iStore - Gateway

Absolutely shocking service. 3 hours in the store waiting for a laptop to be cleared. Once this was done a payment was made and we were given the incorrect email address to send proof of payment. Then had to go to the bank to get this rectified before returning to the store and being told to wait. Only for them to tell me it’s possible I’ll have to wait another 24 hours. Shocking.

I have to say for a premium brand (at premium prices) the service we received on Saturday afternoon was FAR from premium.It took almost 2.5 hours just to purchase a new laptop from them. The first sales lady, I believe her name was Letitia, who helped us got everything done and approved and sorted in the first half an hour, she then left as it was the end of her shift (although all that was left to do was fingerprints and to pay the R250 initiation fee). We were then handed over to another lady (a iStore technician who's operator ID on the slip is PriMoo) who then continued with what should have been a simple loading of Fingerprints and paying the initiation fee but turned into a nightmare of a 2 hour delay.After something going wrong and then having to reload everything a few times we were then told about 2 hours into the whole thing that we would need to come back the next day when the first lady we were dealing with was back. I quickly explained that was not going to happen as we had been there for almost 2 hours and we were told after half an hour everything was sorted and approved. I was then told that it was too bad, and I would have to come back tomorrow. Once I eventually threw my toys out the cot and asked to speak to the most senior person in the store (which by the way I didn't get to ever speak to even though asking a few times) they came back with a solution and managed to sort it out. Oh and then thereafter just to pay the R250 initiation fee took another half an hour because the lady had to keep asking other people for help. During this time we watched numerous other people buy numerous things... oh and not to mention the gentleman who kept having to step in and assist (who also mentioned he didn't want to get involved because it was the end of his shift soon) who eventually started to ignore me when I asked questions...I am appalled, and don't believe that when you are spending exorbitant amounts on a premium high end product this is the service you should receive.Oh and just to top it all off, the lady repeatedly blamed the machine she was working on for being slow and not working, an Apple laptop which she is meant to be selling as the best of the best...Honestly really disappointed. Something that was meant to be an exciting start to a new opportunity turned into a nightmare and left an exceptionally bitter taste. Oh and thanks we then had to pay for the expensive parking because of your staffs incompetence....Perhaps look at either another iStore or a different brand to purchase from if you are looking for quality and premium service and expertise.

I waited 1 and 1/2 hours in the queue for an upgrade to an iPhone 13 mini. When my application had eventually been processed it emerged that the assistant had elected a full size phone for me, convenient as they didn’t have stock of minis at that time. She said she’d cancel the application but I have since received notice from my carrier that no cancellation has taken place.

I went there 10:30am, im still waiting to be called to be assisted... I went there to find out how long i must wait the guy just told me just wait for your call.... Yet some other people are being assisted.. I dont know its probably has to do with skin colour. Or im taken for granted because im black... Pathetic service shame!!

Absolutely pathetic service. ntando nyembe is arragent. He should not be in front office talking to customers. I was not told whn i was called that they close their consultants 4 hours befire the store closes. He was not understanding just arragent in his responses. If u dealing with customers you should at least pacify a customer not afrivate the situation with your arragent behaviour. Atleast theother lady was more understanding and spoke more politely.

The sales department was horrible. We waited for 1 hour to get assistance. I arrived at 1pm and was told to wait for a call to come back. When I got the call, I arrived 7 minutes after the call and had to wait for an hour without anyone giving us any assistance. When we were talking to the staff they were just telling us that they couldn't help and we should wait for a sales consultant.

I took my phone in for a repair program from apple which was valid for 3 years. The turnaround time for the repair was quick, within a day. However this whole process was extremely difficult. The technicians make you feel as if they’re doing you a favor to do their job. They are slow and do not seem well trained. They’re also very busy and not possible to get a hold of because the store doesn’t have a direct line. You have to call a call center and request a call back. I had to go to the store to do follow ups myself and sign a document so they would start the repair immediately and not waste time. I also wanted to do a battery replacement but was told they didn’t want to confuse the repair guys and to do one thing at a time! In the end it seems that since there is no apple store in south africa the istore might be the best option. I would use them for repairs but wouldn’t recommend buying any products from them. While there I had seen several customer enquire about stock availability and or certain products and the sales people were simply not interested in helping them out in any way.

Worst experience. Nobody at store is competent and all lack customer service. Waited 10min at the till point. No cashier available. We asked many of the staff and all said that they busy and we must wait. We left the item and walked out. This is my second experience at the Gateway store. Apple, please ensure that you have competent staff available that also know basic customer service.

I wish I could give 0 stars . Absolutely horrible . DO NOT USE this store !!!!!!!!! . I went to trade in my phone and during the transfer I lost EVERYTHING . Years and years of data for work , personal photos and videos . Prior to the transfer I asked if he is sure it will be ok . He did not mention that there is any risk involved. They only mentioned that once the problem happened. I had essential data and photos on my phone .I do not know what I'm going to do... these guys need to realize that their actions have real life consequences.