Apple Regent Street

First time through the process of upgrading phone (14 to 17). Calm atmosphere despite hundreds of people in there. Good price for trade in, staff professional, anticipated lots of waiting, fortunately the setup area was separate from the main public area. No toilets could be an issue for some. Strongly recommend getting early appointment slot.

feedback: ⸻ I visited the store to accompany my friend who needed to replace their phone battery. I learned that you need to book an appointment online before getting your device serviced — good to know for future visits! The service itself was quite efficient; it took only about an hour, which gave me time to relax. I grabbed a coffee from Gran Coffee nearby and enjoyed browsing around the latest devices. The store is spacious and cozy, with plenty of seating available if you need to rest. I also noticed that accessibility is excellent — it’s very wheelchair-friendly. Overall, it was a smooth and pleasant experience! #Inclusion

The staff were friendly and helpful at the time of purchase. However, when an issue arose later—especially during a busy period when the manager was involved—the after-sales experience was disappointing and felt dismissive. It was clear that the store was focused on sales efficiency, which I understand, but this came at the cost of meaningful support once a problem appeared. If you are simply buying a product, this store can offer good service. However, if you expect a reliable follow-up experience after your purchase, I would recommend choosing a different Apple Store.

Probably the most popular, but also the most beautiful apple store in the city. Located in the historical building, with amazing architecture. Though I don't know how the system works here. Probably appointment needed. Sometimes sales persons are not able to answer simple questions. But let it be ;)

I would like to say a big thank you to Cain at the Apple Store on Regent Street in London. As a tourist, I was having trouble charging my phone, and Cain was incredibly kind, patient, and helpful. He went out of his way to assist me and made sure everything was working properly. His friendly attitude and professionalism truly made my visit much more pleasant. Excellent customer service — thank you, Cain!

I am writing to express my disappointment with the customer service I received during my recent visit to your store. I came in to purchase an iPad Air with an educational discount, but was met with disrespectful, arrogant, and condescending behaviour from one of your employees. When my iPad arrived, I politely asked if I could have a quick look at it before paying, just to confirm the colour and storage specifications. The employee responded by laughing at me out loud in a rude manner. When I asked why, he continued to mock my request, saying that everything is automated and implying there could be no mistakes. I tried to explain that I simply wanted to double-check, as errors can happen on either side, and I could’ve requested not the storage I want by mistake and that it is reasonable to review a high-value purchase before payment and I don’t see anything funny or wrong with that. Additionally, I qualified for the educational offer that includes a discounted accessory. The employee began listing eligible items, starting with those that required no additional payment. When I said I would like the AirPods Pro (3rd generation), he again laughed at me out loud and, in an arrogant tone, said that such items did not qualify. I explained that, according to Apple’s website, the item is eligible for a discount and that I was happy to pay the remaining balance, but his behaviour remained dismissive and unprofessional. Overall, my interaction with this employee was extremely unpleasant and condescending. I felt disrespected and belittled, as though he assumed I was unintelligent or undeserving of professional service simply because I am a young woman. This is the first time I have experienced such poor treatment at an Apple Store, and I sincerely hope that no other customer will be made to feel this way in the future.

To most London tourists, the Apple Store on Regent Street is just another flagship—clean lines, shiny hardware, and helpful staff in green T-shirts. But to those of us with a deeper understanding of Central London’s retail choreography, it’s something far more calculated: a masterclass in experiential branding, spatial psychology, and commercial diplomacy. This isn’t merely a tech showroom—it’s Apple’s European brand cathedral. The 2016 Foster + Partners redesign didn’t just update the façade; it redefined how tech integrates into heritage architecture. Apple worked in direct partnership with Westminster Council and The Crown Estate to preserve the building’s Grade II-listed status while transforming its interior into a fluid, high-conversion experience zone. Local Insight #1: Beneath the floorboards of the store is a climate-controlled sub-level used not just for stock but for VIP concierge servicing—a barely advertised, invitation-only program used by HNWIs and corporate clients who need white-glove treatment on high-volume hardware orders and enterprise-level onboarding. It’s AppleCare, but with a glass of something cold. Local Insight #2: What most don’t know is that the store operates with a hyper-local data feedback loop. Live analytics collected on footfall, dwell time, and engagement are piped directly to Apple’s European operations teams and occasionally inform in situ design tweaks—everything from table placements to ambient audio levels is optimised almost weekly. For locals and commercial observers alike, the Regent Street Apple Store isn’t just retail—it’s performance art backed by operational rigour. It anchors the high-end stretch of Regent Street not only with its commercial gravity but with its brand prestige, pulling adjacent luxury and lifestyle brands into its slipstream. This store doesn’t just sell tech—it sells the Apple ecosystem as a lifestyle ideology, spatially and culturally embedded in one of London’s most premium retail corridors.

Dishonest and Unprofessional ​I had a terrible experience here. I brought my phone in specifically for a simple battery replacement. My phone was fully functional, and the screen was in perfect condition when I handed it over. ​When I returned to collect it, I was shocked to find: ​They had not changed the battery. ​The display was now damaged with white lines and was not working properly. ​They tried to pressure me into paying £630 for a replacement phone instead of fixing the damage they caused. ​When I asked how my screen got damaged, they claimed they found "liquid damage" inside and refused to take responsibility. I have used this phone for 2 years without a single issue; the display only failed once it was in their hands. It is clear they damaged the screen while opening the device and are using "liquid damage" as a convenient excuse to avoid liability. ​To make matters worse, the Manager was extremely rude. When I challenged this, he told me I could "go ahead and complain" because I "wouldn't get anything." ​This is a complete scam. They return your device in worse condition than you left it and then try to upsell you an expensive replacement. Do not trust them with your devices. I will be reporting this to Trading Standards and Citizens Advice.

I recently purchased a MacBook Air for £1099 from Apple. A week later my water bottle leaked in my bag and caused significant damage to the laptop. I had purchased AppleCare+ at the same time but yet have been given the run around for the last three weeks regarding my repair. They've advised that the part needed for the repair is out of stock, and that aside their repair quote came to £969.83. Surely Apple can offer me a brand-new replacement instead because I am covered by insurance right? Wrong. I'm expected to keep waiting on a repair while they wait for the part which could be months at this point (as well as being expected to pay £229 for the excess). Despite contacting Apple numerous times they have been unwilling to assist me further. What's worse is that Apple continues to sell MacBooks when they know they don't have the parts to repair them. This is extremely unethical. The staff at their Regent Street store dared to suggest I buy and return a MacBook every 14 days (no questions asked policy) until my repair has been completed. How does my Apple insurance help me here? It doesn't. And I am beyond outraged at this point. Just another company willingly taking advantage of their consumers without a care in the world.

Had a stolen phone and the employees were all incredibly helpful with getting it replaced and helping me set up the new one. They were all very nice and accommodating and put me at ease. I hardly write reviews but I am so appreciative of the nice service.

I purchased a Macbook Pro after talking to three representatives. Two of them were quite nice and tried to help even though they did not have the answers to my questions. The third person to help was quite rude and not very helpful. In the end, I bought the computer and the guy was like, alright next. I wanted to ask for help finding a couple of accessories but he did not seem to have the patience to help with that so I just left and went to browse the upstairs bit to find the accessory myself. Once upstairs, I tried asking for help from another representative who again, had no clue on anything. I was looking for a usb-c Dock with at least four usbs and 2 usbc ports. After attempting to explain what I meant a few times, she didn't understand and I said I would look for it myself. The staff are friendly but they are not well versed on the products they are selling or any technical knowledge.

Apple Regent Street is basically Apple's UK flagship store, the shop is absolutely breathtaking!! Huge windows with lots of light flooding in. I visited this store several times as a teenager, and I always remember coming in to use the iMacs for their free Internet, or to take those funny webcam pics with the filters on. On a serious note, this store is wonderful and the staff have always been very helpful. The store is extremely clean and well looked after. As with any Apple shop, they have plenty of products to choose from!

Apple Regent Street is the London flagship store for Apple, and one of the nicer and larger Apple Stores I've visited, the store its-self is stunning, located in an old building but with Apple's modern tweaks towards the end of Regent Street, close to Oxford Street, Oxford Circus. It is located over two floors, with the standard retail area showcasing the latest flagship Apple Products from the iPhone XS and XR, macs, Apple Watches etc and even technology which integrate with Apple such as Colgate toothbrushes (obviously not for full demo!) and thermostat (controlled with the cool Apple Homekit), overall the selection of Apple Products especially unique and niche ones is greater here than most other stores, not just throughout the British capital but also in other cities and my local branch back home in Manchester. I mainly called in here to take a look around, excited by the modern store feel which looks like it could be one of those typical american stores, Apple uses in promotions when launching new products. There is a big screen and a large Today at Apple featured in the store, towards the back of the store close to the modern staircases (go upstairs for technical support at the genius bar), when I visited they were showcasing cool imaging features, including editing. Maverick aspects to the decor including cool trees which also incorporated seating made this store so much nicer and relaxing, it just felt like a store you could spend time relaxing, using the wifi and having a look at the latest technology, much better (and cheaper) than any internet cafe. The staff here never greeted me and didn't seem as friendly as other Apple stores which in my opinion is surprising as out of all retail stores, I often find Apple to be the best in terms of friendliness and helpfulness of staff, and the store didn't appear to be extremely or irregularly busy, but this vibrant, cool, large flagship store still did impress me and is probably my favourite Apple Store in the UK, with Apple having very few impressive stores of its structure here which they seem to have through Europe in cities such as Paris, Berlin and Madrid, but a four-star rating is warranted here.

Big, airy, friendly staff and ... two floors of Apple products. Had fun roaming the tables.

I visited to buy a MacPro but I changed my mind. I found the service lacklustre and indifferent. When I was finally helped, the person wasn't very knowledgeable about the product. they were simple questions. I knew more about the MacBook than she did and I spent only a few minutes on research! Apple used to have sparkling staff, knowledgeable and helpful. The entire experience used to be outstanding. What happened?

The line was so long for the new iPhone that I had to go to another location! This is one of the busiest locations in London -- in a very touristy area: Oxford Street!

5 star service for Leonardo and Nick as they helped me buy the phone in a very hard situation. They waited me patiently and they were also very professional. All the best

I came here to pick up a charger for my phone since I had forgotten mine back home in the States. Great location...famous Regent street named after Prince Regent.

I've been an Apple fan for years (I had a black and white Mac Plus once), so maybe I'm a little biased. Sadly, my work is to support the dark side, so maybe that brings me back to the center? Lately, I've been noticing that my year old iPhone doesn't quite make it through the day. Checking in here and there, reading emails on the Tube (at least the ones where I can get coverage), playing Sudoku, all of this causes my beloved iPhone to report low battery about halfway through the day. So I poosed into the Oxford Street store, made an appointment, hung around, and eventually got to see a Genius. After I got through gushing about my love of iPhone, he plugged it in and performed some diagnostics. He confirmed the age and said, yes, we'll replace it. Free. Free? Yes, free. So he did. And now I have a new iPhone. So you see? Flattery will get you somewhere! All of that is technically a review of Apple, so I'll go into some detail about the store to stay on topic. This is a fantastically beautiful location, with loads of glass and clear perspex and exposed stone, making it possible to see the entire store from one spot. Even the elevator shaft is see-through! Apple fans everywhere, playing with stuff and testing new toys. All the shelves are well stocked, but the place is majorly busy. If you have an issue with crowds, you probably want to avoid coming in during the busy times. Which is probably any time.

Simple battery replacement booked online in advance (so phone model and other details supplied). On arriving at the store I was told that for an iPhone XS they cannot replace the battery without also replacing the speaker (pretty dodgy design, that) and that they were out of speakers, and didn't know when they would have them in stock. The manager said that they must have run out in between my booking (two hours earlier) and my appointment. Not true, as I showed him by making a new booking for the same phone for that afternoon. A real waste of time.

Retailers of the world, go immediately to the Apple shop and watch, learn and implement what a perfect retail experience should be like. I accept that it helps to have good desirable products to sell but there is so much more that makes this shop great. I'm by no means a fervent Apple disciple but spending time in the shop, looking at the product and talking to staff has seen me end up with a Nano and an iPhone. Retailers, observe the big open plan area with lots of space and big posters clearly advertising products and prices. Observe that the products for sale are out for people to touch and play with. Incidentally, to the makers of various wannabe iPhone-killer phones, I settled on an iPhone when staff at various Orange and Vodafone shops wanted a cash deposit from me to even take these other phones out of the box to show me let alone turn them on. Observe that there are lots of staff clearly dressed in Apple clothing milling about to ask questions but who never stalk you and make you feel uncomfortable. Observe how they're polite and never make anyone feel that any question is too simple and beneath them. Observe how they will take you to someone who can answer your question if they can't answer it themselves. Observe how some of the staff go beyond the call of duty - I've observed staff applying screen protectors onto iTouch and iPhones for customers once they've purchased them. Observe how there is a free customer toilet and they don't make you feel that you're taking advantage of them if you use it without buying anything. Observe how there is free wi fi and you can use the computers to browse websites for free even if you're not buying anything. Observe how there is customer seating. Observe the free tutorials on using various aspects of Apple products. Observe the Genius Bar and the one to one tutorial area. These, together with iTunes, get most people over the fear of technology when using Apple products. If only our whole retail experience could be like this.

This store was amazing in London! Three floors, yes, three floors of Apple products! They were well prepared for customers by fully staffing the store. The place was open, full of natural light due to the store being walled with glass. Yes, it put American Apple stores to shame, sad to say! Plus, free wifi, even when standing outside of the store. Gotta love that!

I've been to a number of Apple Stores, and this one in Mayfair was more or less the same as the ones in the States. Sleek Apple decor, Genius Bar, tons of pretty products - with a few exceptions, if you've been to one Apple, you've been to them all. Nonetheless, I visited this store a couple times during my trip to London just for the free internet access. During our two week trip, Matt B. and I could not find wireless anywhere. Since I cannot survive without regular internet access, we stopped by Apple to look up information for our trip, as well as to check in with the world. We would have paid good money at an internet cafe, but Apple was there for us instead. The place was pretty crowded both times I wanted to use a laptop, but I didn't have to wait any more than a couple minutes for one to open up. This Apple Store is a real gift to anyone seeking free internet in London.

I've been a customer of this Apple store for more than four years now. The store is conveniently located on Regent Street, between Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus tube stations. The shop is usually quite crowded and all assistants are busy so if you can, come on weekday mornings. If you have a problem with one of your Apple items, make sure you book yourself in for an appointment with the GeniusBar. The people at the GenuisBar can be extremely helpful if you still have warrenty on your product. Especially on the laptops, you get everything exchanged under warrenty if they are faulty (chargers, batteries ...). If you plan on buying something small (accessoiries, bags, iPods ...), get your hands on a shop assistant and pay by card (they all have the mobile cardreaders there). That will save you a lot of time!

The Apple Store on Regent Street is a giant, beautifully designed space full of everything Apple you could ever want or need from iPods to MacBooks, iPhones to laptop cases. I can't say I've ever bought anything from the store itself - in order to get the generous student discount Apple offers you must buy online or over the phone - but I have frequented the Regent Street Apple Store rather a lot over the last few years because of its so-called 'Genius Bar'. The Genius Bar is essentially a repairs centre within the Apple Store where a bunch of charming Apple experts can see to faulty, broken or damaged Apple items. Appointments can be made either online via the Apple website or in person in the store and places book up early so make sure you book well in advance. I've spent hour upon hour in this place owing to my lemon of a Powerbook and have always found the Geniuses charming and knowledgable. To date there hasn't been an (Apple) problem they can't fix and in my experience they have routinely waived any service costs owed. Highly, highly recommended.

Nice big store in Oxford circus. The good thing about Apple is the pricing is pretty uniform around the world, barring exchange rates and taxes. The store is currently under renovations and is crowded!

Very busy store which is underground so not the most convenient but plenty of staff on hand to assist! I went because I booked an appointment to get my phone looked at from what I could see there are products around the outside but all the tables and chairs in the middle were for people waiting to be seen - not what I expected from an Apple Store but maybe there was another floor?! I had an appointment which I was early for but they had me waiting for an additional 10 minutes when it seemed plenty of staff were hanging around - generally good help though they know what they talking about abs hopefully solved the issues with my phone! I spoke to an advisor on the computer would have been easier for him to solve than me travel to regent street with a baby but means more shopping for me!!

I want to love the Apple store as I am a big Apple head but to be honest I have never bought anything there! It's great to browse all the new kit and to find accessories for my existing Apple kit but I do get annoyed by all the people who go in simply to use the demonstration machines for free web access. I think I would have upgraded my Mac Book ages ago if I 'd have had the time to browse and try out the new line. I do especially like the cashiers who walk around with PIN machines. if you pay by card for an off the shelf item you can buy from one of these guys, they give you a bag and your receipt is email to you - nifty idea Apple!

I Love Apple Stores. They have all the products you could possibly need. A good one about this one is that they teach you how to use the Apple systems and give you aftercare. I went down during lunch to test the Ipad out. It is a very cool device. However, I won't be buying one. The iphone does for me. The store itself is slick. Cool and right on Regent street.

I went here yesterday with a cracked iPhone screen. Service was good once I got it, but was given a callback time of 2.5hours. I got there 10 mins after I was supposed to collect and waited another 40 mins for it! I know they are busy but then give customer realistic times rather than wasting their time just sitting and waiting in the store saying "another 5 mins". I would've happily gone out and called back when it was convenient for them. Got the same vibe from other customers that were sat waiting for collection when I dropped my phone off earlier in the day.

I went to this store to go pickup my Apple earbuds which I had ordered online the same day. I brought my student I.D (clearly me), showed them my debit card in which was used to purchase the product, logged into my Apple ID account on there iPad to further prove it was me since my account had the order no/details, on top of this I showed them my emails regarding this pick up order as well as my paypal account in which the purchase was made with the same card and I was STILL denied my order. I don't know whether it was because the manager on this day was bored or just in a bad mood but when a customer has that much OBVIOUS proof to collect there item for it to be denied and also having to endure rudeness on top of this proves to be abit of a joke. I refunded my item and have decided to buy elsewhere. I hope this system changes because today wasted a lot of time.

Avoid like the plague, this store is the worst. Couldn't even exchange a pair of headphones with out a 4 hour wait for a Genius Bar appointment.

wow this is an absolutely amazing store and the staff is really friendly, when I was on a holiday to the UK in September last year my iPhone died so I walked into the store and Aldo my age {15 years old at the time} they just let me use one of there chargers and a Macbook to get the directions back to the hotel. I was completely flabbergasted by the whole experience because they would never let me do that in the Netherlands

It's very good,but they doesn't have help in português. Espero q isso melhore com o tempo.

I try not to give bad reviews -- bad karma -- but the customer service at this location is subpar. They are too busy and touristy and not helpful at all (the person I met was somewhat rude). Go to White City instead.

...and so it takes a turn for the worse. After my great experience at the store, I returned home with my new iPhone 12. All was great with it to begin with. Then the battery died at lunch time on the first day. Hmmm. I went through everything that I could think of but the phone still had less staying power than a virgin with Megan Fox riding him like Seabiscuit. I persisted for a couple of days until I ducked my head into the Apple Store on my way to dinner one evening. I spoke to a young gent there (who shall remain nameless) who advised me to back up the contents and return. I enquired if I should bring just the box, or the box plus the accessories. He said, "you can just return the handset if you like." So the next day I returned with my handset to be told that I would, at the very least, need the box. I let them know that I was advised that I did not need to return the handset with the box. This information held no sway with either of the assistants that I spoke with. So I sorted the paperwork and hopped the tube home as quickly as possible, grabbed my box and cycled back to make it in time before closing. I entered the store carrying my bike and sought out the sales assistant that had been very helpful before. Like a rat up a drainpipe, a monosyllabic security guard yelled "You can't have that in here!" I asked if he would give me leeway as I did not have my lock with me and I only needed the box swapped. The Apple Nazi told me to take it out. I asked why I could not carry it in there. Told him that I could understand if I was riding it about the place, but I had just handed over half a grand with them and just needed to swap a box. From his reaction, Apple do not give a flying feck if you have spent money with them. "Take it out!" "But I don't understand why I can't have it in here?" "It's the rules." "Can you at least explain why though? It is just luggage I am carrying." At this point he says over his radio "I need back up, get the police on site" I asked a passing sales assistant to listen to reason. The sales assistant told me that I could not have the bike in store because there is dirt on the street and I would be bringing dirt into the store (God forbid the hallowed shrine of Apple becoming dirty! Maybe we should all remove footwear before entering the Apple Mosque in future - oh hundreds of shoes lining Regent Street all jumbled up, it would be a sight). I asked the sales assistant if that was the same rule for pushchairs as there was a pushchair next to us (on the floor I might add, as opposed to being carried). He said that it would be unfair to children to not let them in the store in a pushchair. I asked him if he thought that was ageist. He said he didn't know, but "It is the rules" that bikes were not allowed in. I asked to see the rules that everyone talked about so much. They must be amazing. So, with two people guarding my every move, I waited a further 20 minutes and swapped the box. And this is the point. I read Linzi M's review during writing this portion of my review. The Apple Store and staff within do not understand reason, do not have common sense. There is just The Apple Way and Apple Rules, and nobody questions anything because of the power of the brand. Shocking.

Thank God for geniuses. Seriously. It had to be tough for him, knowing that these über smarty-pant types would have him-complexes... but he did it anyway. And today, they made my life a whole lot better: replacing my iPhone, throwing in some new earphones, and patiently solving a previously unresolved systems problem on Miss Reba Macinbook. Sure I felt a bit like Lando Calrissian walking around in some glass enclosed space capsule, and I'm certainly not a fan of the pomp and circumstance that goes into the whole apple experience, but if meeting George Jetson is all it takes to solve the mysteries of the mac, count me in. I'll have Scottie beam me up, travel to infinity and beyond, and continue to toss in some blasé incoherent space references all the way home.

Apple have a lot of stunning buildings pimping their wares in cities around the world, but despite modern architects and top class designers it's this London store that is the most beautiful for me. Behind the classic and well-restored facade is a giant shop with a clean layout and great lighting. Everything to make the shiny Apples look more sexy and desirable. Everything to make you buy what you don't really need. But Apple have become a victim of their own charity. Every Tom, Dick and Harry knows that the computers here are linked to the web and that you can browse away without complaint. So now the Apple store is one giant free Internet shop but one where everyone pretends that they aren't actually just in there to browse gumtree, check their mail or even webcam their friends back in Brazil. No, everyone is pretending they are going to buy an iTouch while they're secretly keeping an eye on all the laptops in case one gets free. I've seen fights nearly breakout between people who've waited for the same laptop. For real. I know this because shamefully I've abused Apple's free internet countless times. Haven't you yet?

Genius Bar? Genius Bar my arse! Seriously apple store, I don't get what's so genius about them. Firstly just trying to book an appointment they won't let me put "Lizzie" as my name because it was an "invalid word". Then I go there and they didn't really help. I had 10 minutes to solve a problem that would have taken about 30, so I was hurried off and sent on my way. Like I said, not very genius at all.

I'm surprised we are even allowed to Yelp about this place, you know, the holy-land. This review is about service, not product. I have mixed feelings about this place, while I hate Apple, I love my iPhone. So when it was stolen, I was devastated. My only comfort to buy another. So to the Apple store I go. OH NO YOU DON'T. Wow Linzi, you think it's going to be that easy for you to buy a phone? An iPhone 4? What you think, you can just walk in there and buy one? Clearly I did think I could just buy one and not pass the 7 trials of iPhone worthiness. One snarky employee informed me that 'no I needed a reservation and we're all booked up'. I could go online and get one in 4 days. To hurt him, I said 'it's just a phone'. He informed me, with much disdain, that people queued around the block for them. I spoke to another person, and within less than five minutes I was walking out the door with a new phone. So they were just being douchebags. To prove their exclusivity. I sincerely hope Windows, Android etc spank these people back to where they came from. As much as I love it, it's just a phone. Not a god-damn Ferrari. And to quote Ab Fab, 'darling, you work in a shop'. This isn't Jerusalem.

This has to be the best apple store in the world - its certainly europes flagship store - but the more time you spend here, and the services (and products) that they offer - it really does take some beating Upstairs is the apple acedemy where you can learn new things about your iphone and take free class's on using your imac or any other lovely apple hardwares. Ignore the free internet cafe feel - its a great place to try out the equipment, and the staff will soon kick someone off if you have serious questions about buying any piece of kit. I'd buy from there rather than buy online - and I dont say that very often! well done apple - a brilliant place to shop - take note woolworths!!!

This specific Apple Store is always busy and I guess this is the flagship store. The staff is super busy all the time but when they attend you, they are really helpful

I'm a P.C and have just committed adultery I don't own anything Apple but I do love this store. To avoid any confusion as to "what is what" the layout of the store pretty simple. All the products is sectioned and placed on big tables for you to test out the products. The Apple store offers free wireless Internet access and I am pretty sure people would take advantage of this little freebie...lol

Recently converted from being a PC boy to super fly Mac user, i am still in my Macintosh honeymoon period. Today though I was accompanying my lady to the Genius bar to see if her aging, sick Mac could be saved. Our appointment was for 16.20pm, and not a minute beyond a young man named Frankie called us over to the counter. From beginning to end of our 30min tech session I was blow away by his knowledge and handling of my sensitive lady. This guy knew everything about the system and gave us great advice on all Mac related topics. Yes, I know it is his job, but tech guys can be hit and miss, but credit where credit is due, Frankie was great. Before leaving we had a peruse around the store at all the pretty gadgets. I wanted to buy everything. If I keep going in this place I will certainly end up with more stuff than I really need. I am sure i can convince myself that I need an Iphone, Touch, a tetrebyte hard drive, new ipod speakers, and hell, why not throw in one of those huge uber powerful mac desktops. The Mac store makes no claims to being cheap, but you feel safe in the knowledge that you are in the presence of experts selling the very best in technological software and hardware. Products aside the free Genius bar service is amazing.

I've had two great service related experiences at this store and finally thought I should get it written down. It's a shame many in the community haven't received the same but maybe this will give others hope. I had an iPhone 4S way back in the day kids and it was one month out of warranty when it began to turn itself off for no reason. I called up Apple and they very kindly booked an appointment with the Genius Bar to sort it out. I arrived at my booked slot and waited about 15 minutes before being seen to by a guy who checked out my phone for water damage and found the headphone jack patch had turned. This essentially meant that Apple had every right to make me pay for a repair or replacement since a) the phone was out of warranty and b) it had come into contact with water at some point. Instead, they gave me a replacement phone on the spot which came with a standard 3 month warranty. Great experience number 1. The second time I had purchased a brand new MBP to replace my old and ailing previous MBP and about a month into owning it I realised that the lid didn't snap shut. I didn't think too much of it and didn't bother to get it exchanged since I needed the laptop for work but 7 months later the touchpad began to mess up, turning itself off and on and basically being a little bit of trouble until eventually both the mousepad and the keyboard stopped responding altogether. I went online to book an appointment and was able to get a spot for the very next day whereupon the guys at the genius bar were able to confirm within 15 minutes that the top panel (mousepad, case and keyboard) was bowed in, which explained the issue I had with the lid. They agreed to repair the problem under warranty and I received it back a week later in perfect condition. So it seems a mixed bag as others haven't had the luck I've had in dealing with Apple but it's certainly not all bad and it's definitely worth a try if any of your products go wrong. The worst they can say is no.

Ok, so I got a new iPhone and I book myself into the training session (Workshop) as it says it will tell you about the features of it. Soooo ... of course I'm thinking they will show me some amazing new stuff I can do on this amazing new phone, but I have been so very disappointed. They explain the most basic features. One cannot get a more basic introduction than this. For Christ sake ... he explained the buttons on this thing. Yawn. no wonder there is no audience to the workshop whatsoever. I was rather embarrassed sitting there listing to this. To be fair: if you never had an iPhone is is most likely a nice way to start.

The Genius Bar staff upstairs is swift, friendly and accommodating when you have an appointment, even if you're bringing in someone else's malfunctioning laptop with whom you don't share a last name. But the goodness of the Apple Store kind of begins and ends here. You see, the sales floor downstairs is almost always swarmed with greedy internet beggars who run the gamut from the unemployed surfing Gumtree for jobs to the downright stupid leaving themselves logged in to their email clients when they walk away. Therefore, it's almost impossible to mess around with the notebooks and desktops, if you really were in the store to buy one of them, that is. Even when you're upstairs scoping out the earphones and notebook sleeves, you will invariably be bumped by some tourist's unnecessarily large rucksack. Not a real lover of people, I don't like to stick around the Apple store too long, but I can't really fault Apple when it comes to customer service and its completely open-door policy. Also, Apple products never go on sale. Ever. My withholding of two stars is mostly due to Macintosh envy.

Still really not happy with this store. Booked an appointment to see somebody at the 'genius bar' (what kind of a name is that anyway? Talk about delusions of grandeur), but on arrive although there was a sea of red shirts (apple bods,) there was a tsunami of sheep (customers). To cut a long story short, my appointment was booked for 16:50, I had to queue forever to check in with one of the red shirts, and by the time I was seen it was 17:10. Oh and there is more. To add insult to injure, there were still seven people ahead of me. Yes, I left and haven't been back. I am not impressed!

I was not at all pleased with my customer service today. I made an online appointment at noon, got there a few minutes early only to find out that they're two types of appointments: shopping and tech (who needs an appointment to shop???). Anyways, I was asked to come back at 1:30p and did. That's when the guys checking customers in line started to act like pretentious little pricks telling me to wait at the end of the road because I was too early. Then I get to the line at 1:30 to find out that my queue had been moved to 2:05. I honestly felt like I was given the run around so I asked to speak with the manager. The manager took one look at his iPad(the same one that everyone else had) and told me the exact same thing. He was useless. And unsympathetic. Managers are supposed to be in a position to help a situation and he seemed to be a simple employee. I got inside and a man plugged my phone into his laptop, asked two questions, then left me alone. Once my phone reset, I left without setting it because I was fed up with the service by that time. I could not understand why there were so many associates working and standing around, chatting while I was outside treated as if the place was slammed pack. I will not be visiting again and hope that everyone gets some customer service skills. The only helpful associate is a young lady with brown shorts who offered me water while I waited for 2 hours.

There's nothing wrong with checking out an Apple Store and seeing how it differs from some of them back in North America. I found to my pleasant surprise it's not all that different. Their central staircase is reminiscent of the store in Soho (in New York) and this location was the first time I encountered a proper event at a store. It was a live music event by a band that apparently shot their entire music video on an iPhone (the first for such a video). So that was a very cool and unexpected surprise I came across while walking around London. Their level of service was good, not the best I've encountered in an Apple Store but still of a high quality. It's got the same clean and brainwashingly good looks of a typical Apple Store and always worth a peek in if you're in the area. Although this particular area is very tourist filled who I imagine are their main customers. Like with every Apple store, there's free wifi so even Blackberry users like myself can BBM away while travelling and it's always fun to play around with apps on the iPad I may not want to splurge on for myself.

I might be rescinding my apple fangirl status since the woefully un-mindblowing introduction of the unimaginatively-named-and-already-tm'ed-by-someone-else ipad but I do love the geniuses at the Apple Store (do you have to have a MENSA certificate to work for them I wonder...) True, the store is filled with internet junkies and terrible if you actually want to buy anything; but it does offer a great charging station for your iphone when you are low on juice (and need to juice up and use the internet). AND, they got so bored of my list of iphone issues when I went in last week, the genius cut in after about 30 seconds and said "I'll just replace it for you miss, it won't be a moment". I didn't even have to part with my phone for more than 30 seconds (though I did have to part with the data until i got home). Thank you apple. Thank you for making icrack and hitting me so quick. I still think the ipad sounds sucky though.

I'm not going to write about how wonderful Apple is as a company and how they have the coolest gadgets in the world and that after ignoring the trend now, I have everything in their collection save an ipad.... no, this is not a review about that. This is review about service. Great service, that I have received twice in the last month for two completely unrelated issues. I had to have my dear iphone replaced, out of warranty, as she just up and died after 2 years. I made an appointment at the Genius Bar and was seen in due course, 15mins wait (they tell you as you queue). The woman I dealt with was delightful and very quick at checking and changing my phone. When I told her I was a student at the £140 was a little stretching for me and was there any chance of a set of new earphones... she looked at me sadly and shook her head. 2 minutes later we're ringing up the new phone at the OH so cool card scanner point thing they have... (I can describe it no better). She says "wait here a moment... I'll be right back" She arrives back 2 minutes later with a set of FREE earphones. I was sold. So... needless to say 2 weeks later when my laptop scared the crap out of me by loosing the will to recognise its harddrive, although only 5months old, I ran to the apple store. This time I was without an appointment. Never FEAR though, the wonderful blue t-shirted FOH team met me and I was in luck for a cancelled appointment. 15mins later (you get the gist) - I was sitting at the Genius bar with my hed in my hands, praying to the guy across the counter to save my work and my life. WIthout question they replaced the small, but significant broken part and then rebooted my MAC with everything intact. What I love about this place, is that they are so delightfully calm, the staff are polite, cool and yes, young. They can relate. I had joking banter with all the staff. I enjoyed the personal feel of the place. It beats almost all other technical support experiences I have ever had... maybe because it was acutally face-2-face. If you ever have a problem, I cannot recommend it enough. They really do try their best.

Had to drop in today Friday for a quick return as the Covent Garden location is now closed for renovation. I expected it to be busy which is not he reason for the 3 star review. My main issue falls to the number of greeters at be front door nonchalantly sitting in the potted planters more engaged with themselves than the customers. The door I walked through had 4 employees huddled and facing inward ignoring the customers. Eai

Note to self: Reserve several hours for future iPhone purchases. Seriously. This store is seriously cool, and there are a million ways to spend your money on really cool stuff. The process of buying said stuff, though, was both a figurative and literal pain in the ass (they honestly need to get better stools for all the waiting one has to do.) I understand that signing up for a phone plan takes awhile. I really do. To sign up for a phone, though, you first have to wait in a queue to put your name in the queue. Then, once your name is on the list, you are provided the chance to snag one of three stools available (there were about 15 people waiting) while you wait for one of the 8-or-so Apple employees to grant you an audience. We waited for around 45 minutes, and there are no processes in place to allow you to shop while you wait (perhaps they could get those little vibrate-y pager-like things that some restaurants have to let you know your table is ready?). You have to sit right there, amongst the crowd of other people tired of waiting. Bleh. When we were finally called, the bored-and-way-too-cool guy took us to his little station and guided us through the sign-up process. He was neither fun nor peppy, as the adverts had led us to believe all things associated with Apple would be, but he did the job. Almost two hours after we had begun, my husband left the store squealing with glee over his awesome new toy, but I wanted nothing more than to go the heck home.

My iPhone 6 was broken so I booked a genius appt. My Genius guy was good but it was clear he was looking after 4 different people and was running away to help each of us. He also had to look after an extra customer as he was the only Genuis guy who could speak Spanish and it was clear that the customer was so revealed to speak in his native tongue. I did feel sorry for my Genius guy because he was really, really over worked but he never complained and he was never unpleasant. I was in there for nearly 2 hours. My phone had to have a complete restart.

Ok, so I'm a card carrying Apple convert. Apple have what is probably the best customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. BUT whatever you do, do not go to the Regent Street Apple store on the weekend or a bank holiday. You will regret it. The store gets so busy and it's virtually impossible to get any help from the staff. My message to Apple: employ more people to work at peak periods, especially at your flagship London store!! --- UPDATE!! --- This review was originally 3/5 but I've changed it now. I filled out one of those Apple feedback things you get after each visit and a store manager called me to apologise for my poor experience. They asked me how they could fix the problem so I asked to extend my Applecare warranty. Long story short, I got extended 3 yr cover for £48 (RRP £203). Me and Apple are friends again.

Massive big Apple store in a trendy area, what more can you ask for? It had the nice old world feel in a techie store.