Complaint Review: Apple - Cupertino CA

BLUF:  Apple is making me wait for a replacement IPAD when they are in stock locally, and has terrible customer service.  Avoid apple. 

Full version.  I spilled coffee on my IPAD charge port, killing it - would not recharge anymore.  I took it to my local Apple Store in Village Point Omaha last Saturday as it's under Apple Care.  The tech determined it would not charge and tried to read the serial number, but he could not.

 Had he been able to they would have given me a replacement IPAD right there.  They had to send it to the repair facility to read the serial number, then would email me.  I received an email the following Tuesday that it would be replaced and they would send another email.

 I called yesterday, and the replacement was not at the store.  I called today and got to the store tech the manager, and they said I could not pick one up today as the replacement IPAD had not arrived.  I pointed out there is no reason to wait - they had the serial number now so I should just be able to stop in.  He said they had to wait for the one from the repair center to arrive then I could pick it up.  

I countered with if they had the serial number last Saturday they would have given me one out of stock, he said that's not procedure... I told them I understood and told him I wanted to lodge a complaint - there is no reason for me to wait don't a restock to his store - to me the situation was totally the same as of last Saturday.  I was reasonably polite but assertive. 

I called up apple again asking how I could lodge a complaint, the tech said I could goto the website.  I said that didn't work for me, and that I want to talk to a more senior person first.  I got to Dee who listened, and then said he could help me get my IPAD today but had to call the depot.  He put me on hold, then I got cut off.  I called apple support back asking to talk to Dee.  

They said they could not find him.  I asked to be connected to the next level up.  The person on the phone said the next level up did not want to talk to me and I should call the store back (total stonewalling and run around). I asked her to try again since they could not find Dee and they got random Senior advisors.  She was not happy but tried again and I got through to Sahara.

Sahara was decently polite and repeated the same procedure I had to wait for the replacement from the repair facility to be shipped and received at the Village Pointe store in Omaha for them to give me a replacement.  I again pressed they were going to give me one last Saturday, the repair place had told me on Tuesday (4 days ago) that they would replace it (enough time to ship), and the local store has these in stock.  

She told me it was the procedure.  I asked if I could talk to Dee.  She said she was Dee's supervisor.  I asked if she had looked into what Dee said.  She said no.  I asked for the next person up, she said she was the top of the line.  

Throughout this I was trying to get her to understand my POV, I don't think she wanted to.  I also said she or someone could just call up the Apple Store and authorize them to give me an IPAD today and wait for the restock to arrive - and IPAD is an IPAD.  She said that was not the procedure. 

So two major issues.  First, there is no reason why I could not have gone from Tuesday to today, the following Saturday, to just get a replacement IPAD - I should not have to wait for the restock for something already in stock.  

This is terrible customer service, and I will tell everyone I know to steer clear of apple.  2nd, I was assertive but I felt no one would listen, and when someone offered a solution I was cut off from him and then read the "company procedure" by Sahara, who made no attempt to see what Dee was up to and if he had a route to help me.  this level of stonewalling and runaround is flatly unacceptable.