Apple University Town Center — Attraction in Sarasota

I have been a steadfast Apple device fan for the past 10 years and have had multiple Apple iPhones and iPads. I purchased a new Apple iPhone15 last summer and had issues from the beginning with the intermittent failure to use WiFi calling when cell reception is poor. I have two big complaints: 1) Poor Apple tech support to isolate the issue despite about 100 hours on the phone over 28 days and submitting 4 multiple logs for senior tech reviews and 2) after having recreated the EXACT problem in the UTC Apple Store with the tech using the Apple Store WiFi (1 call went through, 3 dropped calls), the tech said there no option for me to be issued a new phone. They could not find a hardware issue thus and they were not empowered to please the customer and provide a phone that I could actually use in my house.

I elevated this issue to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple after spending almost a month on the phone trying to get a resolution to my issue. I was given a call back from someone who wanted to do even more testing and collect the 5th set of phone logs. We had submitted the phone log from the failures at the Apple UTC Mall and about 2 weeks later when we recreated the failure again. I asked if he, as Tim Cook’s representative, was authorized to send me a new phone and I would send this phone back for their extensive testing to find/solve the issue. Once again, Tim Cook’s representative said that he was not authorized to send me a new phone and they needed to continue their process steps.

I spent $1000 for a iPhone only to be unable to place and receive calls in my home which represents a danger to me and my health.So, after 28 days endless hours long calls with Apple Tech support and then categorically being told that my customer satisfaction was not something any of their employees were empowered to address, I gave up and bought the same android phone as my husbands. I have been enjoying flawless WiFi calling with my new Android phone and I will never purchase another Apple product again.

Steve Job made 2 quotes that hit me: 1) “Quality is more important than quantity and 2) Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected”. I believe Apple management has lost their focus on making customers be amazed at the quality of the support and the focus on customer satisfaction.

Background:I purchased my iPhone15 approximately 6 months ago prior to a trip overseas. My iPhone15 intermittently failed to use WiFi calling and my calls were either dropped frequently or no one could hear me unless I went outside for cell reception. My husband’s android phone never had an issue using WiFi calling. We returned to the US shortly before Christmas to our house that barely has 1 bar cell signal strength and I experienced the same issues where most calls were dropped and occasionally I would get WiFi calling to work. Again, no issue with my husband’s android phone using WiFi calling. So the issue with failure to to use WiFi calling occurred in two different locations with different WiFi and Carriers (Optus/ATT). I initially did a troubleshooting session via phone with Apple support January1st with no success. I went to UTC Genius Bar onJan 8th. After going through the same review of settings, checking if there was any issue with ATT (there was not), checking for hardware issues (none), we finally got the tech to try using the UTC Apple WiFi to make a cell call. First time it did use the WiFi and the next 3 calls were immediately dropped. The exact issue was recreated in their store and supposedly the phone logs for the calling error were submitted to higher tech review. 5 days later, we were told that no hardware issue was found with the phone and absolutely no input with regard to the WiFi call failure. We called tech support again and did a factory reset and reloaded all software directly from the Apple site and the problem persisted. Again, we escalated to another senior tech who recreated the issue, took phone logs and problem still exists. ENOUGH! I bought an...

LEMON Formally Apple, Lemon came to life with the death of Steve Jobs.

These are my OPINIONS on the soon failing future of the company once known as the king of simplicity in design.

MY LAST 2 PRODUCTS I have purchased, in the past year, have been LEMONS.

1. MacBook Pro displays lines down the LED less than 2 months after purchasing – still haven't sent it in because I can't go without (business).
2. Apple Watch series 4 is now being sent to their service center 1 month after purchasing.

DO THEY GIVE LOANERS WHILE YOUR LIFE ESSENTIALS ARE SHIPPED?

No. They only do this for business accounts despite paying crazy prices for Apple Care. If you need your laptop for service arrangements for clients (for example you work as a freelancer) it becomes a very BIG PROBLEM. Time is money.

WILL THEY REPLACE YOUR ITEM?

Not before it is sent away for days. They set their departments up into services and sales. They do this so when you visit the store they have an excuse to why they cannot just replace your product in my opinion.

IF THE PRODUCT IS REPAIRABLE

If the product is not replaced it is refurbished by the service team. So if you bought a product for full price and it has to be fixed within the first few months, you just paid full price for a refurbished product. They will claim this is not true because Apple is actually fixing it but when I asked why they can't give me a new product and resell the defected one, once fixed (since it is like brand new), they said because they can't sell serviced/refurbished products as new.

THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED STORE DESIGN

There are lines for reasons. Every time I visit the store it feels like "Black Friday." The "geniuses" are hard to identify due to their lack of noticeable attire and most are dedicated to servicing those customers that purchased an overpriced lemon that needs shipped to the service department. The in-store geniuses are incapable of servicing most products. I am unsure why they are called Geniuses – maybe Shipping Coordinators or Genius Assistants would be a better title?

WHY STEVE JOBS WOULD NOT BE HAPPY

A) ESSENTIALS NOT INCLUDED with a supposedly high-end product

1. USB adaptor initially sold for $35 but has since been reduced due to angry customers (and probably competition from 3rd parties)

2. Lack of headphone jack on new phones lead to an additional purchase of blue-tooth “AirPods” that run at a ridicules price of almost $160.

B) THE ADDITION OF THE STYLUS (loss of simplicity in designs)

"God gave us 10 styluses. Let's not invent another” "Who wants a stylus?" "You have to get 'em, put 'em away, you lose 'em. Yuck!” “Nobody wants a stylus. So let's not use a stylus." Steve Jobs

C) DUMB DESIGN DECISIONS Who put the Bluetooth mouse charger on the bottom of the mouse? One of the dumbest design decisions I've ever witnessed.

Apple my be thriving but I forecast a future with either major changes or market loss. I am normally ahead of the average consumer when it comes to technology forecasts (I work in the field) and after buying Apple products for nearly 20 years I am reconsidering and looking at other options for the first...

Being an ardent supporter and user of Apple products for over two decades, it saddens me to pen down a review that isn’t showered with praises. My recent experience with a particular Apple Store was nothing short of a fiasco.

I approached the store with an issue concerning my MacBook Air. Post-diagnosis, I was informed about the required repair costing $500, and the subsequent option to add AppleCare for future protection. Having spent so long with Apple, I knew the value of AppleCare and decided it was a worthy investment. However, the entire process of adding this protection turned out to be a Kafkaesque nightmare.

After retrieving my repaired MacBook Air, I explicitly mentioned my intent to add AppleCare. Instead of providing a straightforward solution in-store, I was advised to wait for 24 hours and then contact Apple telephonically. Given the hustle and bustle of my daily life, the very reason AppleCare wasn’t initially added was due to such delays and forgetfulness.

Taking no chances this time, I promptly made the call on Monday morning, only to be greeted with conflicting information. First, I was informed that my product wasn’t eligible for AppleCare, only to be corrected moments later. The confusion didn't end there; after being transferred to the store and having to repeat my story, the conversation with the store manager was exasperating. The information relayed had been inconsistent, and the manager’s repetitive, seemingly-scripted responses did not help. To add insult to injury, a straightforward appointment request for 7 pm was confirmed for 7:20 pm.

The level of inefficiency and poor communication was startling, to say the least. This is especially galling given the significant sum of money I had recently spent on not one, but two computers. It appears that even a loyal customer investing thousands of dollars isn’t guaranteed impeccable service anymore.

While Apple as a brand has always been close to my heart, this specific store and its services have deeply disappointed me. I hope no other patron has to endure a similar ordeal. I wholeheartedly do not recommend this...