Apple Cherry Creek — Attraction in Denver

Attn: Head Store Supervisor - I need to share a very unsettling experience we have had throughout various dates at the Cherry Creek Apple Store. I have added supporting documentation, case numbers and details throughout this email. My 18 year old son is starting the exciting adventure to college this summer and he has been saving up for his first MacBook Air to bring with him. We knew we had a choice on where to purchase his computer. We chose Cherry Creek Apple based on prestige and sales associate knowledge. On July 18th we worked with a wonderful sales associate to purchase a 15 inch MacBook Air for $1,399. Although we did not open the box in the store, as I never have with any of my Mac purchases, we waited until we were home. When my son first opened the box and turned the computer on the screen was pixilated and damaged. This was evident before he even had an option to shut it himself or even set it up. By that time the store was closed and we were already back home. The next morning I sent my son to drive back down - another 2.5+ round trip - to exchange the defective computer. Upon arriving back at the store an associate “Mike” (brown hair, average height, around 30s) worked with my son on the return. He blatantly used age discrimination against my 18 year old and told him HE damaged the computer and needed to PAY $100 Apple Care deductible to fix the screen, which was sold to us like this. I firmly believe had an adult been there he would not have treated my son like someone who was “trying to work the system” and return a product HE damaged as soon as it was taken out of the box. He hadn’t even gotten past opening it up! After Mike told my son he must have damaged it “because computers don’t get damaged in boxes” he sold my son another computer and ANOTHER Apple Care plan. Mike told my son to pay for the repair, purchase the new computer, drive back down to pick up the repaired computer and then he could return it. In what world does this make any sense?? I spoke with Mike on the phone to try to understand his return rationality. I respectfully explained this was sold to us not 18 hours ago like this and that had I purchased from another store, such as Best Buy, we would not be having these issues and be able to exchange.Condescendingly Mike responded, “Well I don’t know, I don’t work for Best Buy.” He accused my son of the damage and this was “store policy” to use Apple Care to repair. We needed the computer for college orientation so we purchased the other computer to use while completely tainting the whole exciting college laptop experience. On 7/19, immediately after the store experience of obvious age discrimination and policy abuse, I spent over 3 hours on the phone with Apple Customer Care explaining the situation. I was told by a senior supervisor, Travis, that this was not the policy and should not have been handled in this manner. He filed a complaint against the store as well as gave me a case number. On 7/24 we drove another 2.5 hours roundtrip to pick up the repaired computer just to be met with Mike again. He seemed rushed, condescending, annoyed. He retrieved the repaired brand new computer, charged us $100 plus tax, and then as annoyed as he could project on us returned the computer. He said he couldn’t return the Apple Care but “Maybe Travis could”. He was talking about the senior supervisor I spoke with. I told Mike that the senior advisor I spoke with said this was not supposed to have been handled this way to which Mike replied, “Well I doubt Travis has ever touched a computer in his job.” This is YOUR sales associate mocking a senior supervisor for Apple Corporate. At this point I was so angry at the whole experience we returned BOTH computers! Rather than just exchanging the original defective computer the store now had two used MacBook Air computers returned, an angry customer, a special experience ruined, 5+ hours of me on the phone with Apple Customer Care, 7+ hours of travel back and forth from...

I have to agree with a lot of the negative reviews on here about their service side -- I don't think it's necessarily the employees' fault, but the inherent minimalist design of their store that makes it very unintuitive for customers and creates a lot of frustration as a result. I made an appointment to get my phone backing replaced -- and when you walk in the store it is not obvious where to go or where to check-in -- I was lucky and someone directed me to go check in with a random guy standing at the back (but I can see how someone would easily walk-in and not realize they need to check-in even for an appointment - I saw this happen to multiple people when I was waiting). They need clear signage, or at the very least - in their appointment emails, clear directions on what to do on arrival. The person checked me in, but didn't look at my QR code that I held up (that I received when creating the appointment), and didn't confirm any information with me other than my last name. After waiting for 45 minutes, I went up to the person who checked me in and mentioned I have been waiting 45 min past my appt time and he totally realized he had checked me in as the wrong person with my same last name (?!) and I was then immediately seen and told I had to come back in 4 hours to pick up my phone. It is really frustrating that there isn't a system in place that shows people waiting what their wait time will be, where they are in line (it's natural to feel frustrated when people come in after you and are seen first -- though it's probably just a different type of appointment -- just be transparent about it), or even if they are checked in correctly -- this is what is inherently frustrating with this Apple Genius bar model. They also charge for parking a this mall, and many people have to drive in from outside the city -- so it is very frustrating to not know any timeframe or how long things might take ahead of time. When I got my phone back -- it wasn't connected to the carrier and I had a hell of a time reconnecting it (I was not able to do so on-line like I was told by the Apple Genius rep). Luckily my husband had service and I was able to call ATT because otherwise I would've had to go instore and spend another half day dealing with that. The actual Apple employees are nice and knowledgeable -- but they are working in a system designed to look a 'certain way,' but fails completely to be helpful or intuitive on the customer side. Have signage, clear directions via text or email, share expectations on typical wait times, have a screen that shows where you are in line (it is not cute just being told to wait by a tree for an undisclosed amount of time), and customers won't be...

I rarely post negative reviews; in fact, if memory serves, this is my first and hopefully last, but I am having an "anniversary reaction" to an experience there that, apparently, I will not soon forget.

It all began by accessing a level two review with a kind, Apple representative who offered me a credit after one of the representatives at the Cherry Creek store made a mistake over my purchase of an Apple Watch.

I wasn't upset about the mistake since everyone makes them, but as a precaution I asked the rep to provide me with something in writing that I could present to people in the store."You won't need that, "she said. "All they have to do is access your file when you arrive. I will post it there."

Having an uneasy feeling about this, I took the precaution of noting the date and time, to the second, that this phone call occurred, since all such calls are recorded on the general Apple line.

Before relating the details of my subsequent experience, I should say that getting into, and out of, the Cherry Creek Mall is a semi torturous process involving circuitous routes to a usually over-full parking lot, followed by a technological process to get out of the store which, if you fail, means that you will be imprisoned there without a ready means of escape

Anyway, having successful negotiated the parking process, I went into the store only to be told by the representative that there was no way I could be telling the truth! I demanded to see the manager, but after standing there for quite some time realized that he wasn't going to appear. I probably would still be standing there!

I am not writing this to get back at anyone at this store since, despite being a $3 trillion company, apparently it cannot afford to honor the credit of a few lousy bucks. Instead, I am writing to advise my loyal and ever-growing followers not to appear at this den of iniquity with anything even potentially controversial unless having one's Ducks totally in a row, including written documentation readily at hand.

I have gone back to the Cherry Creek store and peaked in at Apple without setting foot within (never again!). I observed neither the representative who turned his back on me nor the manager there, hoping that these two mighty miscreants have gone on to other careers with nothing related to customer service at all.

May you enjoy a safe, peaceful, and joyous Holiday. Your earnest...