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Rude Apple Store Worker - My first apple store experience
- Thread starter ethen
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I always get top notch service at the Apple store here in Vegas, and I don't even have my MBP yet. I had to take my iPod in for service and they were very friendly. A few weeks back I talked to the manager on duty for a bit about the thermal paste deal, and he was very frank and was really interested in my questions and making sure I was given good service.
I don't have high expectations when I go there, however, because as someone mentioned earlier, it is still a retail store. Fortunately they've shown exemplary customer service each time I've gone.
One example I noticed when I went on Friday was a lady returning a 15" mbp. They assisted her with moving her data over, and someone attended to her the whole time.
Now if only they could all be this way...
I don't have high expectations when I go there, however, because as someone mentioned earlier, it is still a retail store. Fortunately they've shown exemplary customer service each time I've gone.
One example I noticed when I went on Friday was a lady returning a 15" mbp. They assisted her with moving her data over, and someone attended to her the whole time.
Now if only they could all be this way...
my soho experience
i've had both good and bad experience's. In my local nashville mini-store i've always been greeted with a smile from female employee's and welcome can I help you with anything... Most of the male employee's dont pay much attention. When I was in NYC at the SoHo store money in hand for a MBP i wanted to do a little experiment. I went over to the MacBookPro's and just messed with on for about 30 min a employee walked around the table and talked to everyone but me. I was dressed respectably and looked very approachable.. Still no luck then i was like its been to long i want my machine and i wanna go so i walk up to the guy he kinda glances behind him and turns his shoulder to block me from any kind of interaction with him. I was like screw that guy. So i just see a little guy he looked sort of new standing by the stair case i was like excuse me I need to get a Mac can you help me. He starts walking towards the iMac's. I say i know what i want a MBP 2.0.. His eyes lit up guess hes getting commision or something. I said if you an get it for me asap id appericiate it that guy over there wasnt helping me rather ignoring me. So he tells me to hop in line and he'll have one brought up. I see him talking to the guy who ignored me the guy smacks himself in the head all dumbfounded as the other guy chuckles. Other than that everyone else in the store was super helpful. I asked the lady at the counter i forgot to pick up the mini dvi to vga connector and she says no problem i'll have someone grab one for you. I just think if someone is working a section with the prime merch in the store ask everyone esp someone who is messing with one for half an hour. I think anyone that walks on the lot of a BMW dealership will get asked esp if someone is drooling over a M5 for half hour.
i've had both good and bad experience's. In my local nashville mini-store i've always been greeted with a smile from female employee's and welcome can I help you with anything... Most of the male employee's dont pay much attention. When I was in NYC at the SoHo store money in hand for a MBP i wanted to do a little experiment. I went over to the MacBookPro's and just messed with on for about 30 min a employee walked around the table and talked to everyone but me. I was dressed respectably and looked very approachable.. Still no luck then i was like its been to long i want my machine and i wanna go so i walk up to the guy he kinda glances behind him and turns his shoulder to block me from any kind of interaction with him. I was like screw that guy. So i just see a little guy he looked sort of new standing by the stair case i was like excuse me I need to get a Mac can you help me. He starts walking towards the iMac's. I say i know what i want a MBP 2.0.. His eyes lit up guess hes getting commision or something. I said if you an get it for me asap id appericiate it that guy over there wasnt helping me rather ignoring me. So he tells me to hop in line and he'll have one brought up. I see him talking to the guy who ignored me the guy smacks himself in the head all dumbfounded as the other guy chuckles. Other than that everyone else in the store was super helpful. I asked the lady at the counter i forgot to pick up the mini dvi to vga connector and she says no problem i'll have someone grab one for you. I just think if someone is working a section with the prime merch in the store ask everyone esp someone who is messing with one for half an hour. I think anyone that walks on the lot of a BMW dealership will get asked esp if someone is drooling over a M5 for half hour.
I went to an Apple store in Summer 2003 wearing my gym shorts and a pro-Bush t-shirt (worn on purpose) and was ignored for about 10 minutes until I approached someone to buy a powerbook for my girlfriend at the time. He was polite and all, and said sometimes customers have to be more assertive because they get a lot of college students in who just want to look. (This was the store near Stanford in Palo Alto) Then he said "we'll get you guys in the next election." That was cool.
ethen said:
I've had a few good experiences overshadowed by bad ones with regard to my Apple retail experiences. The stores are great if you get rid of the workers there. Treat it on that basis and you won't be disappointed.
As for me, I'll be buying my next Mac online. To hell with the rude, sub-par service of my local Apple retail stores.
Acehigh said:
That is the dead-honest truth. Nothing scares geeks like nice looking girls looking for help. It takes a while for them to pull themselves together and come up to you.
I can imagine the internal monologue
"Ooh, she's nice looking....wait a minute, she's coming this way.... oh crap what do I do.......what do I do???? This wasn't in my job discription!! :hyper ventilates: okay, pull it together, she just needs a hand with a computer, no big deal..... :hyper ventilates: "
SC68Cal said:
hahhahaha that is funny... But alot of them arent geeks since apple is a trendy place to work now. That is the problem with the store.
But still CompUsa has to be the worst computer store. They will only help you when you are almost on line with your product you are buying to put there label on it. Apple probably still the best retail store, but they are slacking recently.
In my Apple store, the service is reasonably good. I am applying for a job next year as i will be 16 coming on 17 and have been offered one. I have bought a number of products at the Apple store and ALWAYS open it up infront of them incase there is a problem. If there is, tey know that it was like that from out of the box and they have to replace it.
I personally am not surprised how the Apple store lacks in their service. Their overall way of doing business is like going to a McDonalds. You find what you want, goto the register tell them, and they bring it out and give it to you.
The people on the floor are nothing more to answer basic questions. I personally avoid the people on the floor now because to be honest, I find all of them completely incompetent. They never seem to know any knowledge of anything except for the basic facts that are listed throughout the store. Their more like "faces" for the store, always with a fake smile pretending they want to help, when they arent able to offer much.
If you really want service, really want some answers, get a genius.
The people on the floor are nothing more to answer basic questions. I personally avoid the people on the floor now because to be honest, I find all of them completely incompetent. They never seem to know any knowledge of anything except for the basic facts that are listed throughout the store. Their more like "faces" for the store, always with a fake smile pretending they want to help, when they arent able to offer much.
If you really want service, really want some answers, get a genius.
Acehigh said:
I HATE CompUSA. I was going to buy my MacBook today from there because there is no Apple store within 200 miles of me. I look over the models and decide the base model is all I really need and all I can afford. The guy was rather helpful (quite a change for that chain), but when it came time to say "sold" ... "We're all out of those."
Of course, he didn't tell me because he thought he'd upsale me to the black model. Needless to say, he didn't make the sale. I don't have enough for a black one, I don't want a black one, and I really am not into taking out a 24-percent APR CompUSA credit line.
At least you guys have Apple stores. I just have to buy online now and wait.
Speaking of which, if I "choose" the Salt Lake Apple Store from the menu online, does that mean when I order one, it will come from one of the stock there? I don't plan to customize or add on to it.
I doubt it.Smallville said:
Speaking of SLC, the Apple Store in Salt Lake does have the 1.83 Ghz MacBooks in stock as of yesterday. They're all out of the 2.0 Ghz white and black models, though.
It's not that hard...
A few rules I abided by while working for Apple Retail...(and received zero complaints).
1. A smile and a "I'll be right with you, I'm currently _______" goes a LONG way.
2. If there is a line, pause what you're doing for FIVE seconds, make eye contact with the person at the end and, as you move your eyes back up the line toward the front, say "Thanks for waiting, I'll be able to help you as soon as I can."
3. NEVER leave one customer for another without solving the first customer's issue (whether that requires them to be passed to someone else or put in the genius queue, whatever).
4. A smile while holding your index finger up (meaning one second) let's customers know you saw them and are busy with another. Please be SURE it's your index finger.
5. Rant downstairs/back of house. It's a great place to let off some steam.
6. Remember that most people just want to be acknowledged and they UNDERSTAND you are busy.
7. If someone is a jerk (unjustifiably), well...either grab a manager or take your time while helping the nice people out. I know that sounds terrible, but in instances I've had (cracked iPod screens that no one stepped on or dropped, returns for software TWO YEARS after purchase and two revisions out of date or people not understanding why a busy retail store can't ALWAYS have a waiting list for highly demanded products [see iPod mini, rev a]), rude people can just go screw themselves. It's not MY fault you're leaving on vacation tomorrow and you waited until TODAY to come shopping for the new iPod.
Thanks.
A few rules I abided by while working for Apple Retail...(and received zero complaints).
1. A smile and a "I'll be right with you, I'm currently _______" goes a LONG way.
2. If there is a line, pause what you're doing for FIVE seconds, make eye contact with the person at the end and, as you move your eyes back up the line toward the front, say "Thanks for waiting, I'll be able to help you as soon as I can."
3. NEVER leave one customer for another without solving the first customer's issue (whether that requires them to be passed to someone else or put in the genius queue, whatever).
4. A smile while holding your index finger up (meaning one second) let's customers know you saw them and are busy with another. Please be SURE it's your index finger.
5. Rant downstairs/back of house. It's a great place to let off some steam.
6. Remember that most people just want to be acknowledged and they UNDERSTAND you are busy.
7. If someone is a jerk (unjustifiably), well...either grab a manager or take your time while helping the nice people out. I know that sounds terrible, but in instances I've had (cracked iPod screens that no one stepped on or dropped, returns for software TWO YEARS after purchase and two revisions out of date or people not understanding why a busy retail store can't ALWAYS have a waiting list for highly demanded products [see iPod mini, rev a]), rude people can just go screw themselves. It's not MY fault you're leaving on vacation tomorrow and you waited until TODAY to come shopping for the new iPod.
Thanks.
You guys want to be thankful you don't have PC World in the UK. My nearest one (Croydon for anyone in London) is a joke. It's the size of a small country yet the last three times I forced myself in there they had one make of DVD burner. Most of the shelves are half empty. I went in on Friday to buy a sleeve for a 12" iBook. They had one sleeve. I asked if it would fit. They said 'dunno'. Well, could they see? 'We're not allowed to open the packaging'.
So, I went over and opened it myself, they can sue me for the tenner it would have cost.
They have an Apple Store within a store (ASS as Scott Kelby calls them!) but the machines look dirty, only one is ever switched on. They don't set up the demos and usually the mouse or keyboard is missing.
For my last big purchase, after waiting for an hour for someone to serve me, I turned on my heel and left, buying my iBook somewhere else and letting customer services know about it on my way past (might have bigged up how much I had been planning to spend) but they looked like they couldn't care less.
OK, I know, off topic but it's such a revolting place I had to rant!
So, I went over and opened it myself, they can sue me for the tenner it would have cost.
They have an Apple Store within a store (ASS as Scott Kelby calls them!) but the machines look dirty, only one is ever switched on. They don't set up the demos and usually the mouse or keyboard is missing.
For my last big purchase, after waiting for an hour for someone to serve me, I turned on my heel and left, buying my iBook somewhere else and letting customer services know about it on my way past (might have bigged up how much I had been planning to spend) but they looked like they couldn't care less.
OK, I know, off topic but it's such a revolting place I had to rant!
i've had mixed experiences with the apple stores. i haven't made any huge purchases there, so haven't gone through that experience. in general, i find the geniuses and salespeople to be lacking in knowledge. but to their credit, at least a few times they've gone and gotten an answer they were unsure of and helped me out in the end. not always quick or easy, but usually good.
i think sometimes it's the apple policies (like the dead pixels) that are to blame. other times it's just rude people.
i think sometimes it's the apple policies (like the dead pixels) that are to blame. other times it's just rude people.
I find the DVD burner story hard to believe, working for the company in a small store up north we always have at least a dozen types in, still it is possible.April Dancer said:You guys want to be thankful you don't have PC World in the UK. My nearest one (Croydon for anyone in London) is a joke. It's the size of a small country yet the last three times I forced myself in there they had one make of DVD burner. Most of the shelves are half empty. I went in on Friday to buy a sleeve for a 12" iBook. They had one sleeve. I asked if it would fit. They said 'dunno'. Well, could they see? 'We're not allowed to open the packaging'.
So, I went over and opened it myself, they can sue me for the tenner it would have cost.
They have an Apple Store within a store (ASS as Scott Kelby calls them!) but the machines look dirty, only one is ever switched on. They don't set up the demos and usually the mouse or keyboard is missing.
For my last big purchase, after waiting for an hour for someone to serve me, I turned on my heel and left, buying my iBook somewhere else and letting customer services know about it on my way past (might have bigged up how much I had been planning to spend) but they looked like they couldn't care less.
OK, I know, off topic but it's such a revolting place I had to rant!
The ASS's are unusual in PCW's, it all comes down to if anyone in there actually understands the kit, I know in ours it's kept immaculate. Why? Because there's 2 or 3 of us who actually care about the produce. Mice are always an issue as they have a habit of getting nicked, and ultimately replacement costs like that hit our bonuses quite heavily so...yeah.
That one I don't apologise for. Blame the thieves, and the way my managers pay my bonus The waiting times are debatable. The sleeve I can totally understand, I have to say I think expecting the average shop floor bod in anywhere like that to expect to know if a particular laptop model will fit in a particular sleeve is unrealistic, and it's quite possible that the store was simply too busy to stop and sort out a ten pound sleeve. Rotten I know, but it's simple business, not good business, just how it works.The computer timing follows same logic as both previous points, in a lot of PCW stores if the staff aren't comfortable with something they won't try and sell it, they'll wait to be approached.
Go figure. I don't particularly enjoy the job (looking for something else) but it's just my musings.Our store does do a better job than what you described it has to be said.
I've never ben treated rudely at the Apple Store, but I have certainly gotten my share of run-around from them.
iGary said:
Yeah, I think I've gotten sketchy advice, but I've always been treated nicely, too. The only Apple store I frequented was the Troy, MI one, though.
jefhatfield said:retail, ah retail...he he...if we caught osama bin laden, it would still be cruel and unusual punishment to subject him to a sentence of being a retail employee for any length of time
No kidding. I think we all know how bad retail service can sometimes be; we all know how good it can sometimes be. And if you work in retail, you have a similar experience -- some customers make your day, while the rest drive you nuts. I think all the posts here attest to the wide spectrum of experiences you can having shopping for something like a computer.
Ethen's encounter at the Apple store doesn't surprise me. Retail's an odd business -- there's high turn over (seriously, my local Apple store seems to go through employees every few months); no matter how well you train your employees, there's no guarantee each employee is going to retain and properly interpret all you've taught them; employees get tired of certain types of customers and take their frustrations out on the good ones; and so on, and so on.
Point is, Ethen didn't deserve the treatment he got. I'd send a stern but diplomatic letter to Apple management making it clear you're unhappy with the service (but not an angry or overstated letter -- you always get further with a kind, carefully stated word). Regarding the dead pixels on the MacBook Pro -- I understand that Apple has a specific policy about this, but all those dead pixels on such a costly machine is unacceptable.
Without bringing the thread too far OT I just thought I'd say that I had an opportunity to work retail customer service for about 3 months last summer since I needed money to finish the last term of my Master's. I've been fortunate in that all my previous jobs were related to my field (software engineering) so in fact this was my first customer service / retail / minimum wage job.
What an eye opener it was! In those short months I learned a lot about treating people with respect, both from my end as a sales associate and from customers. I've had a lot of shabby salespeople serve me in the past, and while I still don't accept it, I understand it better now that I've walked a mile (on 10-hour shifts at a time) in their shoes. I've had rude customers, I've seen shoplifting, I've seen people deliberately make messes of store displays. I served one man who worked at the same telecom company that I worked with a few years ago, who treated me with absolute condescension (never mind that in a few more months I would finish with my Master of Electrical Engineering and be working the same kind of $80,000 job he was). I bent over backwards for one very picky British lady who did nothing but complain the entire time.
The job is stressful, tiring, and you are constantly, constantly moving. I couldn't even stop to blow my nose without my supervisor glaring at me. I don't mean to excuse rude behaviour, but there's a difference between being rude (which I am not) and being tired and weary (which I frequently was, and tried my very best to hide, but not always so well).
What an eye opener it was! In those short months I learned a lot about treating people with respect, both from my end as a sales associate and from customers. I've had a lot of shabby salespeople serve me in the past, and while I still don't accept it, I understand it better now that I've walked a mile (on 10-hour shifts at a time) in their shoes. I've had rude customers, I've seen shoplifting, I've seen people deliberately make messes of store displays. I served one man who worked at the same telecom company that I worked with a few years ago, who treated me with absolute condescension (never mind that in a few more months I would finish with my Master of Electrical Engineering and be working the same kind of $80,000 job he was). I bent over backwards for one very picky British lady who did nothing but complain the entire time.
The job is stressful, tiring, and you are constantly, constantly moving. I couldn't even stop to blow my nose without my supervisor glaring at me. I don't mean to excuse rude behaviour, but there's a difference between being rude (which I am not) and being tired and weary (which I frequently was, and tried my very best to hide, but not always so well).
LastLine said:
Hi Lastline,
Honest to God, they had one line of dvd burner in the last few times I've been in and it isn't even a top level line, it's an unheard of one. The whole place looks like a pound shop and considering that they are expecting people to spend large amounts of money in there it's not very inspiring.
If the store was busy I would be totally in agreement re: questions but there are about a dozen people standing round chatting. And even if they don't know something, it's no problem to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm not sure about that', rather than just grunt and walk off. I do my utmost to be polite whenever I'm asking a question so it's not too much to expect it back. If yours is better then good on you. I wish my local was better.
Anyone, it's O/T I know so I'll give it up there!
Apple Regent Street are a lot better but there are a couple of rude ones there. Usually I've been too chuffed about what I'm buying to care though!
I hate to say it, but I believe this is the way retail is going - especially with younger people.
I recently went to a mall in my area by myself (not something I do often). I'm a 23 year old woman (who has been told that I look closer to 18-20) and was hardly ever asked about help in several of the stores I went to. I went to a Godiva kiosk that was rather large b/c I needed a gift for someone. I was never even LOOKED at - even though I was seriously looking at the $50 boxes of chocolate, but at the same time mothers and kids would come up looking at the $2 candy bars, and the sales person was all smiles. I was having a hard time decideding how much to spend for this gift, so I left and came back........TWICE.....and never got a word said to me. It was insulting that she couldn't even ask me if I needed help looking for something. I finally bought my chocolate and left with a bag that was much too large for my purchase, but I didn't complain. I went into several of the stores I had visited pre-purchase, and the same associates that had snubbed me before were overly helpful and did anything I needed, b/c now they saw that I did in fact have money that I was willing to spend. It was ridiculous. I was so offended by the CHANGE in behavior because now I had a big shiny bag that I left the mall without finishing my shopping. My money is just as good as anyone else's, and I just wanted to be treated as such.
I recently went to a mall in my area by myself (not something I do often). I'm a 23 year old woman (who has been told that I look closer to 18-20) and was hardly ever asked about help in several of the stores I went to. I went to a Godiva kiosk that was rather large b/c I needed a gift for someone. I was never even LOOKED at - even though I was seriously looking at the $50 boxes of chocolate, but at the same time mothers and kids would come up looking at the $2 candy bars, and the sales person was all smiles. I was having a hard time decideding how much to spend for this gift, so I left and came back........TWICE.....and never got a word said to me. It was insulting that she couldn't even ask me if I needed help looking for something. I finally bought my chocolate and left with a bag that was much too large for my purchase, but I didn't complain. I went into several of the stores I had visited pre-purchase, and the same associates that had snubbed me before were overly helpful and did anything I needed, b/c now they saw that I did in fact have money that I was willing to spend. It was ridiculous. I was so offended by the CHANGE in behavior because now I had a big shiny bag that I left the mall without finishing my shopping. My money is just as good as anyone else's, and I just wanted to be treated as such.