Istore ****med me out of R30000

Avoid iStore Woodlands and Core Group at All Costs

If I could give zero stars, I would. My experience with iStore Woodlands and Core Group has been nothing short of a nightmare. My 2019 MacBook Pro suddenly wouldn't turn on, so I booked it in at iStore Woodlands. The feedback? They claimed the entire unit was "broken beyond repair" and issued a R44,000 quote, along with a smug recommendation to just buy a new laptop.

Worse yet, they admitted they couldn't even run proper diagnostics to determine why the laptop failed. This left me unable to claim anything through insurance. Since I rely on my MacBook daily for work, I felt forced to buy a new one—shelling out R30,000 almost immediately.

Here’s where the story gets ridiculous: when I went to collect my supposedly irreparable laptop, it mysteriously started working perfectly again! Diagnostics at the store then claimed the only issue was a graphics card problem. At this point, I was livid and asked them about the earlier diagnosis. Turns out, Core Group **** about the state of my laptop.

To add insult to injury, when I tried to trade in the old MacBook later, new diagnostics revealed that the only issue was a worn-out battery—an easy and inexpensive fix for around R4,000.

In short: iStore and Core Group ****med me into believing my MacBook was beyond repair, forcing me to waste R30,000 on a new one. Their incompetence, dishonesty, and blatant greed have cost me dearly.

Save yourself the frustration and avoid these ******. They don't care about their customers—only their profit margins. An absolute disgrace.