Apple Christiana Mall — Local services in Brookside

On Saturday January 10th I stopped inside of KOP(KingOfPrussia) Apple Store to see if they can take a look at my iPhone flashlight , it would turn on then would go off instantly,they ran a diagnostic and told me my camera needed to be replaced and I was covered under my AppleCarePlus, the time they gave me for my phone to be picked up didn’t align with my plans so they told me I can come back any time within a few days with no appointment so they can fix replace my camera. On January 11th I called Christiana Mall (Apple) and asked if I can come there instead (closer location ) and got an appointment to bring my phone in at 12:45pm. I went to Christiana Apple for my appointment , explained the situation to the rep that I took my phone yesterday to KOP and the camera needs to be replaced. The rep told me he checked the notes and said my phone would need to be picked up by 4:35pm, I was a little disturbed for the long timing but I did drop my phone off, I backed my phone up as well as I was told to come back at 4:35pm. I came back at 4:35, three people told me my phone was ready and I was waiting for someone to bring it out, a guy came out and told me that they thought restoring my phone would fix the camera (a quick fix ) and turns out it is the camera and it would be ANOTHER HOUR. Now, I’m waiting inside watching an information session and at 5:50 my phone was ready and was told the camera was replaced and my lock button isn’t worked. My lock button was working perfectly fine when I initially gave them my iPhone at 12:45pm. The guy told me he can give me a loaner phone (XR) or give me my phone back and wait til Monday/Tuesday for my replacement phone to come in. I took my phone back and set it up like new because I didn’t plan on having it that long. I call Wednesday to see if my phone is ready being as though no one called by Tuesday, and was told I should’ve been giving the expectation of 3-5 biz days. I get a call Thursday evening that my phone was ready . I go Friday January 17th to go pick up my replacement phone and my iCloud from 1/11 isn’t showing as available. My initial visit was due to my flashlight not working, I expected someone to just repair a tether of some sort. I was told that the issue was coming from the camera and the representative performed a number of tests. At some point during the test, my iCloud back up was deleted and stripped of all its data and content. I’ve lost thousands of pictures, memories & sentimental/sensitive data. I have no idea why a iCloud deletion would fix a flashlight error. This is at the fault of the representative and unfair to me,...

I was quite disappointed with the customer service at the Apple Store in Christiana Mall. It appeared that they had little regard for their customers and their time. Every single step, including pick up time, order pick up, trade in process, refund of canceled order, which should be very simple and straightforward turned to very frustrating and time-consuming experiences.

After I placed an online order, I received an email indicating the pickup date, but Apple failed to inform me about a delay in my order. I only discovered the change in the pickup date when I checked the order status. This was inconvenient for me, as I had already made arrangements to visit the Apple Store at Christiana Mall on the original pickup date.

When I contacted Apple support, they couldn't find a solution that worked well for me. Instead, they offered a solution that was more convenient for them - canceling my previous order and placing a new one. I ended up having to choose a slightly different MacBook Pro because it was the only option in stock and available for next-day pickup. This whole experience was quite frustrating.

And that's not all. When I arrived at the store to pick up my item using the QR code, there was a long waiting line. Should it be like this? After waiting in line, I was assigned to an Apple Specialist to help with my order. While the specialist was friendly, they were at the end of their working hours and wanted to leave. Overall, it was disheartening not to have one dedicated person assisting me throughout the process, but rather to be handed off to different specialists. It felt more like it was designed to work well for Apple and its employees, not for the customer. I had both an order pickup and a trade-in during my visit. Because the staff kept changing, and their professionalism varied, I ended up spending over four hours in the store. It's hard to express how frustrating and disappointing this was.

And there's more to this story. I still haven't received a full refund for my initial canceled order. Apple wants to give me part of the refund in the form of a gift card, but I prefer and have every right to receive the full refund back to my original payment method, which was my Visa card. I've spent about a week trying to get my money back with no luck. The only solution they offer is a gift card as a refund, claiming they can't refund the money to the initial payment method. I'm now pursuing a dispute with my bank in an attempt to recover my funds for the canceled order. I hope they can help.

After these negative experiences, I'm determined to avoid Apple...

Within 36 hours of finally purchasing the computer I had saved 18 months for, fate (in the form of a 9-year-old, 6-year-old, and a hairless cat) decided to test me. Picture it: one overly enthusiastic boy, one equally energetic girl, and one completely unrepentant feline deciding that my shiny new green iMac was the perfect launch pad for office parkour. The kids immediately offered tearful apologies. The cat offered… absolutely nothing. He was banished to the laundry room to “think about his choices.” (Spoiler: he didn’t.)

After muttering “it’s just a computer” (then later sobbing privately in my closet), I marched myself to the Christiana Mall Apple Store to find out what could be done. That’s when Bridgette at the Genius Bar came to my rescue.

Bridgette listened to my tale of woe with the patience of a saint, even though the store was buzzing with people. She was kind, sympathetic, and didn’t make me feel foolish for allowing a naked cat to moonlight as a stunt double on my desk. While she had to deliver the tough news about repair deductibles (ouch), she did so with such compassion that it genuinely softened the blow. She treated me like a human being—not just another “oops my kid/cat/dog/ferret broke my computer” case—and I appreciated that more than I can say.

If you are buying an Apple computer, let me shout this from the rooftops: GET APPLECARE. Trust me. Bridgette walked me through exactly how it works, what my options were, and helped write a happier ending to this very dramatic chapter in my tech life story.

In all seriousness, Apple products are expensive. Many of us save for months to purchase these devices. When something goes wrong, it isn’t just inconvenient, it’s emotionally tough. That’s why it really does matter when an Apple employee takes the time to listen, show empathy, offer solutions, and be kind. It makes a hard moment easier.

So here’s to Bridgette … part Genius, part therapist, and 100% the reason I didn’t curl up in the fetal position next to the Apple display wall. If you find yourself in a technology tragedy, may you be lucky enough to get her on your...