Apple Store

Went to this Apple store to receive support for some memory issues with my i7 quad-​core Macbook pro. It’s inside of Bluewater mall so you have to walk a bit to actually get to the shop. However the genius bar staff were very supportive of me. I had an appointment to chat with them for a bit about my issue. They offered very good support and informed me that my memory module was defective. I liked the customer service at this location a bit. They also seemed to respect westerners which was a plus. Thus I offer a five star rating for this location.

I’m a real glutton for punishment.
Apple have always been incapable of fixing any problem I bring to them and have even turned a cosmetic issue into a technical one before (impressive, real smooth, Apple) and yet I always seem to go back to them. Why is that?
OH WAIT. Maybe it’s because Apple bully you into using their service and punish you by voiding your warranty if you try to go anywhere else. GREAT customer service.
This time I made a «Genius» bar appointment for two laptops with small issues. I say genius, they only need two days training to gain the title. I turned up 10 minutes late due to being caught in a massive storm, called them on the way to make sure it would still be okay and they refused to serve us.
Yep. Refused to serve us.
After keeping us waiting for 15 minutes, they told us they only kept appointments for 15 minutes after the allocated time and had no one available to see us anymore.
We would have been fine if they’d seen us when we arrived and as for the no available genius, that seemed to be because they were all upstairs doing bugger all. The guy was rude, seemed to expect us to hang around for three hours until they decided they had space for us and looked at us as though we mere children didn’t know what we were talking about anyway.
To top it all off, I called Apple from the car to complain and they told me they could pick it up from my house for free anyway. For a company so obsessed with good advertising, it stinks that they don’t advertise that.
WHAT A JOKE.

I’ve had a real hit-​or-​miss experience here. From a shopping point of view it’s got all of the upsides of an apple store:
— light and airy
— easy of purchase
— the Apple tax (if that’s your thing)
The problem I have with this store is that on more than one occasion I’ve visited the Genius Bar… From there it takes a nose dive.
First some background… I’ve got a degree in computer science so when it comes to all things 1 and 0 I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about. I’m also an Apple developer so I have a pretty intimate understanding of how the iPhone works.
On more than one occasion I’ve heard the ‘geniuses’ telling blatant lies relating to the iPhone and iPad. Stating the impossibility of repairing one of these devices and telling customers that, now they have that 1 inch crack in the corner of the screen the whole thing has to be thrown away…
Now I’ve replaced a couple of iPhone/​iPad screens myself so I know that’s bullshit.
They also extend the truth when it comes to MacBooks… If you crack the glass of that then they ‘have’ to replace the entire top of your device (a £600 +vat operation). Which is also bollocks.
If you need to take your iThing here, if take everything they tell you with a pinch of salt.

The iconic apple store…
How fantastic to have an Apple store at Bluewater.
The Apple doctors solved my iPad problem in a jiffy. It’s a busy store but even though I didn’t have an appointment, they were able to service my iPad straight away. I’m writing this as I wait for my beloved iPad to return save and sound and without any warning messages.

As a great lover of anything Apple, i will always stop by Apple whilst in Bluewater.
The store is really big, and has all the latest computers, ipods, and lots of accessories, ipod cases, laptop cases.
The staff in this store are geat. I recently popped in as i was looking at the Ipod Touch, but wasn’t sure weather to get the Touch or just get the Iphone, and after a great chat with a member of staff, i made up my mind and i’m very happy with my purchase.
If your just looking and want to browse then stop by Apple, your never pressured into buying anything, and its always nice just having a little fiddle with the laptops and ipods.

As a happy Apple Mac user for three years now and an ipod user for more than that, I have to say that shopping and receiving service in this Apple store is always nothing but a pleasure. The service is always very friendly without being or feeling fake and the sales assistants and technical help support staff always spend all the time that is necessary with their customers and never make you feel rushed or as if you’re being brushed off.
My most recent experience with this store is today when I brought my husband’s 13 month old ipod, bought in the states, to the Genius Bar as it wasn’t working and he couldn’t restore it himself after trying many times. No questions were asked about the age of the product and the guy at the Genius Bar happily fixed it in no time and with no charge whatsoever. I can’t imagine and have never received such good customer care from any other electrical goods retailer! This kind of customer service, on top of such beautiful good-​quality products that Apple creates, is a reason to keep going back to them.

Well Apple seem to be going from strength to strength.
I brought my macbook from here a few years back when the store initially opened and a couple of weeks later had an issue.
I arranged an appointment with the Genius bar who were helpful, insightful and rectified the issue for me.
Beautiful products that really are becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.