apple store experiences, is it just me?

[jonnyboy666]

today i finally actually bought something from the Apple store.

ok, regardless of the apple/microsoft love 'em hate 'em argument what are your experiences with the Apple store?

i ask because i think generally they are pretty poor.

i like apple products, i have an ipod, like it, simple, tidy functional, decided i'd get a macbook when the time was right because i was bored of my failing microsoft based laptop.

first port of call would be the Apple store in Southampton to buy a major apple product. what a mistake! :facepalm: and i went in at a time when they were quiet. still full of the type of people that are this video:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzocvh60xBU (also an excuse to post this video again!)

not just the other customers but the staff themselves, all hipster wannabe fashionistas in skinny jeans with snobbish attitudes towards anyone who doesn't know as much as them about the product they sell.

so as a 35 year old normal bloke i walked out after about 10 minutes of not being helped and went to PC world where i was greeted by a guy in a shirt and tie who had washed that morning and i was happy to chuck my debit card at him. simple, efficient, exact opposite of the apple store.

2nd visit, needed some apple specific advice regarding the macbook. did you buy it from us? no, you were all too busy . . . .if you bought it from us we would have given you a free course . . . ok but i didn't so advice would help, do you have any self help type books? no . . . you didn't buy it from us so you can't have the course . . . . can i pay for the course? . . . . no . . . you didn't buy it from us . . . . . so you can't help? . . . . no, you didn't buy it from us.

rubbish, went to waterstones and bought a self help book, figured out the issue myself.

3rd visit, simple one. wanted some new headphones for my ipod, i like the genuine ones as they were slightly louder than cheap ebay-a-likes. sorry mate we don't have any.

i am not your mate.


4th visit today, finally got a useful employee who helped me buy a power accessory for my iphone cos the battery life on them isn't that good, not that it is generally an issue, he was very helpful but if i was his manager i would ask him to go home and have a good scrub!


with buying my first item from this store they email the receipt, they ask for feedback, so i let them have it regarding my previous issues while saying that todays experience was good (didn't want to get the helpful chap in trouble)


so what are your views on them? it shouldn't take 4 visits before finding someone useful!

discuss :?

 

[tintin40]

found the store very helpful and the free tech advice was very good. But very busy these days

 

[TheGreenRabbit]

2 questions

If the first visit was so bad why did you go back ?

Did the staff in the apple store ride fixies ?

 

[tintin40]

Did the staff in the apple store ride fixies ?

i know one now has a Mavic 1'' threaded headset as i sold it to him via the bay

 

[PhilStone]

Kinda surprised about that tbh...

Been to the Exeter Apple store a few times and found them very helpful - over here in Jersey the closest we have is iQ who are a reseller - and a bloody useless one! But nonetheless they are the only authorised repairer so I had to use them - they were very bad so went to Apple Exeter who couldn't have been more helpful!

I'd put it down to that obviously being a poor store... Have you tried to contact Apple direct to let them know?

 

[jonnyboy666]

If the first visit was so bad why did you go back ?

i went back because it was the products i was after but the staff failed me.

i was just wondering if the product itself had such hipster cool attributes that they could only be sold by fashionista fixie tosspots! :roll:

it must just be a store/staff thing in southampton, i just can't believe i got the numpty assistant 3 times! put it down to bad luck?

 

[chriscl]

If the first visit was so bad why did you go back ?

i went back because it was the products i was after but the staff failed me.

i was just wondering if the product itself had such hipster cool attributes that they could only be sold by fashionista fixie tosspots! :roll:

it must just be a store/staff thing in southampton, i just can't believe i got the numpty assistant 3 times! put it down to bad luck?

Bad luck? No, I don't think so - Apple usually pride themselves on their retail marketing, the Apple Store was the first "high end" computer/electronics store catering for just the one brand, and they are (justifiably) very proud of them.

I've visited a few, and bought from several (disclaimer: I'm an Apple Fan; have used Macs for years for my photography and have an iPhone and a bunch of iPods).

It might be worth your while dropping an email to Apple customer service, you may well get a reply, and they are (usually, I've found) very interested in similar feedback.

If people don't tell them there are problems, they won't know, and won't do anything about it!

 

[GT-Steve]

Apple istore Covent Garden comes highly recommended for customer service and helpful....erm....help.

Kind of a hit/miss experience for the others I've visited (probably around 5 different locations)

When they're busy I just avoid them, cos they annoy me.

 

[russ77]

I bought my iPod at the Regents Street store about two years ago and recently went back as the headphone socket has a faulty connection, causing music to pause every few seconds if you move about. "Yeah, that's quite an old one and they all do that eventually," was the response from the T-shirt. Perhaps I'd like to buy a replacement?

When my Macbook's RAM slot failed after six months I was told I could pay for a replacement motherboard, but I'd be better off buying a new laptop. Does no one fix electronics anymore?

The prices are ridiculous in store. The only thing it's worth purchasing from the stores is actual hardware. It's a shame you can't get to it though, thanks to the wall of children playing on YouTube.

I've come to the conclusion that the Apple Stores are a concept. A theme park designed to get people in to the brand. If you actually want to buy any of it, you're better off elsewhere. Grumpy old so and sos like me are less offended by Internet shopping anyway.

 

[jonnyboy666]

russ, your conclusion seems to be the same as mine