aspects of Apple support that I find hard to fault. It's a great idea to give a senior tech guy the authority to replace on the spot as well as fix even involved issues and do it without being the patronising nerd. Once you actually get genius time, I don't doubt that the OP's problems will be fixed.

I can understand not wanting to use send-away Applecare if your computer is in a somewhat usable state. The service is a complete joke in comparison to Dell, HP, etc at least in the UK and for most people it's their only computer so they can't wait for the turnaround. The geniuses do plug that gap, access to them permitting.
 
Update!

Hello guys, just thought I'd give you an update on this one....

I persevered for a while and, despite trying at all hours of the day, couldn't book an appointment online so I decided to pop in to the store. Must have got a busy day because I popped in at about 1745 and there were no appointments left all day (it was open for another 3+ hours).

So today I decided I would just ring AppleCare and they booked me an appointment for tomorrow evening at Regent Street! So I've learned a lesson there. :)
 
I tried going into an Apple Store once to get an appointment. They told me if I'd wait for two hours they might be able to squeeze me in. I just left.
 
Just around New Year, I was traveling through Manchester (UK) and I walked into the store as it opened, my 12" PB's screen had just died the day before. I booked an appointment and was seen within 20 minutes, it was the first book-able session of the day.

I was the first person in the store and there were other names already on the system on the screen after mine, they either did it online or they came in without me noticing.

Either way, I got seen straight away.
 
sunfast said:
Hello guys, just thought I'd give you an update on this one....

I persevered for a while and, despite trying at all hours of the day, couldn't book an appointment online so I decided to pop in to the store. Must have got a busy day because I popped in at about 1745 and there were no appointments left all day (it was open for another 3+ hours).

So today I decided I would just ring AppleCare and they booked me an appointment for tomorrow evening at Regent Street! So I've learned a lesson there. :)
Click to expand...

I went to Regents Street Store and the appointments manager was really rude. Long story. I left in the end. Went to Micro Anvika on tottenham court road. There are no queues, they are polite and they don't think along the lines that apple is the best, so they understand the problem when you point it out. Hassle free and FREE with 1 year limited warranty!
 
Was reading this at midnight in London UK, so checked Regent Street concierge and Brent Cross concierge.

As on other occasions, also on the stroke of midnight, all appointments were full despite multiple attempts between 0000 and 0010 hrs. Eventually found an appointment... at West Quay Southampton. That's no good.

This is a real problem for Apple users in London - it's almost impossible to book an appointment online. Not all of us have £xx to throw at a Pro Care membership. :(
 
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