iPhone 11 pro max Battery Replacement at Apple Store

[davidlan]

I am one of the lucky few out there that has an Apple store truly within walking distance of my home (1 mile/1.6 KM). Before leaving home, I checked their website for when I could schedule an appointment there and it was over a weeks' wait. Since my wife needed to visit a store at the mall I decided to go with her and swing by the store to see if I could get an earlier appointment.

I waited for about 5 minutes for a tech to approach me, I asked when I could get in to get a battery replacement performed and he told me the same thing I saw online, "It'll be about a week", he said. I then nicely told the tech that I'd just buy a battery from I-Fixit and just do it myself and that would be faster than waiting a week.

As I thanked him and started to walk away, another tech standing next to him who was 'buried' in his iPad, said "What a minute, sir". He then came up to me and asked "Can you wait about 10 minutes to see someone inside about this?" I said "sure!", I then moved to another line, and in about 2 minutes my name was called out...I went inside the store, waited about 1 minute for another tech, explained my problem...he wiped my phone down, ran a test on my battery, looked at another setting on. my phone here and there....and said "It'll be about 30 minutes and we can replace this battery for you". I smiled, left the store, enjoyed a Chick-Fil-A sandwich with my wife and 45 minutes later was walking out of the Apple store with a brand new battery in my iPhone!

Now I cannot honestly tell you that using this approach (and yes, I have replaced 4 iPhone batteries, 2 batteries in my MacBook Air in the past so I have all the tools needed do that); but I am guessing they either didn't want to lose a sale; or did not wasn't to not take care of a customer who has bought a ton of Apple gear there over the years; or even possibly the young tech spotted an appointment cancellation the other tech didn't see.

I am happy that my weak battery was replaced by my local Apple store yesterday and I will continue to support them as some of my aging equipment will eventually need replacement over the next couple of years.

 

[MacInWin]

I have consistently found that being nice to the "front line" clerks gets better results. I had an issue with an iPhone when I travelled in that I was unable to activate a SIM card that had previously worked flawlessly when I travelled, but this was now a new iPhone since the previous trip. I waited for the store to open, told the clerk outside what the issue was and was told that it would be about 10 minutes. I said thanks and waited. About 5 min later I was called into the store where the tech met me and listened to the problem. I did note that his visible reaction was that I must be an idiot, anybody can activate a SIM card, but that look slowly changed as he tried and failed, and again, and again. After three fails, he called out another tech, who had the same look for the first one, until he, too failed and failed and failed. Eventually they disappeared behind the door with my iPhone. About 10 minutes later the first guy reappeared and said they were talking to "Apple" about the issue. Long story short, about an hour later they both reappeared, iPhone in hand and said that the "profile" of the iPhone in the "database" at Apple was being corrected, and that I should try again in about an hour to activate the SIM card. I thanked them and left. About an hour later I tried and bingo!, the SIM activated just fine. I love playing "stump the genius" at Apple!

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's always nice to hear a good support story from a member rather than the usual complaints we hear about.

By the way, Apple Stores across the US as of June 15th are no longer requiring customers to wear masks if they have been vaccinated. Apple personnel are still required to wear them though.

Apple stores should be getting back to normal operation before the end of Summer.