Apple Genius bar

asyousay · 02-10-2009, 23:13

I have an appointment there tomorrow as my iphone is a complete joke and useless, just want to know if anybody else has been to one and do they ask you loads of questions and what kind of sucess rate is there on actually getting a new phone?

kosmos5457 · 02-10-2009, 23:23

I have been to the Apple Store Genius Bar at Liverpool One. This was a few months ago now, about two months after getting my iPhone. I had to take it there because my iPhone wouldn't make any calls even though I was getting signal, I was able to browse the internet as well as being able to send and receive text messages. Whenever I was trying to make a call, the phone would crash and require a soft reset.

Anyway, they didn't ask too many questions, they replaced the phone there and then. I think they issue refurbished handsets though rather than give out brand new ones.

Dan Sette · 02-10-2009, 23:23

Why is your iPhone a joke? The nature of the problem may help.

My iPhone developed what looked like a small bubble under the screen. It was right in one corner and didn't affect its performance at all.

However, I was in an Apple store buying an iTrip and happened to mention it to the sales guy wondering if he has seen anything like it and if it was possible to get worse.

He talked to a genius member of staff, who as he didn't have an appointment upcoming took a look at it.

Said that he'd not encountered anything like it, but would change it anyway to be on the safe side. The phone was eleven months old.

If there is something wrong with the phone, I think they's be fair. They certainly were with me.

asyousay · 02-10-2009, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Sette

Why is your iPhone a joke? The nature of the problem may help.

My iPhone developed what looked like a small bubble under the screen. It was right in one corner and didn't affect its performance at all.

However, I was in an Apple store buying an iTrip and happened to mention it to the sales guy wondering if he has seen anything like it and if it was possible to get worse.

He talked to a genius member of staff, who as he didn't have an appointment upcoming took a look at it.

Said that he'd not encountered anything like it, but would change it anyway to be on the safe side. The phone was eleven months old.

If there is something wrong with the phone, I think they's be fair. They certainly were with me.

My phone since the Apple update 9.0 has started to black out on me, all you get is a black screen and you cant turn it off or anything and then 5 mins later its all fine again. Also when doing a command like trying to ring somebody it then freezes . The camera has also freaked out a few times by taking about 20 pics when im not even using camera.

Also battery life is now useless, a fully charged battery is lasting about 4-5 hours , then when you charge it its fully charged within 40 mins, it used to take 2-3 hours to fully charge it.

Also the silent button has broken off in the last 2 weeks.

Inkblot · 03-10-2009, 10:31

My son had a problem with his iPhone and took it into the store. He was told that he had to make an appointment for the Genius Bar so did so using a computer in the store. Then he went back for the appointment, the guy plugged it in and could see all the relevant information on his Mac. He replaced the phone without question and, despite being decked out in Apple teeshirt, earphones etc, was very professional. That's my experience with the Apple stores in general, you won't get bad service or badly-trained staff. But they did refuse to exchange another customer's iPhone because they could see evidence of water damage.

kosmos5457 · 03-10-2009, 10:50

Water damage is the first thing they look for. The shine a light into the earphone jack and into the dock connector as these parts of the phone have parts within the connector that will change colour if water has come into contact with it.

I would think that you would easily get a replacement if your phone is not water damaged. They connect it into the computer and there is some diagnostics tool that they have. I know in my case when i took my phone there, it was saying how many calls I had made etc and how many had been dropped. They didn't ask any more questions, and got a replacement out the back.

The Apple Genius people are good, they tend to be young people and you will find them with the Apple earphones on them as it's all part of the stores image. They want their staff to look cool, approachable and customer friendly.

03-10-2009, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by asyousay

I have an appointment there tomorrow as my iphone is a complete joke and useless, just want to know if anybody else has been to one and do they ask you loads of questions and what kind of sucess rate is there on actually getting a new phone?

It's a bit of an aside, but God how that delusional name - Genius Bar - grates on me; since when did working in a crappy job fixing unreliable mobile phones make anyone a genius?

Inkblot · 03-10-2009, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by sand witch

It's a bit of an aside, but God how that delusional name - Genius Bar - grates on me; since when did working in a crappy job fixing unreliable mobile phones make anyone a genius?

It doesn't make them a genius. But they also handle technical problems with all Apple products, so have to be able to diagnose faults with laptops, desktops, iPods, wireless networks and anything else that may need attention. It's simply a brand name for Apple's in-store technical support staff.

03-10-2009, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkblot

It doesn't make them a genius. But they also handle technical problems with all Apple products, so have to be able to diagnose faults with laptops, desktops, iPods, wireless networks and anything else that may need attention. It's simply a brand name for Apple's in-store technical support staff.

I know it doesn't make them geniuses, but they don't seem to. That's what Apple call their staff who work there - "Geniuses". You might as feasibly call your IT Department technical staff 'Nobel Laureates', or the people that work at McDonalds 'Michelin Chefs'. It's totally delusional, and for me sums up what's worst about Apple's grossly-inflated perception of themselves.

02-10-2009, 23:13	#1
asyousay Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: London Posts: 35,635	Apple Genius bar I have an appointment there tomorrow as my iphone is a complete joke and useless, just want to know if anybody else has been to one and do they ask you loads of questions and what kind of sucess rate is there on actually getting a new phone?

02-10-2009, 23:23	#2
kosmos5457 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anglesey Posts: 1,262	I have been to the Apple Store Genius Bar at Liverpool One. This was a few months ago now, about two months after getting my iPhone. I had to take it there because my iPhone wouldn't make any calls even though I was getting signal, I was able to browse the internet as well as being able to send and receive text messages. Whenever I was trying to make a call, the phone would crash and require a soft reset. Anyway, they didn't ask too many questions, they replaced the phone there and then. I think they issue refurbished handsets though rather than give out brand new ones.

02-10-2009, 23:23	#3
Dan Sette Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Cornwall (at last!) Posts: 5,641	Why is your iPhone a joke? The nature of the problem may help. My iPhone developed what looked like a small bubble under the screen. It was right in one corner and didn't affect its performance at all. However, I was in an Apple store buying an iTrip and happened to mention it to the sales guy wondering if he has seen anything like it and if it was possible to get worse. He talked to a genius member of staff, who as he didn't have an appointment upcoming took a look at it. Said that he'd not encountered anything like it, but would change it anyway to be on the safe side. The phone was eleven months old. If there is something wrong with the phone, I think they's be fair. They certainly were with me.

02-10-2009, 23:28	#4
asyousay Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: London Posts: 35,635	Quote: Originally Posted by Dan Sette Why is your iPhone a joke? The nature of the problem may help. My iPhone developed what looked like a small bubble under the screen. It was right in one corner and didn't affect its performance at all. However, I was in an Apple store buying an iTrip and happened to mention it to the sales guy wondering if he has seen anything like it and if it was possible to get worse. He talked to a genius member of staff, who as he didn't have an appointment upcoming took a look at it. Said that he'd not encountered anything like it, but would change it anyway to be on the safe side. The phone was eleven months old. If there is something wrong with the phone, I think they's be fair. They certainly were with me. My phone since the Apple update 9.0 has started to black out on me, all you get is a black screen and you cant turn it off or anything and then 5 mins later its all fine again. Also when doing a command like trying to ring somebody it then freezes . The camera has also freaked out a few times by taking about 20 pics when im not even using camera. Also battery life is now useless, a fully charged battery is lasting about 4-5 hours , then when you charge it its fully charged within 40 mins, it used to take 2-3 hours to fully charge it. Also the silent button has broken off in the last 2 weeks.

03-10-2009, 10:31	#5
Inkblot Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: West London Posts: 24,316	My son had a problem with his iPhone and took it into the store. He was told that he had to make an appointment for the Genius Bar so did so using a computer in the store. Then he went back for the appointment, the guy plugged it in and could see all the relevant information on his Mac. He replaced the phone without question and, despite being decked out in Apple teeshirt, earphones etc, was very professional. That's my experience with the Apple stores in general, you won't get bad service or badly-trained staff. But they did refuse to exchange another customer's iPhone because they could see evidence of water damage.

03-10-2009, 10:50	#6
kosmos5457 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anglesey Posts: 1,262	Water damage is the first thing they look for. The shine a light into the earphone jack and into the dock connector as these parts of the phone have parts within the connector that will change colour if water has come into contact with it. I would think that you would easily get a replacement if your phone is not water damaged. They connect it into the computer and there is some diagnostics tool that they have. I know in my case when i took my phone there, it was saying how many calls I had made etc and how many had been dropped. They didn't ask any more questions, and got a replacement out the back. The Apple Genius people are good, they tend to be young people and you will find them with the Apple earphones on them as it's all part of the stores image. They want their staff to look cool, approachable and customer friendly.

03-10-2009, 14:20	#7
sand witch Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by asyousay I have an appointment there tomorrow as my iphone is a complete joke and useless, just want to know if anybody else has been to one and do they ask you loads of questions and what kind of sucess rate is there on actually getting a new phone? It's a bit of an aside, but God how that delusional name - Genius Bar - grates on me; since when did working in a crappy job fixing unreliable mobile phones make anyone a genius?

03-10-2009, 14:30	#8
Inkblot Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: West London Posts: 24,316	Quote: Originally Posted by sand witch It's a bit of an aside, but God how that delusional name - Genius Bar - grates on me; since when did working in a crappy job fixing unreliable mobile phones make anyone a genius? It doesn't make them a genius. But they also handle technical problems with all Apple products, so have to be able to diagnose faults with laptops, desktops, iPods, wireless networks and anything else that may need attention. It's simply a brand name for Apple's in-store technical support staff.

03-10-2009, 15:18	#9
sand witch Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by Inkblot It doesn't make them a genius. But they also handle technical problems with all Apple products, so have to be able to diagnose faults with laptops, desktops, iPods, wireless networks and anything else that may need attention. It's simply a brand name for Apple's in-store technical support staff. I know it doesn't make them geniuses, but they don't seem to. That's what Apple call their staff who work there - "Geniuses". You might as feasibly call your IT Department technical staff 'Nobel Laureates', or the people that work at McDonalds 'Michelin Chefs'. It's totally delusional, and for me sums up what's worst about Apple's grossly-inflated perception of themselves.

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Apple Genius bar