Most of us own at least one Apple product, whether it’s our iPhone or our beloved MacBook. What if one day your MacBook Pro suddenly died on you while working on an assignment for class? Maybe you accidentally spilled water on your laptop and it’s now damaged. Or maybe the charger breaks, or maybe your phone decides to die too? All of these things could happen to us any day at any time, and trust me – when it happens, it is terrifying. The closest Apple Store is two hours away in Jacksonville! How can Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida and a large college town, not have a single Apple Store?
Courtesy: Pop Hangover
I currently work for Apple as an advisor in their AppleCare College Program and I know from experience how huge of a problem it is to have to wait 3-5 business days to get your phone or laptop fixed. As college students, we’re constantly using our laptops to write papers, complete assignments and binge-watch our favorite shows. Hopefully that dreaded day will never come, but it is very possible that your laptop might just up and die on you. The problem is that all of our files are saved into our laptops, so even if we can use the computers from the library, we still can’t retrieve the files we were working on or submit them if they’re due soon.
This past summer, the battery of my MacBook Pro completely died and luckily I was back home in Miami where there are three different Apple Stores to choose from. I was able to quickly make an appointment and visit the Genius Bar to get my laptop running again in no time. If that had happened here in Tallahassee, it would have been extremely stressful. Like we’re not already stressed out enough, right?
So what exactly should we do if one of our beloved devices breaks and we need to visit an Apple Store? Well there are two things you can do: visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider or call AppleCare and get on-the-phone support.
An Apple Authorized Service Provider is not an Apple Store, but they are able to handle some warranty repairs free of charge. If you’re not on warranty, they have their own range of prices depending on the type of repair that is needed. There is only one Apple Authorized Service Provider in Tallahassee and it is called FloridaPro. They can provide a free diagnosis on the device and help you service your product as efficiently as possible. You can check out their website here for more info. The cons of the Service Provider stores is that they’re not able to fix all issues, and most of the time, they end up referring customers back to Apple. But it is worth a shot to visit them first!
If you decide to call AppleCare for technical support, you can get their number from the Apple support website and you’ll be directed to choose what type of device needs to be serviced and what issue you’re having. After that, they’ll connect you with an advisor who will help you troubleshoot the issue or submit a repair for your device. The process of a repair takes about 3-5 business days and the charge depends on the status of your warranty.
Courtesy: Giphy
Of course, if there was an Apple Store here in Tallahassee, the process would be so much easier and there wouldn’t be the hassle of waiting for your device to be fixed or for a replacement to ship out to you. Apple, please step it up and come to Tally!