Apple Shayden Summit — Local services in Reno

1/20/18 - As an ex-Google executive and as a major investor in several global technology companies (AirBnB, UBER, Oculus, Netflix) I travel extensively and have visited hundreds of Apple stores in numerous countries..I can confirm, this store is THE worst Apple store I’ve ever been to with the WORST sales associates ever. This is most likely indicative of the surrounding rural area, Reno/Sparks which is a hour drive from my (seasonal) lake house.

The job as a sales associate is to smile, LISTEN, then make recommendations based upon my specific needs. I felt like I had walked onto a used car lot from the 90s, sure it looked Apple-esque , but it was LIGHTYEARS away in competence and attitude than my main Santa Monica Store (Apple Store). I explained I have a RED Helium and RED Dragon camera and a Canon 1dx, that I plan to edit 4K-8k footage on the go, comparing the best MacBook Pro to the Razer Blade, both priced comparatively. Several sales associates don’t even know the difference between i5 and i7 processors, no education on processor generational differences, absolutely no clue about GPUs, gave completely inaccurate information, and stated “well if you want to upgrade or customize any product of ours at all, you shouldn’t have drove all the way to our store, you should have just ordered it from home, but even if you did order it from home... it wouldn’t get there within a few weeks, so it’s always just best to buy in our store”. Essentially stating “I’m a moron for not purchasing something here and now, today”. It was apparent that the (elderly) employees didn’t understand what a RED helium is, nor did they understand how capable (or not capable in my case) their own products were against competitors offerings (no CUDA rendering in CC on the craptastic internal Intel GPU. We’re comparing a very standard and commonplace NVIDIA gtx 1060 vs an intel GPU folks, this is very very basic information folks. Rather than admit this and accept acccountability, and upon Googling the question and showing the sales associate how incorrect she was on her own Apple product, the elderly lady replied, “oh I didn’t give you the wrong information, YOU must have asked the question incorrectly ...or I misheard you”. I didn’t make it this far in life by ever speaking inaccurately...and my question was clear and direct. The management is supportive and defends the employees behaviors, stating on a follow up call “maybe it just wasn’t a match with a certain sales associate”. I had one pleasant experience with “Thom”, which is when I made my purchase (5th trip in), while I’m purchasing my products, one of the unpleasant (older lady) employees comes by interrupts the transaction by making a comment that “oh you’ve come in a few times...going to finally purchase something?”. I have. I come in to physically touch and feel the products, feel the resistance in the keyboard, see the brightness of the displays etc. I explained to her the story of Jobs, how he would go into the bicycle shop for years and always just stare at bikes, knowing he could buy any bike in the world, he wanted the right one for him. Thom, under his breath, said “we’ve had a lot of customers complain about her attitude, I’m really sorry about your experience with her”. Another employee made this exact same comment on another trip in to the store, which means, management is obviously aware. 4 separate trips into this Apple store with interactions with 4 different sales associates, same behavior, arrogance, cheeky comments of entitlement, profound lack of technical knowledge, lack of CURRENT industry related knowledge, poorly executed sales strategies and training. Especially that nasty nasty old lady ...she has absolutely no place at Apple. Working at any company from Best Buy to Apple it’s imperative that the staff intimately understands every single product they represent and sale, as well as conducts themselves professionally in and out of the workplace as a reflection upon...

I am formally demanding a refund for the $100 I was charged at your Reno, NV Apple Store for a replacement device that—by Apple’s own internal documentation, employee admissions, and basic standards of accountability—should never have been necessary had the original repair been handled properly. This issue stems from an earlier service at the Emeryville, CA Apple Store, where visible condensation was documented inside my iPhone 15 Pro Max camera during normal use. Rather than replacing the device, only the screen and camera were swapped—a negligent and shortsighted approach that ignored the root issue and led directly to the failure that followed.

Months later, the same issue returned—now worse. At the Reno location, a representative named Riley personally showed me the photo of the condensation from the original repair, which is saved in Apple’s own records. Riley clearly stated that the full device should have been replaced the first time because internal condensation means compromised water resistance, and partial repairs only open the door to further problems. He was frank: this was a manufacturer defect and should’ve been addressed at the root.

Instead of acknowledging this and doing the right thing, I was subjected to an infuriating and contradictory escalation process. Rocio dismissed Riley’s comments and tried to rewrite Apple’s policy on the spot. She claimed that if there had been water intrusion before, the whole phone would have been replaced—then, in the same conversation, admitted she had recently replaced only a screen for another water-damaged phone to rush a customer out the door. She couldn’t keep her story straight and continuously pushed the blame back on me, ignoring the system photo and prior service notes. Her dismissiveness wasn’t just wrong—it was manipulative and dishonest.

Then came Nick. Instead of acting like a manager, he backed up Rocio’s distorted logic and added an extra layer of arrogance and psychological pressure. He repeatedly cut me off, talked to me with demeaning sarcasm, and mimicked the exact dismissive stance Rocio had taken. He opened the phone before I agreed to anything—then turned around and implied that opening the phone might now void my options going forward. The two of them ran me in circles for nearly four hours, repeating the same disjointed rationalizations over and over like I was being waterboarded with corporate doublespeak. It was mentally exhausting, degrading, and completely unacceptable.

I am demanding a full refund of the $100 I was wrongfully charged and confirmation that an internal review is being launched regarding the conduct of Rocio and Nick. Additionally, given the time, stress, and unacceptable treatment I was subjected to, I am also requesting an unconditional $100 Apple Store gift card as compensation for the hassle. Their behavior was manipulative, hostile, and in complete conflict with Apple’s brand of “exceptional service.” If this matter is not resolved to my satisfaction, I will not hesitate to move forward with a lawsuit and will present every detail of this experience—complete with names, internal documentation, and timeline evidence.

This was not a gray-area issue. Apple had proof of internal condensation, failed to act on it, then used aggressive customer manipulation to bury responsibility when the defect inevitably returned. I’m not going away, and I’m not paying for...

I know this is a long review- but worth reading for the incredible display of idiocy at this store I am traveling and my iPhone screen got wet when I answered it after getting out of shower -- it was streaky , but worked- took it to APPLE CERTIFIED Best Buy , was told needed screen repair but did not have it in stock. Suggested I go to Apple Summit , as they would probably have in stock. Walked in, was greeted by rep and told him what I needed. We could upgrade your phone- No ,I am here to see about a screen repair " I have 5SE , best phone Apple ever made" He asked a "technician" to come over. She told me they could NOT replace it , as when they open it it would be too dangerous , they might get an electrical shock. ( just because I am over 60 does not mean I am stupid, and you obviously failed 8th grade science)) I said "well ,Best Buy told me they would repair it in 2 hours if they had the part- she said "Best Buy doesn't know what they are doing" I said they are APPLE certified . the first guy chimed in to say - "well, there is a learning curve ". ( that is a pretty small learning curve if you ask me- can you replace a screen or not ) so, they can replace the phone for $267. "There is significant water damage- " "really from holding my phone to a wet face for 1 second " I asked her to check to see if they had it in stock- no ,they didn't, 3-5 days and then they hold it for 5 days- I said "I am working at a campground in the Sierras and I don't know if I can get back in the time frame . Can I call in and order it when I know my schedule? " "No , there is a lot of paper work to fill out." I said "for a company that is in the technology business that is ridiculous" "well, how do we know it is you calling?" OMG - note my eye roll here My son lives here can he order it - "no he has to have the phone with him."" If i order it today can he pick it up -"" only if he has the phone with him-" so ,I am thinking an unrepairable phone just became repairable - to be sold as refurbished. I said "ok, no- "and turned to walk out- she said "what ?" I kept walking. These reps are young, inexperienced and would not know customer service if it hit them over the head. Here is a hint for Apple- how about training your reps to think outside the sell sell sell box- something like- "oh, you have just driven 3000 miles, let's see what we can do for you- we can order the phone now and you can check in with us when you know your schedule ." When I got home I looked up my phone - being one of the most popular phones Apple ever sold, they remade them this spring, but are now sold out- my feeling is I would be getting a refurbished one- and who ever heard of having to return your old phone to get a new one?

and ,guess what- woke up this morning to a perfect...