Apple Store Experience
/I bought my current iPhone 5 back in September 2012 and it is now a few months short of being 2 years old. Having had previous iPhones, I always keep them in a protective rubber case and can't remember ever having dropped my current one on anything other than carpeting. Despite taking great care of my treasured iPhone 5, I've had problems with the Sleep/Wake button for several months. The button is consistently unresponsive and only works if you press perfectly in the middle. Pressing on the left or right side produces an audible 'click' sound but nothing happens. Many other iPhone 5 customers have reported on online forums experiencing similar problems. After months of reports, Apple finally initiated a free repair program.
https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/
Here is my less than satisfying experience with the repair.
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I made an appointment to have the Sleep/Wake button replaced on my iPhone 5 and reported the problem in the notes section of my reservation. When I arrived the Genius (Matt) seemed like a new hire and had difficulty entering the repair in the internal database via-iPad app. During the next 25 minutes, 5 other store employees came over to assist entering the repair in the database. None of the employees assisting the Matt addressed me or apologized for the delay. They all intently looked past me scanning the room for someone needing assistance or more likely to make a purchase.
The last store employee called over to help was Lauren. I immediately found her very rude and abrupt. When she reached the table where Matt & I were sitting, she immediately picked up my iPhone and began inspecting it. A few moments later she declared "It's damaged". I was surprised by this curt statement, having always kept it in a protective case and asked what she meant. She coldly said it was "bent" and had a "dent by the volume buttons". I again was surprised by this declaration. None of the previous store employees noticed any damage and with the exception of a few minor scratches on the back & fingerprint smudges on the glass it appears almost new.
After learning that my iPhone 5 was considered 'damaged' to Apple's standards, I was given a loaner iPhone 5 that had considerable scratches, dents and other signs of wear on ALL surfaces and edges. I was totally surprised that if my iPhone 5 with imperceivable wear was considered damaged, how could Apple supply me with a loaner that was immediately and significantly more 'damaged'.
Once Matt and Lauren felt the repair was finally entered into the store database properly, Matt stated that "everything was all set" and they both immediately walked away. I was literally, left sitting at my stool both stunned and confused over my experience. "How could a company that prides itself on the reputation of their customer service offer such disinterest, lack of training by several employees on internal systems and overall rudeness?"
During the 25+ minutes I spent seated at the table patiently waiting as several store employees attempted to enter my repair into the Apple database numerous times, Matt casually apologized only once for the delay. I could tell right away that he was inexperienced and properly entering the repair in the database seemed very confusing. What made the experience dissatisfying was the rude interaction with Lauren and the disinterest by the rest of the employees in assisting to properly resolve the issue.
I felt that the employees were more likely interested in helping someone buy a new Apple product than repair an old one. I haven't received my repaired iPhone 5 back yet so I am hopeful everything worked perfectly. The sooner I get rid of this beat-up loaner the better.