Seth Godin, on a rough experience at the Genius Bar:
Every employee means well. Every employee is overwhelmed by incoming traffic, most from people who have already had their promises broken. Every employee has discovered that it’s easier to make a promise and pass it along than it is to either tell the truth or keep the promise.
The cascade starts with the product. When your brand makes promises it can’t keep, your overworked staff bears the brunt.
Unfortunately, Seth’s case isn’t super uncommon. The bit about the poor handoff between employees and departments within the Apple Store Seth describes was common when I worked at the Bar.
The Apple Store usually knocks it out of the park, but when it misses, it really misses.