Hi, just seen the great post from the Unilever employee and thought I’d add to the tips pile. I work for Apple Retail, and again, please keep my name out of the post. These might not be that useful for everyone, and not all are purely about money off, but can lead to decent one off savings for people already buying 😊.
Price match policy
Apple has a fairly aggressive price-match policy. If you’ve spotted something cheaper somewhere else, they’ll usually match the price up to 10% off. If the difference is more, some managers will knock money off accessories too, but only if the store isn’t busy, they’ve got a lot on as is! This only applies to physical stores though, so don’t bring in Amazon’s best price, that will get you nowhere.
Student, NHS, Armed Forces, Government & other discounts
This one has been on here before, but students get really good money off Mac (the AppleCare plan for them can be up to 75% less too). iPad is also eligible for discount, don’t count on saving hundreds, but it might stretch to cover a case. iPhone, iPod and Watch aren’t eligible for student discount, and let’s face it, you probably won’t study on those anyway!
If you work for the NHS, Armed Forces, Government or a number of other organisations (check on your intranet) you might also be eligible for a discount, just ask the question!
Apple repair broken phones (+ give you warranty)
Apple (and authorised repair centres shown on the website) offer phone repairs and replacements if you damage it. While it might seem like you can go elsewhere and get it done for less, warranties are void if devices are damaged or have non-Apple parts on them. If it goes wrong again, because of the damage or a manufacturing fault, the Genius Bar won’t touch it! This is for their safety, and often leaves people having to buy a new phone.
Watch out for insurance companies or 3rd party warranty providers making repairs on their own, this will also void your Apple cover (obviously Apple’s own insurance means you get official parts, and faster service).
Costs (11th May 2016) for Apple to fix your broken screen
Instead of making the trip to a store for minor issues, spending money on transport and lunch (usually to be given an appointment for a later date) call the phone team first, or go online. Most problems can be fixed at home fairly easily, and if they can’t help, they can book appointments for you. It’s what we do!
[Consider our article on self-insurance for mobile phones – If your phone is out of warranty then consider fixing the device yourself (or better still with your friendly neighbourhood geek)
Remember you have up to 6 years to claim a defect against the manufacturing of the phone]
Be nice!
Apple doesn’t set targets and no one you’ll see in store receives commission, so don’t treat us like aggressive sales people. We genuinely ask questions to find the right thing for you, and our own advice isn’t to push you into spending more, it’s just what we think (sometimes we’ll even point out cheaper options).
Please don’t ask if we get money off, we’re not meant to talk about our compensation for what we do, and you wouldn’t usually ask someone you’ve just met about their pay and benefits.
[For reference we believe the discount is around 13-15% off]
Buy outright instead of going on contract
(This doesn’t just apply to Apple.) It’s usually cheaper overall to buy a smartphone outright, then get a sim only contract, and it’s what most of us do. This is especially true if you want a 6 Plus/ 6S Plus or more than 16GB of storage. Obviously not everyone can stump up £500+ in one go, but buying unlocked then shopping around for service gives you freedom to switch if you have a bad experience or if you can get a better deal. It also means that your phone will work abroad with local sims (iPhone is also a great world phone for your travels) so you avoid roaming charges.
[► Take a look at these websites for decent mobile phone deals:
http://10ws.co/1nxaG80
http://10ws.co/1A022PI
Looking for just a phone with no contract?
Try http://amzn.to/1DtDORM
or secondhand phones > http://10ws.co/14z7lcz
Looking for sim only deals?
Try http://10ws.co/1Cvtg6X or http://10ws.co/1xUzARz]
Remember your passwords!
Forgotten passwords are a pain for all of us, and as a group fairly technologically savvy people, customers not knowing important details baffle us. Before asking for help, make sure you have your Apple ID and password handy. I have seen people replace devices wth new because they don’t have these 2 basic pieces of information.
If you’ve locked yourself out of your phone completely and have the activation lock message (again, we don’t understand how anyone who hasn’t stolen a device does this) we can’t get passed it. Either try really hard to remember or give it back to who it belongs to. If you’re really stuck, we need original paperwork with Serial Numbers, IMEIs and the name attached to the Apple ID on the phone AND valid photo ID, then and only then can we even try to help. We all know you don’t want to go digging around for the contract you took out 18 months ago.
[Read our article about passwords]
Have a backup!
Have a backup! Whether it’s to iCloud, iTunes or Time Machine (or somewhere else) keep your information safe. Lost data means important memories and things you’ve paid for (think Applications and non-iTunes downloads) are lost if the device is damaged, goes wrong or lost/stolen. This also saves time if you upgrade to a new device or get a replacement one, and we all know time is money! Backing up is SO easy it doesn’t make sense not to.
[Read our article about backups]
Hope this helps for people wanting anything Apple 😊 Happy Saving!
