Sheldon Cooper has a very good reason to make fun of Apple Store geniuses. It’s not because he hates Apple (we think he doesn’t really hate them, he just prefers Microsoft or Alienware). It’s just that at some point, he was a genius to say that being an Apple genius is the most mind-numbing, pedestrian job he could think of that devaluates the word “genius”.
It’s not that we hate Apple too—we don’t, we love Apple so much that we even buy and sell iPhone units. It’s just that a lot of Apple fanboys have pointed out time and again that while Apple products remain on top of the quality pyramid (if there is any) their customer service in the Apple Store doesn’t.
Still don’t think so? Let’s take a look at the numbers shall we?
Recent information from the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners showed that compared to AT&T and Verizon stores, the Apple Store made a lot lower sales from December 2011 to August 2012. The sales data from CIRP not only showed that AT&T was able to sell iPhone units 7 percent more than the aesthetically pleasing Apple Stores Tim Cook shows off in his keynote speeches but Verizon also sold 5 percent more than the Apple Stores’ 21 percent share on the iPhone sales.
Isn’t that kind of saddening for a store that’s supposedly filled with “geniuses”?
Other data from CIRP showed that in other product categories, Apple Stores were able to sell more than AT&T and Verizon. For example, the company’s official stores were able to contribute 40 percent to the overall sales of the iPad while AT&T sold only 3 percent and Verizon 2 percent. Realizing that both mobile devices were such big hits, isn’t it weird that the Apple Store was able to sell more iPads and less iPhones since last December?
It doesn’t take a Dr. Cooper to explain that question.
People at CIRP say the reason iPhone’s sales were smaller in Apple Stores than in AT&T and Verizon stores is because the company just doesn’t have enough stores. As of press time, the Cupertino-based tech company has erected 372 stores all over the United States. Compared to AT&T’s 16,000 stores, 372 is still a small number for a smartphone that can sell to over 5 million people.
A lot of Apple owners can attest that people at the Apple store aren’t always as proficient in other phone related stuff other than what they sell. What most buyers say is the reason it’s unadvisable to buy an iPhone at the Apple Store is that you they can’t seem to get their head around complicated phone plan questions customers throw at them.
Go to an Apple Store and ask them how you can get a $199 iPhone 5. Most probably (and based from experience) they’ll just point you to an iPad with an iPhone attached to it so that you’ll know if you’re eligible to buy an iPhone. Most of the “geniuses” don’t even know how to explain all the benefits of a phone plan. So unless you plan to sell your iPhone and buy an iPhone 5 without a contract, going to the Apple Store to buy an iPhone may not be the best thing to do.
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