“Surprise and delight” might not be the words you’d use to describe your last Genius Bar appointment, but a former Apple employee says that’s the name of the company’s policy for rewarding polite customers – sometimes with free products.
“Essentially, every Genius and staff member had a quota that they were able to go above and beyond and surprise customers,” Tani Cornerstone, who says she used to work for Apple, revealed in a TikTok video.
While rude customers paid the usual fees to repair their devices, Ms Cornerstone said, patrons who were particularly well-mannered would sometimes be “delighted” with a new one on the house.
“I used to see a lot of people who’d come in with water-damaged phones, and you’re not allowed to replace those without a fee,” the TikTokker said. “However, the Geniuses used a ‘surprise and delight’ to be able to give somebody a free replacement.”
The video has been viewed over 870,000 times, and has received almost 900 comments.
“I worked at Apple retail and can confirm this is 1000% true,” one viewer wrote.
“I’ve been a recipient of this,” another commented. “I got a brand new keyboard even though I told them my kids spilled lemonade on it! Good manners and kindness are free.”
“Omg!!! I think this happened to me,” someone else replied. “I came in with a broken screen and had just been ripped off by a repairman and Apple fixed it for free!!!”
Others reflected on their last Genius Bar experience and wondered why Apple hadn’t surprised or delighted them.
“I went in with my brand new iPad,” one customer wrote. “The Genius himself even said it was cracked in an unexplainable way and I was really down and he just said no.”
“Girl, don’t be saying that,” another commented. “People will be hounding Apple Genius now, wanting something that’s not real.”
In another part of the video, Ms Cornerstone explained how Apple treated impolite or “psycho” customers.
“If you’re rude to the Geniuses or the concierge people, you will get your problem fixed, most likely,” she said. “However, you’re going to pay for it.”
