Apple Cumberland Mall — Local services in Vinings

Long rant and emotional post about my Iphone 15 and Raj: (Trish and Cassandra, ya'll are awesome)

February 22, At&t lost service but I updated my phone that Thursday. I charge my phone at night so on Friday night, my phone would not charge. I couldn't get an appoinment from the closest Apple, but they told me I could walk in at 12. They ended up changing the guts to the phone, so boom...My icloud is even different. It knocked the correct info out of my Icloud and that was annoying to sign back into my icloud. I finally got in and everything is fine until my phone prompted me to update my phone on a Thursday (Its just funny of the days) Friday night my phone is not charging again and again I have to go to Apple. Luckily I was able to make an appointment with Apple.

Apple at Cumberland is very busy and you have to get in to fit in there. Its fun but unorganized because you don't understand what to do, But I just sit at the bar in the back and kinda make eye contact til I finally have to say excuse me. I was finally checked in under the wrong name past my appointment time. I sat and then I met Raj. She seemed to be unbeat and confident and took on two of us at a time. I expained to her that my phone won't charge after the update- she starts to work her"magic". Now, Apple online gives you solutions online-which don't work and she probably was doing it too, pressing buttons- running diagnostics,,,yada yada. She's like "You're not going to be able to restore from backup because there's a bug in my backup you will have to start the phone new" Me being annoyed understood her to say " I can't sign into my Icloud" because I don't restore from backup anyways. So I ask " How am I going to get my information from years years of having the same Icloud" Raj says " i don't know what to tell you ma'am. I'm giving you my "expert" advice that if you restore from backup ,you're going have the same problem" So she's says she has to go to the back and play with some computer back there. I admire her desire "to work around" but I knew something was wrong because it was a new phone (two times) and I had a feeling it was something wrong with the update. She returns smiling saying she got it to work...it had a twelve percent charge (Raj you should have charged it more) She says again "don't restore a back up or you're going to have the same problem.

My issue was her attitude when I am asking her to explain. Her face would change because I'm trying to figure out how I am going to get my contacts, etc-she's telling me to set it up from new. I'm pissed. I'm like "that sounds like a lawsuit with apple" because you trust them with in this cloud and Raj is telling me to start a new Iphone- "Raj immediately says she can't talk to me any more ( not even realizing that I work in law) because I said the word "lawsuit"...then guess what- my phone is not charging. Without restoring it from backup. She has an attitude now and so she tell Tish what's going on. I tell Tish Raj isn't making it make sense. Raj go on somewhere, please.

Tish explain calmly and so that I could understand- I could sign into my Icloud but I could not restore from a backup and since I am always syncing- my everything would still be there. I never restore from backups anyways. When I sign in everything starts to load. Raj should have asked questions instead of assuming. Tish thanks!!!!! My phone wouldn't charge and instead of Cassandra doing a "work around" and wasting another two hours of my time. She found a solution that took all of five minutes.

Unfortunately I do so much with my phone and it has made my life easier- that once it was out- I was lost. I live a busy lifestyle and I am almost always on the go....I have learned not to trust my phone so much and slow down- Because if I have to meet with Raj again. I might lose it.

Update: my phone updated again and I had the same problem as before. But before going back to Apple I texted them and they gave me a work around...

I am extremely disappointed with my Apple Store experience. I visited this store 4 times in less than a week to make a $2300 debit card purchase. It takes forever to get the assistance of a sales person. I left the store without any assistance on Friday, Monday, and Wednesday because I had to pick up my kid from school and could not wait any longer. I came back with my kid a second time on Wednesday. I finally approached a woman in the back of the store who was doing nothing but tapping on an iPad and I asked for her help, but she was irritated that I asked because she was a technician and told me that if I made it all the way to her I had "done something wrong." I asked for an appointment for the 3rd time this week and was told I didn't need one. Yet I still couldn't get any help until I had waited over an hour after she put it in her iPad that I needed help. This is ridiculous since is my 5th Apple computer purchase and I knew what I wanted to buy just needed someone to accept my payment and give me my purchase. I AM A DISABLED VETERAN WALKING WITH A CANE. IT HURTS TO SIT TOO LONG ON THEIR TALL WOODEN STTOLS . IT HURTS TO STAND TOO LONG. By the time that help happened it was 8:03pm and I was told that since it was after 8pm I would have to come back tomorrow to pick up "my order." UNBELIEVABLE! I explained that I was leaving for California to attend my step-mother's funeral the next day and couldn't return to the store (for the 5th time) until 10 days later. They still couldn't get "my order" because their was "no work around." So I asked for a refund at which point two "Apple Geniuses" showed me that their computer said my order would "be ready shortly." I was asked to wait until 8:45pm for the "funds to be received" and my order would "drop" in the back. Then I was told that even if I waited until 8:45 I was not guaranteed to receive my order that night. I asked for a refund for a second time because my kid needed to eat and go to bed. And I needed to catch a flight to California the next day. They finally cancelled the purchase. I did not receive a receipt for the purchase or cancellation although I asked for both. I finally called the bank because I saw in my phone that the money was gone from my checking account. Navy Federal confirmed that Apple had received the funds for my purchase although the "geniuses" said otherwise. I left the store angry and on the phone with Navy Fed because I had no computer, no purchase receipt, nor cancellation/refund receipt. I eventually received an email notification that my order was cancelled.

I still don't have my money and it is a day later. Navy Federal says it could take days for Apple to return the refunds that Apple claims they never received. I started a Navy Federal claim, but I was also told that process can take up to 90 days. UNBELIEVABLE. I will never return to the Apple stores because they always provide the worst customer service. I currently purchase all of my accessories and receive repairs at Simply Mac and Best Buy/Geek Squad. From now on that is where I will be making all of my Apple purchases.

GET IT TOGETHER...

Update. should have been one star. After my in store visit and they updated my phone.... well the phone still sucks. Siri is more unresponsive than ever before I'm honestly finding more things to hate about the phone. The quality has dropped of this company, and their customer service. They grew too big, and don't care about customer retention. Hope the 800$ was worth losing the customer. Good bye forever apple. _ I regret staying a customer for over a decade. I hate that I grew up and "they don't make them like they used to" This is my last Apple product.

I've had my last 2 Apple phones crash in 2 years. I hate this new one, and they couldn't do anything to help since it was outside the miniscule 14 day return window. Ironically It also took 14 days to recover my Apple ID password since my previous phone crashed. One issue I had was Siri suddenly failing to recognize what I was saying, all they can do is update the software. With previous models she was "hit and miss" now it's "miss and miss" and her interpretation failures range from impressive to embarrassing.

I understand being incredibly strict with company policy, however making an exception for me would have kept me as a customer. Not for nothing, but Apple as a company can afford to, but I guarantee this purchase impacts me more financially. I'm done with iPhone but I would have tried other products.

Here's where they especially screwed up customer service in simple interaction though-. The customer rep started talking to me about "Accountability". with this new purchase. On the surface level I saw the logic, but they refused to see that I was asking Apple to take accountability over their dwindling quality and sky high rising prices. I am absolutely also referring to accountability of the company for selling reputable products.

For clarification I asked "Really? ZERO accountability?" because they seemed like Apple shouldn't take ANY responsibility for the quality of it's products.

A word of customer service advice- by VERY careful about using the word "accountability", when customer is describing a history of product failures and crashes. Especially if they are saying they no longer plan to buy Apple. This was objectively unintelligent, let alone lacking in any empathy.

2 stars because the employees did seem to try to help, and largely seem empathetic, but the company mission seems to have switched to allow me to be alienated as a customer after purchasing Apple products for 10+ years.

Thank you to the gentleman who said he was sorry I had a history of bad Apple...