Apple Boylston Street — Local services in Boston

I cannot even begin to express my disappointment with my iPhone 14 Pro Max and the abysmal customer service provided by Apple. It has been an agonizing journey since the day I purchased this phone in March, and the camera issue has transformed my daily life into a tech-induced nightmare.

The primary issue at hand is the iPhone 14 Pro Max's camera, which has never worked as it should since the moment I unboxed it. I visited the nearest Apple store, hoping to find a solution to my camera problems. The Apple "genius" advised me that it could potentially be resolved with a simple software update and that they had never seen this issue. They instructed me to wait and see if it would magically disappear with a software update. If not, they surmised it might be a hardware problem.

I continued to use the phone, only to find that the camera issue persisted, and the phone was unusable for work where I use the camera or to capture memories on trips.

I returned to the Apple store to address this concern. However, what followed was a confounding experience in which Apple employees, and the manager, seemed utterly clueless about their own product.

The manager suggested yet another software update, as if this were the cure-all solution for every problem under the sun. I told him that this was affecting my career working clinically at Harvard Medical School on daily basis and that the most efficient solution would be preferred. He said that in order to abide by Apple’s goal to reduce waste they would have to go through individual components to replace one at a time and that they would, even if the issue was present since the purchase of the phone, never replace the originally defective device as a whole.

Again I was told this “might be a camera issue or a software issue and that he did not know.” This back-and-forth, wishy-washy approach to solving a seemingly straightforward problem is mind-boggling. Apple, you've let me down on all fronts with this debacle. It's as if you're not taking the concerns of your loyal customers seriously anymore. The camera issue has left me feeling like I've wasted my hard-earned money on a subpar product, and the customer service experience has been a nightmare.

To those considering purchasing an iPhone 14 Pro Max, please think twice. You might be rolling the dice with your money and sanity. I'm still hopeful that Apple will come through and rectify this situation, but for now, my iPhone 14 Pro Max is a constant reminder of the disappointment that can arise from trusting a brand that used to be synonymous with excellence.

Oh, let me not forget to mention the sheer amount of time and frustration this iPhone 14 Pro Max ordeal has cost me. It's not just the money but also the valuable hours of my life that have been squandered on this seemingly unending issue.

Well over 12 hours of my life to addressing the camera problem alone. Countless hours on the phone waiting for appointments, multiple visits to the Apple store, and waiting around for software updates to work their supposed magic. It's as if my life has been put on hold, waiting for a resolution that never comes.

And as if this weren't enough, I was condescended by the unempathetic manager at the Apple store. He appeared indifferent to my frustration and treated my concerns with an incredibly dismissive attitude.

It's disheartening to see a brand that once prided itself on top-notch customer service now treat their customers as mere inconveniences. Not to mention, instilling these values in their staff in order to fall back on “reducing waste” when convenient for them.

Apple, you've got some serious work to do to regain my trust and, I'm sure, the trust of many other disgruntled customers including many of my colleagues. This whole experience with your product and your customer service has left me feeling like my loyalty to your brand has been taken for granted.

It's time to step up your game and remember what made Apple so beloved in the...

Sadly, a very disappointing experience at the Boylston St. store today. I made an appointment to do a battery service on my son's phone. I did the diagnostic as instructed, prior to the visit and the phone was inspected when it was dropped off. I was told when to come back and pick it up. The person who helped me was excellent, and what I have come to expect from Apple. later in the day, I left work early to travel to the store to pick up my son's phone. I did not receive any communication from the store, but I assumed it was done. I had to wait for quite a long time just to speak to anyone. The representative told me the phone "was done" and I just had to wait for it to be brought out. I again made the assumption that "was done" meant that the described and intended service was performed. But then a woman came out with my son's phone and began to process my service. She checked my ID and had me sign a waver. She then seemed surprised that her iPad showed no charge for my service. Then she said, "Oh, they found water in your phone and they didn't do anything." What? The phone has never been exposed to water. I asked her why no one contacted me with this discovery? She said very curtly, "I'm telling you now!" Without getting into a lot of detail, I have been a supporter and fan of Apple products and the ecosystem for decades. I own 2755 shares of Apple stock, I think I have demonstrated my commitment. This persons lack of professionalism, and dismissive communication was unacceptable. I then asked her what are my options to repair the phone? "You don't have any options, you would have to replace it." We are talking about a phone with no physical damage, working normally except for a battery life score of 81% with all buttons and ports functioning, that additionally was previously tested with Apple diagnostics, and you tell me it is unrepeatable? The phone has been in a case and has had a screen protector since it was new. Then I asked her why didn't anyone contact me to tell me this? She again said, "I'm telling you now." I said what is the estimate for replacing the phone? She said, looking away as if I had asked her the dumbest question ever uttered, "Around 299." I am partly frustrated that the method Apple is currently using to manage existing customers after sales concerns is a departure from the experience I have embraced for decades! But the bad attitude of this representative and her feeling that it is OK and totally normal to make a customer make an appointment to service their product, wait days for the appointment, plan a trip to drop it off, make another trip to pick it up and not communicate that the authorized repair has not been completed, even though the product has passed multiple diagnostics and physical examinations and that the product is now deemed unrepeatable, should be of great concern for...

I had a horrible experience with this store’s employee, especially the people in the manager position. First my macBookPro had issues and I brought it to the Genius Bar. The manager whose name starts "Z" in the Genius Bar, told me the hard drive is dead and I should buy a new one. And they sold me a MacBookAir M1 Chip computer. They have not given me a printed receipt, instead sent it to my email while my emails are not accessible with my phone. They said we are giving you $150. Gift card free and you can start using it. So, I used this gift card to buy a super drive and an adapter which was a total of $98 on that day. And, my AMEX credit card informed me that the Apple store charged $150 in addition to computer charges $899 to my account. I was totally shocked. On the other hand, I found out my MacBook Pro Computer has a sticky bottom problem but not a hard drive issue and it has been fixed without even any charges in the independent computer repair place. I was shocked once more with Apple store employees. I decided to return everything: MacBookAir, Super Drive, Adapter, and gift card. The same manager handled the return and he did not give me a full refund. He gave me $801.00 instead of $899.00. I was not satisfied with this partial refund, I said I am not returning therefore you should reverse this transaction. He said “NO”. And he added “Now this macBookAir is our property; and if you take this computer to go out we will call the police to report you “thief”. I have never seen such a sick minded manager. Before them, I called the 911 dispatcher and I talked to the police and explained the situation. The police wanted to talk to this manager but the manager ran away and he refused to talk to the police. Then I called all Apple Headquarters and higher authorities to complain to them. This strange manager disappeared in the store and left his junior colleague on my head who is policing me and watching my every movement and constantly reporting with her iPhone. I said you are not a real Apple Store but this is a franchise store to sell Apple products but Apple does not allow this kind of treatment to the customers and they will not authorize you to sell Apple products anymore. Then suddenly another manager who introduced herself "G----" took care of all this returning process and gave me a full refund. I spent three hours in this store to return and get a full refund at the end. They caused me so much pain and suffering. THEY ARE DOING VERY BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE. It is totally SCAM and FRAUD. DO NOT GO THERE. Buy Apple products from online but not from...