Apple at Washington Sq. is my go-to Apple store with Pioneer being closed and Bridgeport being as awful as it is. I have had many online orders to pick up here, even during COVID. With COVID restrictions, there is a no-touch temperature check, a minor questionnaire to verify you haven't had ant COVID symptoms recently, social distancing guidelines, hand sanitizer stations throughout the store and the lines, show room capacity, etc. Basically, Apple has got the COVID precautions to a point at Washington Sq.
After going to Bridgeport and being berated and talked down by the associate AND manager at the time while trying to make a return, I decided to return a different item to the Apple at WS which was literally and in and out process. No time slot reservation was necessary. I was able to process my return, get the money credited back to me, and be done within 10 minutes.
My last experience was pretty awful, which is disappointing to say, but enough to significantly damage my opinion of them. With holiday season arriving at full speed, most of the Apple products online won't be able to arrive to me before January, otherwise I would have opted for shipping. On Friday afternoon (11/27) I placed an order to pick up a HomePod on Monday evening. Shortly after, I placed an order to pick up an iPhone 11 on Tuesday evening. The differences in days was to allow for the variability in mine and my family's schedule, so we decided to both just go on Tuesday and pick them up. By 9pm I had received both confirmation emails and QR codes verifying I could pick up the orders. Because of how early my email was sent, I decided to go in on Saturday evening to pick up the items. I have previously been able to pick up the items early and had spoken online with an Apple representative, who also verified that I was allowed to pick up the items early as long as I had the confirmation emails stating they were ready. Additionally, the website and email stated I was allowed to come outside of my scheduled window, as long as I was willing to wait longer than expected times to accommodate for social distancing guidelines as necessary.
I drove up there and arrived around 8pm. The Apple store didn't close til 9pm, and the mall itself was open until 10pm with many stores inside staying open to accommodate extended Black Friday shopping. There was less than a handful of people in the store, no lines out of the store, and a handful of associates waiting around for a guest to help.
I pulled up my QR codes and explained to the guy that I had previously been able to, and was told that I could pick up both my items early since they were ready. He had to have been new because he looked like a deer in headlights and went away. On his screen it showed they were supposed to be picked up at a later date. Because of this, his manager told me I had to leave and come back on my scheduled dates, I would only be able to pick up one item at a time since they were on two different days, and they both refused to give me my items. I had drove an hour out there only to be told no because "no associates were available to help me" for long enough to walk into the back room and grab my items.
I spoke to another Apple representative on Monday morning, and had my partner call the store to verify that I could pick up both items during my scheduled time slot. The online Apple rep assured me that I could pick up my items, and were confused as to why I was refused service on Saturday. However, the associate on the phone told my partner that I would have to come back Tuesday and I would not be allowed to get both my items, but failed to offer an explanation before hanging up on me.
We went back slightly after my scheduled time on Monday, explained to the girl in line that I had two orders ready to pick up. I had told her the Apple rep said I could pick both items up, but the associate on the phone said I couldn't, so I wanted to at least ask and verify which was correct and why. She stated that as long as I had both confirmation emails, it would be just fine. Otherwise, she would check to see if the items were ready to pick up in hopes to prevent me from having to go back the next evening. I also confirmed that our trade-in was being done through the mail, and that I did not need assistance with setting up the devices, as they were both gifts. I was in and out of the store in fifteen minutes. The lady directing the line, the associate who assisted me in store, and the security officer directing guests all had confirmed that if my orders were both ready, I was allowed to pick them up as long as I had my ID and a verification email.
Both Tigard Apple stores seem to have poor management, and whether or not you're going to get a good associate seems to be a game of chance. read more