Apple store appointment - Spent 1 ½ HOURS unsuccessfully trying to get appointment at local Apple Store yesterday. Had iPad issues AND wanted to buy new iPad and a MacBook Pro. I have screenshots of the chat to send to this site or to Apple - Tim Cook or any human that can help me.
You’re surprised? We live in a major metro area with many Apple Stores, an in the pre-pandemic era it took almost almost forever to get an appointment. It involved searching for an open slot among at least 10 stores, and usually having to drive to the furthest store. I do yearn for the Paleolithic era when I could just walk over to the nearest Apple Store to my office and just have a 15-20 minute wait to get my MacBook fixed, but those were the days when a large % of the world expected a quick demise for Apple.
Yes, waiting for an appointment is a PITA, and so is even needing to book an appointment, but think about how important Apple Stores have been to Apple’s rise to become the corporation with the highest valuation in the world. Apple has only opened a limited amount of stores and they are limiting the number of visitors, giving free masks at the door to those who need them, and instituting other safety requirements. They are concerned with the health and safety of their employees and visitors.
At least there are Apple Stores. Think about what people who need to get their Samsung, LG, etc. stuff fixed are going to have to do. And I’m just glad I didn’t have to wait on a long line to get into the supermarket this AM, and that they had chicken and toilet paper; but no spray disinfectants yet.
Our local store has gotten so busy the past few years that I just go before they open and they’ll give you a slot. They leave room for walk-ins.
Diane
Note that, as with most retail operations, as Apple Stores reopen, services, displays, and capacity are more limited than before. See Apple’s statement.
When possible, you should order new equipment or seek support online. For support, you can set up a call-back at an appointed time so that you don’t wait on hold. I have done this several times. If an in-store visit is required, either for a technician to work with the device or have it serviced or exchanged, it can be arranged during the call.
It appears that the ability to play with demo devices is currently restricted in order to limit the possibility of disease spread. So, I would advise taking advantage of online resources, both from Apple and other commercial sites, to narrow your choices for anything you may purchase. Once you have narrowed things down, take advantage of return and exchange policies to audition your first choice, and, if necessary, return it within the allowed time period (14 days for Apple).
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The email version of this reply was garble and incompleted. I have edited it and the more sensible version is visible on the Tidbits talk site at https://talk.tidbits.com/t/local-apple-store-impossible-to-get-appointment/12745/4
You are fortunate to have an open store available to you. Most of ours are closed and those that are able to be opened have reduced hours.
All the New York City and suburban Apple Stores have been closed since March, and are just beginning limited openings, like Alan described. They are as cautious reopening about here as they have been everywhere else. They just began opening some stores to do curbside pickups, and they are scheduling very limited Genius Bar appointments because of social distancing. They are taking take temperatures and give out masks to everyone entering. The really big Stores, like 5th Ave., do some socially distanced pick ups in store. It seems to me that Apple is trying to be safe and are as accomadating as they can be during a severe medical crisis.
Same here. Apple’s really just going with the flow around these parts. Most stores here are still closed except maybe for curb-side pickup and I think Apple does also offer some kind of curb-side service for repair drop offs. Some neighboring counties have started opening up, but we’re not. And our case numbers seem to indicate that’s (unfortuunately) still the right call.
I have found face-to-face appointments difficult to come by for years. It took the COVID-19 pandemic to teach me to use their online Support Services. I have used it 3 times in the past three months: twice were what I thought were hardware issues, once just to get clarification on a process. All three events were handled professionally and quickly. One resulted in Apple replacing a battery on an old laptop faster than taking it to the local store! They shipped a specific box to me to return the item. It took less than a week for the fix to take place and have the laptop back in my hands. The other two were resolved with OS fixes all done over the air.
All in all, I was very satisfied with the level of help I received in the comfort of my own home.
If you live in or near New York City, try this guy:
Some cities have independent repair shops that are better than the franchises. You have to dig a little.