Hugo P.
1/5
Meant to leave this review years ago but never got round to it. Words cannot describe how appalling my experience was with Mac Simple in Oxford!
I was an OBU student at the time (2020) when my MacBook Pro screen was damaged. I took it in and they offered a quick turn around and made out they were authorised third-party Apple repairers. Firstly, they aren’t authorised Apple repairers. They’re Apple approved technicians, that’s all. So don’t be fooled by them dressing themselves up to be a repair arm of Apple. They are totally independent to Apple. I was also told the screen was a new, 100% genuine Apple replacement screen.
I picked the device up a few days later, the service was fast and the price seemed Apple-esque. However, when I got the device home, I noticed scuff marks around the screen. I went straight back and they very quickly exchanged the screen, great.
Nope, not so great… after using the device normally for a couple of days, I noticed while watching Netflix one evening that there was light leaking from the sides of the screen, between the glass and the rubber gasket (bit of a red flag but didn’t react as the screen still functioned fine). Fast forward a week or two, it transpires that the screen starts to get strange lines along the bottom of the panel, which would come and go intermittently.
At this point I went back to the store to raise the issues and try and get it sorted. I was met by the owner (won’t name drop), who aggressively went off on one, shunting my device around the counter, swearing and shouting at me etc, after identifying the tiniest dent in the top case of the screen, blaming everything onto me. I said my piece in response and left the store with my MacBook in hand, whilst I contemplated what just went down / what to do next.
So, I went to the Apple Store in Birmingham, where a very friendly, GENUINE Apple technician looked over my MacBook in the back room and verified the light leak issue I was purporting. In addition to the light leak, he noted the following: 1) a slight but noticeable misalignment of the screen (top unit); 2) creases on the screen hinges (which is usually caused by overextension of the screen); and 3) a panel showing overall signs of having had a previous life. He very helpfully provided me with a Genius Bar Work Authorisation sheet, noting the issues and stating that Apple would accept it as a warranty claim (if the unit had come from them). The Apple technician was 99% sure it was a genuine Apple screen, however, he was also 99% certain the screen “HAD A PREVIOUS LIFE”, I.e it was a refurbished unit and not a brand new one. This is backed up by the first screen I had from Mac Simple with the chips in, which must’ve just been a poor refurb job.
With the Apple evidence in hand, I went back to Mac Simple (this time in writing!). The owner denied all allegations that the screen was a refurbished unit, maintaining that it was a brand new, unused, genuine Apple screen. After going back and forth by email, Mac Simple agreed to refund me in full and put my old broken screen back on, so that I could go to Apple direct for a replacement screen.
When I went to Apple, I was charged £375 for a genuine replacement screen (Mac Simple charged me £550). No light leaks, no squeaking hinges, no strange lines etc. 3 years on and the screen from the Apple Store is still functioning perfectly. The bottom line is (pun intended), these guys clearly are NOT using brand new Apple screens, and when you call them out for it, you’re met by an angry owner who has zero accountability, will blame you for everything, manhandle your device in a temper, and shout and swear at you. They also are NOT Apple authorised third-party repairers. When you speak to them, they imply they are in some way affiliated with Apple. They are not at all and I’d like to reiterate this.
There was absolutely nothing “Simple” about my experience with this lot. Save yourself the hassle and go to Apple direct.
Photo 1: first screen with paint chips.
Photos 2 to 4: faulty second screen.
