2 scenarios:
1. obtain shiny new hi-tech device. 2 months later it deveops a fault. return to retailer. retailer takes device in and repairs/replaces it as per warranty. customer happy
2. obtain shiny new hi-tech device bearing logo of a certain fruit based foodstuff. 2 months later it develops a fault. return to retailer. retailer says- "have you been next door to the fruit store? it'd be better if you did that, as we have to send them away and it can take 14 days". go next door. go to the really busy end of the shop called the genius bar. eventually get assistance. advised I need to make an appointment to return my faulty device, and there are none left today, can I come back on wednesday (no, I'm at work) OK Friday it is then.
Customer is not particularly happy

Just as well I have a spare phone I can use. 🙁

Thread title anonymiser FAIL 😉

Fitness for purpose comes to mind? Refund?

LOL

You do realise that apple do not need to deal with you dont you? Your contract is with the shop next door not the greengrocer.

advised I need to make an appointment to return my faulty device

what conceivable justification can there be for that ??

what conceivable justification can there be for that ??

the returns queue is too long?

do they work on it 'in store'?

I'd expect to make an appt with my bike shop to have them look at my bike.

don't like it? Go back where you bought it would seem to be the answer

Ah, you've got to love Apple's w@nky system of a 'concierge' to meet/greet and then book an appointment with a 'genius'. LOL. They were very friendly though in a wide-edged cult-member kind of way 😉

At a prior company I worked for, it was common for it to take 6 months+ to get minor faults repaired on Apple laptops under warranty.

I think we had one fail (due to poor hardware, rather than abuse/misuse) about every 3 or 4 weeks, too.

used to be awesome a couple of years ago. i had one of the old ipod minis- it broke and they had UPS come pick it up from me, then a replacement sent out within a few days. now it is rubbish, i think the customer care got ruined by the popularity.

EDIT: i've got an appointment with a 'genius' in just over an hour. we will see how that goes…

Were the genius bar bods running seminars on the correct way to hold iPhone4 devices so they actually work ?

Yes, yes, and what is the service like in the HTC stores? How long before you see an HTC Specialist with diagnostic equipment?

And do the HTC guys tell you how to hold it so it works?

Well of course my contract is with O2/carphone warehouse but as you can imagine the branch next door to the apple store (meadowhell) is just not interested. If I had time I would have gone back next door but I had already spent 30mins and had to get back to work. I am hoping I will get a straight replacement when I go back on Friday but who knows.
I think they are too bloody popular for their CS to cope with now. The genius bar was hilarious, loads of people standing around it, eagerly trying to catch one of the 2 geeks eyes so they could be summonsed forward to kneel at the altar speak to someone.

<fanboi alert/>

🙂

most savvy apple users take any repair/applecare issues to an authorised service agent where there is no need to book or queue. the only time i went to the applestore was to get a new keypad/topcase and battery for my out of warrenty macbook which they did for free. (the agent had said to try the applestore as there was more chance the repair could be done for free)

<fanboi alert/>

1. You started it 😛
2. Not a fanboi as previous threads should testify to, particularly regarding the "antenna issue"
3. Your XMLfu is weak.

most savvy apple users take any repair/applecare issues to an authorised service agent

oh goody
where is the nearest one to Sheffield please?

You're kcuf since your contract is with the other retailer but then it is fruity brand so you can just bring it back to the fruity store.

The moral of the story … fruity brand control your life and the more you wan it the more it controls you.

Avoid working for technology as it should be the other way round.

Was thinking of getting fruity computer but ended up self building my own PC.

😕

ended up self building my own PC

Who do you take it to when it goes wrong?

So, you bought a phone at a shop, the phone develops a fault. You return to the store where you bought it, they fob you off.

you take it to a shop where you did not buy it, and they ask you to make an appointment to see a trained specialist, chances are they'll fix it in store, even though you didn't actually buy it from that shop. and you are pissed off with them for what reason?

IMO I'd be pissed off with the first shop that totally wiped their hands of you and your faulty device, even though you bought said item from that shop.

Yup need to stand your ground with the supplier not the manufacturer.

oh goody
where is the nearest one to Sheffield please?

believe it or not there is a search function on the apple site for authorised repair agents

(long link dunno if it will work but you could JFGI)

http://www.apple.com/uk/buy/locator/map.html?tySearch=1&viaProduct=4&viaSpecial=-1&strCountry=GBR&lat=53.3830548&lng=-1.4647953&gCountry=GB

The OP read to me as though the first shop were suggesting this might be quicker rather than completely washing their hands of the problem?

To be fair to Apple and their w@nky job titles, when my 3GS stopped working (very poor wifi and mobile signal), I booked an appointment for the day/time I wanted and turned up and got a replacement within 10 minutes.

DrJ: "Who do you take it to when it goes wrong?"

No one as I will just have to fix it myself because I built the system myself.

The most important thing to do is backup all the data.

Building the system is not difficult but trying to decide which software & hardware I want can be a pain …

😉

I don't care who fixes it.
It's under warranty.
If apple are prepared to fix it in their store and that is quicker than letting CPW send it to apple, that suits me.
This seems an odd practice, and one only really practised by apple? It seems to be to do with keeping the air of apple=special.

The problem is their appointment system.
You "should" be able to walk in to a store and get some sort of resolution, not be forced to make an appointment days later.
If the NHS can manage it, apple can.
It's just demand Vs capacity.
They clearly have produced a huge demand for their products, and therefore their technical service guys, but have failed to supply enough staff/appointments/time/whatever resource to service this demand.
That's how I see it anyway

In most Apple stores, you can be seen same-day. Some are busy enough (Regent Street especially) that it needs pre-booking. I think they reserve some spaces for same-day appointments, but they go quickly first-thing. Not hard to do online.

Every phone I've had via CPW that needed repair had to be away for a couple of weeks while I got some crappy thing in the meantime (if I was lucky). The CPW staff are probably just trying to save you from that.

Apple offer a in-store service that usually results in you walking away with a replacement phone there and then, with everything transferred over, regardless of who sold it – but that's rubbish because I can't just walk in and BE SEEN THIS VERY INSTANT. Strange world.

You "should" be able to walk in to a store and
get some sort of resolution, not be forced to
make an appointment days later.

If you took your car to a garage unannounced would you expect to be seen by a mechanic straight away?

You can book Genius appointments online. Then you can just walk in at your allotted time.

And while this may be a slight pain, I can't think of any other phone manufacturers where I can get anything like this service.

t's under warranty.If apple are prepared to fix it in their store and that is quicker than letting CPW send it to apple, that suits me.
This seems an odd practice, and one only really practised by apple? It seems to be to do with keeping the air of apple=special.

Well it's not really, it's the norm. You buy a Sony tv from John Lewis, it stops working, do you take it to the nearest Sony shop? It's the Apple store that are probably being a bit nicer than they need.
You normally need to make an appointment to see a genius at the stores- other people do, and you must concede that it would be a touch unfair for you to queue jump, especially since you didn't even buy it there.

If the appointment is full … errmm … does that mean many people returning for repairs? That is not good.

I do like fruity brand but somehow decided not to let someone controls me …

😆

Just wait until they tell you it is water damaged and not covered by the warranty! 😉

And do the HTC guys tell you how to hold it so it works?

Perhaps they design their phones so that you don't have to hold them in funky ways to make them work? 🙂

If the appointment is full … errmm … does that
mean many people returning for repairs? That
is not good.

Nope, the Genii deal with any technical customer "problems", including the "how do I turn it on?" type stuff.

My only experience of the Genius Bar has been positive. Bloke took my phone, hooked it up to the diagnostic kit, determined there was problem with the SIM card and sent me back to O2 for a new one (which fixed the issue). All free of charge.

Perhaps they design their phones so that you
don't have to hold them in funky ways to make
them work?

Nope (see previous thread about antenna stuff) they just don't draw as much bad press for it.

We shall see.
If it's as good an experience as Graham says I will be very happy.
The sim card works fine in 2 other iphones though so I think the problem is the phone itself.
Perhaps if the man in the apple store had said "you didn't buy it from us therefore we won't help you", there wouldn't be a 3 day wait for an appointment to see a "genius", for people who had bought their phones from apple direct.
Can you buy an iphone on a contract direct from apple?
Presumably not- just sim free for £££££££?

Um, taking the goods into a shop you didn't buy from means than any service you get is above and beyond what they have to do. Take it back to the original supplier and tell them to sort it, or except the good will gesture from the manufacturer to get it sorted far quicker than you otherwise would.

If the NHS can manage it, apple can.

Oh dear it's not a health problem. Your phone is faulty.

On balance, my iPhone developed a problem with the screen whereby the touchscreen would work even though I wasn't touching it.

I knew I would be down in London a couple of days later, so booked in an appointment at the Genius bar, and took the phone along. The shop was packed, and had a slightly smug feel to it, but I was still able to be seen at the alloted time.

The guy quickly examined it for liquid damage, he replicated the fault, then asked that I wait ten minutes so he could replace the screen.

Ten minutes!! Samsung, Nokia etc ask for ten days!!

Anyway, because I'd done my homework and booked an appointment, problem solved.

Oh, and mine was bought from CPW and not direct.