I am writing to share the absolutely ridiculous experience I had at the Apple Store in Bellevue Square. I took my iPhone in because the back camera glass was scratched and dented. Since I have AppleCare--and have had this exact issue fixed at this very store before--I expected them to help me. Instead, a staff member flatly told me that it was just a "cosmetic issue" and therefore not eligible for repair. I found this completely unreasonable and inconsistent, considering they had repaired this same issue previously.
Naturally, I questioned their so-called "standard" for deciding what's fixable. I even asked, "If the phone were actually broken, would you fix it?" Their response? A dismissive, "Sorry, that's policy." Frustrated, I left the store, called AppleCare, and also asked friends about their repair experiences. I felt compelled to give it another shot, so I made a second appointment an hour later. While waiting outside, my phone accidentally fell to the ground--an unfortunate mishap, but things happen.
When I returned for my second appointment, I waited a few minutes before a senior manager named J came out. Shockingly, he wasted no time accusing me of deliberately breaking my own phone just to force a repair under AppleCare. I asked him how he reached that baseless conclusion, and he admitted he hadn't seen me do anything at all--he simply "put the pieces together" because I'd inquired earlier about fixing a broken device, then came back with a phone that was now more damaged. Based on that flimsy logic, he decided I must have damaged it on purpose. Then he lectured me on how I was "wrong" to do that!
He took less than five minutes to gather whatever information he thought he needed from the staff, and then left a note on my account effectively banning my phone from being serviced at any Apple Store. Meanwhile, when I showed up on time for both of my appointments, I had to wait at least ten minutes just for someone to help me. It's astonishing how quickly they jump to accuse and punish paying customers, yet they show no sense of urgency when it comes to actually providing customer service.
This ordeal was beyond disappointing--being unfairly accused and then barred from service, all without any real evidence, is both insulting and outrageous. If this is how Apple treats customers who simply want a device repaired under a valid AppleCare plan, I can't imagine what they consider "proper" customer care.
When I spoke with J, he told me, "This iPhone will be excluded from any service at any Apple Store. You did this the wrong way. The only option is to buy a new one." He seemed to be enjoying himself while lecturing me, practically smirking the whole time. Yet when I contacted another Apple Store later, they said they could do an out-of-warranty repair for around $200--meaning there was an alternative to buying an entirely new device.
Clearly, J misled me, never mentioning this out-of-warranty repair option. He acted like purchasing a brand-new iPhone was the only solution. I can't believe a senior manager--someone who's supposed to lead an Apple Store--would take an adversarial stance toward a customer and show such skill in punishing rather than helping.
I've already filed a complaint about this awful experience. read more