#ISTUDIO STORE MAC#

I have always known Apple Singapore’s marketing and sales people to be pretty scum-my in the past, but apparently it got way worse these days. My attempts to contact Apple Singapore’s people and related reseller/distribution people regarding this matter basically returned one answer Apple Singapore does not give a damn how their Premium Resellers sell their iPads, so long they order large quantities of iPads from Apple. IStudio staff apparently have already repeatedly feedbacked to higher management, but the execs at Elush Retail, the owners of the iStudio chain, refused to budge on their scammish tactics. I went and reasoned with the staff in the store, and in the process that found out that iStudio had started this scammish policy a year or so ago, and this scammish policy only takes place during every single Apple product launch.Īpparently, during every product launch, there have always been confrontations between the iStudio staff and customers due to the exact same scammish tactic. Typical older Singaporeans, giving in to higher powers’ request for money even if they know it’s unreasonable and wrong.Įventually some of the younger guys left the store empty handed, but the result was that iStudio got away with what they were doing. After which the white-collar middle aged uncles and aunties proceeded to buy them anyway, after iStudio told them “this is our company policy, you can either purchase them or leave”. We argued, and everyone else in the queue agreed that this is a scam and started making a scene. They are priced at $24.90, more than ten dollars lower than what iStudio wanted to charge everyone for. The photos are taken at another retail store. These are the no-brand screen protectors that they are forcing everyone to buy. IStudio is refusing to sell the iPad Airs without an additional purchase of a no-brand screen protector for $39. We didn’t understand the first time, and thus wanted the lady to explain. Do you want the matte or glossy screen protector?” The lady sales person at the cashier said, “our iPads are only sold as a bundle with a screen protector for an additional $39.

When the shutters lifted, we went straight in to the cashier and placed our orders. Which was fine with us, as we recognise that sales people these days are just plain expressionless or even borderline rude. The iStudio staff were already in store since before 8:45am, and while some of them kept walking in and out of the store, none of them bothered to communicate with us. Some of the others came around 9am and later and all of us waited patiently for the launch, excited at being able to soon hold our own iPad Airs. It was pretty strange considering that Epicentre Ion already had more than 30 people in the queue by that time. There were no notices being posted about the iPad sales other than the launch timing being 10am. I had reached the store around 8:45am, having checked iStudio’s Facebook page the night before for the launch timing (at 10am). So when it came time for me to buy my iPad Air this year, the choice was obvious – iStudio Paragon will be my location of choice once again. For the iPad 1 and iPad 2 launches, I queued up, went in when the store opened, purchased my iPads and cases/Smart Covers, left. Back then, iStudio was just a decent alternative Apple Premium Reseller, and did nothing out of the ordinary.

#ISTUDIO STORE MAC#

Long-time Mac users should share the same dislike due to the various inelegant sales tactics being employed by Epicentre (formally AppleCentre Orchard) for the last two decades. I had queued up for the first and second iPad launches at iStudio Paragon, due to a general dislike of the Epicentre stores run by Jimmy Fong. Happier times, queueing up for iPad Air outside iStudio, before iStudio hit us with a scam.

Istudio store