Apple Store Employees
I saw a great quote earlier today:
So true.
And what's up with the whole Apple Genius thing? Every time any tells me about a conversation with one I'm always amazed. They must be trained to always remember two rules:
1. If you can, blame it on the customer.
2. Pretend an item sold at the apple store will solve their problem.
A real life example: A 'Genius' (Chicago Store) told a guy I know that the white spots on his screen were because of Fruit Menu. And that is the start of a LONG list I could put here if I had time.
As for the sales reps, every one I've dealt with seems like they are using iTunes for the first time. Rediculous. Not to mention the number of times I've seen kids on these boards relaying fabrications from kids working as salespeople at apple stores.
Long story short, 99% of them know nothing.
Quote:
The difference between a car salesman and a computer salesman is that the car salesman knows he's lying.
The difference between a car salesman and a computer salesman is that the car salesman knows he's lying.
So true.
And what's up with the whole Apple Genius thing? Every time any tells me about a conversation with one I'm always amazed. They must be trained to always remember two rules:
1. If you can, blame it on the customer.
2. Pretend an item sold at the apple store will solve their problem.
A real life example: A 'Genius' (Chicago Store) told a guy I know that the white spots on his screen were because of Fruit Menu. And that is the start of a LONG list I could put here if I had time.
As for the sales reps, every one I've dealt with seems like they are using iTunes for the first time. Rediculous. Not to mention the number of times I've seen kids on these boards relaying fabrications from kids working as salespeople at apple stores.
Long story short, 99% of them know nothing.
Comments
Originally posted by LoCash
By the way, it is spelled, "Ridiculous", as "diculous" is not a word you can apply "re" to
Hey, talk to Firebird, not me. Now that spell checkers exists, it's no longer my responsibility to spell it right.
Please don't ridicule me.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
Remember, if they were so eminently qualified to talk about computers, they wouldn't be working hourly retail.
What amazes me is that people actually listen to these folks like they know what they are talking about.
I guess it's better than the pre-apple store days. We have this place Nahbi's that was an apple reseller and waranty repair shop. I swear, every single time I went in there he was arguing with a customer.
The last time I went in there, this guy was trying to make Nahbi give him back his powermac that was getting repairs for bad ram (probably didn't even need a repair anyway, just a new stick). He had his cell phone out saying that apple said he should call them at from the store if Nahbi didn't release the powermac. Nahbi's all"you shouldn't have used non-apple RAM...I can't give it back because there's too much paperwork...blah, blah, blah..." The customer called apple and they bitched Nahbi out on the phone.
The customer told Nahbi "I'm very dissatisfied." "I don't care," said Nahbi. "That's the problem!" the customer responded. Can you believe this guy?!
Before I sold one of my powerbooks, I gave it to them for warranty repairs. The refused to do any saying none of it was covered, which it was. Then they tried to slap me with a $65 bill...for nothing! I told him there was no way in hell I was paying for work that wasn't done and just left.
It sucks because there's a great apple reseller/repair shop in the same neighborhood that is really great, but they don't do warranty repairs. They've even offered to do a hinge repair on a powerbook for free if I got the hinge.
Anyway, I guess I'm just tired of reading here and on macnn all of the bad info that apple store employees spew out. They're only a step above Nahbi.
but let's not hire me!
no, let's hire some fruitcake with green hair, strange facial hair and 3 earrings in an ear
Originally posted by alcimedes
actually the Genius bar positions pay well. over $50k. that's good money for "hourly retail".
it's a waste of money
experience:
get to college, get off plane, iPod....exlclamation point folder screen
me: SHIT, all my music from home is on there, 20GBs....im $$$$ed if i cant get it off
plan: go to apple store, see if they can do something
so we go to apple store
genius: hello
me: sniffle......ipod....it has the exclamation point folder thingmajig....all my music is on there....is there anyway you can find out why this happens (has happened before) and maybe back up my data.
genius: hmm, i'll see what i can do.
me: wait, where are you going?
genius: um...i have to take it into the back for some um...diagnostic tests
me thinking to myself: wtf, why can't he do it in front of me, he has 4 powerbooks here...he has cables.... is there some sort of special ipod diagnostic machine i don't know about
20 minutes pass
genius: hey, sorry, but the only way is to erase the hard drive and reinstall the software and if that doesn't work you'll have to buy a hard drive replacement
me: wait, why, why did this happen and why can't you save the data
genius: sorry, that's all we can do, I'll go reinstall....
me very angry: Give me my iPod now
i storm out of the store
go back to my dorm.....do an applecare search....find out what the problem is.....plug it in....do what the page says.....hard drive shows up...i back up all the data, reinitialize the hard drive and then put the music back on......has worked perfectly since.
Originally posted by applenut
go back to my dorm.....do an applecare search....find out what the problem is.....plug it in....do what the page says.....hard drive shows up...i back up all the data, reinitialize the hard drive and then put the music back on......has worked perfectly since.
I'm surprised he didn't try to get you to buy an isight to fix it.
Originally posted by giant
I'm surprised he didn't try to get you to buy an isight to fix it.
that would have probably occured during the payment process for the hard drive replacement since the iSights are next to the registers......o...have you seen the isight....
I hate apple store employees. HATE.....even worse is when you go to an apple store event like a satellite feed. i stare in awe and try to figure out how in the world these people can be so lame. then again, they are 34, have green hair, piercings, live in their parents basement and work at a computer store.
Originally posted by applenut
I hate apple store employees. HATE.....even worse is when you go to an apple store event like a satellite feed. i stare in awe and try to figure out how in the world these people can be so lame. then again, they are 34, have green hair, piercings, live in their parents basement and work at a computer store.
Wow! I'm glad to know that is how I was thought of for the two years I worked my ass of at an ARS. Do you know how hard it is to work computer retail, especially at an ARS? It's an uphill battle. Do they make mistakes? Sure, but who doesn't? But I will tell you one thing, they work their asses off to make sure that you leave happy. Ron Johnson would disagree with your assessment. According to him 98% of people that visited an ARS left happy and would recommend that their friends would shop there. That is unheard of in retail.
For every story you guys have of a bad experience at an ARS, I have 100 of idiot customers and that is not an exaggeration.
sounds like this guy wasn't willing to look online for a solution when he didn't know it off hand.
i've had nothing but good experiences with my local Apple Store.
Originally posted by HOM
Wow! I'm glad to know that is how I was thought of for the two years I worked my ass of at an ARS. Do you know how hard it is to work computer retail, especially at an ARS? It's an uphill battle. Do they make mistakes? Sure, but who doesn't? But I will tell you one thing, they work their asses off to make sure that you leave happy. Ron Johnson would disagree with your assessment. According to him 98% of people that visited an ARS left happy and would recommend that their friends would shop there. That is unheard of in retail.
For every story you guys have of a bad experience at an ARS, I have 100 of idiot customers and that is not an exaggeration.
apple is going to give you a number that says otherwise
sure, people who know nothing probably think the arrogant apple employees are great ans know their shit.
but if you notice, it's been people like us who have been frustrated not only with Apple Retail Stores but also Apple Support.
Final result? iBook back repaired, and $200 worth of Apple product... she put it towards an iPod.
Without the ARS Genius, she probably still wouldn't have the damned thing back.
Originally posted by Kickaha
The local ARS bent over freakin' *backwards* to make my wife happy after a bad experience with Apple Repair for her iBook. The ARS Genius called up the Repair Center and bitched them out, got an Apple rep at HQ on the phone in a conference call with the ARC, etc, etc, etc.
Final result? iBook back repaired, and $200 worth of Apple product... she put it towards an iPod.
Without the ARS Genius, she probably still wouldn't have the damned thing back.
is she hot?
I'm not
SEE, there's the problem!
Originally posted by applenut
apple is going to give you a number that says otherwise
sure, people who know nothing probably think the arrogant apple employees are great ans know their shit.
but if you notice, it's been people like us who have been frustrated not only with Apple Retail Stores but also Apple Support.
Apple is not going to lie during their analyst conference call.
People like you aren't going to buy anything at an ARS anyway. You're going to buy it online at MacMall or somewhere else that is cheap. The ARS are providing the best place to buy Macs and peripherals, that comes at a cost. The cost is employing people that know their shit and don't talk down to the customer. Did you have a bad experience? Yup. But what you should do about it is not bitch and moan on a message board, but write a letter that includes capital letters and punctuation to the manager of the store telling them how your experience was. I can promise you that they are read and they are taken seriously.
Now a question, when was the last time you had a good experience at a retail shop?
but if you notice, it's been people like us who have been frustrated not only with Apple Retail Stores but also Apple Support.
and what kind of people are those?
Originally posted by applenut
SEE, there's the problem!
You know, I'll just start with the list then.
You already have two CRAZY ones (fruit menu and applenut's ipod) up there. Here are some more.
The time I went to the apple store for an ipod, not a single one would mount. I called over a sales rep and he poked around in the itunes prefs like it was the first time he opened it. He got another guy to come over to help. Problem never got solved (on any of the machines) and we couldn't play with an ipod.
The time I went there to buy an ibook, this hulking mass of 45 year old dork (not geek) is looking over me and the girl's shoulders. It really creeped her out. He looked like a molester. He probably works there just so he can hang out under the glass staircase and look up women's skirts.
Someone over at macnn was talking about going to the apple store with a tibook combo drive that wouldn't read blank disks. I know about this issue. The genius should have, too. Instead, he told him it must be bad disks, here, buy some apple branded ones. Take a guess about whether they worked.
I'll get some more from my coworkers when I go to work tomorrow. We've shared experiences often, so expect some fun ones (though probably not as good as the fruit menu=white spots genius claim).
Originally posted by HOM
Apple is not going to lie during their analyst conference call.
People like you aren't going to buy anything at an ARS anyway. You're going to buy it online at MacMall or somewhere else that is cheap. The ARS are providing the best place to buy Macs and peripherals, that comes at a cost. The cost is employing people that know their shit and don't talk down to the customer. Did you have a bad experience? Yup. But what you should do about it is not bitch and moan on a message board, but write a letter that includes capital letters and punctuation to the manager of the store telling them how your experience was. I can promise you that they are read and they are taken seriously.
Now a question, when was the last time you had a good experience at a retail shop?
I always buy at an Apple Store. I like instant gratification. Jobs knows this. I pay more to have it immediately and in my hands and inspected before I buy it.
I like many stores. Heck, I love Apple Stores themselves....i don't like their employees and the type of people they hire. They try much too hard to be cool and artsy.
and what kind of people are those?
applelosers/nuts/addicts.
people who post on an AppleInsider message board