Mac Talk

Drove past here earlier this week, they are GONE! No Mac store for Ventura anymore which sucks donkey balls!!!

Wow! I can’t believe Apple would authorize this place for service. It’s terrible. And not only do their phone numbers often connect to a message saying this phone does not accept calls after not even ringing — when I do speak to them, they do not follow up on what they say. I will never come back to this place. I was also treated in a highly condescending manner by one person who talked down to me in the most imperious and offensive tone, I was literally baffled. No thank you. Terrible customer service.
I finally had to call Apple Care and have someone from Apple call them only to discover they still refused to give any timeline for the supposed repair they were doing on my iMac. Apple assured me they will be rescinding authorization for MacTalk to handle AppleCare service. Thank God. This was the worst experience. Now I have to wait for my iMac to be returned to the Ventura store only to have to now drive it back out to the Apple Thousand Oaks location to begin the whole process afresh. An awful experience from start to finish. I recommend you run the opposite direction from MacTalk. Will never, ever return here.

Wouldn’t even give me a general quote over the phone. He said I had to check it in for diagnostics before he could even give me a ballpark number. If I’m going to blindly give my machine to them without knowing at all what it’s going to cost, and then be stuck with the bill, I’d rather go to apple and pay a little more. Terrible customer service.

Mac Talk did a fantastic job fixing my MacBook Pro and were really great to deal with. Julian who works in the store is really helpful and friendly and made me feel at ease about leaving my laptop with them. It actually took three visits to get my MacBook finally working like new again, however the second and third visits were free and covered under their labor warranty and that was great. If I have any problems with my Mac again I will definitely be returning to them.

Not worth one star! Compare prices between Mactalk vs PowerbookMedic
Mactalk– logic board-​$ 959.00 PowerbookMedic-​$ 224.95
Mactalk– optic drive– $ 208.67 PowerbookMedic-​$ 89.95
Mactalk– Labor– $ 120hr. per hr. assuming it’ll take least 3hrs. PowerbookMedic– Free!
Mactalk– Diagnostic-​$ 50.00 PowerbookMac– Free!
You talk about ripping people off, more like robbing the bank with a computer!

One star is actually too high for this store. We try to support local businesses but have found the staff here to be rude and condescending. Our last visit, we took our MacBook Air for a battery change, they asked $ 180 for the battery and $ 120 for labor as well as a $ 50 deposit even thought they would have been holding our computer. Seemed like gouging. So we went on you tube and figured out how to change the battery, bought a battery from eBay for $ 60 and changed it ourselves. We will never go back to Mac Talk again.

Simply said, I do not recommend this business based on their customer service. I was in Ventura on vacation and found out during the flight over I had locked up my iPad. (I forgot to shut off my bluetooth, and the keyboard I brought along kept on entering in the wrong passcode.)
So, doing a little research on the Apple forums, I knew that all I needed to do was hook it up to a Mac and then reset the iPad. Easy enough, right? Easy enough, but when I explained my problem, the person, who I assumed to be the owner – I didn’t get his name – wouldn’t let me proceed with the reset. He gave me the excuse that my reset or it’s download would hog his internet connection and maybe freeze up his point of sale system for his billing.
So, if I understand this right, he has a store that sells computers and devices that hook up to the internet – and he doesn’t have enough bandwidth for me to do a quick download? What’s he running, dial-​up? I assured him that I wouldn’t download all my apps, I had wifi at the beach house where we were staying. I could understand that he wouldn’t want me to download all my data. I wouldn’t expect him to. I just wanted to reset my iPad. Nope. I suspect that he didn’t want to help, because there wasn’t anything he could bill me. So, he either sat behind his desk or chatted with another employee (who seemed sympathetic, but not willing to contradict his boss) about what was going to be announced at the WWDC conference.
Anyhow, I left the store disgusted, but in the end it is his business. He can run it as he chooses, no matter what I think about it. But, I can choose to write a review so other people can be informed and know what they should or shouldn’t expect when they walk through the door. Reading other reviews, it seems that many have had a poor experience.
The next day I went to Santa Barbara and set up a Genius Bar appointment at the Apple Store. The help was courteous. My iPad was reset in 5 minutes, and when I asked, they said, «Sure, if you want to stick around, let your apps download, too.» Perfect. I stuck around for another few minutes, bought some accessories, and left happy.
Moral of the story: Don’t go to Mac Talk, Inc. in Ventura. There are good authorized retailers out there, but this store isn’t one of them. You’re better off making a drive to the closest Apple Store if you live in Ventura.

Ripped OFF by these scammers !!! This company is terrible! Unprofessional and uncaring. I brought my MAC into the store to get it repaired. They charge a $ 50 inspection fee and said the $ 50 would go towards repairing of the computer, so I was okay with that. The next day they called me and said that the computer will not be able to get repaired… ummm ??? I went in and they then told me that when they plugged my computer into the socket, «sparks flew.» Okayyy, what does that mean exactly? … After «sparks flew» they did no additional inspection and just said that my motherboard and computer was done. All they did was plug my computer in and fried my computer somehow. They broke my computer. Since I could of plugged my computer in to see
«sparks fly» and since they did not inspect my computer, I asked for them to refund my $ 50 or give me store credit. They said I would need to email the store manager and that he is busy training a new tech. I received a reply 2 days later which said that my «deposit is not unfairly kept but was applied to the service rendered, call it diagnostics and assessment.» OKAY FOR YOU TO BREAK MY FAVORITE COMPUTER OF ALL TIME!!! NO! They plugged it in saw sparks and did not inspect a thing. I asked the manager Kyle to at least give me store credit but he denied that as well, simply my not replying to me. Utterly ridiculous! There are so much competition for computer repair you would think they would treat their customers with care and respect. They are only in it to gouge you for as much money as they can get. Do not take your mac here. If you do, you take the chance of having your computer broken by a inconsiderate, unprofessional, money hungry company. BEWARE of Mac Talk Inc.

My dad’s MacBook power cord stopped working so we went to MacTalk to buy a new one. When we got home, I thought «lemme see if I can figure out why the cord isn’t working» and I replaced the small plug block with one I had laying around and wasn’t using. I thought we could return the new cord and get our $ 79 back. Even though the package was never opened and we attempted return the SAME day, MacTalk refused to take it back. They showed me on the receipt it says All Sales of this Product are Final. Well! On a board at the check stand of their store it says merchandise can be returned if unopened and in saleable condition, with a 5% fee for «processing» so that’s what I thought.
Shame on these guys for not telling us before we made the purchase that it wasn’t returnable. I will never shop here again and will forever buy from actual Apple Store, who have a much better customer experience. Hope this was worth it to you, MacTalk.

After doing quite a bit of research on making a new Mac purchase (buy online, buy from Best Buy, etc). I decided to go straight to the source, despite what many online posters advised against. Best decision I have made in a great while!
Joey took great care of me. He is incredibly personable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Apple products — no pitch, no pressure. He answered all questions I had about the Mac Book Pro I was purchasing. An added bonus of going into the store to purchase, rather than online or at a huge retailer like Best Buy, is that Joey will migrate all of the content from your old Mac to your new Mac… for FREE! AMAZING, I know! I did not waste one minute googling «how to», spending half my weekend trying to do it and risking a bad migration, because I have no idea what I am doing. Not only did he flawlessly move everything over to my sparkly new Mac, he did so OVERNIGHT. I’m typing from it now and all of my old stuff is right where I left it, bookmarks and all!
And to top this stellar experience with a cherry, I bought my Mac on a Saturday. Well, luck would have it, the shop is closed Sundays. Understanding I needed my computer for work on Monday morn, Joey went above the call of duty and offered (I did not ask) to deliver the computer to me (!). Who does that!!! I was not about to take advantage of his generosity, so we compromised and I met him instead at the store on Sunday. Oh, and he gave my baby a stuffed Leopard when I picked it up :).
Yet another bonus: Joey mentioned he gives Mac tutorials for free on Wednesdays from 6−7pm (different topics each week), which I am going to take advantage of. I know I barely took advantage of all Leopard had to offer and with the new Mountain Lion, I don’t want to miss out on learning specials tricks and treats.
Customer for life!

I’ve bought stuff here on a few occasions and they’ve always been great. There have been a number of times when I haven’t bought anything and they took the time to answer my questions and help me come to the decision that was right for me.
One time, I went in to buy a power charger because mine failed. They told me about Apple’s replacement program for chargers that failed prematurely and provided me with the information I needed. Even though it meant they wouldn’t my purchase! I was impressed!
Apple products are never inexpensive. Discounts are not part of their business model. If you want cheap computers, shop at Fry’s. If you want Apple quality and design, Mac Talk has knowledgeable and courteous professionals. I am very glad they have a store in Ventura. It saves me from having to drive out to T.O. for my Mac gear.

I recently wrote a review for Mac Talk Inc. I am not affiliated with the company nor am I in the computer business. I did not write from a spirit of maliciousness nor shill intent, but rather in the spirit of genuine contribution, honest feedback and personal, first hand observation. My goal (and I assume like most others at Unilocal) is to empower the Unilocal community to make a more educated choice. However, my review got filtered.
I noticed there were only four reviews. However, on a closer glance, I saw that there were actually twenty-​six other reviews. That is, over 80% of the reviews for the company had gotten «filtered.» When I clicked on the «filtered» link below, I discovered that out of those 80%, the overwhelming were highly critical testimonials. My experience at Mac Inc in Ventura was right on par with the critical (filtered) observations declared by the majority. This is not maliciousness; it’s a mere fact of what most experienced here.

Not impressed with the customer service here. Staff attitudes have ranged from indifferent to rude.

I have never had such a bad experience with customer service. It was the biggest waste of my time and money. The worst problem was having to talk to the tech people over the phone. They were demeaning and impatient and there wasn’t a single moment when I thought they even cared to spend a minute of their time helping me out. I have a $ 3000 MacBook Pro and the screen went out and my AppleCare expired just a few months ago. I didn’t have the $ 800 they were telling me it was going to cost to fix it so I paid them $ 150 to extract the files (word, autocad, powerpoint files ect.) from the hard drive in a format that I would be able to transfer to my PC so I could work on them.
After many trips to Mac Talk and several frustrating phone calls later I spent $ 150 to waste gas and be extremely disappointed. The people in the store literally said «I don’t know what to tell you» and when I talked to the tech manager on the phone it was an even bigger waste of time. He just laughed and said it should work… with no attempt to even try and help. Basically if your apple care expired and your not planning on spending a lot of money you are not worth their time. This is an extremely unprofessional business and I would never recommend its services to anyone.

I have found Mac Talk and their weekly classes to be outstanding! The instructor’s knowledge of Apple’s computers and their different programs is astounding!

BEWARE! Went into the store to get a credit card reader for my phone. They did not have one at this store but had one at the Santa Clarita location. The sales person offered to ring me up for $ 80 and have it sent over. Why are they charging $ 80 when I can go to an Apple store or go online and get one for FREE!!!
After leaving this review I received an email from Stephen, almost two months later. In the email it was stated that I made an uneducated comment, my lack of understanding of what I really wanted, and no one to blame in this situation but myself. I could go into detail of what I wanted and the information I received but I don’t think that is necessary. I think the condescending reply I got sums it up pretty good!

Wish I had read these reviews before shopping here. Unhelpful staff (very un-​Mac like attitude. HORRIBLE RETURN POLICY. Check it out before you buy, better yet, go somewhere else, Anywhere else!!!

Have never really had a good experience here. Everyone in the store reminds me of that SNL skit where the IT guy thinks he is smarter than everyone because he knows what random access memory means … «MOOOVVVVE!»
Am a MAC user (2 laptops, multiple ipods, iphones, etc) but probably won’t pay this store for any support.
Maybe will try again in the future if they don’t go out of business…

I’m not sure what Patrick’s situation is, but I just has a wonderful experience with these guys for a service call. I brought my MacBook in with a bad optical drive. A week later, (Apple Care) not only did I get a new drive installed, but they replaced the keyboard, trackpad and front cover due to «cracking and chipping». The price?
$ 0.00 out the door!
Yea! Mac Talk!

I bought my mom a new computer while I was home for my reunion and this is what happened.
«My daughter spent around $ 2300 at Mc Talk this week for a new laptop. I picked it up yesterday evening (Friday). This wonderful laptop came with a nice little FREE exterior hard drive, accompanied by a mini disc to install it’s software. Well we popped the disk in, lo and behold the laptop will not read it, it also gets stuck inside the laptop.
I call Mac Talk spoke to Joey who says he is in charge, and ask him for the quick remedy. His easy reply, as though this regularly happens, «Bring it in and we will charge you $ 95 to take it out. «She said gee, we just bought and paid for this and picked it up from you yesterday. I ask him if he did not think that charging me for this would be unseemly for future business and recommendations. «He said no I have to pay my tech. He said have a nice day.»
We went back to Mac Talk Inc., it took all of three minutes, and $ 95. I vow to order online straight from Apple, whom has always has excellent customer service. And if ever I need repair, I will definitely drive to T.O., or Santa Barbara before giving my business to Mac Talk Inc. in Ventura. However I do believe in supporting our local Ventura businesses, especially in these economic times.»