Mac Station Vancouver

Great service department! I was having trouble with my out of warranty Mac randomly turning itself off after an hour or two of use. I first took it to an Apple Store Genius Bar where they ran some diagnostic tests that obviously did not simulate real-​world operation as they found no faults. This despite my describing the mode of failure quite clearly.
I then took it to MacStation where Paul said they would run some tests that were more consistent with real-​world use. After a couple of days I received a call to say that that the power supply was likely faulty. I approved the repair and it was ready a working day or two later. I came in and Paul explained how he had diagnosed the problem and what had been done to fix it. The unit has worked fine now for three weeks and counting. While not a cheap repair, it was a great relief to have that done, rather than fork out 10 times as much for a new iMac.

Dan was extremely helpful in my situation and visit the past couple weeks. Having experienced an apartment flood and dealing with damage to my laptop, I was a bit frantic about my data being recovered. Dan was extremely helpful with the assessment, understood what I needed for insurance purposes and then assisted me with replacement and data transfer.
I would definitely go back and am thankful for such reliable service close to home.

I traded my MacBook Pro 13″ at the Vancouver location (101‑1014 Homer Street) and they said they would send me a cheque within 5 days. I’ve been waiting for more than 2 weeks and they don’t return calls.

Had external hard drive problems and came here. Ended up sorting out many questions I have had regarding my MacBook for a long long time!
I worked with Dimitry who was very friendly and helpful.
I’m still in the process of getting my hard drive fixed with them. Hopefully I will not have to edit my rating when I go back!

I have never had such good repair assistance. I toasted my new-​near MacBook on the morn of a flight overseas which req’d me to have it with me. Panicked, took it to Mac store and lucked upon Ehsan (Sam) Asl. The guy was so amazing. He reassured me, helped lower my blood pressure, and within 20 minutes all of my hard drive was rescued despite the laptop not turning on for me. He had a look and thought it was probably a very severe failure but would keep it while I was away. I bought a new one overseas and had all my data with me instantly.
When I return to pick up the toasted Mac and give it a suitable burial he informed me that replacing some parts was not quite as prohibitive as initially thought and we went ahead… I then sold my newly purchased overseas MacBook for near the price I paid. I was up and running.
In selling my overseas purchase, that had been a bit scuffed and dirty because of where I was travelling, Ehsan took it under his wing overnight, clean and polished it, captured my new work, and reset all… for no cost!
And he gave me advice… DON’T drink your Starbucks near your computer. If it spills, better not have cream in it (or alcohol!) and don’t turn it on for a couple of days. Instead, immediately!!! turn it off because it will short near instantly.
Can’t say enough. I had no idea these guys were that good (they open the door and ring for service when I walk in without me doing/​saying a thing). My next purchase (hopefully not another MacBook) is with MacStation and with Ehsan’s advice.
Scott

These guys are not computer nerds. They are good guys who love to help out those in Mac distress. They always have some wisdom to give or some advice to help.
They’re a community store full of MacGenius™.
I like them a lot. And not just cos my hommie Dindo works there. But it helps when a cool cat like DJ always has a smile and a funny story for you.
I came in a couple of weeks ago because my battery was not working on my Mac Air. It was draining like a hole in the titanic. I brought it in, they diagnosed it, ordered a new battery, called me up a day later and had me up and running in 15 minutes. No weeks of waiting, no time spent without my laptop.
two thumbs up, 5 stars good
g

Good for new purchases, lousy for service.
I like them as a retail store. They have lots of choice and the sales guys know their stuff. Friendly.
As a service store, I’d give them a wide pass. 3 encounters with them, some years back:
#1 — Mac mini locks up after applying an update. They charge me and fix it, which was probably trivial, but so be it, I got what I wanted.
#2 — Mac mini has a kaputt CD drive. Not only do they not fix it, on top of it they mess up the re-​assembly so that there are now rattling parts inside.
#3 — Mac mini (again, this was the v0 PPC model). Screen/​video goes berserk after 10 – 20 minutes of use and starts flickering/​wavering before settling down to an unreadable mess (screen works fine on other computers). Let it cool down and it’ll work again… for 10 – 20 minutes.
I bring it in, tell them it’s probably an overheating circuit somewhere and leave it overnight. I get it back and the tech tells me they ran all the tests but could find nothing wrong. Back home… you guessed it, 10 – 20 minutes till meltdown.
How could they miss it???

I brought in an iMac that had stopped turning on, and the repair guy told me it was because of a dead power supply. A week later, they phoned me to say that it wasn’t the power supply, but the logic board, and that there was nothing they could do to fix the computer. They offered to «recycle» it for me at no charge. I declined the offer and picked up the machine. I sold it for parts, and the guy who bought it called me to say that they left the inside of the machine in chaos, with all the components unplugged, and when he plugged everything in he was able to get the computer to turn on with no issue. That’s the last time I’ll take any Apple product to Mac Station.

Terrible «service». Vulture-​like sales staff who know almost Nothing about computers in general, let alone Macs. This place used to be great, but ownership changed in 2012(?) and it went downhill fast from there. Prices are Outrageous! –Only a few hundred (like 2 – 3) off a Brand New machine, that they wont even guarantee??? Save the time, hassle, and money of getting a machine that works from a reputable dealer. These guys feel like a shady used car dealership, trying to gouge you for every cent.

I’m still pretty annoyed, so I’ll skip past saying rude things and post facts.
Both MacStation and Simply Computing offer trade-​ins; bring in an Apple computer you already own, and they’ll give you cash towards a new one.
Macstation estimated my two machines (Mac Mini and a nearly-​new Macbook Pro) at $ 250 and $ 900, respectively, while Simply offered $ 350 and $ 1700.
From this, one of two things must be true: either Simply are naïve fools who drastically over-​value used computers, or MacStation lowball their offers to an insane, price-​gouging degree of which they should be ashamed.

I buy all of my Mac stuff there. I do appreciate that there is an apple store in Vancouver now but I can’t see any reason to change. I find the apple stores super crowded and the service is good. However, at Mac Station because I have bought so much stuff I know one of the sales reps and get personalized service. You can develop a sales relationship and get some inside scoop etc. I have used their tech area and they have been fast and professional.

I came to The Mac Station when I had troubles with my battery and charging port of my 2 year old MacBook. This place isn’t the cheapest, but you’re paying for more than a hole in the wall computer repair shop.
In terms of a retail experience, this place could almost go toe to toe with the Apple store itself. They are really friendly and helpful, and what I definitely appreciated most was their transparency when asking them about the best place to fix my issues, openly comparing prices between them and the Apple store.
All around awesome service and a very cool, comfortable vibe. Even if you’re just looking to peruse the newest toys and accessories, stop by the Mac Station

This is a good store if you want to get away from the chaos of the Apple store itself. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and they have some really neat products in there that you can’t get at the Apple store. They have a huge selection of Herschel backpacks for very reasonable prices, and a ton of accessories.
However, I went in to get my computer service and the guy was totally useless. He fixed one of my keys which was a simple job, but I’ve been having issues with my iTunes and his solutions didn’t help me at all. You might as well make an appointment at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store because they do an excellent job there.

They won me over when I was having a warranty issue with my Macbook that I got at London Drugs. LD doesn’t service the apple products, so I was referred on to the Apple Store in the mall. BIG pain in the butt. I brought my ailing Macbook with me and tried to explain the problem to one of the associates, but he insisted that I make an appointment and gave me his card. I asked him to make me an appointment, but he said he couldn’t. So do I call the number on the card? Once again, no, but I can make an appointment online using one of the display computers. SERIOUSLY? I am standing in your store, but I have to make an online appointment? Okay, when in Rome. I try the online appointment making, but the only days available are days which I am working. So, I would have to take time off work to deal with a warranty issue.
I had heard of Mac Station and knew roughly where they were, so I thought I might as well try. In spite of being in sometimes snooty Yaletown, the staff were friendly and I was prepared to make an appointment, but instead they said they could take a look at my problem and I could just leave my ailing computer with them. Awesome! They had to replace my cd/​dvd drive under warranty, but had it done at no cost to me in 2 days. So easy, so simple, no appointment to consult on repairing my computer. Shouldn’t it always be like that?
My Macbook is now older and wiser and not suffering any ailments, other than a small hard drive now for all that I want to do … so I recently bought/​fell in love with a new i-​Mac 27 incher. Yes, the honeymoon is still sweet and the whole purchasing process was painless, as it should be.
Yay Mac Station!

Apple products are great… Customer Service is NOT worth the investment… You know it’s True!

I called several places and asked if the techs at the store can change my cd burner to a dvd burner. I was in luck and Mac Station does do it. The tech suggested that I buy a external drive instead of getting one replaced but it wouldn’t work out in my favor since I carry my Macbook where ever I go. The less I carry, the happier my back will be.
The tech was true to his words and told me it would take this long and it would cost this much after labour and tax. The burner works well and I don’t have any complaints over it. Sadly, weeks after the installation, I did notice a crack in the body of my Macbook. Later the crack turned into a chip and a piece came off. I’m not too worry about it. My Macbook still works great like the first day I got it. I don’t intend on selling my Macbook cause it’s an old model and it’s made of plastic before the aluminum Macbook Pro came in.
The store wasn’t overly busy when I went in. The place was fully staffed and the staff was very kind and was able to answer any questions regarding apple products that were thrown their way.

I got screwed over by these guys.
The staff are friendly. If Herb Tarlec is your idea of friendly. Were the sales staff poached from a used car lot? Whatever, yeah yeah shake my hand. Ask my name blah blah blah.
I bought a used 19″ Cinema Display and was told it had a warranty of exactly no days. No guarantee other than their good word. «What if it doesn’t work when I plug it in? Like at all.» I asked. «Well then we’ll refund you your money as long as you return it within a couple days.»
I plugged it in and it works just fine. So a few days later I leave for 5 weeks on a trip. When I return naturally I have a lot of work to catch up on. And deadlines looming. My computer starts crashing. What the hell? I come back from the third world and it’s my computer that ends up with the virus?
I install the new OS and backup my data between crashes as best I can. Still crashing. What could it be? I make an appointment to visit their tech support. They tell me I’d have to leave my CPU there for a few days but I have a project due by the end of the week. So I’m sunburned, jet-​lagged, clients are calling every hour and I’m frantic. I agree to pay an additional 100% rush fee to receive a diagnostic from their tech «experts». I hopped in a cab and headed on over.
Diagnosis? «Uh. Everything checks out. Maybe it’s the power cord.» So, on top of the $ 100 diagnosis they sell me a $ 40 power cord. Another $ 20 cab ride home. Now I’m out $ 180. I get home, plug in my CPU… And it crashes.
So I call a different Mac dealer and they take pity on me and agree to take a look at it the next day. Again, everything checks out. Now here’s where you can tell the difference between good tech support and the charlatans at Mac Station. The guy at the other shop spent two minutes thinking about what may be causing the problem. «Sometimes crashes can be a result of shorts from faulty hardware. Have you plugged in any new devices lately?»
SONOFA…
Yep. The monitor they sold me had a faulty USB port that was shorting out the CPU. Who knew something like that could happen? Not the «experts» at Mac Station.
So I bought a faulty monitor for $ 450 from Mac Station and payed them an additional $ 140 to diagnose and troubleshoot a problem that was their fault in the first place.
BTW I have an extra power cord if anyone needs it.
Oh yeah. When I bought my new MacPRO Tower from Simply. Ca they didn’t have the adapter for the Cinema Display. But guess who did? Freaking Mac Station. So I had to give them another $ 250 so this damn thing would work on my new machine. (As long as I don’t use the USB ports of course.)
PS: Note the nice responses to SOME reviews from whomever is managing their Unilocal page but no response to mine. It’s pretty fuckin’ cowardly to not even attempt to address the issues I’ve had. These chicken shits are burying their heads in the sand. Expect the same level of accountability if you’re foolhardy enough to buy anything from Mac Station.

I always love a shiny mac store and the guys were super nice but I went in for an iPhone sync issue only to find out they no longer service iPhones. Hadn’t been able to sync for over a year and really wanted to get my photos off my IPhone so I could upgrade. Was basically told good luck, it’s not going to happen.
Enter facebook, a quick post and some comments to use the mac application Image Capture and I’m sorted. Sorry Mac Station but isn’t this something pretty basic that your floor staff and service department should know? I feel like I was just getting some «stock» answer rather than real service.

Another great apple/​mac store. I have never bought anything from here (wish I had the money), but the staff are very friendly — they even googled somewhere else I could find the computer part I was looking for.
I hope the staff don’t mind me going in all the time just to ogle at the beautiful shiny products.

I agree with the rating on this place. The service is awesome. For being a Mac store and for being in Yaletown, I thought the service will be questionable. But each and every time I come here, they always seem to appear genuine. No up-​selling or force selling here.
If you need help, they will come to your side. If you want to be left alone to look around, they will do just that.
My desktop broke down recently and I brought it in for service. I was given a no bull, straight forward service.
They do have good sale prices once in awhile with accessories so it’s best to frequently check them out. They do have financing offers, but I wish they have other incentives such as points system and rewards to cash in on future purchases as well as interest free delayed purchasing on approved credit checks. It does help make you jump on a purchase that day as well as upgrade to a better spec system that you may or may not need at the moment.
For a Mac specialty store, this is one decent place you can depend on. (Wow, I sound like I’m being paid for this review. Maybe I should forward them a link to it… tsk, tsk).