iPhone 11 I've Lost Faith In The Genius Bar

[ElRojito]

What type of educational background do the “Geniuses“ need to have to get a job repairing iPhones and Macs at the Apple Store? Generally at engineering companies a technician has to have the equivalent of a two year Associate of Science degree.

Back in my day we were sent to Cupertino for 3 weeks to have hand-on training. You then sat for the ACMT exams (software and hardware) and had two chances to pass.

Now the training is all on a computer and some of the geniuses have never actually opened a machine before touching yours. 😬

 

[bob_zz123]

I also think to a certain extent that Apple have had very liberal service policies in the past so people got an expectation that a certain resolution would be the case, for example when they used to swap out devices a lot more, now they tend to replace parts a lot more - and sometimes the complexity of the repairs requires shipping it to dedicated repair centres rather than in store. A lot of long-standing Apple customers get disgruntled by this because it is a change, unfortunately the world changes and some customers need to re-align their expectations of the repair service too.

 

[Fred Zed]

Genius Bar issues here too. My iPhone 14 Pro has a weird physical screen defect (not sitting flush, sunlight causes a weird halo effect) and even though they can see the issue and a display phone doesn’t do it, they won’t replace it. It passes all of the software tests therefore it must be perfect. Apparently this can’t be overridden.

I setup a return and will just have to buy a new one.

Yep. I’ve seen a similar trend, put it on a diagnostic machine and if it passes all the “tests” then there’s nothing wrong with it. Basically the computer says No. 😂

 

[oldMacGenius]

There are great Apple Stores, and there are terrible Apple Stores. Depending on the location one might have a completely different experience with the Genius Bar than a store that is a few miles away. It all depends on management, customer base, etc.

I first worked in a large Midwestern Mall Apple Store where the nearest store was over 140 miles away - to the northeast and northwest. To the South, next store was 300 miles+. The staffing never felt adequate and we were always a half hour behind schedule. We constantly had an abundance of walk-in customers, and the Genius Bar had no more appointments for the day. Worse, we had customers who would make a 90 minute trip for a 20 minute appointment, bringing 2 hours’ worth of questions they would have banked; plus they were always late….. If we strictly stuck to the schedule and ended the appointment on time, we get an explosion of anger. As the only repair option for 10 million people, consistency was crucial for us, meaning we set a standard that we had to live by. No one wants to hear that Apple gave a different experience to a friend who went in for the same reason. I would consider the set standard was a little bit more restrictive than what it should have been, but nobody really had a experience to compare it to. It was just us.

I transferred to the largest (non NYC/LA) US region, where I was surrounded by other store options. Being at a Flagship, we had a plethora of extra help available and the work was ten times easier. I also had a 45’ genius bar to spread my customers out at, and a iPod bar to boot! Coming from a 20’ Genius Bar with 5’ dedicated to checkout, extra space really made the difference between me hating work and me enjoying my job. It was the most empathetic store in the world as we made the highest number of exceptions worldwide, a trend that carried over to an additional location a mile away. We had supportive management that trusted our judgment, which was always to lean towards the best possible outcome for the customer.

As we were well surrounded by other stores, I got to see what it was like to work in different areas with vastly different customer bases - the only thing that was similar was that all were pretty affluent. Over time occasionally working on loan for a week here and there, I discovered that there were some stores with outstanding local clientele, and others that seemed like they forgot what it meant to treat people like humans.

One side of the region was dotted with high paying union jobs staffed by the lion’s share of the country’s advanced manufacturing workers. I volunteered often to help their local mall store when needed… was a place exists that I would be treated with dignity and respect. It was a store frequented with the kinds of people who were grateful for the help, and would even send thank you cards after the appointment. Everyone was happy to be there, even employees.

On the opposite side of the region, I had to work with some of the most awfully entitled people I had ever had to work with. The employees hated their jobs and everyone wanted to quit. Employees who had worked elsewhere had a visible aura of regret in transferring there. Every customer needed to have their own Karen moment in an attempt to get us to meet their unrealistic expectations of what the Genius Bar was for. I got to experience this personally, if just for the week. I had one customer demanding I replace both his Core Duo iMacs because they wouldn’t run Lion…. He asked (even though I reminded him his Mac was 6 years old) “How could Apple just dump the most loyal customers like that? I want two new computers today!” He left with his two Core Duo iMacs and left me with the threat that he was going to get me fired for being an *******. The same day, Karen #55 spit on a coworker, which Store Leadership failed in attempting to pressure the employee to drop it… nope, he got a nice settlement out of her.

After working in a total of 10 Apple stores in 3 states, in Indoor Malls, shopping districts, Major Flagship stores, and a significant store….. what have I learned? Bad Apple Stores where I hated working at tended to have really bad customers, and bad management. The experience I witnessed delivered was reflective of what one would expect from being burned out by bad customer experiences day after day.

My advice? Try a different store if possible.

 

[thestugots]

I've been an iPhone user since the 3G. I've spent a lot of time at the Genius Bar over the years, mainly in those first few years of the iPhone's initial existence. As the techie in the family, I'm constantly referring people to the Genius Bar to find solutions to problems I can't address over the phone. Until now. I will forever give my recommendations to the Apple Store an asterisk. Sad. This is why....

My dad called me up the other day complaining that his ear piece speaker wasn't loud and everyone sounded distant. My initial suspicion was that he needed to clean out the area. I sent him to Google (as I was driving) to look at different ways to clean the speaker area. He tried a few things with no luck. I said: Take the phone to the Apple Store, they should be able to diagnose what's going on. Or so we thought.

The next day, he's off to the Genius Bar. I get a phone call from him and he says the Genius states it's a $199 out-of-warranty repair screen replacement (since the speaker is attached to the screen). The Genius then went on to tell him that Apple would be willing to take the phone as a $220 trade-in towards a new phone. That's what the Genius thought he should do. He then went on to tell him that he shouldn't repair his iPhone 11 because it's soon to be obsoleted and the "4G LTE" networks are being shut down soon. He said it doesn't make sense to a fix a phone that's soon to be obsoleted this year-

Let me interrupt here. On what frickn planet would a GENIUS at the Apple Store tell people that an iPhone 11 is going to be obsolete this year due to the LTE being eliminated?????!!! Have we gone mad? I would expect this at a back alley repair shop trying to make a few bucks off of a 72 year old man, but THE APPLE STORE? Com'n man! That's a new level of incompetence or deception...I can't really tell which it is. It gets better.

- so my dad is left with three options A) Paying $200 to fix the screen B) Trade-in the phone for $220 towards a new $800 phone or C) Take it to a local repair shop to get the screen fixed for about $100. I told my dad to go to a local repair shop and make sure that whatever they fix won't come with annoying popups after the work has been completed and to also verify with them that everything is in working order before the repair (my last 3rd party repair, the guy broke my Face-ID and blamed it on me). I told my dad this because I didn't trust local repair shops. My intuition lied to me.

Today, my dad tells me he's going to the local repair shop to get his screen fixed for $90. He brings the phone in and the tech says that there's nothing wrong with the phone. They just need to do a deep cleaning to restore volume. $35 dollars and 15 minutes later, my dad calls me on the phone and says "I'm calling you from my phone and it's extremely loud!".

That's the story. It's anecdotal, but still shocking. Apple's branding is built on trust and this experience completely negates that trust with me. Not only did the Genius give incorrect, shady, and generally terrible info, he didn't even diagnose the problem! At the beginning of the story, I told you my initial gut reaction to what I thought was wrong: dirty speaker, needs cleaning. Why would someone who spends 8 hours a day fixing Apple products not attempt this first? It's extremely shady and mind boggling. The whole experience was terrible and that's why "I've Lost Faith In The Genius Bar".

I have a feeling this thread is gonna get busy because I had an almost identical experience when my iphone 12 screen blacked out, it just wouldn't turn on when i could feel the touch & vibrations.

The gEnIUs looked at my device in disdain, made some remarks about minor scuffs on the band affecting the display (?) and started prattling on about replacing the battery and upcoming iPhone releases??

They've just become glorified salesman. They didn't even attempt to diagnose it, they just arrived at a random conclusion that the screen need replacing for $399. Lo and behold, my screen flashed back on (during the appointment, HA) and it's been working fine ever since.

Around 4 years prior, had a similar screen issue with my macbook pro, though they couldn't deciper what it was, at least they took it in!

The tech bar is no more

 

[ManuCH]

My experience with the Genius Bar in Switzerland has generally been very good. I've had iPhone speakers deep cleaned with their brush and stickers more than once, always perfect. I've had batteries replaced, all no problem. And they tend to even make out-of-warranty replacements if it hasn't been too long, depending on the product.

So as always, YMMV.

 

[mikethemartian]

I’m a IT Infrastructure Engineer and I don’t have a college degree. But I grew up entrenched in technology, but that’s not what made me a good engineer. You can be taught anything with enough repetition and hands on exposure.

A good tech understands the concept of deductive reasoning and common sense. Actively listening and understanding the problem at hand. I think a lot of people in todays society lack a lot of basic situational awareness. We are more distracted than ever.

That’s why I said “the equivalent“.

 

[swarlos]

Dang!! I just recently left my job at an  store and went with two of my former coworkers last night one whom is a genius and they literally told me verbatim what you told is going on at the store.

Telling customers that phones that are two years or older are obsolete and to position trading it towards and upgrade. This is unacceptable and shows just how greedy  is. Steve Jobs saved  after their greedy downturn over 25 years ago, looks like they’re headed down the same path but this time Steve won’t be around to save them.

 

[cardfan]

Key Qualifications​

• Strong people skills and a knack for problem solving.
• Ability to maintain composure and customer focus while troubleshooting and solving technical issues.
• Ability to adhere to a schedule of customer appointments.

Additional Requirements​

• An aptitude for acquiring skills in technical repairs and an eagerness to learn about all Apple products and devices.
• Excellent prioritization skills and an ability to make decisions quickly.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Success in team environments, demonstrating shared responsibility and accountability with other team members.
• Flexibility with your schedule. Your work hours will be based on business needs.

According to the "oficial" job posting at Apple's website.

Translates to grunt worker. Don’t expect much. Lol

 

[Populus]

I've been an iPhone user since the 3G. I've spent a lot of time at the Genius Bar over the years, mainly in those first few years of the iPhone's initial existence. As the techie in the family, I'm constantly referring people to the Genius Bar to find solutions to problems I can't address over the phone. Until now. I will forever give my recommendations to the Apple Store an asterisk. Sad. This is why....

My dad called me up the other day complaining that his ear piece speaker wasn't loud and everyone sounded distant. My initial suspicion was that he needed to clean out the area. I sent him to Google (as I was driving) to look at different ways to clean the speaker area. He tried a few things with no luck. I said: Take the phone to the Apple Store, they should be able to diagnose what's going on. Or so we thought.

The next day, he's off to the Genius Bar. I get a phone call from him and he says the Genius states it's a $199 out-of-warranty repair screen replacement (since the speaker is attached to the screen). The Genius then went on to tell him that Apple would be willing to take the phone as a $220 trade-in towards a new phone. That's what the Genius thought he should do. He then went on to tell him that he shouldn't repair his iPhone 11 because it's soon to be obsoleted and the "4G LTE" networks are being shut down soon. He said it doesn't make sense to a fix a phone that's soon to be obsoleted this year-

Let me interrupt here. On what frickn planet would a GENIUS at the Apple Store tell people that an iPhone 11 is going to be obsolete this year due to the LTE being eliminated?????!!! Have we gone mad? I would expect this at a back alley repair shop trying to make a few bucks off of a 72 year old man, but THE APPLE STORE? Com'n man! That's a new level of incompetence or deception...I can't really tell which it is. It gets better.

- so my dad is left with three options A) Paying $200 to fix the screen B) Trade-in the phone for $220 towards a new $800 phone or C) Take it to a local repair shop to get the screen fixed for about $100. I told my dad to go to a local repair shop and make sure that whatever they fix won't come with annoying popups after the work has been completed and to also verify with them that everything is in working order before the repair (my last 3rd party repair, the guy broke my Face-ID and blamed it on me). I told my dad this because I didn't trust local repair shops. My intuition lied to me.

Today, my dad tells me he's going to the local repair shop to get his screen fixed for $90. He brings the phone in and the tech says that there's nothing wrong with the phone. They just need to do a deep cleaning to restore volume. $35 dollars and 15 minutes later, my dad calls me on the phone and says "I'm calling you from my phone and it's extremely loud!".

That's the story. It's anecdotal, but still shocking. Apple's branding is built on trust and this experience completely negates that trust with me. Not only did the Genius give incorrect, shady, and generally terrible info, he didn't even diagnose the problem! At the beginning of the story, I told you my initial gut reaction to what I thought was wrong: dirty speaker, needs cleaning. Why would someone who spends 8 hours a day fixing Apple products not attempt this first? It's extremely shady and mind boggling. The whole experience was terrible and that's why "I've Lost Faith In The Genius Bar".

They will probably send you an email to rate, to evaluate the Genius job. If you get it, please, fill the poll and detail your experience. That will help Apple deal with this worker.

PS: I’ve never had this kind of experience and always satisfied with the Genius Bar, but maybe lately this could be changing, I don’t know.

 

[one more]

I also guess your experience will vary depending on a multitude of factors: your country, size of the Apple Store, a genius, etc. It can be a hit and miss. Apple Store refused to repair my father’s-in-law iMac, saying it was “obsolete”, while the local one-man repair shop both fixed and updated it for him for a reasonable fee. Then when my 2015 MBP’s battery swell up, visibly damaging the chassis, Apple Store swapped the battery, the bottom lid and the keyboard (so only leaving the original screen) for the fee of replacing the battery (around 250 Swiss francs). Then the same store replaced my 3-months old iPad Air 4 with the light-bleed with an older iPad, totally fine cosmetically, yet with a more worn-out battery. So yes, their service quality appears to be quite random.

 

[Unami]

Lest year the home button of my less than one year old 2020SE cracked by itself lying on a table in front of me. (we got 2 years of warranty over here). When I brought the phone to the store they told me that this is no hairline crack (which it probably wasn't anymore after transporting the phone to the store) and that I had to pay €145 for a repair.

I think the most annoying part of this is, when you pay an arm and a leg for the hardware, but then don't get the service one would expect in that price range but an arrogant feeling "pay it or leave it" snub.

 

[Vazor]

I have a feeling this thread is gonna get busy because I had an almost identical experience when my iphone 12 screen blacked out, it just wouldn't turn on when i could feel the touch & vibrations.

The gEnIUs looked at my device in disdain, made some remarks about minor scuffs on the band affecting the display (?) and started prattling on about replacing the battery and upcoming iPhone releases??

They've just become glorified salesman. They didn't even attempt to diagnose it, they just arrived at a random conclusion that the screen need replacing for $399. Lo and behold, my screen flashed back on (during the appointment, HA) and it's been working fine ever since.

Around 4 years prior, had a similar screen issue with my macbook pro, though they couldn't deciper what it was, at least they took it in!

The tech bar is no more

This seems to be policy. If you have scratches/scuffs or wear and tear on your iPhone, your warranty is void. They will use it as a reason something is wrong with your phone. If you want them to fix anything under warranty, that iPhone better be absolutely flawless.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I’m not surprised. I remember when my M1 MBP killed my external drive, they basically had no answers. The Genius bar is a different place now. They don’t even send to Cupertino anymore for the two week training. It was essential during a time when Apple was an underdog and needed to prove itself.

This is a nearly three trillion dollar company. They are constantly looking for sources of growth. I am not surprised if that genius is actively trained to do what he tried doing to your dad.

There is good news though, while Apple has grown up from scrappy years into a snobby culture, a huge third party repair business has matured too. Many are very reputable and just need to do a little research before doing business.

Internally I think even Apple see’s this and even gives their blessing. Which why they are now offering better tools, documentation and making devices like the new iPhone 14 easier to repair.

The Genius bar was good for its time when Max users were few and if really wanted to ensure that PowerPC device was safely repaired.

 

[Jackbequickly]

The Genius Bar has deteriorated just like all customer service.

I am afraid we are beginning to see the results of our “woke” educational system.

 

[Corefile]

To be called a genius nowadays is a very low bar.

 

[gigapocket1]

To be honest.. as they've moved all their testing to diagnostic vs actually testing the devices and using there own eyes. It kinda sucks.. I had an apparent iPhone 13 pro Max problem and because diagnostics said it was fine there was nothing they can do...Attached part of a photo below.. My wife's iPhone 13 pro phone did not do this..

 

[gtg465x]

To be honest.. as they've moved all their testing to diagnostic vs actually testing the devices and using there own eyes. It kinda sucks.. I had an apparent iPhone 13 pro Max problem and because diagnostics said it was fine there was nothing they can do...Attached part of a photo below.. My wife's iPhone 13 pro phone did not do this..

I’ve seen that when oil has gotten on the camera lenses of family members. I would try cleaning with some dish soap.

 

[ian87w]

I remembered how Apple decided that the Genius bar/support division on the store has to be profitable as well. Thus the change in behaviors of the people in them as the main goal becomes profit, not actually servicing the customers.

I wish more people, especially in the main Apple markets, would show more protests and complaints to Apple about this. It's definitely worse in markets like mine where we don't even have official Apple presence, only authorized service providers who are doing worse job.

 

[ian87w]

I also think to a certain extent that Apple have had very liberal service policies in the past so people got an expectation that a certain resolution would be the case, for example when they used to swap out devices a lot more, now they tend to replace parts a lot more - and sometimes the complexity of the repairs requires shipping it to dedicated repair centres rather than in store. A lot of long-standing Apple customers get disgruntled by this because it is a change, unfortunately the world changes and some customers need to re-align their expectations of the repair service too.

Those less than white glove service would be acceptable if Apple's prices were adjusted accordingly. Yet all we see are increasing prices and record breaking revenues YoY. Thus the white glove expectations remains.

 

[sjperformance]

In all industries the quality of employees have diminished not just Apple. Waiters/cooks/drivers. During the pandemic many good workers quit their jobs and made room to bad quality lazy workers. I experience issues with workers everyday in my industry.

 

[iphonehype]

Have had good and bad. More good. The worst when when they replaced iPhone screen and didn’t seal iPhone properly so my sweat caused water leaked. Argued it wasn’t sealed which they could see. They then closed it back properly handed it back and said I need to pay for water damage.

Kicked up a fuss and they replaced.

I’ve also had logic board, top case, graphics chips replaced under warranty without issues.

2020 out of warranty MacBook died, they want £1000 repair costs. I called Apple U.K. customer service and claimed EU law of 6 years and they took it in and repaired for free.

I don’t understand how a company can charge £2000 for a laptop and after 18 months it stopped working and they wanted me to pay £1000 repair fee.

 

[ian87w]

This seems to be policy. If you have scratches/scuffs or wear and tear on your iPhone, your warranty is void. They will use it as a reason something is wrong with your phone. If you want them to fix anything under warranty, that iPhone better be absolutely flawless.

True. This policy is also enforced into the authorized service providers, where they will refuse repairs or service for non-relevant cosmetic damage. (eg you want a macbook battery replaced, but the upper casing has a slight dent on it, bam, no service for you). It is ridiculous.

We have many independent repair stores, but of course the parts that they used are probably non-genuine, although they tend to be more polite than the snobby authorized service providers.

 

[ian87w]

Have had good and bad. More good. The worst when when they replaced iPhone screen and didn’t seal iPhone properly so my sweat caused water leaked. Argued it wasn’t sealed which they could see. They then closed it back properly handed it back and said I need to pay for water damage.

Kicked up a fuss and they replaced.

I’ve also had logic board, top case, graphics chips replaced under warranty without issues.

2020 out of warranty MacBook died, they want £1000 repair costs. I called Apple U.K. customer service and claimed EU law of 6 years and they took it in and repaired for free.

I don’t understand how a company can charge £2000 for a laptop and after 18 months it stopped working and they wanted me to pay £1000 repair fee.

I wish these kind of shenanigans are exposed more in social media.

 

[kawa636r]

in my case the issue was with airpods3, the genius was a totally inadapt old girl which wasn’t able to do her job properly