Apple store policy. Buying a new IPhone

[Garage_Doors]

Friend of mine went into Churchill square to buy a IPhone 5 but was told he could not purchase one without an appointment .
He would have to make an appointment and come back to purchase one then, has this company disappeared I up its own arse in terms of customer service?

Has this always been the case, when they launch each new model and you see the queues outside the stores they have not all made appointments have they?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'm afraid the first mistake your friend made was actually thinking of buying an iPhone !

 

[dougdeep]

Perhaps they're getting like doctors receptionists. They only exist to annoy people.

 

[Icy Gull]

I had an appointment for a replacement ipad after my wife dropped it on a stone floor and broke the screen. Had to wait half an hour beyond the appointment time as they were running late, the shop staff were pleasant but a bit geeky and kept giving each other high 5's as they arrived for work or left.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Friend of mine went into Churchill square to buy a IPhone 5 but was told he could not purchase one without an appointment .
He would have to make an appointment and come back to purchase one then, has this company disappeared I up its own arse in terms of customer service?

Has this always been the case, when they launch each new model and you see the queues outside the stores they have not all made appointments have they?

Ha ha! That is brilliant, bye bye Apple

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Couldn't he have just purchased it via the apple website? I know you've got to wait a few days for delivery but it saves having to battle the parking etc in Brighton town centre.

I had to pop into the apple store at Churchill Sq recently as I had an appointment to get my iPhone 5 replaced due to it having a faulty power button. Walked out 15 mins after my appointment with new phone in hand. Very good service I felt and the store was very busy at the time.

 

[clippedgull]

Friend of mine went into Churchill square to buy a IPhone 5 but was told he could not purchase one without an appointment .
He would have to make an appointment and come back to purchase one then, has this company disappeared I up its own arse in terms of customer service?

Has this always been the case, when they launch each new model and you see the queues outside the stores they have not all made appointments have they?

I know you have to make an appointment for service if you are reporting a fault. But buying? I think lines got crossed as they always have sales staff on the shop floor. Maybe there was a wait before he could purchase but I'm 99% certain you don't need an appointment.

 

[Box of Frogs]

Couldn't he have just purchased it via the apple website? I know you've got to wait a few days for delivery but it saves having to battle the parking etc in Brighton town centre.

I had to pop into the apple store at Churchill Sq recently as I had an appointment to get my iPhone 5 replaced due to it having a faulty power button. Walked out 15 mins after my appointment with new phone in hand. Very good service I felt and the store was very busy at the time.

/\/\ What he said /\/\

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Sounds unusual. If he asked to buy one on contract when the store was heaving I wouldn't be surprised, it takes a good 1/2 hour if the employee has to set up phone contracts etc. No way they'd have said that if he was buying one sim free for the best part of £600.

Best bet is just to go into the phone shops. They'd be all over you like a rash.

I've had nothing but fantastic service when I've been in there

 

[Fef]

Could it be that they would need to help select the appropriate mobile phone network tariff, connect the phone to that network, set up an iCloud account and connect the phone to iCloud for backing up, etc.?

 

[Gazwag]

The rudest shop assistants I have ever come across are those in the Apple store in Convent Garden, I only went in to buy my daughter a cover for her phone. I was going to complain but Apple make it impossible for anybody to do so.

That is one reason I will never purchase an apple product again.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I went into vodaphone to downgrade my phone and they could not wait to get rid of me. They miraculously managed to complete the process in under three minutes at the counter. A month previous to that my daughter up graded and it took over an hour with her having to sit with an assistant to sort. Funny that!

 

[TheJasperCo]

Apple's going pear-shaped. Your friend may well be better off going for an Android phone: better build quality, excellent value and superior customer service.

 

[supaseagull]

Why do these threads end up as a childish slanging match of a brand that someone dislikes. People should really learn to grow up.

To the OP, I think there has been a mistake as another person has said. They time that you usually have to make an appointment if there is a fault with your Apple product or you want to go on one of their in-shop tutorials.

The alternative you have(if you don't want to go online) is to go into either the Vodaphone, EE, O2 or 3 Mobile shops and get a new Iphone from there. They will want your business and you may even be able to get a decent priced contract or some good extras.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I was told by Apple support over the phone to go and collect a replacement power lead from Churchill Sq shop and give them my case number. The staff there were most outraged when I dared to do this with an appointment and I could either come back or wait 15 mins and see if one of their technicians might become available to resolve my case.

I was peed at this at first and again when they when through the fault check that I already went through over the phone I thought I got the reasons especially as it gave them a chance to go through any other issues I had.

My conclusion was that it was a good idea to improve customer service and increase further sales but......... when it gets down to shop level where they give the staff job titles to make them feel important SOME of those staff get up their own arse and don't explain why you need an appointment either because they can't be arsed or don't understand the thinking behind it.

The mass high fiving is extremely worrying though!

 

[willyfantastic]

Apple's going pear-shaped. Your friend may well be better off going for an Android phone: better build quality, excellent value and superior customer service.

customer service from android or the phone manufacturer? didnt know android had customer service...

 

[Jim D]

Friend of mine went into Churchill square to buy a IPhone 5 but was told he could not purchase one without an appointment .
He would have to make an appointment and come back to purchase one then, has this company disappeared I up its own arse in terms of customer service?

Has this always been the case, when they launch each new model and you see the queues outside the stores they have not all made appointments have they?

Obviously they don't want any old riff-raff purchasing one of these. Is your friend a STH? If so, they'll probably want to see his card to check that he isn't in the North.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Apple's going pear-shaped. Your friend may well be better off going for an Android phone: better build quality, excellent value and superior customer service.

As android is an OS and not a make of phone then the build quality, value and customer service will vary depending on the model of phone and where it was purchased. As well as my iPhone 5 I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, the build quality doesn't feel as good as the iPhone, it feels more lightweight and less able to to cope with any knocks. I had to send it back to 3 for repair recently, the phone is only 2 months old so this makes me think it's not as robust as my iPhone which only developed a fault after being dropped by one of my kids. I'll give credit where it is due the staff in the 3 shop sorted the repair out and had it back to me within a week but I certainly felt Apple's service of walking out with a new phone straight away was better.

 

[TheJasperCo]

customer service from android or the phone manufacturer? didnt know android had customer service...

Manufacturer

 

[Boys 9d]

Is Solutions in Old Shoreham Road, Hove a better bet for service?