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- evilempire, on 04/29/2008, -24/+212Man - I used to work at an Apple store, and every day since I thank the good lord jeebus that I got out of there. I love the OS, but man is that place a weird cult to work in.
- DeathJux, on 04/29/2008, -18/+152Ok, having worked in Apple Retail (as a Mac Genius [technician]) for two years, I can say that a bit of what this person claims is false, or s/he worked at a terrible store.
iPods - What the sales folk can do is reset or restore them. If it takes more than that, the customer has to talk to a Mac Genius. Now, depending on who the customer talks to, the solutions vary widely. If it's under-warranty, and not abused, it's a quick replacement. If it's outside of warranty, I would always give people all the options, including which part failed in case they wanted to pursue third-party repair/DIY. Apple doesn't repair individual parts in iPods, all the Apple-sanctioned repairs are whole unit.
AppleCare is a little better than just the extra 2 years of coverage: phone support. I currently work at an Apple-Authorized shop, and getting nagged with phone support sucks. For most people (aka not diggers), having someone to call is a huge bonus. .Mac's only redeeming feature is convenience, as it integrates pretty seamlessly with everything Apple. Not worth the money for me, but I gladly used it while it was free.
If you want a full-time job with Apple Retail, you have to be hired on at full-time. It's retardedly difficult for a part-timer to go full-time unless s/he is awesome or the store is desperate.
The rest of it is accurate.
Working for Apple was the best job I have ever had, but more because of the sort of people that wanted to work there. It was rare that I had a co-worker I didn't like, and I've met some of my now best friends while working for Apple. - DouglasScott, on 04/29/2008, -8/+111One little known Apple policy on the warranty- three major repairs and they will replace your laptop on the fourth. So on a three year warranty, you can use the living crap out your computer, burn out the logic board twice, say, and short out the screen twice, and on the fourth, tell them to mark it as "save for later". You can then call Apple customer relations and ask for a replacement based on it's repair history. The will replace it with the CURRENT model, 2.5 years newer than your beat to hell smelly machine.
- HaroldHupmobile, on 04/29/2008, -8/+84I got into a discussion about Apple with a fellow student who works at the local Apple Store. Die-hard fanboy he is. We were discussing the merits of OSX and Final Cut Pro when I stated that an Apple was a tool, not a lifestyle. He got extremely offended and shut up. This made me think about it.
- frogstik, on 04/29/2008, -11/+85I too worked at an Apple Store as a Mac Genius -- before that I was part-time as a Mac Specialist while working a normal full-time day job. In the beginning it was pretty awesome... everyone that worked there was really into Apple and the Mac, and we truly felt that we were helping the greater good -- showing people that awesome technology didn't have to be complicated, or daunting... and there was another way other than the Windows way.
It was good, people were cool -- and the staff was on average an older, more mature crowd -- and true Apple freaks.
Then, things started to change... Apple retail figured out that this stuff practically sells itself and they didn't need complete Apple fanboys/girls to preach the news to the masses. Enter what I like to call "The Shirt Folders" people who really should have been working at the Gap, but now they have an iPod and they're suddenly experts.
I remember sitting in the break room and a RNG (Random New Guy) is in the back and some of us old timers are talking about MacWorld and the upcoming SteveNote... he says, "what's the big deal about this company? why are they so secretive... it's stupid... and why does everyone get excited about that Steve guy...."
That's what Apple retail has become. I'm glad I'm gone. - nextyoyoma, on 04/29/2008, -7/+64Yes, ma'am, this computer is the right one for you because the kernel is very stable, and also open source. Lots of developers who don't work for apple work on it.
"So those people can just hack into my compooter and see my stuff?"
"Err, no, it doesn't work that way."
*blank stare*
this is what would happen if salespeople started telling people about what makes the OS good, as opposed to what makes the user experience good. - MurphyMac, on 04/29/2008, -6/+55A genius actually told me, "we're kind of the superstars right now." I bit my tongue and didn't laugh until I got to Sbarro. Wrote it up in my lengthy post about the Genius Bar.
- HookmasterCH47, on 04/29/2008, -16/+62The Apple Store went wrong when they started hiring people not for their knowledge of everything Apple, but because they had ***** looking beards and talked in a trendy manner. Most have no clue what Darwin is, let alone being able to really explain what makes Mac OS X a good solution for some people. I actually have to actively fight the urge to correct salesman at the Apple Store, not because my ego needs stroking but because I'm tired of people being told that Macs can do stuff that they can't I.E. "No Spam Ever" TFSU...
- snowboarder7, on 04/29/2008, -19/+62Buy something very small, have them email your receipt, and fill out the survey. The management will wait on you hand and foot.
- bigsteve, on 04/29/2008, -8/+48Ahem, let's see here.
7. What small consumer device experiencing malfunction doesn't have a diagnostic script like "powercycle, reflash, replace?"
6. Retail employees try to sell you things. Shame on them. .Mac is a rip-off, that should be obvious.
5. Cool, they're not hard asses on stupid things. Kinda comes with the premium brand thing.
4. Figured. If they did, there'd be a lot more leaks.
3. Retail employment is fickle; lots of people with lots of weird schedules and availabilities. Still, that sucks a little.
2 & 1. Are these confessions, or just a peek into their customer follow up policy? I don't see anything horrible here. You don't want them to have your email address? Don't give it to them. - DeathJux, on 04/29/2008, -1/+37Besides obvious dishonesty if you're actively trying to make parts fail, this is more or less correct. However, it isn't as simple as what DouglasScott stated, as circumstances and individuals play into it hugely. One technician may be willing to give you the benefit and do it easily, or s/he may choose to resolve it another way.
I worked for two years as a "Mac Genius" in Minneapolis and London. - pauleric, on 04/29/2008, -2/+37If working in retail electronics was your best job yet, I hope you're still in high school, or early college.
- DeathJux, on 04/29/2008, -2/+36"My father in law is on the phone with AppleCare all week. Every one of those phone calls represents time he isn't asking me questions like---I unplugged my Mac mini to move it, plugged it back in, and now it isn't on. What do I do? "Turn it on." "But I plugged it back in." "There's a button on the back, press it." "Oh, I didn't know there was a button." "Hey, can you please call AppleCare with questions like these, instead of me when I'm in the middle of a deposition?"
God bless AppleCare."
From the comments on Consumerist. People are hilarious. - TheUngod, on 04/29/2008, -0/+34I'd prefer a laptop that didn't die 4 times in 3 years.
- flashback99, on 04/29/2008, -7/+41Apple's a bit like an autistic savant - great with coming up with lateral useful ideas, but also has these convoluted rules that must not be broken or Rain Man will let loose a loud holler.
- amanilaenvelope, on 04/29/2008, -25/+59Wow. They seem more annoying than a best buy employee.
- COinOR, on 04/29/2008, -3/+36and ruin an employee's day in the process.
- obilon, on 04/29/2008, -2/+31This is a terrible story. I expected something juicy and I got nothing. NOTHING!
- MurphyMac, on 04/29/2008, -0/+21That was my experience, almost. Almost two year old Macbook Pro. 2 major and one minor problem and they handed me a brand new Macbook Pro. New warranty. Got me from Core Duo to Core 2 Duo and LED, etc.
- Marshalrusty, on 04/29/2008, -3/+24It should not be your preconceived intention to rip off the company even before you've used the product. If it has indeed seriously broken four times in the 2.5 years you used it (and not due to your own mishandling), then it can certainly be said that you "deserve" a replacement system for your trouble. If, on the other hand, you had always intended to rip off the company for a new system, then I would say you're not morally in the clear.
- bigsteve, on 04/29/2008, -0/+21I think Sbarro is Italian for "laxative."
If it's not, it should be. - wautrey, on 04/29/2008, -8/+28Being a former Mac Specialist mysef, I'm sorry to say that numbers 3, 6 and 7 are outright LIES. If you start as a part-timer, you can typically get full-time within six months of employment. Hour's are FINE as far as part-time, retail work goes. Everyone in the DC area stores(4 of them now) got more or less all the hours they wanted, so long as you didn't exceed the part-time limit.
As for ProCare being useless...It IS the 1 on 1 training...It's nothing ADDITIONAL. Procare is not simply an "upgrade" to Apple Care.
As for repairing an iPod. There's a lot that can be done there. If restoring or resetting doesn't work, the Genii WILL OFFER the option for a repair, even if it's out of warranty. You just have to pay for it.
This article is horse-*****. - HydrogenOxide, on 04/29/2008, -2/+21Eh, I've seen worse. At least you get free swag.
- insertAliasHere, on 04/29/2008, -0/+19"an Apple is a tool," as in "a computer is a tool." Not that he was calling the people who use Apples are tools. And if this guy thinks that his OS choice is a lifestyle, then he is a tool, plain and simple. I like Apple, I own one. But the diehards and fanboys embarrass me.
- DeathJux, on 04/29/2008, -0/+17Oh yeah, and ProCare was just about the best deal ever when it came out initially. Priority service at the Genius Bar (meaning jumping queues for appointments and for repair) while you also got to spend an hour a week with one of the "Creatives" (which, at the stores I've worked at, were ridiculously talented people) doing whatever the hell you wanted. One kid's mom bought it for him and he just made awesome movies with Star Wars effects and stuff.
We would jump through all sorts of hoops for data transfer too for ProCare customers. All sorts of crazy techniques had to be employed to transfer and sort contacts/email/calendar/photo crap from Windows machines in horrible, horrible shape to new Macs.
Once they split it into ProCare and One-to-One, the value isn't nearly as good for either. - rotten777, on 04/29/2008, -1/+18Sbarro's is cardboard with tomato sauce and bad cheese.
- Cerebral, on 04/29/2008, -1/+17My vote is that he's not.
- ibeetle, on 04/29/2008, -9/+25Number 1, 2 and 6 are incorrect or misleading.
Reads like it was written by a pissed off 19 year old just got laid off from Christmas temp help at a local Apple retail job. - sdcarter, on 04/29/2008, -1/+16These really aren't as bad as I was expecting. I was expecting horrible things or at least really bothersome things, like with the Dell confessions. These... are really nothing.
iPods can be repaired; they just don't usually need to be. ProCare isn't just an upgrade for AppleCare; but I won't go into it. And honestly, some of the other things didn't even seem like complaints... they were more like blunt affirmations that you'll get treated better at an Apple Store.
Here are some other confessions for you:
1) Specialists don't get commission.
2) Specialists are told not to be pressuring salespeople because, honestly, we both know you'll get it. So come back when you're ready.
3) Concierges can do many things Specialists can do... they aren't just meeter-greeters.
4) If you really want an awesome sales experience, sign up for Personal Shopping. You get an hour of no-***** attention from some of the best reps at the store.
5) This article wasn't lying when it said we really don't know anything about updates or new products. We didn't find out about the new iMacs until yesterday... when the delivery truck showed up. So don't ask us about 3G 16 "gee-bee" iPhones... we probably know less than you about it. - mateo60, on 04/29/2008, -1/+15The idea of a brand as a lifestyle is a bit disturbing to me. I love my Mac, but die-hard "Apple can do no wrong" fanboys make me uncomfortable. Don't give your loyalty to a CORPORATION. Come on....
- BossKey, on 04/29/2008, -2/+16"Most have no clue what Darwin is..."
Most don't need to know that. It's like knowing how internal combustion works before you buy a car...it's irrelevant to consumers.
I do agree that some salespeople overstretch. The worst salesman at the local Apple Store is always talking down PCs more than he needs to (smugly implying that the potential customer has been an idiot in the past to buy such a machine), and making claims about Mac OS X that are completely specious. His behavior obscures the actual advantages of Mac OS X and hurts credibility. - Joffroi, on 04/29/2008, -6/+19I agree.... I love their products (although they are a little over priced) but man, some of the "Mac fans" are just crazy. I expect them to all of a sudden simultaneously drink out of a punch bowl or something.
- Musicmonkey34, on 04/29/2008, -0/+12its nice to see a sense of morality on digg.
- boojoy, on 04/29/2008, -0/+12For me, the Apple Store went wrong when they started ignoring me because I'm in my 20's. Everyone is extremely rude for some reason when I'm in there alone (at any apple store). My remedy: I bring in my grandmother with me. Excellent service.
- sdcarter, on 04/29/2008, -0/+12I think you just had a douche at your store. I work at an Apple Store and I guess I could be considered The Shirt Folder Guy (not much Mac experience but loads of PC and sales). The only "tension" comes from one or two super-hardcore Apple guys being condescending asses towards anyone without their "superior" level of knowledge. But they're douches to everyone, so it's cool.
Working here is awesome. The hardcore Apple people mix well with the regular people. They're always willing to show me something new and are never asses about it. When I came on board I was expecting kool-aid drinking, silhouette-dancing, Steve-Jobs'-balls-licking freaks who all look like Justin Long. I was totally wrong. The team is diverse, everyone is cool in their own ways, and I honestly am happy here.
It's like they actually get how retail should be. "Dude, it's retail; do the job, but have fun doing it." They actually want their employees to be happy. I can honestly say I've never experienced this anywhere else. All my other jobs were just dumb retail gigs. This, well even when I'm fully into a "real" career I'll probably keep a few hours here. - trparky, on 04/29/2008, -0/+11It's called the "No Lemon" clause. Lots of warranties and service plans have this clause. Most also have a clause that states that if the cost of repair exceeds a specific percentage of the original purchase price, the item is "junked out" because it would be more profitable to simply give you a new product than to fix it.
- MattBD, on 04/29/2008, -0/+11Oh, and I've just read the XP EULA, and it includes the following line:
YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS EULA BY INSTALLING, COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE SOFTWARE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE SOFTWARE; YOU MAY RETURN IT TO YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND, IF APPLICABLE.
Pretty clear-cut! - MattBD, on 04/29/2008, -3/+14Slightly off-topic, but can anyone answer me this, because I'm curious about this point?
If you buy a computer with Windows installed, and you decide you'd rather not use Windows because you prefer Linux, FreeBSD or whatever, you can usually get a refund on the copy of Windows. The process is normally somewhat convoluted, but it's possible.
Now, if you buy an Apple computer and you don't want to use OS X, can you get a refund on it? - wjbp, on 04/29/2008, -2/+12I think it varies quite a bit from store to store and even within a given store.
This past Thursday, I took an ancient Powerbook 15 in. 1.5 G machine into the store and I was hoping I wouldn't get the genius that kind of hates me because I'm not into his band. Sure enough, he was dragging out helping this very pretty woman so I got this other guy that went far beyond what I could have hoped for.
I never even had Apple Care on this machine and it is around 5 years old anyway. There was a known issue with the logic board that was outside my serial # range and was about memory, not the ***** up monitor problem that I had. This guy totally took care of it. It is restoring right now. The genius has the ability to wave service charges on the floor and send it in. I think the other guy would have been "Sorry man, this machine is kinda beat, and there's nothing we can do."
I'm blown away with the whole thing right now but I can tell it is really because that particular guy was willing to just be cool. The whole thing was free. Even shipping to my door. Awesome. - Nickdotnet, on 04/29/2008, -0/+10As a former Mac Genius, I TOTALLY agree with everything you said. Our store was one of the highest ranked stores in the company, and we got to that point by bending over backwards for people. Apple was the best job I ever worked - the people were fired up to be there, and even though we had to deal with the occasional HORRIBLE customer, for the most part, our Genius Team and staff made up for it because we had so much fun.
- RealHyperX, on 04/29/2008, -3/+13Is it true that people that work at Apple stores have to wear superman underwear?
- inactive, on 04/29/2008, -0/+10It's possible that I'm spoiled, but the employees at the stores that I generally go to (SOHO, NYC, or 14th street, NYC) are far, far less detectably cranky than the ones in malls in New Jersey. I don't think I could bring myself to walk into another mall store again.
- Cerebral, on 04/29/2008, -1/+11You didn't RTFA! It said to do this if you didn't like something in the store as complaining to the manager will not get anything resolved. It said instead to do what snowboarder7 posted and then something will get done. Also it did say that they will give you discounts AND then it also said to return the item you purchased. Next time RTFA!
- MattBD, on 04/29/2008, -1/+10Wrong actually, I've heard plenty of stories of people getting refunds on Windows. Here's one:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6144782.stm - edebolt, on 04/29/2008, -2/+11I disagree about Applecare. Everytime I have bought I had no regrets. I would recommend buying it on Ebay and saving $50+. Besides getting fans and batteries replaced for free it also expedites the process. Especially overseas in Asia in my case.
- jakobmakob, on 04/29/2008, -0/+9Why is there always one retard?
- MattBD, on 04/29/2008, -1/+10Ah, I just checked Apple's website and it says that for software included with the hardware, you must return the hardware and the software to get a refund.
- garryw, on 04/29/2008, -9/+18I just got hired as a Psystar genius. Want to hear my confessions? I confess Apple charges too much for RAM. I confess you can run OSX on a PC. I confess...
- abyss478, on 04/29/2008, -0/+9sometimes the fake disks just don't cut it
- customer, on 04/29/2008, -0/+9Actually,
They changed ProCare, it's exactly what they said in the article.
It changed about a year ago, 1 to 1's is the new name for the old ProCare.
Trust me! I was a Creative for almost 2 years. -
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