For those who read this Web site regularly, the lay-out of Apple’s stores is obvious, and the procedures for Genius Bar visits is well-known. But the stores are not as clear-cut to many others, including those who live in previously-no-store Montreal. Now I’ve received a repair story from Raymond, who came away feeling disappointed after visiting the Sainte Catherine retail store, which opened on July 25th. Read his tale and feel free to provide your polite feedback as comments.
I walked into my local Apple store for the very first time a few days ago and it was a very big disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I am usually a big Apple enthusiast and I chronicled the construction work of the Sainte-Catherine store in Montréal from the erection of the scaffolding on the sidewalk until their removal. Not being a big fan of crowds, I skipped the opening day event and had never ventured inside until Sunday, Sept. 14th as the place was always crawling with people each time I passed by.
Sunday morning, my year-old MacBookPro suddenly died on me. Unable to resuscitate it by myself, I figured this was finally the occasion for me to venture into the Apple store. I was really looking forward to the whole experience, with a great deal of optimism and enthusiasm.
The place was very crowded but I finally managed to catch the attention of a Concierge, dressed in an orange T-shirt and told him that I wanted to see a technician. I was very disappointed to hear him say that I absolutely needed to make an appointment and that it was out of the question to see a technician just like that, as I walked in. I reluctantly agreed to have him set me up for Tuesday at 3 p.m. which I watched him type in on an iMac sitting on one of those elegant wooden tables. I then asked him if he could give me a printout of the appointment info to help me not forget the correct time and date. He said that was not the way it was done at Apple but rather I would get a confirmation by email.
I never did receive that email so, when I showed up at the store Tuesday the 16th, a good half an hour in advance. I mentioned that fact to the concierge at the door and asked her to check that I indeed had an appointment that day at 3 p.m. It turns out that my reservation was nowhere to be found but the concierge was resourceful enough to refer me to the head concierge who arranged for an “emergency” meeting with a technician 20 minutes later, which more or less was the time that had been scheduled.
The technician was courteous and seemed knowledgeable. The place was extremely crowded and very noisy, in part because an employee who was giving a demonstration of some software was speaking in a microphone with his voice amplified by speakers in the ceiling. The noise level was such that at one point my technician had to leave the public area and retreat to the back room to be able to hear the hum of my hard drive. He came back with a diagnosis that implied the replacement of the motherboard. I said, Fine, Go ahead. It’s covered by my Apple Care warranty. So he went back to the storeroom to check if he had the part in stock.
Unfortunately, he didn’t. He said he would have to order it and that it might take from 2 to 4 days for him to receive it. I was annoyed to hear that it would take so long. I have a few Xerox printers for my business and whenever I experience problems, I talk with tech support in Oregon who manage to send me whatever part I need by Fed-Ex or some other courier by noon the following day. And here I was being told by an Apple technician that it could take as much as 4 days to get a part from the Apple warehouse…
My first reaction was disbelief. I would have thought that since Apple sells a very limited spectrum of products that their store would always carry all necessary parts to repair all current models. This wasn’t a Performa or some aging PowerPC-based computer that required service but a barely one-year old MacBookPro.
The worse was to come. The technician then asked me to take the ailing computer home until he had received the brand new motherboard, at which time he would call me on the telephone to ask me to bring the machine for repair. I said that I would rather leave it with him because the computer is completely useless in its present state as I cannot even power it up: the screen remains black. He replied that they didn’t have enough room to put it on a shelf somewhere and that I had to bring it home and then physically come down to the store with the computer once the part needed for the repair arrived.
Well then, I enquired, when I bring the computer will you replace the motherboard in front of me, while I am waiting? Oh no, he said. You will leave the computer with us and we will call you when it is ready, which usually takes an additional 2 to 5 days.
Fortunately, I have quite a few other macintoshes at my disposal so the inconvenience I encounter is not as critical as it would have been otherwise. But I was extremely disappointed by the way Apple handles the repair issue. In the old days, when I went to my local computer sore, I could at least get to talk with a technician on the spot, as I walked in, and not have to make an appointment a few days hence to enjoy that privilege.
Friday the 19th, evening: I receive a call from the Apple store, advising me that the part has arrived. I offer to come down immediately, to bring my computer so that they can install the logic board and revive it. No, no, that’s not the way it is done. We have to schedule an appointment to bring the computer to a genius. I reluctantly agree to come by at their earliest convenience, which is Sunday at 10 a.m.
Sunday the 21st, 10 a.m. : A genius takes a hold of my notebook and tells me that they will call me as soon as the repair has been done. When might that be?, I ask. 5 to 7 days, I am told. Incredulous, I go home, and wait.
Monday the 29th, afternoon: Someone from the Apple Store calls to tell me that I can come pick up the computer at any time. What? No appointment? No, no appointment necessary for pickup.
Next time around, I’ll try to find an accredited Apple technician who is not constrained by the Apple Store way of doing things. I remember in the old days, in the time of the MacPlus, or the IIci, you could get a problem fixed within 24 hours, all covered by the same AppleCare warranty which, in those days, meant remarkable service.
At any rate, things being as they are, you should make sure you have another computer to fall back on if and when you need to have a Mac repaired at the Apple Store, unless you can afford to be disconnected from the internet, and from all your files for a prolonged period of time. If you don’t already have one, the obvious solution is to purchase one on the spot and it might be tempting to look at some of those notebooks like the ASUS EeePC that sell for $329.99 and up. That’s what I would do.
