Apple World Trade Center — Attraction in New York

Feedback on Disappointing Experience at the Apple World Trade Center Store

I am writing this review with a profound sense of disappointment, frustration, and feeling completely belittled by the experience I encountered. This incident not only failed to meet Apple’s high standards of customer service but also fell far short of the principles outlined in Apple’s Steps of Service and mission statement.

I placed an online order for pick-up at the World Trade Center Apple Store and added my mother as an alternate pick-up person. Upon her arrival, she was ignored by staff members who were conversing amongst themselves instead of acknowledging her presence. When she asked for assistance, a specialist finally addressed her but informed her that my State ID would be required to pick up the order.

While I understand the need for policies and procedures to prevent fraud and ensure secure transactions, these interactions should be conducted with compassion, empathy, and a positive attitude. Instead, the situation quickly escalated into a nightmare.

While on the phone with my mother, I asked the specialist if there were alternative solutions to resolve the issue. She informed me there were none and that I needed to be present in person. I then inquired about canceling the order so my mother could place it anew, considering she is an authorized user on my Apple Credit Card, a T-Mobile account holder, and listed as the alternate pick-up person. The specialist suggested canceling the order and reordering but made no mention of updating the pick-up details as an alternative before canceling the transaction.

The situation worsened when a lead, Giuseppe, became involved. Rather than providing support, he was dismissive, rude, and lacked empathy. He condescendingly advised me to “call online and update the order to reflect the authorized user next time” after the order was already canceled. This option was never communicated to me beforehand.

When I expressed my concerns and requested the names of the specialist and lead, I was told that I did not need the specialist’s name and was only given Giuseppe’s name. I also informed the lead that the specialist had not introduced herself to my mother, which would have made the interaction more personal and professional. Giuseppe’s response was simply to state, “I am walking away now,” after which both he and the specialist abandoned my mother in the store.

This lack of professionalism and complete disregard for customer engagement contradicts Apple’s commitment to passionately inspire and enrich customers' experiences while building a sense of community. Apple promises hands-on, customized experiences, yet this encounter reflected the opposite.

The absence of empathy, dismissive behavior, and lack of accountability displayed by the staff are deeply concerning. The holiday season should not be an excuse to compromise on service quality. Apple’s Steps of Service and mission statement emphasize the importance of delivering exceptional, personalized experiences. However, this interaction demonstrated a severe departure from those values.

I hope this feedback serves as an opportunity for reflection and improvement. Apple customers deserve respect, professionalism, and service aligned with the company’s...

I have had three experiences now at this store with employees with bad attitudes treating people like garbage and bad mouthing people to their face. Today I was getting a 3D headset demo and I made the mistake of asking questions as we went through the demo because oh I dunno maybe I want to understand the thing before I spend $4k or more on it, and the guy named Deli says ‘you want to talk over me or you want to continue the demo?’ Now mind you, I was not speaking ‘over’ him or interrupting him but asking questions in between the steps as we went through the process. But I think that was his way of telling me to shut up and just do as I was told because he couldn’t be bothered to answer any questions and provide any information on the unit.

When he said that I paused, confused at first why he accused me of speaking ‘over’ him and then shocked that he would even say that to a customer for asking a question. And I hadn’t even asked that many. Then I pulled the unit off my head and sat it down because there was no way I could sit there and be comfortable continuing with him. This upset him more and he goes ‘bro!’ Like I was going to damage it or something but I sat it down gently.

About that time one of the managers or something, the one who checked me in for the appointment was walking past and stopped to ask how it was going. I proceeded to start telling her what happened and this guy starts interrupting and talking over me to tell her that I was speaking over him or something. I couldn’t make it out as he was talking while I was talking. I then asked her if I could speak to her privately and asked him to step aside and she asked him to walk away. I told her what happened and even how he acted when I started answering her when she walked over to us and he talked over ME. All because I dared to ask some questions.

I told her even if he thought I was talking over him, as a customer he should not speak to a customer that way. And in any event I was asking questions about the product and not being derogatory or rude or anything like that. If he had issues with his patience or did not want to answer any questions then he shouldn’t be working with the public especially on these demos and I didn’t deserve that.

She offered to reschedule my demo but I politeiy declined since he triggered my self conscious depressive state and I just wanted to go home and crawl back into bed for the next two days. The whole reason I was looking at the unit is because I rarely leave my house and the idea of 3D immersive video to feel like I’m exploring outside my house appealed to me. The world has burned me so much I stay home alone by myself for many years and things like what he did easily trigger a downward spiral that can take me days to recover from. As I walked out I remember telling her maybe if I wasn’t fat and ugly he would have been nicer or less on edge with me. I think good looking people get automatically treated better. He probably had a bias because I was t good enough. I dunno. But it seems Apple in general hires a bunch of stuck up jerks that have no business working in...

Inconsistent Response. Frustrating Back and Forth. Incompetent Repair Technician.

3 months ago: I had my iPhone 5s screen replaced at this store a little under three months ago. The reason I spent $200+ on that screen was that it is backed by Apple's warranty. Turns out you really have to prove your case to the Genius Bar associates to get a replacement/ repair.

Day at Apple Store: Time Elapsed 10 minutes So I took the phone to the WTC Apple Store to report an issue with the screen which the Apple Associate-A detected promptly. She ran a diagnostic test and caught the issue. Said that she would replace the device. Comes back and says that Supervisor B instructed that we can replace the screen again instead of replacing the device. If the new screen also fails the diagnostic test, we will replace the device for you. I said okay. Waited for 1.5 hours.

Time Elapsed: 1.5 hours Associate C comes with the new screen, says it is good to go. I asked him specifically - was the multifunction display diagnostic run on this new screen? He says, well all my notes say is that this is good to go! So be assured you can take this phone home now.

Time Elapsed: 2 hours I insisted that the diagnostic test be run in front of me. Associate D comes and runs the diagnostic. Guess what, the new screen failed the diagnostic test! Associate D says, well let's get you a replacement device.

Associate D talks to Supervisor E. Sorry, we'll have to run the diagnostic again. Sometimes the multifunction display accuracy test can be fuzzy. Let's run the test again. I said sure. Ran the diagnostic test two more times and FAILED. She says, Supervisor E told me that the diagnostic test is very sensitive/ fuzzy and it can fail often. You can take this phone and you are good to go.

Time Elapsed: 2 hours 15 minutes

I lost it by then. Are you telling me that Apple has put in a diagnostic test that has no relevance? The new screen is consistently failing the accuracy test and you are saying that I am good to go? What I was told earlier by Associate A was that after the new screen has been installed you'll run the test. If the test fails, you'll replace the device. So Associate D, please do not BS me. I am NOT LEAVING until you address the problem with the new screen on my iPhone.

Time Elapsed: 3 hours

Associate F comes along with Associate D and says that I heard your conversation. We will go ahead and replace the device. Took another 15 - 20 minutes for them to do it. Finally, I was out of the Apple Store in about 3 hours. I felt cheated by Apple. Their responses were inconsistent and illogical. I had to really stick to my ground to get my problem addressed. I would have given this review just ONE STAR, but Apple Associate F stepped in and did the RIGHT THING, so for that I give it...