[ismhackett]

As a former Lead Mac Genius at a fairly busy Apple Store, I applaud the tips given by Macworld, but at the same time, for every 1 customer that makes an appointment and does things by the rules, another doesn't. That, long hours, only adequate training and retail pay means Apple burns through Mac Geniuses very quickly.
Volume is another big issue facing a lot of Stores - the sheer number of products that need work usually outweigh what the staff can do. That's where 3rd-party Authorized Service Providers can come along side and help Apple and their customers get back up and running faster than the Bar can sometimes.

[dcpics]

I know some of the Genius Bar employees and try to go to them first if I can, if not other folks at the bar have helped me. One rescued a DVD and saved my optic drive years ago.

But I won't forget the service they gave my elderly in-laws. Not only did they fix the computer for free (it was out of warranty, btw) but they carried to computer back to their car for them.

[MorrisTheCat]

My experiences with Apple Store geniuses (SoHo NYC store) have always been pretty positive. Since I know a fair bit about troubleshooting my Macs, I usually let them know right up front the things I've attempted to get the ailing equipment working again. I think they respect that I know what I'm doing and it saves them the hassle of trying similar tasks and wasting their time. While I'm sure none of these geniuses are at the level of high end systems engineers, they still know their stuff.
I think what's important to keep in mind is that the store geniuses are a first level attempt to fix issues. When something is beyond their skill set, the Mac gets sent out to more experienced engineers. It makes total sense for Apple to do this, because I'm willing to bet that 80% of the problems customers walk in with can be fixed right at the store. This saves the customer from having to ship out their Mac and wait for it to be returned, and I'd bet it saves Apple some money too.
I'm sure for every person like myself who has had positive experiences, you'll find people like rab777hp who have not. But I get the feeling overall that they do the best they can, and are fairly knowledgeable.

[fletc3her]

I just want to add that I've been very happy with Apple's mail-in repairs of portables. All the shipping is next-day and the computer can be back in as little three days. When something goes wrong on a MacBook I know it needs to be repaired and it is a lot more efficient to get it to the repair center and get it done.
Taking it to the genius is just an extra step that delays the process. It is less convenient for me since I have to travel to the store and wait for my appointment. Repairs at the store are rarely faster than the turnaround on the mail-in service. And, if you get a bad genius the whole experience can be terrible.
Imagine taking your machine in and the bastard telling you he won't send it in for repair. Un-be-lievable. This actually happened to me. I went out in front of the store and arranged the convenient mail-in repair on my cell phone. And, yes, the damn optical drive works a lot better now.
What the geniuses do well is solving simple problems. I've had a great experience getting replacement power supplies when the wires were frayed or melting and getting new ear buds for my iPhone.

[ronincali3002]

I had an interesting Genius Bar experience about a year and a half ago in Rancho Cucamonga. Had Pro Care card, had an appointment. Arrived a full 15 minutes early, and checked in immediately. Waited the 15 mins. until my appointment, and then 30 mins. beyond that scheduled/ProCare member appointment time before I was called up (yes, I stayed put, within earshot of the Genius Bar the entire time).
I knew the repair was going to cost me something because though I had ProCare, I was out of warranty (I'd failed to sign up for AppleCare in time before my 1-year warranty period expired).
Anyway, I paid what I had to, and left with my computer repaired.
Apple sent me an email survey within a couple of days afterwards, which I responded to, simply listing the facts of my experience, and expecting nothing. About a day later, I got a call from the Rancho store manager, apologizing for the time I'd waited past my appointment, and asking if I was willing to come back for a refund of the $100 in labor costs I'd paid. I went in, they gave me cash (they couldn't find the proper "store-credit" cards), and I left feeling better about Apple's customer service than EVER before.
That said, Apple should schedule appointments further apart so there's no overlap issue. They should also have managers actively monitor the Genius' cues and inform "next" customers if their appointment times are delayed.

[pixelcruncher]

These guys have to follow a script just like telephone tech support. I've never had to bring a Mac in (although between business and home I have owned dozens), but I've brought my iPhone in twice. Both times they went through the exact same processes I had gone through trying to repair the iPhone to no avail. Could they have saved a ton of time if they had just believed me? Sure, but how realistic is that? They've got a script to follow as employees of Apple, so count on them following it, and count on it taking some time. Both times they tried restarting, restoring, and reinstalling, and then they just handed me a new iPhone and I was on my way.

[geoffjefe]

rab777hp said:

the 'geniuses' really don't know anything

My experiences with the Geniuses with whom I have worked are diametrically opposed to your statement. Each Genius that has troubleshot my Apple equipment has been wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable.

It's too bad you have had such bad experiences. Please rest assured that not all Genius Bars are staffed by dopes.

[MattyDub]

Wow. It is disheartening to hear your tragic turn of events, as well as the resulting experience you had at your local Apple Store.

Let me start off by saying this. I am not an Apple fanatic, I always have Linux, Windows, and Mac machines up and running in my workspace every day and enjoy different aspects that each has to offer, as well as experience frustrations with each, some more than others.

Now looking at what the Genius Bar has to offer as well as well as the problems that folks are running into with their experiences at an Apple Store I think there are a few things that we should all keep in mind:

1. You will not find any technical support from a computer corporation ANYWHERE that supports their products as well as Apple does, nor will you find as high a quality of FACE TO FACE troubleshooting as you will find at the Genius Bar.

2. The fact that they are titled as a "Genius" is not a decision that they make personally, I think if you ask any of them they would say it may be a bit of overkill. I don't think any one person knows 100% the ins and outs of every piece of Mac hardware and software ever created, and the amount of knowledge that they have, as well as strive to continue to build, should be appreciated wether you get the result you wanted or not.

3. They are human beings just like you and me. They make bad judgement calls as well as have bad days just like the rest of us, and if you can't accept that then you should just petition to have their support include a lengthy pre screening and initial trouble shooting done by a painfully long automated phone system like many of their competitors offer.

4. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that you buy has the opportunity to go "tits up", some things covered in the warranty and some not, if that is not something that you are willing to accept then you should not buy anything, ever. Not only does Apple and their Genius team do a great job of support within warranty, but they also do a great deal outside the bounds of the warranty to help keep their customers moving forward with their Apple products.

At the end of the day, shit happens and Apple does a superb job of cleaning it up when it hits the fan. The best we can do is to do some planning ahead of time to make sure these problems don't affect us, and if they do Apple will be there to help us sort it out and that is something that I think we can all say is a great comfort.

[nckitkat]

I've been to the genius bar MANY times, in at least 3 different places, and never had anyone be rude to me. There were occasions that they were flummoxed, but went to another genius with different knowledge to get help. I have had to wait a few minutes at some of my appointments, but they apologize, and work to get to me as soon as possible. I have quite a bit of knowledge and can fix many things, also, but when I go in, I try to explain the problem succinctly and the steps I have taken to remedy the problem. I can only suggest that attitude makes all the difference- I go in patiently, listen patiently,try to be polite and remember that the genius is a person with feelings, also!

[hvizcarra]

Apple Genius Bar has been a blessing for me. I've tried it in 2 states and they have always done excellent, I got my battery replaced for free and got my macbook's repaired for free also, after AppleCare had expired, in none of those occasions I asked for those replacements, they were thrown in just like that.
Just remember that they're people too and let them do their work their way, it usually works best for you too.

[tcar0341]

AllmyPros, on 25 May 2009 - 09:34 PM, said:

Take it easy on the Genius Bar! First off my Macs are 99.99% trouble free! Second maybe the problem is the user. At least Apple cares enough to have a real live help center for the customers. Go try and find that for a p.c. from... Them!

I am glad to be rid of "Windoze" and my experience with my Mac has been superb. That said, I loathe the very idea of going to the "Genius Bar" at my local Apple store in Durham, NC. I have had warranty work performed on my MacBook Pro as well as my iPhone over the past 2 years and I'm not pleased with the staff. They are arrogant and condescending with an inability to believe that a Mac computer could possibly have a problem. Sure, the Mac performs much better than a "Windoze" PC but they are not without issues. Here are two actual examples of conversations that have taken place in the Apple store:

1. I took my iPhone 3G into the store after I upgraded to OS 4. My problem: The new OS was draining my battery in 3-4 hours. Before I performed the upgrade, I could take my phone off the charger at 7:30 AM and use only 1/2 of my battery by 10PM. When I explained the problem to the "Genius" at the Apple store in Durham, NC this guy tells me: "Well, 3-4 hours of battery out of a 3G iPhone is EXCELLENT performance." This "genius" then proceeded to dig in his heels and refuse to acknowledge that there was a problem with OS 4, even after I pointed out that online forums the world over were describing the same issue I was having.

2. I was having my MacBook pro serviced for an issue with the DVD drive. As I stood at the bar, the customer next to me tells the "Genius" that's helping him, "My wife's Dell laptop connects to our Linksys router using 802.11g without any problems. When I try to connect with my Mac, though, it just doesn't work." With a straight face and nasally voice, this "Genius" tells the customer, "Well, the hardware in your Mac is SOOOO advanced that the Linksys router doesn't know how to 'talk' to it." I was incredulous!

I think Apple needs to rethink their branding for the "Genius Bar". I think they should call it the "Hookah Bar". Their "Geniuses" are always quick to bash Microsoft while refusing to acknowledge that sometimes their Mac products have problems. Put down the pipe and breath some fresh air, folks!

[patsalwayshere]

Macworld, on 25 May 2009 - 06:15 AM, said:

Post your comments for Make the most of the Genius Bar here

i recently visited the apple store inside lakeside mall metairie Louisiana. the reason for my visit was because i tried to update my phone on my own to 5.0 and iTunes said there is a problem with your phone and need to bring it to a apple store. i went to this apple store and finally saw a tech and he plugged in my phone saw the same error message and took my phone to the back for a second and then returned and said my phone had water damage and couldn't be fixed and that i would have to purchase a new one for $150 dollars. i discussed with him if their were any possibilities to fix it or any other options other than buying a new one. since i am a little tight on money from buying a macbook pro the day before this incident. the tech insured me there was nothing he could do to fix the phone and buying a new one was the only option. well i decided to leave until i could save up some more money to buy the phone phone. well when i got home i plugged my phone into my mac book and tried to restore my phone. and the phone went through the process while i was thinking the whole time this is pointless it defenantly not going to work. but to my amazement my phone booted up and worked perfectly. the phone even saved all my last calls and web pages i had been on earlier that day. this process took me at most 15 minutes to do. while my experience took me about 45 minutes just for the tech to basically tell me I'm screwed and have to pony up the cash for a new iPhone. i feel this type of service is unacceptable. i didn't think the apple store was just to screw people over and take money. i mean the most one of those techs have ever done for me is try to plug my phone in and click a button. they should change their genius bar to the accounts receivable bar. because that what i feel their real job is. to take money and give their customers [censored] in return.

[krnchng]

If the genius bar weren't full of idiots and the apple store weren't so douchy, I would be more ok being caught in an apple store. Why do you need an appointment to reach someone who asks you useless questions about your warranty and serial number? I understand why you need an appointment to see a doctor, but not to fix a phone. It's just a freakin phone! Apple really needs to get over itself