Apple Pasadena - Pasadena, California

David N.

I came in for an iphone 13 pro battery replacement on a Wednesday afternoon -- hopefully my review can help others who need a similar service schedule their day.

I came in for my appointment, checked in and was seated for about 15-20 minutes before my technician came to assist. They were pleasant and got everything ready quickly. Thankfully, they had the parts in store and I was able to get the replacement done same day. It took about 1.5 hours. I walked around Pasadena and returned to the Genius bar where I'd been told to go to pick up my device. The store was busy, and I sat for about 10 minutes waiting for someone to come ask if I needed help since I'd been told that no check-in was necessary. I realized that every employee in the Genius area worked by assignment to checked-in customers, and the free employees were basically all centered up front in the sales area, so I flagged someone down and let them know I was waiting.

If the store is busy, make sure you do this or you'll end up waiting forever. After that, I waited another 10 minutes for my phone to be brought out.

All in all, I spent close to three hours having this done. While every employee I interacted with was friendly and immediately helpful, I do wish there was more clarity about the pickup process. A couple sitting next to me at the Genius bar also didn't realize a check-in was needed and it seemed like they'd been sitting and waiting for a long time.

Matt B.

Came for a MacBook Air. Was told by 2 associates they could price match with Best Buy by up to 10%. No issue. I check out, and as I’m reading through the receipt, notice the discount wasn’t applied. Almost an extra $200.

I go back to get it fixed. A different associate comes, doesn’t know what to do, and asks a manager. Turns out since a local Best Buy doesn’t have it in stock (despite other colors of the same specs in stock) they can’t match. And you can order it online. I ended up returning it. Peeved by the whole process and being told different things.

Not like Apple’s going to read this but annoying none the less for anyone thinking of stopping in.

Andy

I placed an order for 3 products from Apple and chose this store to pick up the products! The pickup time displayed when I downloaded the product was completely different from the pickup time after placing the order. The pickup time was delayed for several days after payment. I didn’t see the product until I went to the store. However, the online shopping store didn’t allow me to pick up the product in the store. This behavior feels like a deception to consumers. I thought that I would get the product first when I bought it online, but it turned out not to be the case! !

Anastasia G.

I had a very negative experience with their service at this store today.

We had an appointment for 10:15 AM, and we arrived on time, with my 2-year-old child. We just needed to drop off a computer for repair. We approached the woman at the counter, and she said she couldn't check us in earlier, our appointment at 11:50am. I thought that was strange, maybe I had made a mistake. So I said okay, stepped aside, and checked the time. No, I hadn't made a mistake. I approached her again and showed her the confirmation SMS (the funniest part is that the appointment was made by their own employees few days before). She looked at it and just shrugged, saying she couldn't help. We specifically scheduled the appointment for 10:15 to make sure we could finish before the baby’s nap, and clearly, there was an issue in their system. All this employee suggested was that we wait for 1.5 hours. We left, but I really wanted to cause a scene🤪. I deeply regret not checking her name. I’ve never encountered such unfriendly service before.

Lyn L.

This store has an unfair and unethical trade in value tactic. I brought in a brand new M3 Macbook pro and was quoted $230, based on nothing other than a scan and a survey that only asked about 6 questions. This is an inaccurate evaluation considering the Macbook regardless of condition is valued above $1000.

Nonetheless you'd be better off conducting business at a local store not influenced by corporate greed or anyone else in power who try to influence the idea of people not being able to exchange items in good condition for a fair value. I say stay away from this corporate greed monster and help out smaller businesses with your Apple products who may need an opportunity to sell them for a better value.

Moreover the staff was absolutely careless in the way they handled the situation. A woman who i suppose was a "supervisor" at the store covered in tattoos and heavy make up (don't have a problem with either, its just an accurate description of the individual) was very cold in her response to my asking about the reasoning for the 1400 drop in value over a small scratch on the side of the device.

Mind you it seemed like everyone who didn't look like me (wasn't black) was being treated with the upmost respect and being attended to within the store.

Nick C.

Terrible experience reported by my brother. Bought an iPhone 15 (not even the latest model so not a stock issue). Less than 24 hours later the cellular signal stopped working. Internal components turned out to be defective. Technician didn’t give him the option to return the device, instead they held it overnight for repair. What the tech did not explain was that this repair voided the 14 day warranty (which makes no sense). So now my brother’s “new” phone had all of its components repaired and he has no confidence that it won’t happen again.

I worked for Apple retail. I know how this works. This store needs better training, better leadership. Go back to focusing on the people, not the numbers. Revisit CORE training and be better at your jobs. You earned two detractors with one terrible experience.

Sina

Extremely Disappointing and Unethical Service – Beware of This Location

I had an extremely disappointing experience at the Apple Store in Pasadena (54 W Colorado Blvd) that has left me feeling deceived, frustrated, and frankly, taken advantage of. My phone was under warranty with Apple, and I went in to have the screen repaired after it cracked. Since I couldn’t visit the store myself, my father kindly took the device in for me. Instead of honoring the warranty and performing a simple screen repair, the staff convinced him that the only option was to purchase a brand new phone, leading to an unnecessary $700 charge.

This should have never happened, there was no need to push a new purchase. Worse still, after realizing this mistake, we tried to resolve it with the store. However, the staff refused to return the original phone and blocked us from using the insurance coverage we had, effectively leaving us stuck with a $700 bill for something that was totally avoidable.

Since then, I’ve been passed between the store manager and Apple’s 1-800 customer service line, with no one taking responsibility for this issue. The store manager has been especially unhelpful, refusing to escalate the issue to a higher-up regional manager when I requested it. It’s as though they have no interest in helping us, despite the fact that we were misled and charged unfairly. Instead, I’m stuck in an endless loop of excuses and phone transfers, with no resolution in sight.

To make matters worse, this store does not answer phone calls directly. Every time I’ve tried calling the branch, my call is forwarded to the main Apple customer service line, making it impossible to reach anyone at the Pasadena location. This lack of communication and transparency is completely unacceptable for a brand like Apple.

I expected far better from such a renowned company, but this entire experience has been unprofessional and downright unethical. After being misled into buying a new phone and receiving no help in resolving the situation, I am left deeply dissatisfied. It is outrageous that after spending $700 for something I didn’t need, I still don’t have my old phone back, and no one at this store is willing to take accountability or offer a solution.

If you are considering visiting this location, I strongly urge you to think twice. The customer service here is not only incompetent but borders on fraudulent. This store’s refusal to communicate, the misleading sales tactics, and the lack of accountability are shocking. Beware, especially if you’re handling a warranty or repair issue.

Lisa P.

Absolutely a ridiculous waste of time. I went for a simple exchange. While there were numerous “associates” running around, aside from telling you to wait, they did NOTHING! I watched five employees gather around and look at their schedules. I waited for a half an hour for a simple exchange. I finally left because it is frustrating to watch the people who work there, walk around and play like they are working.
Why do you have a thousand workers with no one doing anything!
Poor poor poor experience. I would not recommend this store and wish they would just close it down. They are USELESS!