This is the worst Apple store! the people who work here are really rude and have no customer service. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER in any apple store! I went in with my phone that is keep shutting down on its own and basically useless. And nobody was willing to even talked to me about it let alone help! I was told they are booked and can't help! The next available appointment is next Wed! a week later, wow. This was my last time at this store. read more

It's not the best apple store I've been to, but it's not the worst. Even with an appointment, on a Sunday evening, during a warriors game I still had to wait 45 minutes past my time. Once I got the help it was friendly and quick, I was just a little cranky to wait that long. I'd still come here over the Emeryville store. read more

Employees are so RUDE here. Went in at 1pm to get AppleCare for my phone. No appts they told me they had an opening at 4pm so to come back then. I drove an hr to get here so I waited around and came back at 4. Then 2 guys that work there told me that no I had no appt and kept repeating "you have to wait, if we have time we'll get to you." No apology, no understanding that I was driving 2 hrs round trip and no explanation as to why I waited around until 4pm for nothing. Wasted my time and then were completely unwilling to work within a reasonable time schedule. Also, when someone asks for help, don't repeat the same sentence verbatim like a robot repeatedly, it's extremely condescending and irritating. read more

Sanchez was fantastic !! So knowledgable !! Was able to explain how the upgrade program worked in terms I could understand. I really appreciate the time he spent to make sure I felt comfortable making that jump into the upgrade plan! He is amazing and so personable .. Good job Apple for hiring such a great person! A+++ read more

Where do I begin with my experience. First Eric B sold my mother a new iPhone that she paid for out of pocket no upgrade 849 dollars. He did not activate her phone he just left. Secondly we ask someone to activate it before we left. They proceed to give her nothing but attitude. So the "manager" Mike I use the term loosely. He was so rude. Instead of him helping get her phone activated. He said I can just return the phone for you & you can go on your way. It's a shame that Apple has these type of people representing there company especially a manager. She's was finally going to upgrade her dinosaur 4s that she's had since it first came out. This experience has put the worst taste in her mouth. Now she doesn't want to upgrade anymore. Thanks Eric B and Mike the manager. read more

For the first worker that helped me I would give 5 stars, he was very nice and knowledgable. I wish I had names for both associates but I don't. The second worker who helped me though was an older woman and she was very rude and didn't seem to have iPhone knowledge. Thanks to her customer service I will not be coming back to this Apple Store. I wish I knew her name but she was rude, I had questions and she said "sorry I can't stand here and answer your questions I have people behind you". Well really lady I should matter to you as much as them. You shouldn't jump on to the next customer until your current customer is satisfied. This was all within 30 seconds, so I don't know what her hurry was. Please leave your attitude at home, customer service is key at the workplace. read more

So I went there today to pickup my replacement phone and took me 20 minutes to just to get my phone. The lady told me to sit by the bar without and someone will help me and so I did sat by the bar and its been 20 minutes of sitting there no one has even acknowledge me and no one has ever asked me if I needed help, while some of the employees are just walking back and forth and I'm pretty sure they have noticed me because I was sitting by the end of the bar where most of the employee at. So after waiting for that long I finally stood up and asked one the employee if someone can help me because I have beenn waiting for 29 minutes and Iam just picking up a phone and Oh whats even worst is that the supervisor or thr manager was standing right across from me didnt even bother to asked me if i need help. Horrible customer service!!! Y'all need to get fired especially that ugly ass !! Maybe I should complain to the Corporat office!! read more

I just walked into the Apple store to buy the new apple watch @ 2:20 PM. The sales man asked me what model I wanted & verified that it was in stock, but that the earliest appointment they had to BUY the watch was 5:30 PM!! 2 hours & 5 minutes to wait to buy??? There was NOBODY waiting in line out front. I wasn't asking for a demonstration, or genius bar service. I just wanted to buy it & leave. What complete horrible customer service! Nothing on their website states you have to make an appointment to buy either. So frustrating!! read more

The Apple is rotten! We took back a computer under warranty for the second time tonight, " we don't know if we can check you in". Other customers were desperately trying to get their Apple products repaired.... Ugly scene... read more

There are other Apple stores around the area with much better customer service. We have been here multiple times. Customer service is great if you want to buy something (especially a big ticket item like a phone), but if you want to fix something - even when you have an appointment - be prepared to wait. When Apple began its discounted battery repair appointment, my husband made an appointment at the store and we showed up early. Without an explanation, Apple proceeded to make us wait for over thirty minutes before they would even help us or answer any questions for why we had to wait. This defeats the purpose of making an appointment in the first place, but oh no, this store is adamant about you making an appointment - otherwise they won't help you. Caveat: don't even try calling the number listed on the store just to talk to someone to see if a particular item is in stock or ask a simple question related to that store. There is no point in calling that 510 number listed in the directory. Apple's strategy now is to get you into the store rather - most likely in the hopes that you'll browse and peruse your way into buying something else. Apparently Apple's new protocol is to route callers who call the store directly into the network of general Apple tech support, so you're talking to someone across the country and more importantly, waiting in a super long queue with others who have real tech support questions and issues to be answered. That tech support person will try calling the store for you, to check if something is in stock - ASSUMING THE STORE ANSWERS. This is an utterly, absolutely inefficient way of running customer service, not to mention it's not customer service at all. Why is a complete game of telephone involved? What happened to good ole' telephone calls? (Note, I called the local bookstore before the Berkeley Apple store to check if they had Bob Woodward's latest book in stock - they did not, placed me on the waiting list, and said they would call me when my order was in. Whole thing took a minute.) By comparison, I was on hold or trying to explain to Apple tech support for FORTY MINUTES trying to find out whether they had a battery in this Berkeley stock so I could avoid going to the store twice. What was Apple support's first response? Make an appointment with the store. Seriously? The whole point of calling in is to avoid two trips. And I have to make an appointment just to see if an item is in stock? That's ridiculous. The second rep told me that she tried calling the store three times but the store would not answer, so SHE SCHEDULED ME FOR ANOTHER TELEPHONE APPOINTMENT THE NEXT DAY WHERE ANOTHER TECH SUPPORT WILL TRY CALLING THE STORE. Are you out of your mind?! It would be faster for me to drive there and back (but the whole point is to save a trip and gas money). Sooooo I have a telephone appointment on Saturday, to see if Apple tech support can reach the Berkeley store for me, to check if an item is in stock at that store, assuming that the Berkeley store answers? Bottom line: horrible customer service at this location unless you are there in person to buy some big ticket item. Don't try calling the Berkeley store telephone - it's basically a useless line. They just want to get you into the store to buy more product. If Android phones were better, I'd be switching to an Android product. read more

I don't mean to come off as needy. Really, I don't. But for someone as technology-challenged as myself, I needed help with my computer (and not wanting to trust any of my friends, who had already successfully erased more than half of my information stored on it), thought, ahh, I will go to the new Apple Store that just opened on 4th st! New, and convenient! But it was there that I was rudely made aware that along with making a reservation on-line to meet with someone at the Genius bar, you also have to be alluring, clingy, bribe-y, and boot-licking to get any of the "Genius'" to grace you with their presence! Perhaps it was a busy night, or my request was too "simple" and "silly" to bug them with, but my "Genius" was bored, grumpy, and abrasive with me. After listening to my request, he started working on it, asked for my password, and while I was trying to figure it out, bounded away to do something else. Given that there were tons of other workers floating around, and he was most certainly not Mr. Apple himself, I saw no reason why he would leave for 10-15 minutes at a time to help other people, or snicker with other workers in a corner, until he would come back, press more buttons without explaining what he was doing, and tell me I could've done this from home. At one lengthy break, I tearfully enlisted the help of someone else, who tried to help two people at the same time, which was when my hero came bounding back, and informed me that Apple philosophy states that I should learn to fix these problems myself, and to not be so dependent on help. Then what is the point of your employment, sir? I don't mean for this to be a reflection on Apple products, many of which I proudly own, and am happy to have/use, but more to the customer service at this store, which is just as important! I know your fearless leader has passed, but this is not a green light for snarky, lackadaisical service! read more

The old adage is that Apple really has you over the barrel, and this store proves it's true. I went in to upgrade from my old MacBook to an Air Book. I wanted to migrate my files and information over to the new model. All I got was the upsell: "you can sign up for these classes," or "you'll want to buy an external hard-drive," and more of the like. I'm not the greatest with tech, so I tried to ask if there was some way to just transfer all my things from the old model to the new one sans classes and/or external drives, the sales associate thought about it, then did a web search, and then decided there might be. I'd had enough by this point. I've always been pretty happy with Apple products, but I thought one of their selling points was nice people in the stores who are able to help you. This was sadly not the case at the Berkeley Apple store read more

I am a faithful buyer of Apple products. I have also had great luck at the Genius Bar in the San Francisco stores. I have an iPhone 6 plus whose screen failed a few weeks out of warranty. To replace the phone I have already paid about $750 for - they want another $329. Needless to say, I was not pleased with this turn of events but the SF Store where I originally had this discussion suggested I do some research - which I did. Today, I was in Berkeley stopped in to try and resolve the situation. The individual contributors were helpful. To have any hope of a positive resolution, I needed to speak to the Manager. One of the poorest customer service interactions I have ever had. Nothing but excuses and rationales and trying to get me out of the store and on the phone with Apple on some corporate number so I would not be his problem as well as attempts to put the blame on me for taking the time to try and fix the problem without contacting Apple Support. My suggestion would be to avoid this store like the plague. read more

This store seems to generate a lot of five-star ratings, and a lot of one-star ratings. I had a five-star experience with three different five-star salespeople. These people deserve to be called out for very special attention, because they provided very special attention to me. They are: KATY KATHERINE WENC HUGH LOVELL I had purchased an iPad Pro, 12.9". It was my first touch-screen anything. I don't even own a cell phone. I have a Windows (XP!) desktop, and that's it. I needed help. They provided it. I am eternally grateful to them, all of them. If you buy a new device from this store, and need help in setting it up, please do everything you can to get one of these three wonderful people. I was treated well at the Genius Bar, too. I got JOSHUA. He couldn't solve the problem, but he did all that he could do, and he cared enough to try. (The fault wasn't with the iPad but with a MacBook in Mexico, with which I was trying to communicate.) The problem at this store...and probably all Apple Stores...is the people who roam the floor and direct the employees to go to other places or do other tasks. This, I suppose, improves the efficiency of the store...to the benefit of Apple, not to you. Katy actually approached me to try to help, and was immediately sent elsewhere. The control guy may have decided that I had already had enough attention. I don't know. I just know that this store has a control-freak vibe, and that a lot of the salespeople look at their Apple Watches with remarkable frequency. If you have the good fortune of being allowed access to one of the people I've mentioned, you will have a five-star experience. If you get the sales guy who deserted a customer to play with a dog, you'll probably be writing a one-star review. You'll also, possibly, never return to this store. However, I guess that all Apple stores are like this, and that people tolerate the store in order to get the product. If you look only at the overall-average rating, you will think that this is a three-star store. In my experience, this is not a three-star store. It is a one-star or a five-star, depending on your luck. I WILL return to the store when it's time to get my MacBook...I have joined the Believers...but, if the Kontroller only lets me talk to dogboy, I'll be walking out. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you all, and especially to Katherine, Katy and Hugh. read more

9/21/2012: no line. my choice of iPhone 5 - black or white. excellent customer service. thank you! read more

My wife went to buy an iPhone screen protector and asked a male employee about it's availability. He didn't help her and assumed the store did not have it and told her to go look it up on the computer. How lazy can one be? I'm amazed the store pays people to work like that! The store did have it and she found it there. What a lazy store employee. I hope they are all not like that there. I sure won't shop there. read more

Stopped in yesterday (final weekend before Christmas) with a friend. She had several transactions (exchange new phone for different model, trade-in old phone for credit, but iPad) and I had an inquiry (trade-in value of old phone). We were primarily helped by Niko, who was super helpful and accommodating as my friend changed her mind on several items. He helpfully offered to look up an employee discount without prompting, and helped us think through the best way to maximize the trade-in values. When he had to step into the back for something, we were offered help by several other employees. When it was time to look at cases, there was no pressure to buy the overpriced Apple ones, and he offered some things to look for if we shopped on amazon. I was also pleased to see that they continue the Apple trend of hiring employees with disabilities. What a pleasant experience in the midst of what is usually holiday shopping madness. read more

My laptop was recalled. I took it in to get it repaired and all went well. The gentleman Case who helped me was great but afterwards it was impossible to talk to a real person about getting my laptop back. (I live 4 hours away). And once I finally did they were rude and annoyed. Not stoked about waiting hours on hold and talking to robots who can't help. read more

Made a reservation but they still made me wait 25 min. They asked me to describe problem but I had done so on the reservation which they ignored. They misdiagnosed the problem as hardware and I had to tell them it was software. They claimed to have fixed the problem but never tried it out. When I insisted they did the "genius" (their title not mine) was surprised. I was surprised he was surprised. They believed me in thinking the problem was software and fixed it again. It is now 4 days later and I have had to make another reservation because the problem persists! I have tried to keep this factual - now a personal observation. How self absorbed must a company be to call their repair shop the "Genius Bar?" read more

I drove one hour to get to 4th street after making an appointment 2 weeks in advance. I arrived 4 minutes late, FOUR, I do not exaggerate, and they canceled my appointment. I would have to wait 45 minutes to see someone for my faulty battery which was less than 1 year old. (I ended up at the Coddingtown store where they informed me that the warranty was voided due to 'liquid contact indicator' and quoted a $750 repair tag......) Apple hates us. read more

I recently visited this apple location on Thursday after my brand new iPhone 7 PLUS kept turning on and off every few seconds. I attempted to make an online reservation at the GENIUS bar before coming in but they were completely booked. The overall wait time was about about 45 mins but it was worth it. Zach was very friendly and quite knowledgeable. He patiently listened as I went over some of the issues I had experienced with my phone and had walked me through all the trouble shooting steps he was doing to help resolve the issues. I'll certainly be returning to this apple location in the future and would recommend it to others! read more

Got to the Berkeley Apple store around 3:30 pm today and while they were still a bit busy, we were greeted immediately and lucky enough to get Mark helping us right away. He answered all of our questions and helped us choose the right iPhone for my husband. He resolved all of our problems with an old iPhone and got our newly purchased one working quickly. Then we were helped immediately with set up and didn't have to spend more than about 45 minutes there for everything. This is the best service we have ever received from Apple and will go to this store in the future (even though it's a little longer drive) instead of to the Bay Street Emeryville store where the experience is anticipated with dread based on past experience there. read more

The staff just stands around chatting, or messing with their iPads.

I had a great experience today. Had scheduled an appt. ahead of time when WC had no appts. to get my iMac fixed after it was zapped when a transformer in my neighborhood blew during a recent storm. Everyone was super friendly from the tall nice guy guy who opened the door for me and carried my Mac to the Genius Bar, to the informative young woman who checked me in and gave me a helpful lesson about the best types of surge protectors (clearly mine didn't work). Then I got Charmayne who tried several hardware and software tests to no avail, but she was able to get an assist from Peter W. who opted to delay his lunch to try some things, so Charmayne could help her next appt. Between the two of them, my Mac is now back up and operating. When Peter was told to take his break by the scheduler, Charmayne took back over to make sure everything was good to go before she sent me one my way. Great stuff guys, thanks again! read more

Arrived 30 minutes for our appointment. Was told to come back in 30 min and they would take us right away. Checked in on time and waited an additional 30 minutes for a genius. The guy was nice enough and all. Told us we would have to leave our phone for further diagnosis and they would provided a loaner phone and that repairs/replacement would be covered under warranty. Despite the horrible parking and the extra 30 minutes wait - fine, we will come back in a week or so to pickup our phone. We just received an email saying we can agree to pay $300 for repairs or take it back as. Now we have to go back to the Apple Store(without an appointment - none available. I had asked the guy last week if we should setup an apt and he said no because it would be a simple exchange). I am me talk preparing myself for an ordeal... Stay tuned for an update. read more

There are good points and bad ones. When you call their number, you are cheerfully told that you have connected with the Apple Fourth Street store; in fact, you are forwarded to a call center. I'm not opposed to call centers in general, but people far away obviously cannot answer questions about local matters. You might therefore think the person you are talking with is an ignorant and rude local employee, which she isn't. The call center adamantly refuses to connect you with the local store. The employees at the store are a mixed bag. You might endure your share of the stereotypical arrogant and supercilious techies who won't deal with you as an equal; but there are many really great employees who will go out of their way to assist you in every way they can. If one is unhelpful, ask for another. My interest in an iMac stemmed from a widespread belief, definitely encouraged by Apple, that their computers are easy to set up and start using. Sadly, this simply is not true. Really great people at Apple spent one and a half hour getting my machine up and going before I took it home; but lots more work needed to be done before the iMac could be up and running. In fact, despite a long conversation with the national Tech Help people, it never became operational, and I wound up returning it. read more

I have to agree with most people here--horrible customer service. I thought Apple was known for its customer service?? The "genius" was super rude to me this morning, and said he didn't have time to help me, even though I had an appointment and there was no one in the store besides me and the half dozen or so other Apple employees. He told me I could either leave my computer with him for four days or come back for another appointment. This after I had already been in the store a week before, told them what my problem was and made THIS appointment. And he had the nerve to tell me I shouldn't complain because I was getting "free tech support." read more

I went in with a non working keyboard. The guy at the genius bar ran a diagnostics on my computer and then sold me a $100 keyboard that didn't work with my IOS system. I also asked for an ipad stand. Same guy sold me an iphone stand for $40 bucks that didn't work. I had to go to San Francisco and return all merchandise. I left the SF Apple store with the correct key board and saved $100 dollars. Plus the guy at Berkeley was oddly arrogant! read more

When you pay $2000+ you expect to get the best customer service you can get but unfortunately this Is the second time around that i come in to the store and the employees just don't seem professional enough it's sad because I've been with Apple a long time and I don't think I'll ever be coming into this Apple Store in Berkeley CA ever again. read more

Usually these types of experiences are a hassle but zach made the time fly by. Made it possible and painless to exchange a broken phone. Thanks zach! read more

THIS IS NOT FOR APPLE PRODUCTS- Just the 4th street store- and the process!!! So annoyed. I have many many apple products. I love them. I always would go to the store, people would be helpful and courteous. But recently the past 4 times I've gone (mind you I don't go in just to "hang out"- I research and figure out what I want then go there just to buy it), I have had the worst worst worst customer service. I have worked in retail and customer service for 20 years- I would never treat people so rudely. This last time, I wasn't feeling well, called to ask if they have the item- yes they do- great I go to pick it up- the woman says oh it's a 25 minute wait- I say well can't you just ring me up? No- you have to wait. I do. It's finally my turn. Guess what?! They sold out of the item in the 25 minutes I stood there. Nice. I asked numerous times- can I please just buy the item. Nope. So. I left. Pissed. Annoyed. I'm not sure about this system. My husbands experience worse. He was waiting. They took his name. Several people walked in and they helped them right from the start- he waited and waited and finally got pissed walked over to the genius counter and told them how long he waited patiently and how many people walked in and got service in 5 minutes. Plenty of red shirts hanging around doing nothing. I don't get it. Once someone actually helps you GENIUS BAR is WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL WONDERFUL. But the folks acting as secret service....come on! Talk to whoever is in charge- find a better system. The one where we all stand around while you do-I have no idea what- doesn't work! read more

I'd been told they stocked refurbs there, and went back ready to buy. The queue builder very nice, and said they did not stock refurbs. That's ok I think, I can get to what I wand (pro or air, memory, ess, etc). I wait and look up refurbs online and there are only 4, and they're all (but 1) MUCH higher than list on new. Steven come to help and I start by trying to understand if 4 is really a right number and given the really high prices, the reasons someone might choose a refirb over new (thinking maybe I should have new). I got the following three answers to thsoe questions: 1. I have no idea why the prices are so high 2. I don't control prices (that was the deal breaker, I mean really? I might think you control pricing?) 3. You should call the online store. I agreed and left. I may stil buy new, but it won't be there. All he had to do was work with me...my questions were no weird. And, I am happy to hear I don't know. I am not happy with saracams and snark and you should try somewhere else. I mean, try. So, though the children are nice there, that wasn't so helpful in the end. I'll find what I want and if Apple really charges list+ for a refurbished 2012, then maybe I'll buy new....elsewhere. It was my second trip to the store. I've heard the technical help is good, so if I needed support, I'd make an appt , but that's it. y questions are stumpers seemingly read more

By far the worst Apple Store I have ever been to. They NEVER have appointments at the Genius Bar and when I do make an appointment (which has happened twice), I have had to wait up to 30 minutes past my appointment date to finally get someone to help me. The store is understaffed and the employees are absolutely unprofessional. I complained once to an employee that no one came by to help me even though I had an appointment and I had been sitting there for over 20 minutes and she said that she was sorry that I had to wait that long, but I was also free to check out the Walnut Creek or Emeryville Apple Stores if I was dissatisfied with the service. read more

Much like other Apple stores... I visited it because one of my friends works here, and it's actually a lot larger than it seems. It's clean and the layout resembles all the other Apple stores - the standard you have come to expect from Apple. Parking in the area is a little bit difficult if you don't want to pay for parking, and traffic can get jammed up, but otherwise not bad. read more

Really rude agents, specially the ones handling repairs. Lied about the number of days it will take to repair my device although I explained the urgency (flying abroad). read more

Pathetic. No genius bar appointments for a week. They do not take walk ins for computers only iphones. Take your business to M.A.C. on Shattuck and thank me later. read more

I came here to buy a laptop for school and the guy who helped me was so nice! He told me all the pros and cons to each laptop and I ended up getting the air because I had enough for the mac book with retina display, but with all the knowledge he gave me I knew the Air was a good fit for me. Im so glad I got it I literally carry it with me at school (very handy since I always have online hw) Haven't had an issue yet and I have had it for about 6 months.Even when they refer you to other workers they are all REALLY SWEET. Its pricy but def worth it. read more

After phone calls and emails they still charged both of my husband's and my iphone to my credit card even though we had carefully given them two credit cards, called and emailed on multiple times! read more

One of the best Apple stores around! I recently dropped my iPhone and completely destroyed the display. I decided to risk it and try a walk-in repair (despite not having an appointment) since it was urgent and my phone was basically non-functional. I was expecting to have to wait for hours, but within 5 minutes of walking in, they were already repairing my phone! It was done in an hour and for $39 my phone was like new. Overall a super convenient and painless experience. read more

Awful manager. He was rude and condescending. Think he was trying to supervise and just too young and inexperienced. The inexperienced one was at least polite. read more