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Other Is Apple cutting back on Genius Bar support?

Try the chat or phone call. Trust me, I love going into the store and getting service. However, recently had issue with my AirPods & the store was too busy/no appointments for 6 days. Called and had replacement AirPods the next day.

Last night while I was in the store in Jacksonville I saw many people still getting battery replacements.
 
Luckily I haven’t needed a Genius Bar appointment for some years but I do find the appointment system rather bizarre. It’s not the most convenient if you don’t live in the area and if you have an issue then you don’t want to be waiting several days to get a slot. I don’t have to get an appointment to take a pair of trousers back to the shop so I’d expect a quick turnaround for something as important as a communication device.
 
Go for an Anker cable instead. Mfi certified, longer and a lot more hard wearing and they're anything between about £6-10 on Amazon.

The Apple cables aren't as good, that said I still don't get how people manage to essentially wear them down to the point to go to Apple every couple of months to get it replaced.
 
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Faize said:
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon.

Thus, I can't help but wonder if Apple is cost cutting their Geniuses away? Or has the upgrade to iOS 12 bricked billions of iPhones worldwide or something?
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I need my Lightning to USB Type C cable replaced. My local store told me they shut down Genius Bar support up until Monday. My wire is under warranty and I have a couple more days to pick it up. It depends on the time. Never try going during release weekend.
 
Faize said:
That is true, but the launch was already 10 days ago as of when I started the thread, and it'll have been 2 weeks by the time my appointment comes up. Or am I missing the memo on some kind of Bendgate-style post-launch controversy?


Is that so? The main reason I've stuck with iPhones is because of the excellent post-sale service and support. If not for that, the Android camp would be right when they say that we're overpaying for underpowered hardware.


Wait - other than repairs, what services do they provide? Lessons for the computer illiterate crowd are the only thing that come to mind.
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Lol, thanks for the sarky reply. Launch was on Friday and we're less than a week into the release of iOS 12 so I'm guessing there would be more customers than normal who have issues (some imaginary) with their new purchases, or issues related to a software upgrade even without a major controversy.

Also by service I mean repairs, or perhaps troubleshooting. What you are condescendingly referring to isn't an issue handled by the repair team.

Finally, if you seem to have a reoccurring issue with cables, have you looked into whether your store does any kind of same-day walk in appointments? They usually have availability during the day with a 15-20 minute turnaround for accessories most of the time.
 
DomW25 said:
Go for an Anker cable instead. Mfi certified, longer and a lot more hard wearing and they're anything between about £6-10 on Amazon.

The Apple cables aren't as good, that said I still don't get how people manage to essentially wear them down to the point to go to Apple every couple of months to get it replaced.
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Apple has been on the record that their cables do not use such and such chemical component that is toxic at the factory, and thus their cables feel different (and thats probably why they don’t last)

Indeed MFi cables are just as good if not better. I bought a Belkin cable with a car charger and a 2m official one the same day 1 year ago. The Belkin is still going strong, the Apple one is probably at some landfill.
 
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Genius Appointments
They are always slammed first month after any launch
They are always slammed first month after any major holiday
They are always slammed before college starts and when term papers are due.
They are always slammed after any Mac OS release

Otherwise not much of a wait :oops:
 
noteple said:
Genius Appointments
They are always slammed first month after any launch
They are always slammed first month after any major holiday
They are always slammed before college starts and when term papers are due.
They are always slammed after any Mac OS release

Otherwise not much of a wait :oops:
Click to expand...

With three of those things being in September, I wonder how you can get an appointment at all
 
I’m very careful with my cables but my kids are little demons! I’ve never asked Apple to replace them though. I just buy the Amazon basics cables as replacements.
 
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mkz168 said:
They’ll replace it if you’re still under the one year warranty... no question asked, I used to replace my earphones.
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If you have AppleCare in place they cover the cables chargers and earbuds also
 
lookn4wifi said:
I scheduled a same day appointment through Apple with Mobile Kangaroo. Kangaroo replaced my battery for $29. I spent about 20 minutes waiting.
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Thats in canada right? Anyone from the us can tell how quick they get appointment?
 
AppleHaterLover said:
Thanks Trump! Bring on the tariffs. good luck on dodging those Shenzhen nuclear missiles though



Apple has been on the record that their cables do not use such and such chemical component that is toxic at the factory, and thus their cables feel different (and thats probably why they don’t last)

Indeed MFi cables are just as good if not better. I bought a Belkin cable with a car charger and a 2m official one the same day 1 year ago. The Belkin is still going strong, the Apple one is probably at some landfill.
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Really?!? Trump and missiles need to be brought into this?
 
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Tsuchiya said:
3) You have an incredibly lenient store if they replace a worn out lightning cable every few months.
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Thought everyone did this. Had charging cables replaced three times already under my X’s warranty, and just recently replaced one under my AirPod’s warranty.

One of the times I went to replace the one for my 7plus, I didn’t have the phone with me and they couldn’t pull up the serial through their support system. Instead, the genius asked for my X’s serial so he could have a warranty to replace it under.

Never had issues replacing under warranty
 
DomW25 said:
Go for an Anker cable instead. Mfi certified, longer and a lot more hard wearing and they're anything between about £6-10 on Amazon.

The Apple cables aren't as good, that said I still don't get how people manage to essentially wear them down to the point to go to Apple every couple of months to get it replaced.
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This! Anker cables are excellent and are inexpensive. I have a bunck of them including in 6 and 10 foot lengths and have never had an issue.
 
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bobbype0 said:
Has anyone here gotten battery replacement for 29 dollars? And if so, is it at least 5 days apart when getting the appointment?
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probably depends on your location. Did it twice last month and it was 1-3 days. But then I have half a dozen apple stores by me
 
Charadis said:
Thought everyone did this. Had charging cables replaced three times already under my X’s warranty, and just recently replaced one under my AirPod’s warranty.

One of the times I went to replace the one for my 7plus, I didn’t have the phone with me and they couldn’t pull up the serial through their support system. Instead, the genius asked for my X’s serial so he could have a warranty to replace it under.

Never had issues replacing under warranty
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Faulty cables for sure are replaceable under warranty, but my local stores seem to be super fussy when it comes to cables that are actually damaged. They won't generally replace any that are worn away, citing wear and tear. I guess it depends on the store and whether they want the headache or not.
 
Faize said:
I wear out my Lightning cable and get it replaced every few months, and I've noticed that it's gradually getting harder and harder to get a timely Genius Bar appointment, to the point where it's getting ridiculous - right now, the first open slot is 5 days from now, on Wednesday afternoon.

Thus, I can't help but wonder if Apple is cost cutting their Geniuses away? Or has the upgrade to iOS 12 bricked billions of iPhones worldwide or something?
Click to expand...
My iPhone 8 had a charging port issue last week. Even reserving the time slot online was a pain in the butt, and I hhad to wait three days for the appointment. Luckily I was able to charge my phone wirelessly even though the docking port was fried. Even though I had to wait and I almost threw my work computer out the window trying to make the appointment I got my phone replaced free of charge so all was well. Apple customer service is still pretty awesome.
 
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Has anyone here been able to get the genius bar appointment the same day? I went to the site and it seems i cannot. But could you just go to apple store and wait there and maybe wait?


Also my battery is 86%. Had iphone SE for 2 years already. Should i get it changed for $29? I notice battery definitely is lot worst than before.


But it should be no brainer since im planning to use the SE for a while?
 
nostresshere said:
Do people really take the time to to go the store to get a replace cable? Buy a bunch on Amazon. Cheap. They come right to your door.
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Of course, these are least likely to last a long time. Good thing they are cheaper. I have a few hanging around so I have cables available.

Messed up on vacation this year. Thought I had a spare micro-usb cable, but it was a funky cable for my wireless charger that looked USB-C. Had to buy a cable at a convenience store to charge my camera and external battery pack.
[doublepost=1538336792][/doublepost]I had a pain earlier this year to make an appointment for my MBP (battery reports problems at times, I was just going to replace it). Turns out I need to leave the computer with them. It apparently isn't just a quick battery replacement with the 2015 model. They need to verify no other issues, order the parts, and it takes at least a week. A problem when I'm 90 miles from nearest store.

But they were slammed due to discounted battery replacements on phones.
 
GrumpyMom said:
Eh, I never knew they replace cables. I’ve worn through two so far in all these years. I am gentle with them but noticed in the worn ones that they swelled up and turned brown near the lightning connector. I guess a side effect of upgrading annually is that I had sufficient spares.
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Just bring it 8n and show it to them and they will give you a new one.
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EldoInTheWeeds said:
Genius bars are understaffed because the job market is HOT and those people are getting non-retail jobs. Betters hours, better pay, better benefits and fewer insane people.
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THIS!

I run ads constantly looking for new employees and get little response. When you do you realize why they are still looking. It is “slim pickings” out there.
 
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People, you can schedule an appointment via web or apple support.

The majority of appointments are reserved for walk ins.

One reason for the Genius Bar being so crowded is activation locks/forgotten passwords/forgotten passcodes.
On top of that, people coming in for service and not having a back up their phones.

On top of that a lot of employees have gone back to school.
 
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