I recently had to make a trip to the Apple store in Charleston and pay a visit to their Genius Bar. For those of you that don’t know, the Genius Bar is their customer service counter that handles diagnostics, repairs, and advice for problems customers are having with any Apple product. The staff their is very friendly and helpful. My problem took a while to solve, so I was able to se several other people around me at the Bar during my visit.
A visit to the Genius Bar typically begins a day or so before the trip to the store. You can make an appointment online and tell them what your problem is. When you walk in the store an associate will ask your name, and mark you as in the store in their system. They must make a note of your clothing, because within a few minutes of waiting around playing with the newest gadget [the iPad on this visit] a Genius will come find you and take you back to the Bar.
One woman came in with a computer that had an incorrect memory card stuck in the slot. The Genius was able to get the offending card out of her computer within a minute.
My particular problem was with Final Cut. The Genius worked with me over an hour. He ran diagnostics, installed some updates for me, and consulted with colleagues to help me.
Another woman walked in off the street. A Genius checked the appointments, had an opening, and helped her right away. He was unable to fix her iPod then, so he went to the back and got her a brand new replacement.
My computer is not under warranty, but that didn’t matter to them. They helped me just the same. The woman that got an iPod most likely still had Apple Care to get product replacement. It’s anybody’s guess for the other woman. The point is Apple has great customer service, and they stand behind their products. Like I said yesterday, they’re the one stop shop when it comes to fixing a problem with your computer. My love for Apple had been fading recently to the shine of Google’s rising sun. However, this trip reminded me why I turned to Apple in the first place, and why I’ll stick with them into the future.
