My biggest problem with the Apple Store is how long you have to wait to get an appt. Point in question, my wife's phone started acting up right before our vacation was due to start. I went through all the checks and had a diagnosis done by an Apple rep by phone. Essentially all I needed was five minutes at an Apple Store to get her phone swapped out. Where I live in the Bay Area in CA, there are 3 Apple Stores within 20 miles. In all 3, there were no appts for 5 days. Luckily we had an old 5S that we swapped out the SIM card so she could use it during the vacation in Hawaii. We were able to get a new phone in Honolulu but still the wait was 2 days.
I have had this experience several times now and it is frustrating that you cannot get a replacement phone simply because there are no appts. Apple really needs to fix this issue because it is extremely frustrating not to be able to get a phone replacement within 24 h of when you need it. My suggestion is to have plenty of dedicated time slots for this so that people do not have to wait for simple fixes.
1) For the first time last month I saw that my store required a wait of about 5 days for an appt. I've usually always had same day or next day. Yesterday I set up an appt. for next week (not in a rush), but they had plenty of appts. that day, so the demand for Genius appts. clearly has ups and downs.
2) They were running behind on my last appt. so I wonder if allowing a 5 minute appt. would be wise. I don't even think they can do their digital paperwork in under 5 minutes, even after they've diagnosed an issue. Does the phone diagnosis still not require a physical check?
3) What if they can figure out a system that will allow tech support in a call center to remotely diagnose your device, and If it needs to be replaced they can manage the appt system and inventory check with a priority option so that your replacement device can be prepared and ready for you when you walk in, that could end up saving them time and money with a call center, while increasing overall customer support.
4) I have yet to use their phone or chat system, but they keep steering me that way. They first ask questions about your device and issues and then try to walk you through resolving it yourself since it's usually* a very basic issue. Sometimes I have trouble finding the link to set up a Genius appt. How much staff should be devoted to the Genius Bar in a retail store? Should Apple have separate stores just for Genius Bar appts.? If they make a car, will they have dealerships that will also fuse in a Genius Bar or Apple retail store?
* "Usually" does not apply to people that frequent tech forums.
My biggest problem with the Apple Store is how long you have to wait to get an appt. Point in question, my wife's phone started acting up right before our vacation was due to start. I went through all the checks and had a diagnosis done by an Apple rep by phone. Essentially all I needed was five minutes at an Apple Store to get her phone swapped out. Where I live in the Bay Area in CA, there are 3 Apple Stores within 20 miles. In all 3, there were no appts for 5 days. Luckily we had an old 5S that we swapped out the SIM card so she could use it during the vacation in Hawaii. We were able to get a new phone in Honolulu but still the wait was 2 days.
I have had this experience several times now and it is frustrating that you cannot get a replacement phone simply because there are no appts. Apple really needs to fix this issue because it is extremely frustrating not to be able to get a phone replacement within 24 h of when you need it. My suggestion is to have plenty of dedicated time slots for this so that people do not have to wait for simple fixes.
1) For the first time last month I saw that my store required a wait of about 5 days for an appt. I've usually always had same day or next day. Yesterday I set up an appt. for next week (not in a rush), but they had plenty of appts. that day, so the demand for Genius appts. clearly has ups and downs.
2) They were running behind on my last appt. so I wonder if allowing a 5 minute appt. would be wise. I don't even think they can do their digital paperwork in under 5 minutes, even after they've diagnosed an issue. Does the phone diagnosis still not require a physical check?
3) What if they can figure out a system that will allow tech support in a call center to remotely diagnose your device, and If it needs to be replaced they can manage the appt system and inventory check with a priority option so that your replacement device can be prepared and ready for you when you walk in, that could end up saving them time and money with a call center, while increasing overall customer support.
4) I have yet to use their phone or chat system, but they keep steering me that way. They first ask questions about your device and issues and then try to walk you through resolving it yourself since it's usually* a very basic issue. Sometimes I have trouble finding the link to set up a Genius appt. How much staff should be devoted to the Genius Bar in a retail store? Should Apple have separate stores just for Genius Bar appts.? If they make a car, will they have dealerships that will also fuse in a Genius Bar or Apple retail store?
* "Usually" does not apply to people that frequent tech forums.
Apple can diagnose a phone remotely so a phone call is a good way to start the process. The guy we called tried to fix the phone and we went through several ways to get the phone to work. In the end he agreed that it needed to be replaced. What was frustrating is that after this confirmation the options to get to a store that day or the next day was limited. The next step is relatively simple so that is why I am suggesting having slots open for this type of activity. The website is very confusing. Push the wrong button and you are back to the beginning.
This is the ugliest Apple Store I've seen: it is flat, has no focal points, and is visually uninteresting. Looks like someone set up some trestle tables in their garage for some kids. This is compounded by leaving the side-walls empty: they are the natural space to have a counter for desktops, iMacs etc it looks uninviting to me.
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2) They were running behind on my last appt. so I wonder if allowing a 5 minute appt. would be wise. I don't even think they can do their digital paperwork in under 5 minutes, even after they've diagnosed an issue. Does the phone diagnosis still not require a physical check?
3) What if they can figure out a system that will allow tech support in a call center to remotely diagnose your device, and If it needs to be replaced they can manage the appt system and inventory check with a priority option so that your replacement device can be prepared and ready for you when you walk in, that could end up saving them time and money with a call center, while increasing overall customer support.
4) I have yet to use their phone or chat system, but they keep steering me that way. They first ask questions about your device and issues and then try to walk you through resolving it yourself since it's usually* a very basic issue. Sometimes I have trouble finding the link to set up a Genius appt. How much staff should be devoted to the Genius Bar in a retail store? Should Apple have separate stores just for Genius Bar appts.? If they make a car, will they have dealerships that will also fuse in a Genius Bar or Apple retail store?
* "Usually" does not apply to people that frequent tech forums.
What was frustrating is that after this confirmation the options to get to a store that day or the next day was limited. The next step is relatively simple so that is why I am suggesting having slots open for this type of activity.
The website is very confusing. Push the wrong button and you are back to the beginning.