Apple Bridge Street — Local services in Huntsville

There are no geniuses left at the Genius Bar. I was asked 6 times my name and account I for before it was entered correctly. My phone would not hold a charge well for months. It had finally stopped altogether. I asked if the phone was still covered and he said no that it was over a year old. That sounded off to me but he had my account pulled up. I was told after he hooked it up to a tester that nothing was wrong with it. I disagreed. He told me I could get $300 off of a new phone with it as a trade in. It’s not even two years old. He showed me the phones. I was super annoyed at having to pay so much but at least it was $300 off. Every sign and every phone said $300 off. We go to check out and he tells me it’s only $250 off and that it had changed that day at noon. They would not change the signs or honor it. He also told me about that I could buy apple care to protect it when I expressed concerns about another phone dying before two years. I told him I am pretty sure I have apple care. He looked and lo and behold I do and fixing it would be covered. I said that is all I wanted to begin with. What an epic waste of my time. I was guaranteed that my phone would be ready by a certain time. I asked if they could just msg me when it was since I had some doubts that it would be ready by then and had to drive back. They said no and that it would definitely no question be ready then. It wasn’t ready. I was given a new time. It wasn’t ready. They messed it up and had to start over. I get it the third time. We got I set it up. I asked for help. They said it would be self explanatory. I tried to but l realized that was locked out of my phone. They could not help me with this at all. The entire time I had been trying to get someone to help find accessories. They kept telling me to go check the wall where they are kept. I told them that I did and they were out of what I was looking for and I still had a few questions. Finally the guy that “helped” me sold me them. I got to my car and they were the wrong chargers. He was working with my phone only 2 minutes prior. I came back and just returned all but one. This man that helped was the only one that I had any confidence in. My phone now gets hot randomly and has major audio issues. I got to pay for a new screen protector after they took off my screen protector that I got that week. I regret not going android but since this store has gone downhill my next phone will be and I will go back to non Mac products. I am petrified to bring it back and I also don’t have another 5 hours to waste. This followed a very bad experience getting my current phone. I only got an iPhone because the Apple Store was supposed to be easy to deal with and have competent employees. This is like going back in time to where you had to argue with an AT&T employee who didn’t care then mail your phone to have to worked in. What happened...

I was disappointed in the fact that I had to wait to pick up a repair. I was told that my computer was ready and I would be fast tracked to pick it up. I had to let security know I was there due to COVID and them not allowing a certain amount of customers inside. Security took my I.D and gave it to them to "verify" I had a pickup (I am not going to show up to wait in line to actually shop at an apple store). I ask the security guard why I had to wait since I know it is ready and was told I can just come and get it. Other people waiting in line said they had similar issues before with them and it was not quick like it was suppose to be. I ask the security guard repeatedly to go and check why they could not just bring me my computer considering they have several portable payment methods. Honestly, I was not very nice to her, and I was very frustrated with her lack of knowledge of any process. After I was able to get into the store, I still had to wait, so the purpose of taking my I.D and not having my product ready was extremely irritating. Once my computer was ready I spoke with the Apple representative who did ask if there was anything wrong and obviously I was very irritated with their process. I was told it was for "safety". It was interesting because she was performing her "customer recovery training" which was horrible. The fake tone and acting as if she wanted to help was terrible. I rather someone be honest and just say it is what it is. I paid too much for a repair that was a defect in the computer itself. I should have gotten the apple care, but unfortunately I did not. My computer is a year old and sits on a desk in a well ventilated room and never is taken outside the house. Asking "what can I do to make things better" is not a good question unless you are going to do what I want. I know people say they will not be back, but this is the closest Apple store currently. I generally do not go to Apple stores because everything is over complicated. I definitely could have been nicer to that specific security guard and to the Apple employee I dealt with; my behavior was not an excuse. I do wish the process was better and Apple actually had a better way to send Emails to customer service, but then they would have to address the many complaints...

My recent experience at the Huntsville Apple Store was so troubling that I feel obligated to speak up—especially after another employee privately encouraged me to file a complaint.

After a long day of travel, I came in for a phone replacement through AppleCare due to damage sustained on vacation. My first interaction was positive and helpful. However, I was then passed off to an employee named Linda, and the experience took a sharp turn for the worse.

Linda was dismissive, visibly irritated by basic questions, and showed no willingness to communicate respectfully. When I asked about ensuring my photos and data transferred to the new phone, she snapped, “You need to tell us what you want—we don’t know.” Every follow-up was met with, “We already did that,” regardless of whether it had been addressed. It felt like she wanted to rush me out the door without confirming anything.

Had I not insisted and advocated for myself with help from my partner, Linda would have sent me home without any of my vacation photos or personal data, and my old phone would have been wiped. Thankfully, a third employee stepped in, calmly addressed my concerns, ensured everything transferred properly, and restored a sense of professionalism and care. She was everything Linda was not: empathetic, patient, and competent.

The contrast between Linda and the other employees made the issue even more glaring. I don’t expect perfect service, but I do expect basic respect and a willingness to help—especially in a store that specializes in technical support for the average consumer. Linda’s attitude was not just unprofessional—it was actively hostile.

I hope Apple addresses this seriously. No customer should have to fight this hard to be heard or to protect their data simply because an employee doesn’t want to do their job.

I have never felt more talked down to by a person in customer service. I remained calm even after 14 hours of travel on a plane, even after she talked to me like I was an idiot. I don’t want to stoop to her level and I don’t think any human should be treated that way. I hope the company sees this and considers how this impacts people...