What went well was the easy ability to schedule an Apple appointment through the Apple support group at the 800 number after I got help troubleshooting what may be wrong with my MacBook Pro laptop. Albert & Jerold checked me in efficiently with the repair team. I was told 5 to 6 days potentially before it would be complete. Ugh!! Now keep in mind I wasn't exactly happy with that news as this is my work laptop and the original price on the laptop through Amazon prime date was 999 for a 13 inch MacBook Pro. To fix the screen was gonna cost me almost $600 (more than half of the cost of the original 1yr old new laptop.) Warranty was exhausted 90 days before this happened. I have a complaint for Apple in general regarding the cost for this fix, but I don't blame the people at Hillsdale. Kevin was exceptional in getting it done for me within just over 24 hours. The service level at the Apple Hillsdale store is exceptional as well as the telephone support. The policies and cost of Apple parts and replacement is robbery at its best. Some form of waiver or discount would change my opinion. But that would mean they'd have to actually read this and listen and do something. The four stars are for the Apple staff. They would've had five except for the Apple costs for repairs and service. read more

Apple Hillsdale - Apple Store showing us new products on the big screen - Computers Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I came in for an appointment at 10:35am to the back of my phone replaced. I sat and waited where I was told to after checking in and waited there. I kept myself distracted on my phone and realized that a lot of time was going by. I didn't think much of it and just went back on my phone and continued to wait but once It got to 50 minutes I started to get very visually upset. It wasn't until one whole hour of me waiting. I was asked if I checked in... I let the person know that I did check in an hour ago. He then proceeds to tell me that I will be helped in a few minutes and then that's when I received help 15 minutes later. I don't see what the point of having an appointment is if they don't attend to you quickly. I guess next time I have to do my due diligence and double check-in... didn't know there was such a thing. I'm not very happy with this location since at the end of it all I was told to come back in 2 to 3 days later because the part is not in store. I just feel like I was ignored and put to the side since a bunch of "geniuses" were helping others around me and none of them assisted me. Sad I can't get that time back. Next time I wait here and it hits 10 minutes I'll double check-in. To make sure y'all don't waste my time. read more

Scheduled an Appt for my iPhone Pro 15 w/ swollen battery and they were running late but she was helpful but unfortunately she wasn't able to help with my specific situation though she made some recommendations. read more

Bad service overall. It took nearly three weeks just to replace my battery under AppleCare. During the first appointment, they checked my battery and confirmed it was eligible for replacement. At the second appointment, a different staff member inspected my phone and claimed there was a liquid damage indicator inside the front camera area. I was then told I would need a full device replacement, without clearly explaining that I would have to pay $100 even though I have AppleCare. At the third appointment, an employee named Benny insisted there was liquid damage simply by looking at the phone and strongly pushed me to pay for a replacement device. I insisted they properly inspect the phone by opening the display before making that conclusion. Finally, on my fourth visit, they determined that the mark near the front camera was not liquid damage after all, and they were able to replace the battery normally. The entire process was frustrating, time-consuming, and poorly communicated. read more

This particular Apple store is located in the newer side of Hillsdale mall in San Mateo. It's adjacent to several food places I frequent as well, so it's quite convenient to just stroll right past their entrance, to the detriment of my wallet or should say, my interest free Apple card. Recently, I purchased their latest Apple Watch and it was ready for pickup during the week their iPhone 17 was available for pickup as well. After making a pickup appointment via their app and showing up a few minutes before my appointment, the process to trade-in my old Apple Watch and pick up my new one was a breeze. Apple has traditionally been known for amazing customer service and my experiences here have been no different than it has been through the years, and across several other Apple stores in the Bay Area. read more

I had a frustrating experience at this store trying to get my iPhone fixed when the screen cracked and was not able to use my phone. When scheduling by phone, I let them know my screen was cracked and answered several questions about the extent of the damage and they scheduled me for a 7pm appointment. When I show up for the appointment, I had to wait a bit but that was fine. Then, though, the person who came out to help someone else said they would be helping me too. It was super awkward having this person between to customers and us taking turns as they tried to troubleshoot both of our very different situations. The other customer was also looking at me like "what is this?" Then, the apple genius, after running diagnostics, told me my phone would need to have the screen replaced, which ... was obvious from just looking at it. They said I would need to come back the next day to drop it off since they had no tech's working that late to fix it. "What?" I thought. Why even schedule this appointment if I'm only going to have to schedule a new appointment the next day to basically start over so I could start the repair. Only after me asking and pointing out how inconvenient that would be did they offer me the option to leave my phone and just pick it up repaired the next day. It was so weird. In any event, picked up my phone, paid $415 to get the screen replaced and ... you guessed it, it's not fully working. After speaking with Apple Care by phone, I get to go back to a store to get them to re-repair it. Of course, I'm sure as heck not going back to the Hillsdale location. Update: my phone screen continued to have issues after they repaired it. They called me from the store because of my review and they told me that they had correctly fixed it so the only thing left to do would be to reformat my phone. I did that on my own and it did not fix the issue. I took my phone to another store with higher reviews and they changed the screen again and it repaired the issue. So, in the end it was the store that was the issue... they can be upset with me about it but that was my experience. read more

The only reason this establishment is getting three stars is because Benny and Ian had to fix what their colleagues couldn't do. Which is simple give good customer service. Almost every door greeter I encountered at this store lacked efficiency, Lacked determination, lacked apple care. They did not CARE! They simply could not show up and do their job. If you can avoid this store do just that. read more

Worst Apple Store with the most unhelpful staff I've ever experienced. Got my cracked screen repaired here (which was already a negative experience) and a week after the repair there was condensation on the inside of my camera even though I never even spilled water on it or submerged it (even though they claim you are able to anyways). It was completely obvious whoever repaired the phone messed up the water seal, yet they couldn't just admit it was their fault and do the right thing and replace the phone for free when it clearly was not repaired correctly by them. The manager Erica was completely unreasonable saying I couldn't prove it was their fault. It's not even about the money I could care less about $100, it's the principal that I've been a loyal apple customer my whole life and own every apple product even the notoriously terrible Vision Pro and it is beyond a shame that this is how they repay you for your loyalty and show how much you really mean to them as a customer even when they are obviously the ones that messed up. Nice job Erica you've lost apple a lifelong customer, hope it was worth the $100! read more

Excellent!! Danny the manager is a major asset to apple - he's diligent, and a great manager read more

Apple Hillsdale - Hillsdale Apple Store from across the fountain - Computers Near Me - San Mateo, California

I've visited this Apple Store at Hillsdale Mall multiple times for everything from small accessory purchases to bigger buys like iPads, and my experience has always been wonderful. The staff is consistently fantastic--they're incredibly knowledgeable, interactive, and patient while answering questions. It's refreshing to get such positive and helpful service every time I've been in read more

We went in with an iPhone that wouldn't boot up. We were told to wait 4 hours. Very rude service. The guy rolled his eyes at me. I will not go to this apple store again. read more

Great service from staff. I have trouble with some applications on my iPhone and he helps me solve problems with service mind. I definitely go back to buy any Apple product in the future. read more

Service and proper knowledgd is the worst at this location beware!!! I came in to have my laptop serviced. Came in on a wednesday to be told no techs are in so i need to make an appointment to be helped. Prior making the appointment i made sure that my laptop was still in the timeframe for service which the guy holding the ipad looked up the number on the bottom of the laptop and said yes its still ok. Alright so i got the confirmation and setup the appointment to have my laptop fixed. Well i come back few days later and walk in. I spoke to one of the numerous of employees just standing around holding their ipads doing jacksh!t. Told him i have an appointment at this time. He responded with give me 3 min ill help you out. 20 min passes by and hes walking around trying to look busy yet im still sitting on this square block chair waiting. 30min comes up and my appointment time is well passed. What the fcuk do we make appointments if you arnt going to help us at the time you scheduled me to come back in and help. By this time i got up and found some other help from another employee. Now remember prior to coming back to be helped i made sure my laptop was serviceable. Well thanks incompetent employee for wasting my time to be told sorry this laptop is out of service and we cant assist you but you can buy a new laptop. Seriously! This place needs to be retrained and hire some people who know how to do their job and give credible information. Id post pics of these employees but im sure they know who did me wrong. read more

Always frustrated with this store never stay behind they product the girl on the front never polite or has any type of customer service

Went here because my iPhone 13 was not charging. I was approached by a friendly floor employee who sat me down, and I explained the issue to him. He plugged my phone into a charging cord on the table-top and said, "I'll be back in five minutes" and didn't even say it in an Arnold Terminator voice..such a flatliner. I was there for about 20 minutes at which point I saw him come out of the back room in street clothes and leave without looking at me or saying a word. It's funny to me that they go in the back and change after their shift. They are practically wearing street clothes during their shift... Another floor employee took over and basically told me the solution was to repair the phone. I asked what the process of repairing my phone would be? He told me they remove the camera and screen and put it on another phone and that it would cost $500. But then told me he would sell me another iPhone 13, brand new, for the same price. Such a scam. These employees are very friendly and polite, however, I feel they are incompetent and unprofessional. They would rather sell you something and make the store money as opposed to find a simple solution for your issue... at least that was the vibe I picked up. I later took my phone to another repair vendor who was able to get it working again, ultimately saving me over $400. One star apple store, Hillsdale mall! You earned it. read more

Successfully purchased a new iPhone from this store to replace an unrepairable iPhone per my previous review. However they definitely still have room for improvement, as the Apple sales person was unprofessional in trying to upsell the phone contract, AppleCare, etc. But I knew exactly what product to purchase and when I tried to get to the point they even threatened to throw me out of the store. Talk about rough customer service. However, I have to say the other employees seemed nice enough, so I guess it averages out. read more

Came to get an iphone and got greeted or attended by absolutely no one. Asked one of the associates how to get help and was directed to a person in the middle of the store. The person told me to go wait at the end of the store and someone will come to help. After waiting for some time and getting still zero help, I just left. They also let some people with huge dogs in and the dogs were being annoying, going around sniffing people and babies in strollers. Nothing has been done. Just skip this store read more

Worst customer service I've had from an Apple Store! It took 20 minutes to purchase an ultra iPhone Watchband. I was handed-off to 3 people to make a simple purchase. I requested a paper receipt since it was a gift and the 3rd person who rang me up took forever to print a receipt. I finally received receipt and asked for a shopping bag, he just handed it to me. Didn't say thank you for waiting or bothered to place my purchase in the bag. Lazy and not trained in customer service whatsoever! read more

Got the problem on my app over a week and stopped by this location after lunch. Benny is really professional and helpful. He's fixed it so fast and friendly. Thanks for saving my day. read more

Nicely located at the Hillsdale mall, this Apple Store is a good place to explore and buy any of the Apple products. The staff is helpful and professional. My child attended a Kindness workshop here and had a good time Would recommend to visit on weekdays and weekends can get crowded. read more

Apple Hillsdale - Apple Store - Computers Near Me - San Mateo, California

My daughter needed a new laptop. We pretty much had an idea of what she wanted but had some questions. Erica was very helpful and knowledgable. She was very patient and explained things in layman terms. I'll be coming back and asking for her when I need my new laptop. Thanks, Erica! We appreciate you. read more

***SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO EMPLOYEES: JASON AND RYAN*** I just wanted to say how my most recent experience at Apple Hillsdale was the most pleasant I have experienced at an Apple Store in a while. I recently switched to a new iphone and came in for help to straighten out an issue I had with the transferring over of my contacts/most recent imessages. Upon entry into the store, I was kindly and respectfully greeted by Jason who was free and able to facilitate a customer request. He heard my problem out and readily provided me with instructions on how to navigate the issue I was having with transferring over data from my iphone 12 pro max to my new iphone 16 pro. Not just that, but I also figured I needed a screen protector for my phone and Jason was able to explain to me that I could have a screen protector with a lifetime warranty after purchasing and registering the Belkin branded case I acquired. Ryan, a nearby associate, also provided me with some useful information as to how the warranty worked and what else I could do to resolve my issue in the future with the Apple Hillsdale store. This was an exemplary display of teamwork, respect, and I will come back again soon because of Jason and Ryan's willingness to meet me where I was at with my issue, as well as provide me with thoughtful information I could use myself as the customer. A+++ SERVICE AT THIS LOCATION. read more

The service is absolutely horrible. Need to be mindful of the appointment times. Despite having an appointment. Their customer service is terrible, they were not well trained and didn't respect clients at all. Especially the staffs in this store.Lacked empathy, let alone work ethic, to help a customer with trying to solve an issue with my phone. And yet there is employees standing around.I really will not come here. Not recommend. read more

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Went into Apple to get information regarding MacBook vs iPad Pro. The creative, Tim, helped us with all the details of each product and more. He was knowledgeable and provided options for purchase and repair. Highly recommend going to this Apple location for great customer service! read more

They rarely have enough sales people. Having to wait 20+ minutes is ridiculous considering this should be a premium experience for buying a premium product. This is my experience numerous times and finally got fed up enough to write this review. I can't say I've ever had a good experience here after purchasing phones, iPads, and a MacBook here. read more

After walking out of the Apple Store at Stanford shopping center, because of how rudely I was treated by both an employee as well as the manager (see previous review), I took a chance and drove up to Hillsdale shopping center. upon entering the Apple Store, I was greeted by a very friendly young lady, who then turned me over to the kindest, nicest employee, with a great smile. His name is Benny - he quickly logged my request of replacing a lost AirPod and told me it would just be a couple of minutes before I would be helped further. Few minutes later I was introduced to the manager, who were equally kind and helpful. His name is Danny. He quickly handled my concern, and I walked out a very happy customer. This is how it's done Stanford! read more

I'm not a big fan of the apple store experience, but I needed to see the help technician. I'm not a fan of the color coded blouses staff wear. My lastest encounter did not fail me, totally. As I entered the store a "black sweatered employee" with an iPad all but snapped his fingers at me to get my attention. Reluctantly I want over to "Steve" because I needed my phone in working order. He directed me to an underling who checked me in and asked me to take a seat. I was assigned the most wonderful Person I've ever dealt with, a pure Apple Genius named JV. JV was patient, listened to me, and immediately knew how to remedy my issue. He made the mistake of asking me if he could help in any other way. I asked him questions about the new IPhone 15 which he took time to show me. He also arranged to have a support person call me at home to help me unlock my laptop, I forgot the pw. I left the store feeling very positive because of the polite, non-egotistical, and helpful Genius named JV! Apple, I suggest you praise JV and get rid of the poor, "face" of your store in the black sweater, what a joke he is. Great job JV, you shall hereforth be known as "V"! You are now on the VARSITY!! read more

We always stop by this location when we are a the mall. We were helped by a guy named Kenneth who was super chill and friendly. I love that apple employees never come off as salsey. They're there for strictly educational purposes and providing guidance on specs. He was very honest with us when he said the laptop cases in store are silly expensive and we should look into Amazon. We bought the cases anyways. We appreciate his honesty. Go see Kenneth! read more

THANK YOU "NATE" and all the customer service reps. Nate unlocked my old SE iPhone so I could give it to a homeless person in need. Beautiful store and everyone was very friendly! read more

We needed help setting up my daughter's Apple account and replaced a phone battery. Nate is the associate that helped us, he was very knowledgeable and patient. Excellent customer service. read more

I've been to this location twice within a two weeks span. Both times customer service was really bad. When I walked in most of the sales rep were grouped together with each other. Not sure if they were chit chatting or what? No one took the time to come and greet us. The atmosphere was not inviting at all. There was a lot of employees just standing around. I was looking around trying to make eye contact for assistance. I had to walk up to them to ask for help. The first time I came was on a Tuesday and second time today (Sunday). Overall, poor customer service. I'm very disappointed with this location. read more

Serious lack of customer service at this location. I went to upgrade a current iPad to the newest iPad Pro. The person greeted me and checked me in and sent me to look at the iPads with the promise that someone would come over shortly to help. Fast forward 20 minutes with a lot of Apple folks meandering and no assistance I wandered off to the cases. Only then did someone ask if I needed help. At that point I didn't need help because there was no service offered for over 20 minutes. I suppose Apple doesn't care because they know people will buy from them, but if I was a new customer to Apple I would not become a customer. read more

I came in to buy a 14 pro a couple weeks ago. I was greeted by Esme she was super helpful and very knowledgeable. I was a bit worried that all my information wouldn't transfer but she reassured me And everything went smoothly!! I'm really happy with my new phone and the support I received from this individual! read more

Great overall service, would recommend, would come again. I went once btwn Xmas and NYE (which was not a smart time for my laptop to fail!) and once in mid-January when it was less chaotic but "normal busy." Both times were busy in different ways but since I wasn't in a rush, the wait wasn't too bad. I made an appointment the first time and got excellent, honest technical assistance from a staff whom I don't recall her name. Since it made more sense for me to purchase/trade in my laptop than get a repair, she connected me with her sales colleague, Trewen, who arrived in a flash, answered all my questions, and provided great advice!! The second visit was a quick purchase for an accessory and no complaints there either. Overall, this store is clean and spacious, easy to park near and access. During the holiday madness, I was annoyed that even those of us who made appointments had to stand in the same long line with walk-in folks... (I disagree! Most places have a separate line for those who made advance appointments.) Hopefully that was just during the holidays and not a regular occurrence... but whatever. The service made up for this frustration and the wait! (Seemed like they could've spaced out the bookings so the staff didn't have to rush from one appointment to the next.) The store was definitely upholding Covid precautions to par, the glass window-walls allow for visibility and natural lighting, and the security guard outside made me feel safe. read more

Love this Apple store! Conveniently located near Macy's downstairs in the Hillsdale Mall and in close proximity to The Cheesecake Factory which is super important! Muuwwaaahh! I typically order my iPhone upgrades via mail delivery but this time around ordering via Apple Store app, all stores on the peninsula had my model available! So I decided to visit the closest store near me at Hillsdale. Set up the pick-up and payment in the app and scheduled a time to visit for my upgrade. So easy! My favorite thing about all things Apple...they make everything so easy. Love them for thinking of us this way. We're little monkeys and need everything made super easy for us to navigate our everyday tech needs. Walked in at my scheduled time and checked in with the Apple staff at the entrance area. Within minutes, staff are assigned to me and my upgrade. Super easy and switched out my old iPhone for the new iPhone Xs Max, iClouded all my schtuff over to the new one. The staff are really great here! So kind and helpful. Shout out to Calvin, he's really sweet and extremely knowledgeable. I had another staff member check me in and assist with the upgrade but do not remember his name darn it. He's was really great, too! I will definitely return to this Apple store location! Great peeps here! read more

Apple Hillsdale - iPhone Xs Max! Yay! - Computers Near Me - San Mateo, California

Went to buy new iphones on President's day weekend (Sat). There was reportedly (per the triage person) only 1 salesperson available, the store was fairly busy, it was 1030 am. We waited 30 minutes before being seen. There was no formal waiting list so I felt I had to continually make eye contact with the triage person to make sure he didn't forget us. When we finally got a salesperson, they were nice but couldn't access information about the account from ATT when at the Stanford store previously, it was accessible. We were also told that the phone number may not transfer over to the new phones and we might need to go to the ATT store to finish the process. It felt like due to the short staffing the motives of the sales staff was to sell the items and get you out of the store ASAP to have any outstanding issues solved elsewhere after dropping all that cash. From comments employees made about the staffing, the situation was bad for them as well. . . which makes sense. I hope management takes note. Customer service is much better at the Stanford and Cupertino locations. I had also planned to purchase a computer, but after the experience with the phones which was exhausting and lengthy, I've decided to go to another location. read more

Although the store is open for appointments, it is not open for shopping. No notice of that on their web site. Yet another bad experience with Apple. Geniuses not distancing. read more

Apple Hillsdale - Hillsdale Apple store. - Computers Near Me - San Mateo, California

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After patiently waiting for our appointment we scheduled online (one week later) , we found ourselves at the new San Mateo Apple location at Hillsdale Mall. Beautifully remodeled and relocated, awesome Genius Bar, tech savvy staff and super clean environment. Armed with masks and sanitizer, "Alexis" was able to replace my sons broken phone with a brand new one with absolute ease. Thank you. Two happy customers! Will definitely return. read more

yup, this store is pretty bad, as other people say. The sales people in this store are pretty rude and arrogant, and not well trained. The other day, a salesperson who looked like an Asian American was so rude to me. I even wonder what his intention is: to get fired so that he can collect unemployment benefits? I have not seen a retail store so bad in the past 30 years. read more

I've had consistently great support at the Apple stores, until today. I visited the Hillsdale store this morning. I found one of the several blue-shirted employees and told him that I wanted to buy an iPhone. That guy passed me to another guy. That other guy said said that he couldn't help me for 10 minutes. I said, what, do you have an appointment ahead of me? He said no, you have to wait until a person who can help you is available. I was astonished, as there were several sales guys just standing around and not helping anyone. I said, no, I cannot wait 10 minutes, I'll just pick up the external drive that I already bought online. So, he then directed me to yet another sales person, a young woman, who was very helpful. As I was leaving, four (count 'em four) young sales men were standing, idle, in a row, glassy stares aimed at the front door. So, they lost the $2000 I was going to spend on a iPhone and accessories. Very weird and atypical experience at the Apple store. I tried calling the store to speak to a manager, but got tracked into an automated system. Not a good look, that line of Beavis and Butthead lookalikes, staring out at lost sales walking out the door. read more