Apple The Grove — Local services in Los Angeles

Avoid this location at all costs if you want to keep your sanity. I’ve had three horrendous experiences at this location, but today was the final straw. I arrived today at 10:30 in the morning when the mall was still half closed and not even busy- I walked into the Apple Store because I needed my phone repaired. I noticed the store is basically empty yet they quoted me 11:55 appointment - almost 1.5 hour wait. I was completely fine with it because I was going to go walk around and eat at the farmers market. Just as I was finishing my food, I got a text that they are almost ready for me, as I’m walking over there I get a text that they’ve already given up my spot. I go in and tell them that I guess they gave away my spot. Can I get on the waitlist for the next one? The girl then tells me that she can still do 11:55 so to just come back around 11:55- I said fine went to nordy’s next door. I arrived back 5 min before my appointment, and they told me that I already missed that one too because it was actually 11:45!!!!! I explained to them there is a misunderstanding and that after my initial appointment was given away I came back and was told there is still 11:55 available and to return then. Then some robotic cretin starts mansplaining to me the order of the texts I got, and completely ignoring that I understand my first attempt had been missed, and they gave my spot away, but that I came back and someone else had told me to just come back at 11:55 that they still had time. Both if them were starting at me like I’m some liar which was more infuriating than the fact they cannot keep an appointment. Esp when they know they messed up because I saw on his screen they had a 11:45 with my name next to it- but I never got any messages about that. So there was clearly a misunderstanding- but they wanted to gaslight me to make me accept another 1.5 hour wait instead of apologize and accommodate a customer who already waited around 1.5 hrs. When they saw that I am upset, they continued with the gaslighting and trying to blame me and the guy kept trying to explain to me I missed my appointment while claiming I’m not letting him speak when he was missing the whole point that I had already returned since then and they are the ones that messed up my appointment. Then they started demanding I point out exactly who i spoke with to them and I told him to check his cameras. Why would I be lying about this? I then stormed out I had enough.

Mind you the the reason I needed this repair is because when I tried to repair my phone back in October before I went on vacation I had come in and they took me on a weekday, but then no one was coming to help me for over 45 minutes and I had a flight to catch. I wasted all that time again going to my car walking over there getting out to get absolutely nothing accomplished and a day when I was flying out of the country. This is what it’s always like dealing with this location.

Two years ago in May when I was upgrading my phone, they kept lying to me that it’s not gonna be long, but then I was there for over five hours, transferring all the data.

This is ridiculous and they have no respect for anyone’s time. They think you have time to sit around all day and God forbid you get annoyed about it, because then you’re gonna get gaslight and abused by the robotic unempathetic cretin employees. Remember, when you come to this location you’re gonna get treated poorly and you have to pretend to be happy about it so get your clown makeup on 🤡

After this whole fiasco, I went to the Beverly Center where I was taken with no wait and my phone and everything was replaced within 45 minutes.

I’m done with 🍎

note to management - don’t treat your customers like crazy Karens when they are upset for mistakes you made. People are NOT allowed to act crazy and make unreasonable demands- but people are still allowed to be upset when their day was high-jacked and their time was stolen and disrespected by incompetent and rude Genius Bar “Geniuses” that will not apologize or acknowledge they...

I have a Macbook Pro from 2019 and I needed a new battery. I called the store ahead of time to confirm they had batteries in stock, as I live 10 miles away from the store and take the bus (1 hour each way). The person on the phone was incredibly rude and condescending and said they cannot help me with my inquiry unless I make an appointment. Whatever, I made the appointment. I am not sure why the system even lets you make an appointment if they cannot provide the service, given that you have to sign into your Apple account, select the device you want repaired, and the issue with it. Surprise surprise I spent an hour on the bus to find out they didn't have the battery in stock. They said they would order me a battery, reserve it for me, and I would come back again in two days. Three hours of my time wasted now, but whatever, at least the battery will be reserved for me. I drop off my computer and they say it will take 3-5 days. This is annoying as I use my computer all day for school. I receive a call on the fifth day and they tell me there is water damage in my computer and they cannot complete the repair unless I pay $800+ (on top of the $250 new battery cost). I said there should not have been any water damage, as I have never spilled anything and I always keep my computer in a waterproof case. They said they could show me the photos when I come pick up my computer, since I refused the repair as I was not going to pay $1,000+ for a new battery. I go back to the store for the third time to pick up my computer. This has now wasted seven hours total on the bus, and a wait of 5 days without my computer. I ask them to show me the liquid damage. They show me the photos like they said they would. I asked them if they could show me the damage, not just the photos. If I was going to pay $800+ on top of what I was initially going to pay, I wanted to confirm that the photos they were showing me were truly my computer, afterall, I am not aware I ever spilled anything or had liquid damage. They said no, only Apple staff can go into the repair room. I said okay, can you show me here, at the Pick Up table, they said no and did not explain why. So they did not prove to me there was damage on my computer. I asked if they could tell how minor or severe the liquid damage was, they said no, so basically, even the most minor liquid damage starts at $800 to repair it (which is ridiculous). Then I asked if they could tell how old the damage was, they said no to this as well. So essentially there was no way for me to confirm 1) that there was truly in fact water damage and 2) they could not confirm the damage was not done when I dropped off my computer. I doubt the staff would be malicious like that, for example, pouring water on it when I drop it off, wait five days and tell me I need to pay $1,000+ total for a repair. However, they could not prove it so I took my money and time elsewhere, since I already spent about 8 hours of my time going back and forth on the bus to the store (including the time spent at the store). I instead went to a shop in Westwood, got a new battery for $220 ($250 with tax and fees), and it was changed same day within 4 hours. No mention of water damage in my computer. So, needless to say, I highly don't recommend this store as the staff will insist on damage that also needs to be repaired but won't prove that there actually is damage. If I could give zero stars I would. I hope others have better...

Yesterday, I had one of the most frustrating and appalling customer service experiences I’ve ever encountered, all thanks to John, the manager at the Apple Store in The Grove, Los Angeles.

I arrived at 10 AM seeking help with my cracked iPhone 15 Plus, under the impression that I had AppleCare coverage, as I’ve been paying roughly $14 per month for a protection plan. The woman who checked me in quickly realized that my current device wasn’t covered, which was shocking considering I’ve been paying for AppleCare. It turns out, the coverage was for my old iPhone, and the plan didn’t transfer when I upgraded to my new phone. Apparently, I had been paying for AppleCare on a device I no longer owned, which I had traded in. No one had told me that I needed to manually cancel the old plan and set up coverage for the new phone.

Already frustrated, I was told to call Apple Support to resolve the issue. After being stuck on the phone for over 40 minutes, passed from one automated message to another, I finally reached a senior support agent who canceled the AppleCare on my old phone. However, this did nothing to address my immediate issue—getting help for the damaged phone in my hand.

The support agent advised me to speak to the store manager, as they were the only ones who could possibly assist in person. Enter John: condescending, rude, and completely devoid of basic customer service skills. When I tried to explain my situation, he immediately dismissed me, blaming me for not managing my subscriptions properly. His attitude was absolutely appalling. While I already knew I had Verizon’s Asurion insurance as a backup, that didn’t excuse John’s complete lack of empathy or effort to assist me. I’ve been a loyal Apple customer for over 20 years and have visited this store countless times. But John’s behavior was so disrespectful, it made me question whether I ever want to use Apple products again.

Instead of offering any assistance, John raised his voice, questioned my intelligence, and refused to even engage in a reasonable conversation. Worse, during the 40 minutes I was on the phone with Apple Support, he briefly checked in, only to brush me off with a dismissive “you need to be on the phone with them” before walking away. He made no effort to help or even listen. For a store filled with idle associates, including John, I was left to navigate the entire ordeal alone—utterly unacceptable.

After leaving Apple, I went straight to the Verizon store, where the manager was the complete opposite of John—helpful, understanding, and professional. He filed the Asurion claim for me, validated my parking, and within four hours, a technician was at my door with a replacement phone.

John is an embarrassment to Apple and a disgrace to customer service. His behavior is not just a reflection of his personal failings, but also a failure of the store’s management and training. Apple should reconsider allowing someone like him to hold a customer-facing role. His inability to handle basic customer issues with decency and respect makes him wholly unfit for the job.

I expect a formal response and appropriate action to be taken regarding John’s unprofessional and unacceptable conduct. This experience has severely tarnished my perception of the Apple Store at The Grove, and I sincerely hope changes are made to prevent other customers from enduring such...