JA
Juliann Almario
Apr 14, 2026
Most recently my iPhone 16 Pro Max stopped charging, and this was not caused by any physical damage, the phone would not power on no matter which variables I changed (different chargers, wireless charging, force restarting, different outlets etc.) After looking into this further, I believe this is a consistent problem for this phone model.
Anyhow, I booked an appointment at the genius bar regarding this issue. The appointment was booked for 2:45 pm, but I wasn't helped until around 3:15, and ended up leaving the mall at 7:15pm (this was on a Sunday, when the mall closes at 7.)
I don't understand the point of booking an appointment when getting serviced is never on time. They originally told me the repair would be done by 6:15 and that I could come back, however they were having trouble verifying my serial number due to the device not powering on, and suggested I come back in an hour at 4:30, as they would've started the repair by then and we'd be able to ensure that I am covered through AppleCare. (even though I was already certain I was, as I MADE SURE to check before coming.)
I came back an hour later, and they didn't have any helpful updates for me, and started asking to see a receipt for the purchase of the phone. (??) The associates helping me left me waiting a multitude of times, and the periodic updates were vague and unhelpful. They ended up telling me the phone needed to be repaired offsite.
I understand that repairs can take time, and that they have a lot of traffic at this store, however I did not appreciate the amount of MY time that was completely WASTED, and only for them to tell me the phone needs to be repaired offsite, requiring me to have a $1854 HOLD on my credit card, and me leaving the store with NO operable phone.
The majority of the time I spent at the mall was waiting, with minimal communication from multiple team members.
To top all of this off, I received the replacement phone in the mail today and went to transfer my SIM card from my non-working phone to the new one. Only to discover that there is no SIM card present in my non-working phone.
I have to say that this is absolutely ridiculous service, with no prompt resolution, apologies, or anything. I suppose they either forgot or lost my SIM card. I simply refuse to go back there and just end up waiting for GOD knows how many hours, to most likely just be told they 'misplaced' it.
I recognize that some of my issues are with Apple the company itself, however the service at this store did not make my experience any easier, and instead made me increasingly frustrated and irritated. I work in customer service myself, and I stayed calm and understanding throughout the whole process. I will say that the workers helping me seemed to be perfectly nice people, but the service I was provided was completely unacceptable, especially considering the price point of Apple's products and services. I am incredibly unhappy and this experience has left a sour taste in my mouth for the entire company, I am now reconsidering remaining a customer after 15+ years of loyalty. Do better.