80% of U.S. Apple customers are just 20 minutes from an authorised repair shop
This doesn’t look like a Genius Bar
Eight out of ten U.S. Apple customers are now within 20 minutes of an authorized service provider, thanks to a partnership under which 1,000 U.S. Best Buy stores will now begin offering service and repair.
Why does this matter?
Other than cost, one of the big arguments against steps Apple has previously taken to prevent customers taking their devices to their choice of third-party repair service has always been lack of service availability.
By taking Apple repairs into a national chain like Best Buy, Apple just took a chunk out of that argument – and eased the pressure on those poor souls staffing the Genius bars.
The deal means there are now three times as many repair locations as there were three years ago, meaning eight out of ten Apple customers will be within 20 minutes of an authorized service provider.
Though the experience in both locations is quite different, as this report explains.
Apple’s London Genius Bar on Regent Street in 2005
Geek Squad gets more Apple
Not only does this make Apple repairs easier to access in places like Bismarck, North Dakota, but it also means Best Buy’s Geek Squad has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians ready to make same-day iPhone repairs or to service other Apple products.
As well as Best Buy’s 1,000 stores and Apple’s own 272 U.S. retail stores, there are also over 1,800 third-party Apple authorized service providers in the U.S.
Just like any Apple store or authorized service provider, Best Buy’s Apple-certified repairs are performed by trained experts who use genuine Apple parts. Each repair is backed by Apple.
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Where the customer is
“At Apple, we’re dedicated to providing the best customer service in the world,” said Tara Bunch, Apple’s vice president of AppleCare in a press release.
“If a customer ever needs to repair their products, we want them to feel confident those repairs are done safely and correctly.
“We’re always looking at how we can reliably expand our network of trained technicians and we’re excited to partner with every Best Buy store so it’s even easier for our customers to find an authorized repair location near them.”
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